I was in a group message with my college friends discussing whether it would be better to purchase a PS5, a Steam Machine, or a PC. Unsurprisingly, the suggestion of just buying a PC was the majority vote with one friend providing a few compelling arguments for purchasing one. While his arguments around cost comparisons, game prices, and online costs made saving up for a modest gaming PC enticing, I believe the best option depends on a few additional factors.

While my friend’s arguments of initial buy in, game prices, and online cost are important when deciding what hardware to purchase, the kind of gaming and games you plan to play and the environment you wish to play games are a few additional aspects to think about. I do concede that in today’s economic environment his focus and concern about cost are likely more important.

Note: This article isn’t going to consider Switch or XBOX series consoles, in part, because they were not discussed amongst my friends. Switch 2 is a phenomenal console that grants access to beloved franchises, such as Mario and Zelda. Given Switch 2 has started receiving many AAA games and they appear to run well, I think this is an excellent option for those who are Nintendo fans. On the other hand, while I love my Series X, and XBOX console is a hard sell given they will be increasing prices across the board, with the 512GB Series S going to cost $500 starting August 1, 2026; the same price as the Series X at launch.

Buy-in and Cost-Benefit

To my friend’s point, the biggest consideration when deciding what gaming hardware to purchase is the upfront cost. In today’s economy, the price of RAM, storage, and GPUs are significantly higher than in years past, making all hardware options exorbitantly more expensive.

Therefore, when assessing only the hardware cost a base PS5 digital edition is the cheapest entry point at $600, currently. At this price point, all that you need is to buy the console, plug it into your TV and you are off to your favorite fictional world. No tweaking settings, no fighting unexpected pop-ups or driver updates. PlayStation and the game developers handle all the updates, setting optimizations, and user experience. The obvious caveats – the PS5 digital provides a limited use case, only usable for playing games and streaming movies, and mileage may vary on game performance.

While $600 gets you through the door, it may not be the experience you are looking for. A vast majority of games on PS5 can hit 60 frames per second (fps), some even up to 120 fps. Unfortunately, these higher framerates usually come at the cost of visual fidelity, forcing you to choose between performance mode or quality mode. If you’re willing to shell out $1200, twice the price of a PS5, you are likely to get 60 fps at a higher fidelity on a PC.

The beauty of choosing a PC is the wide berth of options when it comes to the parts, manufacturers and price. Whether you are buying a prebuilt or building yourself, the options are generally limitless. Personally, I would go the prebuilt route, as the process of building the PC is not enticing to me in the slightest. Given my inclination toward buying prebuilt, I’ll use the cost of PCs you can buy today.

Personally, I would use NZXT as a baseline for pricing and performance, as they provide helpful “estimated frames per second.” While on the pricier side, NZXT provides three different levels of PCs, each level provides an increase in performance. As I stated prior, at $1400, NZXT’s Player 1 provides a comparable experience as a PS5, with ~120fps at standard HD and 30 fps at 4K, all estimated on ultra-high settings. If you’re willing to shell out some serious dough for NZXT’s Player Three pre-built, costing a whopping $3100, you are potentially looking at a stable 60 FPS at 4k and ultra-high settings for most AAA games. Something a PS5 or PS5 pro could only dream of.

On top of the ability to play games, the cost of a PC provides you with all the comfort features of a computer. You can install any software you want and use it for non-gaming purposes, such as video creation, podcasting, writing blog posts, or even creating your own video games. The multipurpose use of a PC is an obvious advantage, but this also comes as a double edge sword. It means that you must deal with all the unexpected driver issues, random hiccups, and you must do all the leg work to find the perfect settings for games. While dialing in settings can be a simple google search away for bigger titles, it can become a real headache for smaller games.

Verdict: If you are looking for a plug and play experience and want to save on the upfront cost, purchase a PS5. If you are looking to get into digital activities outside of gaming and need a machine to help you achieve your goals, go the PC route.

Long Term Cost

The next biggest cost after the initial purchase centers around the primary reason for purchasing new hardware – games. While the cost of games is the apparent long-term expense, you’ll have to evaluate the need and willingness to pay for online access.

Games

Games aren’t cheap and are getting more expensive. The new base price for AAA game is $70 and, as GTA VI has shown, marque titles are going to be $80. Finding the best deals on games is super important and the common narrative is PC gaming is cheaper than console given Steam’s history of having astonishing seasonal sales. These seasonal sales are where you can find a plethora of significant discounts on all types of games from blockbuster hits, like Baldur’s Gate 3, to Indie darlings, such as Tunic.

