Does PC gaming have to be soooooooooo expensive.

I know that almost all pc gamers say that pc gaming is miles better than console gaming. I used to beleive this but my god, how can pc gaming be better when it costs loads more than two consles put together.

Ahh got that out of my system. But seriously... does pc gaming have to be soo expensive, or can you buy a good gaming pc at around £200 to £400 tops.

I know that almost all pc gamers say that pc gaming is miles better than console gaming. I used to beleive this but my god, how can pc gaming be better when it costs loads more than two consles put together.

Ahh got that out of my system. But seriously... does pc gaming have to be soo expensive, or can you buy a good gaming pc at around £200 to £400 tops.

Neobrio

you will learn in life that this is NOTHING compared to what *life* costs. Heck, people used to buy their new PCs at 3000$+ and that's before the internet and all the inflation.

do you know how much a car costs!?

[QUOTE="Neobrio"]

I know that almost all pc gamers say that pc gaming is miles better than console gaming. I used to beleive this but my god, how can pc gaming be better when it costs loads more than two consles put together.

Ahh got that out of my system. But seriously... does pc gaming have to be soo expensive, or can you buy a good gaming pc at around £200 to £400 tops.

_7h0m_

you will learn in life that this is NOTHING compared to what *life* costs. Heck, people used to buy their new PCs at 3000$+ and that's before the internet and all the inflation.

do you know how much a car costs!?

It's not expensive, you pay for what you get.

I do lots of video editing, testing lots of programs, and game design (modding). I'm not able to do that with a console, besides, they don't have a game that interests me except for SKATE :P

the reason PCs are more expensive is because you can do a heck of a lot more than just play games.

But with the costs of the 8800gt gpus and q6600 cpus been so low, its never been a better time to get a PC.

And as no game coming out is going to beat crysis on the graphics front, a pc with that spec will last a long time.

The secret about Pc gaming is this: It's as cheap or expensive as you want it to be.

If you want to be cutting edge all the time, and always have the best components, then yes it wil cost a pretty penny. However, because of the nature of PCs you always have the option to hold out and wait for a better time to buy or build a new machine.

Do I go out and spend $1500+ on a new machine? hell no. I wish i could do that every year, it would be awsome, but I can't. I'm in college. I always buy technology that is at least a year old, so no gaming rig i've built has ever cost me over $500. Right now i'm on a machine sporting a 7800GS. It's good enough to run Witcher and Orange Box on max settings so why should I upgrade? Later this year i'll build a machine that can kill crysis, and it'll only cost me a few hundred bucks.

I don't mind waiting because I have more than enough games to play as it is. And crysis will still be an amazing looking game in November.

PC gaming is only as expensive as you make it. And you get a whole lot more bang for your buck anyway.

Well I built my new PC (w/ quad core, 8800 GTS, and 4 gigs RAM) for approx $2K, dunno what that is in pounds, but yeah PC gaming is not a cheap hobby.

You can easily build a cheap highend computer now a days.

Found on Newegg...

GPU - 8800GT $189

CPU - E6550 $169

Mobo- $39

Memory- 2gigs DDR2 800mhz $41

Power Supply- 500W $12

Total: $450 (cheaper than PS3) Only pay $50 for games rather than $55 for console games

Rest can usually be salvaged from older computers (monitor, keyboard, mouse, case.)

^^ spend a touch more on mobo but yeah that's about right...it's not that expensive you just have to know your deals and do some research...Q6600 is really CHEAP and is a overclocking monster compared to extreme you get 1 less FPS that's 200 dollars compared to 1000 you just have to know

Personally I need a PC for a lot more than just games. If I didn't play games at all, I would still need a PC at home to do everything else I need to do. As I would have to spend money on a PC anyway, it makes sense to spend a bit more and get one that is capable of running PC games. The extra investment balances out over time because PC games are generally a lot cheaper than console games.

In addition, to play console games you need a TV. Many use the argument that they have a TV anyway, so don't have to factor that in as a cost. My argument is exactly the same when it comes to a PC. I would have a PC anyway, regardless of gaming, so I do not factor the core PC into the equation when it comes to cost, only the additional hardware (like a decent graphics card) required for gaming. Incidentally, I don't watch much TV at all so buying a new large screen TV let alone a HDTV would be a bad investment for me personally.

