What if my $300 PC is better than your $400 console?
What if it had more utilities than just gaming and streaming?
What if my $1500 PC built 5 years ago has been more capable than multiple generations of consoles that have been released since? My brother has bought like 3 XBoxes in the same amount of time and my PC still outpaces it by a pretty wide margin.
5 years ago
multiple generations of consoles
There has only been one generation of consoles released since.
The Switch successor might count as another generation if that comes out this year, though, and it would also be a sad state of affairs if your PC wasn’t more powerful than mobile hardware so that’s basically a given, I’ll give you that.
Didn’t they release several different versions of the Xbox in that time? Like technically the same “generation” or whatever but upgrading a few minor things like storage and such?
2020 was the release of ps5 and “xbox series x” (and also the cheaper “xbox series s” model that has since proven incapable of playing certain xbox titles, holding the whole xbox platform back; see baldur’s gate)
no new consoles have been released since and it will be at least 3+ years before a new generation of consoles arrives (meaning one that has games the previous model can’t play)
Here’s what I’m talking about: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xbox#Comparison
The XBox One came out in 2013, but then starting in 2016, they started releasing a series of other XBoxes with incremental upgrades. The “One S” and “One X” within a year of each other, then the “Series S” and “Series X” in 2020. It looks like the CPU and GPU get upgraded along the way, but none of them is nearly as powerful as the PC I’ve had through that time period, nor as capable considering I can do more than play games on it.
What’s your PC specs, and let us check it. :) And what year did you buy your PC?
my mobile PC cost $600 and is more powerful than the next gen switch.
Pc gamers when their 350$ handheld laptop has a bigger library, more backwards compatibility, and cross platform access without any monthly subscriptions.
Don’t forget the mods, console fanboys only get their approved mods while PC gets the wild west experience
Don’t forget console commands to work around a bug in a quest. Or summon items. Or respawn accidentally killed NPCs.
If I can’t play stalker gamma on it it’s basically worthless
I can pirate very easily too - probably saved me about $3k in game costs alone while still having a way larger legit library than 99% of Consol owners
I’ve had three gaming PCs and spent maybe $10K in computer parts in the last fifteen years. I know I’ve definitely saved more than that versus having a console.
If you got every major console of one manufacturer during those 15 years you’d have like 3 consoles. That’s less than 2k
Now factor in the game costs. The thread is about piracy.
They only talked about “computer parts”. In any case, I highly doubt most ppl would spend 8k on console games.
8k over 15 years comes out to about 9 games per year. Not that doubtful at all. In any case, the point is piracy gets you more games for less money.
denuvo has changed this somewhat
The only thing denuvo has done was delay games a bit for me.
PC is cheaper in the long run.
You don’t need new controllers or any proprietary accessories when switching console and you can buy games on steam sales (which can be insanely cheaper).
You can also update your pc if you want it to last a bit longer.
I think consoles made more sense back then. If you like your console that’s fine, but I’m pretty sure pc is much cheaper and last longer when you consider all those factors.
I know it’s a meme, but you don’t need $3K for decent gaming PC unless you want overkill performance. If you get components on sale, you can build something pretty good for $600 to $700 (excluding monitor, mouse and keyboard). You just be patient and fool around on pcpartpicker.
You aren’t getting a “pretty good” gaming PC for $600-$700, be serious now. That doesn’t invalidate most of your other points, but your exaggerations weaken your message.
Here you go, bud. https://pcpartpicker.com/list/N3cVgB
This matches my $2,000+ build from 6 years ago. I still use it today, and I have no plans to upgrade still. It runs modern games at at least 50-80 fps at 4k.
This build is $652.99. It doesn’t include windows, but I paid $19 for windows pro, and Linux is free.
That’s very impressive for that price, though I am highly skeptical of those framerates since my PC has better specs and doesn’t get that without some serious compromises in settings. How are you getting a Windows Pro license for $19? I use linux 99% of the time, but I’d love to have a pro license on the cheap.
