Hahahaahah tread lightly. Im quite fine being called a child for having such interests such as gaming. Im still in that age. But i dont think so much of the other people who dedicate thier cash and lives to their crusades. Besides, unlike what you may think, i do other stuff than game all day long.xDarc said:
The whole "PCs aren't that expensive compared to consoles" argument
- Thread starter Wolfram23
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Power : very good choice, looks to be a nice one.Wolfram01 said:
Motherboard : personally, I wouldn't pick an Intel one, but nevertheless its supports and fits with the rest of the computer, so I suppose it ain't bad.
CPU : One word, AMD, they make the best CPU's for gaming by far! and don't listen to Intel fan boys ( I know quite a few myself. ), they really really are.
RAM : yes, you need them. cant do nothing with DDR3 any more..
Video Card : I personally prefer Nvidia of late, but have used ATI for years and they are as good as any, no matter what others tell you, and that is a good card, but if you searched harder, you could cheaper, with equal specifications.
Mouse and keyboard : well.. what to say eh? its not needed at all, and could be done for half the price, personally I would invest in that at a later rate, and cut down the price of the computer.. but that is just me
OS : fine choice sir! I've had Win7 for a while now, and couldn't have been happier
( unless we were 10years back in time and I recently got XP )any ways, that's my opinion..
EDIT: Oops! I seem to have misread what this entire thread was about, disregard what I've written above.
I had a PC from long ago before I bought new parts for it, I salvaged the RAM, PSU, Monitor, Speakers, etc. etc. and all I ended up buying was a CPU, Motherboard, and Graphics Card. That costed me maybe $250 (I also got a new case for about 90$ but that was optional, I just stopped liking my old case. And I later got a 500GB Hard Drive for my birthday, and where the hell do you buy a 500GB Hard Drive for an XBox 360?)
Haha yea not quite the point, but I appreciate the good rating on my choices. Just to reason the video card, I checked a lot of stuff out on tomshardware and for the price it's really good. The only cheaper option of around equal quality was a crossfire system I think it was the 4870 but then I'd be unable to upgrade in the future. This way in a few years if I want to I could buy a 2nd 5850 (and cheaper by then) and crossfire it to keep up with the times.Dideriksen said:Power : very good choice, looks to be a nice one.Wolfram01 said:
Motherboard : personally, I wouldn't pick an Intel one, but nevertheless its supports and fits with the rest of the computer, so I suppose it ain't bad.
CPU : One word, AMD, they make the best CPU's for gaming by far! and don't listen to Intel fan boys ( I know quite a few myself. ), they really really are.
RAM : yes, you need them. cant do nothing with DDR3 any more..
Video Card : I personally prefer Nvidia of late, but have used ATI for years and they are as good as any, no matter what others tell you, and that is a good card, but if you searched harder, you could cheaper, with equal specifications.
Mouse and keyboard : well.. what to say eh? its not needed at all, and could be done for half the price, personally I would invest in that at a later rate, and cut down the price of the computer.. but that is just me
OS : fine choice sir! I've had Win7 for a while now, and couldn't have been happier
any ways, that's my opinion..
EDIT: Oops! I seem to have misread what this entire thread was about, disregard what I've written above.
For the CPU I really was torn between AMD and Intel. I sort of wanted to go with an AMD but I was sold on the i5 750 because it can be overclocked to sick top-of-the-line speeds. That in turn dictated my Mobo which initially I was considering the ASUS Evo board, but I had this MSI board recommended and looking into it, it was about equal but saves me a lot of cash.
I know I said I would recycle my case but now I'm even looking at replacing that because overheating is going to be an issue particularly if I O.C. Right now I'm checking out the XCLIO Blackhawk for $120. It has 5 cooling fans and blue LED lights hehe. I've never had a "fancy" case so I like it.
