Consoles and equivalent cost PCs.....

Every time a new console comes out theres a huge shout from the PC community about how you can build a PC for the same price that gives better gaming performance etc. And this is especially true with the release of the One X.

Now that may or may not be true, but after having a recent discussion (argument) with a PC gaming friend I felt I'd throw my logic down here too because I have a valid argument against this whole logic. Quite simply, taking the original PS4/X1 price points (£350/£429 respectively) can anyone show me a four year old gaming PC built for that cost that can even remotely keep up to the gaming performance of these consoles today? Of course you can't.

So this whole PC for the same price argument is completely illogical. That's a few hundred YouTube videos made irrelevant then ;)

No doubt everyone has been well aware of that, my friend, and for quite some time I'm sure. ;)

Unfortunately the gaming scene isn't all peaches and daisys, these days. Well, in my case it's the latter but the community at large I think would agree that the extra expense of the pc format is worth it to bypass psn and Xbox live.

Imo, the arguments miss the point. Spend a decent amount of money on a decent pc and enjoy it to its fullest. Go bargain bin diving and you'll have a disappointing machine. Consoles are cheap and convenient. PCs are powerful and flexible, offering mods and bc that isn't found elsewhere. I don't see the point in trying to make a crippled build.

If you don't see the value in a decent pc, telling you how cheaply you can make a thoroughly mediocre one isn't going to make you rush off and buy one...

I see too much logic and reason being used here. I disapprove.

Do it both ways. How much would a console-only gamer spend to have the functionality of a gaming PC?

The GTX 750 ti and Core i3 were definitely a GPU/CPU combo you could build for less than $500 around the time of the original PS4 and Xbox One launch and get just as good if not better visuals and performance over the PS4.

Face it the PS4 and Xbox One were about as powerful as mid range PCs at the time (and in Xbox one case more like mid-low range), they're some of the few consoles to be weaker than high end gaming PCs at launch and their hardware is very similar to PC that you could build a PC with almost the same hardware as them (PS4 GPU is somewhere between an AMD HD 7850 and 7870 and Xbox One GPU is equal to an HD 7770) and it doesn't help that their CPUs are at the very bottom of low end range pass low end for a standard desktop PC and into tablet territory so it bottlenecks their performance even more.

A lot of games use the HD 7850 as as minimum requirement so I'd say if a game demands more than that it most likely will have low/medium graphical settings that surpass that of the PS4.

Nevermind that over those 3-4 years you had to pay $60 to play online. Inb4 you use the "free games" argument GOG, Origin, Humble Bundle and sometimes Steam give away free games. Heck Humble Bundle offers easily take a dump on GwG and PSN+ offers most of the time even if you have to pay money because you get a lot of AA/AAA tier games on it while most of the time on PSN+ and GwG its super obscure/already cheap indie games.

All the above points are certainly valid.

I guess my post is a reaction to how often this argument is used by irate PC gamers who can't accept that someone can have fun on a console.

In my mind, it's like challenging a high end restaurant to make a burger for the same price as McDonald's.

Both burgers serve their purpose. Sometimes I want a higher quality product, sometimes I want a cheap greasy big mac.

Sure, if you only count the initial cost. But, if you include the cost of an online subscription combined with higher prices for games, then eventually, it evens out over the course of a few years.

wut?

@madeupofwires: "Of course you can't."

I wonder how much research you have done in order to come to this "clearly" "well" "thought out" conclusion? probably exactly 000000000.0 research has been conducted and you are just projecting wishful thinking, but thats just a "wild" guess, please do enlighten us.

Actually don't, that was a rhetorical question, you obviously did 0 research and just exposing your peasantry to the world. I could roast you, but I won't, seeing your post count I can clearly tell that you are just a burner account that hasn't been caught yet, the fact that you wouldn't post here using your primary account just shows how little confidence you have in your post.

@drlostrib: dude, the whole PCMR thing boils down to this, people who have spent hundreds on their system hate the fact that console gamers have as much fun on a box that cost a couple of hundred.

People who eat McDonalds and people who home cook are still eating food and filling their stomachs.

Congrats, you now have five guys or something.

PC can do things Xbox never will. Enjoy your closed platform.

