PC Gaming

MikeCork2009

I'm just looking for some advice. I will be moving abroad shortly and won't be bringing my fat PS3 with me. Rather than buying another PS3, I was thinking of buying a PC. I was thinking of buying a PC anyway for work and as a media centre connected to my TV (is there any lag using a HD TV for PC gaming rather than a monitor?) Just wondering if it might be worth putting the €200 odd I'd pay for a PS3 into a good PC for gaming. I've never used a PC for games, apart from Age of Empires and Football Manager. I've had a Sega Megadrive, PS, PS2 and PS3. Can you play games like FIFA, Skyrim, GTA, Battlefield etc. on a PC using a controller just like a console? Is the experience much different? Also, how expensive would a PC that could handle modern games be and would you need to update it very often? And when you play games do you install them on the hard-drive (and if so would having lots of games slow down your PC?) or do you use disks like with consoles?

Any advice would be great.

**Also, don't want to start an argument over whether consoles or PCs are better, just looking for info on PCs for gaming.

CastorTroy

I'm not a PC gamer as such. I do play some games like Half Life, etc. But yeah if the PC can handle it and if the game's multiplatform, you can usually get on the PC.
I've got a wired 360 controller for my PC, but it is possible to use a PS3 controller. Only problem is it involves mapping to 360 controls and gets confusing when it flashes the XBox controller 'X' on screen but that's in the position of the Square on the PS3 controller. Which is why I just invested in the 360 controller.

Games sometimes have delayed releases on PC. They say it's to improve the graphics and other features to take advantage of the PC's abilities, but it's probably more to do with piracy. But that's a different discussion. When games do get released they can be released with the DLC that was released on consoles.

There's a PC Upgrading/Building forum here where you can say what you want and your budget and get advice on what to get
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=842

Sync

Also, for playing COD / Battlefield on the PC... the mouse and keyboard is ridiculously better than a controller... you won't want to use a controller after trying it out... much quicker to aim... Fifa and car racing work perfect with the xbox controller though

CastorTroy

Yeah, I can tell you from PC games I've played and as a mainly console player that mouse and keyboard are better for FPS games on PC and as PCs usually run Windows, they're designed to recognise the 360 controller when do want to use a controller

uncle_sam_ie

I download most of my games from steam. It's very easy and they have good deals going all the time. This guy has almost the same PC set as me. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNLWH5oLxYw&feature=related

dogyworld1

while their are so many positive things about pc gaming compared to console gaming
as a pc gamer myself
i have to tell you the negitives as well

youd have to upgrade your pc at least once a year to play the new games coming out each year for the pc ( because every year a new game comes out the graphics on that game require hire standerds and more ram every year )
so unless your prepared to pay money each year to upgrade your pc "IF you want to play the newest games out every year" then i wouldnt get it, but if you like playing pc games from this year all the way back as far as well as far as games you liked in years ago then itd be no problem

also not many games are released for pc, most if not all pc games are not advertised so youd have to check every now and again to see what pc games are coming out unless their big names like starcraft

and theirs not many great pc games out their either most of them are really low budget games and also if you plan on playing pc games online beware their are alot more cheaters on pc then their are on consoles "a hell of alot more" and if you havnt got a decent connection most people online have "ping sets" which means if your ping(connection) reachs a certain height eg. 150ping then youd get auto kicked from a server.

but their are alot more positives


much more mature community, keyboard and mouse better then joypad for strategy games and fps's, games live longer on the pc they dont die out as quick as console games,
like age of empires 3 ive been playing that game since it came out that was over 6 years ago and the game is still pretty active online
most if not all dlcs for games are free if their not you can just torrent download them ha

STEAM by far one of the best things to happen to pc gaming, can download any game of steam, play it with the steam community, has vac secured servers which auto kicks cheaters and bans them for life, deals every day of the week for games and if you pre order new games coming out you get like 10euro of the game cant ask any better then that. also gurranteed fun

so basicly it all balances out

you just need a good connection and id recommend getting the lasted pc gear out
because if you get it , it will probably save you money to upgrade your pc for atleast 2-3 years after 3 years youd probably have to end up playing new games out then with low performence until you upgrade your pc again

