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Forums - PC - $130 will match or beat any console in terms of graphical fidelity.

chuckd on 14 April 2008

I liked the good ol' days. If you wanted to be a "hardcore" gamer, you had to have enough brains and dedication to build a pc. Kids nowadays just play games but know nothing about what makes them tick. It's more rewarding to build a pc. You might actually learn something.



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TheRealMafoo on 14 April 2008
kingofwale said:
>But wait...Jimmy is not a thief and he will not steal operating system software...

>Windows Vista - 100 bucks.


Getting Windows Vista for 100 bucks probably classify you as a "thief". ;)

Personally, I think MS charging 100 bucks for it makes them a Thief :p

I have been a PC gamer for 25 years. I love PC gaming, but there is a lot to be said for console gaming.

 

  • You know every game for your console is going to work
  • You don't have to put it together. If your a PC Hobbits (like everyone here), you have the spare parts you need to figure out what's wrong with the thing doesn't boot, or the understanding of where to spend your money smartly. Not everyone does.
  • You can play games that you can't play on the PC. A 50 million dollar PC will not play Uncharted, MG4, Halo 3, or GTA4. It's not a money thing.
  • Some games play better in your living room. Yes, you can hook up a TV to your PC, but games made for consoles expect you to be sitting on a couch. PC games don't. On the console, the controls are better suited for siting in your living room on console games. I like this for sports games.
  • Consoles just keep getting better. Look, when the PS2 and XBox came out (and any console before it), you could buy a PC at that point that would blow it away. Here we are two years later (three for the 360), and we are comparing PC's to them. That's how good they are. By past standards, a 3 year old console should be a joke compared to the top of the line PC. Play COD4 on a 360, or a hot new PC rig, and they look very close to the same. Gears looks close to the same. UT3 looks close to the same. GT5p looks better then any racing game you can get on a PC.
  • These are living room appliances we are talking about here. Ones that are years old and cost $350-$400. And, in 4 years, that 350-400 will still be a viable gaming platform. Try playing a game in 4 years on a  $350-$400 PC that you buy today.

 

Personally, I find PC gaming to be the ultimate gaming experience, but in no way is it a gaming value. If it's "bang for your buck" your looking for, consoles can't be beat.



disolitude on 14 April 2008
TheRealMafoo said:
kingofwale said:
>But wait...Jimmy is not a thief and he will not steal operating system software...

>Windows Vista - 100 bucks.


Getting Windows Vista for 100 bucks probably classify you as a "thief". ;)

Personally, I think MS charging 100 bucks for it makes them a Thief :p

I have been a PC gamer for 25 years. I love PC gaming, but there is a lot to be said for console gaming.

 

  • You know every game for your console is going to work
  • You don't have to put it together. If your a PC Hobbits (like everyone here), you have the spare parts you need to figure out what's wrong with the thing doesn't boot, or the understanding of where to spend your money smartly. Not everyone does.
  • You can play games that you can't pay on the PS. A 50 million dollar PC will not play Uncharted, MG4, Halo 3, or GTA4. It's not a money thing.
  • Some games play better in your living room. Yes, you can hook up a TV to your PC, but games made for consoles expect you to be sitting on a couch. PC games don't. On the console, the controls are better suited for siting in your living room on console games. I like this for sports games.
  • Consoles just keep getting better. Look, when the PS2 and XBox came out (and any console before it), you could buy a PC at that point that would blow it away. Here we are two years later (three for the 360), and we are comparing PC's to them. That's how good they are. By past standards, a 3 year old console should be a joke compared to the top of the line PC. Play COD4 on a 360, or a hot new PC rig, and they look very close to the same. Gears looks close to the same. UT3 looks close to the same. GT5p looks better then any racing game you can get on a PC.
  • These are living room appliances we are talking about here. Ones that are years old and cost $350-$400. And, in 4 years, that 350-400 will still be a viable gaming platform. Try playing a game in 4 years on a $350-$400 PC that you buy today.

 

Personally, I find PC gaming to be the ultimate gaming experience, but in no way is it a gaming value. If it's "bang for your buck" your looking for, consoles can't be beat.


Listen up kids! Smart person speaking here...



Hephaestos on 15 April 2008

you guys forgot to buy the elite mouse, mouse pad and keyboard for poor jimmy anyways +$200.



OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

sailordude on 15 April 2008

i agree with big post above, the games are designed to be chillin on the couch. would you guys rather be hooked up to the 1080p 60 inch set with a couple thousand watts of surruond sound being thrown at you or sitting infront of a super computer with average screen and sound? i used to be into computer games, but i just built a new computer, well my first computer. Antec 900 case, intel Q6600 Quad core clocked to 3.00 ghz, huge cooling setup, 4 gigs of 800 mhz ram, 3 HD's on Raid 0 and 1 as a backup. i can pretty much render HD video at real time! also setup with 2 - Dell 19 inch ultrasharps AND i can still say i would rather buy a game for the ps3!



