Is PC Gaming really worth all the money?

It it worth it? To do it right you need to spend a lot of cash. Yes you get some nicer graphics, but most of the games play exactly the same as their console counterparts, so the actual gaming experience is the same and cheaper on a console. Dirt 2, Grid, Bioshock 2, Mass Effect 2, CODMW2, Battlefield BC2, etc, etc, are all the same game no matter where you play it. Is spending $1000 worth some higher resolution graphics? That's up to you. I have a decent PC and i do enjoy it, but i am realistic about it...it was too expensive just for the sake of making a few games look a little better.

Videodogg

[QUOTE="fireforge_basic"]This may sound crazy, but learning to use a computer is actully a skill. Not many applications I have applied for asking do you have console gaming skills. Plenty have do you have computer skills.ChiliDragon

It it worth it? To do it right you need to spend a lot of cash. Yes you get some nicer graphics, but most of the games play exactly the same as their console counterparts, so the actual gaming experience is the same and cheaper on a console. Dirt 2, Grid, Bioshock 2, Mass Effect 2, CODMW2, Battlefield BC2, etc, etc, are all the same game no matter where you play it. Is spending $1000 worth some higher resolution graphics? That's up to you. I have a decent PC and i do enjoy it, but i am realistic about it...it was too expensive just for the sake of making a few games look a little better.

I only spent $200 on my PC and it runs most games pretty smooth. I stay because there might be some awesome exclusives coming in a few years.thoraxe42

It it worth it? To do it right you need to spend a lot of cash. Yes you get some nicer graphics, but most of the games play exactly the same as their console counterparts, so the actual gaming experience is the same and cheaper on a console. Dirt 2, Grid, Bioshock 2, Mass Effect 2, CODMW2, Battlefield BC2, etc, etc, are all the same game no matter where you play it. Is spending $1000 worth some higher resolution graphics? That's up to you. I have a decent PC and i do enjoy it, but i am realistic about it...it was too expensive just for the sake of making a few games look a little better.

[QUOTE="ChiliDragon"][QUOTE="fireforge_basic"]This may sound crazy, but learning to use a computer is actully a skill. Not many applications I have applied for asking do you have console gaming skills. Plenty have do you have computer skills.fireforge_basic

The $200 went for a 9600GT, my PC already had 3GB of RAM and a 64 X2 Dual Core 6000+ at 3.00 GHz

The $200 went for a 9600GT, my PC already had 3GB of RAM and a 64 X2 Dual Core 6000+ at 3.00 GHz

thoraxe42

yea, sorry for not being clear about that. :P

I got my PC the beginning of 08, and honestly I've been playing more old games than new ones. The only thing I tend to really like PC for is prexisting franchises like Starcraft 2, Diablo 3 and all those big titles you can't miss. As well as the good competitive games like League of Legends.

Oddly enough I've gone back to Nintendo and haven't regretted it, in fact it's refreshing.I guess I'm just a sucker for nostalgia and following those old series of games that are always in production.

[QUOTE="dakan45"]From the above post the only valid point was that they break down to easily and laggy online. Sadly i own a ps3 and its doing pretty well so far. I cant comment about the x360 that gets red rings all the time though. Also i only play singleplayer on ps3, i have yet to find a game with mp that is worth playing. The "low framerates" you are reffering are fine for most gamers, they are not that low. As for the expensive factor? Why because they are 10 bucks more? Big deal ubisoft and activision have already fixed that :P As for biased reviewers and games being unoriginal and too easy...thats a common problem in gaming, it does not fit only in console gaming. But as you see i choose not to complain about common facts.TerrorRizzing

For some the grass is always greener on the other side.

For me, PC gaming was always about it's incredible backlog/library of games. I've been PC gaming since 2004 and still haven't played through every game I wanted to finish. Mods are great and Mouse and Keyboard controls never get old. I spent only $700 on my PC last year and it runs EVERY game quite well.

a_sh0pping_cart

So jun, do you fly for real? cause it seems its one of your passions?