ALSO NEVER UPGRADE YOUR MOTHERBOARD as it will definitly cost you about 800 quid to upgrade it best of just getting a new pc at that stage (i learnt that the hard way)
get the best motherboard you can get on a pc because upgrading ram and graphics is only about 180e maybe less to do the both every year but a motherboard is just not worth it

gl OP

PseudoFamous

dogyworld1 wrote: »

youd have to upgrade your pc at least once a year to play the new games coming out each year for the pc ( because every year a new game comes out the graphics on that game require hire standerds and more ram every year )
so unless your prepared to pay money each year to upgrade your pc "IF you want to play the newest games out every year" then i wouldnt get it

Sure, if you want to run every game completely maxed out. If you turn down the antialiasing and shadows, you'll still have a prettier game than consoles can provide, and your rig can last a lot longer.

dogyworld1 wrote: »

also not many games are released for pc, most if not all pc games are not advertised so youd have to check every now and again to see what pc games are coming out unless their big names like starcraft and theirs not many great pc games out their either most of them are really low budget games

All of this, le bullshit. And even if most games are low budget, what difference does that make? If the base of the game isn't enjoyable, it doesn't matter how many millions are poured into it, it'll still be unenjoyable. Minecraft was low budget, a hobby for Notch at first, and I got hundreds of hours of fun out of it.

Skerries

dogyworld1 wrote: »

while their are so many positive things about pc gaming compared to console gaming
as a pc gamer myself
i have to tell you the negitives as well

youd have to upgrade your pc at least once a year to play the new games coming out each year for the pc ( because every year a new game comes out the graphics on that game require hire standerds and more ram every year )
so unless your prepared to pay money each year to upgrade your pc "IF you want to play the newest games out every year" then i wouldnt get it, but if you like playing pc games from this year all the way back as far as well as far as games you liked in years ago then itd be no problem

you do not have to upgrade your pc every year that is bollix!
if you put together a good rig to start off then all you will need in between builds will be one graphics card upgrade in a 4-5 years span
especially now as graphics aren't being pushed too much due to current gen consoles being at the end of their lives and no new consoles for another 2-3 years

dogyworld1 wrote: »

also not many games are released for pc, most if not all pc games are not advertised so youd have to check every now and again to see what pc games are coming out unless their big names like starcraft

again a falsehood as PC gets a lot of exclusives and also ports from PS3 and 360 and at cheaper prices than console
Most pc gamers would have more games than console players sometimes to their detriment as they have a lot of AAA games that they still haven't gotten around to due to newer shiny games coming out all the time

dogyworld1 wrote: »

and theirs not many great pc games out their either most of them are really low budget games and also if you plan on playing pc games online beware their are alot more cheaters on pc then their are on consoles "a hell of alot more" and if you havnt got a decent connection most people online have "ping sets" which means if your ping(connection) reachs a certain height eg. 150ping then youd get auto kicked from a server.

there maybe more cheaters but I have not experienced it as much as you make out and as you say later on there are repercussions for cheaers
and as for ping, most people would have at least a 3 meg line which is enough to overcome that problem

Skerries

uncle_sam_ie wrote: »

I download most of my games from steam. It's very easy and they have good deals going all the time. This guy has almost the same PC set as me. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNLWH5oLxYw&feature=related

that video is even before the HD texture pack upgrade was released

Procrastastudy

You need to buy a decent desktop PC - focusing on the video card but aside from that PC gaming is pretty straight forward.

You don't need to buy a gfx card every year but you will need to replace large parts of the machine every 2 - 4 years depending on how much of a freak you are for running things on mad quality.

This situaton is a lot better than say 5 years ago. You can even get decent laptops for gaming these days but I wouldnt as you need to sink in at least double what you would spend on a desktop.

marco_polo

Not really offering an opnion one way or the other , but I have answered a few of your PC questions that I hope will help you come to a decision one way or the other .

