Knight's Guide to understanding WHY Pc is superior

Alright gentlemen, we have an influx of console guys in here spreading a lot of bull about PC gamers and myths, and the whole mess of "CONSOLE GAMING IS TEH SUPERIOR" threads. So I decided to post my own, and I have a LOT of time on my hands today. Time to debunk them and answer any questions that people have.

Now, before I start typing, these facts may seem obvious to some people, but surprisingly, some people don't know it yet.

Why is PC gaming better, you might ask. well, I can prove it to you right now, as long as you actually read my post. Let's get started. Now, I know that people MAY PREFER CONSOLE GAMING OVER PC, that's fine, but PC gaming is SUPERIOR to console gaming, proven fact. Why is it a proven fact? Well, scroll down and read!

Let's start with the hardware. PC's have superior hardware, and no, the Ps3 cell processor does not dwarf the pc hardware. Which means that developers can PUSH the technological limits of the PC as the hardware is ALWAYS improving so developers have VERY LITTLE restriction, this allows open world gameplay without annoying loading screens as PC's have more RAM than the 512 MB that consoles have. We enjoy 1920x1200 resolution and EVEN HIGHER, yes, that's right console guys, EVEN HIGHER that that. Especially with ATI Eyefinity, and if you got the money, then go for that, 3 screens with triplehead2go.

FACT:, PC hardware is better, and developers have more room to create gaming master pieces on PC because of that.

Now, time to debunk arguments

"BUT U HAZ TO PAY 9000 DOLLARS A MONTH TO UPGRADE IT"

No, my console troll friend, you don't have to, those with money certainly can, but they're not really spending their money wisely."

FACT: Pc gaming DOES NOT cost thousands of dollars, budget machines CAN be built for about 400-500 dollars. And when you think about it, when you buy a console, that's 200-300 bucks, not counting the XBL Live membership, or the extra peripherals that you have to buy with it. Such as an extremely overpriced hard drive *looks at microsoft*

FACT: You save MONEY in the long run because of the PC, steam says hello. I will lay down some examples.

Bfbc2 for consoles: 60 dollars.

For PC: 46.99, and look guys, IT WAS ON SALE ON EA a while back ago for around 20 bucks. Amazing. Yes, we Pc gamers save money.

THQ Metro 2033 was on sale for 12.50, how much was it for you console folks, 60 dollars?

KNIGHT LOL'S.

Steam sales are amazing, I don't even need to say anything. You guys just download steam and see.

"BUT KNIGHT, PC GAMING IS DYING NO GOOD PC SALES" Wrong.

48 percent, that's right, 48, are on digital distribution services, such as steam an Direct2Drive.

Fact: Digital Distribution has been growing at a very fast pace.

"But knight, PC GAMERS HAZ NO AAAA"

Fact: PC GAMES ARE RATED AT A HIGHER STANDARD THAN CONSOLE GAMES. Any questions will be answered on request.

Fact: No 500-600 dollar PC will last more than 6 months.

I'm sorry but anybody who says that buying a PC is cheap ALWAYS forgets that 90% of people who don't own a good PC need a mouse, keyboard, monitor, and probably speakers or headphones and an operating system. All that alone adds up to about $300 extra to any price. Also a 600 PC will beable to play all of the games, but very few of the new ones on high settings and NO new games on high or even medium settings.

You want a PC that is going to last, that isn't going to break from cheap parts, that is going to not require an upgrade for 2-3 years? Drop at least 1 grand on the PC alone, not including software and extra hardware you will need (mouse, keyboard, monitor, speakers).

PC gaming can be superior because of the hardware and open platform but developers need to take advantage of it. If you just port a console game over to the PC, it just isn't right. Everything from the optimization of the engine to the UI will be wrong.

Good PC gaming requires money. There is no escaping it. If PC gaming were cheap, the consoles wouldn't be necessary. Consoles are there to provide another way to play games at a much lower cost than it costs to build and maintain a PC.

