The Cost - PC vs Console Gaming?

Andy!! · 01-12-2012 4:07pm

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar wrote: »

glad I could help

So are you gonna y'know, offer an explanation as to how you arrived at this enlightened opinion? Considering theres a different game on sale EVERY THREE DAYS on steam, and some of us dont live with our mum, rather we live abroad, so digital is our option to get games in our language?

MadYaker · 01-12-2012 4:33pm

I'm a PC gamer and I think its more expensive than console gaming. All in I spent about €700 on my PC and it can play any game I've tried at max settings. However I will need to upgrade my gfx card next year if I want to continue playing stuff at max settings. I think you could pick up an 250gb xbox 360 for about €200 recently? Think I saw it in the bargains thread.

While games may be cheaper on PC I wouldn't spend half as much on games if I was a console gamer. I blame steam sales for this, "I've already spent €80, BUT ITS 75% OFF!". I just end up spending loads of money on games ill probably never play.

Grumpypants · 01-12-2012 4:57pm

ShadowHearth wrote: »

Wtf did I just read ?!

In short full gaming rig including m & k etc costs around a grand. I know I got you to spec a decent mid range machine and it cost around that once I added a decent card, windows etc

Second point was on the steam sales where people were saying you will save a lot compared to buying console games in stores, but then you need to add the cost of the Internet as you can't use steam with out it. So any money you save on steam sales you spend on Internet.

ShadowHearth · 01-12-2012 5:09pm

Grumpypants wrote: »

In short full gaming rig including m & k etc costs around a grand. I know I got you to spec a decent mid range machine and it cost around that.

Second point was on the steam sales where people were saying you will save a lot compared to buying console games in stores, but then you need to add the cost of the Internet as you can't use steam with out it. So any money you save on steam sales you spend on Internet.

i cant remember which spec idid made for you, but it deffo can play games on a lot higher graphics then consoles, which barely able to play 720p AAA titles. let alone small things like BF3 where you get 64 people servers on pc and 24 on console.

I lately use only steam and i have a simple eircom 10mbit broadband. all games and other stuff i have downloaded and i never ever payed any extra for over usage.
Its advantage digital distribution on PC with no monopoly, not a disatvantage. the idea alone of including the internet costs, to PC only is silly m8. then might as well include electricity, tea/coffee/biscuit costs too.

you have a very dumb internet provider, if there is an issue of downloading a PC game now and then, but i still cant understand how the blame can go to PC gaming for it.

aN.Droid · 01-12-2012 5:16pm

MadYaker wrote: »

I'm a PC gamer and I think its more expensive than console gaming. All in I spent about €700 on my PC and it can play any game I've tried at max settings. However I will need to upgrade my gfx card next year if I want to continue playing stuff at max settings. I think you could pick up an 250gb xbox 360 for about €200 recently? Think I saw it in the bargains thread.

While games may be cheaper on PC I wouldn't spend half as much on games if I was a console gamer. I blame steam sales for this, "I've already spent €80, BUT ITS 75% OFF!". I just end up spending loads of money on games ill probably never play.

There was no need to spend that much on a gaming machine to play current games. As has been said you can build a pc for a quarter of what you paid that will play most games now at reasonable settings and will require probably just a graphics card update in the next two years to continue doing so.

Also no one is putting a gun to your head and making you buy games you will never play?

P.S. Spent over a grand on my pc and steam says I have 463 games on my account

Andy!! · 01-12-2012 6:06pm

I just spent over a grand on a new gaming pc, specced by boardies who I am very thankful towards. And I can tell you that console gaming is not only cheaper in the long run, it is relatively stress free (no GFWL, no driver updates/rollbacks, no complete mysteries as to why something random is not working... no Rockstar pass, not as much cheating online, god the list is endless. Plus consoles get exclusives. I want to play Halo 4 but I cant. Yeh sure its nice to be able to have a goat as a follower in Skyrim, but I could live without mods and still be very happy.

There are pros and cons to being a pc or console gamer. Personally I recommend being both :P But this thread is about cost. And to have a decent gaming rig that can produce the rez that the PS3 can, it DEFINITELY works out more expensive.

areyawell · 01-12-2012 6:18pm

Andy!! wrote: »

I just spent over a grand on a new gaming pc, specced by boardies who I am very thankful towards. And I can tell you that console gaming is not only cheaper in the long run, it is relatively stress free (no GFWL, no driver updates/rollbacks, no complete mysteries as to why something random is not working... no Rockstar pass, not as much cheating online, god the list is endless. Plus consoles get exclusives. I want to play Halo 4 but I cant. Yeh sure its nice to be able to have a goat as a follower in Skyrim, but I could live without mods and still be very happy.