@Dark_sageX: Peasant? See there comes the elitism again. I have a gaming PC (although it's only used for working these days), I know plenty about gaming PCs, so yeah I'm pretty confident in my post.

It's more about the attitude that goes along with this argument (and PC gamers in general), which you have clearly demonstrated.

that's not it at all

@drlostrib: then what is it? A hugely overinflated superiority complex?

PCMR was originally an insult someone made towards PC gamers that PC gamers flipped around into a joke that some people take too seriously and I agree those that take it too seriously are jerks but they're the few. But a lot of the times I see console gamers act like victims its when PC gamers correct them on things. They'll accuse a PC gamer of elitism for correcting them on things they stated wrong about PC gaming and upvote each other for their ignorant statements to validate themselves.

A lot of pro console arguments rely on the over exaggeration of PC flaws and tons of misinformation as their idea of what PC gaming is incredibly outdated and/or not true. And it doesn't help that they're hypocrites at times.

I keep seeing the same old tired arguments about why they don't like PC even though they've been fixed or were not much of a problem or never even existed like having to update drivers or tweaking settings for games. Those things have hardly been a hassle and nowadays can be done automatically now but a lot of consoles gamers still act like this is 2001 PC gaming. I still see a lot of console gamers claiming you have to update your PC hardware every year even if you turn down settings when that is just plain not true.

I keep seeing the "can't game on the couch with PC and controller" argument even though you can hook your PC up to a TV and even if they do acknowledge that they'll claim that the PC is too big and heavy to do it anyway. We even point out that they can build or buy a gaming PC that is just as small if not smaller than a console but they'll damage control in ridiculous ways like "That PC is too heavy! It weighs 2 more pounds than my Xbox One!! That case is 3 inches larger than my PS4 so its too big!! Its too difficult to build a PC that size! I bet a PC that size cost like $500 more! I bet that PC will overheat and make a lot of noise!". As for the controller argument I don't see it as much anymore but they when they use it they're really dumb arguments like "Very few games support controllers on PC! Controllers work better on consoles anyway because that is what they were made for! What is the point in gaming on a PC with a controller if I can do it on my console?".

I keep seeing the "PC has no games or exclusive content!" argument no matter how many times we prove them wrong and if they do acknowledge it they'll come up with reasons why it doesn't count and I see a lot of hypocrisy here. "PC has no games except for World Of Warcraft and League Of Legends!", "All PC has is MMOs and RTS!", "PC only has online multiplayer games! There are no singleplayer games on PC!"(yet their most bought and played games on consoles will be multiplayer oriented), "This game doesn't count/matter because its not big budget enough with flashy cinematic set pieces!", "Indie games don't count and are irrelevant", "This game doesn't count because I don't like that genre!", "Mods are irrelevant, the vanilla game is how its meant to be played!", and "PC doesn't get 10/10s or GOTYs on our console centric/biased medias so its games aren't worth much!".

Even though PC has more games and more variety console gamers will willfully act like they don't exist or matter or find things to nitpick. The hypocrisy shows up often when said game comes to consoles, then suddenly they like these games and mock PC gamers for loosing an exclusive. "Haha PC gamers thanks for beta testing this for us!" yet if we get a game later than consoles its "Haha enjoy our leftovers!". For years and even decades console gamers kept acting like mods were irrelevant and wrong even though some of the best games ever started out as mods. Now recently with Fallout 4 and Skyrim getting mod support on consoles you see all these console gamers coming out of the woodwork talking about how awesome mods are now and saying PC gamers lost mods as an advantage even though its only about 2 games on consoles that support mods compared to the hundreds and thousands of games that can be modded on PC. Consoles can't even run all the mods for Fallout 4 and Skyrim which are some of the best ones too and even mixing mods becomes a problem on their versions yet they act like they completely stole the modding advantage from PC when they haven't even scratched the surface. I see tons of console gamers complaining about why they can't get the Just Cause 2 & 3 multiplayer mods and some are even blaming Avalanche studios for it and using Fallout 4 and Skyrim as proof mods work on consoles even though its really the most basic ones that work on consoles and can get around any legal issues.

