Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast
Results 1 to 16 of 38

Thread: Is PC Gaming Really That Expensive?

  1. #1
    handscombmp
    Guest

    Is PC Gaming Really That Expensive?

    A mate of mine was trying to argue why consoles are better than pc's and one of the points he brought up was price. He said it was cheaper on a console than pc but it got me thinking...

    I would want to spend about £500 on a pc even if it wasn't getting it for gaming and i would probaly replace that every 3 years. If I was then to get a console that would be about £250. If i was to add that £250 onto £500 i could build a pc around £750.
    At £750 you could get a pretty good pc espically if you overclock.
    Then there is the games. I've noticed that PC games tend to be around £15 cheaper than there console counterparts.
    Far Cry 2 Xbox=£40 PC=£25
    Fallout 3 Xbox=£40 PC=£25
    I roughly buy about 10 games a year which is a saving of £150. I could then put this £150 to upgrading my pc. Better CPU,GPU, another GPU for SLI,Xfire.
    I reckon then the PC gaming is actully roughly the same as it would be for a console.

    I know there will be exceptions but i just thought that the difference isn't to bad.

  2. #2
    I'm ITX
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Location
    Liverpool
    Posts
    2,415
    Thanks
    82
    Thanked
    159 times in 148 posts

    Re: Is PC Gaming Really That Expensive?

    It's also worth the small extra overall cost for the versatility of a pc

    It's 4.98*

  3. #3
    S1L3NT danroyle's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    sussex
    Posts
    4,243
    Thanks
    145
    Thanked
    186 times in 153 posts
    • danroyle's system
      • Motherboard:
      • N/A
      • CPU:
      • Intel Core I7 4720HQ
      • Memory:
      • 8GB
      • Storage:
      • 128GB SSD +1tb HDD
      • Graphics card(s):
      • Geforce Gtx960m
      • PSU:
      • N/A
      • Case:
      • N/A
      • Operating System:
      • WINDOWS 10 64bit
      • Monitor(s):
      • 15.6" IPS
      • Internet:
      • BT Fibre

    Re: Is PC Gaming Really That Expensive?

    yeah and in the same sense if you cant chuck all that money into a pc a console is a good way especially as your argument over saving 150 on ten games i can quash straight away

    recently for 360 i have bought

    tiger woods 09 week after release £25
    fable 2 £35
    Nfs undercover pre order £35
    pgr 4 £22.50 and wwe 2008 £22.50 both week after release

    games i havent bought but could have include

    gears of war 2 £27 morrisons (10%discount card)
    fifa 09 £20
    pes 09 £25

    cosole games seem to always be on sale in morrisons or tesco or asda when they come out these days so the difference in games cost is minimal now.

    although in the same sense my gaming pc is a x1900xt e2140 @2.9 2gb ram and an msi p6n diamond which all in cost maybe £300 with case and psu and that still runs most games.


    i love my pc cos i can do so much more on it but for simplicity of gaming the xbox 360 wins no installation problems. no compatibility issues.

    and these days being that the games companies think everone and there gran is copying pc games they seem to be putting more effort into the console games.


    thats just my opinion anyway


  4. #4
    Going Retro!!! Ferral's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2003
    Location
    North East
    Posts
    7,848
    Thanks
    550
    Thanked
    1,413 times in 871 posts
    • Ferral's system
      • Motherboard:
      • ASUS Z97-P
      • CPU:
      • Intel i7 4790K Haswell
      • Memory:
      • 12Gb Corsair XMS3 DDR3 1600 Mhz
      • Storage:
      • 120Gb Kingston SSD & 2 Tb Toshiba
      • Graphics card(s):
      • Sapphire Radeon R9 380 Nitro 4Gb
      • PSU:
      • Antec Truepower 750 Watt Modular
      • Case:
      • Fractal Design Focus G Mid Tower
      • Operating System:
      • Windows 10 64 bit
      • Monitor(s):
      • 28" iiyama Prolite 4K
      • Internet:
      • 80Mb BT Fiber

    Re: Is PC Gaming Really That Expensive?

    Not forgetting that if you are serious about PC gaming you have to upgrade quite often. Spending £700 now you will probably get a decent year out of it. Then something will get released that you really want and your specs will be minimum and it will run poorly.

    So take onboard how much the upgrade will cost. Around every 10 month processor sockets are changing, so to get a new processor it will also mean new board and quite possibly new ram if the specs on the board require the latest. Then there is also the possibility of the PCIe slot spec changing and not being compatible with your current card so it could mean new VGA card also.

