Forget the console and build a gaming PC! A value comparison

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Comments

  • SnarkasmSnarkasm Madison, WI Icrontian
    edited May 2010
    rage, etc
  • kryystkryyst Ontario, Canada
    edited May 2010
    Slow day at the office, what can I say.
  • primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' Boopin Detroit, MI Icrontian
    edited April 2011
    Bump. Interesting to revisit this two years later, in light of what's changed, the richness of Steam, and the PSN outage...
  • JokkeJokke Bergen, Norway Icrontian
    edited April 2011
    I think, as someone have already mentioned, that it comes down to personal preference.
    I got my PS2 way back in '01. Short time after I built my first gaming rig, and never looked back.
    I've tried the 360, the PS3 and the Wii, and it was ok, sure, but I'm not tempted to buy one.
    I enjoy playing on my computer, I don't enjoy playing on a console. And that is an argument valid for me for not getting a console. The rest of you just have to find your arguments for one or another, or maybe both if that's what you're into.
  • kryystkryyst Ontario, Canada
    edited April 2011
    Two years later and nothing has changed. Some people like PC's some people like consoles. In saying that though more and more titles are console focused and also out for the PC. Most A title games are made for the console then adapted to the PC. Which is dumbing down the PC gaming market as being a better experience when it comes to the playability of the game.

    Also while graphics are generally still improving on consoles as developers are improving their skills the power of the consoles aren't increasing. Yet PC gaming is still in the cycle of pushing graphics and requiring more powerful hardware to run them.
  • ButtersButters CA Icrontian
    edited April 2011
    Two years later, prices for PS3s & 360s have continued to decrease while a 2 year old PC gaming system from the article would still play games now. Though it would be a tough argument to assume a system built 2 years ago would still have its original parts. OS, SSD, Graphics, Processor upgrades are all tempting upgrades that would make that PC a current, but expensive gaming platform.

    However, 2 years down the road, with the question, what is better value between an XBOX 360 vs a PC, I would probably say a 360. You can always resell games that are no longer played to acquire new ones or use a gaming service to rent games. Thankfully Steam offer sales on older games to add value for the PC. But I think the bottom line is that the console offers a predictable, consistent gaming experience, while the PC's gaming experience is dependent on configuration/drivers/etc. Save yourself the aggrevation.

    Having said that, I haven't owned a console for over 11 years since I had a modded PSX nor have I had a console in my household for about 8 years.
  • CBCB Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ Der Millionendorf- Icrontian
    edited April 2011
    Butters wrote:
    But I think the bottom line is that the console offers a predictable, consistent gaming experience, while the PC's gaming experience is dependent on configuration/drivers/etc. Save yourself the aggrevation.

    I'm not sure if this still applies. It was certainly true once. I mean: I have clear memories of the hassle of getting PC games to work across multiple configurations. It may have even still been true a couple of years ago, but it's been a long time since I've found a new game that didn't work with my PC because of hardware conflicts (I specify 'new' because I tried to play Alpha Centauri a couple weeks ago, and it told me that it's not compatible with my CPU).

    The place Xbox (and I'm assuming PS3, though I've never used one) still has an advantage as far as compatibility is multi-player matchmaking. That's the one place where the PC is still lacking a system that "just works" the way the consoles do. Even that, however, is improving with services like Steam Works.

    Ont the other side, I think the 'all your eggs in one basket' argument against consoles, which rises from this whole PSN episode is a non-starter. My PC gaming eggs are even more in one basket than my console gamings eggs are. If Steam goes down without warning, I might loose access to my games entirely, not just the multi-player options. For me, that would be a Big Deal, since the only game I play which is not through my Steam account right now is Minecraft.
  • ButtersButters CA Icrontian
    edited April 2011
    CB wrote:
    I'm not sure if this still applies. It was certainly true once. I mean: I have clear memories of the hassle of getting PC games to work across multiple configurations.
    I didn't mean the hassle of getting a PC game to work with a particular machine. My point is that there are different configurations out there that will return an infinite variety of FPS, Resolutions, load speeds, etc. While with the console its predictable, you know what you are going to get. If you want your PC to perform at certain way, how much time, effort, money do you really want to spend focusing on that, rather than playing a game.
  • CBCB Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ Der Millionendorf- Icrontian
    edited April 2011
    I get what you're saying, but I don't think most people actually spend time fiddling with a system to get more FPS. Yes, the experience is different from system to system, Portal might look shinier on my neighbors system than mine, but for some people that's the end of it, no time, effort, or money involved, they just play the game, whatever it looks like on their system.
  • NiGHTSNiGHTS San Diego Icrontian
    edited April 2011
    Consoles provide the same uniform advantage an Apple device has over its Windows/Android competitor. It's much more approachable for the lowest common denominator to buy and immediately start playing games. Games that "just work," no thought, tweaking, or troubleshooting required.

    I'm a PC gamer, but I can't ignore the fact that the console I own has a life expectancy of 10 years. That alone provides more value than a dollar figure for a gaming-to-gaming comparison could.
  • Cliff_ForsterCliff_Forster Icrontian
    edited June 2011
    The writer is obviously a genius of epic proportions.
  • MrTRiotMrTRiot Northern Ontario Icrontian
    edited June 2011
    This thread has been resurrected again? Decent article but can't it die already?... :(

    a PC gaming rig now has become even cheaper AND upgrade-able. I've always felt consoles are a rip off. When they finally come down to a decent price, the next new thing comes out. When you have a half decent computer you can just upgrade it and have it competing in the upper echelons of the market...
  • kryystkryyst Ontario, Canada
    edited June 2011
    Where's the ripoff? You buy a console let say you are in the 24hr line-up for launch and pay the premium which is around $400. That console, no upgrades lasts you at least 5 years on average. At that end of those 5 years you buy the next generation of console. Usually they are backwards compatible unless they are changing mediums.

