Should you bother Upgrading your PC

Born_2_Kill_83

Born_2_Kill_83

Born_2_Kill_83

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This isn't another one of those "PC's are dying" threads so let's not start complaining as it is one.

The reason behind this is that in the next couple of months the latest batch of GPU's are going to be released, the GTX580, ATi 6970 and 6990!! This should be an exciting time.
I for one have always been the person that has to have the best setup, the best GPU on the market, I don't care whether its NV or ATI, I just want the best so when I get my game and can crank up all the settings and marvel at what I see before me in the latest graphical game.

This time I don't have that, I don't have that need to want to spend my money (although I have it) on the latest hardware, why? on the horizon there isn't a Metro 2033 to bend my ATI 5970 to its knees, the other option is the market busting Crysis 2, which with be nothing more than a Console port with added AA + AF with higher Resolutions, the only video I've seen of the next Deus Ex is on the 360.

Is any-one else getting this sinking feeling, I always spent the money in the past cause I wanted to see the best of gaming, at its cutting edge, I don't feel I'm getting that this year. Tell me why should I bother?
 
Um you shhouldn't bother wait till next year some stunning new products will come in to the market allowing you to get a proper upgrade that wasn't just for nothing.

PS

Shouldn't this be in the general hardware thread since it's mostly about upgrading.
 
2011 looks to me to be shaping up as the best year in PC gaming since 2004. Probably not next year as was once thought, but Doom 4 is a strong contender to be the next benchmark in gaming. Metro overtook Crysis, Doom will do the same to Metro. Can't think of anything else on the horizon that might be so potentially crippling.
 
There are always great gfx cards coming out. If you wait, another one will be due soon and so on. Always been that way.

I'm busy on F1 2010 and Fallout New Vegas at the moment and waiting for BC2 Vietnam and Duke Nukem Forever in the coming months with Halflife 3 and Portal 2 next year. So games are good at the moment for me any way.
 
To be fair, the point of this thread seems mostly "Why aren't games challenging my graphics cards any more?".

Realistically, most hardcore gamers now have stopped buying the very top ends of the market (the 5970s and 480s) and have moved into the "sweet spot" ~£150-£200 territories of the GTX 460/470 and AMD 6850/6870, as these are now offering "all you need" stellar performance at half the price of the top-end cards. This means it isn't really worth making super-powered games for this now-tiny market segment.

What's your monitor? My suggestion would be to crank up the resolution on that bad boy; upgrade to 2560x1600, or, if you're already on that, why not look at Eyefinity across 2 monitors? Super-resolutions make even the likes of the 5970 whimper.
 
I've stopped looking around for bargains and stopped upgrading my pc for a good few months now. I've got a setup I'm happy with and can use it for what it was intended for.
Now I just game on it without slowdown and us it for surfing and to fit in work in between :D

If truth be known, I would like a full 3D setup but the current prices, I'll have to be earning some serious moolah.
 
Duke said:
There are always great gfx cards coming out. If you wait, another one will be due soon and so on. Always been that way.

I'm busy on F1 2010 and Fallout New Vegas at the moment and waiting for BC2 Vietnam and Duke Nukem Forever in the coming months with Halflife 3 and Portal 2 next year. So games are good at the moment for me any way.
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F1 graphicaly quite nice but very buggy and lets be honest its a port, Vegas is good but nothing more than the last game and while it wasnt the best looking game first time round it certainly is looking very old now, Vietnam will offer some shine but online games are never cutting edge, Duke will be a port 100%, Halflife you have a point on and Portal will be consoles as well so begs the question.
 
well my GTS250 is still serving me well :) got it at the start of this year and not sure if my next upgrade should be a new card or a new system with new card
 
hybrid572 said:
To be fair, the point of this thread seems mostly "Why aren't games challenging my graphics cards any more?".

Realistically, most hardcore gamers now have stopped buying the very top ends of the market (the 5970s and 480s) and have moved into the "sweet spot" ~£150-£200 territories of the GTX 460/470 and AMD 6850/6870, as these are now offering "all you need" stellar performance at half the price of the top-end cards. This means it isn't really worth making super-powered games for this now-tiny market segment.

What's your monitor? My suggestion would be to crank up the resolution on that bad boy; upgrade to 2560x1600, or, if you're already on that, why not look at Eyefinity across 2 monitors? Super-resolutions make even the likes of the 5970 whimper.
Click to expand...

I dont want 2 monitors with a massive BLACK gap in the middle where they join, it just isnt the same, its cheap way of doing it, I would rather a projector with poor colours and Res. I'm currently running 1920*1200 and while this isnt the biggest I feel it leaves plenty of reserve with current hardware if you need it. At the end of the day we sit at our desks with a keyboard and mouse, not at the back of a 25 row cinema, this is how I prefer to play, close quarter detail.
 
Loowi_ashley said:
F1 graphicaly quite nice but very buggy and lets be honest its a port, Vegas is good but nothing more than the last game and while it wasnt the best looking game first time round it certainly is looking very old now, Vietnam will offer some shine but online games are never cutting edge, Duke will be a port 100%, Halflife you have a point on and Portal will be consoles as well so begs the question.
Click to expand...

Quite a few High Res texture mods coming out for F1 2010 though, and Metro 2033 has crippled a few systems..

TBH I'm kinda glad it slowed a bit. Spending £400 on a graphics card whilst I would and have done it, my last card ATI 5870 Vapor X cost £300 six months ago and finally I think I've got a card that'll last more then half a year..!!

It wasn't funny if you ask me. I can only see more affordable cards such as the 470 and 6870 beocming more popular and bigger screens.

It is in some way a good thing that someone with a Quad Q6600 can now put a 470 into their system and be up and running playing COD black ops or Metro 2033 with Metro 2033 giving much higher textures...

TBH I really don't see this as a bad thing at all, it really needed to slow down. Some will disagree and say its holding us back. But really, these eye candy visuals need a lot of work, and games are getting expensive to develop... COD 4 MW might look dated today but least it ran on med range systems at the time... And it looked good back then, and I bet COD black ops isn't that far forward in visuals but everyone will say its graphically fantastic but least many of us will now get to see the superb textures at high res on the release day instead of two years after we've all finally upgraded... I never did play Doom 3 past 1024 x 768, by the time I had the kit to run it - lost interest... Pointless really.

I guess time will tell eh?
 
Loowi_ashley said:
This isn't another one of those "PC's are dying" threads so let's not start complaining as it is one.
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You may say that, but the two are interlinked. Very few "proper" pc games coming out these days - its all dumbed down console crap thus no need to upgrade any more.
Sad fact is PC Gaming is dying on its arse at the moment.... hopefully that will change next year :)
 
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Rimsy said:
You may say that, but the two are interlinked. Very few "proper" pc games coming out these days - its all dumbed down console crap thus no need to upgrade any more.
Sad fact is PC Gaming is dying on its arse at the moment.... hopefully that will change next year :)
Click to expand...

Well as long as we are getting any kind of games on pc I am happy with it. Steam seems to have more 'pc' games than there are on ps3:D.
 
I only upgrade when the software I want to use requires it, not before. I still use my laptop to run most of my games (Lotro/Civ 5/BFBC2) and it's only got a 8600GT.

Those wanting the best will pay a premium, the rest of us are quite happy picking up second hand or waiting a few years to catch up.
 
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