The whole "PCs aren't that expensive compared to consoles" argument

[The_root_of_all_evil]

If anyone can link a place that I can buy a gaming computer for the price of a console, I will be shocked.

http://www.mocustoms.co.uk/homedesktopmenu.html
£242 cheap enough? Cheaper than a PS3 at £270.

Cheap enough sure, but it can't play newer games. At least not based on what the games recommends. I'm using Metro 2033 as a bench mark here.

Given I can't pull up the specs on that as it isn't available here yet (according to sources) I don't think that's a particularly fair comparison, given the PC can outrange the PS3 in far more areas simply with that set-up.

Like I said before, consoles may be efficient, easy and comfortable; but PCs have so many more options. Price really doesn't enter into it given the loss you're going to make on PSN, Steam sales, back catalog and extras.

But generally, PCs are in the same price range as consoles, which is what you were looking for. If you're quibbling on details, then it's hardly a cast-iron fact, is it?

 

[Horticulture]

snip

I think it's safe to say that if your counterpart in a debate gets himself banned, you win by default

 

[e2density]

The PC exspensive argument stems from the fact that people say that "oh wow man I like HAD to spend 3000 dollars on a computer, and it can't even run crysis on max everything!"

"Wow man that sucks, lol PC gaming is failzors."


It stems from the belief that a PC is so god damned expensive that having a gaming PC is like throwing money into a fire. From which it isn't if you're smart with your money.

Yeah exactly, I maxed out Crysis with $700.
And the thing about PC's is, yes, you pay a lot more, but it has a load of features.

 

[Mad World]

I agree.

In my opinion, PC gaming is much more enjoyable than gaming on a console. But it's just so bloody expensive.

 

[Antari]

snip.

snip.

4000's I didn't see abnormal rates of replacement outside of improper care, the 5000's were horrific though, I am still not sure if it was the design of the heatsink/casing or the fans they used but they had a tendancy to drop like flies 6 months in, if yours is still going you can feel lucky. A good case for better cooling can help avoid this as well. I do deal with alot of business machines in more restrictive half height desktop cases. Not nessisarily the kind of case a gamer would use.

Seriously, I have no idea what you are talking about, We have a 4870, 5770, 2x 4770 and my friend has a 5850 oc to 900 core with the stock cooler and they all run perfectly. the gtx480/470 run at 95c and use more power than a 5970 and you are telling me ati runs hotter? and you shouldnt be putting a high end card in a half height case. See what happens to a 480 if you put it in a dusty cramped case, and tell your customers to clean the PCs once in a while.

I have a few friends who had nvidia cards. a 9600gt and a gts520 were killed by NVs drivers stopping the fans.

I gues you can say the cost of PC and console gaming depends on the TV or Pc you already have in your house. BUT a dual shock 3 or a 360 pad goes for about 40-50, games are 60, xbox live sub, DLC, oh and don't forget the RROD

I'm not suggesting its a good idea to put that kind of card in a half height case either, but in business they sometimes have very specific space requirements because it won't be the only system they run in that area. The ATI's proved fairly weak when given less than ideal conditions. In a restricted placement like that the nvidia's did run cooler. This specific case isn't a home user with a single computer, its a business with around 50 of them, cleaning them all isn't exactly top priority considering they are in business for other reasons. They bring them to the company I'm with to clean them, which is usually after it has failed. They can't be bothered with general computer care. In those conditions the ati's failed alot more than the nvidia's by a fairly large factor. Except for cases where I had to use a brush to get the dust off everything. None of them did too well then.

As far as driver's go, its software, both sides have screwed up in that department, they seem to take turns there. Neither one is safer than the other.

And yes consoles paired up with all of the different input devices they have available, can add up very quickly too. Its the same with everything, add bells and whistles, your going to have to pay for them. Its just a good idea to make sure you need all of the bells and whistles.

 

[Iznat]

My laptop cost me 550euro, and I can play most anything (bar Chrysis, but I'm not too upset about it), on high graphics.
I don't have the cash for a console, and while the PS3 appeals, there's just something I prefer about PC gaming. And I don't want any of that "PC >>> laptop" crap either, this thing is fantastic.
People who prefer consoles, in my experience anyway, don't tend to know enough about PCs to be able to know what a good one is anyway.

 

[Weaver]

If you need a PC anyways you can just put a good video card in it = plays games.

 

[cyber_andyy]

Console games are often a good £10-15 pound more expensive than PC games, any deficit is easily made up there.

Second, My hardware lasts until a year or 2 ago I was still running a 6600. I'm running at 8800 right now with no problems.

My amazing Quad core processor will easily out last this console generation, and far into the next.

 

[brodie21]

this is exactly what i am talking about, i like not having to worry if my xbox can run a particular game, i have to worry about that with my laptop.

i want to get civ V when it comes out, but i will most likely need a lot more computing power

 

[Delusibeta]

My laptop cost me 550euro, and I can play most anything (bar Chrysis, but I'm not too upset about it), on high graphics.
I don't have the cash for a console, and while the PS3 appeals, there's just something I prefer about PC gaming. And I don't want any of that "PC >>> laptop" crap either, this thing is fantastic.
People who prefer consoles, in my experience anyway, don't tend to know enough about PCs to be able to know what a good one is anyway.