I love PC gaming, I just built a brand new computer, I bought 50 games on the Steam sale for dirt cheap, I love the open platform, I love how robust the features is, but I know for a fact that nothing about PC gaming is cheap. If you want quality, you have to pay for it.

i shall volunteer my old gaming rig to prove your point about cost. This computer cost $450, but not recently, in 2008. That was when the ps3 was still $500-600. So my computer was LESS than a ps3

This is what it was able to do.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILa4jDsPUd4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=811cft3Vg2E

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKMZ0IN3Ko0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSe0Ecl1fm8

i shall volunteer my old gaming rig to prove your point about cost. This computer cost $450, but not recently, in 2008. That was when the ps3 was still $500-600. So my computer was LESS than a ps3

This is what it was able to do.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILa4jDsPUd4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=811cft3Vg2E

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKMZ0IN3Ko0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSe0Ecl1fm8

ferret-gamer

Unless you have a 720p monitor, why would you play PC games in anything less than the native resolution of your monitor?

Not only were those games not at a very high resolution, the framerates weren't that good. I guess you could blame that on fraps, but still I think you're really missing the point with PC gaming.

PC gaming is all about ultra high resolutions and settings, it isn't about skimping by. That is what the consoles were made for, people who didn't want to have to skimp by with a crap PC that bearly runs the games.

[QUOTE="ferret-gamer"]

i shall volunteer my old gaming rig to prove your point about cost. This computer cost $450, but not recently, in 2008. That was when the ps3 was still $500-600. So my computer was LESS than a ps3

This is what it was able to do.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILa4jDsPUd4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=811cft3Vg2E

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKMZ0IN3Ko0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSe0Ecl1fm8

Wasdie

Unless you have a 720p monitor, why would you play PC games in anything less than the native resolution of your monitor?

I have a 20 inch Acer LCD now, no more decade old crt.

Superiority comes at a price. Yes it's been proven you can build a cheap computer, but the longevity won't be there (especially for gaming at higher resolutions and settings). Not a bad thing for budget gamers, as they likely won't be looking at gaming all V. High, 1920x1200 plus etc, due to them looking within such a limited budget.

Still, the fact that hardware performance has rocketed and we still have a game from 2007 that owns the majority of PC games in terms of looks, shows that software has slowed very much so.

[QUOTE="Wasdie"]

[QUOTE="ferret-gamer"]

i shall volunteer my old gaming rig to prove your point about cost. This computer cost $450, but not recently, in 2008. That was when the ps3 was still $500-600. So my computer was LESS than a ps3

This is what it was able to do.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILa4jDsPUd4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=811cft3Vg2E

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKMZ0IN3Ko0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSe0Ecl1fm8

ferret-gamer

Unless you have a 720p monitor, why would you play PC games in anything less than the native resolution of your monitor?

Today you'll be hard pressed to find a gamer running in anything less than 1440x900, and even that is considered low for PC gmaing.

Yeah, all that stuff is cool. But when it comes down to games, a lot of games are multiplat between consoles and PC. You don't get the same experience of course, but they are still good on consoles. As far as PC exclusive games go, nothing makes me desperately want a PC.

There are things I want of course (Some strategy games, Steam), but nothing I can't live without. Someone can say the exact opposite though so to each their own.

Fact: No 500-600 dollar PC will last more than 6 months.

Wasdie

[QUOTE="Wasdie"]

Fact: No 500-600 dollar PC will last more than 6 months.

dgwutka

Define "max" and what games?

I can say my old $300, 10 year old PC can max almost anything too.

That doesn't make it true.

My $1200 PC built in 2007 with a 8800 gts 640mb struggled to keep decent framerates with any modern game. I don't know how your $500 PC from the same time could do any better.

[QUOTE="ferret-gamer"][QUOTE="Wasdie"]

Unless you have a 720p monitor, why would you play PC games in anything less than the native resolution of your monitor?

Wasdie

Today you'll be hard pressed to find a gamer running in anything less than 1440x900, and even that is considered low for PC gmaing.

