Worth getting a PC for gaming ?

2smiggy

few months ago was thinking of getting a PC for gaming, perhaps spending about 800 on the lot. then had a few bills to pay etc, but probably now in a position to get one again.

it been 7/8 years since i played games on the PC , back to the return to castle wolfenstein, battlefield ,ghost recon days. I have a PS3 and get good use out of it. Just wondering is a PC worth getting seeing as the PS4 could be 1.5 to 2 years away yet ?

Shiminay

It's *ALWAYS* worth getting a PC to play games on

Grumpypants

I recently built a PC for about €800 that can run most things at a reasonably high level, you also have to factor in though you will need a mouse, keyboard, windows 7 64 and maybe a monitor (Not sure what you have already) so it will push it the wrong side of a grand for something substantially better than a PS3 and at that it is only a handful of high end games that you will notice a huge difference, Battlefield 3 for example.

Genghiz Cohen

€800 will get you pretty far.

Have a look around here.

Best of luck!

ScumLord

You could get a decent set up for €800. I think if you get a good motherboard that has upgrade potential in a year or two you can stick a new CPU or graphics card into it.

DeSelby83

i have owned an xbox and an xbox 360 but recently i got a pretty good laptop for college and i decided to try steam and get a few games on it. if by the time the next consoles are out (2 years time say) i have the opportunity to get a good gaming pc (job, my own place, space etc) then i will. and to be honest its mainly because of steam. its a fantastic service and with the workshop coming out for more and more games it offers you so much more than a console does.

Antar Bolaeisk

It really depends on what you're looking to get out of it. Personally I have been, and always will be, a PC gamer so will whole heartedly recommend it. It can be a bit less social than the consoles though as the gaming community is more fractured (there's a lot of us but we all play different things). There's also the perceived hassle in running a PC game (poor ports, badly optimised, BSODs etc.) which, to be fair, is very much improved on what it was a decade ago. You'll still need to troubleshoot problems on occasion and be prepared to flex your google in search of answers.

I also wouldn't let the cost put you off, yeah computers can be expensive (though you should be able to get something very capable for €800) but you're not just going to use the computer for games I presume and, once you factor in all the paraphernalia associated with each system (tv/screen, additional controllers, KB/M console subscriptions etc.) it does start to balance out a bit.

Major bonus digital distribution and Steam

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

and there's mods you can breathe new life into old games, improving them or even turning them into (almost) completely new games

the amount of mods for the stalker series or the elder scrolls in particular give you tens or hundreds of hours of new stuff in your playthrough.

TheFairy

Yes, but it can do so much more than play games! Dont forget that!

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

yeah, 1080p porn is nothing to be sneezed at

Agricola

Id say now is a great time to get into PC gaming for the very reason you said, the new consoles are not coming in the next few months.

How much you spend depends on what you want to get out of it. There was a piece on Eurogamer recently which talked about the merits of a £300 machine over any of the consoles. So if you are not a graphics whore (and since your only now thinking about this, I imagine you're not) then you could have a nice bit of change out of your 800 euro budget.

richymcdermott

nice a thread being made here cause i consider few months ago getting a gaming pc but i thought it was too much of an investment , im considering it again , if i put towards 600 for the pc will that be grand for games like total war series and alien colonel marines thats coming out ?

i dont mind if it doesnt run high settings as log it runs without hiccups

Dcully

richymcdermott wrote: »

nice a thread being made here cause i consider few months ago getting a gaming pc but i thought it was too much of an investment , im considering it again , if i put towards 600 for the pc will that be grand for games like total war series and alien colonel marines thats coming out ?

i dont mind if it doesnt run high settings as log it runs without hiccups

Yes should be no problem at all.
My son is playing on my 4.5 year old PC,can run all the latest game on high to highest settings @ 1920X1080.
If you spent €600 today you should easily out perfom this PC.
PC hardware has never been cheaper.
Once you begin to understand the possibilities you will never not want to have a decent PC.

Head over here for some help, already tonnes of threads from people like you seeking advice.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=842

ShadowHearth

Pc gaming is always worth it.