Aye I don't know how much car credit costs... But at least I won't have to upgrade my car because the roads are looking better lol :)Neobrio

LMAO.

I know that almost all pc gamers say that pc gaming is miles better than console gaming. I used to beleive this but my god, how can pc gaming be better when it costs loads more than two consles put together.

Ahh got that out of my system. But seriously... does pc gaming have to be soo expensive, or can you buy a good gaming pc at around £200 to £400 tops.

Neobrio

Get a job and it's not expensive

If you actually researched pc hardware you would realize that its relatively cheap.. You do not need to buy the best of the best hardware.. Most times its a absolute waste of money.sSubZerOo

[QUOTE="sSubZerOo"]If you actually researched pc hardware you would realize that its relatively cheap.. You do not need to buy the best of the best hardware.. Most times its a absolute waste of money.Ps2stony

Uh....Yes.

What he says is absolutely correct. Especially that you don't need to run out and buy the latest piece of hardware. Most times its absultely unnecessary. You can buy something just as powerful for half the price if you do some research

Well, there's a few things to remember before you worry about the price of PC gaming.

1. You need a PC, right? Well, your gaming PC can play games and do whatever it is you'd normally do on a PC. So in that sense, the real cost of gaming with a console is the price of a PC + said console. That's your real initial budget for getting in.

2. How many games a year do you buy? You save $10 (not sure the UK prices) per game if you're buying them on day one. So if you buy one game a month, that's $120 a year- more than enough to fund any upgrades you might need.

Also, I sort of predict that this generation, hardware spec requirements will not go up nearly as quickly as they have been in the past. Since many games are multiplat, they won't require the next generation of video cards and would be perfectly playable on the current line of video cards. PC exclusives might take it up higher, but again, the money you save on games can fund most of this.

[QUOTE="sSubZerOo"]If you actually researched pc hardware you would realize that its relatively cheap.. You do not need to buy the best of the best hardware.. Most times its a absolute waste of money.Ps2stony

Uh yes.. Take a look at processors.. Lets go cheap a E4300.. Which were cheap when they were selling well.. As low as $94.. Processors like the E6600 were selling for some $250 to $300.. THere was also another processor was selling for a rediculous amount.. But thats besides the point a E6600 will be a fine example.. With about a $40 aftermarket cooler you can overclock the E4300 past 3ghz.. Hell if you installed the stock fan well with some $5 thermal paste, you could mos tlikely get it to E6600 speeds.. There you go.. You just saved quite a bit of money.. It gets better bench marks have shown even at stock speeds there is little difference in games that a 200 mhz overclock can make non existent..

Hell lets go on to the next one.. Lets take the 8800 GTX and or Ultra.. They are both severely expensive cards.. Guess what? a 8800 GT for a third of the price with some of these prices I have seen, is roughly 90% of the performance if not alittle more when it comes to Crysis benchmarks.. Infact I often see the GTX only a few frames ahead..

As I said earlier people need to actually look at bench marks instead of trying the best of the best with out research.. Because that best of the best usually is not worth the money what so ever for the small unnoticable boost in performance it gives most times.

See people complain about the cost of PC gaming all the time, but three things:

1. As mentioned, if you do some research, it's actually not too bad. Then again, this also requires some techinical know-how, but in the end, it very well may be cheaper.

2. It's not primarily a gaming machine. Even if you don't do too much research and end up paying $1500ish for a PC, it'll usually end up being about the same as a console and a non-gaming PC, give or take.

3. If you're into shooters and RTS and RPG, you don't really need a console. Honestly, since I've gotten my 8800GTS, I've barely touched my 360. On the weekend of Halo 3, I got it cause one of my friends had an extra and they were all going to play it. I played one evening and then spent the weekend on BF2. The gameplay is SO much better on a PC and if something's multiplat, you'll get MUCH better controls (going from a good mouse to dual analog is like what I imagine being handicapped is like at first), user created maps and mods, more players (usually and they'll stick around longer in the long run), a server list (I can't stand matchmaking, I want to choose my map!), and you won't have to deal with prepubescent swearing high pitched voices. Plus, "innovative" things on consoles like mapmaking and screenshots and replays have been around forever on the PC.

