PC gaming - any point in building a system for this ?

[Flanno]

I bought a notebook about a year ago after many years building pc rigs. My reason - more and more single player games these days seem to be console ports and can run badly on PC's unless you have a very high end machine, are prepared to upgrade, and even then there is the endless patching. So I bought an Xbox 360. However lately I have been thinking about PC gaming as I do miss copious levels of AA and native 1920x1200 gaming which consoles simply can't provide.

But wait..there just seems to be a lack of big ticket games coming out. Just now I was looking at what games are coming out on PC's in the next 6-8 months, and besides Starcraft II and the new Stalker game, almost everything I found which I might be interested in is coming onto the Xbox 360 and later ported to the PC. In other words, there doesn't seem to be much coming out which will do justice to a brand new GTX295. No more games written specifically for the PC. Nothing to top Crysis.

For example, these are all coming to the 360 before the end of the year, and some to the PC. But historically PC ports usually suck.

14th August - Wolfenstein
22nd Sept. - Halo 3 : ODST
25th Sept - Tekken 6
23rd Oct - Forza Motorsport 3
30th Oct - Bioshock 2
30th Sept - Max Payne 3
10th Nov - COD : Modern Warfare 2
20th Nov - Assassins Creed 2
27th Nov - Lost Planet 2
27th Nov - Warhammer 40000: Space Marine
27th Nov - Metal Gear Solid: Rising

So I've probably answered my own question here. Is there any point in building a PC for gaming, if not into multiplayer (Wow, BF etc..) and you already have a decent notebook. Is single player gaming dying out on the PC due to consoles ? Is there any point to these high end video cards, besides benchmarks ?

 

[rixarena]

There has been a drop in SP games released for PC, Unless you are into your Sims3. a lot of new releases are MP based with OPFP2, ArmA2. It seems PC games need a good MP side to them so they last and make the most cash.

I'm still waiting for the next proper release of a good SP game like Sim City or similar, something that will keep me occupied for hours.

 

[AWPC]

I bought a notebook about a year ago after many years building pc rigs. My reason - more and more single player games these days seem to be console ports and can run badly on PC's unless you have a very high end machine, are prepared to upgrade, and even then there is the endless patching. So I bought an Xbox 360. However lately I have been thinking about PC gaming as I do miss copious levels of AA and native 1920x1200 gaming which consoles simply can't provide.

But wait..there just seems to be a lack of big ticket games coming out. Just now I was looking at what games are coming out on PC's in the next 6-8 months, and besides Starcraft II and the new Stalker game, almost everything I found which I might be interested in is coming onto the Xbox 360 and later ported to the PC. In other words, there doesn't seem to be much coming out which will do justice to a brand new GTX295. No more games written specifically for the PC. Nothing to top Crysis.

For example, these are all coming to the 360 before the end of the year, and some to the PC. But historically PC ports usually suck.

14th August - Wolfenstein
22nd Sept. - Halo 3 : ODST
25th Sept - Tekken 6
23rd Oct - Forza Motorsport 3
30th Oct - Bioshock 2
30th Sept - Max Payne 3
10th Nov - COD : Modern Warfare 2
20th Nov - Assassins Creed 2
27th Nov - Lost Planet 2
27th Nov - Warhammer 40000: Space Marine
27th Nov - Metal Gear Solid: Rising

So I've probably answered my own question here. Is there any point in building a PC for gaming, if not into multiplayer (Wow, BF etc..) and you already have a decent notebook. Is single player gaming dying out on the PC due to consoles ? Is there any point to these high end video cards, besides benchmarks ?

PC games are declining but on your list most of those will be much better technically on PC so well worth it. X360 is great I play mine more than PC now but lets face it the PC version of the same game usually looks incredible. The X360 looks good but the screen tearing and lack of resolution also looks dated then the long loading time etc etc. Resident Evil5 is coming to PC this year and looks better than X360 plus supports the Nvidia 3D glasses then you have Fuel & Street Fighter 4 in the next few weeks both will be much better than the console versions. As long as companies are willing to make decent PC ports its worth building a gaming PC. Lets face it 360's are cheap nowadays so you need one of them as well anyway!!!

 

[Flanno]

PC games are declining but on your list most of those will be much better technically on PC so well worth it. X360 is great I play mine more than PC now but lets face it the PC version of the same game usually looks incredible. The X360 looks good but the screen tearing and lack of resolution also looks dated then the long loading time etc etc. Resident Evil5 is coming to PC this year and looks better than X360 plus supports the Nvidia 3D glasses then you have Fuel & Street Fighter 4 in the next few weeks both will be much better than the console versions. As long as companies are willing to make decent PC ports its worth building a gaming PC. Lets face it 360's are cheap nowadays so you need one of them as well anyway!!!

