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I’ve found a way to upgrade my PC on the cheap, although I really shouldn’t have spent the money. Spec below:
Athlon II X4 645 Quad Core,
2gb DDR3 RAM,
nvidia gtx460 gfx cardAccording to benchmarks on Tom’s hardware, and according to Stalker, this will allow me to play all games at top settings for the foreseeable future, including BC2, and the upcoming BF3 (although fuck knows if I’ll be able to buy it now), and I’ll finally have a competitive level frame rate for TF2 😈 I’ll also now have no choice but to play games for a few months, since I’ll not be able to afford many nights out, so expect to see a lot of me.
Despite my own personal financial concerns though, the cost of chip, MB, RAM, and gfx card was actually cheap in the grand scheme of things, totting up to just over £250. This makes me wonder how strong the argument is when pro console people make comparisons between the relative costs of the two platforms? I’m pretty sure it’s a valid point for a lot of people, but even if what I’m doing requires a little technical knowledge (and I really do mean a little), my outlay’s similar to what I’d expect to spend if getting a console.
Yep, PCs are where it’s at. Not only that, but your new PC will be capable of playing the latest technology, like directx 11. The xbox360 and PS3 for example still play directx 9.0c. This is the same directx system that Microsoft has just made as a standard for their phones to be capable of running for the new windows phone 7 system.
Now I understand people who say, I don’t need the latest technology, I’ll just buy an xbox but why stop there? Why don’t you go even cheaper and buy a colouring in book and some crayons. That way, you still get to enjoy aged graphics and a poor control system, but you have saved yourself even more money.
To sum up, consoles are shit and PCs are not.
Nice one! Now get yourself BFBC so I can stab ya up!
*breaking news* Ben informs me you’ve already got it. In that case get yourself on TS so Neon and I can use you as a human shield. We try it with Doc but he’s too good and runs back behind us the coward!
Yea I bought BC2 around prerelease, but have never been able to get more than 30 frames a second running it, and normally it plays at around 15 fps.
My monitor’s repaired, so I’ll be back online tonight, but I’ll probably not have the components for this upgrade until next week. Unless either of you want to learn TF2, a game will have to wait until then.
My Ps3 with 1 game and 1 controller was £283 and worked from the box.
You have spent £250 on GPU, Mobo, processor and Ram. How much was the HD, PSU, Case, Cables?
I win
@TurksMeister wrote:
My Ps3 with 1 game and 1 controller was £283 and worked from the box.
You have spent £250 on GPU, Mobo, processor and Ram. How much was the HD, PSU, Case, Cables?
I win
Yeah, but as I said, why didn’t you just pick up a PS2 since you’re going to be playing outdated graphics anyway, or even a psone. The HD, PSU, Case and cables could be picked up for another £50 easy making it £300 all in, add say 3x games at £30 and you’ve got £390.
Your PS3 with 3 games will cost a similar figures. The only differance is the games will look a damn site better on the PC, with full directx 11 graphics.
With every generation of new consoles, they become more like the PC. This generation, they have added browsing capabilites, media slingbox capabilities, hard drives etc. Essentially, they are becoming PCs for people who can’t really operate a PC with any real competency.
How much was the HD, PSU, Case, Cables?
Nothing, because they’re recycled from my old setup.
I actually edited out the line I wrote in the OP regarding this, as it’s really a moot point. Everyone here has most likely still got a PC with each of the above, however if you needed to fork out for them:
Case – £20 ebay
PSU – £10-20 ebay, £50 overclockers
HD – £25-30 per 500gb sata drive, from numerous sources. Possible to get cheaper I’m sure.
Cables – not sure if you’d need to buy any, but dirt cheap if required.ebay prices quoted after very quick scan, and from top rated sellers only.
@bmstalker wrote:
@TurksMeister wrote:
My Ps3 with 1 game and 1 controller was £283 and worked from the box.
You have spent £250 on GPU, Mobo, processor and Ram. How much was the HD, PSU, Case, Cables?
I win
Yeah, but as I said, why didn’t you just pick up a PS2 since you’re going to be playing outdated graphics anyway, or even a psone. The HD, PSU, Case and cables could be picked up for another £50 easy making it £300 all in, add say 3x games at £30 and you’ve got £390.
Your PS3 with 3 games will cost a similar figures. The only differance is the games will look a damn site better on the PC, with full directx 11 graphics.
With every generation of new consoles, they become more like the PC. This generation, they have added browsing capabilites, media slingbox capabilities, hard drives etc. Essentially, they are becoming PCs for people who can’t really operate a PC with any real competency.
£50 second hand – I bought my current PS3 (orignal was stolen) with controller and game for £110 off a forum (http://www.avforums.com/forums/archived-complete-expired-adverts/1273585-sale-ps3-40gb-controller-also-2-games-sake-uncharted-2-mag.html) and has a blu ray player.
