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Topic: PC vs X1X Cost Effectiveness

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NEStalgia

@Yorumi @PlywoodStick @JaxonH Pinging you guys, hopefully anyone else I can think of that I've loosely chatted with on the topic can chime in and see this but I thought of you guys first.

I'm LOOSELY considering either dipping my toes back into PC OR picking up a 1X. I'm not actually quite sure, namely because I don't even have a spare HDMI port on my switch (not Switch), between PS4Pro and Switch I'm out of ports...so it may be more hassle than its worth adding ANY other platform. I'd be playing 100% without keyboard and mouse (I'm long, long beyond those days of desk-strapped gameplay). An X1X is roughly $500, one shot, high end graphics, and I don't care about 4k, I won't have a 4k or HDR screen for a long long time (my setup involves a 23" monitor on a pole......and nobody even makes 23" 4K HDR monitors currently. The 27" ones are too big, and too heavy for the mount.

PC of course has the up-front cost and all the complexity of configuration all the time. I have a SteamLink and Steam Controller around. But I suppose that doesn't help for games that are only UPlay and other services. So I'm not sure if I'd have to go in with a Sheild TV and GeForce or what.

In terms of games, are XBox sales truly as good as Steam/Humble/Etc sales? Or the savings of buying older used physical copies? Up side of Steam is you can download elsewhere and bring it home on a laptop rather than taking the whole console with you if you can't download at home

Moreso for Plywood and Yorumi what's the minimum hardware you guys think is viable for a PC build and overall price point? (I still have my ~7 year old gaming system that's been collecting dust...wonder if it's still good enough? It was bleeding edge at the time. Haswell based.)

Not sure where I'm going with it but just considering ideas. May be pointless, if I can't get it to the screen without swapping cables I'd never use it anyway. I suppose I should stick with PS4Pro since it's already connected

NEStalgia

JaxonH

I say stick with Pro.

If you're not gonna use a 4KTV, it really defeats the purpose I think. But I'd actually recommend X1X over PC. For $500, everything is built, no compatibility issues or resolution issues or files not launching properly or worrying about controller support or any of that jazz. Just pop in a game and play. I mean, I don't have to explain this. You're a gamer. You know full well the benefits of a console over a PC.

But X1X runs pretty much every game at ultra high settings, 4K 60fps. What more can you want? Unless you desire the advantages of PC in particular.

With PC though, STEAM games would transfer to the GPD Win 2, if you ever got one. That's a huge reason I'm stocking up on STEAM games myself. Otherwise though, eh.

All have sinned and fall short of Gods glory. Wages of sin is death. Romans

God so loved the world He sent His only Son- whoever believes on Him has eternal life. Unless you believe, you will die in your sins. Whoever believes, rivers of living water flow within them. John

6ch6ris6

PC all the way. so glad i switched from console to PC gaming. you don't even need a super high end machine, but of course it's even better when you can afford that

Ryzen 5 2600
2x8GB DDR4 RAM 3000mhz
GTX 1060 6GB

NEStalgia

@JaxonH Yeah. Plywood and Yormumi each know my DISASTROUS history with PC hardware failing on me (to the tune of fortunes), and my hatred of Steam, respectively All your thoughts have been mine for years as well.

For me, I think, PS and Nin first/2nd party libraries occupy MOST of my intrest and time, and other than AC there's few 3rd party big studio games I really love these days. So I suppose my interest is playing older big games eventually to see what I missed. Things like Dishonored 2. Mostly on sales (that platform would get no day one orders, it would be for buffet sampling the scraps of what I skipped otherwise.) And I imagine both platforms probably do 1080p a bit better than even the 4 Pro in terms of visuals and framerate...and lets face it, the eye candy is the raison d'etre for most of the games in this category. Sticking with the pro would sure simplify my usage though! (And PC skips the online payment fees...but at a cost I suppose.) If I were playing at a desk it would be a no brainer. RTS, MOBA, and quirky mouse driven games are something I miss, and playing FPS with a mouse again would be fun....but...I don't see myself desk strapped again, ever for gaming.

