On the fence on whether or not your should get a PS5 or a new gaming PC? In this post, we’ve highlighted the pros and cons of each of these gaming platforms to help you make your decision.
Gamers have long debated on which platform is the best for gaming. And, while there are many proponents on both sides of the PC vs console discussion, the reality is that the right gaming platform for you will mostle despend on your own personal tastes.
With the release of the PS5, the choice has become even more difficult. Which one should you get? A PS5 or a gaming PC?
In this guide, we’re going to breakdown the main pros and cons of both the PS5 and the PC as options for gaming platforms. So, if you’re not sure which option would be best for you, keep reading.
Table of Contents
I. PS5 Rundown
PS5 Rundown
The PS5 – short for “PlayStation 5” – is the newest iteration of the PlayStation game console. Every feature and function that the PS4 offered can be found in the PS5. Each one of those features and functions has been greatly improved.
As a result of these improvements, the newest PlayStation console can play better-looking games at a higher frame-rate.
What Are the PS5’s Specs?
The PS5 offers the following specs:
- 8-core AMD Zen-2 based CPU clocked at 3.5 GHz
- AMD RDNA 2 GPU with 10.28 teraflops of power
- 16GB of GDDR6 RAM
- 825GB SSD with a maximum loading speed of 5.5GB per second
- 4K Blu-Ray Drive
With this array of hardware, you can play games at up to 120 FPS with ray tracing, render games up to 8K, and you can jump into VR- and 3D-supported games/applications.
What About the Games for PS5?
Since the PS5 was released less than one year ago, the library is still relatively small. Even so, though, just about every major title released within the last year is available for the PS5.
Some of these titles include Deathloop, Resident: Evil Village, Hitman 3, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, Watch Dogs: Legion, and various others.
None of those titles are exclusive, and they can all be played on the PC and other systems.
Right now, the PS5 only offers a couple of exclusives, such as Demon’s Souls and Returnal. That being said, you can play any PS4 game on the PS5. As a result, you have access to an even more extensive assortment of games, including every PS4 exclusive.
So, if you would like to play The Last Of Us series, for example, you can do so on the PS5.
Through the PlayStation Now subscription service, you can also play some PS2 and PS3 titles.
What Can You Do With the PS5?
The PS5 is a game console. So, the main thing you can do with the PS5 is, of course, play games.
But that’s not the only thing you can do with the PS5.
You can watch Netflix. You can browse YouTube. You can surf the web. You can listen to Spotify. You can watch Twitch. You can watch Blu-Ray movies and shows.
Even though the PS5 is a gaming system, you can use it as a fully-fledged entertainment system.
What’s the Cost?
The cost of a PS5 is $500. Right now, though, the number of PS5s available for that price is limited.
Many people are purchasing from resellers, who often charge quite a bit more than $500.
To go along with that, even if you score a PS5 at its MSRP, you may want to purchase some extra peripherals.
Just as an example, a single wireless controller costs $70.
You must also consider the cost of games, along with whether or not you want to play online.
A new game that isn’t on sale will cost $70.
And, if you want to play online, you’re going to need to purchase a PlayStation Plus membership. One year of PlayStation Plus costs $60.
So, if you purchase a PS5 at the intended price, one extra controller, a new game, and one year of PlayStation Plus, the total cost should be around $700.
PC Gaming Rundown
A PC (short for “personal computer”) is a computer that, in this context, can play games. You can do everything that a regular computer can do with a gaming-oriented PC.
Just like the PS5, a PC runs on an operating system and relies on specific hardware.
Unlike the PS5, you can choose your operating system while also choosing your hardware and customizing nearly every other aspect of your experience.
What Specs Does the PC Have?
Every PC offers its own set of unique specifications. This is part of what makes the PC—as a gaming platform—unique.
You are free to choose the hardware you would like for the games you wish to play.
To go along with that, if you want to upgrade your components at some point, you can do so.
So, as an example, if you want a new GPU to play the latest games, you can do so without buying or building a brand new PC. (As long as the rest of the components in your current computer meet the requirements of the games you want to play.) With a PS5, you cannot upgrade your system.
What About the Games on PC?
Just about every major release—except for console exclusives—is available on PC. Many of these titles offer improved graphics on the PC, as well as an uncapped framerate.
But, in order for you to play those games and enjoy those improvements, you will need the right components.
However, even if you don’t have the best components, you still have access to plenty of games.
For instance, if you have a budget gaming PC, while you may not be able to max out the graphics settings on certain games, you still may be able to play them by lowering the settings.
To go along with that, you can play any game that’s ever been released on PC. Since the PC, as a gaming platform, has been around for quite some time, you have quite a few games to choose from.
On the PC, you can also find console emulators that will allow you to play games from older consoles. (i.e. Nintendo, SNES, Nintendo 64, older PlayStations, etc.)
PC also has a handful of exclusive titles that cannot be played on a console. Some of the most popular modern exclusives include Half-Life: Alyx, League of Legends, Dota 2, and the Total War series.
You can find plenty of older titles that are exclusive, though, such as World Of Warcraft and Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines, as well as quite a few others.
Even though the PC doesn’t have a ton of mainstream exclusives, the sheer assortment and variety of games available on the PC is vast. You can play many of these titles on lower-end hardware, making it easy for you to play games without investing too much money.
What Can You Do With A PC?
Everything that a PS5 can do, you can do on a PC…with the exception of playing PS5 exclusives.
So, if you want to watch YouTube, listen to music, turn on ray tracing in games that support it, watch a movie, browse the internet – and so on and so forth – you can do so on your PC.
The PS5 is a closed-system that is dependent on Sony’s software and hardware. A PC is very different, though, and supports a wide variety of different software and hardware.
Rather than being restricted to one digital platform, you can use Steam, Epic Games Launcher, Origin, UPlay, and many others. Each one of those platforms offers its own library of games, as well as plenty of features. Every one of those platforms also gives you the ability to play online without paying a fee.
You can also use the software and hardware you like. So, if you want an NVIDIA GPU, rather than an AMD GPU, then you have that option.
If you would like to upgrade your SSD without paying for an upgrade kit, you can easily do so.
Those are just a few examples of the flexibility that a PC offers.
How Much Does A Gaming PC Cost?
Even though a good gaming PC can be affordable, if you want the same features a PS5 offers, you will need to spend more than a PS5 console costs.
Right now, calculating the exact cost is a little tricky, since there is a GPU shortage taking place.
If that shortage wasn’t taking place, though, and components were more readily available, you would likely need to spend between ~$800-$1,000.
Even though that’s more than a PS5, a PC offers certain benefits that a PS5 does not. The main benefit is that a PC is more than just a gaming machine.
You can use your PC to play games, file your taxes, write stories, edit videos, watch movies, edit photos, along with many, many other possibilities.
To go along with that, you can customize your PC to fit your exact specifications. You are not restricted to the software and hardware of any particular manufacturer.
Along those same lines, if you would like to upgrade the components in your PC, there is nothing stopping you from doing so.
PS5 Vs. PC
The PS5 is a great system that offers plenty of power, as well as convenience and affordability. For those who want something affordable, convenient, and effective, the PS5 is a great choice.
A gaming PC is, comparatively, not quite as convenient and, perhaps a little more expensive. But, for those who want something that offers tremendous versatility, plenty of games, along with the ability to perform many different tasks, a gaming PC is a fantastic choice.
PC will always be better than a crappy plastic toy that’s a PS5.
An excellent and well written article that is accurate, unbias, and well informed. Thank you for writing this article. You helped me to better understand the basic differences and perks of each system and enabled me to make a well informed and educated decision on what is best for my situation.
Keep on writing Max!