It depends on the title. Obviously it’ll run terraria at 4k but Cyberpunk obviously won’t. Consoles do the same thing though and just lower the resolution for difficult titles.
Cyberpunk runs at something like 50-70 fps, if memory serves. It’s high enough that it doesn’t bother me, but it could be better for sure.
I am running that on very high settings, too. That’s a game where you want everything way up. I don’t know if I used the literal highest, but the hdr (after a lot of manual tinkering) looks fanatastic.
They are very real framerates, I assure you. It really depends on the game, though. Most recently, Palworld has been flowing at around 70fps or higher, but I’m using the second highest settings, not the very highest.
I purchased the windows pro key off a third party website last Black Friday. I already had a license, and I just wanted the encryption! I just googled it, and ostensibly found another one for $35. They are a thing, oddly enough. Just be sure to research where you’re buying it so you don’t get scammed.
If you aren’t going to use Win Pro for anything important, you could always run massgrave and unlock it for free.
I’m serious. You won’t have ray tracing shenanigans or whatnot, but you’ll run everything 1080p at max settings smoothly. You just need to wait for components to be on sale (especially the gpu and the cpu). Like I said, it doesn’t include peripherals. That’s what I did, it totally can be done.
Since you’re serious, I’d be very curious to see the part list for this if you have the time. I am quite aware of current prices and GPU prices are currently still rather bonkers, even with sales.
I’ve double checked and while I think it’s still perfectly reasonable, it would be more something between $700 and $800. I’ve made two mistakes: I slightly overestimated the conversion rate from CAD to USD and I didn’t factor in the fact that I didn’t have to buy a pc case and a power supply.
Ryzen 5 ($140) on amazon
Radeon 6650xt ($229) on canadacomputers
Msi B550-A Pro ($111) on canadacomputers
T-Force Vulcan [8gb x 4] ($80) one pair on amazon another one on canadacomputers
I checked quickly and I was able to fit the rest (SSD, case, power supply) for something around $760ish.
The cpu and the gpu were bought during a Christmas sale and the rest was bought later. This was bought about two years ago (a bit after the time gpus were insanely overpriced).
I’m going to second this, with a couple asterisks. $800 for the computer is probably about where you get the most bang for your buck in terms of AA/AAA gaming, but you will still need peripherals - keyboard/mouse, speakers/headset, and a monitor, that can tack another $1-200 on the price (notwithstanding that even if the controllers come with the console, you still need a TV.) Logical Increments puts their “good” tier at about $761, suitable for 1080p 60FPS with medium settings.
Arguably the bigger value here is not being locked into a platform - if you find yourself with a little more budget down the road, you can piecemeal out your old PC with newer parts for a lower cost than a new console (with the possible exception of the GPU) and you can get more utility out of a PC than a console.
Any “game” that takes a PC over $600 (or even that) to run isn’t a good game, it’s a garbage barely interactive movie with vaguely game-like elements that unlock new parts of the story.
The more power required to run something, the more garbage it is. Sell only lowish-end PCs and make good games. Then kill off consoles like they should have years and years ago.
Also, anything over 1080/60hz (also, VR) is a scam made to suck more money out of your pocket for fucking nothing.
Wow that is certainly a hot take. Sounds like sour grapes to me, as someone who is very frugal and does quite enjoy VR gaming and my nice 34" widescreen 144Hz monitor with all its millions of pixels.
Sure you can enjoy games at 1080p and low framerates, but I definitely enjoy them more in 3D versus 2D and with more pixels and frames. It’s simply better to have more detail and smoother performance.
While I definitely agree for desktop situation. The landscape for PC gaming has changed dramatically, there are some sub ~$1000 laptops that are not bad entry points. Same with the Steam Deck and ROG Ally, both are decent entry points for someone interested in PC gaming with not a massive budget.
also steam sales are often way better than sales on console which is only part of the year and only games atleast a year or two old but still if you’re patient you can get really good deals for games on pc
You get to run older games that use to run like shit on previous console generations without waiting for a “remaster” and paying $70 for it. Current generation games will run better on future versions of your PC sometimes to a really silly degree.