@6ch6ris6 I was 100% PC Master Race back in the day for a good decade or so. Then switched back to console for all the reasons JaxonH mentioned! I've been happy and would never go PC as primary again. I'm mostly looking for an outlet to grab "graphics fest" type games I skipped for cheap a year or two after release to see what the fuss was about Just haven't decided the right way to do it yet.

NEStalgia

JohnBlackstar

You will pay more for a PC setup that is decent and that you won't be swapping parts in immediately to keep up to date (depending on games you play and how powerful you want it to be). The thing with a PC is that you are always upgrading - which is cool that you can easily, but it becomes costly rather quick and then you still end up having to buy a whole new motherboard and processor at some point (like upgrading to a new console).

Other thoughts are ease of use. You just downloaded your new game on your PC and it crashes. You need to find the latest drivers, benchmark your system to get maximum performance, and then all of a sudden the system shuts off because it is overheating. You are constantly tinkering to make things work or get optimum performance.

If you have the time and love build a PC. For someone like me that has a demanding job, family, not a lot of gaming time I would get a X1X. And I built computers, did tech work for major companies in the US, and I love tinkering.

JohnBlackstar

Anti-Matter

@NEStalgia
Ah, simple.
I would better NOT choosing either PC or Xbox one X.

Both of them are MEH to me.

I don't care with their Beefy specs.
Means NOTHING for me, just Useless.
My PC is for working, not playing games.
Xbox one..... just forget it.
Completely a Big Jokes.

Anti-Matter

NEStalgia

@JohnBlackstar You guys really are reminding me why I loathed PC gaming makes me wonder why I see so many people with the "I'll just get it on PC" and "everything 3rd party comes to PC anyway" and the "PC is cheap" mentality so much on this very console forum. Some people don't seem to have all that difficulty you describe (and I remember so well)....their ease of experience angers me.

Though I remember other PC gamers I associated with at the time never seemed to have any problems while I was plagued by them. Maybe it's just karma.

@anti-matter that's why it's the system for budget games I missed....see the pretty graphics, see what others are talking about....but not spend much on the games I wouldn't eat potato chips for dinner every day.....but they're fun sometimes

NEStalgia

Haruki_NLI

The thing is, you wont get the performance equivalent to Xbox One X in a PC for the same price without doing some serious deal hunting if you're lucky.

But PC will likely last you longer, and you get the Xbox games anyway.

...Actually that's a tough call.

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NEStalgia

@YummyHappyPills Yeah, that's the big catch. I don't mind the deal hunting....I'm not in a hurry for it, my PS/Switch backlog is already daunting, so it could be an amusing long term project. OTOH, one buy up front for $500 that's basically the same thing (sans the $60/yr online) is harder to consider. X1X is the first time since PS2/GCN that a console is actually offering more hardware than you're paying for so it upsets the PC end of the balance a bit.

"Xbox games"....kind of an oxymoron, though isn't it?

NEStalgia

Ralizah

Between Steam, GOG, Humble Bundle, etc. it's really easy to quickly build up a huge library on PC.

You also get the unique advantages of a PC: all kinds of multimedia playback, emulation, mods that don't need to pass through corporate gatekeeping, multiple ways of controlling your games (PC + Mouse, steam controller, Xbox controller, Dualshock 4, etc.) and access to probably the biggest library of games ever.

PC, on the front end, is more expensive, though. If you buy a lot of games, the costs will probably even out (no $60/year online and much cheaper games). You also have to worry about configuration issues with some games. In the end, though, I think it's probably worth investing in a decent PC.

Currently Playing: Advance Wars 1 + 2: Re- Boot Camp (NS)

Octane

@NEStalgia PC + PS4 + Switch gets you every game you want. That's one reason to buy a PC over Xbox.

