How to build a game console with PC pieces

Game consoles still have great public success because they allow us to play in the living room or bedroom quickly and quickly: just turn them on, choose the game to start (or insert the optical media into the player), wait a few seconds and start immediately to play. The same cannot be said of the gaming computer: often we will have to wait for the system to start, wait for Windows updates and start the desired game with the keyboard and mouse anyway.
But if we wanted to build a game console with PC pieces, which pieces we have to choose in order not to regret a PlayStation or an Xbox ">
In order to recreate a game console with the components of a computer we will have to focus, we stick to the list of products available below:

1. Ryzen 5 3400G processor : great for console gaming thanks to the 4 cores, 8 threads and clock speeds up to 4.2 GHz (€ 154).
2. Gigabyte B450 i Aorus Pro motherboard: small mini-ITX motherboard with Dual Band Wi-Fi included, Bluetooth 5.0 included and support for the latest generation AMD processors (129 €).
3. Corsair Vengeance LPX RAM memories : we have chosen to add 16 GB (2 X 8 GB) of 3000 MHz DDR4 memory (€ 68) to the chosen processor.
4. Corsair Force MP510 M.2 SSD : new generation solid state memories with 480 GB of internal space and read speeds of up to 3480 MB / s (€ 88).
5. MSI Radeon RX 560 video card: an excellent compact size video card with 4 GB of GDDR5 video memory and 7000MHz video processor (€ 144).
6. Compact case SilverStone SST-ML05B : with this compact case we can replicate the shape of a console, so as to place our computer near a TV without disfiguring (55 €).
7. SilverStone SST-ST45SF compact power supply : given the small size of the case chosen, we focused on a 450W SFX power supply, with 80 Plus Bronze certification (71 €).

We will find ourselves with a very powerful gaming console, equipped with all the necessary components to run all the games available for PC even at the highest resolutions (we will obviously have to optimize the graphic parameters in order to maintain good fluidity). The chosen components are all very quiet, so you can play without hearing the annoying fan noise.
If we have difficulties in assembling the gaming PC, we recommend you read our guide How to assemble the PC, assemble the pieces and build a computer from scratch .

Accessory components for the PC Console

With the components seen in the previous chapter we will have a PC ready for use within a few hours; but to be able to replace a console as much as possible we will also have to consider the game peripherals to be placed side by side. Below we have collected some of the peripherals that we can connect to the console created:

1. Microsoft Xbox One game controller : essential to be able to play even from the living room sofa, thanks to wireless connectivity (€ 49).
2. AmazonBasics keyboard and mouse : with this mini wireless keyboard we can quickly type in the text fields and use the touchpad on the side to control the cursor on the screen (€ 29).
3. Sony Gold Headset gaming headphones: these excellent headphones will allow us to listen to every sound emitted by the computer and to speak in voice chat with our friends (€ 59).

By adding these components to the configuration of the living room PC, we can easily play any type of video game and have fun as if we were in front of a real console.

How to optimize Windows 10 for games

Windows 10 is not free, so we will also have to consider its cost in the costs of creating this free console; in this regard, we invite you to read our guide Download Windows 10 ISO 64 or 32 Bit, the latest version in Italian . Let's get the 64bit version of Windows 10 (Home or Pro, according to the license in our possession), then install it on the M.2 of our console via USB, as seen in our guide How to install Windows 10 from USB .
At the end of the installation we can start thinking about gaming by immediately installing the Steam client, the most popular online purchase platform for games on computers.

Once the program is open, press the Big Picture icon at the top right (next to the keys to minimize, enlarge and close the window), so as to immediately obtain an optimized interface for starting and purchasing games directly from the TV, with the menus controllable with the buttons of the wireless controller (we will practically never have to use the mouse or keyboard).
If this interface convinces us, we can make Steam start in this mode when the computer starts; to achieve this we open the normal Steam window (if we are already in the Big Picture, press the symbol at the top right in the form of a power button -> Exit Big Picture ), press the Steam menu, select Settings and, in the Interface menu, we activate the items Start Steam when the computer starts and Start Steam in Big Picture mode .

From now on, every time you start our living room gaming PC, we will immediately have access to the Big Picture mode of Steam, so we will seem to use a classic game console in all respects!
To better optimize the game console and avoid having to manually intervene to update the drivers and to optimize the game parameters, we invite you to read our guides Update the drivers of a Windows PC automatically and Optimal configurations for NVIDIA and AMD graphics card .
Also, don't forget that you can set up Windows 10 in Game Mode to increase game performance .

Conclusions

Even if the consoles come with a lower cost and greater convenience of access, by spending a little more we can create our personal console from the living room using the components of a computer, so that we can play all cross-platform titles without being tied to the desk in the bedroom or bedroom.
We also saw more choices in the guide on how to buy a living room PC to play and watch movies .
If, on the other hand, we are looking for brute power and we also want to start games in 4K UHD, we will have to choose much more expensive components such as those proposed in our guide to the most powerful PC ever: better hardware parts today .
If instead we are looking for other ways to "move" the game from the PC desk to the TV, we can read our article How to play PC games on the TV .