You would think so. And while the games I listed wil run at higher res and with more AA on a PC, I expect they also run like a lame dog. It seems to be an issue with games designed specifcally for a console and ported later. e.g GTAIV,DeadSpace. I just think the majority of ports to the PC from consoles are done poorly. At least the ones I played. Then again there are PC games which look and play great e.g. Fallout3. And you make a very good point about screen tearing. Still not convinced I should land out serious money on a gaming rig when a console does the job 80%-90% as good. Maybe I'm wrong.

 

[RickST]

I don't think you can really justify building a comp just for gaming. there is no doubt (in my mind anyway) that a game designed for PC will also look and play better than a console however as above games like that are declining.

I would never have spent the money i did on mine if it was solely for gaming

 

[Flanno]

I think I agree with you. I'm going back to college in Sept as well. Back to full time education. Will probably stick with the notebook for now.

 

[mame]

I would say get a console. To build a good gaming PC from nothing will cost a lot of money. In the short time I've had a PS3 (impulse buy) I've done more gaming than I have for ages. I was playing everybodys golf online for a bout 3 hours the other night. I really can't remember the last time I played a game for that long. PC games can look better than the console versions but it comes at a premium. I don't think we are at the stage where PC games are of another generation than the current consoles. Maybe in a couple of years they will be but at the moment you will end up spending an extra £400+ for the PC over a console.

 

[Rroff]

14th August - Wolfenstein
22nd Sept. - Halo 3 : ODST
25th Sept - Tekken 6
23rd Oct - Forza Motorsport 3
30th Oct - Bioshock 2
30th Sept - Max Payne 3
10th Nov - COD : Modern Warfare 2
20th Nov - Assassins Creed 2
27th Nov - Lost Planet 2
27th Nov - Warhammer 40000: Space Marine
27th Nov - Metal Gear Solid: Rising

Glancing down that list... I don't think you'd have to spend a bomb to get decent playability with max settings at 1920x with 4x FSAA.

An intel E5200 + 4890, 4gig of RAM would probably run all of those great on the PC - the only exception might be MW2 which would probably benefit a lot in smoothness from having quad core.

 

[Teki187]

Missing a lot of very good games off that list.

 

[D D Danneh]

I built my PC for a little bit of gaming, although not primarily, and I've barely touched my PS3 since. However, I would never spend this much on a PC, if I already had one that could do everything I need besides gaming (bought it because my laptop was dying and I might as well go the whole hog).

Although, if you have the spare money, and see some games that you definitely want on PC, by all means go for it. You already have a 360, so I won't say get a console.

 

[Flanno]

Yes..it would be possible to build a decent PC for moderate money to play the games I want at 1920. My problem is I go overboard. I end up going down the upgrade rathole. For years I've been building high end rigs, last few years doing watercooling. Upgrading every 6 months or so, even if I can't afford it. In the end I gave it up..partly because I recognised it as a serious addiction eating up a lot of disposable income and partly for reasons I said earlier. I'm thinking I shall stick to my Xbox360 (and PS3) and stick with my notebook (macbook pro 15) . Thanks for the advice

 

[thevet]

i have a ps3 and i never turn it on because the pc is way superior in every way...i siad i would never buy another console again after the ps2 and original xbox and i bought a ps3 but i will definately not be buying another console ever again...i would prefer to plough my money into the latest pc technology as it is FAR superior to any console

 

[Flanno]

True about the PC being superior, but the question is not which is better (I don't want to start a console v pc debate as it's pointless). It's whether it is worth building a PC exclusively for single player gaming, considering I have a laptop which does everything already except game well. Plus as there seems to be very few pc games coming out I like besides console ports which generally play better on consoles, building a PC for gaming just doesn't seem worth it right now. I think the question has been answered to my satisfaction.

As for the PS3, it's a damn fine BD player. Not impressed with the BD software players I have seen on the PC.

 

[rixarena]

Glancing down that list... I don't think you'd have to spend a bomb to get decent playability with max settings at 1920x with 4x FSAA.

An intel E5200 + 4890, 4gig of RAM would probably run all of those great on the PC - the only exception might be MW2 which would probably benefit a lot in smoothness from having quad core.

MW2 does not need much CPU power, I can run it at max on an E8400 @ 3Ghz.

I have a PS3 and 360 and tbh I never use them that much, I stick mainly to my PC. Games are cheaper, look nicer and not forgetting having a kb and mouse is so much nicer, certainly for fps. You can get a gamepad for you PC if you want.

As I see it the only advantage of console is initial cost being lower, but in the long run you'll pay more for games and when it comes to upgrading you have to get the next console which is a whole new machine. PC may be expensive to start with, but it'll do a hell of a lot more, look nicer, cheaper games and upgradable when it starts to get outdated.

 

[Flanno]

I already own a macbook pro so am taken care of when it comes to non gaming. So a PC being upgradable while a console isn't, being able to do a hell of a lot more on a PC compared to a console doesn't factor into it for me. Plus I was asking about whether it's worth building a PC for gaming not which was better, a console or pc.

