An unpopular opinion: PC vs Console graphics comparisons should use equivalent hardware

Because i'm sure that everyone and their mother knows that a stupidly expensive computer that would require the selling of one's organs in order to buy can beat a $400 console, I feel like we need to look at graphics comparisons in a different light:

How do modern games run on console equivalent PCs when compared to the console versions? I know that the Potato Masher exists, though the game coverage is pretty limited. I also know that Gamespot's staff have built themselves some PCs for shits and giggles that are designed to match the PS4 and Xbox One back in 2014, though we have heard nothing about those systems ever since.

A graphics comparison similar to what i am describing can also be extremely useful for port analysis because while most games target a PS4/XB1/PC multiplatform release, not all PC ports are made equal, and having a PC that can best be described as overkill could lead to the overlooking of performance issues on mid-range builds despite the game running better on hardware that is worse on paper. Also, can we really trust nVidia with their driver support for their older GPUs?

If I wanted equivalent hardware I'd just buy a console, most likely not tho

@howmakewood: I mean, i guess? Though what i'm thinking is that seeing how console-equivalent PC hardware runs compared to a console is still extremely useful information for budget builds and mid-range hardware because not everyone can afford an RTX 2080, though much more people can afford a GTX 1050 (which TBH, i dunno how it compares to a PS4 Pro. The 1060 can kick a lot of ass from what i'm seeing however)

normal 1050 is quite shite, 1050ti is like the bare minimum I'd consider theses days(think it's the best low profile card available atm if one looking for a slim case), Pro is around 970/1060 3gb level. Seen some rx 56's for 350ish € which is like 1080 level card when undervolted and oc'd, prob the best deal one can get for the money atm

If uses same spec pc will die. dev tends to optimize for console, not for pc.

You know when places do benchmarks for games they will show the results for several different gpus, right?

Why?

If digital foundry is anything to go by the PS4 Pro is actually weaker than the GTX 1050 ti

That would like limiting the top speed of a Formula One car because someone wants to race in Renault Clio. Consoles are weaker in every way compared to the potential of PC's, hiding that fact wouldn't change it.

Nah, it's funny to see arguments from PC fans who spent over $1000 on their hardware try to compare their best graphics against $400 consoles and more than often still loose.

@boxrekt:I dunno if that's really true anymore. Sure, my Alienware Alpha R2 was $780 Canadian when i bought it in 2017 and it was the most basic model available (3.2GHz i3, R9 M470x, 8GB DDR4)

Sure, it's likely that Dell overcharges on their computers though with those specs in mind, it actually sat somewhere in between an Xbox One and PS4 for most games i could throw at it.

I think there's no argument that PC gaming is much easier to get into thanks to nVidia's entry level GPUs since the 750 TI. From my understanding, those who are unfortunate enough to have bought a pre-built PC can at least get a console-quality experience by sticking a 750 TI or 950 directly into the motherboard without the need for a 6-pin connector, which is probably about as plug-and-play as a GPU can get, which certainly beats the hell out of buying a $400 console when you can spend half that money to make an entry-level pre-built PC salvagable in terms of gaming.

Also, if we are getting ports where a $1000 PC gets worse performance than a $400 console, i think that's a statement about the increasing laziness on the developer's efforts on their PC ports, which should further increase the need to have more graphics comparisons using like for like hardware. This could also act as a confirmation as to whether or not nVidia's deliberately sabotaging their older GPUs via driver updates.

That's funny, because you ran away from a thread after I posted BF5 with ray tracing screenshots.

And what would be the point of doing this?

People seem to think it's a competition; it's not. It's not about creating an even playing field, it's about simply comparing using objective metrics.

By having a PC rig equivalent to a console, you'd be intentionally skewing the results, which defeats the purpose of these things in the first place.

Compare it to, for example:

• Xbox One
• Xbox One X
• PS4
• PS4 Pro
• PC with X specs (a low-end rig)
• PC with Y specs (a mid-range rig)
• PC with Z specs (a high-end rig)

@mrbojangles25: Having a PC that is equivalent to a console would be a lot more useful for port analysis than the absolute best hardware and if the PC version can't achieve the same graphical fidelity as the consoles when using a console-quality rig, then there's likely going to be some issues in terms of how the port was done, and such issues could also bleed into entry-level AMD cards like the RX 560.

Having the PC version of a console game be compared using the best hardware will definitely lead to some porting issues that will be overlooked due to the high-end hardware brute forcing a lack of optimization.

Poor optimization will show even with RTX2080Ti and OC'ed 9900K.

https://www.youtube.com/user/jermgaming/videos

Can we do a framerate comparison? No.... lets ignore a smooth gameplay experience, lets ignore the fact Anthem demo drops to its low 20's on console and 99% of console games still run at 30fps. But it doesn't matter about a bad experience as long as it looks nice.

Reminds me of when Gametrailers disqualified Crysis from Best Graphics of the Year award because it was the obvious winner.

Digital Foundry does these comparisons all the time. PC still wins graphically AND often runs at 60fps

Huh? According to Digital Foundry the PC wins over 90% of the time. While having a majority of the top 10, 20, 50 best looking games this gen. Including spot number 1.

Why did you just tell a lie? Why don't you post on your main?

We have more games and more exclusives than both the Xbox and Playstation 4 combined and as they say its the games that matter. I don't need a handful of exclusives combined what 5 to 10 worth playing vs what I have on my PC.