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Pjams on 16 July 2012
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CGI-Quality said:
Pjams said:
I bought a decent laptop about 6 months ago i5 / GTX560, and though I can't really utilize any Dx11 features, I can run most games on their higher settings. As an example, I just got Max Payne 3 through the Steam Summer Sale and I can run it with all settings maxed, 1080p, HDSAO, and it runs super smooth, probably getting around 50-55fps. But a game like Witcher 2, I can only run at 1600x900 with most of the settings turned off.

For me, I am very happy with the decision to get a gaming alternative to the consoles. But there is a trade off, console games are specifically optimized for the PS3 and 360, in other words, 9 out of 10 times the games are simply plug and play. PC games are just generally optimized for a wide range of specs and configurations, so many times it requires a little leg work of your own to get a game to work properly or even be playable. When Quantum Conundrum came out, the game would barely run on my system and there was no in-game settings to adjust, so I had to go into the .ini files to make adjustments in order to make the game playable. And often times you will not be able to make changes yourself, you will just have to pray that someone else is having the same problem you are having and comes up with a fix. PC gaming has little bit of a wild west aspect to it. As long as your prepared for stuff like this and actually interested in messing with the nuts and bolts of some games, then you should definitely get a good PC rig. But I have found that having both a console and a PC is the way to go.

Yes, but how often will this type of issue crop up? There's a trade off I feel, consoles sometimes break and you have to replace it - hassle. They don't always run games as smoothly as their PC cousins - another hassle. Console titles are also MUCH more expensive a lot of the time, yep, hassle #3.

Goes both ways, but I agree having both as an option is the way to go. P.S. - I look forward to technical tweaking of my PC titles!

Well, what I most commonly run into, is that games run pretty flawlessly at 1600x900. But I want them to run at 1080p and still push 60fps, therefore I tend to spend a lot of time tweaking settings, and not all games have the settings available that you need to tweak. But in most cases, with some help from others and some trial and error, I can generally get a game to run and look the way I want. Most of this is due to the i5 I have. If you have a decent quad core CPU and a good Nvidia or AMD GPU, you'll be able to run most games on the highest settings without much effort on your part. But if you want to run all the fancy Dx11 options, then you definitely want to do some research to make sure you can power that stuff.

In general games are cheaper on PC, but you have publishers like EA and Activision who charge $60 for their titles. Max Payne 3 was $60 too. There are more opportunities to get the games you want at cheaper prices on PC, but if you want a title day 1, it may cost the same whether for console or PC.

And as far as games running smoothly, it really took some time playing on PC to make me realize just how well console games do perform. They are incredibly well optimized and it took some time away from the consoles for me to see that.

It sounds like I'm arguing in favor of one, but I'm not. PC gaming is an incredibly deep and varied experience, it's amazing. But the consoles still hold their own.