Why spend $1500.00 or more to updrade your PC nowdays? My friend brought over his Xbox $399.00 and its awesome - the graphics look just as good if not better then my 3000.00 dollar year old PC. Same games, more released every day. Last time i'm spending 1000 bucks or more to upgrade my pc. I'll just leave it for MS Office and web surfing - XBOX for games
That's It ! Screw PC upgrade $$$$ just buy an XBOX 360
- Thread starter pcjim
- Start date
xxsk8er101xx
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necrid
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I was debating saving up for a pc or getting a 360. the problem is i saved for a pc i would have no games to play basically for a year (until i get funds for a pc) since my pc is too old now. Decided to grab the 360 after seeing gow and vegas. After buying the games and controllers and warranty etc 700 bucks later. I thought gears of war was gonna keep me entertained for a long time but it only lasted me 2-3 months and that was it. Rest of the games held no interest whatsoever because I kept thinking about the fact of gaming with a mouse and keyboard is 10000x better. I end up playing arcade games like umk3 tmnt when im bored on there now since I'm not interested in the current games list.
My advice to you is to make sure there is a solid list of games currently that you will enjoy for a solid amount of time! I regret getting my 360, coulda had the money now for a sweet pc.
My advice to you is to make sure there is a solid list of games currently that you will enjoy for a solid amount of time! I regret getting my 360, coulda had the money now for a sweet pc.
I dont know what computer you talking about because I am building an awesome pc for only 800 bucks. 900 if I want the 8800 GTS 320mb. If you want good graphics and on a budget, get a Xbox 360. If you love PC, build one. If you wanna do both, then do both. I got a friend who build a gamer pc and bought an Xbox 360. I want one now that I know it can connect with my media center pc, lol.
rallyimprezive
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- Jul 18, 2007
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I know this is an old thread, but I dont think the OP is really that far off base.
Here is my reasoning:
I currently have an AMD 64 3500+ with a 939 socket. I am running a 7800 GT.
Lets just say I wanted to play Colin McRae: DIRT. My current machien will not run the game well at all.
Id need a new processor first off, and since the 939 socket is not used anymore, ill need a new motherboard. And Since DDR2 is the standard on new motherboards, ill need new memory too. And of course the 8800GTS 320MB. So lets add this all up, using prices from a really popular site.
AMD X2 64 6000+ $170
ASUS nVidia m/B $150
2GB of OCZ DDR2 $120
nVidia 8800GTS 320MB $280
sweet! Ready to go right? No. Not yet. My powersupply is not going to be powerful enough for the new video card, so I need to buy one of those too.
OCZ ModxStream 780w $180.
Ok cool, ready? No, not yet. My new video card supports Directx 10, and so do some of my games!! Guess I better upgrade to Vista so I can utilize this sweet technology..I mean, I paid for it right?
Windows Vista Home Premium OEM $115.00
Ready now?! Ya sure. But half of my applications dont work under Vista. And some of my hardware needs new drivers, which may or may not be available yet. AND Vista eats memory faster than alzheimers, so I should probably get 2 more GBs so that my sweet games still have enough memory for all those fancy textures. And after all that, if im lucky, the game will install and run.
But wait, the game doesnt run, it blue screens. Hmm. So I have to download the latest patch and install that. Ok done. But crap, my joystick doesnt work under Vista, and my older Soundcard wont run EAX under Vista.
So after much frustration, I get the game and all my peripherals working....but the game is still slow. After much research, I discover that my harddrive is now the culprit. Not only is it full of 4GB games, but its seek time is slow, and the throuput is now a bottle neck. Guess I need a fast SATAII harddrive.
Creative XFi Fatality $180
SATA II HDD $100
So now i Have spent $1115.
I havent covered the cost of games, the cost of taxes and/or shipping. And I havent covered the time that was spent installing everything, updating drivers, BIOS, firmware, etc. And after all of this, in a few months, nVidia will release the new nVidia GeForce 9000GTX or something, and my 8800GTS will no longer be new. And then a new slew of games will be released, and my $1115s of upgrades will not be good enough. If that isnt enough, keep in mind that you may also have to buy a new case, or a new DVD rom, or if you are feeling wealthy, you can get a Blu-Ray or HD-DVD drive.
OR
You can spent $499 for a Playstation 3.
And start playing games the same day.
As a bonus, the PS3 comes with a blu-ray player.
For me, the choice is easy.
Here is my reasoning:
I currently have an AMD 64 3500+ with a 939 socket. I am running a 7800 GT.
Lets just say I wanted to play Colin McRae: DIRT. My current machien will not run the game well at all.
