PC Gaming and the problem with parity.

lltfdaniel · 11 Jan 2020 at 15:48

Well i am no expert but,

The good thing is you need less powerful pc hardware depending on what you want, and it will save you some money.

I know more and more games demand less of the ultra high end pc hardware,

Win win for me but i will never leave pc gaming hah.

Dan.

Drollic · 11 Jan 2020 at 17:13

Sync technology, high frames and full mouse and keyboard support still make pc the best choice for me. GPU prices are getting silly though.

wnb · 11 Jan 2020 at 17:35

Bishie said:
Found an old Reddit post on the subject. It's an interesting read:

Why I left PC gaming (for good)

I'm too old to start reading that, I'll be dead before I finish it.

LabR@t · 11 Jan 2020 at 22:09

My pc died a few months back and I now just have a half-decent laptop that can play my whole steam library albeit some of the games I now have to drop the settings to mid or low depending on the game. I don't game much anymore as I just don't get the time with my job and children. But I do enjoy it now and then, I am thinking about building aa new PC 3600/16gb/5600xt or similar but I am also thinking of getting a ps4/5 just for the convenience of it all. The last game I bought was The Witcher 3 but I mostly play csgo or quakelive if I go on the PC but, i do fancy playing some of the games I see on the consoles as they look good.

is now a bad time to build a PC? Should I just get a ps4pro and go looking thru the huge backlog?

Bishie · 12 Jan 2020 at 12:32

LabR@t said:
My pc died a few months back and I now just have a half-decent laptop that can play my whole steam library albeit some of the games I now have to drop the settings to mid or low depending on the game. I don't game much anymore as I just don't get the time with my job and children. But I do enjoy it now and then, I am thinking about building aa new PC 3600/16gb/5600xt or similar but I am also thinking of getting a ps4/5 just for the convenience of it all. The last game I bought was The Witcher 3 but I mostly play csgo or quakelive if I go on the PC but, i do fancy playing some of the games I see on the consoles as they look good.

is now a bad time to build a PC? Should I just get a ps4pro and go looking thru the huge backlog?

There's no sense getting a PS4 Pro since the PS5 launches this year, and has backwards compatibility. As for a new PC, I wouldn't bite the bullet just yet! There's some interesting hardware iterations scheduled for this year. Personally, I'd continue to use the laptop to hold me over, but that's just me.

TNA · 12 Jan 2020 at 13:05

Bishie said:
There's no sense getting a PS4 Pro since the PS5 launches this year, and has backwards compatibility. As for a new PC, I wouldn't bite the bullet just yet! There's some interesting hardware iterations scheduled for this year. Personally, I'd continue to use the laptop to hold me over, but that's just me.

I felt the same. But with so many games I have been waiting for are coming out in the first half of this year, getting a OLED TV on Black Friday and due to Nvidia not releasing the 3000 series and me refusing to buy any old tech at this point I decided to get the PS4 Pro.

Just enjoying Horizon Zero Dawn on my OLED has made it nearly worth getting the PS4 Pro and I still have a bunch of other exclusives to play yet

Dirk Diggler · 12 Jan 2020 at 13:52

There is no parity, it's a myth. Just because PC gaming got more expensive, it doesn't mean we can start claiming parity in order to justify or rule out a purchase. Console hardware upgrades happen around every 6 years whereas PC GPU upgrades occur every 2 years if you're talking like for like - and CPU upgrades are an annual occurence.

That's just raw hardware performance, not taking into account the versatility of the PC platform and the much, much cheaper cost of games.

If anyone decides PC gaming is too expensive and that they can compromise with a console then fair enough... but don't pretend to yourself that they are both the same thing. They are not.

Wegason · 13 Jan 2020 at 09:57

LabR@t said:
My pc died a few months back and I now just have a half-decent laptop that can play my whole steam library albeit some of the games I now have to drop the settings to mid or low depending on the game. I don't game much anymore as I just don't get the time with my job and children. But I do enjoy it now and then, I am thinking about building aa new PC 3600/16gb/5600xt or similar but I am also thinking of getting a ps4/5 just for the convenience of it all. The last game I bought was The Witcher 3 but I mostly play csgo or quakelive if I go on the PC but, i do fancy playing some of the games I see on the consoles as they look good.

is now a bad time to build a PC? Should I just get a ps4pro and go looking thru the huge backlog?