Steam may have some of the best seasonal sales, but AAA games, such as Cyberpunk 2077 and Final Fantasy VII, tend to go on sale on all platforms. If you are willing to wait, have a keen eye, and don’t need to play games right on release it is possible to get any game at a discounted price on any platform.  

Verdict: If you want to take part in the notorious seasonal sales of Steam, a PC is a must. If you are willing to check monthly sales, the PlayStation Store will provide more than adequate deals.

Online Cost

What are you willing to pay for online gaming? If you plan to casually game with friends or sweat in competitive shooters, choosing a PS5 adds an ongoing, monthly or yearly expense. PlayStation requires a paid PS Plus subscription for most online play and the lowest tier, PlayStation Plus Essential, costs $10.99 per month or $79.99 per year. That recurring cost can add up over time. Whereas a PC has no added cost to play online with friends.

Although, if you purchase a PS5 you will likely save, at minimum, $600 on hardware costs. These savings can cover 7 years and some change of PlayStation Plus Essentials at the current price.

Verdict: Depends on how you view the recurring cost. When the cost difference between hardware is not factored in, a PC is the better option. When factoring in the cost difference, you still save a substantial amount by purchasing a PS5.

3. Game Preferences

What kind of gaming are you interested in: solo, casual multiplayer with friends, or competitive?

Playing solo gives you the widest options, as you simply need a box that will allow you to play the games that catch your eye. In this case, you should just pick whatever meets your needs in accordance with the other points on this list.

Playing online, whether casually with friends or competitively, a few additional factors must be contemplated. While long gone are the days of needing the same console as your friends, PC tends to get smaller indie multiplayer games that don’t come to console. Choosing a PS5 could limit your ability to experience friend slop games, such as Meccha Chameleon, when your friend group is a part of the PC master race.

Similarly, if you want to get deep into competitive shooters and be as competitive as possible, PC is the way to go. PCs allow you to use keyboard and mouse, which provides better input and control over your game play. As previously mentioned, you can get higher framerates on PC, which can give you a competitive advantage. For the Call of Duty weekend warrior or casual Fortnite player, you don’t need these things and a PS5 will suit your needs.

Verdict: It is dealer’s choice if you are looking for the next exhilarating solo experience. Conversely, a PC is highly recommended if your friends play games on PC and is a must if you want to be the next big name in competitive shooters.

4. Where do you want to play?

Personally, this is the most important question to answer. How do you want to experience your games? Do you want the comfort of curling up on the couch to enjoy a relaxing evening of games or do want to curate the perfect cozy desk setup?

For me personally, I like getting comfy on the couch – with my cats sitting next to me – and gaming away the evening. I sit at a desk all day working and don’t particularly want to sit at one after hours, making a console a better option for someone like me.

Albeit, I don’t have a “cozy” gaming setup that are so often seen on Instagram and Tiktok, which I do see the appeal of. For an individual who wants to cozy up their desk and embrace desk gaming, a PC will work just fine.

Now, a common argument for couch gaming is to “just hook a PC up to your TV.” I find this to be valid, given it was an opinion I held for some time, but a recent GameScoop episode changed my mind based upon a few facts. First, putting a hulking PC, that likely clashes with the aesthetics of your main living area, can be quite an eyesore. While a PS5 is not the most beautiful addition to a tv console, it is far less of a blight than a PC. Second, a PC will produce a ton of heat, meaning it will need to be well ventilated. Again, forcing you to find a place where the PC can exist but not be a blemish in your living space.

Verdict: PS5 all the way if you want to game in the living room and don’t want to an overbearing box of lights taking up space. Otherwise, a PC is an excellent choice.

Final Thoughts

At the end of the day, the choice between a PS5 or a PC is completely personal. There is a plethora of factors from financial to comfort, and only you can decide what is best for you.

To wrap everything up, I want to address the cube that is not in the room, the Steam Machine. After watching and reading a handful of reviews, I can’t recommend a Steam Machine. Based upon reviews from various sites and YouTube channels, the Steam Machine performs slightly worse than a PS5 when running more graphically intensive AAA games. While the steam machine can run these games, you will have to spend some time tweaking settings to get a constant 60fps. With prices starting at $1050 and the spotty experience, the Steam Machine is a niche product.