Could you specify which laptop you got? I'm looking for a laptop myself, which will be used to play some games and do work on, and what you've got sounds very good. (Especially considering laptop prices in Europe in general is far higher than in the US)

 

[Horticulture]

2.7 GHz just isn't good enough. Damn close, but it is kinda important to meet what a game recommends to play it well.

Now I have to do some math and figure what that price is in U.S. dollars, then add shipping and handling, then pray it has a safe voyage.

The 5600+ is nearly as fast as the recommended 6000+, the gaming performance differs by maybe 10%, which is almost unnoticeable outside of a careful benchmark. Both CPUs are old enough that you can get a CPU that outperforms either in-game for sub-$100 video card [http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103688], you could easily exceed the recommended specs for AC2.

 

[Thaius]

To be honest, for me it comes down to the games. There are great games on all consoles and on PC: I'm not going to stubbornly say that one system is better than all the rest as long as they all have good games. PC doesn't have Gears of War (besides the first one, but it doesn't work as well on PC as the Xbox 360), Final Fantasy, Uncharted, Zelda, or many, many more games: likewise, many games (mostly RTS) are only available on PC. It depends on the games you want, and as long as I call myself a hardcore gamer, I'll try to have them all so I can play all genres and classic games.

Platform elitism is... well, it's just not smart.

 

[Iznat]

My laptop cost me 550euro, and I can play most anything (bar Chrysis, but I'm not too upset about it), on high graphics.
I don't have the cash for a console, and while the PS3 appeals, there's just something I prefer about PC gaming. And I don't want any of that "PC >>> laptop" crap either, this thing is fantastic.
People who prefer consoles, in my experience anyway, don't tend to know enough about PCs to be able to know what a good one is anyway.

Could you specify which laptop you got? I'm looking for a laptop myself, which will be used to play some games and do work on, and what you've got sounds very good. (Especially considering laptop prices in Europe in general is far higher than in the US)

It's a Dell Inspiron 15, with 2Gb RAM, and an ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4300 Series. The speakers are great, and the resolution is 1366 x 768, and a 250Gb Hard drive, which isn't huge, but I have an external.
I actually got it from dell.ie, and it came with Vista, but I upgraded to 7. WoW runs at max graphics, Saints Row 2 runs fine, Borderlands looked spectacular, etc etc etc
And a year's warrenty was thrown in too ^^
Everything runs fine, and it is my baby. I love my laptop. Only thing that bothers me is the shiny black on the inside, which is a fingerprint magnet Standard was 350euro or so, but another 200 brought it up to fantastic. ^_^
[/love]

 

[Reboare]

They both have their advantages. On the PC you can play far more many games but obviously not everything is guaranteed to work and they cost a lot more.
However, far more features are available on the PC than a console. Sometimes though it's just easier to use a console as they will be designed for a specific purpose.

 

[Baneat]

Alienware aren't helping with this at all.

 

[Insideout Ink Demon]

PC gamers, why do you call it a "rig"

Console gamings a care free life: I'm tech savi enough to do basic upgrades on a PC, but I know I;d get annoyed with trying to keep an eye on being up to spec for a game I really wanted

 

[Treblaine]

Now, price. Here's what I'm getting (mostly from newegg.ca as they had the best prices and selection I could find):
Power: Rosewill Xtreme Series RX750-D-B 750W - $89.99 on sale
Motherboard: MSI P55-GD65 LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard - $167.99
CPU: Intel Core i5-750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor - $208.99
RAM: G.SKILL ECO Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) - $126.49
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD5850 1GB - $298.88
Mouse and keyboard: Logitech wireless keyboard and good 8 button (programmable) laser mouse - $108.88
OS: Windows 7 Home 64 bit - $108.99

Total: $1020.22

Well you could save a hell of a lot choosing AMD rather than Intel for your CPU, it may not be king for the ultra-high end (like with Core i7) but you get more bang for your buck.

The question is, are you going to upgrade or will you just completely start a-fresh when you move on? If you plan to upgrade your CPU then maybe Intel's LGA1156 would be preferable.

Radeon 5850 is also not the best value for money, knock $100 and go for GTX 285 or HD 4890. It'll do you really well for now and remember, the GPU is the easiest component to upgrade and re-sell.

I'd also recommend vista 64 bit if you can get it cheaper. If you know computers well enough to assemble one then you won't need the idiot protection that win-7 has as that's pretty much the only difference for win-7. 4GB of RAM will solve 99% of the problems people have with vista. And don't forget to get an OEM version and not the boxed version.

And finally on the price front:

is your PS3 a word processor?
Is it a photo editor?
can it install any program you like like:
-itunes?
-spotify?
-skype?

No. When you spend $300 to $500 more on a PC than a games console you GET a hell of a lot more than just a games/entertain platform, you get a home computer.