Bros89

Nope. I was an aviation weatherman. Right now, I'm a forecaster in the civilian sector. But, I still maintain ties with people in the aviation field. It was them who got me hooked to flight sims in the first place.

But, I did spend enough time in different rotary and fixed-wing aircraft doing survey and orientation flights. It wasn't too hard to get into the manifest.

A question i find myself asking alot latly. But it's true! Most if not all PC games tend to be poorly optimized these days. Making having the hardware to run them pointless because they won't run well anyway to begin with. Resident Evil 5 has been the only good looking PC game ive played in years that runs Flawlessly maxed out. Ive never seen the framerate dip below 55fps.

And you have company's doing crappy ports which is killing alot of games. Yes you have games like Command & Conquer that are ment to be played on the PC but it seems developers are spending less time on making good PC games.

Anyone agree?

thingta42

Not really, i was playing fine for 2 years on a mid range card, if anything consoles stop graphics from improving.

There is always the odd game with terrible optimization but i find they are either bad anyway or predominately single player so you can live with it on console.

Windows PCs have a veritable Library of Congress for software: not only games galore, but innumerable utility programs.

The PC market literally exploded when Windows 95 was released, as it contained the first iteration of Direct-X for gaming.

It annoys me that one assumes they must have the most optimised system so that they can play all the latest games. You can buy a $500 laptop and play some of the greatest games of all time without breaking whatever budget.kdawg88

I got my PC the beginning of 08, and honestly I've been playing more old games than new ones. The only thing I tend to really like PC for is prexisting franchises like Starcraft 2, Diablo 3 and all those big titles you can't miss. As well as the good competitive games like League of Legends.

Oddly enough I've gone back to Nintendo and haven't regretted it, in fact it's refreshing.I guess I'm just a sucker for nostalgia and following those old series of games that are always in production.

Jordo321

Hahah yeah same here. I play mostly games from 2004-2007. Last few games i bought for pc where, Resident Evil 5, Splint Cell Conviction, Aliens vs Predator, Red Faction, Dragon Age and finalyBattlefield BFC2.

All of that have some kind of performance or Techicalissue. With the exception of RE5 which runs perfectly. Which sucks, you spend loads of money on decent hardware only to have games run sluggish or crashing on you every time you play them It's much easier & saferto spend 200£ on a 360 and get a decent 600£ Plasma TV. Im defently gonna focus on getting a PS3 and Building my 360 collection next year.

Sorry for double post but you also have companys like Ubisoft pulling crap like DRM and forcing you to be online to play games even on Singleplayer! things like that are sucking the fun from PC Gaming.

Sorry for double post but you also have companys like Ubisoft pulling crap like DRM and forcing you to be online to play games even on Singleplayer! things like that are sucking the fun from PC Gaming.

thingta42

Hahah yeah same here. I play mostly games from 2004-2007. Last few games i bought for pc where, Resident Evil 5, Splint Cell Conviction, Aliens vs Predator, Red Faction, Dragon Age and finalyBattlefield BFC2.

All of that have some kind of performance or Techicalissue. With the exception of RE5 which runs perfectly. Which sucks, you spend loads of money on decent hardware only to have games run sluggish or crashing on you every time you play them It's much easier & saferto spend 200£ on a 360 and get a decent 600£ Plasma TV. Im defently gonna focus on getting a PS3 and Building my 360 collection next year.

thingta42

God damnit this place's forum code is pissing me the hell off, it keeps cutting off part of my post. For the love of Christ switch to VBulletin.

What? This logic doesn't even make sense. You need a computer for daily use anyway (at least $400) that does everything: TV, Movies, Internet, Games, Music, Email, Documents, etc. But you're willing to spend $300-400 on a console, which you then have to pay out the butt for controllers ($40) and games($60)? How does that even make sense? If you took that extra $400 and dropped it into your PC budget ($800) you could get a decent rig (you already have monitor, kb/m), plus if you're playing games earlier than 2007 then you don't even have to worry about framerate hangups. Plus, computer games are significantly cheaper than console games. In the past year and a half I've spent $14 max on a game, and that was The Witcher, which is an epic game.

