Everybody and their mother is going to tell you PC is the better option. I always think it costs way more money than it's worth.
Is a Gaming PC Worth It?
- Thread starter Brownie80
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Try some online stores depending on where you are (like ScorpTec or Centrecom if you are an auzzie.) They let you pick out all the parts and then either send them to you or pay something like $50 and they assemble it. A computer will always cost more pre-built and frankly you're going to want to have your computer built if only because you can choose exactly what you want in there. Extra ram, worse or better graphics or maybe just stick with the motherboard graphics.
For games like Crusader Kings and all that, they run fine on older computers but there is a massive amount of loading lag sometimes, I had it especially bad with Hearts of Iron where on my old laptop I'd start and game and go make some dinner, then come back to play it because the game had finally loaded.
But believe me, you'll enjoy having a perfectly smooth PC any day, over something that you can't upgrade or slows down. And building them is fairly cheap, even if you are going for a high tech PC.
For games like Crusader Kings and all that, they run fine on older computers but there is a massive amount of loading lag sometimes, I had it especially bad with Hearts of Iron where on my old laptop I'd start and game and go make some dinner, then come back to play it because the game had finally loaded.
But believe me, you'll enjoy having a perfectly smooth PC any day, over something that you can't upgrade or slows down. And building them is fairly cheap, even if you are going for a high tech PC.
It's been worth it since console popularity experienced its humongous revival circa 2005-07.
Hardware upgrades are nowhere near as annoying as they used to be. Innovation is stymied and occurs much slower than it used to, so you can get away with far fewer upgrades while still being able to play most everything released. I recently threw down on a new PC last year, my previous PC using one of the original Core 2 Quad core procs - stayed fine for 7 years. Technically I still use it, it's just not my main rig. My new PC just destroys butts and it's nowhere near top end. I really only upgraded because I had the spare cash and some games were suffering, performance-wise.
That's the benefit and the curse these days: the ubiquity and profitability of console development eschews pushing many boundaries because of static limitations, but it also allows for upgrades to be less frequent and necessary to run newer games.
Hardware upgrades are nowhere near as annoying as they used to be. Innovation is stymied and occurs much slower than it used to, so you can get away with far fewer upgrades while still being able to play most everything released. I recently threw down on a new PC last year, my previous PC using one of the original Core 2 Quad core procs - stayed fine for 7 years. Technically I still use it, it's just not my main rig. My new PC just destroys butts and it's nowhere near top end. I really only upgraded because I had the spare cash and some games were suffering, performance-wise.
That's the benefit and the curse these days: the ubiquity and profitability of console development eschews pushing many boundaries because of static limitations, but it also allows for upgrades to be less frequent and necessary to run newer games.
A custom built PC is cheaper, and in my experience last longer. I did not assemble mine personally, I have a friend who was more then willing to assemble it and even came to the store to help me select parts, cost me a case of beer, could get the same service for 70$~ in store. My 800$ rig has been running over 3 years without a hiccup (minus one virus that led to a system restore).
Check out r/buildapc on reddit if you want help selecting parts.
As a PS4 and old PC owner I can vouch for the 'consoles suck' argument.
Check out r/buildapc on reddit if you want help selecting parts.
As a PS4 and old PC owner I can vouch for the 'consoles suck' argument.
The real question is What is cheaper? A cheap PC/laptop+a console or just a really nice PC?
Most decent non-gaming computers are ~400. You can go cheaper, but then it's just a facebook machine and, well, you've probably got a phone for that.
New consoles are also 350-400 dollars.
You can get an entry level gaming PC for like, 600 dollars. Considering your tastes, I'd go for a little more beef in the processor than the graphics card. Grand strategy games aren't graphically demanding, but there's a lot of processing to do to run all those AI programs in real time. RTS is a mixed bag. Some are graphically demanding, but most can just be turned down till the run smooth because that's not why you are there, really.
Most decent non-gaming computers are ~400. You can go cheaper, but then it's just a facebook machine and, well, you've probably got a phone for that.
New consoles are also 350-400 dollars.
You can get an entry level gaming PC for like, 600 dollars. Considering your tastes, I'd go for a little more beef in the processor than the graphics card. Grand strategy games aren't graphically demanding, but there's a lot of processing to do to run all those AI programs in real time. RTS is a mixed bag. Some are graphically demanding, but most can just be turned down till the run smooth because that's not why you are there, really.