MikeCork2009 wrote: »

I'm just looking for some advice. I will be moving abroad shortly and won't be bringing my fat PS3 with me. Rather than buying another PS3, I was thinking of buying a PC. I was thinking of buying a PC anyway for work and as a media centre connected to my TV (is there any lag using a HD TV for PC gaming rather than a monitor?)

Most newer TV don't really suffer from lag, especially if you have a TV with a 'game' mode that allows you to turn off any image processing like motion smoothing, the less work the TV does to try and to artifically enhance the picture the better.

Just wondering if it might be worth putting the €200 odd I'd pay for a PS3 into a good PC for gaming. I've never used a PC for games, apart from Age of Empires and Football Manager. I've had a Sega Megadrive, PS, PS2 and PS3. Can you play games like FIFA, Skyrim, GTA, Battlefield etc. on a PC using a controller just like a console? Is the experience much different?

The vast majority of major games have controller controller nowadays the one major exception I can think of off the top of my head is the Mass Effect series. The experience in front of a TV would be much the same really except the PC would obviously have nicer graphics, and play a little bit smoother (On a decent machine). And provides the option to have a K&M nice for strategy games and FPS.

One difference to bear in mind, is that almost no PC games support split screen play, if that is important to you.

Also, how expensive would a PC that could handle modern games be and would you need to update it very often? And when you play games do you install them on the hard-drive (and if so would having lots of games slow down your PC?) or do you use disks like with consoles?

Any advice would be great.

**Also, don't want to start an argument over whether consoles or PCs are better, just looking for info on PCs for gaming.

All games are installed to the HDD, and load much faster than a disk, having alot of games installed will never slow down your PC unless you run critically short on disk space.

Excluding the monitor you can build a very solid gaming PC from about 500 upwards, and a top notch notch one from say 700-800 or so. How often you need to upgrade depends on your initial outlay, obviously the more you spend upfront the longer the part will last. But a graphics card should last at least 2-3 years, although by the third year it may be showing it age somewhat should still be playing alot of game at very high settings.

A good CPU/MB/RAM combo could easily stretch to 4 years service. If you start off with more mid range parts you might find yourself needing to upgrade a bit sooner.

I built a PC for about 750-800 euros (just talking about the box) over two and a half years ago, with an AMD Phenom 965 Quad core processor (200 euro) and and AMD HD 4870 (160 euro). Even this far down the line it can can still play many games on near maximum setting (such as Skyrim, Mass Effect, COD, Deus Ex HR etc), there are only a relatively small (but growing) list of games where I would really have to turn down the settings a fair amount (still much closer to high than medium settings) such as Metro 2033, Crysis 2, BF3 to get an enjoyable experience.

It is only now that I am even beginning to considering replacing the graphics card in a few months time most likely. The CPU is still going strong and I have no intention of replacing it until well into 2013 at the earliest.

On a final note, if you do decide to get a PC, it is probably only worth doing if you build it yourself, as you get alot less bang for your buck if you go with a pre-built option and they tend to be much less upgrade friendly too.

ShadowHearth

dogyworld1 wrote: »

while their are so many positive things about pc gaming compared to console gaming
as a pc gamer myself
i have to tell you the negitives as well

youd have to upgrade your pc at least once a year to play the new games coming out each year for the pc ( because every year a new game comes out the graphics on that game require hire standerds and more ram every year )
so unless your prepared to pay money each year to upgrade your pc "IF you want to play the newest games out every year" then i wouldnt get it, but if you like playing pc games from this year all the way back as far as well as far as games you liked in years ago then itd be no problem

also not many games are released for pc, most if not all pc games are not advertised so youd have to check every now and again to see what pc games are coming out unless their big names like starcraft

and theirs not many great pc games out their either most of them are really low budget games and also if you plan on playing pc games online beware their are alot more cheaters on pc then their are on consoles "a hell of alot more" and if you havnt got a decent connection most people online have "ping sets" which means if your ping(connection) reachs a certain height eg. 150ping then youd get auto kicked from a server.