PC gaming is the best bar none, but if you want to pay out the butt for a subpar experience (console) be my guest.

PC games to me are only worth it if you can max them out.

PC games to me are only worth it if you can max them out.

thingta42

PC games to me are only worth it if you can max them out.

thingta42

PC games to me are only worth it if you can max them out.

thingta42

PC gaming doesn't deserve you obviously.

have a happy life with your consoles.

PC games to me are only worth it if you can max them out.

thingta42

:| And to think that console fans are audacious enough to suggest that WE'RE obsessed with visuals...

It's not quite so dichotomous, but there are generally two kinds of pc gamers.

1.Either bought a dell/generic pc or built one and on paper it should run great because you spent a lot of money but games don't run very well and everything is slow.

2.Built a pc with advanced knowledge and optimized it to run games better than any console out there, games run silky smooth and there is no comparable experience on a console. The key word being optimized, you could buy a 4000$ alienware and it could run worse than my $1500 3 year old pc because of how well I have optimized its performance.

If you fall in group 1 you will inevitably be curious about why there is such a big deal about pc gaming, if you are in group 2 you can never go back to consoles, they just are not as fun as a completely optimized pc, they can't be because they are inferior in every way. I have spent 200$ upgrading my 3 year old pc and it maxes nearly everything with 4xAA except for gothic 3 (because of developer's being idiots) and crysis. Just the other day I was playing Red Faction Geurilla with 100% max everything and during the most intense screen cluttered computer hogging moments there was not even the slightest hint of slowdown, this is not possible on a console. Computer temperature, background services/applications and HDD partition management make a much larger difference than you may think, I say this because anyone asking if a pc is worth the money is uneducated in exactly how powerful modern pc's really are. I could probably build you a pc for about 700$ (guessing high) that will outperform anything on the ps3 with ease (plus you get a fully functional work/media processor). So the answer to the OP's question is: if you know what you are doing yes, pc's are worth the money. But the first part always precedes the second. It always puts a smile on my face when I hit load game in mount and blade warband and the game loads instantly, sometimes I wonder how this kind of performance is even possible. You need to optimize each part of the computer to:

-decrease load times (HDD/ram/page file management)

-graphical detail (cpu/gpu management)

-sustained performance in game(cpu/gpu/ram/hdd/OS management)

it takes a lot of work to get the first and third, but once you get it, damn it is sweet.

[QUOTE="thingta42"]

PC games to me are only worth it if you can max them out.

teardropmina

PC gaming doesn't deserve you obviously.

have a happy life with your consoles.

No it's true though. Why spend all that money for a game what you can't max out? :)

[QUOTE="teardropmina"]

[QUOTE="thingta42"]

PC games to me are only worth it if you can max them out.

thingta42

PC gaming doesn't deserve you obviously.

have a happy life with your consoles.

No it's true though. Why spend all that money for a game what you can't max out? :)

your problem is that you haven't spent nearly enough money to max out top-of-the-line games.

but this should be a no issue here since you should just live happily after with your consoles and spare this pathetic fourm.

All what money? Still curious why you think its "all that money". I present you with this Thingta42:

• Answering Threads about Pc Gamers
• What is your determination of "maxxing out"?

Well I find it worth it in the sense that you might aswell have a custom gaming PC. If parts die in a typical (Dell, Compaq, HP) computer then you gotta go get a new computer. At least with a custom you'll save some money being able to replace individual parts and possibly buy something better.

Mystic-G

If you custom build and something dies..you have to send it back...have them check it and send a new one back...can take weeks.OgreB

[QUOTE="Mystic-G"]

Well I find it worth it in the sense that you might aswell have a custom gaming PC. If parts die in a typical (Dell, Compaq, HP) computer then you gotta go get a new computer. At least with a custom you'll save some money being able to replace individual parts and possibly buy something better.

OgreB

You pay a little more and you get nothing, only a false sentiment of stability.