I would also say there are more differences: Yes the PC will superior graphics (the extent at which would be determined by the amount spent on the GPU). I would say the following about Console gaming:
– More social: You can make a night out of a mates, beers and tiger woords/COD etc. Watching someone play a PC game is boring!
– Less time consuming: Start up in under 2 mins. Pretty much instantly in a game. PC gaming for me was about losing an entire evening, Console gaming is a couple of hours tops at a time.
– Quieter: Sitting so far away from the unit, you can barely hear it
– Less intense (good for me): my dentist could tell I was a games player because I use to sit in front of the screen and grind my teeth for hours on end. I dont seem to do this with console gaming!I could go on, but am at work so should really be working! I think both have their pros and cons, but for me, consoles are the best for everything other than strategy games.
But for the argument on cost – Consoles win every time!
Well on the £50 second hand option, that sounds ridiculously cheap, but it’s not really the point. You’ve already stated you paid around £285 for the PS3 at one point, and that’s within the normal budget range of someone seeking a console. It’s certainly cheaper to find stuff second hand, however the point I’m making re the PC cost is that it’s easy to build a good machine within the same budget range.
Couple of other points to make, but got a train to catch….
£50 second hand – I bought my current PS3 (orignal was stolen) with controller and game for £110 off a forum (http://www.avforums.com/forums/archived-complete-expired-adverts/1273585-sale-ps3-40gb-controller-also-2-games-sake-uncharted-2-mag.html) and has a blu ray player.
I would also say there are more differences: Yes the PC will superior graphics (the extent at which would be determined by the amount spent on the GPU). I would say the following about Console gaming:
The cost of good graphics are falling all the time. The card that matt picked up can be got for £100. It will play every game on the PC released right now, up to and including 1080p, at more then 30fps. It will last in this state for quite a while.
– More social: You can make a night out of a mates, beers and tiger woords/COD etc. Watching someone play a PC game is boring!
I’ll give you that to an extent. I would never play my PC with my mates round, that’s not what the PC is. A console, with a few friends round and some beers is awesome. A game of eve online, perhaps with a 500 man fleet co-ordinating an attack whilst you talk shit on vent is something the current consoles will never achieve. So it’s swings and roundabouts here really.
– Less time consuming: Start up in under 2 mins. Pretty much instantly in a game. PC gaming for me was about losing an entire evening, Console gaming is a couple of hours tops at a time.
This is totally subjective. My pc stays switched on, I can walk into a room and launch a game from steam in less that 5 seconds. It doesn’t involve me pissing around with dvds and their cases, I just click a button and start gaming. My PC can boot into windows (when it’s bloody working) in less than 1 minute too.
– Quieter: Sitting so far away from the unit, you can barely hear it
– Less intense (good for me): my dentist could tell I was a games player because I use to sit in front of the screen and grind my teeth for hours on end. I dont seem to do this with console gaming!xboxes are so bloody noisy, the PS3 less so, but not exactly quiet. The sounds the consoles make I find more distracting. It may be becuase my PC is under my desk and there is a physical desk in the way, it may be because I feel more immersed in the PC, but that’s how I feel. Subjective too I guess.
I could go on, but am at work so should really be working! I think both have their pros and cons, but for me, consoles are the best for everything other than strategy games.
But for the argument on cost – Consoles win every time!
I think anyone would struggle to argue that at exactly the same price, a PC is faaaaaaaaar better value for money than a PS3. It can do so much that a PS3 can’t that it’s not even funny. In the example I provided above, with 3 games etc, I realise it was a stretch, but not by much. What it comes down to is how much you value the extra functionality of a PC. Being able to play free games online, being able to download free mods for your games. Create movies if you are into that. User photoshop to manipulate your photos, fill up your MP3 player with songs, browse the net in any meaningful way, stream more than just iplayer from the net, unrestricted access to porn. Whatever your reason, that is worth far more than the difference between a competant PC and a PS3.
So on cost, the PC wins every time!