but their are alot more positives


much more mature community, keyboard and mouse better then joypad for strategy games and fps's, games live longer on the pc they dont die out as quick as console games,
like age of empires 3 ive been playing that game since it came out that was over 6 years ago and the game is still pretty active online
most if not all dlcs for games are free if their not you can just torrent download them ha

STEAM by far one of the best things to happen to pc gaming, can download any game of steam, play it with the steam community, has vac secured servers which auto kicks cheaters and bans them for life, deals every day of the week for games and if you pre order new games coming out you get like 10euro of the game cant ask any better then that. also gurranteed fun

so basicly it all balances out

you just need a good connection and id recommend getting the lasted pc gear out
because if you get it , it will probably save you money to upgrade your pc for atleast 2-3 years after 3 years youd probably have to end up playing new games out then with low performence until you upgrade your pc again

ALSO NEVER UPGRADE YOUR MOTHERBOARD as it will definitly cost you about 800 quid to upgrade it best of just getting a new pc at that stage (i learnt that the hard way)
get the best motherboard you can get on a pc because upgrading ram and graphics is only about 180e maybe less to do the both every year but a motherboard is just not worth it

gl OP

There is so much wrong with this post I don't even know where to start. OP, just ignore that post and listen what the rest of the lads said after this post.

Grimebox

Welcome

Procrastastudy

One note - I don't actually agree with the build it yourself option its cheaper. It usually isn't. One of the main issues being that you'll have to buy a copy of windows for over €100. That said you will get a much better machine if you build it yourself.

One of the best ways to buy a machine is from group reviews in the likes of PC Pro. When I worked for MESH in the UK we used to sell machines below cost to get them awards in reviews. You have to buy them as you see them as they will fleese you on any upgrades you want. Just buy it and then add anything you need.

If you do build your own invest in a good case and a good PSU - these last longer than any of the other components and will probably be the ony components that you keep beyond the warrenty period.

ShadowHearth

GCDLawstudent wrote: »

One note - I don't actually agree with the build it yourself option its cheaper. It usually isn't. One of the main issues being that you'll have to buy a copy of windows for over €100. That said you will get a much better machine if you build it yourself.

One of the best ways to buy a machine is from group reviews in the likes of PC Pro. When I worked for MESH in the UK we used to sell machines below cost to get them awards in reviews. You have to buy them as you see them as they will fleese you on any upgrades you want. Just buy it and then add anything you need.

If you do build your own invest in a good case and a good PSU - these last longer than any of the other components and will probably be the ony components that you keep beyond the warrenty period.

So I guess me and the rest of the lads in "building and upgrading pc" forum are liars and bunch of robbers...

self built > bough built by some company.

Procrastastudy

ShadowHearth wrote: »

So I guess me and the rest of the lads in "building and upgrading pc" forum are liars and bunch of robbers...

self built > bough built by some company.

Reading doesnt seem to be your strong point - but liar or robber no idea. Actually strike that you're probably a software pirate of some description :P

I was commenting on price not quality. Show me the costings of any machine self build and I'll find you it cheaper with a similar spec from a UK supplier.

I actually commented that a self build was a better machine.

Also bear in mind this guy has no idea on PC Gaming so is probably going to have to invest money in that. Be it doing a course or the odd bit he breaks here and there.

EDIT let me qualify that as is any build this guy is likely to go for - no water cooled rigs with lights in.

Also Exploring all the options with an open mind > Fanboys

ShadowHearth

GCDLawstudent wrote: »

Reading doesnt seem to be your strong point - but liar or robber no idea. Actually strike that you're probably a software pirate of some description :P

I was commenting on price not quality. Show me the costings of any machine self build and I'll find you it cheaper with a similar spec from a UK supplier.

I actually commented that a self build was a better machine.

Also bear in mind this guy has no idea on PC Gaming so is probably going to have to invest money in that. Be it doing a course or the odd bit he breaks here and there.

EDIT let me qualify that as is any build this guy is likely to go for - no water cooled rigs with lights in.

