Would a ~$650 PC Beat Next-Gen Consoles?

[rickytheman]

tl;dr after the paragraph

Hello, I am currently a primarily console gamer (X360). I enjoy the typical games such as BF3 and Skyrim, and have been content with console gaming this generation. Originally my plan was to buy the Xbox and continue gaming the only way I used to know it. However, when the Xbone was announced and general specs were released, I had nothing but an empty feeling. I looked at the PS4, but I didn't find that particularly appealing either. I knew there had to be another option and being a former WoW player I decided to look into PC gaming. After reading many forums and articles about it, I realized the best choice both financially and technically speaking was to go PC. However, I am stuck and although I am good with computers and have replaced/added components, I do not have the knowledge in gaming PCs that I would like.

tl;dr Past console gamer, changing to PC, couple of questions to ask

1. Is there any reason that a ~$650 PC with superior hardware would not be able to perform at above or at least as good as next-gen consoles. For example, could I not upgrade the PC for the full generation of consoles and at least stay equivalent with the console.

2. Wouldn't it be beneficial to go with an AMD octo-core processor as opposed to a Intel I5 quad-core as the next-gen consoles will be running eight cores?

3. Should I wait until November/December build my PC? Would prices change much by then as some parts could potentially be bought during Black Friday/Cyber Monday?

Thanks in advance for the help I really appreciate it.

 

[chulex67]

Almost any Videocard that its more than 150 usd, will beat the next consoles.

 

[SNA3]

tl;dr after the paragraph
1. Is there any reason that a ~$650 PC with superior hardware would not be able to perform at above or at least as good as next-gen consoles. For example, could I not upgrade the PC for the full generation of consoles and at least stay equivalent with the console.

2. Wouldn't it be beneficial to go with an AMD octo-core processor as opposed to a Intel I5 quad-core as the next-gen consoles will be running eight cores?

3. Should I wait until November/December build my PC? Would prices change much by then as some parts could potentially be bought during Black Friday/Cyber Monday?

Thanks in advance for the help I really appreciate it.

1- a 650$ PC will not have a 8 core and high end GPU or even a middle GPU ... so it will not out perform the PS4 in a big margin , you need to talk $800+ , further more , a 650$ wont include Controller nor a Blue ray , nor Wifi , those you should count in .. the Controller alone is $60 , and you wont have Virtual controller with sensors .. thats alone $100
so your calculations are out of price , people forget about the accessories that comes with the PS4 ...

2- Going AMD 8 cores is better just for one thing, cheaper PC .. the i7 outperforms the AMD FX , and has 8 threads as well so if the games will use 8 threads , the i7 will do it easy and outperform the FX , both are X86 chips so the optimization will work on both.

3- when you buy is your choice ...

and finally , the PS4 will have PhysX support , so you better get nvidia GPU and not AMD , expect all future games to take advantage of physX

there is somthing else here , when they make a game for PS4 , they will do it working ! if they see the need to lower some graphics to make it smoother they will do it coz they will sell the games on one Platform.

The same game however on PC might not work , and might ask you for more hardware ... or force you to play at 10 frames per seconds ... so you cant really have the same fun ... you will need more than $650 gaming PC .. at least a 770 GTX to survive the 3 next years games ... while all the games on PS4 will be designed to work even in the 6 next years at good FPS ... you will never be able to run games smooth after say 3 years on the same $650 PC ... forget that . but on a console you will , at the sacrifice of some Visuals .. look at Halo4 for example , it is beautifull and it works .. on a garbage hardware by today standards.

my Advice is , if you want to become a PC gamer , spend more than $800

or Just get PS4 ...

 

[Eyedeology]

I just skimmed through your post, but to answer a few of your questions:

1) Yes, a $650 rig will be far superior to the next gen consoles. AMD typically is easier to futureproof due to socket types, but yes, you would very easily be able to upgrade and far surpass any consoles if need be.

2) I do not believe you would be able to build a gaming PC using Intel for $650. As for the 8 core, I have not read anything about games being designed for oct core, but I would assume Intel would have caught wind and started designing i5's with 8 cores, so as of now I think its safe to go for a 4/6 core.

3) Probably. With AMD's 8000 series gfx coming out soon, 7000 series cards will likely drop in price, with nVidia cards following suit to compete. Also, it would be a wise decision to pick parts up on BF/CM, just make SURE your parts are compatible, and that you only buy parts you were planning on buying anyways.

Hope this helps!

 

[manofchalk]

1. If you can find good deals, you can probably beat out the next gen consoles in terms of sheer grunt. How much optimization will effect the consoles performance is unknown though, so you could get a machine that is on par with the consoles after a year or two.

2. Not really, for gaming stronger threads (one core = 1 thread, except for i7's) is still more important than more threads. Thats not to say AMD have no use though, right now the FX-6300 is a great chip in its price-range.

3. Whether you wait is up to you. Waiting for Cyber Monday could be a good idea, especially considering your budget.
In that time, the HD8/9000 series (who knows, AMD are very tight lipped on this and rumours point in every direction) will release and also the rest of AMD's new chips will probably drop. By then chances are we will see Haswell i3's as well which could change my FX-6300 recommendation.
In short, its too far ahead and too much is happening to really guess how everything will stack up by then.

 

[rickytheman]

Honestly thank you for taking the time to write your responses.

However, I'd like to clear up why I even mentioned getting an AMD FX-8320 over an Intel i5. I understand that Intel CPUs have much stronger threads and today they deliver better gaming performance, but since the new consoles are equipped with eight core processors with the same architecture as a PC so wouldn't the ports from console tend to be better optimized for the eight core CPUs?

 

[Tavo_Nova]

this is no monitor but should be playable in a couple of years you might need to tone down some settings to low. got a win7, odd, 1tb hdd, i3. your choice. (8gb ram)

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1luBr

 

[manofchalk]

They will be optimized for greater multi-threading, not necessarily capable of wielding all 8 threads. Currently games can only take advantage of two, with your outliers like BF3, Crysis type games weakly utilizing the 3rd and 4th.
Multi-threading in games will become more elevant, but I dont think it will happen anytime soon.