🙂
Whats the point in having all that power when most PC games are console ports anyway? I compared Mafia II with my 360, the extra miniscule bits of concrete that fall of a post doesnt justify what I just paid for a GFX alone, not to mention its shit with Mouse and Keyboard and I’m fucked if I’m going to sit at a 24″ screen in my back bedroom when I can lounge on my recliner and enjoy 50″
The talk of buying a PS2 is absolute bollox to compare that to a 360/PS3.. I cant even believe I just read that, theres some stunning games out there on console, but GFX dont always make a good game as mentioned above -Example – http://www.gametrailers.com/video/review-hd-assassins-creed/707493
News for you, the 360 is noiseless these days, I’m saying this say at my 6 fanned PC which is like a small fucking jet taking off *shakes head*
Also to note, a console is a console its for gaming, but they add bits on for convenience for those who cant afford to spend billions on hardware, what next? having a gripe against a Smart phone because it does things a PC does, I bet you own an Iphone n all.. obviously a PC is going to do more but at the end of the day its a PC, its not a dedicated gaming machine unless you remortgage your house to get that extra glare from the sun in your WOW game.. Its not 1999 anymore fella, times are a changing, role with it
Consoles bring a whole new gaming experience to teh table, for one, all my “Real life” mates have them who would never spend thousands on a PC to play a game so its good that they can join in
Get over this console versus PC shit, its boring
🙂
@=XDC=iNSANE wrote:
Whats the point in having all that power when most PC games are console ports anyway? I compared Mafia II with my 360, the extra miniscule bits of concrete that fall of a post doesnt justify what I just paid for a GFX alone, not to mention its shit with Mouse and Keyboard and I’m fucked if I’m going to sit at a 24″ screen in my back bedroom when I can lounge on my recliner and enjoy 50″
The talk of buying a PS2 is absolute bollox to compare that to a 360/PS3.. I cant even believe I just read that, theres some stunning games out there on console, but GFX dont always make a good game as mentioned above -Example – http://www.gametrailers.com/video/review-hd-assassins-creed/707493
News for you, the 360 is noiseless these days, I’m saying this say at my 6 fanned PC which is like a small fucking jet taking off *shakes head*
Also to note, a console is a console its for gaming, but they add bits on for convenience for those who cant afford to spend billions on hardware, what next? having a gripe against a Smart phone because it does things a PC does, I bet you own an Iphone n all.. obviously a PC is going to do more but at the end of the day its a PC, its not a dedicated gaming machine unless you remortgage your house to get that extra glare from the sun in your WOW game.. Its not 1999 anymore fella, times are a changing, role with it
Consoles bring a whole new gaming experience to teh table, for one, all my “Real life” mates have them who would never spend thousands on a PC to play a game so its good that they can join in
Get over this console versus PC shit, its boring
🙂
You’re right, a lot of the games are console ports and it’s pretty frustrating. There are however many games that are made for the PC and are awesome because of it. Not just MMOs (which I stopped playing years ago) but some of the better strategy titles out there. An FPS developed for the PC will be far better than any fps found on a console. I’ll go right ahead and ignore your “shit with a keyboard and mouse” I mean come on you must be smoking crack. When I’m at home at night, I wouldn’t really want to make the wife sit and watch me play a computer on the big TV in the living room, I’ll nip in and play my pc in another room.
The PS2 comment, although silly, serves a purpose. There is a smaller technology gap between the PS2 and the PS3 than there is between the latest PCs and the PS3. I’m also correct regarding the fact that the new windows phones run the same graphical technology.
The new 360 I hear is noiseless, but that only been out the last few months, the great majority of people have the old and very very noisy version. If you pc sounds like a jet, clean the dust out it or buy some silent fans.
I’m not saying that consoles are evil, or that they don’t have their audience, I’m saying that a PC can be tailored to fit almost any budget and still be capable of wiping the floor with a console. Something Matt proved with this post. There is no need to remortgauge your house to purchase that.
I’m not saying that consoles are evil, or that they don’t have their audience, I’m saying that a PC can be tailored to fit almost any budget and still be capable of wiping the floor with a console. Something Matt proved with this post. There is no need to remortgauge your house to purchase that.
This.
There’s no point in arguing all the other stuff re consoles, because when it comes down to it, there’s no contest. The number one thing people complain about on these forums regarding PC’s is the cost, and I’m simply pointing out it doesn’t have to be expensive. It’s also not some bargain basement crap I’m getting here, I’m expecting to score quite well running some benchmarks when it’s up and running.
@Alzir wrote:
I’m not saying that consoles are evil, or that they don’t have their audience, I’m saying that a PC can be tailored to fit almost any budget and still be capable of wiping the floor with a console. Something Matt proved with this post. There is no need to remortgauge your house to purchase that.
This.
There’s no point in arguing all the other stuff re consoles, because when it comes down to it, there’s no contest. The number one thing people complain about on these forums regarding PC’s is the cost, and I’m simply pointing out it doesn’t have to be expensive. It’s also not some bargain basement crap I’m getting here, I’m expecting to score quite well running some benchmarks when it’s up and running.
No contest! Its each to their own! I like consoles because they are more social, easier to use the way I want to use it, and less intense. You like the PC becuase it has better graphics, is upgradable and the gaming is more intense
However – the original post was mentioning that PCs are the same price as consoles and this simply isnt true. A second hand PC – £250 – £300. A second hand PS3 £110. A new Xbox arcade £100.
Consoles are cheaper!
PS i love how Insane and I are on the same side for a change!
And for the record – I am about to fire up Civ5 on my PC!
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