I heard half life 2 was really hard to run back in the day and now you can run it at 200 fps on a modern toaster.
The real cost is in trying to match parts that look good together (especially white), spending money on RGB/screens, going liquid instead of air so you can see more of your motherboard, and spending way too much on a really nice looking case.
My PC is better than my console, that’s for sure. I have the Xbox 360.
I have a ps2
Your PlayStation has a number?
You could almost argue that the pc is not better.
Had such happy times in the ps2 days
Try zone of the enders 2 on PC. Plays a million times better than on PS2 with the massive frame rate drops.
How is PS2 emulation nowadays?
It’s fine. I played all the way through Metal Gear Solid 3 on my old PC that just had a quad-core CPU about 10 years ago. It performed better than the PS2 did on the same game.
PC Gamers: buys $550 Steam Deck
Console Gamers: . . . shit
Let’s be honest, the Steam Deck is a console.
It’s a handheld computer. It’s more of a glorified gaming tablet than a console. It’s no more of a console than a gaming laptop with the same APU.
Yes, but also no.
$460 (64gb version + 1tb SD card)
I’m just happy I can watch my porn on 4k on the second screen with music, while still playing on ultra in my games. Makes me feel like I am at a bar.
You must go to some wild bars!
PC monster race
PC is way cheaper long term because you can pirate games
you can pirate on consoles too, although its much trickier
And requires a PC to do so…
Nintendo 3ds balling
Pirating some stuff is the only option for the 3ds unfortunately since it got Nintendo’d
Play Super Tux 2 on anything for free.
Lowest price I can find for a PS5 is $500
That’s less than I’ve put into my PC since the PS4
Edit: Just realized that the CPU I recently upgraded from predates the PS4.
Plus, no monthly fees for online play on PC.
That depends on the game you’re playing, not the platform, right?
Right?
Nope. You need Playstation Plus or Xbox Game Pass Core for online play on their respective platforms. And they charge subscription fees for that.
Nah, you need to pay a monthly sub to play online with every console
No not every game, there are a lot of online F2P games or games that have their own sub to play on PS5 that don’t require PS+.
Don’t need a sub to play F2P games online on PS, at least.
Meanwhile, on Xbox, you need Game Pass to play Final Fantasy 14, on top of the subscription to the game itself.
So we‘re already coming to Reddit niveau?
It used to be that you could legit build a PC for fairly cheap, but those days are long gone. Yet another hobby that got gentrified.
Definitely not the case. You can easily get all-in-one mini PCs for $400-500 that can play most any new game at 1080p without much issue. Thanks to all the new stuff like DLSS/FSR, you can get away with a lot more for a lot less.
If you spec it out right with used parts you can get really great performance for relatively cheap.
Here’s a list I put together for fun about half a year ago, prices have probably changed a bit though (Ebay) 13900k: $475, (Ebay) 3090: $630, mobo: $100, (Ebay) 64gb RAM: $100, case: $40, 850w PSU: $130, AG620 cooler: $50, 2tb SSD: $67, fans: $20, (Ebay) 4k monitor: $200, total: $1812
Or you can look at that chromebook I got on ebay for $40 that I played Celeste, Half Life, and Half Life 2 from start to finish for the first time on after swapping its operating system out with linux (which is actually pretty easy). You can also find old mini pcs with a lot higher performance for similar prices used if you don’t need a laptop.
Obviously neither of those are very directly comparable but they do show you can get great price to performance in a PC, if you know what to look for.
Consoles are kinda dying anyways tho. Less and less sales even tho there are more and more gamers.
Yeees, let’s shit on people who spend money in their hobby and use their computer for more than just running overhyped games at medium settings.
I am so tired of these attempts at justification for “Console Elitism.”
Yes, you bought a cheap shit product because you don’t have the money or knowledge to build, or operate, a proper computer. Congratulations, you’re part of Sony/MS’s primary demographic.