Hmm well I can't see any reason a console owner would upgrade their hard drive except for having an unecessary amount of pics/vids/music/porn on it.Xzi said:
I was considering the "PC does more" argument tho and I've come up with this: If you buy a PC for $1000 you can do a ton on it - anything, really. Or, you could buy a $300 console and a $400 or less older PC with no GPU and do all the non gaming stuff on it, which in the end is less money ($700) than the gaming rig for around the same functionality - unless you plan to do lots of photoshop or video editing type stuff in which case the requirements are basically the same as a gaming rig.
Go for AMD/ATI and dont buy the Windows 7 license. Also, change the 5850 for the 5770 if you want to save some money, and get a regular cheap mouse & keyboard combo.
There, i just saved you about 400 dollars. Its all about spending your money the right way
There, i just saved you about 400 dollars. Its all about spending your money the right way
Go liquid Cool to keep the noise down instead of crazy numbers of fans. I am against MSI for motherboards as I have had bad experiances with them. I just replaced one in my current machine twice before going to an Asus because they wouldn't run the video cards in crossfire. Both cards could be seen, and were both functioning, but it wouldn't even give me the option to enable Crossfire. As you are only running 1 card, no biggie. But something to keep in mind.Wolfram01 said:
Also, from the if-I-had-only-known file. I got a nice case with lots of light up internals. I keep my computer in my room and used to never turn it off. The lights were bright enough to keep me awake! Moral of the story, make sure your case lights have an off option.
Noted... but... I need a 64 bit OS to actually use all 4GB RAM since a 32 bit OS only uses at most 3.5GB (or 3.25 I can't recall exactly). Considering I use XP at the moment, I desperatly need to update.AndresCL said:
The difference in CPU is possibly not big but this one is fantastic (see the hierarchy here [http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-gaming-cpu,2599-7.html])
The difference in GPU power from the 5850 to the 5770 is pretty big so no, thanks. (According to tomshardware.com the step down is 4 tiers) [http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-graphics-card,2569-6.html]
And I have a regular cheap wired optical mouse and keyboard, which suck monkey scrotum. I already bought the new mouse and keyboard and it's a thousand times better (plus they came with a headset woot).
Well I know liquid is great and all but it seems expensive. Firstly I'd want a new case anyway because my old one is basic and kinda ugly. So I compared relatively priced cases in the $100 range and there was about 4 I thought were good and this one had the most fans and supposedly they're fairly quiet. Aesthetically I like it - it was comparable to the other cases but it's not too over the top. And it's got fans in the right places - 2 up front, 1 big one on the side side, and 2 on top. Check it out here [http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811103026]. I'm open to suggestions but I do like this and liquid cooled... ehh I dunno seems a little over the top right now.xbeaker said:Go liquid Cool to keep the noise down instead of crazy numbers of fans. I am against MSI for motherboards as I have had bad experiances with them. I just replaced one in my current machine twice before going to an Asus because they wouldn't run the video cards in crossfire. Both cards could be seen, and were both functioning, but it wouldn't even give me the option to enable Crossfire. As you are only running 1 card, no biggie. But something to keep in mind.
Also, from the if-I-had-only-known file. I got a nice case with lots of light up internals. I keep my computer in my room and used to never turn it off. The lights were bright enough to keep me awake! Moral of the story, make sure your case lights have an off option.
Didn't read the whole thread... but here goes.
Buying anything but midrange hardware is a waste, going for "top of the line" hardware is also a waste.
Because "top of the line" hardware isn't seconds after it exists.
"Top of the line" hardware also becomes midrange hardware within a year or 2, and iis generally much cheaper, and also has better support due to the fact that its not brand new and full of bugs.
I've built a quite good gaming pc for less than $200, and some spare parts I got for free.
It can run MW2, on 1280x800 on max detail with x12 AF and x2 AA at an average of 68 FPS, 45 FPS when things get crazy, and 38 is the lowest I've seen it go.
Sure it took me a while to find the right parts with the right sales and the right rebates, but I'ts very possible to build an awesome Gaming PC for the price of a Wii.
So the only thing getting a gaming pc takes is patience.
Buying anything but midrange hardware is a waste, going for "top of the line" hardware is also a waste.
Because "top of the line" hardware isn't seconds after it exists.