Fact: No 500-600 dollar PC will last more than 6 months.

I'm sorry but anybody who says that buying a PC is cheap ALWAYS forgets that 90% of people who don't own a good PC need a mouse, keyboard, monitor, and probably speakers or headphones and an operating system. All that alone adds up to about $300 extra to any price. Also a 600 PC will beable to play all of the games, but very few of the new ones on high settings and NO new games on high or even medium settings.

You want a PC that is going to last, that isn't going to break from cheap parts, that is going to not require an upgrade for 2-3 years? Drop at least 1 grand on the PC alone, not including software and extra hardware you will need (mouse, keyboard, monitor, speakers).

PC gaming can be superior because of the hardware and open platform but developers need to take advantage of it. If you just port a console game over to the PC, it just isn't right. Everything from the optimization of the engine to the UI will be wrong.

Good PC gaming requires money. There is no escaping it. If PC gaming were cheap, the consoles wouldn't be necessary. Consoles are there to provide another way to play games at a much lower cost than it costs to build and maintain a PC.

I love PC gaming, I just built a brand new computer, I bought 50 games on the Steam sale for dirt cheap, I love the open platform, I love how robust the features is, but I know for a fact that nothing about PC gaming is cheap. If you want quality, you have to pay for it.

Wasdie

I have come to learn that PC gaming has a lot of flexibility, power, variety. I've just started with steam and it's a great platform for connectivity and sales. It's true that PCs can do a lot of things better than consoles, but there are still console exclusives, and I prefer them, so that is the greatest reason why I'll stick with consoles as my main gaming device.

[QUOTE="Wasdie"]

Fact: No 500-600 dollar PC will last more than 6 months.

dgwutka

I doubt it.

Plus your defintition of max settings may be different from someone elses.

Max = "Run at maximum graphical capability at a decent frame rate" Decent frame rate = 20+ FPS

Crysis, Assassin's Creed 2, Dragon Age, I'm already tired of listing. Almost any game I put on it.

EDIT: At 1680x1050.

EDIT again: It's just now getting outclassed. If I bought a brand new game that came out yesterday, it probably couldn't max it. But 3 years is still longer than 6 months.

http://www.gamespot.com/pages/forums/show_msgs.php?topic_id=26986920&tag=topics;title would most likely play any game today on high and its a year old. Silenthps

ArmA 2, Metro 2033, and Just Cause 2 on high would slaughter that PC.

Max = "Run at maximum graphical capability at a decent frame rate" Decent frame rate = 20+ FPS

Crysis, Assassin's Creed 2, Dragon Age, I'm already tired of listing. Almost any game I put on it.

EDIT: At 1680x1050.

dgwutka

What's the specs of said $500 2007 rig?

[QUOTE="ferret-gamer"]

i shall volunteer my old gaming rig to prove your point about cost. This computer cost $450, but not recently, in 2008. That was when the ps3 was still $500-600. So my computer was LESS than a ps3

This is what it was able to do.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILa4jDsPUd4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=811cft3Vg2E

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKMZ0IN3Ko0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSe0Ecl1fm8

Wasdie

Unless you have a 720p monitor, why would you play PC games in anything less than the native resolution of your monitor?

Not only were those games not at a very high resolution, the framerates weren't that good. I guess you could blame that on fraps, but still I think you're really missing the point with PC gaming.

PC gaming is all about ultra high resolutions and settings, it isn't about skimping by. That is what the consoles were made for, people who didn't want to have to skimp by with a crap PC that bearly runs the games.

I love both PC gaming and console gaming.

PC gaming for games like ARMA2, Total War series, Crysis, mods, the real TF2, best versions of Bioware games, Dawn of Discovery, The Witcher, Steam sales, bettert graphics and you can use any controller.

Console gaming for exclusives like Metal Gear, Uncharted2, Forza3, Lsot Odyssey,etc.. And the fact taht I can play it with my cousins and frineds taht dont have a decent pc to play pc games.