    Don't get me wrong, I love PC gaming. But these are just a few things that you can and will find if you are seriously want to play games on it. I got my 360 last year and have found that certain big releases I am getting it for the 360 rather than PC. At least with that I know just put the disk in and away you go, its going to work the way it should, hook it up to live every few weeks to get game updates etc. At least with the 360 its going to be good for a few more years yet, my PC needs upgrading yet again, but this time its going to have to be a complete new build.

    Its really a double edged sword in all honesty. Also if you look about you can get new release 360 games for just over £30 making it even more reasonable.

  5. Received thanks from:

    AledJ (18-11-2008)

  6. #5
    finding nemo staffsMike's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Posts
    11,498
    Thanks
    197
    Thanked
    794 times in 741 posts
    • staffsMike's system
      • Motherboard:
      • evga 680i
      • CPU:
      • e6600
      • Memory:
      • geil ultra pc6400
      • Storage:
      • WD 320gb
      • Graphics card(s):
      • leadtek 8800 GTS 640mb
      • PSU:
      • ocz gameXstream 700w
      • Case:
      • akasa eclipse
      • Monitor(s):
      • dell 2007wfp and Lg L194WT
      • Internet:
      • pipex homecall

    Re: Is PC Gaming Really That Expensive?

    You don't need to spend an great deal of money on a pc that plays games to high standards, especially at this time. £300 would do it quite nicely.

    That £300 PC could also be a very versitile day to day machine for most other tasks and be built to be very quietly. You will probably need an upgrade within about 2 years though I reckon, and probably not an expensive upgrade at that.

    Next thing to consider is some people's expectation of what graphics detail they should be running. PC gamers tend to want to wack everything on high and spec their PC's to do this, but to match the quality of the xbox and PS3 I don't think anything needs to be on it's highest setting from what I've seen. Even when gaming in HD on a console there are lags and anti-aliasing tends to leave much to be desired. This leads to another point of choosing a monitor suitable for your PC and more importantly it's resolution.

    I don't doubt the advantages of consoles one bit though, I love playing Forza and most of the other driving games on the xbox because as Ferral says, it's just switch it on and go, no messing around with settings, controllers or installing etc.. and it works a treat

    PC gaming isn't that expensive at all though, a £100 graphics card will play any of todays games at some silly graphics settings but a £60 will do a great job of lower res work. The rest of the PC can be a general productivity POS really which, almost every house now has anyway.

  7. #6
    Going Retro!!! Ferral's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2003
    Location
    North East
    Posts
    7,848
    Thanks
    550
    Thanked
    1,413 times in 871 posts
    • Ferral's system
      • Motherboard:
      • ASUS Z97-P
      • CPU:
      • Intel i7 4790K Haswell
      • Memory:
      • 12Gb Corsair XMS3 DDR3 1600 Mhz
      • Storage:
      • 120Gb Kingston SSD & 2 Tb Toshiba
      • Graphics card(s):
      • Sapphire Radeon R9 380 Nitro 4Gb
      • PSU:
      • Antec Truepower 750 Watt Modular
      • Case:
      • Fractal Design Focus G Mid Tower
      • Operating System:
      • Windows 10 64 bit
      • Monitor(s):
      • 28" iiyama Prolite 4K
      • Internet:
      • 80Mb BT Fiber

    Re: Is PC Gaming Really That Expensive?

    Thing that bugs me out is say in a years time when sockets and ram specs change and you have to do a full board upgrade as well as graphics and ram. Thats when it starts getting expensive due to incompatability.

    A the min I have 2 IDE hard drives. Most boards now though only have 1 IDE port. So when I do my overhaul I am going to be going for the SATA drives and will have to pull all files over from my current drive onto them.

    But like you said, you don't have to spend hundreds on an upgrade if you are just wanting something that looks as good as the 360/PS3. Dead Space on my current system looks as good as the 360. I would love to be able to run it max settings don't get me wrong on the PC, but looking as good as the 360 just does fine.

  8. #7
    F.A.S.T. Butuz's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2003
    Location
    Wales
    Posts
    4,708
    Thanks
    51
    Thanked
    72 times in 59 posts
    • Butuz's system
      • Motherboard:
      • MSI Z77 MPOWER
      • CPU:
      • I7 3770K @ 4.6
      • Memory:
      • 16GB Corsair XMS 1866
      • Storage:
      • Sandisk SSDs
      • Graphics card(s):
      • 3xR9 290
      • PSU:
      • be quiet! Dark Power Pro 10
      • Case:
      • Inwin H Frame
      • Operating System:
      • Windows 7

    Re: Is PC Gaming Really That Expensive?