There are pros and cons to being a pc or console gamer. Personally I recommend being both :P But this thread is about cost. And to have a decent gaming rig that can produce the rez that the PS3 can, it DEFINITELY works out more expensive.

1000 euro for a gaming PC really? Why spend that much?

I built a gaming PC 440 which is capable of running 90% of games at max resolution on high settings. A 440 euro PC kills the xbox 360.
My 440 euro PC can play Skyrim at 1080P and max settings

MadYaker · 01-12-2012 6:22pm

Limericks wrote: »

There was no need to spend that much on a gaming machine to play current games. As has been said you can build a pc for a quarter of what you paid that will play most games now at reasonable settings and will require probably just a graphics card update in the next two years to continue doing so.

A quater of what I paid? Thats a gross exaggeration. I spent 600 on the box itself. The rest was peripherals and if i want do any upgrades, ill first need to buy a new and bigger PSU because any better gfx card or processor is going to need a bigger PSU. When I bought mine, about 6 months ago, I spent the absolute minimum possible for a good gaming PC that can run new games at high settings and high fps, if I wanted one that was going to be easy to upgrade in the future I was looking at spending another 50 - 60e on a bigger PSU. I bought a nice big expensive HD monitor too and it looks ten times better than playing on any console.

I love PC gaming. There is no doubt its better than console gaming but don't be deluding yourselves into thinking its cheaper. If it was cheaper then there would be absolutely no market for console gaming. What a lot of you are saying just makes no sense.

areyawell wrote: »

.
My 440 euro PC can play Skyrim at 1080P and max settings

Skyrim is not demanding on hardware at all and a poor example to use. Go load up battlefield 3, put all the gfx settings on ultra and get on a server with 64 players and see how many fps you get. I guarantee it will be unplayable and would be far superior on a €250 xbox 360.

krudler · 01-12-2012 6:27pm

I havent owned a gaming pc for a while now, last time I built one was for Half Life 2 years back, both pcs and consoles have their advantages, it seems these days pcs dont need to be upgraded anywhere near as much as 6-10 years ago, the hardware will run pretty much anything if you invest enough initially.

ShadowHearth · 01-12-2012 6:30pm

MadYaker wrote: »

A quater of what I paid? Thats a gross exaggeration. I spent 600 on the box itself. The rest was peripherals and if i want do any upgrades, ill first need to buy a new and bigger PSU because any better gfx card or processor is going to need a bigger PSU. When I bought mine, about 6 months ago, I spent the absolute minimum possible for a good gaming PC that can run new games at high settings and high fps, if I wanted one that was going to be easy to upgrade in the future I was looking at spending another 50 - 60e on a bigger PSU. I bought a nice big expensive HD monitor too and it looks ten times better than playing on any console.

I love PC gaming. There is no doubt its better than console gaming but don't be deluding yourselves into thinking its cheaper. If it was cheaper then there would be absolutely no market for console gaming. What a lot of you are saying just makes no sense.

Skyrim is not demanding on hardware at all and a poor example to use. Go load up battlefield 3, put all the gfx settings on ultra and get on a server with 64 players and see how many fps you get. I guarantee it will be unplayable and would be far superior on a €250 xbox 360.

NOPE.

areyawell · 01-12-2012 6:31pm

MadYaker wrote: »

A quater of what I paid? Thats a gross exaggeration. I spent 600 on the box itself. The rest was peripherals and if i want do any upgrades, ill first need to buy a new and bigger PSU because any better gfx card or processor is going to need a bigger PSU. When I bought mine, about 6 months ago, I spent the absolute minimum possible for a good gaming PC that can run new games at high settings and high fps, if I wanted one that was going to be easy to upgrade in the future I was looking at spending another 50 - 60e on a bigger PSU. I bought a nice big expensive HD monitor too and it looks ten times better than playing on any console.

I love PC gaming. There is no doubt its better than console gaming but don't be deluding yourselves into thinking its cheaper. If it was cheaper then there would be absolutely no market for console gaming. What a lot of you are saying just makes no sense.