[QUOTE="Wasdie"]

[QUOTE="ferret-gamer"] i had a crt back then. ferret-gamer

Today you'll be hard pressed to find a gamer running in anything less than 1440x900, and even that is considered low for PC gmaing.

Again sure it can outpreform consoles, but can it keep up to PC standards? I'm not comparing anything here to consoles, infact I don't care about them. A cheap PC today would not survive long against the newer games coming. You would have to upgrade.

I just can't imagine building a new PC and not being able to play all of the games on the highest settings. What is even the point then?

[QUOTE="Silenthps"] would most likely play any game today on high and its a year old. Wasdie

ArmA 2, Metro 2033, and Just Cause 2 on high would slaughter that PC.

[QUOTE="dgwutka"]

Max = "Run at maximum graphical capability at a decent frame rate" Decent frame rate = 20+ FPS

Crysis, Assassin's Creed 2, Dragon Age, I'm already tired of listing. Almost any game I put on it.

EDIT: At 1680x1050.

Wasdie

What's the specs of said $500 2007 rig?

Thats what I want to know.

And if he's factoring in case,OS,mouse keyboard etc.

um... says who? PC gaming is about whatever the PC gamer wants it to be. The whole point is to customize your gaming experience however you like, even if you want it to be like a console experience.

Silenthps

So you would really spend $200 more than a console to get the same experiance a console gets?

It makes no sense to me. If you're going to build a PC, build a PC. Don't build a 360.

[QUOTE="ferret-gamer"]

[QUOTE="Wasdie"]

Today you'll be hard pressed to find a gamer running in anything less than 1440x900, and even that is considered low for PC gmaing.

Wasdie

Again sure it can outpreform consoles, but can it keep up to PC standards? I'm not comparing anything here to consoles, infact I don't care about them. A cheap PC today would not survive long against the newer games coming. You would have to upgrade.

I just can't imagine building a new PC and not being able to play all of the games on the highest settings. What is even the point then?

I'm sorry but anybody who says that buying a PC is cheap ALWAYS forgets that 90% of people who don't own a good PC need a mouse, keyboard, monitor, and probably speakers or headphones and an operating system.

Wasdie

Wait... What? If they don't have all that stuff, they are NOT POSTING HERE. Hell, if you don't own a simple PC with a mouse, keyboard, monitor, speakers and headphones, not only are you not here, but chances are you can't afford a console either.

[QUOTE="Wasdie"]

I'm sorry but anybody who says that buying a PC is cheap ALWAYS forgets that 90% of people who don't own a good PC need a mouse, keyboard, monitor, and probably speakers or headphones and an operating system.

LordQuorthon

Wait... What? If they don't have all that stuff, they are NOT POSTING HERE. Hell, if you don't own a simple PC with a mouse, keyboard, monitor, speakers and headphones, not only are you not here, but chances are you can't afford a console either.

Laptops?

Also did you ever think that playing with an old 2003 CRT monitor is really the same as playing with a decent LCD monitor?

Also did you stop to think that a lot of console gamers are stuck using a family PC? So they couldn't just build their own and strip all of the accessories from their families PC?

I love PC gaming, I just built a brand new computer,I bought 50 games on the Steam sale for dirt cheap, I love the open platform, I love how robust the features is, but I know for a fact that nothing about PC gaming is cheap. If you want quality, you have to pay for it.

Wasdie

Today you'll be hard pressed to find a gamer running in anything less than 1440x900, and even that is considered low for PC gmaing.

Wasdie

[QUOTE="Wasdie"]

I love PC gaming, I just built a brand new computer,I bought 50 games on the Steam sale for dirt cheap, I love the open platform, I love how robust the features is, but I know for a fact that nothing about PC gaming is cheap. If you want quality, you have to pay for it.

heretrix

Games are cheap. I guess I did contradict myself there. The initial investment into PC gaming is not cheap at all, especially if you have no parts and are a normal consumer without crazy deals from people.