They'll state PC has no exclusives which is why they won't get one but when PC does get exclusives they'll whine about them not being on their console and not wanting to pay $2000 for a gaming PC. They downplay indie games even though some best and biggest games this and last gen were indie games. Console gamers only recently started to acknowledge indie because Sony and Microsoft aren't pumping out as many big budget games anymore and are relying on indies/PC games to pad up their exclusives list. Playstation gamers started doing it first when the game Journey became a hit now its "Oooh indies are awesome, big budget games are overrated!!" when they argue with other console gamers. I'm starting to see Xbox fanboys/gamers open up to RTS games just because the Xbox One is severely lacking in exclusives I see some lems/Xbox gamers suddenly showing interest in/hyping up Age Of Empires 4 just because they think it MIGHT come to the Xbox One and one of their few recent exclusives Halo Wars 2 was an RTS. Console gamers mocked and acted like PUBG was irrelevant but the second it was announced for consoles and coming to the Xbox one first, then suddenly "Battle royale games are awesome!!" and "PUBG will be a system seller for Xbox One!!".

Heck I remember last gen during the motion control and 3D gaming fad PC was mocked for not having any motion control alternative even though it did and most motion control games on consoles were terrible. Heck PC had more 3D games since you could force any game to be 3D nor did you need to buy a 3D specific display, as long as your display supported 120hz you were good to go. But now this gen since the VR trend has started on PC they're mocking and calling it shovelware but not as much since the PS4 has its own VR headset now. HDR and Freesync is the new "Can PC do 3D gaming!?" argument ever since the Xbox One X reveal even though PC has been able to do HDR and Freesync before the console was even revealed.

Serious PC gamers are not going to recommend a cheap PC that is the price of a console. Cheap PCs are shit just like the consoles. It is nice that you can scale the experience to your budget on PC, but if you want quality and the high end gaming experience, you have to spend the money. You get what you pay for.

Really?... Are you ignorant and or blind?...

Its console gamer's come here on SW and post topics asking for people to build PC's for the same price as the consoles. You have it completely the wrong way around. Go to the PC forum... We tell people who can't afford a PC over $600 to save up a little more or just get a console.

Just look at the current X1X thread on the front page and the main sticky and what do you see people like Xplode and Ron constantly using price as a caveat to claim some form of performance victory by handicapping performance to price bracket that they specify. Even more recently:

Yeah you read right... Now overclocking is another caveat.

The simple fact that you are here making a thread talking about price says it all. It seems like in order for console gamer's to feel dominant and happy with their platform they have to prevent others from looking better by using price. PC gamers don't care... We pay more to get a BETTER experience, why would we build a console level PC?... We don't want 30FPS.

I'm sorry but asking for tips on building a PC same price as a console is just really scrapping the barrel. PC gamers aren't gonna waste time building PC for the same price such as an Xbox One X, that's not how this works.

But I will say this, when someone ask me for a budget PC build if you wanna game in 1080p/60fps only, I tell'em between $700-$900 is a nice sweet spot for a fair price that this build can surpass console's specs. Budget builds vs cheap builds are two different things and never ever go cheap builds.

@madeupofwires: Yeah, anybody worrying about the price being "equal" is doing it wrong. That's like finding a Porsche that costs what a Miata does. What's the point then?

If people go pc...go big or go console. PC is obviously, and objectively, the best platform in terms of performance/library/options. That comes at a cost. I am always irritated by this idea of comparing consoles/pc. It's apples/oranges, but too many try to compare them. A good starting pc should be in the 700+ range. If you are spending less...you shouldn't be buying that stuff. If money really is that tight (for many it is!) get a console. Or save for the pc.

Funny how elitism in pc gaming was mentioned and the usual candidates grace us with their presence. Lol

Every time a new console comes out theres a huge shout from the Console community about how you can't build a PC for the same price that gives better gaming performance etc. And this is especially true with the release of the XBOX 360, which had a bigger impact/comparison with gears of war than anything the Xbox 1 X has done... and was only £280.

Now that may or may not be true, but after having a recent discussion (argument) with a Console gaming friend I felt I'd throw my logic down here too because I have a valid argument against this whole logic. Quite simply, taking the original PS4/X1 price points (£350/£429 respectively) can anyone show me a Console of any generation for that cost that can even remotely Provide a similar level og Games and Features of PC's ever ? Of course you can't.

So this whole Console for is better value statement is completely illogical. That's a few hundred Console gamers's opinions made irrelevant then, less games, less features it's almost as if YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR!

