Soldato
Looking to either build an itx gaming PC or buy a console.
Which one guys?
Which one guys?
PC gaming or Console?
- Thread starter koolpc
- Start date
Soldato
This is a pc forum. What do you think the response wil be ? 
Ok I guess it depends on the budget and what exactly you need before we can answer.
Ok I guess it depends on the budget and what exactly you need before we can answer.
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Depends how much cash you've got obviously... But even my old i5 2500k with a 970 made my mates new xbox look like a PS1. Literslly couldn't believe how bad the textures were. And how jerky it is.
I think theyre around £400 the x version which is supposed to do 4k.. but 4k with terrible textures, 30fps max, and everything turned down. A £400 pc will do that, easy.
When i priced it up, it was approx £600 for a decent pc
pc pros:
60fps-144fps, 4k or ultrawide, future proofing, better hardware/controller support, ability to function as an emulation support, ability to function as a HTPC, can video edit, can photo edit, can get games for dirt price cheap, all games backwards compatible, huge mod support to transform games like skyrim (some ppl have legit turned skyrim into a third person dark souls lol)
console pros:
cheaper initial cost, easier to use, less technical issues, plug and play, better exclusives if you go to Sony,
Either is good really but the 60fps is where I edge towards PC heavily. I think with console you just learn to live with the crap experience because you know everyone experiences the same (e.g. screen tearing uncharted 1 ps3) but if its on PC, people will obsess and try to fix the smallest things.
my main piece of advice if there is a small chance u will photo edit/4k video edit, go AMD or get an i7.
GPU can be easily upgraded. 1080p/60fps is still very very nice and i'd take it over a consoles 1080p 45fps.../psudo4k 25-30fps any day.
oh just to add, PCs are god damn expensive once u add in the rig, controllers, keyboard, mouse, windows 10.
60fps-144fps, 4k or ultrawide, future proofing, better hardware/controller support, ability to function as an emulation support, ability to function as a HTPC, can video edit, can photo edit, can get games for dirt price cheap, all games backwards compatible, huge mod support to transform games like skyrim (some ppl have legit turned skyrim into a third person dark souls lol)
console pros:
cheaper initial cost, easier to use, less technical issues, plug and play, better exclusives if you go to Sony,
Either is good really but the 60fps is where I edge towards PC heavily. I think with console you just learn to live with the crap experience because you know everyone experiences the same (e.g. screen tearing uncharted 1 ps3) but if its on PC, people will obsess and try to fix the smallest things.
my main piece of advice if there is a small chance u will photo edit/4k video edit, go AMD or get an i7.
GPU can be easily upgraded. 1080p/60fps is still very very nice and i'd take it over a consoles 1080p 45fps.../psudo4k 25-30fps any day.
oh just to add, PCs are god damn expensive once u add in the rig, controllers, keyboard, mouse, windows 10.
I guess i could use a game controller on the pc?
Soldato
Yes in 99.9% of cases you can. In some cases more recently it will be naively supported, in other cases you need software like Ds4windows to fudge the support, and in rare circumstances it might not work at all.
I will be as honest as i can here but appreciate that this is my opinion and may not be in line with most others on here.
The consoles, mainly the Xbox One X is the first console i have known in many many years that offers better value for money than the PC for the performance you get out of it. I mean i can currently see an Xbox one X for £330. And it's capable of native 4k @ 30-60fps depending on title. I would challenge anyone in here to spec me a full system less the screen as we can call the TV a monitor good for now, that can keep up with that level of speed with those high graphic settings.
On the flip side, you can't upgrade it, change settings(as a general rule), games are a fortune, player base is arguably one of the most toxic, paid online requirements, controllers are very expensive to get from a reputable source.
So with those said over time the PC will end up being better value again.
i do love pc gaming but i can't knock what the consoles are doing as they are clearly doing something right. ( easier to optimise for at most 4 sets of hardware ps4/pro/xb1/xb1x if your game is for all of those ) than it is to optimise for however many pc configurations have existed over the last 15 years or so.
Yup, the XBOX one X offers incredible value.
The big barrier to PC gaming is the HUGE price point entry nowadays. The truth is that a console, despite having an over priced online serviced, more expensive games, will probably over its lifetime still not match the initial outlay a 4k-able PC will thanks to NVIDIA's pricing. If you're happy with 1080p or 1440p (which I think people should be, I'd personally much rather game on an ultrawide but I own a 4k TV), then a PC becomes a no-brainer for that easy access to higher framerates.
If you're chasing 4k, Xbox One X will give you an inferior experience, not hitting anywhere near 60 on games like Witcher 3 but at least it gets close to the resolution. On the PC side of things, an 1080ti/RTX 2080 just about 60fps Witcher 3 and they cost alone £600/700.