PC gaming only costs a bit more than console gaming in the short-term and has a far larger and more variable library of games, so I would say that it is the platform which is the most worth its price.

Barbariser

Yeah the hardware costs more, but if you are patient, and know how to shop, then you will pay only a fraction of the price for the games, as you would for the console.

Some of the PC games are poorly optimized, by some were great. Modern Warfare 1 for instance was optimized well, as were Street Fighter 4, Resident Evil 5, and Burnout Paradise. Dead Space, also.

Some were downright awful, like GTA4.

Halo was just alright, but the graphics were bumped up, which I was happy for.

A question i find myself asking alot latly. But it's true! Most if not all PC games tend to be poorly optimized these days. Making having the hardware to run them pointless because they won't run well anyway to begin with. Resident Evil 5 has been the only good looking PC game ive played in years that runs Flawlessly maxed out. Ive never seen the framerate dip below 55fps.

And you have company's doing crappy ports which is killing alot of games. Yes you have games like Command & Conquer that are ment to be played on the PC but it seems developers are spending less time on making good PC games.

Anyone agree?

thingta42

[QUOTE="thingta42"]

A question i find myself asking alot latly. But it's true! Most if not all PC games tend to be poorly optimized these days. Making having the hardware to run them pointless because they won't run well anyway to begin with. Resident Evil 5 has been the only good looking PC game ive played in years that runs Flawlessly maxed out. Ive never seen the framerate dip below 55fps.

And you have company's doing crappy ports which is killing alot of games. Yes you have games like Command & Conquer that are ment to be played on the PC but it seems developers are spending less time on making good PC games.

Anyone agree?

darshandk

Because consoles run games at max 720p, games are designed specifically for that hardware, they don't get an extreme resolution boost, a lot of AA, AF and higher textures like the PC does and they don't receive new games that push the hardware to its limits like most of the PC exclusives, but frankly I have no idea what you're talking about, I've been using an 8800GT for 3 years now and I can still max out games (sure not all of them) with some AA, 16xAF (very few with no AA), at 1680x1050 and they all look better than the console version, because consoles are the reason why we don't need to upgrade every year, they're holding back the evolution and this is bad for advancements but good for out pockets. There's only the "bad port" factor, nowadays you can use a decent graphics card for years, just as much as a console generation would last, if you have no expectation to max out exclusive PC games and to have the latest technologies like DX 11 for example.DanielDust

Definitely. I've been using an 8800GTX since Crysis came out, and it has run everything since, including GTA IV at higher settings and a higher FPS than the console versions.

Well for me not that really, it's frustrating because every new upcoming game makes your PC less recommendable because of higher requirements which would end you up upgrading almost indefinitely. Unlike consoles, there's no need though in terms of graphics pretty much considerable and less comparable to PC

yep:D:) I recently purchased some new pc gaming headset and a cpu cooler :P I might buy a PS3 soon but I rather invest in my pc

[QUOTE="DanielDust"]Because consoles run games at max 720p, games are designed specifically for that hardware, they don't get an extreme resolution boost, a lot of AA, AF and higher textures like the PC does and they don't receive new games that push the hardware to its limits like most of the PC exclusives, but frankly I have no idea what you're talking about, I've been using an 8800GT for 3 years now and I can still max out games (sure not all of them) with some AA, 16xAF (very few with no AA), at 1680x1050 and they all look better than the console version, because consoles are the reason why we don't need to upgrade every year, they're holding back the evolution and this is bad for advancements but good for out pockets. There's only the "bad port" factor, nowadays you can use a decent graphics card for years, just as much as a console generation would last, if you have no expectation to max out exclusive PC games and to have the latest technologies like DX 11 for example.Tresca_

Definitely. I've been using an 8800GTX since Crysis came out, and it has run everything since, including GTA IV at higher settings and a higher FPS than the console versions.

yep:D:) I recently purchased some new pc gaming headset and a cpu cooler :P I might buy a PS3 soon but I rather invest in my pc

devious742