Help me justify the cost of building a gaming PC

[corn619]

I want to build a cool gaming PC only.....I need to justify the cost. I own a PS3, 360 "that just RRODed on me ", Wii and other various consoles. Is there anything exclusive to the PC worth playing even though I have these systems? The only kind of games I don't like that much are RTS games, it has to be very compelling for me to play one.

I have a particular liking to RPGs, survival horror, modern dogfighting, helicopter games, action, adventure and racing games. I just picked up a Ace Combat flight stick and have a Steel Battalion controller I use for Mechwarrior "my old laptop runs it perfectly" and a 360 steering wheel.

It just seems most PC games are released on consoles these days and PC exclusive games are becoming a thing of the past. A friend that works in the gaming field said he would help me build it. I would love to add a another console to my collection, but need some cutting edge, must have PC experiences in order to go through with it. What would you guys suggest?

[RyaNtheSlayA]

I want to build a cool gaming PC only.....I need to justify the cost. I own a PS3, 360 "that just RRODed on me ", Wii and other various consoles. Is there anything exclusive to the PC worth playing even though I have these systems? The only kind of games I don't like that much are RTS games, it has to be very compelling for me to play one.

I have a particular liking to RPGs, survival horror, modern dogfighting, helicopter games, action, adventure and racing games. I just picked up a Ace Combat flight stick and have a Steel Battalion controller I use for Mechwarrior "my old laptop runs it perfectly" and a 360 steering wheel.

It just seems most PC games are released on consoles these days and PC exclusive games are becoming a thing of the past. A friend that works in the gaming field said he would help me build it. I would love to add a another console to my collection, but need some cutting edge, must have PC experiences in order to go through with it. What would you guys suggest?

For helicopter games, and flight combat sim's. PC is the only way to go, plus, at least in my opinion, no game controller has come close to the comfort and usability of a good keyboard and mouse.

Also a very good gaming PC will only cost you about 700. My system is only about that much now and my specs are:

A stock Dell XPS 410 but with upgrades, the upgrades are:

2.4ghz Core 2 Duo
4gb RAM
Vista Home Premium
nVidia 9800gt 512mb

I have yet to come across a game that I couldn't run on highest settings (except maybe Crysis, haven't tried it yet) with decent framerates on my 1440x900 monitor.

All this runs on the stock 375w power supply with standard 12v rails. Great computer.

[corn619]

Yeah my buddy works in the computer, videogame field so parts will be very cheap for me. He said he could build me a top knotch system for around $400. At $700 I would probably steer clear of the PC platform, but $400 makes it all the more tempting. Thanks for your input Ryan.

[RyaNtheSlayA]

Yeah my buddy works in the computer, videogame field so parts will be very cheap for me. He said he could build me a top knotch system for around $400. At $700 I would probably steer clear of the PC platform, but $400 makes it all the more tempting. Thanks for your input Ryan.

Yeah if you have connections and can get parts at wholesale a decent PC can be very competitive as far as price.

If you took a look at my complete setup, the Bose Speakers probably were the thing that cost the most.

[GSZX1337]

All this runs on the stock 375w power supply with standard 12v rails. Great computer.

Might want to upgrade that PSU if you can. GeForce 9800GTs require 400Watt power supplies, and Dell PSus are shit.

[RyaNtheSlayA]

All this runs on the stock 375w power supply with standard 12v rails. Great computer.

Might want to upgrade that PSU if you can. GeForce 9800GTs require 400Watt power supplies, and Dell PSus are shit.

Well so far I've had no problems with heat, overdraw, or anything of that sort according to any of the power management software I've used. Dell PSU's are actually decent, several people have even put GTX280's and the sort into my same Dell and have had no problems.

[neilencio]

a high end pc is the ultimate emulation machine. If you have a decent vidcard and one of the high end cpus (the 3ghz and above kind, regardless of whether its just dual or quad core) you can emulate a good amount of retro stuff, even some PS2 and gamecube games (if you can attach a wiimote to your pc using bluetooth, you can even use it as a Wii since dolphin has better Wii support than ngc)

[J T]

There are reasons to get a PC besides exclusives.

1.) Free mods and updates: Your games gain exponentially greater replayability with mods. If you buy a popular game like Half-Life 2, it's as if you are buying 100 games because there are so many unique mods out there. Also, DLC you might be paying for on a 360 or PS3 is usually free on a PC. For example, the recently Left4Dead "Crash Course" update added a new campaign to the game. PC users didn't have to pay a dime for this.

2.) "Backwards Compatibility": This is sort of a funny concept for PC gamers, because they've always had it to a certain degree. Some older games don't run well on newer operating systems, but there are usually ways to find workarounds to get past that. The PC library stretches back for decades. No console can say that.

3.) Emulators: With a single computer you can play just about every old arcade or console game ever created... if you don't mind bending the law a little bit.

4.) Online is easy: The internet is not something new for computer users, so it's usually not such a hassle to play online. And nobody is dumb enough to try to charge you extra for that like Xbox Live does.

5.) Digital Distribution Deals: Yeah, you don't get a box and your manual is a .pdf file, but companies are getting better about making it worth your while. Plus, the prices can get remarkably low, in case you haven't noticed some of my ongoing threads:
http://racketboy.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=13915
http://racketboy.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=16494

Plus, you can be my friend on Steam.

[lost_within]

Yeah my buddy works in the computer, videogame field so parts will be very cheap for me. He said he could build me a top knotch system for around $400. At $700 I would probably steer clear of the PC platform, but $400 makes it all the more tempting. Thanks for your input Ryan.

400$ for a topline gaming pc is FAR from reality...top line gaming means 400-550$ in JUST a video card.

Honestly I love pc games but only for the fact of getting to build a new computer every few years, on avg I will spend about 900-1500$ to do it depending if I do watercooling or buy a new case, and thats FAR from "top line" in my opinion anyway. Also just like you said...almost EVERY game that comes out on PC that is worth playing goes to a console now...except diablo 3

[GSZX1337]

Dell PSU's are actually decent...

This is the first time I've ever heard anyone say anything remotely good about Dell PSUs. Every hardware forum I've ever been two has had several threads with Dell PSU problems or Dell PSU bashing.

several people have even put GTX280's and the sort into my same Dell and have had no problems.

Did those people say if upgrade they upgraded the PSU first? The GeForce GTX 280 requires 550W.

http://www.nvidia.com/object/product_ge ... 80_us.html

True, but if you look at screenshots, most of the games look inferior on the consoles (that's without even applying AA).

Also, if you want to play FPSs:
KBM > controller