Should I buy a gaming PC or wait for Next Gen consoles?

Wossack

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar wrote: »

not even steam sales, games in general are cheaper on the pc

plus with mods you can breathe new life into a game you'd be possibly sick of on console

other side of that coin, is that console games are rentable, and resellable (at the moment at least)

who knows though with the new console generation... I'd say digitally pushed marketplace type content may be very prevailant

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

stalker games are on the top of the sales lists every time there's a steam sale. which is great in a way, but also kinda depressing that people aren't willing to shell out an already ridiculously cheap price for such amazing games.

ShadowHearth

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar wrote: »

stalker games are on the top of the sales lists every time there's a steam sale. which is great in a way, but also kinda depressing that people aren't willing to shell out an already ridiculously cheap price for such amazing games.

I hear ya on this. All stalkers were day one purchase for me, even of they were buggy as hell. Now when you can buy all stalker games for 10eu, it's a sin not to get it.

ScumLord

Cuddlesworth wrote: »

Never buy a top end PC. Price/Performance just doesn't justfy it. Always buy mid range, paying half the cost with 20% less performance is where its at. Then spend the other half on a mid end pc two years later and have a better machine then the high end one.

I don't agree with this at all. Top end gear lasts longer in my experience and is much easier to work with and much easier to overclock. I've bought cheap in the past but I'll pay extra for quality parts now. If you just want basic performance you can go middle of the road but if you want a long lasting and trouble free PC that you can do just about anything with I'd go for quality parts.

Crosáidí wrote: »

Steam sales are worth it for getting a gaming pc

Outside of sales steam is horribly expensive. The game shops in small towns here in Ireland have better value.

A PC can act like a console if you want it too, if you can afford to get one I don't see any reason why you wouldn't.

Chairman Meow

ShadowHearth wrote: »

I wonder how many copies of gta 4 and stalker were sold just because of the mods alone.

I bought GTA 4 just for modding! And it cost me 10 quid!

Id definitely go with PC. If youre really into gaming that is. Consoles are sadly becoming more and more concerned with being an entertainment centre, you log onto xbox live now and its all "OH HAI CAN I CHECK FACEBOOK FOR YOU LOOK I GOT YOUTUBE HERE TOO, GAMES? WHAT ARE THEY?". And dont get me started on waggle controls and kinect. Jesus.

If youre serious about gaming PC is where its at. Aside from all the big games like battlefield, mass effect 3 etc, (and aside from the fact they all look so good on pc its like a different game entirely), youve got an awesome indie scene with games like minecraft, jamestown, dear esther, all the real interesting stuff is happening on PC.

I recently (last week!) splurged on a new gfx card which has boosted my performance ine very game and means ill be ready for pretty much anything for years to come. And then of course theres modding. Want to make Doom 3 look current gen?



DONE!

or make Crysis 1 from 2007 look next gen?



again, DONE!

PC 4 lyfe, yo.

gizmo

Chairman Meow wrote: »

I bought GTA 4 just for modding! And it cost me 10 quid!

Id definitely go with PC. If youre really into gaming that is. Consoles are sadly becoming more and more concerned with being an entertainment centre, you log onto xbox live now and its all "OH HAI CAN I CHECK FACEBOOK FOR YOU LOOK I GOT YOUTUBE HERE TOO, GAMES? WHAT ARE THEY?". And dont get me started on waggle controls and kinect. Jesus.

If youre serious about gaming PC is where its at. Aside from all the big games like battlefield, mass effect 3 etc, (and aside from the fact they all look so good on pc its like a different game entirely), youve got an awesome indie scene with games like minecraft, jamestown, dear esther, all the real interesting stuff is happening on PC.

Correction: If you're serious about gaming you'll have all of the platforms. :cool:

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

gizmo wrote: »

Correction: If you're serious about gaming you'll have all of the platforms. :cool:

if you're serious about cars you'll own a ford ka

Chairman Meow

gizmo wrote: »

Correction: If you're serious about gaming you'll have all of the platforms. :cool:

I wouldve agreed with this maybe last year but now, not so much. The xbox is slowly devolving into some horrible multimedia focused sequel machine and the ps3 has no games.

Magill

Chairman Meow wrote: »

I wouldve agreed with this maybe last year but now, not so much. The xbox is slowly devolving into some horrible multimedia focused sequel machine and the ps3 has no games.

lol.. so clueless.

Chairman Meow

Magill wrote: »

lol.. so clueless.

arent you the guy who thinks nintendo are the be all and end all of gaming and everything else sucks cause it doesnt have mario in it?

Kinski

Chairman Meow wrote: »

or make Crysis 1 from 2007 look next gen?

