ICStats said:
Full system cost: GTX 760 $210, Core i5 $200, 12GB RAM $120, cheapish motherboard $60, basic Blu-ray drive $60, basic gaming case $50, basic PSU $50, 500GB hard disk $50, Windows 8.1 $120, gaming mouse & keyboard $100+, and optionally wireless game controller $50. Probably should invest in some AntiVirus as well. That's $1070+ for an OK gaming setup. If you start thinking about overclocking then you also have to spend more on parts. I have a gaming PC - I spend $500 to $1000 upgrading or fixing my PC every other year.
Your PC also doesn't get any better over the years unless you buy more upgrades. And sure, a PC can do more but there are many options for that. A gaming PC generally means big, noisy, not portable. So if you want to "do more" you might choose a laptop that is not good for gaming, but is light and portable. I would liken your above argument to saying that a pick up truck is the only kind of vehicle you need. A pick up truck is cheaper, can carry a lot more, more power, etc. so there is no reason to buy anything but pick up trucks anymore Personally, I use different gadgets for different needs. Want to play PC games on Ultra? Get Windows PC with awesome CPU & GPU. |
.Thanks for replying, but you have a few things wrong. First off, no one has 12GB or RAM, you have 2^n amount, not just even numbers. Most people don’t actually bother with Blu-ray as windows doesn't play them, and hell, I've a $20 keyboard that works fine (mouse is a bit more, but not much). Also a 760 isn't ok - it is pretty damn good seeing that it can hit 60 fps on BF4, 1080p, on ultra. Game controller? Unless you are doing hack and slash, most people won't have one, and you can just use AVG for antivirus as long as you don't go on dodgy sites or hit up torrents.
I have a $2000+ PC and I won't touch it for years, and for you to change yours that much is silly, because what do you get from the upgrades? Another 20%-30% fps when you are already well over 60fps? Um, that is utterly pointless (unless you have 144Hz monitor, but that is a luxury rather than needed). As for fixing? You should buy better parts. My old $1000 PC only had its RAM fail after 4 years of brutal gaming and work...and of course that is covered by a lifetime warranty. All your parts should have at least 2 - 5 year warranties with them.
Why do I need my PC to improve? Only after 4+ years did my old PC struggle to play new games at a level I wanted e.g. high or better. But did I need a new one to play new games? Nope.
As for size and noise? They use to be a problem, but are not any more. My current PC has 5 fans, none go over 17 dBs Also with modern gpu's which are always the noisiest components, many have fan switching modes so they run silent when not under heavy use. Size; Mini-itx ring a bell? You can now get full PC in something smaller than the original Xbox or 360.
I do agree that PCs are certainly not always the right choice. If you need to move a lot for work, a laptop or tablet is better. As for code, it depends what code and just how much you are going to do as a gaming rig can now double up pretty well as a workstation with the x99 chipset and the Titan range.
Macs? I would say they are only good for coding with terminal. They are way too pricey for simple day-to-day functions. Yes, they are simple, clean, and relatively robust, but you could easily have a custom PC built for cheaper which lasts longer which should do the same.
As for social gaming, you can't beat consoles. I do wonder if SteamOS will change this (micro-itx+ssd), however if no one cares about 1080p at 60 fps (which most people when they are drunk couldn’t see anyway), then a cheap console is a good idea.