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Sqrl on 15 April 2008
disolitude said:
Sqrl said:

It would cost about $650 to build a rig with an E8200, 9600GT 512MB, 2GB DDR2, CD/DVD Burner, 320GB Hard Drive, Case and 400W-500W PSU.

 

So you get; Excellent CPU, Excellent GPU, Excellent Ram, Mid-Range mobo, Excellent Hard Drive, Typical Burner, and Typical Case & PSU.

 

Quite frankly I think anyone who buys a console and doesn't have a PC already has spent their money poorly. And anyone who is into gaming and doesn't buy a gaming capable PC has also spent poorly. Owning a PC is becoming a mandatory part of life, and buying a console over a PC is about as silly as it gets when you consider just how many things a PC makes easier. Now, if you're buying a PC as a gamer and not making it a gaming capable PC you've missed the fact that the difference between a PC you will would buy anyways and a gaming PC is almost certainly less than the cost of ANY current generation console.

Honestly the only two reasons, that I can think of anyways, not to spend the extra money to make your PC "gaming capable" is either ignorance of the actual cost difference or a dislike of PC games. Outside of that I would chalk it up to fanboyism or just plain stubborness.


Jimmy wants to buy a PC to play games and is looking at the following...

e8200 - 200 bucks the cheapest

9600 GT - 150 the cheapest

mid range mobo that supports dual core - 100 bucksif you're lucky

320 gb - 70 bucks the cheapest

2 gb of ram - 50 bucks

CD/DVD burner and case - 70 bucks

Total = 640 bucks

 

Ahh but wait...what does jimmy know about putting PC's togehter...usually nothing.

So add 50 bucks for Bimmy to come and put it together for him.

 

But wait...Jimmy is not a thief and he will not steal operating system software...

Windows Vista - 100 bucks.

So total for jimmy is about 800 bucks.

 

Xbox 360 premium is 349...PS3 is 399 and it has Bluray...

Wow...now Jimmy feels like an idiot for buying the PC when all he wanted is to play the latest games.

First of all you completely missed the point. How about you subtract out the cost of windows, a hard drive, an average processor and mobo, the cost of 1GB of RAM, the cost of the case and a 400W PSU, and the cost of the burner which is now standard as well as the cost to build the PC. Guess what you're left with? The difference between the PC Jimmy was going to buy anyways and the nice gaming rig Jimmy built because he is a smart guy. If you read what I said and comprehended it in the slightest this should have been clear, but thanks for your irrelevant comments anyways.

For anyone actually wanting to build this gaming rig:

2GB Ram = $43 - link
e8200 = $180 + $8 (stock cooler)- link
eVGA 9600 GT 512MB = $150 - link
Mobo (650i Chipset)= $70 (+$20 MIR) - link
CD/DVD Burner = $27 - link
Case W/ 500W PSU= $75 - link (15 choices under $75)
320GB Drive = $80 - link (15 choices under $75)

Sub-Total: $633 (not bad for an estimate with all of 2 seconds of thinking).

If you have your old copy of XP you can legally use it again provided you don't leave it installed on the old PC. You can just install your old hard drive in the new PC after you've installed windows and then copy files you want to keep BTW.

If you actually need a new copy of windows you can buy it for $90 (XP Home) or $140(XP Pro). But once you do you should keep the disc and the CD key in a safe place so you don't have to buy a new license until you actually upgrade to better software.

Ok so if you just want to build typical PC, I could save $18 on RAM, $90 on CPU, I wouldn't advise trying to save on the mobo but I would get one at around the same price with onboard video (saving $150), and pretty much everything else you would probably want to be the same, including how you get it built and if/how much you pay for an OS.

 

So the PC you're probably going to build anyways is around $260 cheaper than the gaming PC. So for the price of the Wii you can turn your run of the mill PC into a fairly nice gaming rig that can play the latest games.

 

As I said in my first post...an easy choice for anyone who enjoys PC games.

 

 
To Each Man, Responsibility
Sqrl on 15 April 2008
TheRealMafoo said:
kingofwale said:
>But wait...Jimmy is not a thief and he will not steal operating system software...

>Windows Vista - 100 bucks.


Getting Windows Vista for 100 bucks probably classify you as a "thief". ;)

Personally, I think MS charging 100 bucks for it makes them a Thief :p 100% Agree

I have been a PC gamer for 25 years. I love PC gaming, but there is a lot to be said for console gaming.