[QUOTE="Wasdie"]

Today you'll be hard pressed to find a gamer running in anything less than 1440x900, and even that is considered low for PC gmaing.

lowe0

Though you're right, you have to remember that Steam is also used by gamers who only play older games on older PCs.

ArmA 2, Metro 2033, and Just Cause 2 on high would slaughter that PC.

Wasdie

http://store.steampowered.com/stats/ yeah seems to me like the majority of PC gamers don't care.

The basics, off the top of my head.
AMD X2 4600+
2GB Corsair XMS2 DDR2
GPU was originally a 8600 GTX but I dropped in a GTX 260 a while back, so I guess the system is 2 years old, not 3. I don't know the exact cost but I figure it to be around $500, and I don't include keyboard, mouse, monitors, etc in that figure because I already had them when I bought it.

[QUOTE="lowe0"][QUOTE="Wasdie"]

Today you'll be hard pressed to find a gamer running in anything less than 1440x900, and even that is considered low for PC gmaing.

Though you're right, you have to remember that Steam is also used by gamers who only play older games on older PCs.

I can see both sides of the argument to be honest.

[QUOTE="Silenthps"]

um... says who? PC gaming is about whatever the PC gamer wants it to be. The whole point is to customize your gaming experience however you like, even if you want it to be like a console experience.

Wasdie

So you would really spend $200 more than a console to get the same experiance a console gets?

It makes no sense to me. If you're going to build a PC, build a PC. Don't build a 360.

The basics, off the top of my head.
AMD X2 4600+
2GB Corsair XMS2 DDR2
GPU was originally a 8600 GTX but I dropped in a GTX 260 a while back, so I guess the system is 2 years old, not 3. I don't know the exact cost but I figure it to be around $500, and I don't include keyboard, mouse, monitors, etc in that figure because I already had them when I bought it.

dgwutka

That's the problem. You can't assume a new PC gamer has that. I know the majority of people who are getting into PC gaming does not have any of that. Usually they are working off of a shared PC or they have a laptop.

Sure I can find you $500 of parts today that can probably play most of the games on max, but a normal person without the other parts of the PC or an operating system needs to factor that into the cost.

What I'm sayig is that PC gaming isn't nearly as cheap as the people of this forum would want you to believe. PC gaming is superior in every way but price, and I think the price is completely reasonable seeing you get way more out of a PC than you can get out of any two consoles.

Laptops?Wasdie

Those are more expensive than a console or a desktop PC.

Also did you ever think that playing with an old 2003 CRT monitor is really the same as playing with a decent LCD monitor?Wasdie

Does that mean one can joyfully add the cost of an HDTV to the cost of console gaming? You do understand that a fair share of consoles are still hooked up to CTR TVs, right?

Also did you stop to think that a lot of console gamers are stuck using a family PC? So they couldn't just build their own and strip all of the accessories from their families PC?

Wasdie

What kind of family computer is it? Is it a Pentium III or something? Because, right now, a lot of families have probably already upgraded to Core Duo PCs. A person can simply add some mid range Nvidia/Ati card to the machine and he'll be good to go.

Then again, I can see that, if pushed hard enough, you're one of those guys who like to come up with "IF YOU'RE STUCK ON A DESERT WITH ELECTRICITY AND BROADBAND INTERNET..." scenarios. So, I should probably stop arguing right now.

[QUOTE="heretrix"]

[QUOTE="Wasdie"]

I love PC gaming, I just built a brand new computer,I bought 50 games on the Steam sale for dirt cheap, I love the open platform, I love how robust the features is, but I know for a fact that nothing about PC gaming is cheap. If you want quality, you have to pay for it.

Wasdie

Games are cheap. I guess I did contradict myself there. The initial investment into PC gaming is not cheap at all, especially if you have no parts and are a normal consumer without crazy deals from people.

[QUOTE="Wasdie"]Also did you stop to think that a lot of console gamers are stuck using a family PC? So they couldn't just build their own and strip all of the accessories from their families PC?