Octane

Sisilly_G

I don't know why you would buy an Xbox if you already have a Playstation (and from what you've said, an exhaustive backlog of games).

@Octane pretty much nailed it. I'm an unabashed Nintendo fanboy, so my 3DS and Switch is all I need (at least until the next Nintendo system comes along). But if I had the room/time for it, I would consider PS4 for the console exclusives and affordable VR, but I think I would be more inclined to get a gaming PC instead.

Xbox does not interest me in the slightest, and the exclusives couldn't hold a candle to the competition. Plus, the idea of giving Microsoft money makes me uneasy.

Edited on by Sisilly_G

"Gee, that's really persuasive. Do you have any actual points to make other than to essentially say 'me Tarzan, physical bad, digital good'?"

Switch Friend Code: SW-1910-7582-3323

redd214

Octane wrote:

@NEStalgia PC + PS4 + Switch gets you every game you want. That's one reason to buy a PC over Xbox.

This is the route I plan on going. Already have the ps4 and switches, will probably buy a beefy computer towards the end of the year mainly for my kids but also so I can finally play the Forza series!

redd214

Nintendoforlife

@redd214 Just keep in mind you can get a "beefy" computer for around 650$ bucks. It's about ordering from the right places.

As for @nestalgia I would definitely go for a PC unless you're just a true and true console gamer. The Upgradeable parts should allow you to maximize your dollar.

Nintendoforlife

redd214

@Nintendoforlife yeah I know. I plan on just buying a pre-built one so I will probably end up spending more than that. I know it's more expensive just honestly don't feel like c going thru the time and effort to learn how to build one. I know it's rewarding for many but not me.

Edited on by redd214

redd214

Ralizah

@Nintendoforlife Right. My computer ran around $1000 when it was built two years ago or so and it plays pretty much everything at almost the highest settings, so it stands to reason that it shouldn't cost a whole lot more than the base cost of an Xbone to build a PC with a comparable level of performance.

Currently Playing: Advance Wars 1 + 2: Re- Boot Camp (NS)

TuVictus

I thought I wanted an xbox one but now that they're putting major games on PC as well, there's really no point. You can get a PC that's as strong as a X1X for cheaper, I'd wager, with way more benefits that outweigh the negatives.

TuVictus

PlywoodStick

@NEStalgia GASP You're considering......trying out another PC!?!?!??!?

Untitled

Lol

I personally would not recommend an XB1X, since the hardware is frankly not really powerful enough to deliver on truly pushing 2160p (4K) at anything above medium settings with 30 FPS on more demanding titles. For example, in Destiny 2, it only runs at 30 FPS on XB1X. (Even computer builds using the top-of-the-line for gaming Core i7-8700k and GTX 1080 Ti cannot always reliably push native 2160p with 60+ FPS on high settings in more demanding new titles, which is going to become especially apparent next year.)

This is because the XB1X uses a similar Jaguar CPU/APU as the PS4/Pro, which severely bottlenecks that nice GTX 1060 equivalent GPU in the XB1X with the Jaguar's ~2.1 GHz (overclocked from 1.8) speed across all cores. (Which is really bad for a purportedly high end, strictly stationary gaming machine these days.) Yes, that's right- the XB1X is using an overclocked 6 year old CPU, not brand new tech. They won't admit it, but my guess is the purpose of that is to keep multiplatformers uniformly in line between XB1X and PS4Pro versions as much as possible, gimping the XB1X's potential. If there's a game you really want on the XB1, just get an XB1 S model.

If you do decide to move forward on a new comp, I should let you know about some things, since there's currently a lot of movement in the PC industry right now.

Considering our past discussions on your curse... I would stick with PS4/Pro and your Haswell system for right now. 4th gen i5/i7 is still enough for most games today, and that will remain the case until next year, when games like Cyberpunk 2077 will push beyond current boundaries, and start making use of MCM (multi-chip module) GPU's while fully utilizing CPU cores moreso than quad-cores can provide. AMD's Navi GPU architecture will feature some of the first consumer MCM GPU's, with upper end models releasing later this year and mainstream models releasing next year.