Again, I'd rather go PC than console IF I was confident I had the money and interest to upgrade in the future. If not, I'd get a PS4 Pro because they have AMAZING exclusives and PSVR. I still find it hard to reccomend the XBOX one X because their lack of VR support and their lack of exclusive games which rival Sony.. along with the fact nearly all their games are available on PC.. make it a bit meh. Sure hitting 4k is nice but I'd take better exclusives, virtual reality etc. over that any day.
pc gaming:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBiRIX-dxYg
Nice post. Thanks
Soldato
- Joined
- 1 Dec 2015
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- 18,514
Most itx boards have Bluetooth for controllers as well 
I guess its the initial outlay then could be a deciding factor. £350 for a PS4 Pro or maybe £600 to £1,000 for a decent pc!
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OP can always get a controller for pc. Little dongles are only £15... Can't rememer the last time I played a game with mouse/keyboard on my pc tbh
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The thing is with comparing consoles to PCs you can't really compare apples to apples... Yeah the xbox can do 4k, but pseudo 4k or even native 4k - It's not comparable - It will almost always perform better (IQ and smoothness) on a 4k capable pc, as a 4k game on console will have a lot of the eye candy turned off.
It's like booting a game up on pc, turning practically all the graphical settings to low or med - THEN turning it to 4k. To do THAT on a pc, no, you DON'T need to spend £700 on a gpu. I picked up a 1080ti for £530 new for my mate a few months ago, which will destroy ANY game at 4k with everything turned to low/medium, most even at high/ultra settings.
I never really get the "PCs are soooooooo expensive compared to consoles" argument. Really... They aren't.
First... You always have the option to buy a last gen OR used gpu for dirt cheap - As soon as a new series comes out (generally once a year or so) the last gen, becomes cheap.
AND when coming to upgrade the gpu, selling the old card often cuts a lot of the outlay off - No need to buy a new system.
eg - I sold my gtx970 for £150... Got a used gtx1080 from a friend for £330... Just £170 for quite literally a completely new gaming experience. That simply isn't possible with a console.
Believe me I wanted to love the XBox-x... But it's not even in the same ballpark IMO... Image quality OR value - And still EXPENSIVE for what you get (as outlined below). It's actually one of the reasons I stopped with consoles after my £300 xbox 360 broke (and microsoft wanted like £150 to fix their crappy solder (RROD).
Personally, IF you're buying ONE game every month, I don't see the money as much of an issue;
Why? Plenty of places will offer 12/24 months interest free credit.
In those 12/24 months you'd save a few hundred quid on games alone. I have so many games I've bought for like £5 I don't even have time to play them. Most are AAA titles. PC games are DIRt cheap! Esp 1+ year old ones.
(IF you can'e get credit or can't get the outlay, then I can understand the initial outlay for a gaming PC is high, and the below does not hold as much weight (Because it wouldn't be an option)).
Lets assume you intend to keep your pc/xbox, as is, no upgrades, for 2 years... And you get 2years credit.
New game every month (month or 2 post release);
£40 a month x 12 = £480
£15 a month x 12 = £180
Year 1...
£400 xbox + £480 games + £38 xbox live = £918
£900 pc + £180 games = £1080
Year 2...
(£918) + £480 + £38 = £1436
(£1080) + £180 = £1260
=So by end of year 1, you've paid an extra £160 for - A MUCH better IQ experience +You've got a computer worth £££, as well as a gaming rig.
=By end of year 2, you've paid almost £200 LESS for the pc.
Let's say you wanted your console or (now paid in full for) pc to last 3 years;
Year 3...
£1954
£1440
=£514 better off with the pc.
-There is an argument you could sell the console games, reducing that £200 'saving' but technically, it's capital - You also own MUCH more expensive parts to sell on (eg i7's from 2013 (!!) STILL sell on flea bay for around £150-£180)!
Sell a 2 year old gaming rig vs a 2 year old xbox with a few games - Which do you think will return the most £££?
-And, even if you sold every game you bought for half it's value (doubtful) it STILL works out cheaper with PC games.
So... for me personally, it comes down to not price, but something people rarely mention - How much EFFORT and TIME you can be bothered spending on PC gaming;
PC gaming can be a pain... You can't just chuck the disk in and it works.
Last few games I've played I've actually had to read a GUIDE to get them to run properly... Took me hours. Benchmarking/testing/adjusting settings etc.
So... Can you be bothered with the hassle of PC gaming, for image quality, is what I'd be asking myself.
This is why I was hoping the Xbox would actually do proper 4k, I would LOVE to just chuck a game in and relax with proper 4k gaming, but knew even before it's release £400 was too cheap for that to be a reality. I'd DEFFO pay £400 for a console and £55 for every game if it was.