    I miss my gaming PC like a hole in the head. I now love my Xbox 360. A few years go I would have laughed if you had told me I was going to post the above :S

    I suppose if you enjoy piddling abount constantly rather than actually playing the games - A PC is the best choice.

    Shocking!

    Butuz

  9. #8
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Posts
    2,053
    Thanks
    277
    Thanked
    174 times in 115 posts

    Re: Is PC Gaming Really That Expensive?

    Quote Originally Posted by staffsMike View Post
    You don't need to spend an great deal of money on a pc that plays games to high standards, especially at this time. £300 would do it quite nicely.
    But you've got to remember that not everyone has the time or know-how to build a PC, and you'd probably want to update more than once every 2 years.

  10. #9
    Senior Member AledJ's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Posts
    1,899
    Thanks
    168
    Thanked
    25 times in 21 posts

    Re: Is PC Gaming Really That Expensive?

    Quote Originally Posted by Ferral View Post
    Not forgetting that if you are serious about PC gaming you have to upgrade quite often. Spending £700 now you will probably get a decent year out of it. Then something will get released that you really want and your specs will be minimum and it will run poorly.

    So take onboard how much the upgrade will cost. Around every 10 month processor sockets are changing, so to get a new processor it will also mean new board and quite possibly new ram if the specs on the board require the latest. Then there is also the possibility of the PCIe slot spec changing and not being compatible with your current card so it could mean new VGA card also.

    Don't get me wrong, I love PC gaming. But these are just a few things that you can and will find if you are seriously want to play games on it. I got my 360 last year and have found that certain big releases I am getting it for the 360 rather than PC. At least with that I know just put the disk in and away you go, its going to work the way it should, hook it up to live every few weeks to get game updates etc. At least with the 360 its going to be good for a few more years yet, my PC needs upgrading yet again, but this time its going to have to be a complete new build.

    Its really a double edged sword in all honesty. Also if you look about you can get new release 360 games for just over £30 making it even more reasonable.

    You have summed up what I was about to write. I got my 360 when gta4 came out mainly because it was £260 Vs £1000 (pc upgrade) Since then I have bought FarCry 2, BIA:HH and some others. I still use my pc but mostly for email/forums. The only game i will be buying next for the pc is Empire Total War.

  11. #10
    handscombmp
    Guest

    Re: Is PC Gaming Really That Expensive?

    As much as i like my Xbox 360 i still prefer a PC. The controls are better, really great community (like Hexus ) and also i find half the fun is upgrading the pc and teaking it. My Xbox i get a bit bored with as i can't do anything else with it

  12. #11
    Comfortably Numb directhex's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2003
    Location
    /dev/urandom
    Posts
    17,074
    Thanks
    228
    Thanked
    1,027 times in 678 posts
    • directhex's system
      • Motherboard:
      • Asus ROG Strix B550-I Gaming
      • CPU:
      • Ryzen 5900x
      • Memory:
      • 64GB G.Skill Trident Z RGB
      • Storage:
      • 2TB Seagate Firecuda 520
      • Graphics card(s):
      • EVGA GeForce RTX 3080 XC3 Ultra
      • PSU:
      • EVGA SuperNOVA 850W G3
      • Case:
      • NZXT H210i
      • Operating System:
      • Ubuntu 20.04, Windows 10
      • Monitor(s):
      • LG 34GN850
      • Internet:
      • FIOS

    Re: Is PC Gaming Really That Expensive?

    I did the sums on this a while ago. PC gaming *IS* expensive, unless you're buying about 30 full-priced games a year. Factoring in "deals" is pretty impossible - and before anyone tries comparing a £40 console game with a £25 PC game, I buy most of my console games on 2-for-£25 deals, so it really balances out

  13. #12
    HEXUS.social member finlay666's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    Newcastle
    Posts
    8,546
    Thanks
    297
    Thanked
    894 times in 535 posts
    • finlay666's system
      • CPU:
      • 3570k
      • Memory:
      • 16gb
      • Graphics card(s):
      • 6950 2gb
      • Case:
      • Fractal R3
      • Operating System:
      • Windows 8
      • Monitor(s):
      • U2713HM and V222H
      • Internet:
      • cable

    Re: Is PC Gaming Really That Expensive?