Id need a new processor first off, and since the 939 socket is not used anymore, ill need a new motherboard. And Since DDR2 is the standard on new motherboards, ill need new memory too. And of course the 8800GTS 320MB. So lets add this all up, using prices from a really popular site.
AMD X2 64 6000+ $170
ASUS nVidia m/B $150
2GB of OCZ DDR2 $120
nVidia 8800GTS 320MB $280
sweet! Ready to go right? No. Not yet. My powersupply is not going to be powerful enough for the new video card, so I need to buy one of those too.
OCZ ModxStream 780w $180.
Ok cool, ready? No, not yet. My new video card supports Directx 10, and so do some of my games!! Guess I better upgrade to Vista so I can utilize this sweet technology..I mean, I paid for it right?
Windows Vista Home Premium OEM $115.00
Ready now?! Ya sure. But half of my applications dont work under Vista. And some of my hardware needs new drivers, which may or may not be available yet. AND Vista eats memory faster than alzheimers, so I should probably get 2 more GBs so that my sweet games still have enough memory for all those fancy textures. And after all that, if im lucky, the game will install and run.
But wait, the game doesnt run, it blue screens. Hmm. So I have to download the latest patch and install that. Ok done. But crap, my joystick doesnt work under Vista, and my older Soundcard wont run EAX under Vista.
So after much frustration, I get the game and all my peripherals working....but the game is still slow. After much research, I discover that my harddrive is now the culprit. Not only is it full of 4GB games, but its seek time is slow, and the throuput is now a bottle neck. Guess I need a fast SATAII harddrive.
Creative XFi Fatality $180
SATA II HDD $100
So now i Have spent $1115.
I havent covered the cost of games, the cost of taxes and/or shipping. And I havent covered the time that was spent installing everything, updating drivers, BIOS, firmware, etc. And after all of this, in a few months, nVidia will release the new nVidia GeForce 9000GTX or something, and my 8800GTS will no longer be new. And then a new slew of games will be released, and my $1115s of upgrades will not be good enough. If that isnt enough, keep in mind that you may also have to buy a new case, or a new DVD rom, or if you are feeling wealthy, you can get a Blu-Ray or HD-DVD drive.
OR
You can spent $499 for a Playstation 3.
And start playing games the same day.
As a bonus, the PS3 comes with a blu-ray player.
For me, the choice is easy.
llama_man
Splendid
- Jan 12, 2006
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An interesting analysis, but a few comments...
1. Why on earth would you buy a $180 sound card? Creative make OEM models that are excellent for a third of the cost. Anything with the "Fatal1ty" tag are usually overpriced gimmicks.
2. Secondly, the most demanding thing in most new games is the graphics rendering, rather than other computational demands. My old single-core Athlon can still run pretty much anything I throw at it as long as the graphics card is up-to-date. What I'm getting at is this; whilst building your first PC will involve laying down a fair wad of cash, you future upgrades will be for graphics cards rather than having to do a full upgrade - at least for a while.
3. You also haven't taken into account that console games are a LOT more expensive than PC games (at least here in the UK they are). New console games are typically $45+, whereas PC games are at most £35, and typically you can pick up deals on play.com etc for £20. If you buy, say, half a dozen games a year, that's £150 a year saved.
4. PCs have other benefits besides playing games. If you want any of that, you'd also need to buy a cheap PC to go with your console. When you take into account the cost of a cheap PC and console and compare it to a gaming PC, the cost benefit of a console starts to disappear, especially when you consider the cost of games (see point 3 above).
5. If you play any MMORPG or RTS games (two of the most popular types of games), you need a PC. If you play FPS games (another popular type), the PC gives you the option of keyboard and mouse, which for many is the preferred option.
Frankly, I think the PC is an excellent gaming machine, as long as you have the tech savvy to keep the thing running well (e.g. remembering to defrag and update drivers). The only console that would tempt me is the Wii, due to it's novel controller. I hope someone develops something similar for the PC, but I'm not holding my breath.
1. Why on earth would you buy a $180 sound card? Creative make OEM models that are excellent for a third of the cost. Anything with the "Fatal1ty" tag are usually overpriced gimmicks.
2. Secondly, the most demanding thing in most new games is the graphics rendering, rather than other computational demands. My old single-core Athlon can still run pretty much anything I throw at it as long as the graphics card is up-to-date. What I'm getting at is this; whilst building your first PC will involve laying down a fair wad of cash, you future upgrades will be for graphics cards rather than having to do a full upgrade - at least for a while.
3. You also haven't taken into account that console games are a LOT more expensive than PC games (at least here in the UK they are). New console games are typically $45+, whereas PC games are at most £35, and typically you can pick up deals on play.com etc for £20. If you buy, say, half a dozen games a year, that's £150 a year saved.