Skyrim is not demanding on hardware at all and a poor example to use. Go load up battlefield 3, put all the gfx settings on ultra and get on a server with 64 players and see how many fps you get. I guarantee it will be unplayable and would be far superior on a €250 xbox 360.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8B92iYSIc4 .Theres your answer. Its a bit jumpy because the poster is recording. These people thinking you need an i5 and a two hundred euro graphics card are deluded but they are nice to have

yimrsg · 01-12-2012 6:31pm

Can anyone actually list the builds or websites of these gaming PCs which can be made for under €500? I've not made a pc before but would like to in the future.

ScumLord · 01-12-2012 6:33pm

Dash Teeny Mice wrote: »

* PCs need to be upgraded

Your Pc can become a bit of a hobby, I think many times when people upgrade they don't necessarily need too.

* Consoles are a little more relaxed to play i.e. drop yourself on the couch with a wireless controller.

Depends on your set up. My PC is my media centre. I have a remote for it, I can control it through an app on my phone, it's got 5.1 surround sound and it's hooked up to a projector (2nd display so I can still use the main monitor) so I've got a 2 metre screen on my wall to watch movies or even play games using an xbox controller.

My PC is pretty much the only piece of technology in the house. It does everything from music to movies to games and it does it really well. Mine took years to get to this stage but I've run out of things to buy for it now, I expect to get about 8 years out of it at current spec bar maybe the graphics card upgrade.

ShadowHearth · 01-12-2012 6:33pm

yimrsg wrote: »

Can anyone actually list the builds or websites of these gaming PCs which can be made for under €500? I've not made a pc before but would like to in the future.

we did hundreds of PCs in "building PC" forum. a lot of happy "customers", who are lurking even here.

NTMK · 01-12-2012 6:35pm

MadYaker wrote: »

Go load up battlefield 3, put all the gfx settings on ultra and get on a server with 64 players and see how many fps you get. I guarantee it will be unplayable and would be far superior on a €250 xbox 360.

if you want to compare pc to xbox drop the res to 720, change all settings to low/medium, drop to direct x 9 and run a 24 player map and check the fps

it will beat the 360 30fps

MadYaker · 01-12-2012 6:36pm

areyawell wrote: »

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8B92iYSIc4 .Theres your answer. Its a bit jumpy because the poster is recording. These people thinking you need an i5 and a two hundred euro graphics card are deluded but they are nice to have

I'm not saying that you need an i5 and 200e gfx card. My PC only has an i3. And the PC on which that vid was recorded would definitely cost more that 440e. So my point with poster above still stands.

areyawell · 01-12-2012 6:38pm

yimrsg wrote: »

Can anyone actually list the builds or websites of these gaming PCs which can be made for under €500? I've not made a pc before but would like to in the future.

MadYaker wrote: »

I'm not saying that you need an i5 and 200e gfx card. My PC only has an i3. And the PC on which that vid was recorded would definitely cost more that 440e. So my point with poster above still stands.

Yea heres my PC.

BitFenix Merc Alpha €34.00
Super-Flower Amazon 80Plus 450W €42.28
ASUS M5A78L LE, Sockel AM3+, ATX €50.15
AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Box, Sockel AM3 €85.87
8GB-Kit G.Skill PC3-10667U CL9 €28.33
WD Caviar Blue 500GB SATA 3 6Gb/s €53.54
Gigabyte Radeon HD 7770 OC, 1GB GDDR5 €109.74
Samsung SH-118AB DVD-RW €13.33
Shipping €18.99
Total €433.80

tuxy · 01-12-2012 6:42pm

MadYaker wrote: »

And the PC on which that vid was recorded would definitely cost more that 440e. So my point with poster above still stands.

Suryavarman · 01-12-2012 6:49pm

I don't think the cost difference between a PC and a console is all that great when you factor in everything.

On the face of it a PC will cost more. I'm going to use €1200 as the price of a PC because that's how much I spent a couple of years ago on mine and because in my (limited) experience, a brand new €1200 PC will play any game available at its highest settings. That sure is a lot more than €400 for an Xbox or €600 for a PS3 at release but it's a lot more machine. For the €1200, you get a computer AND a gaming machine. Whereas with a console you only get the gaming machine. I think it is fair to add on the cost of a cheap computer to the console as it is almost certain that somebody would have both. I think €400 is a fair price. For the rest of the comparison I'm going to assume that the console doesn't die and need to be replaced and that a PC gamer also uses a TV so that cost isn't added on to the price of a console as well.

