Hello my fellow PC gamers. Let's look at the future.

But I'll start in the past.

My first 3D accelorator was a Screaming 3D Rendition . After that I went ATI  and then went Nvidia . I've been happy with all of them, but I've been an Nvidia user across more builds than not. I mention this only to point out that I go both ways. Um, not like that, you know what I mean.

Anyway, I was thinking about the next gen of consoles and the rumors all say that AMD will be in the PS4 and Nextbox. We already know the Wii U has an AMD GPU. The big three are all going to have the same tech under the hood pushing graphics to the TV.

Will this affect your next PC build?

It's possible that multiplatform games will be optimised for AMD and game engines will use special AMD features more than special Nvidia features. Kind of like Tomb Raider's use of TressFX shiny-flowy-pretty hair technology.

I'm still happy with my current rig, but like all PC gamers I keep an eye on the future and try to keep track of what might be the hot new tech. I'm not real big on all the little nerdy tech details. I'm interested in the end result. I go with the best reviewed cards that give me the best bang for my buck.

When the time comes the choice between an AMD and Nvidia card might be a lot bigger than it is today. Or Nvidia might step up their game and blow us all away to compete on equal ground. Maybe AMD will put too much focus on console graphics and let slip a little on the PC side. Maybe Nvidia will switch their focus to mobile graphics and let AMD take over PC. Who knows? I don't. But it's an interesting thing to consider when thinking about your next build.

What do you think will happen and what are your plans for your next gaming rig?

The chip used on the next gen consoles won't affect the choice of my next graphics card.

Performance, price, power consumption and noise are the things I'll look for when the upgrade time comes, not the brand.

I wont build myself a gaming PC ever again. This was such a waste of money

AndrewWK said: I wont build myself a gaming PC ever again. This was such a waste of money

Building a PC only with gaming in mind doesn't make sense, at least for me.

However, building a PC for the tasks you need and then trying to make it better gaming wise with a better GPU than needed is not a bad thing if you know you'll take advantage of it.

I'm not building a new rig anytime soon. But I do want to make several upgrades to my current one.

I'll be going with AMD again. Their offerings in the $200-300 range are a lot more appealing to me right now, and neither they nor Nvidia look to be upgrading their product lines anytime soon.

JEMC said: AndrewWK said: I wont build myself a gaming PC ever again. This was such a waste of money Building a PC only with gaming in mind doesn't make sense, at least for me. However, building a PC for the tasks you need and then trying to make it better gaming wise with a better GPU than needed is not a bad thing if you know you'll take advantage of it.

I am not building a new PC with just gaming in. But gaming hardware is mostly the best you can get.

You'd have a hard time arguing that AMD doesn't provide better value for your money. So unless things change by next gen, I will go AMD.

My GPU purchases across multiple PCs in the last 5 years are as follows:
9800GTX-->GTX260-->GTX470-->GTX580SLI-->HD6850-->GTX560 Ti SLI-->GTX 670SLI-->HD7750

...so I can really go either way.

Wait, what the hell happened with that last jump? Did the 670s break or what?

hehe...nah 7750 was for a media PC I built. This is not an evolution but just a list of purchases.

I still have my 3570k + 670 SLI rig but its mostly collecting dust. Prolly cause I moved to my desk. I beat DmC few weeks ago on the couch with an Athlon X4 and HD7750 lol. Really impressed with the HD7750 mind you. Cost me 90 bucks, runs on a 250W PSU and plays most games on high 720p or medium detail 1080p.

The performance around $100 range has gotten so much better.

The last one I had in that price range was a 4670 a few years back...it was a piece of shit. XD