4. PCs have other benefits besides playing games. If you want any of that, you'd also need to buy a cheap PC to go with your console. When you take into account the cost of a cheap PC and console and compare it to a gaming PC, the cost benefit of a console starts to disappear, especially when you consider the cost of games (see point 3 above).
5. If you play any MMORPG or RTS games (two of the most popular types of games), you need a PC. If you play FPS games (another popular type), the PC gives you the option of keyboard and mouse, which for many is the preferred option.
Frankly, I think the PC is an excellent gaming machine, as long as you have the tech savvy to keep the thing running well (e.g. remembering to defrag and update drivers). The only console that would tempt me is the Wii, due to it's novel controller. I hope someone develops something similar for the PC, but I'm not holding my breath.
rallyimprezive
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Interesting counter-analysis. 
I agree with most of what you said. And to be fair, I am Systems Admin/Desktop Support guy. So when I get home, the last thing I want to do is spend time fixing my own machine. I am perhaps baised in that respect.
I also agree that the PC certainly does provide a lot more options. And it is more verstile.
More than anything the PC vs Console is more of a personal preference than anything. We all have our reasons, and many are valid.
In the end, for me, I play games to relax, and lately running games on my PC has not been relaxing. =) Im fed up.
Also, regarding FPS games, doesnt the PS3 accept a keyboard and mouse? I dont own a PS3 yet, but I have read that you can use a USB k/b and mouse. Is that correct?
I agree with most of what you said. And to be fair, I am Systems Admin/Desktop Support guy. So when I get home, the last thing I want to do is spend time fixing my own machine. I am perhaps baised in that respect.
I also agree that the PC certainly does provide a lot more options. And it is more verstile.
More than anything the PC vs Console is more of a personal preference than anything. We all have our reasons, and many are valid.
In the end, for me, I play games to relax, and lately running games on my PC has not been relaxing. =) Im fed up.
Also, regarding FPS games, doesnt the PS3 accept a keyboard and mouse? I dont own a PS3 yet, but I have read that you can use a USB k/b and mouse. Is that correct?
aziraphale
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:lol:
stromm
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I've always been a PC gamer (since back when in the commodore PET days of 1977). I bought a Wii on Dec 26 last year. Wasn't going to but the wife had noticed I was reading a lot about them on my laptop and said "Why do you go tomorrow and see if they have any and get one?". I only asked "Are you sure?" ONCE
Needless to say, it's AWSOME. Who cares that the graphics aren't PC/360/PS3 quality. Not me. I play the damn thing every weekend with the neighbors (I built an outdoor projection screen using 2 painted 4x8 sheets of whiteboard). My kids play it more than I do and my son bought his 360 about the same time I bought the Wii.
It's funny when their friends come over and play the 360 for 30 minutes or so and then stand in front of me looking at me... "Can we play the Wii?"
A 360 can't compete with a cutting edge pc and thats why the pc still rules.
Crysis is pc only for that reason although speculation continues about whether or not there might be a future port of a cut down version.
Official word though in latest interviews is that its pc only.
Crysis is pc only for that reason although speculation continues about whether or not there might be a future port of a cut down version.
Official word though in latest interviews is that its pc only.
jkflipflop98
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- Feb 3, 2006
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Ignorance is bliss. Putting a console against a PC in any comparison is apples and oranges. They can’t be compared (especially cost wise). Why? I can think of hundreds of reasons. The main one being that a PC is not 'simply' designated to play games. There are a multitude of other applications that you couldn’t dream of running on your console. If I was to come up with a percentage of how much time I am on my PC is gaming compared to other tasts (i.e. decoding, Photoshop, movie editing...) It would be 10%. And if I was to compare PC gaming time to Console gaming time it would be 90:10.
But since people do compare them, I will interject my own opinion here.
I have both a PS3 and an Xbox 360. Between the two, I have spent more than twice as much as my PC costs. And I have spent Way less time on any of the two compared to my PC. Those of you who are thrilled with your consoles and don’t mind the limitations, lackluster options and expenses, fine, But please do me a favor and don’t slander PC, or bitch and whine about how much it costs. Take what you have and go with it. You don’t see me crying in new posts about how I jumped to a conclusion based on limited experience and a slim pocket book.
If you where to really put this comparison into retrospect, I would compare a console to a video card. Both are required for games, and almost any PC now-a-days only require a videocard upgrade over everything else to be on the same level. That’s a much more logical way to look at it. But, there are other arguable factors, and my original point was to not compare them.
-Excuse my grammar errors, Im at work and trying to avoid the boss :lol:
But since people do compare them, I will interject my own opinion here.