Speaking of which, AMD is officially back in the game, and I would say you should hold off on buying or building a brand new high end gaming PC until 2019 or later. Their Zen+ architecture releasing in the next few months is set to be every bit a match for (or even outright defeat) Intel's 8th generation Coffee Lake series. Then Zen 2 is releasing next year, which will also give Intel's 9th generation Cannon Lake series some serious competition. So Intel builds aren't the only worthy options anymore.

There is a set of two exploitable kernal bugs (critical security vulnerabilities) in most, if not all modern Intel CPU's, called Meltdown and Spectre. You may have already known about these, but they're currently wreaking havoc on Intel's server business, and require security patching which degrades performance by varying amounts, depending on your system. AMD has mostly avoided this dilemma, although Microsoft's patches brick some older computers with AMD CPU's, which Microsoft is blaming on AMD. (Even though it's Microsoft that would be responsible for bricked computers.) There are class action lawsuits brewing, in any case, so it's really wild out there right now.

Hexa-core and soon Octa-core CPU's are becoming the norm, Quad-core CPU's are being phased out except at the low end moving forward. So if you're on a budget and are willing to settle for medium settings, consider an APU and wait for either AMD's Raven Ridge line, or Intel's H-series of 8th generation or later lines, both of which will allow you to build a smaller, cheaper, quieter computer. For an enthusiast build playing at high settings, opt for at least a hexa-core CPU currently, or least an octa-core CPU from 2022 onwards. Better utilizing more cores is the future of PC gaming.

If you ask me, you should opt to build your own or have someone help you build a computer when and if you're ready for a new one in the next year or two. OEM builds are increasingly not as flexible, and provide worse performance than one you've tailored to work the way you want.

There are also some increasingly infamous (and oft denied) instances where depending on which motherboard you use, your CPU may give you less performance than you would think based on advertising. The greatest current examples of this are the Core i5-8400 and Core i7-8700 (non-K versions). Many tech press sites often review Intel products, in particular, in a way that casts them in the best light.

In truth, though, Intel only guarantees you that your product will run at stock clocks. So for example, even though a CPU may be advertised as being able to reach 4+ GHz, only one of the cores may actually reach that, while every other core may have to throttle down to stock clocks after several seconds. It depends on if you're only using a $60-80 motherboard instead of $150+ high end one, since the VRM's (voltage regulator modules) are important for maintaining higher clocks. To be blunt, a cheap mobo with cheap proc today is not going to give you worlds better performance than your current Haswell system. You'd have to pay up to get a decisively better system.

In closing... I'd say wait a bit longer to upgrade, take AMD's products into consideration, don't only look at Intel products, and make sure the RAM you get is compatible with your motherboard.

Hope some of that helps, let me know if there's anything in particular you need to know!

Edited on by PlywoodStick

PlywoodStick

NEStalgia

@PlywoodStick frack, it's 1998 all over again! @jaxonh help!

I think you convinced me more than anything anyone else said to continue avoiding pc gaming like the plague it is . It's everything i hated only worse. And that sounds like another multi thousand dollar beast. No thanks. Was hoping things improved a bit!

Fwiw I've never done oem. But server and workstation builds have become so much more standard and cheap that's what got me curious. Gaming sounds like it's gone Enterprise rack pricing again. Eww how is this the most popular gaming in Russia and China again? (I noticed Chinese is the most popular steam language by some 66%)

To be fair, like i said, no 4k or hdr for me for possibly a long time. They don't even make them for my mount yet. And Id go steam link based. But I'm not doing the$3k rig again. Ever. Consoles have advanced to the point that's not really necessary anymore. That haswell was the last of those for my lifetime.

Meh. X1 and pro are sounding ever better. Thiis close to trying steam again...

NEStalgia

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