So after all that, the initial cost is as follows: €1200 for a PC, €1000 for a PS3 and €800 for an XBox 360. On top of that there is the price difference for games. Take the prices of probably the 5 biggest releases in the last few weeks from Amazon; FIFA 13, Black Ops 2, Far Cry 3, Assassin's Creed 3 and Hitman. Then take the price difference between the PC version and the cheapest console version, then average those differences and then use that number as the average price difference between console and PC games. You get £3.53(~€4.45) as shown in the table.

Game|PC Price|Console Price|Difference
FIFA 13|£29.99|£38.82|£8.83
Black Ops 2|£34.71|£41.41|£6.70
Far Cry 3|£37.99|£37.99|£0
Assassin's Creed 3|£26.99|£37.82|£10.83
Hitman|£23.74|£24.99|£1.15
Average|£30.68|£34.21|3.53

Now this ignores the great value available to PC players in Steam sales and the like. For instance in the recent Black Friday sales I spent ~€250 but got 40 games and 15 expansion packs. That works out at around €4.55 each. That's about 2-3 years worth of gaming for €250. Or for another example, take the THQ Humble Bundle that can be bought for ~€4.37. That's 5 games and 2 expansion packs, whereas just buying Saints Row or Darksiders for a console costs 2-3 times that.

After all that, take the initial cost of a PC and compare it to the two consoles plus the price of a cheap computer. Then assume that you will buy six games a year at the average price for each. Then take a 12 month membership for XBox live for the XBox (Currently costs ~€37.80 on Amazon). Then work out after 5 years how much you will spend to get a fairer cost comparison.

Year|PC|PS3|XBox 360
0|€1200|€1000|€800
1|€232.38|€259.14|296.94
2|€232.38|€259.14|296.94
3|€232.38|€259.14|296.94
4|€232.38|€259.14|296.94
5|€232.38|€259.14|296.94
Total|€2361.90|€2295.70|€2284.70

So, after 5 years the PC is still more expensive. But only by a small margin. If you were to buy 10 games a year instead of 6 or buy your games exclusively during Steam sales the PC would then become the cheapest. Likewise if you were to spend €500 on a computer to complement your console instead of €400 the PC would be cheaper. And finally, if the PC gamer didn't watch TV, it would be correct to add the price of a TV to the cost of a console and the PC would be cheaper straight from the off.

Then there are things that are hard to attach a price to. How much would a console player pay to be able to play a Total War game or the original Crysis on their console? How much would they pay to be able to play their games at the same graphics quality as a PC can? How much would a PC gamer pay to to have the Gears of War series, the Uncharted series or the God of War series on their PC? That's just a few of the hard to monetise differences between each platform.

To summarise then; if you were to buy 6 games a year at release and play them online, you would be paying an extra ~€15 a year over 5 years for a PC but you would get better graphics and would probably better off with a PC. If you were to buy closer to 10 titles a year at release, that cost disappears. If on the other hand, you buy only 3 or 4 titles and you don't like the concept of putting together your own PC then you are probably better off with a console.

Antar Bolaeisk · 01-12-2012 6:50pm

ScumLord wrote: »

Your Pc can become a bit of a hobby, I think many times when people upgrade they don't necessarily need too.

Everyone needs an SSD in their PC.

Everyone.

Upgrade now all you philistines still running your OS and games off an HDD, you're living in the past

You know you want to.

areyawell · 01-12-2012 6:53pm

Antar Bolaeisk wrote: »

Everyone needs an SSD in their PC.

Everyone.

Upgrade now all you philistines still running your OS and games off an HDD, you're living in the past

You know you want to.

there expensive sons of bitches

Antar Bolaeisk · 01-12-2012 6:54pm

areyawell wrote: »

there expensive sons of bitches

But you need it

ShadowHearth · 01-12-2012 6:57pm

areyawell wrote: »

there expensive sons of bitches

thats what i am eyeing for myself as an XMAS present. 1440p 27inch!

it will fit perfectly between my 2x 2312hm's IPs as ****! :pac::P

MadYaker · 01-12-2012 6:58pm

tuxy wrote: »

Definitely?

