Build A Gaming PC Or Buy A Console in 2022

Before I begin let me set the record straight pc gaming is and will always be superior to console gaming. This is mainly due to the fact that they're modular which makes them unbeatable when it comes to gameplay performance. Now unless you're an e-sports or a significant gamer or you need a pc for any other reason besides gaming like maybe school or work then I honestly don't see why you'll need anything more than what consoles have to offer for gaming especially if you have a Ps5 or Series x. 

It's 2022 now and building a worthwhile gaming pc or buying a top-tier console has never been more challenging. Is it worth the hassle to build a nice gaming rig or just settle for a high-performance gaming console like a ps5 or a series x? We'll be comparing building a gaming pc to buying a gaming console in 2022. When I refer to consoles I'm talking about the ones closest to a solid gaming pc like the ps5 or the series x.

Building a pc is so much fun in my opinion and the feeling you get from staring at your creation as you game on it is second to none. The problem with building the pc is some people don't want to deal with the building and the setting up phases. First, you have to figure out what you want to develop then you start hunting down the parts you need. After that, you have to put them all together and finally, you have to set up the OS. All of these have to be done before you can even begin gaming at all.

Consoles like the series x and ps5 come ready-made for gaming. I mean it's their main purpose so they have very short setup times and even after setup they have features that allow you to jump into games very quickly and switch between games with ease. The series x has a quick resume which literally allows you to continue from wherever you stopped in any game at all, with no search for parts setting up OSs or anything of the sort with console gaming. Building a gaming pc has a lot of customization perks that a console just cannot give you. You get to pick up individual parts to customize your pc as you see fit you can build just about anything you can dream of with as much power as you like. You have the option to choose the amount of ram, storage type, and size of the processor, graphics card, and power supply. You can even add or omit RGB LEDs from your pc you can also easily upgrade your pcs since they're pretty much modular.

With consoles, customization is extremely limited all the customization that can be done to consoles is mostly cosmetic and affects their appearance for example swapping out faceplates or applying the skin to the body of consoles. Consoles come with every internal part that matters already selected for you, parts in each console are usually optimized for gaming but you have no ability to upgrade or change any of the main internal parts like the CPU or the GPU, the internal ssds, and consoles cannot be changed but you can increase the storage size of consoles by using external hard drives or buying additional SSD storage to upgrade consoles. To handle the latest games you basically have to buy a whole new console if you can get past the building and setup phase of a gaming rig the reward is in the number of games you gain access to as well as the overall gameplay performance. On PC, you can pretty much play every game out there except a few like some PlayStation exclusives but even those come to pc in time. The popular game pass service on Xbox is also on pc which means you have access to all the same games on Xbox on pc this single fact makes the Xbox redundant within the same gaming setup as a pc console also has a ton of options for games but not nearly as much as pcs do. Unless you're a hardcore or big time gamer you probably won't miss not having access to pc games on the Xbox game pass offers lots of games to choose from and on the ps5 you have access to the ps plus collection. On both consoles, there are lots of multi-platform games and exclusives for you to play with new ones releasing every now and then.

Gameplay performance is unmatched on pc you can build something powerful enough to handle the most demanding games without breaking a sweat, go for a 3080 ti graphics card and that will make your pc a powerhouse for gaming. You can build a pc that can run games at super high frame rates and high resolutions. The ps5 and series x on the other hand both come with less powerful GPUs optimized for their architecture. This makes games easy for developers to optimize for the consoles since their hardware is pretty much set in stone. Most often than not you'll see medium settings for games and consoles while you have the option to turn settings too high or even ultra high on pc. On consoles also you'll notice that game developers give you the option to run games at a higher resolution with lower frame rates or a lower resolution with higher frame rates. This just means they're simply not powerful enough to do both.

On PC, you can have it all you can have high frame rates and high-resolution gameplay. If you decide to build a gaming pc then you have to be ready to lose the portable aspect of gaming. Consoles like the series x and ps5 are more portable and travel-friendly. When I say portable I mean being able to quickly set up the console in a living room or anywhere at all with few constraints. For a PC, you'll need a display keyboard, mouse, and possibly a controller if you game with that. For the console all you'll need is a controller and a display it's also so much easier to throw a console on a controller into a travel bag and bring it on a trip. Trying to do that with a gaming rig is more work than it's worth. 

Here's where things get really crazy, the money it costs to buy a high-end console like the series x or the ps5 is a small fraction of the money it costs to build a high-end gaming pc right now. The main cost of building the pc lies with the graphics card, the inflation of prices for graphics cards due to cryptocurrency mining has ultimately made building a gaming pc very expensive. Pc parts like newer intel CPUs, high-end GPUs, and ddr5 rams are very expensive.

Besides the price, there's also the issue of chip shortage which has made it extremely difficult for any store to keep high-end consoles or pc parts in stock. They do come in stock on and off at different retailers you just have to be on the lookout. Once you've made the decision on either building a pc or buying a console the next step is to begin looking for what you need which could be a ps5, Xbox series x, or pc parts like high-end GPUs. All that being said I'll let you guys know right now that I'll choose to build a pc over a console.  

I believe that consoles are best suited for a living room and social setup with a large tv, and multiple controllers a pc is more set up for individuals and say at a desk setup, but it's also good for you to know multiplayer and having friends over. But I'd say you know having a console in a living room is better that's also because consoles are designed for tv use since they only come with HDMI outputs. Pc graphics cards tend to come with both display ports and HDMI ports which are great for multiple options especially when you want to use them with monitors to unlock even higher frame rates. There's no beating a console when you're looking for something you know works as the best bang for your buck. Consoles and graphics cards are pretty hard to find right now but if you look hard enough you'll find them they're not as hard as they used to be to find about two years ago when most of them launched.

I'd like to know where you stand on building a gaming pc versus buying a gaming console and why. Leave a comment below. Thank you and See Ya!