The only console I've played since my 8800 is my Wii for Nintendo's franchises like Mario Bros, Metroid Prime, and Smash. The only online console game I've played in a while (besides Brawl) is Bwii for a day or two while my PC was getting fixed for some problem.

I'm stopping PC gaming for this reason and moving to consoles. It's just too much money to spend to enjoy games at half of their graphics. At least on a console I know I'm getting everything I paid for and it's a lot easier. Put the game in and play and have a good time. PC gaming has compatability issues and I got so many problems with it and I spend hundreds. Forget itToriko42

whatever. i have had 0 problems running a game in all my 20 years of pc gaming. i never purchased a game that i wasn't able to play. all you need is a bit of knowledge and awareness. i wouldn't consider myself a hardware buff, but i know enough not to purchase games that i can't run and have just enough savvy to be able to upgrade my pc once in a blue moon to keep up with the times. my pc is 2.5 years old. it's a d2.8, 1gb ram, and 8600gt rig, and it runs cod4 and bioshock at near maximum detail (minus some things like soft shadows) without any problems. it cost me $500 initially (came with an x600, 17" monitor), and i upgraded it with an 8600gt a while back for an additional $95. the whole thing has cost me $595. i say that's a much better purchase than a ps3 or x360. and whenever crysis hits the $30 mark or becomes available on steam, i'll add another gig of ram, and it'll be able to run the game on medium settings, which is still prettier than all the games on ps3 and x360. if you had compatibility issues, then my guess is that it's your problem and doesn't speak at all for the state of pc gaming at large.

[QUOTE="_7h0m_"][QUOTE="Neobrio"]

I know that almost all pc gamers say that pc gaming is miles better than console gaming. I used to beleive this but my god, how can pc gaming be better when it costs loads more than two consles put together.

Ahh got that out of my system. But seriously... does pc gaming have to be soo expensive, or can you buy a good gaming pc at around £200 to £400 tops.

Neobrio

you will learn in life that this is NOTHING compared to what *life* costs. Heck, people used to buy their new PCs at 3000$+ and that's before the internet and all the inflation.

do you know how much a car costs!?

umm... yeah, but you won't have to pay thousands and thousands of dollars to maintain your pc either.

plus, there is such a thing as upgrading in consoles as well. they're called ps1, ps2, ps3, xbox, x360, nes, supernes, game cube, and wii, and they come around every 3-5 years and cost $300-500 a pop. and that's not even counting buying new tvs. it's the same for everything else in life (all electronic and mechanical items, job requirements, household items - everything). if you want the latest and greatest, you have to keep upgrading. it's just that simple.

[QUOTE="Neobrio"][QUOTE="_7h0m_"][QUOTE="Neobrio"]

I know that almost all pc gamers say that pc gaming is miles better than console gaming. I used to beleive this but my god, how can pc gaming be better when it costs loads more than two consles put together.

Ahh got that out of my system. But seriously... does pc gaming have to be soo expensive, or can you buy a good gaming pc at around £200 to £400 tops.

fireandcloud

you will learn in life that this is NOTHING compared to what *life* costs. Heck, people used to buy their new PCs at 3000$+ and that's before the internet and all the inflation.

do you know how much a car costs!?

umm... yeah, but you won't have to pay thousands and thousands of dollars to maintain your pc either.

Please be quiet... You do not need to pay thousands of dollars to maintain a pc.. A 8800 GT for instance is looking to last on hgih to max settings for years.. The one game crysis can be played on high, and that has so far shown to be the most graphically demanding and best looking game then any game marked to come out for years we have seen.. Please take your misconceptions to system wars.. Because theyare truely misconceptions.. Or better yet go to the pc hardware forum and see how many people will giggle and laugh at you.

[QUOTE="fireandcloud"][QUOTE="Neobrio"][QUOTE="_7h0m_"][QUOTE="Neobrio"]

I know that almost all pc gamers say that pc gaming is miles better than console gaming. I used to beleive this but my god, how can pc gaming be better when it costs loads more than two consles put together.