It's like booting a game up on pc, turning practically all the graphical settings to low or med - THEN turning it to 4k. To do THAT on a pc, no, you DON'T need to spend £700 on a gpu. I picked up a 1080ti for £530 new for my mate a few months ago, which will destroy ANY game at 4k with everything turned to low/medium, most even at high/ultra settings.
I never really get the "PCs are soooooooo expensive compared to consoles" argument. Really... They aren't.
First... You always have the option to buy a last gen OR used gpu for dirt cheap - As soon as a new series comes out (generally once a year or so) the last gen, becomes cheap.
AND when coming to upgrade the gpu, selling the old card often cuts a lot of the outlay off - No need to buy a new system.
eg - I sold my gtx970 for £150... Got a used gtx1080 from a friend for £330... Just £170 for quite literally a completely new gaming experience. That simply isn't possible with a console.
Believe me I wanted to love the XBox-x... But it's not even in the same ballpark IMO... Image quality OR value - And still EXPENSIVE for what you get (as outlined below). It's actually one of the reasons I stopped with consoles after my £300 xbox 360 broke (and microsoft wanted like £150 to fix their crappy solder (RROD).
Personally, IF you're buying ONE game every month, I don't see the money as much of an issue;
Why? Plenty of places will offer 12/24 months interest free credit.
In those 12/24 months you'd save a few hundred quid on games alone. I have so many games I've bought for like £5 I don't even have time to play them. Most are AAA titles. PC games are DIRt cheap! Esp 1+ year old ones.
(IF you can'e get credit or can't get the outlay, then I can understand the initial outlay for a gaming PC is high, and the below does not hold as much weight (Because it wouldn't be an option)).
Lets assume you intend to keep your pc/xbox, as is, no upgrades, for 2 years... And you get 2years credit.
New game every month (month or 2 post release);
£40 a month x 12 = £480
£15 a month x 12 = £180
Year 1...
£400 xbox + £480 games + £38 xbox live = £918
£900 pc + £180 games = £1080
Year 2...
(£918) + £480 + £38 = £1436
(£1080) + £180 = £1260
=So by end of year 1, you've paid an extra £160 for - A MUCH better IQ experience +You've got a computer worth £££, as well as a gaming rig.
=By end of year 2, you've paid almost £200 LESS for the pc.
Let's say you wanted your console or (now paid in full for) pc to last 3 years;
Year 3...
£1954
£1440
=£514 better off with the pc.
-There is an argument you could sell the console games, reducing that £200 'saving' but technically, it's capital - You also own MUCH more expensive parts to sell on (eg i7's from 2013 (!!) STILL sell on flea bay for around £150-£180)!
Sell a 2 year old gaming rig vs a 2 year old xbox with a few games - Which do you think will return the most £££?
-And, even if you sold every game you bought for half it's value (doubtful) it STILL works out cheaper with PC games.
So... for me personally, it comes down to not price, but something people rarely mention - How much EFFORT and TIME you can be bothered spending on PC gaming;
PC gaming can be a pain... You can't just chuck the disk in and it works.
Last few games I've played I've actually had to read a GUIDE to get them to run properly... Took me hours. Benchmarking/testing/adjusting settings etc.
So... Can you be bothered with the hassle of PC gaming, for image quality, is what I'd be asking myself.
This is why I was hoping the Xbox would actually do proper 4k, I would LOVE to just chuck a game in and relax with proper 4k gaming, but knew even before it's release £400 was too cheap for that to be a reality. I'd DEFFO pay £400 for a console and £55 for every game if it was.
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P.s
1) I din't make those game prices up - I searched the prices online, then compared the prices to what I paid for my last 5 games (eg Doom I payed £8 for, its £25 online. +Some were actually more than 3x the price, so have actually been fair)
2) My flatmate actually has the x to compare to, games really do look like my 4k games set @ low/medium settings (slightly worse on gtav, doom, tomb raider, Witcher , BF and fallout). And most look like they run at higher fps.
1) I din't make those game prices up - I searched the prices online, then compared the prices to what I paid for my last 5 games (eg Doom I payed £8 for, its £25 online. +Some were actually more than 3x the price, so have actually been fair)
2) My flatmate actually has the x to compare to, games really do look like my 4k games set @ low/medium settings (slightly worse on gtav, doom, tomb raider, Witcher , BF and fallout). And most look like they run at higher fps.
Great post. Thanks
The consoles don't run naively at 4k though which is why the FPS might look better. You could do the same thing on PC using supersampling, but it never looks as sharp.
But yea, these days there isn't much in it really. Even new PC games can be dirt cheap as well if you shop around for keys (and use a VPN lol). E.g. I bought Witcher 3 on release day for £12.
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