"Top of the line" hardware also becomes midrange hardware within a year or 2, and iis generally much cheaper, and also has better support due to the fact that its not brand new and full of bugs.
I've built a quite good gaming pc for less than $200, and some spare parts I got for free.
It can run MW2, on 1280x800 on max detail with x12 AF and x2 AA at an average of 68 FPS, 45 FPS when things get crazy, and 38 is the lowest I've seen it go.
Sure it took me a while to find the right parts with the right sales and the right rebates, but I'ts very possible to build an awesome Gaming PC for the price of a Wii.
So the only thing getting a gaming pc takes is patience.
Alright agreed about cost, but you still run into issues that make the console a preferred choice for some. That is the complexity of having to figure out all the components, of finding the best prices, of putting it together. It's good that you did it, but the fact is that it's still easier to just pick up and play on a console. I bet that you need to tweak settings in every new game you get to get it running at the best possible settings + framerate which is more unneeded hassle.Xzi said:
Don't get me wrong, PCs are awesome; I'm just trying to make the point that consoles have their own very pronounced benefits for gaming and basically that PC Elitism is completely unwarranted.
People are saying that gaming PC's aren't expensive?
These people are clearly morons, and we shouldn't be talking to them.
There are a lot of games I prefer on the PC, but I got a console as a gift so it's no competition if I can't run the game on my PC.
These people are clearly morons, and we shouldn't be talking to them.
There are a lot of games I prefer on the PC, but I got a console as a gift so it's no competition if I can't run the game on my PC.
All I can say is, please link what your PC components are. I find it hard to believe you built a gaming rig for $200 that's going to run well (also, 1280x800 is really low res). If you buy what you consider the "none waste" mid range quality, it becomes low end crap in a few years, while the high end stuff becomes mid-high end... essentially your bigger investment lasts longer. Seems worthwhile to me. Also good components open the door to future upgrades. It was my own fault that I bought a premade deal for my old PC but with the one I'm making now, yea it's pricey but it'll last a long time and it's easily upgraded, having crossfire/sli compatibility and extra PCI and RAM slots.The Lawn said:
Don't use an over the top liquid cooling system. An off the shelf single heat sink, single radiator will do. All the neon tubing in those high end systmes looks cool, but for functionality, you can get a basic chip cooler for about $50. Mine came as a self contained unit. Attach bracket to the motherboard, insert chip, attached heat sink, screw the radiator and fan on the back, and you are done. Since the heat sink isn't radiating into the case, it keeps the video cards and HDDs a bit cooler. (stupid drives still get up to 40c!) and makes for a happier system.Wolfram01 said:Well I know liquid is great and all but it seems expensive. Firstly I'd want a new case anyway because my old one is basic and kinda ugly. So I compared relatively priced cases in the $100 range and there was about 4 I thought were good and this one had the most fans and supposedly they're fairly quiet. Aesthetically I like it - it was comparable to the other cases but it's not too over the top. And it's got fans in the right places - 2 up front, 1 big one on the side side, and 2 on top. Check it out here [http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811103026]. I'm open to suggestions but I do like this and liquid cooled... ehh I dunno seems a little over the top right now.xbeaker said:Go liquid Cool to keep the noise down instead of crazy numbers of fans. I am against MSI for motherboards as I have had bad experiances with them. I just replaced one in my current machine twice before going to an Asus because they wouldn't run the video cards in crossfire. Both cards could be seen, and were both functioning, but it wouldn't even give me the option to enable Crossfire. As you are only running 1 card, no biggie. But something to keep in mind.
Also, from the if-I-had-only-known file. I got a nice case with lots of light up internals. I keep my computer in my room and used to never turn it off. The lights were bright enough to keep me awake! Moral of the story, make sure your case lights have an off option.
It's not the cost of a gaming PC that would drive me away, it's the complexity. If it weren't such a technological nightmare, I'd have invested in it long ago. And everyone I know is as technologically adept as a Neanderthal, so I'm alone in this case.