    Quote Originally Posted by directhex View Post
    I did the sums on this a while ago. PC gaming *IS* expensive, unless you're buying about 30 full-priced games a year. Factoring in "deals" is pretty impossible - and before anyone tries comparing a £40 console game with a £25 PC game, I buy most of my console games on 2-for-£25 deals, so it really balances out
    And not trading them in when you are done, as most places don't take pc games anymore
    H3XU5 Social FAQ
    Quote Originally Posted by tiggerai View Post
    I do like a bit of hot crumpet

  14. #13
    Get in the van. Fraz's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    Location
    Bristol
    Posts
    2,919
    Thanks
    284
    Thanked
    397 times in 231 posts
    • Fraz's system
      • Motherboard:
      • Gigabyte X58A-UD5
      • CPU:
      • Watercooled i7-980X @ 4.2 GHz
      • Memory:
      • 24GB Crucial DDR3-1333
      • Storage:
      • 240 GB Vertex2E + 2 TB of Disk
      • Graphics card(s):
      • Water-cooled Sapphire 7970 @ 1175/1625
      • PSU:
      • Enermax Modu87+
      • Case:
      • Corsair 700D
      • Operating System:
      • Linux Mint 12 / Windows 7
      • Monitor(s):
      • Dell 30" 3008WFP and two Dell 24" 2412M
      • Internet:
      • Virgin Media 60 Mbps

    Re: Is PC Gaming Really That Expensive?

    I'm always going to want a fairly cutting edge PC, so therefore I think PC gaming is cheaper than running two platforms. If I didn't need an high-spec PC anyway, then clearly console gaming is cheaper.

    I've never had any compatibility problems. I guess if I did I'd be more interested in getting a console.

  15. #14
    Admin (Ret'd)
    Join Date
    Jul 2003
    Posts
    18,481
    Thanks
    1,016
    Thanked
    3,208 times in 2,281 posts

    Re: Is PC Gaming Really That Expensive?

    For me, it's about the right tool for the right job.

    A PC is for all sorts of things, and gaming is just part of it. A console is about gaming, and anything else it might do (and I don't bother) is a frill. The beauty, for me, of a console is .... buy a game, shove it in the console and get on with playing. And the console lives in the lounge.

    On the other hand, the PC is about tweaks, various hardware, all sorts of apps, security considerations, networking, work-related stuff, and so on. And I don't want it in the lounge.

    So for serious gaming sessions that might last hours, I'd probably use the versatility of the PC, but for a quick, stress-less blast or a laugh with a mate, the console is the way to go.

    In other words, the right tool for the task at hand. For me, anyway.

  16. #15
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Location
    Glasgow
    Posts
    208
    Thanks
    14
    Thanked
    6 times in 6 posts
    • NeedMoarFarms's system
      • Motherboard:
      • Abit Ip-35 Dark Raider
      • CPU:
      • Q6600 @ 3.0gHz
      • Memory:
      • OCZ 2GB 5-5-5-15
      • Storage:
      • 500GB Western Digital 7200rpm
      • Graphics card(s):
      • XFX 8800GTS 640mb
      • PSU:
      • Corsair 520WHX
      • Case:
      • Antec 900
      • Operating System:
      • Vista Home Premium 64 bit
      • Monitor(s):
      • Samsung Syncmaster 20"
      • Internet:
      • Virgin 8mb

    Re: Is PC Gaming Really That Expensive?

    My xbox plays the occasional game.
    My pc plays all the games I want AND does everything I would need another pc to do.

    Really, if you want to cover everything, you need a gaming pc AND a console.

  17. #16
    i am jack idimmu's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    reading, uk
    Posts
    696
    Thanks
    5
    Thanked
    11 times in 11 posts

    Re: Is PC Gaming Really That Expensive?

    Quote Originally Posted by Saracen View Post
    For me, it's about the right tool for the right job.

    A PC is for all sorts of things, and gaming is just part of it. A console is about gaming, and anything else it might do (and I don't bother) is a frill. The beauty, for me, of a console is .... buy a game, shove it in the console and get on with playing. And the console lives in the lounge.

    this is the point i was going to make. consoles are solely for gaming, anything else they do is on the side. and ever since the creation of xbox live and its alternatives, there really isnt any need to game on a pc, in my opinion. however, for me i have to have both. i play wow and any rts games i like on my pc, but everything else (even cod4 etc) always the xbox. comes down to preference i guess.

    as for cost. well, i dont like to think about that!

Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Similar Threads

  1. Replies: 11
    Last Post: 26-06-2008, 05:09 PM
  2. Replies: 11
    Last Post: 21-01-2008, 04:41 AM
  3. Replies: 0
    Last Post: 30-11-2007, 03:09 AM
  4. The death of PC gaming
    By directhex in forum Gaming
    Replies: 64
    Last Post: 23-08-2006, 03:11 PM
  5. The days of Quality gaming....
    By Bunjiweb in forum Gaming
    Replies: 69
    Last Post: 11-04-2004, 09:06 PM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •