{"id":100868,"date":"2016-08-14T16:49:56","date_gmt":"2016-08-14T14:49:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mygaming.co.za\/news\/?p=100868"},"modified":"2016-08-14T16:52:42","modified_gmt":"2016-08-14T14:52:42","slug":"how-to-build-a-custom-pc-gaming-console-for-under-r7500","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mygaming.co.za\/news\/pc\/100868-how-to-build-a-custom-pc-gaming-console-for-under-r7500","title":{"rendered":"How to build a custom PC gaming console for under R7,500"},"content":{"rendered":"

With the latest generation of graphics card architecture recently being released, the amount of graphics processing power you can get for your money has increased drastically.<\/p>\n

This is especially noticeable in budget-oriented cards such as the Radeon RX Series, which caters to gamers seeking high-performance GPU solutions at an affordable price.<\/p>\n

A custom-built PC for living room gaming\u00a0combines the customisation and forward-compatibility of a PC with the user-friendly and comfortable console interface.<\/p>\n

PC gamers often use their gaming rigs\u00a0for various other activities, such as watching movies or\u00a0working, and one of the advantages of a custom-built PC-console hybrid is that it can be used for a variety of other activities apart from gaming.<\/p>\n

If you are a PC gamer seeking to build a sleek and relatively powerful machine for casual gaming on the couch, or a console gamer looking to build an equivalent PC and take advantage of the massive amount of games available on Steam, check out our custom PC-console\u00a0build below.<\/p>\n

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The Build<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Custom PC Gaming Console Build<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Processor<\/strong><\/td>\nIntel Core i3-6100<\/td>\nR2,050<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Motherboard<\/strong><\/td>\nAsrock H110M-DGS Micro-ATX<\/td>\nR845<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Case<\/strong><\/td>\nCooler Master Elite 343<\/td>\nR458<\/strong><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Memory<\/strong><\/td>\nKingston Value RAM 8GB DDR4 2,133MHz<\/td>\nR571<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Storage<\/strong><\/td>\nSeagate Barracuda 1TB 7,200 RPM HDD<\/td>\nR885<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Graphics Card<\/strong><\/td>\nPowercolor Radeon RX 460 Red Devil 2GB<\/td>\nR1,999<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Power Supply<\/strong><\/td>\nCorsair VS 350W<\/td>\nR567<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Total Cost<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/td>\nR7,375<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n

Performance<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The gaming performance of the PC-console build comes down to its graphics processing power, determined by its GPU.<\/p>\n

This build uses the Radeon RX 460, a less powerful but efficient Polaris graphics card that delivers slightly better performance than the hardware found inside the PlayStation 4.<\/p>\n

To find out more about the Radeon RX 460’s performance capabilities, head over\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The Intel Core i3-6100 processor is part of Intel’s Skylake CPU lineup, and will not throttle the Radeon RX 460 in any modern Full HD games.<\/p>\n

It is also worth noting that the above build is very power efficient, with the graphics card having a TDP of below 75W and not requiring an external PCIe power connector.<\/p>\n

\n

SteamOS<\/strong><\/h3>\n

In order to both reduce costs and provide a useful gaming interface, this build excludes the installation of Windows in favour of SteamOS, which is Valve’s console-like operating system for couch PC gaming.<\/p>\n

Essentially, this means that users can build their own Steam Machines as long as their hardware meets the minimum requirements for the operating system.<\/p>\n

To learn more about SteamOS and how to install it on your build, check out the official guide<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\n

Extras<\/strong><\/h3>\n

This PC-console hybrid build is budget-oriented and subsequently aims to deliver console-level performance or better at a reasonable price point.<\/p>\n

Depending on what different PC gamers\u00a0want from a PC gaming console build, they may opt to add in extra features, such as an SSD or a more powerful graphics card.<\/p>\n

Some users may also not have any input device for their PC-console hybrid, and may want to purchase input devices aimed at couch PC gaming.<\/p>\n

Below are a few possible build upgrades\u00a0and various extras:<\/p>\n