I've got a dell XPS desktop that I've upgraded a bit. PC was about 800usd, and with all the upgrades it's come to about 1100ish, runs most everything really well, too. You could probably build one yourself or have someone else build it for even cheaper, though, if you are looking for something serious.
Alienwares look really nice, but you really pay a lot for the brand- especially considering they usually aren't the very top of the line, and from what you said you play, you really don't need that.
If you are specifically looking for a laptop, a cheaper alienware might be the way to go, but you don't need anything extreme to play paradox games.
Look around, and don't limit yourself to one brand. PC gaming is definitely worth it, in my opinion.
Alienwares look really nice, but you really pay a lot for the brand- especially considering they usually aren't the very top of the line, and from what you said you play, you really don't need that.
If you are specifically looking for a laptop, a cheaper alienware might be the way to go, but you don't need anything extreme to play paradox games.
Look around, and don't limit yourself to one brand. PC gaming is definitely worth it, in my opinion.
The scariest part of building a PC for me is putting the processor into place. I confess that many times I've bought a motherboard/CPU combo which comes with the CPU and fan already in place. Sure this means you just get a stock fan but unless you are planning to try and massively overclock your processor it would be plenty.
Look if the bought High-End PC has a WLAN-Adapter. Just had a case ... wow.
I would recommend looking for a pre-built list of PC parts, buying it and building it yourself. If not, at least compare prices. Aside from that:
Yes, it is definitely worth it.
I would recommend looking for a pre-built list of PC parts, buying it and building it yourself. If not, at least compare prices. Aside from that:
Yes, it is definitely worth it.
PCs are worth it for three reasons: steam sales, game library, and modding. And you don't have to spend a fortune, despite what most elitist snobby people say.
You can buy a fairly cheap mid-range pc, then just add some ram and a video card (both of which are simple plug and play installation with video card drivers being fairly idiot proof) and end up still paying less than building your own. You'd be surprised how much even $150 graphics card can do, especially compared to consoles. I usually recommend that for beginners in pc gaming: building your own system is easy but there are still issues that can crop up and really ruin the experience for you. You'll still get more bang for buck if you build your own, but for someone that's tentative about it I suggest going in easy; you can upgrade or scratch build a better system later on when you've found something that makes the investment worthwhile. I've been doing computer support work since high school, so I've spent a lot of time helping people find the right system for them.
If you have a techy friend or co-worker, try asking them for help picking out a system.
You can buy a fairly cheap mid-range pc, then just add some ram and a video card (both of which are simple plug and play installation with video card drivers being fairly idiot proof) and end up still paying less than building your own. You'd be surprised how much even $150 graphics card can do, especially compared to consoles. I usually recommend that for beginners in pc gaming: building your own system is easy but there are still issues that can crop up and really ruin the experience for you. You'll still get more bang for buck if you build your own, but for someone that's tentative about it I suggest going in easy; you can upgrade or scratch build a better system later on when you've found something that makes the investment worthwhile. I've been doing computer support work since high school, so I've spent a lot of time helping people find the right system for them.
If you have a techy friend or co-worker, try asking them for help picking out a system.
That really depends on what you mean by "gaming PC". If you just mean any old computer that you'll be using mostly for games, then I'd be surprised that you didn't already own a PC. Top-end hardware really is no longer a necessity to play some of the best PC games because of all of the technical advances there have been in optimization, and also because it's increasingly common for many very good games to have very low hardware requirements to begin with (ie indie games). I would wager that unless your hardware is truly ancient, you'll be able to find games you like playing.Brownie80 said:
But if by "gaming PC" you mean an expensive, top-end machine, then ask yourself this: is it worth it to buy an expensive car like a Tesla or a Lamborghini? Of course not: plenty of people who wouldn't dare dream of owning a Lambo get from point A to point B with $1000 junkers and unless it's a truly rare vehicle then even the most valuable cars depreciate in value like little else (in fact, I'd say that computer hardware is the only thing that depreciates faster than cars). In the same way, people don't buy water-cooled 8-core 5GHz processors and SLI'd GTX 980s because it's a logical decision about whether or not it's "worth it", they do it because they want the absolute best. And I will say from experience as one who has such a computer, even though it's not in any way necessary[footnote] Actually, it is necessary, but for another reason. I have to do a lot of simulations for computer projects in my physics graduate studies, and those are brutal on hardware in ways computer games could not even dream of being.[/footnote] for games it is damn awesome.
But it's hardly necessary to spend more than $800 if you're scratch-building, and less than half that if you're just upgrading an off-the-shelf premade to make the most modern games playable.