Also Exploring all the options with an open mind > Fanboys

I am still not sure are you trolling or for real.

Krusader

GCDLawstudent wrote: »

One note - I don't actually agree with the build it yourself option its cheaper. It usually isn't. One of the main issues being that you'll have to buy a copy of windows for over €100. That said you will get a much better machine if you build it yourself.

One of the best ways to buy a machine is from group reviews in the likes of PC Pro. When I worked for MESH in the UK we used to sell machines below cost to get them awards in reviews. You have to buy them as you see them as they will fleese you on any upgrades you want. Just buy it and then add anything you need.

If you do build your own invest in a good case and a good PSU - these last longer than any of the other components and will probably be the ony components that you keep beyond the warrenty period.

ba ha ha ha ha ha ha :pac:

Pabzzz

dogyworld1 wrote: »

ALSO NEVER UPGRADE YOUR MOTHERBOARD as it will definitly cost you about 800 quid to upgrade it best of just getting a new pc at that stage (i learnt that the hard way)
get the best motherboard you can get on a pc because upgrading ram and graphics is only about 180e maybe less to do the both every year but a motherboard is just not worth it

^^ LOL :pac:

Dcully

dogyworld1 wrote: »

while their are so many positive things about pc gaming compared to console gaming
as a pc gamer myself
i have to tell you the negitives as well

youd have to upgrade your pc at least once a year to play the new games coming out each year for the pc ( because every year a new game comes out the graphics on that game require hire standerds and more ram every year )
so unless your prepared to pay money each year to upgrade your pc "IF you want to play the newest games out every year" then i wouldnt get it, but if you like playing pc games from this year all the way back as far as well as far as games you liked in years ago then itd be no problem

also not many games are released for pc, most if not all pc games are not advertised so youd have to check every now and again to see what pc games are coming out unless their big names like starcraft

and theirs not many great pc games out their either most of them are really low budget games and also if you plan on playing pc games online beware their are alot more cheaters on pc then their are on consoles "a hell of alot more" and if you havnt got a decent connection most people online have "ping sets" which means if your ping(connection) reachs a certain height eg. 150ping then youd get auto kicked from a server.

but their are alot more positives


much more mature community, keyboard and mouse better then joypad for strategy games and fps's, games live longer on the pc they dont die out as quick as console games,
like age of empires 3 ive been playing that game since it came out that was over 6 years ago and the game is still pretty active online
most if not all dlcs for games are free if their not you can just torrent download them ha

STEAM by far one of the best things to happen to pc gaming, can download any game of steam, play it with the steam community, has vac secured servers which auto kicks cheaters and bans them for life, deals every day of the week for games and if you pre order new games coming out you get like 10euro of the game cant ask any better then that. also gurranteed fun

so basicly it all balances out

you just need a good connection and id recommend getting the lasted pc gear out
because if you get it , it will probably save you money to upgrade your pc for atleast 2-3 years after 3 years youd probably have to end up playing new games out then with low performence until you upgrade your pc again

ALSO NEVER UPGRADE YOUR MOTHERBOARD as it will definitly cost you about 800 quid to upgrade it best of just getting a new pc at that stage (i learnt that the hard way)
get the best motherboard you can get on a pc because upgrading ram and graphics is only about 180e maybe less to do the both every year but a motherboard is just not worth it

gl OP

Apart from what you say about kb & mouse and how long communities/games survive on PC its actually shocking how wrong this post is in every way.
OP do yourself a favour and disregard this guys post, no offence but its probably up there with the most misinformed posts ive ever read on boards.
Normally id ignore such a post but id hate for OP to actually believe this guy and miss out on PC gaming so heres my take on his claim you have to upgrade your PC every year.