Plus, I'd hate to spend $1200+ on parts only to ruin a vital part just by touching it wrong.
Plus, I'd hate to spend $1200+ on parts only to ruin a vital part just by touching it wrong.
It's cheaper to just buy a new computer every time a heavy duty PC game comes out rather than spend a few grand on upgrades. I bought my PC back in 07, right before The Witcher came out. I needed a new graphics card to play it so I spent $70 on a new one. I can play Crysis on high and The Witcher runs fine. The I realized that I'm going to have to upgrade my rig with The Witcher 2, AND Crysis 2 come out. Plus most likely get a new processor and basically rebuild my PC so it can run two games. I've got nothing against PC gaming but i'm not spending a grand every three years when the technology jumps. I'm also not spending a grand on making two games look pretty. And the thing is that it may be just those two upcoming games that require a $1000 reworking for people with PCs that are 3 years old.
It's not like console gaming graphics don't improve vastly over the years as well. We've gone from visuals like Uncharted and Gears over to God Of War 3 and Splinter Cell Conviction. And guess who saved $1000 over the past few years.
This guy.
And again, I'm pointing out what I see here, the highest selling and most awaited games on the PC didn't need $1000 upgrades. World of Warcraft, Starcraft II, Diablo III, and Diablo II's Battle Chest all prove that. There aren't that many games on the PC that demand an expensive reworking so in my personal opinion I don't think it's warranted for me to spend large sums of money to make a few PC games look pristine. I speak for myself though, if you have the cash then go for it.
It's not like console gaming graphics don't improve vastly over the years as well. We've gone from visuals like Uncharted and Gears over to God Of War 3 and Splinter Cell Conviction. And guess who saved $1000 over the past few years.
This guy.
And again, I'm pointing out what I see here, the highest selling and most awaited games on the PC didn't need $1000 upgrades. World of Warcraft, Starcraft II, Diablo III, and Diablo II's Battle Chest all prove that. There aren't that many games on the PC that demand an expensive reworking so in my personal opinion I don't think it's warranted for me to spend large sums of money to make a few PC games look pristine. I speak for myself though, if you have the cash then go for it.
Hmm well certainly I'll keep that in mind. You're saying the liquid cooling is for the CPU only right? I think that will be handy for extreme overclocking, which in the future I might get into but for now I'll keep it pretty tame so some good ventillation should be enough... I hope. Anyway, good to know so thanksxbeaker said:Don't use an over the top liquid cooling system. An off the shelf single heat sink, single radiator will do. All the neon tubing in those high end systmes looks cool, but for functionality, you can get a basic chip cooler for about $50. Mine came as a self contained unit. Attach bracket to the motherboard, insert chip, attached heat sink, screw the radiator and fan on the back, and you are done. Since the heat sink isn't radiating into the case, it keeps the video cards and HDDs a bit cooler. (stupid drives still get up to 40c!) and makes for a happier system.Wolfram01 said:Well I know liquid is great and all but it seems expensive. Firstly I'd want a new case anyway because my old one is basic and kinda ugly. So I compared relatively priced cases in the $100 range and there was about 4 I thought were good and this one had the most fans and supposedly they're fairly quiet. Aesthetically I like it - it was comparable to the other cases but it's not too over the top. And it's got fans in the right places - 2 up front, 1 big one on the side side, and 2 on top. Check it out here [http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811103026]. I'm open to suggestions but I do like this and liquid cooled... ehh I dunno seems a little over the top right now.xbeaker said:Go liquid Cool to keep the noise down instead of crazy numbers of fans. I am against MSI for motherboards as I have had bad experiances with them. I just replaced one in my current machine twice before going to an Asus because they wouldn't run the video cards in crossfire. Both cards could be seen, and were both functioning, but it wouldn't even give me the option to enable Crossfire. As you are only running 1 card, no biggie. But something to keep in mind.
Also, from the if-I-had-only-known file. I got a nice case with lots of light up internals. I keep my computer in my room and used to never turn it off. The lights were bright enough to keep me awake! Moral of the story, make sure your case lights have an off option.