Console-sized PC build guide: the best parts to buy for a small form factor gaming PC

If you're interested in PC gaming but want something that is still console-sized, you're come to the right page. We've already covered the best parts for a mainstream gaming PC build and the best parts if you want to build the best enthusiast gaming PC This guide will guide you through the best parts to pick for a small form factor gaming PC within a mini-ITX case. Don't worry if you've never built a small form factor PC, the case I've picked out is simple to build within, and provides even casual PC builders with a fun challenge that's not too overwhelming. I set out to find the best parts to build a balanced mini-ITX system in 2023. After doing the research and going through our favorite PC parts here at XDA, I put this build guide together and made sure that everything was in-stock and could be easily purchased in 2023.

Our console-sized gaming PC build recommendations in 2023

First up we have our case, the Revolt 3 from HYTE. It offers enough space to comfortably build within and is one of my personal favorite cases to build a small form-factor PC in. This case is also popular among LAN builders thanks to a convenient collapsible handle that allows you to easily bring your rig with you to LAN events. There's enough space to fit most triple-fan graphics cards, as well as 140mm air coolers and 240mm AiO coolers. As with any ITX case, cable management can be a bit tough, but I've found that routing cables in the vertical stack design isn't too difficult if you make sure to keep everything tied down as you go along with your build. Zip-ties are the small form factor builders best friends and in this case they can make your life much easier.

For a motherboard, I went with the Gigabyte B650-I Aorus Ultra mini-ITX motherboard. This motherboard appears on our list of best mini-itx motherboards in 2023 as the best value AMD motherboard. This motherboard features an 8+2+1 phase power delivery design, which is more than enough for even the best Ryzen processors. It also supports DDR5 memory slots, although as a mini-ITX motherboard, you only get two DIMM slots instead of the four you would see on an ATX motherboard. There's also two M.2 NVMe SSD PCIe 5.0 slots, so you can install dual NVMe SSDs to store your game library.

There's a single PCIe 4.0 slot, and while it's not PCIe 5.0, most current-gen graphics cards will run fine in a PCIe 4.0 slot. As with most mini-ITX motherboards, there is very limited overclocking capability with the B650-I Aorus motherboard. The UEFI does give you the ability to under-volt or your AMD CPU as well as some other basic overclocking features, but you won't be able to push your CPU to it's maximum overclocked potential with this motherboard.

We had a great time with the AMD Ryzen 5 7600 in our review of the processor. If you are planning on using this mini-ITX as a gaming PC and not so much for intensive multitasking, this is the CPU for you. It's power efficient with a TDP of 65W, so you don't need the beefiest power supply to get the best out of it, which is a benefit when building a small-form factor PC. This six-core processor features a maximum boost speed of 5.1 GHz, which can be achieved using the limited overclocking features of the B650-I motherboard we picked in this build. While it's marketed and sold as an entry-level AM5 processor, it offers performance that is right in-line with what we wanted for a console sized gaming PC.

While Intel processors have many more cores, the six-cores AMD has provided you with here is more than enough for gaming and basic tasks on the PC. There's even some ability to render if you're a gaming content creator, although you might want to go with a Intel build for the extra cores if you need a machine that can handle a lot of rendering workloads.

While the AMD Ryzen 5 7600 comes with a stock-cooler, the Noctua NH-C14S is both quieter and cooler than AMD's stock cooler. The NH-C14S is one of the best air coolers on the market that features a top-flow air system. This allows the CPU fan cooler to provide some additional cooling to the motherboards component's keeping your entire system quiet and cool. Installation is simple for AM5 sockets, but do be aware that it is a heavy cooler at 2.24 lbs.

While I personally think the NH-C14S brown and tan color scheme is a classic in PC building, it's not going to be for everyone. We recommend using it over the stock cooler thanks to its better performance, but it's not going to make or break the build if you do decide to go with the stock cooler instead in order to save money. Just be warned, small-cases tend to get hot very quickly due to the limited space.

Corsair has been known for making high-quality PC parts for decades, and this Corsair DDR5 Vengeance RAM kit features one of the best performance to price ratios on the market for DDR5 RAM modules. The sticks are both low-profile modules, so you won't have any trouble with fitting these into the Revolt 3 or any other mini-ITX case you build within. You also won't have any trouble pairing this processor with the Noctua NH-C14S cooler.

The Vengeance RAM clocks in with DDR5-5200 MHz speeds and is capable of reaching a speed of 7,000MT/s. It's fully aluminum body is able to dissipate heat quickly even when under heavy loads, helping to keep your mini-ITX build cool. This kit also offers up to 192GB of capacity per module thanks to the new standards of DDR5, which increased from DDR4 maximum capacity of 64GB per module.

If you're looking for one of the best value graphics cards in 2023, you can't do wrong with the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT. It's designed for 1440p resolution gaming, and it provides superb frame rates at 1080p and 1440p resolutions, and can even handle some lighter 4K gaming. You will have to turn down some settings and turn on FSR 2 to comfortably game at 4K in the newest titles, but it provides an excellent value with a price under $500. It doesn't have the best ray-tracing performance, but it still does provide some ray tracing performance. Even though this is a triple-blower graphics card, you will have no problem fitting this into the Revolt 3 case or fitting comfortably onto the B650-I Aorus motherboard.

In order to power everything you've installed into the Revolt 3, you will need a power supply. I went with the Lian Li SP850 80+ Gold Certified power supply to match the all-white aesthetic of the Revolt 3 case that I picked. If you prefer the black version of the Revolt 3, this power supply is also available in all-black instead. It features a fully modular design for easier cable management and a 140mm fan with smart speed control, helping to keep your mini-ITX build cool. There's a single +12V rail for stable power output of 850-watt which is the ideal amount for our CPU and GPU paired together.

We recommend picking up some case fans when building a console-sized gaming PC. Small form-factor PCs tend to get hot easily, and this is especially true in a small form-factor gaming PC. The Silent Wings 4 from be quiet! are some of the quietest fans on the market, and they will install easily into the Revolt 3. You can install these at the top of your case to provide some additional airflow down to all of your components. There's PWM control, so you can always ensure you are getting the best fan speed possible to keep your console-sized gaming PC cool.

Last, but certainly not least, if you are building a console-sized gaming PC from scratch, you will need an operating system. If you aren't building with a drive with Windows 10 already installed in which case you can use the free upgrade, you will need to purchase a copy of Windows 11. Luckily, Windows 11 is frequently on sale, and we often have discounts over at XDA-depot for Windows 11. Windows 11 features gaming specific features to enhance your experience, just as DirectStorage support, which provides you with incredibly fast load times in your favorite titles.

Building a console-sized gaming PC

Total $1,419

The components that we picked for this guide are some of the best parts to build a well-balanced console-sized gaming PC. It's designed to give you performance that would be comparable to both the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, but with the added bonus of a strong base for upgradability. You could always spend less money and go for a more budget-oriented small-form factor build, but with these components you will have a build that can handle modern games at comfortable frame rates in 1080p, 1440p, and even 4K resolutions.

It's worth noting that while we did include the price for a base copy of Windows 11 Home, we didn't include other peripherals that you will need to buy if you don't have them already. You will need a keyboard, mouse, and a monitor for your new console-sized gaming PC. Depending on the availability and whether any items on this list are on sale, you should expect to be pay around $1,548 for this build. It's in the middle ground, providing a solid value for a gaming PC while not costing the $4,000+ that an enthusiast gaming PC would require.