Difficult Choice Buying a PC

ryanscott231293 · Jun 25, 2013

Hi Guys - don't worry, this isn't a hate thread.

Ive picked a hell of a time to get involved in PC gaming, and before I order my rig, I just need some help weighing up the pros and cons of buying one - I would also like to have a discussion about pc gaming, and its future from your perspective.

My Potential Specs Are

Nvidia GTX 660
Corsair 1600mhz 9-9-9-9-24 Ram
8gb
WD Blue 3TB
I7 4770K processor intel
Dvd Rom Drive for installing games
Asus z87 Pro Motherboard

BTW, do I really need to invest in an SSD? are load times that bad?

Im going to use my PC for graphics design and Software Development - (im a junior software developer).

But I would also like to use it for PC games, especially strategy and RPGS

I just really want to know if it is worth buying a PC just for pretty graphics, and the kind of games that are coming out for PC - I just want to know that im making the right choice, as I am very apprehensive and unsure, even after a couple of months research.

I also have some more questions

Is the desktop PC market dwindling, and if so, will this have an effect on the availability of software to Desktop PC owners?

Im just thinking long term - upgrades don't worry me, but how am I to upgrade if desktops stop being supported for the scourge which is tablet based computing?

At the end of the day, am I better off building a £1000 gaming rig, or just settling for a laptop (which are nowhere near as powerful?

random stalker · Jun 25, 2013

well, first off - you don't need an i7, i5 is more than enough /as long as you don't stream your gameplay and cut a lot videos for youtube/

second - SSD - yes and no, as no, you don't really need it; and yes, it will help you speed up your system (as it will start faster and you will notice the difference when you start your programs form it and also it will help you when you process large psd)

third - you know, PC is a pack mule - designed to work and play games. No tablet now and in the near future can beat a decent PC with 30" calibrated monitor. So, you don't need to fear them.
Also, tablets are generally thought to consume content, opposed to PC which actually create content

and last - dunno: do you need to move around? If yes, get a laptop; if you already got a decent one (and/or you don't need to move around) get a PC.

manofchalk · Jun 25, 2013

Check out the just released GTX760, its a good alternative to the GTX660 you have selected right now.

SSD's are more useful as a boot/program drive, which Windows and your most commonly used programs are stored on. And yes, it really does make a difference, the boot times are far shorter and the machine just feels a lot snappier to use. Games dont benefit outside of load times, so largely useless with some exceptions (Skyrim, Fallout 3).
It really is a night and day difference using an SSD based machine, using a HDD based machine is just frustrating for me now.

Whether a PC is worth buying just for pretty graphics...
Well how much is pretty graphics worth to you? Though if your doing Graphic Design, then I imagine yes :lol:.

The desktop PC market is going nowhere any time quickly, no matter how fast tablets and laptops become desktops will always be there at the top. Its market share may be shrinking, but that's because until recently it only had laptops to compete with, and they weren't all that good. Now we have better laptops, smart phones and tablets muscling into the market so it would seem that the PC market is declining.

Also, we are hitting the point where what we have is good enough. Moore's law predicts a doubling of processing power every 18 months, in the past this actually meant something. Now, the average machine has enough processing power to do the average things just fine.
People are running old Pentium machines to browse Facebook and will never upgrade because they just don't need too, a better machine just wont benefit them over what they have. The PC upgrade cycle is getting longer, mobile technologies have a far shorter lifecycle which is why there's so much money in them right now.

ryanscott231293 · Jun 25, 2013

manofchalk :

Check out the just released GTX760, its a good alternative to the GTX660 you have selected right now.

SSD's are more useful as a boot/program drive, which Windows and your most commonly used programs are stored on. And yes, it really does make a difference, the boot times are far shorter and the machine just feels a lot snappier to use. Games dont benefit outside of load times, so largely useless with some exceptions (Skyrim, Fallout 3).
It really is a night and day difference using an SSD based machine, using a HDD based machine is just frustrating for me now.

Whether a PC is worth buying just for pretty graphics...
Well how much is pretty graphics worth to you? Though if your doing Graphic Design, then I imagine yes :lol:.

The desktop PC market is going nowhere any time quickly, no matter how fast tablets and laptops become desktops will always be there at the top. Its market share may be shrinking, but that's because until recently it only had laptops to compete with, and they weren't all that good. Now we have better laptops, smart phones and tablets muscling into the market so it would seem that the PC market is declining.

Also, we are hitting the point where what we have is good enough. Moore's law predicts a doubling of processing power every 18 months, in the past this actually meant something. Now, the average machine has enough processing power to do the average things just fine.
People are running old Pentium machines to browse Facebook and will never upgrade because they just don't need too, a better machine just wont benefit them over what they have. The PC upgrade cycle is getting longer, mobile technologies have a far shorter lifecycle which is why there's so much money in them right now.

Thing that concerns me the most is that people like Microsoft are adopting marketing strategies which prevent software from being made available on desktop pc - how does this factor in

BTW thanks for your answer - its very informative

manofchalk · Jun 25, 2013

An example of said software strategy would be good, as I have not heard anything like that. At least not without some technical reason like processing architecture.

burdenbound · Jun 25, 2013

I wouldn't worry about the future of the PC, when you hear this in the news they are referring to companies like HP and Dell which pump out entry level consumer PCs. When you build your own with high quality parts it's a whole different ball game, I have yet to find someone who I have introduced to making their own rig that has regretted it. It becomes a hobby and much more enjoyable than simply getting a game console.

SSD isn't necessary at all but they are awesome. Once you experience it all other computers feel sluggish, so in a way it might spoil you lol.

The PC gaming market is better than it has ever been and with the next generation consoles using an x86 architecture we should be expecting more games bleed over from consoles that work correctly on PC.

I say go for it, you won't regret it. And if you go with an AMD based GPU you will get 3-4 free AAA games to get you started on the right path

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Difficult Choice Buying a PC

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