The Xbox Series S is a really interesting console in the current console landscape. Microsoft’s digital-only box is the little brother to the larger and more powerful Xbox Series And as someone who owned the Series S primarily for Game Pass, I can say that my experience with it didn’t let me miss out. While the S Series isn’t as powerful as the X Series, how powerful is it from a technical standpoint compared to PC graphics cards?
This is important information to have, especially if you’re looking to build a comparable entry-level gaming PC that can compete with the S series. The 1650 SUPER from Nvidia’s now-discontinued GTX line of graphics cards comes closest in terms of direct comparison. I know this from experience, as I used this card for several years before it ended up on my fiance’s gaming PC. Considering it can play everything currently available on the Series S, it holds up pretty well.
The GTX 1650 SUPER comes closest
The Xbox Series S was designed as a closed environment, meaning everything inside was optimized for playing games. When it comes to a computer, things are much more flexible. You might have a great graphics card, but if you have an underpowered CPU and don’t have the proper RAM, that fancy card doesn’t do much. And that’s not even talking about the operating system which was not designed for gaming, since a computer is designed as a multifunction device.
So what makes the GTX 1650 SUPER a good counterpart to the Lockhart GPU in the S series? The GTX 1650 SUPER slightly beats the S series in a few areas, including having a higher boost clock and raw computing power. It has a base clock speed of 1530 MHz while the Lockhart GPU goes up to 1565 MHz, but you can boost the 1650 Super up to 1725 MHz. The 1650 also comes out on top with a texture fill rate of 138 compared to 125.2 for the Lockhart.
The It also features a newer RDNA 2 architecture, allowing the S series to offer better compatibility with newer games and ray tracing support, something the GTX 1650 SUPER lacks.
What’s the takeaway
These two GPUs are very different beasts. The S Series is a constant that comes without having to think about anything. It will play every game released for its generation without having to change settings, drivers, or custom gaming settings. It’s a plug-and-play experience designed primarily for video games. The GTX 1650 SUPER is a high-performance entry-level card that allows you to play a wider range of games, without being tied to the Microsoft ecosystem. It’s a good choice if you want options and like to play older, indie titles, but its 4GB of memory means its future viability will be limited.
My fiance is currently playing “Red Dead Redemption 2” with no problems, which gives you a good idea of what games he can handle. The GTX 1650 SUPER is also affordable, selling used for around $100 at a time when Microsoft’s Xbox consoles continue to see their prices rise. And since it’s a PC component, you can upgrade it later without losing access to your games. The Series S is an end-of-the-road proposition, but a PC lets you keep it alive long after this console generation ends.
