Misconceptions about PC gaming.

[Torment40]

Custom building a desktop is the best way to get the most bang for your buck. Then upgrade to a LCD 20"in Moniter later on. Also remember if you get more then one hard drive and anything more powerful then a 7800 NVIDIA(I think.) then you will need to probably upgrade the powersupply to 500watts since 420 won't cut it.

I've got an 8800gt system and I'm managing with no problems on a 460W supply, it is pretty barebones though, i dont have interest in fancy soundcards or whatnot

 

[Jumplion]

People who say consoles have better looking visuals make me chuckle, im not saying the games are bad looking but sometimes its a bit fake. One thing that does make a difference between PC and consoles visually is that all the new console games are fake HD really, like COD4 is running at 600p and its just upscaled to 720p, 1080p etc. You would never see COD4 running at true 1920x1080i/p on the xbox360's hardware, it just can't take it. I would rather play COD4 at true 1280x1024 with x4 AA at maximum details than play it at upscaled 1920x1080.

Its ok i guess you lower the res and jack up the details and effects but trying to say this stuff is HD is a bit of a lie.

I'm really hoping to see GTA4 on PC because for me the game looks pretty bad on xbox360 and the framerate is all over the place. Sometimes you die in the game because the framerate goes so low and choppy that an SMG is firing like a bolt action rifle.

However, the PS3 can achieve 1080p HD, "true definition" as it were. 360 is actually 1080i, it's not that different but it's still not "true definition" apparantly. But I am POSITIVE that the PS3 can reach this 1080p, this "true definition". Forget the AA and the apparantly bigger than a 52" screen 1900x1600 pixels or whatever, 1080p is the highest resolution that a TV screen can make.

I know I probably sounded like a complete ignorant jackass right now, but can someone please explain to me this "higher than 1080p definition" stuff? I'm sure that if you get certain monitors and such you can get a higher resolution, but 1080p is the highest resolution that a TV screen alone can produce...right?

 

[Danny Ocean]

Yup, afaik, TVs can only get to the resolution (or definition) of 1920x1080 atm. This is called 1080p. 1080i is the same resolution, but each frame is interlaced. This means that the even and odd lines of pixels are 'painted' separately. (see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interlace) All this HD crap is marketing jargon.

A pc monitor often has higher resolution (or definition, same thing, different word) than a 1080p TV. Meaning that the resolution is higher than 1920x1080. A 30" TFT monitor can have a resolution of 2560x1600, for example. Even a 60" TV can't have that resolution, as it is limited to 1080p. Although all this may change.

[edit] Re-reading your post, the answer is: Yes, currently a single TV cannot produce a higher definition than 1080p.

 

[Jumplion]

So the smaller the moniter (within reasonable size) the higher the resolution can be?

 

[WlknCntrdiction]

I've come into abit of wealth atm so I'm going to use that to build my own computer, the fact that I bought C&C3 and it won't play on my laptop is spurring me on to build it cause then I can finally play it.
Youtube is your friend for things like this

 

[Theo Samaritan]

I just want to say that one of the latest PS3 firmware updates fixed the PS2 emulation problem. mainly because the PS2 itself isn't emulated - there is a full array of PS2 chips and emotion engine in there - its just scaled up in resolution. It fails in the scaling not in the emulating.

And its more like the bigger the monitor the higher the resolution, as can you imagine a 1920x1200 resolution on a 17" widescreen?

Goodbye eyesight.

 

[andrew419]

yeah i totally agree with this thread... i was really a hardocre console gamer given that i could never afford a top range pc or even mid would always be a family one *lame* but even then it would play most games although on low graphics

then when i finally decioded to try computer gaming, i discovered the brilliance of building your own system

for £600 *inc vat* i got:

Processor: AMD Phenom(tm) 9850 Quad-Core Processor (4 CPUs), ~2.5GHz
Memory: 4094MB RAM
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce 8600gt (will play crysis on top graphics and only cost £50 )

*i think thats all thats necersary to put rolf no one wants to know what fan i have for instance XD )

anyways now that i have a great pc like this i have so much choice of what to play, just to prove that being a hardcore fanboy will just get boring with a limited selection of games on one platform

=D

 

[Danny Ocean]

So the smaller the moniter (within reasonable size) the higher the resolution can be?

No, but a 25" moniter will usually have a higher resolution than a 25" TV. If you squeezed the resolution of a 30" moniter onto a 20" one..ach..that would just be weird . Anyone know what would happen?

I've come into abit of wealth atm so I'm going to use that to build my own computer, the fact that I bought C&C3 and it won't play on my laptop is spurring me on to build it cause then I can finally play it.
Youtube is your friend for things like this

Got a spec in mind?

 

[TheGhostOfSin]

This is a reply to the OP, I haven't read all of the posts-

~£350 is still alot of money for some people. I for instance don't have much money and the little i have is mostly spent on food and bills and such like, I have to save up to buy the games that i want and there are far more people worse off than, or in the same boat as me than there are of you people who seem to crap money.

Oh and before you say something about me using a PC now, I won this mac in a competition about three years ago, so don't assume that just because you can do something everyone else can aswell

 

[WlknCntrdiction]

for £600 *inc vat* i got:

Processor: AMD Phenom(tm) 9850 Quad-Core Processor (4 CPUs), ~2.5GHz
Memory: 4094MB RAM
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce 8600gt (will play crysis on top graphics and only cost £50 )

*i think thats all thats necersary to put rolf no one wants to know what fan i have for instance XD )

anyways now that i have a great pc like this i have so much choice of what to play, just to prove that being a hardcore fanboy will just get boring with a limited selection of games on one platform

=D

How the hell did you get a quad core processor? I thought they weren't out yet o.0
How much did you get it for? And where? If you don't mind me asking.