Probably the best time, RAM is the lowest its been, SSDs are cheap now and rumoured to get more expensive. The Ryzen 3600 is the best value CPU out there, pair it with a B450 Max motherboard, buiy yourself a used GPU from CEX or a b-grade etc from OCUK and you've got yourself a cheap but powerful gaming PC able to play any of todays games (note: i did not say at max settings, because max settings are not necessary).

Grim5 · 13 Jan 2020 at 10:23

Wegason said:
Probably the best time, RAM is the lowest its been, SSDs are cheap now and rumoured to get more expensive. The Ryzen 3600 is the best value CPU out there, pair it with a B450 Max motherboard, buiy yourself a used GPU from CEX or a b-grade etc from OCUK and you've got yourself a cheap but powerful gaming PC able to play any of todays games (note: i did not say at max settings, because max settings are not necessary).

like Jay Two Cents said: right now is the best time in the last 10 years to build a gaming pc

varkanoid · 13 Jan 2020 at 12:38

A Gaming PC can do so much more than a console. You have to take that into account.

SPG · 13 Jan 2020 at 13:09

You do not need a £1000 Gaming PC to run excell or word, online banking....

linktoinsanity · 13 Jan 2020 at 13:45

Each to their own really but that article https://www.reddit.com/r/truegaming/comments/7nghjp/why_i_left_pc_gaming_for_good/ just feels incredibly biased. It does make some interesting points, but just feels completely one-sided.

PC is definitely technically superior and can get you a larger library of games, however consoles do have a better plug and play experience. If you are a techie, get a PC; if you aren't very technical (or do not have the time to troubleshoot) or don't have the space for a PC (but have a TV in the living room) I would get a console.

Another point might be that it depends which platform you have more friends on. I have no friends whatsoever though so for me it is a moot point...

kedge · 13 Jan 2020 at 16:10

Rock_n_Roll said:
is there even any point purchasing high-end parts now for gaming.

Might depend on the multi platform game and also the exclusive titles which nobody can compare, but I would say for those on low income and have seen a side by side comparison obviously no, enthusiasts with deep pockets and plenty of money I would say they don't really care? nvidia high end stuff is far too expensive and the majority of pc monitors are lacklustre, I'm glad I'm not drawn to pc gaming like I once used to be, nothing much on the horizon and same old same old, cyberpunk looks crap.

Threepwood · 13 Jan 2020 at 16:44

Rock_n_Roll said:
is there even any point purchasing high-end parts now for gaming, as the return is very little.

If you want high frame rates, or high resolution... or even more wallet busting... high frame rates at high resolution then, yes of course there is! And that is without talking about VR!

It's also worth pointing out, you don't have to spend that much to get a decent gaming PC now, compared to the past, you have never had to spend as little to get a good pc.

NZXT30 · 13 Jan 2020 at 17:18

Many modern games at 4k, which is now the standard resolution, drop below 60fps on a 2080ti and people are wondering if we still need powerful pc hardware. Cant even imagine the FPS massacre that next gen games will cause at 4k.

Dirk Diggler · 13 Jan 2020 at 18:14

NZXT30 said:
Many modern games at 4k, which is now the standard resolution

1080p is surely the "standard" resolution? On what basis would you say it was 4k?

NZXT30 · 13 Jan 2020 at 18:30

String said:
1080p is surely the "standard" resolution? On what basis would you say it was 4k?

Every TV is 4k capable and even xbox one x games are running in 4k native.

Dirk Diggler · 13 Jan 2020 at 19:08

NZXT30 said:
Every TV is 4k capable and even xbox one x games are running in 4k native.

We're talking about gaming, not watching TV. 4k accounts for less than 2% of Steam users, 1080p accounts for around 70%.

https://store.steampowered.com/hwsurvey/Steam-Hardware-Software-Survey-Welcome-to-Steam

MrWhippy · 13 Jan 2020 at 20:17

Interesting that approx 20% at lower than 1080p.

NZXT30 · 13 Jan 2020 at 22:06

String said:
We're talking about gaming, not watching TV. 4k accounts for less than 2% of Steam users, 1080p accounts for around 70%.

PC gamers falling behind by refusing to move to 4k has nothing to do with how widespread the resolution is. Neither it gives any merit to the claims that we don't need new pc hardware.

Yeah of course you don't need a new gpu if you game at 1080p which is the resolution some pc gamers were gaming 15 years ago. Even tablets and phones have now surpassed the majority of pc gamers in terms of resolution which is quite sad really.