I never thought Crysis looked all that amazing, even though I saw it running at what I thought was full spec, but **** me that screenshot makes it look fab!

gizmo

Chairman Meow wrote: »

I wouldve agreed with this maybe last year but now, not so much. The xbox is slowly devolving into some horrible multimedia focused sequel machine and the ps3 has no games.

Before I reply I should make something clear, if I could only have one system, it would be a PC, no question.

But I can't agree with the above, sure both consoles are pushing the multimedia functionality but at the same time, it hasn't interferred with the actual gaming aspect. The fact of the matter is, there are a large number of fantastic games on the consoles that simply aren't available on the PC. Therefore if you're going to say "If youre serious about gaming..." you cannot ignore this as there's no point in having a fantastic PC if you simply can't play those games.

Mr E

Chairman Meow wrote: »

PC 4 lyfe, yo.

Is the spellchecker on your almighty PC broken?
You were a whisker away from derailing this thread.

Don't turn this into a "PCs are great, consoles suck" thread. We've seen enough of those train wrecks to know that they are really annoying, and neither side will ever back down.

Back on topic, and keep it civilised...

ScumLord

gizmo wrote: »

The fact of the matter is, there are a large number of fantastic games on the consoles that simply aren't available on the PC.

I think when people associate serious gaming with PCs they probably mean simulators. When you get into a sim it means dedicating time to it as if you where learning the real thing. You do have to take it seriously or you'll get nowhere.

Magill

Chairman Meow wrote: »

arent you the guy who thinks nintendo are the be all and end all of gaming and everything else sucks cause it doesnt have mario in it?

no..... lol... i hate the wii.

Chairman Meow

Magill wrote: »

no..... lol... i hate the wii.

well at least we have that in common

lasersquad

Chairman Meow wrote: »

the ps3 has no games.

I love internet forums

ShadowHearth

i like pie!

*with integrated mouse and keyboard!

Cuddlesworth

ScumLord wrote: »

I don't agree with this at all. Top end gear lasts longer in my experience and is much easier to work with and much easier to overclock. I've bought cheap in the past but I'll pay extra for quality parts now. If you just want basic performance you can go middle of the road but if you want a long lasting and trouble free PC that you can do just about anything with I'd go for quality parts.

Not everybody is interested in overclocking and the inherent problems and time that come with it. And I didn't say cheap, I said mid range. No point in paying twice the price for a gtx580 when you can get a card with 20% less performance for half the cost. Same with motherboards, cpu's, cooling etc...

Its always been the way with PC hardware for as long as I can remember, top end is way overpriced. As for quality and long lasting parts? I'm not sure where your coming from, the chips and pcb's are coming out of the same factory, being rebranded, then shipped on and the mid range parts are not as stressed in terms of heat and power consumption.

Also, things like monitors, cases, psu's can last far longer than the other components. With a mid range philosophy you can bump out the motherboard/cpu/gfx and possibly the ram for in around 300-400 a pop every two years and have a decent machine. Meanwhile the 2K super rig over in the corner is outdated after two years like all tech and looks a lot like a waste of money.

lasersquad

Cuddlesworth wrote: »

Its always been the way with PC hardware for as long as I can remember, top end is way overpriced. As for quality and long lasting parts? I'm not sure where your coming from, the chips and pcb's are coming out of the same factory, being rebranded, then shipped on and the mid range parts are not as stressed in terms of heat and power consumption.

I`d generally agree but it can be a mixed bag. "Top of the range" can mean the highest model but also the most recognized brand. Both should be avoided.

First, if you look at benchmarks buying i7s or whatever is there at top of the pile is completely pointless, same goes for GPUs. Yep, if you want bragging rights or are a serious hobbyist ok (that includes playing in some insane resolutions , otherwise you won`t notice the difference between 120 or 100 fps. You`ll notice that your wallet got seriously lighter thou. And if you really need to, buy two older cards and put tehm in SLI -usually beats the newest kid on price/performance.

As for brands...well, it`s trickier, but still - there`s enough reliable let`s-build -a-PC-for $$$s guides that will save you a ton of cash. For example I`ll always go with Gigabyte instead of Asus because it`s as good/feature rich but way cheaper.

Sometimes you can also score on certain series of dirt cheap components from otherwise unreliable manufacturers that happen to be as good as the brand ones. That requires some serious diggin thou or friends that work in service caves and are on topic.

The saddest/most hilarious (depending on my mood) thing is the existence of Alienware. Please

norrie rugger

ShadowHearth wrote: »

Our happy customer right here

And here

ScumLord

Cuddlesworth wrote: »

Not everybody is interested in overclocking and the inherent problems and time that come with it. And I didn't say cheap, I said mid range. No point in paying twice the price for a gtx580 when you can get a card with 20% less performance for half the cost. Same with motherboards, cpu's, cooling etc...