My old PC which my son is now happily playing all the latest games on is now 5 years old,I have never upgraded it apart from a new gfx card, note: that card wasnt essential i bought it because it was on special offer a few years back, i got it for €110 euros,in over 5 years thats the only think i upgraded.
To be fair the card it replaced would do a decent job with the latest games too so its pratically irrelevant to mention the gfx card upgrade.
It really ticks me off when people who havent a clue wtf your talking about spout off this myth that a PC needs to be upgraded often, nothing could be further from the truth.
MikeCork2009 , seriously ignore what this guy says ,maybe his/her intentions are good but he/she is so terribly terribly wrong.

noodler

ShadowHearth wrote: »

There is so much wrong with this post I don't even know where to start. OP, just ignore that post and listen what the rest of the lads said after this post.

ShadowHearth wrote: »

I am still not sure are you trolling or for real.

Are you this much of a pr1ck in real life?

Every bloody thread..

Twilightning

noodler wrote: »

Are you this much of a pr1ck in real life?

Every bloody thread..

Why shouldn't he tell the OP to ignore someone who thinks it costs €800 to replace a bloody motherboard? If you don't want to hear it from him, hear it from me; ignore the entirety of that post. It's pants-on-head retarded.

ShadowHearth

noodler wrote: »

Are you this much of a pr1ck in real life?

Every bloody thread..

Well I can say the same thing about you, you being a prick every bloody thread, but plus you will have some very misleading info or you won't even have a clue, what you talking about. From respect to you and the rest of the forum members I just don't even get in to personal fights anymore or even try to argue with you . Even now, I will just do a grown up thing - just report your post, and wish you a very good day.

Mr E

Less of the personal abuse please.

noodler

ShadowHearth wrote: »

Well I can say the same thing about you, you being a prick every bloody thread,

No, you couldn't. But having being called out on your attitude you do have to have some sort of defence mechanism.

ShadowHearth wrote: »

but plus you will have some very misleading info or you won't even have a clue, what you talking about.

What? Again, more bullsh1t.

ShadowHearth wrote: »

From respect to you and the rest of the forum members I just don't even get in to personal fights anymore or even try to argue with you . Even now, I will just do a grown up thing - just report your post, and wish you a very good day.

You really took the high road there by calling me a pr1ck and then reporting me for calling you the same.

Just try and be a bit more civil in the threads, even if you disagree with someone. Thats not me trying to backseat mod btw - just common decency.

Genghiz Cohen

Procrastastudy

One thing to say you disagree shadow - but the way you've reacted shows the type of person you are to be honest.

To the guy who simply highlighted my line about wondows and posted ba hahahah I'm happy if someone points out where I'm wrong and says something along the lines of - you can get it at X for Y price but your post simply doesnt help anyone.

On the subject of PC gaming - I'm afraid this type of idiot is very common. It very much is down to a peeing contest of whos right rather than any sort of meaningful conversation.

Genghiz Cohen

OP, your best bet is the PC Building and Upgrading forum.
Start a new thread, with a name like "€xxx gaming build" ( Assuming that gaming is the primary role of your new computer) and copy this post and fill it out in your thread. Some kind and gentle folk will be along to help you out in no time.

Procrastastudy

ShadowHearth wrote: »

So I guess me and the rest of the lads in "building and upgrading pc" forum are liars and bunch of robbers...

self built > bough built by some company.

ShadowHearth wrote: »

Well I can say the same thing about you, you being a prick every bloody thread, but plus you will have some very misleading info or you won't even have a clue, what you talking about. From respect to you and the rest of the forum members I just don't even get in to personal fights anymore or even try to argue with you . Even now, I will just do a grown up thing - just report your post, and wish you a very good day.

Yeah... can really see your consistency here

Retr0gamer

Anyone continuing with personal abuse or continuing with this unconstructive posting beyond this post is getting a 3 week ban.

Procrastastudy

Fair play apologies for any offense caused and for ignoring the mod.

OP: You've got the option of getting a build in the Upgrades forum - I'm happy to have a look and see if there is a cheaper one from a supplier just PM me. I'm always on the look out for friends and family so it's no bother.

The bulk build one will have lower quality components than a self build but its just an option.

On self building - it is fairly straight forward once you know which end of a screw driver to use. The only issue you ever get really is when you miss a funky connection or odd screw. Normally all the bits come with the components though.