Should I get a gaming pc or stick with my xbox 360

[shaunw50]

Hey,

So I'm looking to build a pc but I'm not sure, is it worth it or should I just stick with Xbox 360?

 

[thehumanidiot]

The advantage of having a pc is that you will have much better fps and graphics...but youre going to have to pay some money to do. At least $500 for you to notice a big difference

 

[DarkSable]

It depends. If you only want to spend as much about as a 360 costs, then don't bother. If you're willing to spend $700-800, then you can build a computer that trashes games. If you spend more than that, you get godlike power.

That being said, do graphics appeal to you? Because even an entry level gaming PC is going to be a hell of a lot more powerful, and make things look WAY better, than an xbox.

The other side of it is mouse and keyboard - most PC gamers wouldn't consider using an xbox controller to game, even though it can be done. You've got a LOT more freedom in what you do with a mouse and keyboard. (They're faster AND more precise)

The other noticeable thing is that competitive games like MW3, Battlefield, ect.... are a lot faster paced on the computer, due to lack of any aim assist and the nature of the beasts. Personally, I like this better, because it cuts down on camping and makes the game more fun. A lot of people dislike it, because it gives the game a sharper learning curve.

 

[DarkSable]

Also, lemme just throw some numbers at you.

An xbox renders at 30 frames a second, at 1280x720. A lot of games (cough cough) GTA4, have to be turned down from even their minimum settings to run smoothly at that.

A medium-good gaming computer, on the other hand, renders at 60 frames a second, at 1920x1080... or higher... at ultra settings... with anti-aliasing.

 

[goodguy713]

it just depends on what your wanting to do .. realistically almost every game with a few exceptions is only 720p max resolution on a xbox 360 .. thats typically with no to little eye candy .. games look alright and play fine but even if your tv is 1080p it dosnt mean the game will also be although it will play just fine.. my point is typically your looking at 1080p or higher with pc .. and you can even connect it to your tv like you would a game console .. personally i like mouse and keyboard my self.. i also use my pc for word documents and video editing and as a media server

 

[chairsgotoschool]

without a screen and a copy of windows you can get a pc that will play and max out any game for 500-600$ if you need a monitor and windows it will add around 300$ for a total of 800-900$ pc i like more for a few reasons
1.games from xbox and ps3
2.better graphics and fps
3.cheaper in the long run, instead of buying a console everytime you just get small upgrades inbetween
4.the free games some are good some suck games like team fortress 2

 

[shaunw50]

without a screen and a copy of windows you can get a pc that will play and max out any game for 500-600$ if you need a monitor and windows it will add around 300$ for a total of 800-900$ pc i like more for a few reasons
1.games from xbox and ps3
2.better graphics and fps
3.cheaper in the long run, instead of buying a console everytime you just get small upgrades inbetween
4.the free games some are good some suck games like team fortress 2

Can you provide a list of components that can run games like BF3 on max?

 

[Supermuncher85]

Can you provide a list of components that can run games like BF3 on max?

So just to point in the right direction at this point I would recommend making a new thread, after having read this and using this form as a sort of template.

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/353572-31-build-upgrade-advice

Makes recommending a lot easier when we know where you buy (country stores), what you want to achieve, what components you already have(monitor,mouse keyboard) and most importantly what your budget is!

 

[chairsgotoschool]

Can you provide a list of components that can run games like BF3 on max?

i think the phenom II x4 will
the fx 6100 and 8100 will
the intel i5 will

ram all you need is 4gb 8 would be better

GPU the 550ti will
the 580 will
the 680 will

the 550 is only 120 bucks
if you get an fx processor you must get an am3+ mobo these will cost around 80 bucks 60 for a cheap one
the 550ti very very very very rarely will go under 30 fps on bf3 this is just me guessing benchmarks show it playing bf3 at just below 60 but those arent always right and sometimes the cpu bottlenecks it. if you want to be sure that you can run bf3 at max the 580 and 680 will work also the 660ti superclocked edition can out preform the 580 on almost everything and its around 250-300$

 

[chairsgotoschool]

youd have to be on crack to seriously consider a 550 ti over a 7750/7770

haha your right, i new there was a card like the 550ti but made by ati i though it was the 6850 but that ones isnt as good. the 7750 and 7770 are both great they have around the same power but of course since its ati it has double the overclocking ability

i havent used either but they seem nice. i have used the 550ti and can tell you it isnt as bad as most people think. i dont know why people assume its bad but its really not

anyway the 7750 and 7770 are better and around the same price so i would recomend those instead

 

[shaunw50]

the 550 ti isnt terrible persay, but the 7750/7770 both DESTROY it at STOCK and when overclocked well, you get the picture... Did i mention they are cheaper and consume less than half the power?

FYI
Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt, i could barely decipher that random assortment of characters that your post consists of.

I need help with the GPU, I want a gpu that can handle games like battlefield on max. Was thinking of MSI GTX 670 Power edition but hearing recent talk I am scared it will break in like 1-2years.

 

[chairsgotoschool]

I need help with the GPU, I want a gpu that can handle games like battlefield on max. Was thinking of MSI GTX 670 Power edition but hearing recent talk I am scared it will break in like 1-2years.

if i remember right msi doesnt make quality cards. what would your budget be on a GPU? if im not mistake the 670 is almost 500 bucks and you might as well go with the 680 or the 580

on the ati/amd side the 7970 is also around 500 bucks and I think (could be wrong) it is better than the 580, I am not sure about the 680 plus with that you get the extreme overclocking ability just in case you ever want to

edit: if your worried about power usage then go with a power friendly card there are plenty out there but just know you give up power for it. I think that ati/amd has better power friendly cards

@jrgong if you really couldn't tell what i said then please go back to 5th grade, or just give up on English and learn something else. I know i made plenty of mistakes in it, but it is still very read-able

 

[nstiver]

Looks like people covered the basics pretty well. One advantage to PC gaming no one else brought up is that there are certian games that are PC only. These also happen to be my favorite. The entire genre of Real Time Strategy gaming is almost entirely PC based. Also, I think the keyboard and mouse give you better control than game-pad.

 

[catatafish]

Great comments so far, but one thing left to mention. If you like playing BF3, MMOs, or other FPS for hours on end, by all means, GET THE PC!!! But for things like inviting 3 of your buddies over to play sports games, racing games, etc. consoles are a lot more party friendly.

 

[raytseng]

what do your friends play? this includes online too, not just in person.

 

[SugarFreeBrowny]

What really made me decide to build my first gaming PC was that I thought about price and the long run. The way I looked at it was I could build a good gaming system for $800 and be able to play games on high and medium settings because I don't need the ultra, for the next 4-5 years. That is fine with me. Say you buy the Xbox One, $500. You then will probably pay for xbox live for the next 4-5 years also at $60 a year. That is another $300, BAM! You are at what it cost to build a good gaming rig and then when it is time to upgrade, you spend maybe $200-300 for the bigger items and $100 or less on smaller ones.

Games are also cheaper and the amount of amazing indie games is awesome.

I don't know. I like console gaming, but I think I will enjoy my PC more.