A good quality motherboard is a world of difference from some of the budget options. Things like mouse operated bios, quadruple redundancy, bigger more robust heatsinks and connections.

Same goes for PC cases, a good case is infinitely easier to work with than a cheap case.

As for quality and long lasting parts? I'm not sure where your coming from, the chips and pcb's are coming out of the same factory, being rebranded, then shipped on and the mid range parts are not as stressed in terms of heat and power consumption.

They're not all coming from the same factory, there is a vast range of differing levels of quality out there from a vast range of suppliers.

Meanwhile the 2K super rig over in the corner is outdated after two years like all tech and looks a lot like a waste of money.

I don't see how it would be outdated in two years. My last PC lasted more than 6 and is still going strong I just needed something better for video work. It won't be top of the range in two years time but will will be as close as makes no difference.

I've made a good few PCs in my time and in my opinion (depending on the intended use) I will buy better quality parts for myself personally. I'm a cheap person so I don't like spending that money I just know now that it's worth it.

ShadowHearth

i think some people are forgetting that at this age we got:

HIGH END PC

and

HIGH END GAMING PC

difference is, that you dont need high end pc to have high quality gaming. back in the day there were no limit to reach with hardware, because no matter how modern and expencive your rig was, there would be still games that would need better.

now we got in to the point where you dont need highest and most expencive parts to have good gaming machine.

i5 2500k is maximum you need for high end pc. you can overclock it with 1 click of mouse button to 4.2++ ghz and there are no games that use that power 100%. for example the most load my i5 sow in gaming - 55%.

ram? ram is so cheap that low budget, mid budget and high budget rigs got 8gb ram which is overkill already.

GPU? This is the most important part and the only one that matters. depending on your resolution there is already limit in gpu power. if you play on something like 720p then even mid to high budget card like 6870 is an overkill. if you go 1080p then something like 570gtx, 6970, or 7870 is a high end for gaming pc. it will run any game on the market with plenty of space in the future.

all these items are not that expensive and will make a high end GAMING machine. You dont need i7 extreme CPUs, you dont need 16gb ram, you dont need stupidly expensive 7970 GPU to have a high end gaming PC lads. though PC has limitless possibilities, which are limited only by your balance on account .

Cuddlesworth

ScumLord wrote: »

A good quality motherboard is a world of difference from some of the budget options. Things like mouse operated bios, quadruple redundancy, bigger more robust heatsinks and connections.

I supported over 1500 desktops and 3500 laptops in a enterprise setting over a five year time frame. I can count the amount of desktop motherboard failures on one hand. The only one that's ever popped on me personally was because I hadn't insulated it properly from the phase change unit. So if you want to spend extra on a "perceived" redundancy go ahead.

ScumLord wrote: »

Same goes for PC cases, a good case is infinitely easier to work with than a cheap case.

A good case is a couple of hundred, a cheap functional case 30. And tbh, if you have to get in there and do a motherboard swap every two years, I couldn't give a hoot if it has a removable motherboard. The only time in my life I cared was when it was being dismantled monthly. And after a month or two of that, I ended up with no case and it just sitting on a desk.

ScumLord wrote: »

They're not all coming from the same factory, there is a vast range of differing levels of quality out there from a vast range of suppliers.

I think you would be surprised at exactly how much of the market foxcon has. I believe last I heard it was around 85% of the motherboards made. And the differences between the products are generally deliberately functional because of market reasons. There have been many instances in the past where you could bypass the restrictions on pcb's and chips to allow them the functionality of the products twice the price.

ScumLord wrote: »

I don't see how it would be outdated in two years. My last PC lasted more than 6 and is still going strong I just needed something better for video work. It won't be top of the range in two years time but will will be as close as makes no difference.

Under seven years ago the AMD Athlon64 X2's where just(late aug 2005) starting to compete with the dual core pentium 4's. Which means you were using one of these until recently and found it excellent and completely up to date with gaming and heavy use? 5-6 years was the early dual core core2duo's and they started to show their age three years ago. The quad cores release a year later with list prices of 600-800 euros would be somewhat decent but severely diluted by today's performance standards. I should know, I picked up one two years later for 100. Various interations increase performance.