Item|Price
AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Box, Sockel AM3|€86.51
ASRock N68-VS3 FX, Sockel AM3+, mATX|€36.29
Sapphire Radeon HD 7770 GHz Edition, 1GB GDDR5, lite Retail|€119.00
BitFenix Merc Beta|€34.00
Super-Flower Amazon 80Plus 450W|€42.15
Seagate Barracuda 7200 500GB SATA 6GB's|€52.73
8GB-Kit G.Skill PC3-10667U CL9|€28.34
Shipping|€18.99
Total|€418.01

No peripherals and no operating system, so yeah, definitely.

krudler · 01-12-2012 7:00pm

MadYaker wrote: »

No peripherals and no operating system, so yeah, definitely.

people pay for windows? who knew :pac:

MadYaker · 01-12-2012 7:09pm

Well if we want a fair comparison they have to be included. Your xbox isn't much use without a controller.

ShadowHearth · 01-12-2012 7:10pm

MadYaker wrote: »

No peripherals and no operating system, so yeah, definitely.

right, if you dont want PC gaming work for you, no one will ever be able to make you change your mind. Some people are just like that.

If you want to work it out, you will find a way, for example getting a very decent keyboard+mouse for 20eu - easy. Then windows 7 can be picked up for around 70eu, but even if you dont have 70eu now, you can always use a 3 months trial on it.

I honestly just give up to explain people, who dont WANT to learn or see benefits in other side of the moon. I encounter thickness towards PC gaming in huge amounts on forums and at start i tried to explain and show why you pay some extra money and what you get for going an extra mile, but some people just dont want to see it. so why bother?

EVEN if it is more expensive, its not like you get the same product. with PC gaming, you get that extra, which... ah..... **** it... whats the point.

keep playing console, and never ever go near PC, its an evil pandora Box, which will give you herpes.

Magill · 01-12-2012 7:12pm

Andy!! wrote: »

I just spent over a grand on a new gaming pc, specced by boardies who I am very thankful towards. And I can tell you that console gaming is not only cheaper in the long run, it is relatively stress free (no GFWL, no driver updates/rollbacks, no complete mysteries as to why something random is not working... no Rockstar pass, not as much cheating online, god the list is endless. Plus consoles get exclusives. I want to play Halo 4 but I cant. Yeh sure its nice to be able to have a goat as a follower in Skyrim, but I could live without mods and still be very happy.

There are pros and cons to being a pc or console gamer. Personally I recommend being both :P But this thread is about cost. And to have a decent gaming rig that can produce the rez that the PS3 can, it DEFINITELY works out more expensive.

Guild Wars
Diablo
World of Warcraft
League of legends
Dota
Starcraft
Tribes
Stalker
Warz/Dayz/ARMA
Blacklight
Planetside
Path of Exile
Tera
Secret World
etc

Its fair to say that PC exclusives are at least 20 times better than xbox/ps3 exclusives.

MadYaker · 01-12-2012 7:16pm

ShadowHearth wrote: »

right, if you dont want PC gaming work for you, no one will ever be able to make you change your mind. Some people are just like that.

If you want to work it out, you will find a way, for example getting a very decent keyboard+mouse for 20eu - easy. Then windows 7 can be picked up for around 70eu, but even if you dont have 70eu now, you can always use a 3 months trial on it.

I honestly just give up to explain people, who dont WANT to learn or see benefits in other side of the moon. I encounter thickness towards PC gaming in huge amounts on forums and at start i tried to explain and show why you pay some extra money and what you get for going an extra mile, but some people just dont want to see it. so why bother?

EVEN if it is more expensive, its not like you get the same product. with PC gaming, you get that extra, which... ah..... **** it... whats the point.

keep playing console, and never ever go near PC, its an evil pandora Box, which will give you herpes.

Eh if you read my posts properly you would see that I recently spent €700 on a gaming PC and I'm delighted with it.... The gaming experience is just so much better. But it isn't cheaper.

Can someone please answer me this: If PC gaming is cheaper and better then why the f*ck does anyone buy a console?????

Antar Bolaeisk · 01-12-2012 7:20pm

MadYaker wrote: »

Can someone please answer me this: If PC gaming is cheaper and better then why the f*ck does anyone buy a console?????

Less faffing around with consoles. When was the last time you had to update your drivers to get better performance or spend an hour getting GFWL to work on a console.

The Cost - PC vs Console Gaming?

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