For those considering making the switch to PC gaming, assembling a system comparable in performance to the PlayStation 5 Pro ($699) is quite feasible.
In South Africa, while the PS5 Pro’s exact pricing remains speculative, expectations are that it may exceed R20,000.
This is significantly higher than the direct currency conversion from the U.S. price, currently sitting at about R12,000.
Using insights from a recent Steam surve
which captures data on the most prevalent components among users, one can build a reasonably priced gaming PC that suits average preferences.
In September 204, the most common hardware configuration gathered from the platform included:
- an Intel processor with six cores running at 2.69GHz,
- 16GB of RAM
- an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 graphics card
- 1TB of storage
- all operating on Windows 10
The Steam data is influenced by the popularity of certain games and even regional preferences.
Below is a reflection of the price breakdown for assembling a gaming PC in South Africa, using widely known brands and competitive pricing:
| Component | Model | Store | Price (ZAR) |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPU | Intel Core i5 12400 | Computer Mania | 2,499 |
| Motherboard | Gigabyte H610M H V3 Ultra Durable | Wootware | 1,867 |
| Memory | G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB | Wootware | 699 |
| Storage | Western Digital Blue SN580 1TB NVMe SSD | Wootware | 1,349 |
| GPU | MSI Gaming GeForce RTX 3060 12GB GDDR6 | Evetech | 5,999 |
| PSU | Corsair CX650 80 PLUS Bronze | Computer Mania | 1,299 |
| Chassis | Antec CX300M | Wootware | 899 |
| Display | Dell SE2725H | Wootware | 2,853 |
| OS | Windows 11 Home | Wootware | 2,499 |
| Total | 19,963 |
This overview provides an indication of how hardware selections could align with consumer expectations in regional markets.
The Intel Core i5-12400 processor and components such as the MSI RTX 3060 GPU provide strong performance benchmarks that accommodate a diverse range of gaming demands.
Hence, a complete build falls under R20,000, which is competitive compared to the anticipated PS5 Pro pricing.
While considerations like peripherals and cooling solutions add additional costs BUT so do controllers, headsets, TVs, etc.
Image Credit: Colour – Depositphotos.com