What PC specs are enough for high-quality PS1 and PS2 emulation, and possibly Xbox 360?

Xbox 360 is the difficult part. The emulator still has compatibility and performance problems for a lot of games, and simply buying a much faster PC won’t solve issues caused by incomplete emulation. PS3 emulation is generally further along, but some exclusive games remain demanding. For a cost-effective system, I’d prioritize PS1 and PS2 first and treat Xbox 360 support as experimental.

A used handheld PC such as a ROG Ally with the Z1 Extreme chip is also capable of running PS1 and PS2 games at 4K and 60 FPS in many cases. It can handle RPCS3 reasonably well too, although results depend heavily on the game. Used prices vary, but it may be a convenient option if you want something compact that can also play regular PC games.

If you’re shopping on a tight budget, look for a complete used desktop rather than buying every component separately. A system with a Ryzen 2000-series processor or newer, or an Intel 8th-generation processor or newer, plus a suitable power supply, should give you a good base. Adding a used RX 480, GTX 1060, or anything faster would be plenty for PS1 and PS2. Depending on the deal, around £200–£300 could be realistic in the UK.

For PS1 and PS2, you really don’t need an expensive machine. A mini-PC with a reasonably modern Radeon integrated GPU, such as the 680M or 780M, can handle them very well. For a desktop, something around a Ryzen 5 5600 or Core i5-12400 paired with a GTX 1060, GTX 1660 Super, or a similar used graphics card would be more than enough for high-resolution emulation.