Personally, I picked up a Opti 144, basic lan party board, ram and 9600xt for just over three hundred. Then I bumped to a core2duo 6600 with mobo, ram and x800 for close to four hundred. Then onto a Q6600 with a mobo, ram and a x1900xt for around 300, cpu second hand. Bumped my gfx to a 4870 which its at now. I'm looking at a AMD six core now, 32gigs of ram etc for close to 400. Still using a trusty Seven year old OCZ 520 watt, but have a three year old 600watt Corsair if it fails and a thermaltake case thats seen better times. I've spent about 1500 in total on my personal machine over seven years and had great performance in that time, and will continue to do so in the future. But I'm obviously wasting my time there.

I will say I've spent far more then that on hobbys, WC, phase change, case modding, overclocking, VM boxs. But those are things that the average punter will never get into.

ScumLord wrote: »

I've made a good few PCs in my time and in my opinion (depending on the intended use) I will buy better quality parts for myself personally. I'm a cheap person so I don't like spending that money I just know now that it's worth it.

If it works great, but I've built and dealt with too many machines to be anything other then jaded to the pricing structure.

Shiminay

This year, I built a new machine and spent a total of €700 re-using a case and a PSU (both of which were around the €100 mark each when I first bought them). My hardware was only now starting to show any signs of age which was a socket 775 C2D 2.8 chip, 4GB of RAM, and an nVidia 8800GTX. At the time I initially built the machine, I spent obscene money as I'd just had my SSIA mature and tbh, in retrospect it wasn't quite worth it. Right now I think you'd be mad to spend any more than €800 on a gaming PC - the stuff moves too fast and the bang for buck you'll get out of €800 will be great. Mid range parts (but an i5 2500k if you can get it) with an upper mid range gfx card (€250-€300 sort of money) and you'll be laughing. Ram's so cheap you'll be able to upgrade that easily when the time comes, but I can't see that happening until we're 12 months into Windows 8's life cycle (and there'll be no major panic on switching to that cause 7's really solid).

[edit]
If you could afford it, a big SSD would be the most important game changer. People are saying that they could never go back to a mechanical drive after using SSDs for a week.

Since building my current machine (i5, 8GB RAM and 1GB 6950), I have barely touched my XBox - even games that I'd probably have initially thought about playing on the XBox are now automatically played on the PC because it's a far better experience for me. Not as loud, mouse + keyboard (which I personally prefer, but the controller comes out for some games) and I have 2 monitors, so I can keep an eye on my Twitters and IM clients etc.

The next gen consoles - we're most likely gonna be seeing them next year, but you also have the delay in the developers learning how to get the most out of them, so lets make a very conservative estimate of 20 to 24 months before they're really up and running. An €800 gaming PC today will more than likely get you through the next 36 months of games without any difficulty and might just keep punching through to 48 months with another €250 worth of video card after the 3 year mark.

The most important questions really are "can I afford it?" and "what do I want to play?" and when you've got a clear answer to those, the choice should be obvious enough

ScumLord

Cuddlesworth wrote: »

I supported over 1500 desktops and 3500 laptops in a enterprise setting over a five year time frame. I can count the amount of desktop motherboard failures on one hand. The only one that's ever popped on me personally was because I hadn't insulated it properly from the phase change unit. So if you want to spend extra on a "perceived" redundancy go ahead.

Will do. Enterprise and business solutions are different again from the type of PC we're talking about, their built for reliablilty so I'm not surprised you haven't had to many failures. In my own limited experience of making home PCs I've had a motherboard failure, cheap ram failure, a PSU go on fire. The Dells at work have never failed but there's little to go wrong with them they don't even run the parts at full speed.

A good case is a couple of hundred, a cheap functional case 30.

A good case will cost less than €200, I've used cheap cases and the whole thing was warped and parts didn't fit properly. You can use them sure but I won't any more I don't like them.

danthefan

I own a high end gaming PC, a PS3 and a Wii. The PC absolutely blows the other 2 out of the water imo. As long as I'm a gamer I will have a gaming PC first and foremost.

lasersquad

The only thing really worth spending some serious money on when buying a PC is a monitor.

Which is something that still puzzles me tbh: we all know the old dispute about how 60Hz on my LCD shouldn`t really matter, but...really? I read some reviews of those 'gaming" 100+ Hz monitors and apparently it does make a differnce. i splashed on a good IPS panel, but now sorta start having doubts - anybody have experience with the gaming ones?

ShadowHearth

200eu for good case... I got only a shot case for 100 eu . That crapy crapy corsair 500r

norrie rugger

ShadowHearth wrote: »

200eu for good case... I got only a shot case for 100 eu . That crapy crapy corsair 500r

http://www1.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?adp=0&aid=50575&agid=631&apop=1

This case, that you PC forum guys recommended, is perfect at €30.
My case is not visible really, as I knew it would not be, has tonnes of room inside and a great airflow.