I've come into abit of wealth atm so I'm going to use that to build my own computer, the fact that I bought C&C3 and it won't play on my laptop is spurring me on to build it cause then I can finally play it.
Youtube is your friend for things like this

Got a spec in mind?

Nope, not atm. What would a good spec be? I have the money, it's just knowing where to start that's the problem.

 

[ReepNeep]

How the hell did you get a quad core processor? I thought they weren't out yet o.0
How much did you get it for? And where? If you don't mind me asking.

Dude, quad cores have been out for over a year. Intel's q6600 has been out since January 2007. AMD's Phenoms have been available since November last year. Also, don't listen to this guy about the 8600gt. That thing will struggle with Crysis on medium.

I've come into abit of wealth atm so I'm going to use that to build my own computer, the fact that I bought C&C3 and it won't play on my laptop is spurring me on to build it cause then I can finally play it.

Ill help you pick parts if you want. Just PM me if you're interested.

 

[Anniko]

Stuff

And how much is a console? Going by game.co.uk, a 360 is 260 pounds and a PS3 is 300 pounds. It's in the same price range.

 

[ReepNeep]

Also, don't listen to this guy about the 8600gt. That thing will struggle with Crysis on medium.

I was thinking that, the 8600gt is a piece of junk.

Maybe he meant the 9600GT. That one could at least run it on high at a modest resolution like 12x9.

 

[Danny Ocean]

quote skillz

I see your point, but there's no need to be hostile about it. I don't crap money, in fact, being 15, I don't even have a job. My parents are notoriously tight-arsed about spending money on me, so I tend to make money by fixing freinds' computers and walking dogs. Stuff like that.

Nope, not atm. What would a good spec be? I have the money, it's just knowing where to start that's the problem.

Ill help you pick parts if you want. Just PM me if you're interested.

Ditto.

And how much is a console? Going by game.co.uk, a 360 is 260 pounds and a PS3 is 300 pounds. It's in the same price range.

You will have to make some comprimises to make a decent pc for less than £350, but then again, consoles are just comprimises when I think about it. (Although the PS3 less so now, due to that new OS, right?)

 

[Spartan117.halo]

Enthusiast PC gaming does not HAVE to be expensive!

If you have the following:

Patience
More Patience
Knowledge of Lego and Connext

Then you can build yourself an enthusiast PC for the price of a basic home PC of £300 ($600)

I recommend checking ebay, and price comparison sites!

Rule of investment that works:

Divert your budget into areas of importance and how much money that area requires (% means how important it is, the more important the better it is to get a more advanced/superior version)

This is how I think it:

-Processor (15%) -get a decent/average processor and let the graphics card take all the rest of the work.
-Motherboard (20%) - you can go either two ways with this, get a really good motherboard which should be around for a couple of years, then after a couple of years replace other components but keep the mobo. Or you can get a average one which can chuck after a few years.
-GFX Card (25%) - if you gaming like I am you want something that can take the strain off a medium spec processor and allow it to concentrate on other calculations of the game.
-Memory ( = 2gb
-Peripherals and other ( 25% or whatevers remaining) - keep it minimalist no flashy cases etc because your asking for it to be nicked and if your a student like myself in Halls. thats a bad idea.

Also go OEM ! dont get retailed boxed components as your wasting money on marketing and packaging!


Here is what I managed to uncover in my new Gaming Pc shop around:

AMD Athlon X2 6000+ - BNIB on Ebay £40
Gigabyte SLI mobo 570 chipset - Already had it for a year was £80 last year
4GB of PNY DDR2 800mhz ram - BNIB from Hong Kong £60
Antec 1200 Gaming Case - £100 from £119 after waiting a month for price to come down! ***oh dear I just realised my hypocrisy! lol

2 x Gainward Bliss 1gb 8800 GT's Golden Sample editions thats 2gb of GDDR3 memory for gaming!

Each one was £225 pounds retail I got each one for £110 off Ebay! not including P&P - £280

Already had a 800w PSU ( note: do not be afraid to buy unbranded PSUs most of them come out the same factories as the Corsair made or Coolermaster ones so they generally are good quality!"

So that brought me around to just under £700 pounds but it would have been a lot less if I hadnt splashed out on a case and SLi

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You Can Do It! Build it yourself ! its just like expensive lego bricks!

Avoid private computer shops, most of the guys that run them are used to dealing with outdated hardware (i.e. last years components) and will charge the same price for this years new components!

Also avoid prebuilt computers on Ebay!

 

[Danny Ocean]

It really is easy to assemble. All the bits are just slot together. Lovely modular goodness.

 

[Arbre]

2. A gaming PC isn't upgraded every year- unless you're realy desperate to stay on the cutting edge. A new GPU every 3-4 years, and/or cpu every 4-5 is fine, and even then you don't have to, you'll still be in the game. (pun intended)

Do you play Pac Man or what?

 

[Aries_Split]

2. A gaming PC isn't upgraded every year- unless you're realy desperate to stay on the cutting edge. A new GPU every 3-4 years, and/or cpu every 4-5 is fine, and even then you don't have to, you'll still be in the game. (pun intended)

Do you play Pac Man or what?

Are you trying to be a jackass or what? You obviously don't know what your talking about, because a Geforce 6600 from like 5 years ago can still run bioshock. So shush you ignorant fool.