    Or you buy a PC for $600, then every few years you drop another $100+ into it to keep it upgraded just so you can stay up to date with the current game requirements. Because if it wasn't for games pushing requirements you'd seldom need to upgrade your PC.

    Now how is a PC the better value when it comes to gaming?
  • SnarkasmSnarkasm Madison, WI Icrontian
    edited June 2011
    I guess it depends what your version of a reasonable price is, but yeah, I'm gonna go ahead and defy you to build a $200 PC that can play games at the level a console can at the same price. Judging by your "by the time they get cheap enough, the next one is coming out" line, you must be waiting until they get to the $100-$150 mark (just before the new console's released). You want to try to build a gaming PC on that?
  • fatcatfatcat Mizzou Icrontian
    edited June 2011
    a GTX 200 series (GTX 260, GTX 260 Core 216, GTX 275, GTX 280, GTX 285, GTX 295) video card still runs any game out today, and it was released in 2008.

    I can't remember the last game that made me buy a better video card.

    As far as the rest of a PC, a dual core 2.5GHz CPU and 4GB of RAM will run any game. So in reality, the only thing you ever really NEED to upgrade on a PC is the video card.
  • SnarkasmSnarkasm Madison, WI Icrontian
    edited June 2011
    GTX 260 from a quick Google shows prices from $100 to $350. Not exactly saving the $200 budget there.
  • kryystkryyst Ontario, Canada
    edited June 2011
    One thing all these DIY computer specs seem to neglect is the OS. If you wanna gaming machine it's gotta run windows so that's $100+ right there. It's one thing if you are buying a bundle where the OS is included. But you aren't buying an off the shelf gaming rig for $600. Just not happening.
  • Cliff_ForsterCliff_Forster Icrontian
    edited June 2011
    Let me be the first to admit, some things have changed since this was written. Console prices have dropped some. On top of it, the 360 has finally become a fairly reliable piece of hardware. We are also at that magic point in the console life cycles where there are allot of really good games on the shelf for around $20, so if your content buying a console to play a few titles you missed, you can actually get a really good gaming value. Still, not sure how good the value is if your online service goes down and your credit card info is compromised, but I digress....

    Now, all this said, the PC is still much more compelling on the value side than most gamers realize. Like my prior argument, I don't think a console can really replace your PC, you still have to have one somewhere in the house. Perhaps your past using a desktop, you just use a laptop or tablet for internet access, I suppose those have gotten inexpensive enough where one could really negate the argument for desktops being the best value as an internet portal in the home. The argument has more layers than it had when this article was written.

    Today, I think I'd have a heck of a time convincing anyone that the PC is hands down the better deal. What I know I can do is show people that have not considered PC gaming because they thought it too expensive, that its not nearly as bad as they think. Factor in digital distribution, Steam sales, dropping hardware costs, no added cost to use the online UI for multi-player gaming (in most cases), plus having a piece of hardware that's customized to meet your needs outside of gaming. Lets not forget OnLive, it offers you a PC gaming experience that reduces your hardware requirement to console like prices. Of course, selection is the best argument against that. All that said, I can still make a pretty compelling argument for why people would be just as well to ditch their consoles in favor of a decent value priced gaming PC, but I will admit, the old Leo Laporte advice of "hey kid, just buy an Xbox" is more compelling now than it was at the time of writing.

    Lets just say, come the Holiday, when I can buy AAA titles for $5 a pop on Steam, I'll feel like a winner every time.

    But, to be fair, the fact that I can't play Red Dead Revolver and LA Noire is killing me inside. Console gamers win on that front.

    Having both simply is not an option for me, I have the Wii for family game time, and I have to pick an HD gaming platform for my adult game time. Today I'm still choosing PC. I may need to write an update to balance my argument for everything that has changed.
  • kryystkryyst Ontario, Canada
    edited June 2011
    What's it's come down to is you can get a console now for the price of a video card.
  • Cliff_ForsterCliff_Forster Icrontian
    edited June 2011
    A single Radeon 6870 will play anything you want that's currently available for under $200.
  • SnarkasmSnarkasm Madison, WI Icrontian
    edited June 2011
    Meanwhile, the 4GB new 360 is $200 from Best Buy, and the 250GB new 360 is $300.

    :shrug:

    6 to 5 and pick 'em, really. Depends what you like. :)
  • ErrorNullTurnipErrorNullTurnip Illinois Icrontian
    edited June 2011
    The consoles will always have the advantage of mass production and ease of use. Manufacturers can get huge breaks buying in bulk and as long as a game can run on one console, it's basically guaranteed to run on all consoles. PC's, on the other hand, have to worry about system specs and hardware conflicts. The place I see PC gaming having the edge is with customizability for power users and additional functionality such as engine mods.
  • RyanMMRyanMM Ferndale, MI Icrontian
    edited June 2011
    I'm a PC gamer. The last console I owned was the N64.

    That said, one would have to have their head pretty deep in the sand to not admit that consoles have a much better value proposition. They're not even close.

    I game on my PC because I can't invest in multiple platforms and I prefer the types of games that hit PC first, not because I have
    any delusions that gaming PCs are a better value.
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