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Someone built a PS5 console with off-the-shelf parts, and you can do it too

Published Jul 12th, 2019 5:13PM EDT

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Sony and Microsoft have both revealed details about their next-gen consoles, the PlayStation 5 and next-gen Xbox, and we know what to expect from them for the most part. Both consoles will deliver similar high-end experiences, including support for 8K gaming and fast loading times. That’s because they’ll sport similar hardware, including CPUs and GPUs from AMD, as well as fast SSDs. And since versions of these speedy processors and solid state drives are already available right now, someone just built his own version of the PS5 (or Xbox Scarlett). And you can do it too.

YouTuber Austin Evans only needed an AMD Ryzen 7 3700x processor, a Radeon RX 5700 graphics card, and a fast Aorus NVMe Gen4 SSD drive, as well as 16GB of fast DDR4 RAM. He then installed Windows 10 on the machine and made some tweaks to the processor to try to replicate the performance of the PS5. In this case, he underclocked the chip and then tested its performance on various new games.

The result was a machine that can deliver 8K gaming, although you might not always get a steady 60fps experience. In his testing, he kept customizing the settings of the game aiming for different results, but the conclusion in any case seems to be that you’re in for an excellent gaming configuration with this particular setup… whether you buy it right now or wait one more year for it to be packaged neatly in the form of a PS5 or Xbox Scarlett.

Needless to say, this doesn’t mean you’re getting the actual PS5 or next-gen Xbox configuration. The components going into these two consoles will likely be configured specifically for them, so you might not be able to purchase that exact hardware anywhere else. Aside from the CPU and GPU combo that AMD is making for Sony and Microsoft, Evans explains the consoles will likely pack custom SSDs as well as custom memory modules, so your best bet for replicating the PS5 hardware is going for the fastest SSD and RAM you can find right now.

The full video follows below:

Chris Smith Senior Writer

Chris Smith has been covering consumer electronics ever since the iPhone revolutionized the industry in 2008. When he’s not writing about the most recent tech news for BGR, he brings his entertainment expertise to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and other blockbuster franchises.

Outside of work, you’ll catch him streaming almost every new movie and TV show release as soon as it's available.