PC Gamers: Are they the biggest Graphics Whores?

[BoringSupreez]

I voted for FF fans. Yes, PC gamers get very "into it" about graphics, but that's one of the biggest points for PC gaming: the graphics are supposed to be better. FF fans, on the other hand, have much less reason to get worked up over graphics, yet they do anyway.

[Gamerforlife]

Are PC gamers the biggest graphics whores? In my own experience, yes, a thousand times yes. I don't typically go around saying that though

[J T]

Buys high-end PC with powerful graphics card; mostly plays VVVVVV, Binding of Isaac, and Hotline Miami.

[Menegrothx]

High end PC gaming will always be ahead of console gaming in terms of power and graphics so it's natural that graphics whores stick with PCs. But not all PC gamers are graphics whores, there are other reasons to choose PC over consoles (more complex games, self published games that aren't regulated by publishers, retailers and so on, mouse, mod culture, server hosting, better online gaming).

I dont think there would be that many PC gamers complaining about graphics and such if modern console games didn't try so hard to look realistic while having awful frame rates, low draw distances and so on. If games wouldn't try to be like Hollywood movies so hard and went the other route instead. Jet Set Radio, Rayman Origins, Dragon Quest 8, Ni no kuni, even games like L4D2, Team Fortress 2 and Dishonored are good examples of that "slightly off and cartoony" visual look that's superioir to "realism" on current hardware.

You should also note that there also people who play really graphically outdated games like Counter Strike and Quake on high end computers simply to get the maximal possible frame rate so they can be as competitive as possible. People who are into eSports, MMORPGs etc will do anything to get that 0.5% increase in efficiency that might be the difference between winning and loosing. Even a game with out graphics or with very limited graphics like Dwarf Fortress can be a real power hog simply because it's running so complex and so many calculations at the same time

A fair number of PC gamers that are also PC hardware enthusiasts. Games are demanding applications that can reflect the performance of their machine. There's nothing saying the guy who overclocks his rig and demonstrates the improvement with maxed out Crysis framerates only actually cares about that. It's just a performance metric. He may just as easily quit out of that and fire up a decade old game to play. The hardware side is a separate, yet related hobby. People tune computers just like they tune cars.

This is also a good point. Is a guy who tunes up his Mustang a horse power whore? I've never seen the appeal in building PCs but I know many guys enjoy that kind of stuff (console repair&modification, electronics, building PCs, car repair, tuning cars etc)

[J T]

But not all PC gamers are graphics whores, there are other reasons to choose PC over consoles

http://www.racketboy.com/forum/viewtopi ... 50#p578350

[Hobie-wan]

PC "graphics whores" would be the people that buy the absolute best and newest graphics card every year. Upgrading their PC just because they new game they got can't run the newest game at full screen resolution with all settings all the way up and never dropping below 60 frames a second. They can easily spend a lot more than the price of a fresh to market console on a single of pair of graphics cards alone.

Those who talk about games looking better on the PC even on their middle of the road graphics card are not IMHO. This would be the majority of PC users.

I don't pay attention to FF people as I don't play the games. So I can't vote in your poll.

[J T]

Hobie makes a good point. I would not consider myself a graphics whore, but when you ask my why I think a PC version of a multiplatform game is better than a console version, it's often because of the graphics. That's not because I'm obsessed with graphics, it's just the most obvious difference. When you lay two versions of a cross platform game side-by-side, the graphics look better on PC most of the time (assuming settings are maxed). There may be other reasons the PC is better, such as modifiability, dedicated servers, superior mouse+keyboard controls for the gameplay, but graphics are easily shown to be superior on one platform or the other without any need to even play the game.

[RyaNtheSlayA]

. They can easily spend a lot more than the price of a fresh to market console on a single of pair of graphics cards alone.

I hate to admit it, but, I did just sorta spend $300 on a new graphics card earlier this month.

To be honest, my 6850 was just fine. $100 and ran everything I threw at it just fine at 1920x1080. Would've probably lasted at least another year before I'd start falling behind, and that card was is two years old. But ya know, had money to burn and I figure this card wont need to be replaced for a very long while (7950).

[fastbilly1]

. They can easily spend a lot more than the price of a fresh to market console on a single of pair of graphics cards alone.

I hate to admit it, but, I did just sorta spend $300 on a new graphics card earlier this month.

To be honest, my 6850 was just fine. $100 and ran everything I threw at it just fine at 1920x1080. Would've probably lasted at least another year before I'd start falling behind, and that card was is two years old. But ya know, had money to burn and I figure this card wont need to be replaced for a very long while (7950).

I still use a PNY 9600 GT, with a second fan on it. I can play Borderlands 2 at acceptable settings for me - native 1360x768 and at medium/high on everything but shadows and with 4x AA, at 35+fps. The card was sub $100 in 2008. I can get one for $35 on ebay right now.

In the 90s, pc gamers had to upgrade every few years. But since the late 00s, we have not had to update nearly as much. Now I dont have all the fancy physx features, or even high levels of AF, but it hasnt slowed me down in the least.

[Menegrothx]

In the 90s, pc gamers had to upgrade every few years. But since the late 00s, we have not had to update nearly as much.

Yes, but is this caused more by advancement in hardware technology or by the fact that these days there are a lot less AAA/big budget PC games than there were during the 1990s?