The Xbox Series X specs have been revealed, and we've already noted that they could rival even the most powerful gaming PC. But what if you wanted to build a PC that runs like an Xbox Series X?
Well, we don't know the Xbox Series X price yet and there are Xbox Series X games yet to be revealed, but we do know quite a lot about the Xbox Series X innards.
We've tried our best with this guide, then, so you can take a decent stab at mimicking the Xbox Series X hardware using the tips below.
To note, this is all about the hardware rather than design, so we can't promise what you end up with will LOOK like an Xbox Series X, but it should run like one! Click any of the product links to buy them...
[sc name="xbox"]
Xbox Series X CPU for PC
The Xbox Series X has 8x Zen 2 Cores at 3.8GHz. Your PC can have the AMD Ryzen 7 3800X.
The AMD Ryzen 7 3800X comes close, as there are the same amount of cores, but there’s a 100MHz increase in the Ryzen, although it will result in the smallest of differences here.
You’re getting a fantastic processor that will keep up with this generation of Xbox Series X for the time being at least, but with the Ryzen, you do get an opportunity to overclock the cores if needed to try and keep up with the Xbox.
Xbox Series X GPU for PC
Xbox Series X has 12 Teraflops and the rest.Buy this for your PC: the Radeon 5700XT.
The next-generation of AMD graphics cards run on ‘Navi’, an architecture that brings faster speeds, more memory onboard the card, new versions of methods of rendering lights and colours and graphics and so forth. This is what the Xbox Series X will be based on.
There are currently NO graphics cards right now that can be purchased to have in a PC that feature ‘Navi’, so until there is, the 5700XT is the one to get, as it’s as close as possible to what will be running Series X games, albeit on an older architecture.
Xbox Series X memory for PC
The Xbox Series X has 16GB. Buy this for your PC: the Crucial Ballistix.
It’s always recommended to have two sticks of memory in a PC, it’s the best way of a PC to handle memory, and when there are sets of two, it works in what’s called ‘Dual Channel’, so memory can be managed effectively.
We know that it’s 16GB on the Series X, and it’s why we recommend the Crucial Ballistix at two sticks of 8GB. Affordable, fast, and lots of memory to manage those 4K games such as Cyberpunk in the future.
Xbox Series X Storage and Expandable Storage for PC
The Xbox Series X has 1TB NVMe Custom SSD. Buy these for your PC: Sabrent 1TB NVMe and Seagate 4TB Hard Drive.
Compared to the PS5 storage of 825GB, the Series X is simply going for 1TB, which is great from a consumer perspective. It’s a good, round number, and translates well to anyone who is inquiring about storage.
The Sabrent 1TB NVMe is perfect, ready to store Windows, Steam, Epic Games and all the games from each vendor when needed.
But to note, there is a way of expanding storage on the Series X, but it can only be done through a Microsoft-approved custom SSD variant. It’s the size of a card, reminiscent of the memory pack that used to go into a ‘Duke’ controller, but with a PC here, you could have a 4TB Hard Drive to help store everything, and perhaps in the future, add another hard drive if needed.
Xbox Series X Motherboard/brain for PC
The Xbox Series X doesn't need one, in the traditional PC sense, but your PC can have the MSI B450.
A PC needs a motherboard for it all to work concurrently, and you'd struggle to find a better one than the MSI B450. But there also needs to be room for expandability and improvement in the future, so with this motherboard, there’s room for two more memory sticks to increase the memory from 16GB to 32GB if needed for example.
While there’s plenty of PCI Slots (expansion slots) across the B450 to install WiFi, Bluetooth and many other peripherals to make sure that a Xbox Series X controller will work with the PC.
Alongside USB3 and USB-C, the motherboard has plenty of ports to be futureproofed for the time being; there’s no such thing as ‘too many USB ports’ on a motherboard.
READ MORE:The full history of Xbox controller design
Xbox Series X External Drive for PC
The Xbox Series X will have a disc drive. Your PC can have a Pioneer 4K Bluray drive.
Finishing off your Series-X-PC will be a 4K Blu Ray player, and what better than the Pioneer 4K Blu-Ray drive. It won’t obviously be accepting of Series X discs and previous-gen Xbox games here, but it will be able to play 4K Blu Ray movies and TV Shows, as if it’s being put into a Series X console.
With Windows 10, it does come with certain features that mirror the Xbox experience, such as the Xbox app and ‘Game Mode’, so there are ways to have these start-up when the PC is booting, to have more of that genuine-Xbox experience.
Make sure you get Xbox Game Pass for PC, as well, which should allow you to play loads of Xbox Series X games on your newly-built computer!
READ MORE:Build a PC that runs like a PS5
Explore new topics and discover content that's right for you!