Linus builds $500 PC that matches performance of Xbox Series X

It's no secret that the gap in performance between gaming consoles and PC is closing, and famous YouTuber Linus "Tech Tips" Sebastian has proven this by trying to build a rig that matches the Xbox Series X while keeping the budget similar to Microsoft's console cost of 499USD.

In one of his latest YouTube videos, Linus set himself such monetary limitations, which proved to be a hard constraint when it came to finding the right components. Sure, you can easily build a PC with US$500, but one with the specs and performance of the Series X, that's a whole other story.

It wasn't all about the PC components, as peripherals such as a controller had to be accounted for, making the task that much harder for the tech guru.

Linus would end up going over budget (Picture: Linus Tech Tips)

Using a mix of new, cheap, and second-hand parts Linus attempted to put together a PC that could match the Xbox Series X. They spec list included:

• Intel Core i7-6900K Processor
• Samsung 16GB DDR4-2133
• Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1070 (Used)

Linus' initial projection of building a rig for US$502 was slightly ambitious, landing on a PC that costs US$580.

Some of the biggest compromises made included a lower quality PC case, a cheap air cooler, a 400w power supply, and a knock off wired Xbox 360 controller.

(Picture: Linus Tech Tips)

Games like Rocket League, Doom Eternal, and Forza Horizon 4 were used as tests, with the PC build holding up surprisingly well against the Series X, matching in image quality, FPS stability, and many other things.

Of course, controller quality was one of the big drawbacks, and slight performance issues were found while playing Forza, but other than that, the experiment was a success.

Linus does point out that claiming this as a "PC master race victory" would be irresponsible.

"A) We cheated on the price. B) We made all kinds of compromises to the config." Some of these include key features, like no blu-ray drive or ray-tracing support.

You can check out the entire YouTube video down below.

• Read more: Black Ops Cold War Xbox Series X crashes: How to fix

While the eternal struggle between PC and console enthusiasts in the gaming landscape won't end any time soon, but this experiment is a clear statement that the old "you can build a better PC for less money" saying is less and less relevant with each new generation of hardware.