LordQuorthon

What kind of family computer is it? Is it a Pentium III or something? Because, right now, a lot of families have probably already upgraded to Core Duo PCs. A person can simply add some mid range Nvidia/Ati card to the machine and he'll be good to go.

Then again, I can see that, if pushed hard enough, you're one of those guys who like to come up with "IF YOU'RE STUCK ON A DESERT WITH ELECTRICITY AND BROADBAND INTERNET..." scenarios. So, I should probably stop arguing right now.

Have you ever tried to do some serious gaming without your own PC? Seriously... it's not fun.

Also laptops, a lot of people get them as a present for college or as a hand-me-down. I'm just saying what I have seen in real life. I've helped many people back on my college campus get into PC gaming and it's never a quick and easy fix. It's always expensive and there are always unforseen expenses.

In a perfect world everything would be so cheap, but gaming is a luxury, nothing comes without it's price.

This is a pretty good build for $600 and will last you for a while.

$593.93

• Windows 7
• Case
• 585watt PSU
• AM2+ mobo
• 2 GB DDR2 800
• AMD 2.5ghz Quad Core Black Edition
• ATI 5770 1GB DDR5
• Keyboard + Mouse
• 250GB HDD 7200RPM
• Wireless card
• DVD RW

http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/2009/pc2.png

*NOTE* I'm sure you can even make a better one for the money, because that build was based off prices and hardware from April 2010. I'm not in the mood to go and build a rig again, but I'm sure you can do it with a GTX 460 now instead of that 5770 for around the same price.

This is a pretty good build for $600 and will last you for a while.

$593.93

• Windows 7
• Case
• 585watt PSU
• AM2+ mobo
• 2 GB DDR2 800
• AMD 2.5ghz Quad Core Black Edition
• ATI 5770 1GB DDR5
• Keyboard + Mouse
• 250GB HDD 7200RPM
• Wireless card
• DVD RW

http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/2009/pc2.png

*NOTE* I'm sure you can even make a better one for the money, because that build was based off prices and hardware from April 2010. I'm not in the mood to go and build a rig again, but I'm sure you can do it with a GTX 460 now instead of that 5770 for around the same price.

This is a pretty good build for $600 and will last you for a while.

$593.93

• Windows 7
• Case
• 585watt PSU
• AM2+ mobo
• 2 GB DDR2 800
• AMD 2.5ghz Quad Core Black Edition
• ATI 5770 1GB DDR5
• Keyboard + Mouse
• 250GB HDD 7200RPM
• Wireless card
• DVD RW

http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/2009/pc2.png

*NOTE* I'm sure you can even make a better one for the money, because that build was based off prices and hardware from April 2010. I'm not in the mood to go and build a rig again, but I'm sure you can do it with a GTX 460 now instead of that 5770 for around the same price.

If you want to get in to pc gaming I would recommend bulding a pc right the 1st time. And not go with a budget build. The reason I say this the budget pc will most likely require upgrading more often. Plus with quality parts there is less change of it going bad on you. Plus most high end parts come with life time warranties.

Aww, I wanted my thread to have a lot of console gamers to come in and cry, but it's Pc guys arguing about specs haha. carry on.

knight0151

PC gaming is all about ultra high resolutions and settings, it isn't about skimping by. That is what the consoles were made for, people who didn't want to have to skimp by with a crap PC that bearly runs the games.Wasdie

Alright I took a couple of minutes and put this together...

$604.89

• Nvidia GTX 460
• 160GB HDD 7200rpm
• Windows 7
• DVD Drive
• KB/M + speakers
• 2GB DDR2 800 Ram
• Case
• AMD Phenom 2.5Ghz quad core black edition
• AM2+ MOBO
• 680watt PSU
• FREE: Just Cause 2

http://img40.imageshack.us/img40/5535/600pc.jpg

Aww, I wanted my thread to have a lot of console gamers to come in and cry, but it's Pc guys arguing about specs haha. carry on.

knight0151