Ahh got that out of my system. But seriously... does pc gaming have to be soo expensive, or can you buy a good gaming pc at around £200 to £400 tops.

sSubZerOo

you will learn in life that this is NOTHING compared to what *life* costs. Heck, people used to buy their new PCs at 3000$+ and that's before the internet and all the inflation.

do you know how much a car costs!?

umm... yeah, but you won't have to pay thousands and thousands of dollars to maintain your pc either.

Please be quiet... You do not need to pay thousands of dollars to maintain a pc.. A 8800 GT for instance is looking to last on hgih to max settings for years.. The one game crysis can be played on high, and that has so far shown to be the most graphically demanding and best looking game then any game marked to come out for years we have seen.. Please take your misconceptions to system wars.. Because theyare truely misconceptions.. Or better yet go to the pc hardware forum and see how many people will giggle and laugh at you.

umm... are you speaking to me? if you are, then i think you misread my post.

the op wrote that cars don't need to be upgraded. and my point was that you may not need to upgrade your car but you do need to maintain your car, which costs thousands and thousands of dollars. but computers don't need to be maintained. anyway, just a misunderstanding, i think...

I'm stopping PC gaming for this reason and moving to consoles. It's just too much money to spend to enjoy games at half of their graphics. At least on a console I know I'm getting everything I paid for and it's a lot easier. Put the game in and play and have a good time. PC gaming has compatability issues and I got so many problems with it and I spend hundreds. Forget itToriko42

but if you like graphics that are inferior to latest pc games why dont you get old pc games for half the price? i'm guessing one day you were using your pc happily and something terrible happened and it was your PC's fault and you have sworn never to play games on it

The secret about Pc gaming is this: It's as cheap or expensive as you want it to be.

If you want to be cutting edge all the time, and always have the best components, then yes it wil cost a pretty penny. However, because of the nature of PCs you always have the option to hold out and wait for a better time to buy or build a new machine.

Do I go out and spend $1500+ on a new machine? hell no. I wish i could do that every year, it would be awsome, but I can't. I'm in college. I always buy technology that is at least a year old, so no gaming rig i've built has ever cost me over $500. Right now i'm on a machine sporting a 7800GS. It's good enough to run Witcher and Orange Box on max settings so why should I upgrade? Later this year i'll build a machine that can kill crysis, and it'll only cost me a few hundred bucks.

I don't mind waiting because I have more than enough games to play as it is. And crysis will still be an amazing looking game in November.

PC gaming is only as expensive as you make it. And you get a whole lot more bang for your buck anyway.

TeamR

I don't think you could have summed it up any better............great job!!!!!

[QUOTE="Ps2stony"][QUOTE="sSubZerOo"]If you actually researched pc hardware you would realize that its relatively cheap.. You do not need to buy the best of the best hardware.. Most times its a absolute waste of money.sSubZerOo

Uh yes.. Take a look at processors.. Lets go cheap a E4300.. Which were cheap when they were selling well.. As low as $94.. Processors like the E6600 were selling for some $250 to $300.. THere was also another processor was selling for a rediculous amount.. But thats besides the point a E6600 will be a fine example.. With about a $40 aftermarket cooler you can overclock the E4300 past 3ghz.. Hell if you installed the stock fan well with some $5 thermal paste, you could mos tlikely get it to E6600 speeds.. There you go.. You just saved quite a bit of money.. It gets better bench marks have shown even at stock speeds there is little difference in games that a 200 mhz overclock can make non existent..

Hell lets go on to the next one.. Lets take the 8800 GTX and or Ultra.. They are both severely expensive cards.. Guess what? a 8800 GT for a third of the price with some of these prices I have seen, is roughly 90% of the performance if not alittle more when it comes to Crysis benchmarks.. Infact I often see the GTX only a few frames ahead..

As I said earlier people need to actually look at bench marks instead of trying the best of the best with out research.. Because that best of the best usually is not worth the money what so ever for the small unnoticable boost in performance it gives most times.

Well, when you live in Manhatten, all of the bills are so insanely expensive compared to a $2,000 computer, that your probably making a ton of money anyway, therefore being able to afford it.

Honestly, PC gaming isnt that expensive when you think about. Consoles break regularly and force you to play on a graphics setting that look like crap compared to a computer. And cars cost a ton of money. Compare it to that. And if you really cant afford it, then thats ok, but for those who can, its incredible compared to consoles.