 

  • You know every game for your console is going to work Fair enough, but for that hassle we get mods, patches, and other benefits not currently possible on a console. Patches typically take months to hit the consoles after the PC gets them...and on that note the fact that some console games are beginning to need patches somewhat nullifies this point.
  • You don't have to put it together. If your a PC Hobbits (like everyone here), you have the spare parts you need to figure out what's wrong with the thing doesn't boot, or the understanding of where to spend your money smartly. Not everyone does. You're going to buy a PC anyways it doesn't matter if you build it or "they" build it.
  • You can play games that you can't play on the PC. A 50 million dollar PC will not play Uncharted, MG4, Halo 3, or GTA4. It's not a money thing. I'm not saying don't buy a console, I'm saying you need a PC anyways so you might as well make it a gaming rig if you like the games on the PC.
  • Some games play better in your living room. Yes, you can hook up a TV to your PC, but games made for consoles expect you to be sitting on a couch. PC games don't. On the console, the controls are better suited for siting in your living room on console games. I like this for sports games. And some games are far better suited for the PC, this just goes to the issue of "if you like PC games", if this seating arrangement is a problem for you then you would probably say "no I don't", and then you're justified not to spend the extra cash since you aren't missing something you want. But if you do want it then obviously its a good choice.
  • Consoles just keep getting better. Look, when the PS2 and XBox came out (and any console before it), you could buy a PC at that point that would blow it away. Here we are two years later (three for the 360), and we are comparing PC's to them. That's how good they are. By past standards, a 3 year old console should be a joke compared to the top of the line PC. Play COD4 on a 360, or a hot new PC rig, and they look very close to the same. Gears looks close to the same. UT3 looks close to the same. GT5p looks better then any racing game you can get on a PC. First, PCs are always getting better as well and allow incremental upgrades. Second your calendar is off, the 360 has been out 123 weeks, the PS3 73 weeks, and the Wii 71 weeks. As for looking close to the same I've played CoD4 on my PC (8800GT in SLI) and I see a noticeable difference between it and when I play CoD4 at the "Gaming Lab" on my campus between classes (the "Lab" has a 42" Plasma BTW).
  • These are living room appliances we are talking about here. Ones that are years old and cost $350-$400. And, in 4 years, that 350-400 will still be a viable gaming platform. Try playing a game in 4 years on a $350-$400 PC that you buy today. Several of my friends play current PC games on 4 year old systems, they might have to run at some lower settings than those with new rigs but they can still play. Conversely console owners 4 years into a consoles life will be playing games that are vastly inferior in pretty much every technical aspect as well...the same as my friends who play on lower settings who've disabled much of those newer options and effects.

 

Personally, I find PC gaming to be the ultimate gaming experience, but in no way is it a gaming value. If it's "bang for your buck" your looking for, consoles can't be beat. Except when you realise that you were going to buy a PC anyways. By the time you've purchased a typical library of games you very well might pay for the extra cost from  the savings you'll get from the cheaper PC games.


 
To Each Man, Responsibility
Kasz216 on 15 April 2008
Username2324 said:
Don't forget the rest of the computer, a video card by itself will do nothing.

Not to mention a computer isn't very good for having friends over and playing together.

There are many advantages to having a console over a PC, and price is one of them unless you're a crazy overclocker.

Ever hook up your comptuer to your big screen?

It works great. Media computers rule.

The ease of computer Mods makes the computer the best in my opinion. It makes those awesome games last a lot longer.



Shadow)OS on 15 April 2008

Uhh... The original post is a tad misleading.

If you're going to get ANY (good) card that low, it would be the Radeon HD3850 256. I don't think it's gotten that low yet without deals, either.

I wouldn't purchase a card from Nvidia's 9000 series yet, because they all tend to crumble when you try to apply filters.

It's wonderful that they can render so much and at high resolutions, but if I can't have AA and AF on I really don't care.

 

 That being said, console gaming has been really turning me off lately. Why play a 360/PS3 shooter when I can play them on my PC with higher settings and frame rates? Not only that, but with more precision and speed (since developers tend to slow things down a tad for console play).



By life end:

  • Wii- 100 million+
  • Xbox360- 35~40 million
  • PS3- 30 million
  • PSP- 30~32 million ------------- FAILURE
  • NDS- 85~90 million (Skeptical)  - FAILURE
  • NDS- 100 million+ (Optimistic) -- Success!

 

 

Squilliam on 15 April 2008

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161211 $130-10 for MIR for 3850 256mb

Or

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161211
150-25 MIR = 125 for a SILENT 9600gt.

So there are the prices i've quoted.

I've seen the 9600gt down as low as $110 - so thats $220 for an SLI setup that blows the wings off anything if you're willing to wait a little.



Tease.