I have both a PS3 and an Xbox 360. Between the two, I have spent more than twice as much as my PC costs. And I have spent Way less time on any of the two compared to my PC. Those of you who are thrilled with your consoles and don’t mind the limitations, lackluster options and expenses, fine, But please do me a favor and don’t slander PC, or bitch and whine about how much it costs. Take what you have and go with it. You don’t see me crying in new posts about how I jumped to a conclusion based on limited experience and a slim pocket book.
If you where to really put this comparison into retrospect, I would compare a console to a video card. Both are required for games, and almost any PC now-a-days only require a videocard upgrade over everything else to be on the same level. That’s a much more logical way to look at it. But, there are other arguable factors, and my original point was to not compare them.
-Excuse my grammar errors, Im at work and trying to avoid the boss :lol:
williamfontaine
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- Apr 21, 2007
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For real-time games, mouse+keyboard controls are 9 million times better than gamepads. Enough said.
cafuddled
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- Mar 13, 2006
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Hmmm…
Xbox360:
1. Consol - £280
2. 32” HDTV - £400
3. Extra spent on 10 new 360 games over 10 new PC games - £150
4. Xbox Live Gold - £60 per year
Total = £830 ($1660) + £60 prescription to play games online.
PC:
1. Monitor 22” Wide Screen - £150
2. Main Unit (DX10 8800GTS with 2GB of memory + Dual Core) £600
Total = £750 ($1500)
Now what do you get for your money?
With the Xbox:
1. You get the ability to play games online for a fee of £60 a year
2. You get an extremely poor quality games console
3. A games selection which and lets be honest here, that is very limited
4. DVD only capability for watching movies (no compressed formats, unless you have a PC of course)
5. Games that cost £10 - £20 more than the PC counterpart.
With a PC:
1. You get the Internet and everything on it with almost 100% compatibility
2. A Huge list of games, new and old dating back to the early 90’s
3. Constant updates to the PC hardware (making things run faster)
4. Game patches if game has a critical flaw does not entail a recall of the game or the company putting up with it
5. 3rd party modifications for PC games
6. The ability to use the PC as a home theatre with out any additional costs or equipment needed.
7. Ease of updating hardware components with out the need for a full system replacement
You can of course spend thousands on a PC but then you can spend very little to get the desired effect too. You also need to keep in mind that a PC can be upgraded, for example my PC has not been upgraded in about 3 years. I can spend £370 today and get a PC with 2GB’s of memory an 8800GTX 768MB with a Athlon64 3500+ with a Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS Platinum Pro.
With that simple upgrade I will be in the top 10% of PC gamers out there as far as performance is concerned. And to top that off the last upgrade I done on the PC only cost me £400 too with the memory being increased to 2GB’s the 1700+ being replaced with a 3500+ and the 9800Pro being replaced by a X800 XT PE.
Xbox360:
1. Consol - £280
2. 32” HDTV - £400
3. Extra spent on 10 new 360 games over 10 new PC games - £150
4. Xbox Live Gold - £60 per year
Total = £830 ($1660) + £60 prescription to play games online.
PC:
1. Monitor 22” Wide Screen - £150
2. Main Unit (DX10 8800GTS with 2GB of memory + Dual Core) £600
Total = £750 ($1500)
Now what do you get for your money?
With the Xbox:
1. You get the ability to play games online for a fee of £60 a year
2. You get an extremely poor quality games console
3. A games selection which and lets be honest here, that is very limited
4. DVD only capability for watching movies (no compressed formats, unless you have a PC of course)
5. Games that cost £10 - £20 more than the PC counterpart.
With a PC:
1. You get the Internet and everything on it with almost 100% compatibility
2. A Huge list of games, new and old dating back to the early 90’s
3. Constant updates to the PC hardware (making things run faster)
4. Game patches if game has a critical flaw does not entail a recall of the game or the company putting up with it
5. 3rd party modifications for PC games
6. The ability to use the PC as a home theatre with out any additional costs or equipment needed.
7. Ease of updating hardware components with out the need for a full system replacement
You can of course spend thousands on a PC but then you can spend very little to get the desired effect too. You also need to keep in mind that a PC can be upgraded, for example my PC has not been upgraded in about 3 years. I can spend £370 today and get a PC with 2GB’s of memory an 8800GTX 768MB with a Athlon64 3500+ with a Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS Platinum Pro.
With that simple upgrade I will be in the top 10% of PC gamers out there as far as performance is concerned. And to top that off the last upgrade I done on the PC only cost me £400 too with the memory being increased to 2GB’s the 1700+ being replaced with a 3500+ and the 9800Pro being replaced by a X800 XT PE.
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