The PC Gamer made a very good build for the console equivalent PC - 500 bucks

http://www.pcgamer.com/build-guide-the-best-cheap-gaming-pc/

Funny how elitism in One X was mentioned and the usual candidates grace us with their presence. Lol

Oh, another one of these threads.

@MBirdy88: Oh my the Pedro stalker. Still bitter from the last thread I see.?

Anandtech isn't helping with their latest article.

Oh this topic again. I can't count how many times we went through it. And it always boils down to people talking too much about initial cost and totally forgetting about the total cost (cheaper games, better deals, no monthly costs), added benefits of having a Pc (use it for other stuff, using whatever input device you want, mods, ...) and that it can be upgraded all the time. You can use the same case and power supply for 10+ years, you can upgrade your GPU after like 4 years and be up to date again, ...

This. ^^^

The comparison is asinine. You can always scale PC games, but i've always been an advocate of spending more money for the simple fact that the PC can offer better performance.

You can talk about long term cost and make strange claims like power supply lasting 10+ years and upgrading every 4 years.

@Pedro said:

@NoodleFighter said:

They'll state PC has no exclusives which is why they won't get one but when PC does get exclusives they'll whine about them not being on their console and not wanting to pay $2000 for a gaming PC.

Anandtech isn't helping with their latest article.

If it's the PC in their CPU guide, it would seem they built to meet a ~$2000 budget

It includes things like a $120 Full Tower Case, a $120 80+ Platinum PSU, $300 for 32GB RAM, $144 for an SSD, etc

Forgot a few items on that machine. M/K and an O/S so it is about 100 bucks higher.

No one builds a PC to match console performance, if that's your aim buy a console. Otherwise get more money and do it properly.

I don't get what point your are reinforcing. Its understood that the price includes more than just the GPU.

This is true but people argue about getting a PC of similar performance to consoles for the same price perpetually as a argument for consoles being trash.

my point is that they were trying to make a $2000 PC

Isn't the 750 Ti i3 machine the same price and still outperforming the PS4/X-One? And you can definitely build an even cheaper one with modern hardware. Hard to do now though, PC hardware price inflation will probably continue through 2018.

The list shows PCs at varying price points. Who are the they you are referring to and how is it relevant?

Anandtech's $2000 PC

You forgot to mention XBox subscription cost too

Wrong again. You dont need Xbox Live to play the Xbox but you do need a M/K and OS to play a PC. So make up some more shit.

@Xabiss said:

@ivangrozny said:

@Xabiss said:

@ivangrozny said:

The PC Gamer made a very good build for the console equivalent PC - 500 bucks

http://www.pcgamer.com/build-guide-the-best-cheap-gaming-pc/

Forgot a few items on that machine. M/K and an O/S so it is about 100 bucks higher.

You forgot to mention XBox subscription cost too

Wrong again. You dont need Xbox Live to play the Xbox but you do need a M/K and OS to play a PC. So make up some more shit.

I mean a mouse and keyboard aren't going to add much and you don't have to pay for an OS

Non sequitur: I've noticed people pay way too much for PSUs. I got a beautiful seasonic build 620W gold rated PSU for like 45 dollars on sale a few years ago. 1) almost nobody needs that much wattage, let alone more, especially if it's gold rated. You need to have a serious rig to need more. 2) granted that was a killer sale, but shop around a little and do some research. Don't listen to Pedro and his $120 PSU that he thinks won't last 10 years :-p

If you want to cheap out on upfront cost: than by all means go consoles !

But don't come complaining when you find out you have to pay monthly to be allowed to play online, that you have to pay extra for your games

and that in the long run for someone like me (who buys lots of games) console gaming is simply way more expensive.

And they say PC gaming is expensive. How ironic.

As someone who has bought dozens of consoles, was forced to buy dozens of expensive peripherals like new controllers over and over again.

And even debated paying for an online subscription (but not really, I'm not paying for a service that ain't there. And a service PC has had for longer and for free and is better on PC too)

As someone who easily lasts 4 years with a good PC build, which is easy to do by just going for the hardware that is the right bang for the buck.

I find the statement 'PC is more expensive' absolutely laughable.

Because it's true... if you only take into account upfront costs. But I think gamers tend to buy games, not just the thing that plays those games.