PC games look nicer for sure, but it's not all about looks, and I've played all the pc games I wanted to play up until Crysis came out so I'm not going to build a rig to play games that are out more than a year. It would be for newer games. And there isn't much that's come out that is exclusively on the PC that I want to play since Crysis. And that's an important point because it's those games which are developed for the PC 1st that not just look better than their console counterparts but play better. But where are they ? All the games on my list are mainly ports so will probably have a better gaming experience on the 360, at least going by past history these ports do better on consoles. Deadspace, Halo2, GTAIV, DevilMayCry4, Fear2, PrinceofPersia, ResidentEvil4/5, Burnout, Bioshock all played better on my 360 in terms of stability, perceived framerate than the PC I had at the time, though they may not have looked as good on the console I admit. And it seems some games are so badly ported to the PC it doesn't matter how much horspower you though at them. Sorry if I am making this look like a console v pc thread.

I do agree with your point about PC games being a lot cheaper though. If there was more AAA titles coming out in the next 6 months which do justice to PC hardware, I'd consider building again.

 

[Rroff]

MW2 does not need much CPU power, I can run it at max on an E8400 @ 3Ghz.

I have a PS3 and 360 and tbh I never use them that much, I stick mainly to my PC. Games are cheaper, look nicer and not forgetting having a kb and mouse is so much nicer, certainly for fps. You can get a gamepad for you PC if you want.

As I see it the only advantage of console is initial cost being lower, but in the long run you'll pay more for games and when it comes to upgrading you have to get the next console which is a whole new machine. PC may be expensive to start with, but it'll do a hell of a lot more, look nicer, cheaper games and upgradable when it starts to get outdated.

Oh it works fine on a slower dual core - even on laptop CPUs - but the game is noticeably smoother on a multi core CPU...

I really don't know how anyone can play FPS games on a console - its sooo much nicer with a mouse for looking around and being able to strafe properly.

 

[AWPC]

You would think so. And while the games I listed wil run at higher res and with more AA on a PC, I expect they also run like a lame dog. It seems to be an issue with games designed specifcally for a console and ported later. e.g GTAIV,DeadSpace. I just think the majority of ports to the PC from consoles are done poorly. At least the ones I played. Then again there are PC games which look and play great e.g. Fallout3. And you make a very good point about screen tearing. Still not convinced I should land out serious money on a gaming rig when a console does the job 80%-90% as good. Maybe I'm wrong.

GTA4 & Dead Space run very well on PC. Dead Space always did, GTA4 has been patched several times and as long as you have a quadcore CPU and 512MB or higher gfx card is fine. Compare GTA4 PC to the console versions which look like slightly better PS2 level As you note the coding on PC games is generally poor however as they do not put much effort into it. They easily could but chose not to as extreme PC piracy has finally taken its toll on publisher risk for PC games. Its cheaper to let the highend gfx card or CPU do all the work rather than optimise.

I would not be surprised if even X360 ports dry up after this winter if the piracy remains as bad or gets worse (is that even possible?). Then like 2003 the PC will get a handful of decent releases until the next consoles drive newer gfx cards and another cycle of PC ports utilising them.

PC has apparently now over 200M worldwide gaming capable machines which is much more than PS3+X360+Wii combined yet gets the worse gaming support even though it has no platform holder license fees to pay. That alone tells you pretty much all you need to know about how important the PC is to most publishers (obviously its an afterthought most of the time now).

You can however still put together a very powerful PC for less than £600-650 which will still make current and near future games look good in a years time. I own a PS3+X360+high end PC's purely to cover all bases as that seems to be the only way you can guarantee decent hi-def gaming right now with platform specific releases. My PS3+X360 would be gone in an instant if the PC games market was showing signs of strength again!!

 

[AWPC]

I really don't know how anyone can play FPS games on a console - its sooo much nicer with a mouse for looking around and being able to strafe properly.

Your right PC is better but the X360 for instance is so easy to use. Turn it on then 30 secs later your gaming already and connected to LIVE. Loading times are pretty quick especially when you install the game to HD as NXE allows now. You still need a lot of skill as some of the other players put in a lot of practice and are sneaky little S0B's!!!

 

[arc@css]

For me the PC still owns, a keyboard and mouse is simply better for gaming apart from the odd title. I will concede that the current generation of consoles have improved quite considerably but until they bring out a decent pointing device the vast majority of my time spent gaming will still be on my PC. Too many times perhaps through frustration I have gone out and impulsively bought a console only to put it down after the honey moon period is over and go back to the PC.

 

[barmyllama]

People seem to forget that once you have bought your Xbox 360, you then have to factor in that a wireless adapter still costs around £60 and Xbox live costs another £40. Add to that to the fact that console games cost £10 - £15 more than PC games and you can't even surf the net with an Xbox 360, like you can with the PS3.

Also with some console games that are also on PC, publishers tend to charge console owner for what PC owners get for free. I know the three extra maps for COD 4 that PC games got for free in a patch was £7 on PS3.

So while I agree that console gaming is still probably cheaper than PC gaming, the difference isn't as big as you might think.