Keep in mind when you going pc gaming route, you are not just buying a yoke to play games, but you buy the best media centre ever created. Don't look at pc only from gaming investment.
Thanks to consoles being so stupidly outdated even the low cost pcs can run most games on very respectable settings.

Now I won't hide it. Initial investment will be bigger then just buying a console, but you get more of an item for that money. If you want to save money, then why not to use your TV as temporary monitor?
The most important thing to do if you want to dip your toe in to pc gaming - stay the **** away from prebuilt stuff. Always go for custom self build option.
As an base build, you can make a cheap pc which will play games. when you got your decent case, psu, hdds, optical drive and mobo sorted, then you have a base for a very long time. From there you will be just looking in to CPU and gpu upgrades swaps in future. ( ram is cheap, dirt cheap these days. You can make a fort out of ram these days )
For anyone who wants just a start, then system like this will be a good start:
I3 2120
4-8gb ram
500gb hdd
Ati 6870
450w psu
Mobo (z77, z68 of you want a very good base for upgrades or h61 which will be 25eu cheaper )

That pc will play anything that will be thrown at it. 1650x1050 or 1080p resolution. Most games high settings and multiplatform games maxed out. Bf3 will be around high settings with solid 30fps +++

I can't give you correct price on all that build as I am on my phone, but it won't be high.
If anyone does want to get a system on their budget, then just go in to "building pc" section of boards and a lot of us there will give you a hand. There is a form you can fill in and we will squizze the most out of your budget. We will even help you build it for ya. For a very dare price of a cup of tea with biscuit.

cherryghost

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar wrote: »

yeah, 1080p porn is nothing to be sneezed at

There's some things man weren't meant to watch in HD >.>

richymcdermott

Dcully wrote: »

Yes should be no problem at all.
My son is playing on my 4.5 year old PC,can run all the latest game on high to highest settings @ 1920X1080.
If you spent €600 today you should easily out perfom this PC.
PC hardware has never been cheaper.
Once you begin to understand the possibilities you will never not want to have a decent PC.

Head over here for some help, already tonnes of threads from people like you seeking advice.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=842

cheers man thanks a million i be sure to check out the forums again

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

cherryghost wrote: »

There's some things man weren't meant to watch in HD >.>

herpes scars are sexy

Tar.Aldarion

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar wrote: »

yeah, 1080p 3d porn is nothing to be sneezed at

fyp >_>


PCs are always worth having! Stream is just amazing. Good service stops piracy.

hooradiation

2smiggy wrote: »

few months ago was thinking of getting a PC for gaming, perhaps spending about 800 on the lot. then had a few bills to pay etc, but probably now in a position to get one again.

it been 7/8 years since i played games on the PC , back to the return to castle wolfenstein, battlefield ,ghost recon days. I have a PS3 and get good use out of it. Just wondering is a PC worth getting seeing as the PS4 could be 1.5 to 2 years away yet ?

Treat it like you would buying any other console - are there enough (any?) games that you really want that you can only get on that platform? Would the kind of games you like to play receive any real benefit from being on a PC?
Do you actually really want one or do you just think it'd be nice?

If so, go for it, I'm sure you can find a willing gaggle of neckbeards to give you conflicting advice that won't make much sense on what to buy. They do that, just pick whatever the hell comes closest to being the consensus and then go with it.

But if not then just don't waste your money, it's just another platform to play games on, not a goddamn miracle box.

Kiith

I spent €600 a few months back, and am able to play any game at max settings. Didn't have to get a tv or operating system, so it worked out cheaper, but its still definitely worth it. There is an amazing collection of games that aren't available anywhere else, and can be gotten quite cheap. Mods breathe new life into older games, and can give you entirely new games for free. Steam sales are also fantastic, and you'll get a ton of games for dirt cheap.

It is more work then playing on a console though. You've to keep it updated, and will more then likely run into some issues at some stage. Most are easily fixable, and you'll find most fixes by just searching Google.

It's definitely worth it imo.

Skerries

don't forget all the free to play games that you would never see on a console
just look at this game that was released 2 days ago and is free to play http://store.steampowered.com/app/209870/ , obviously you can buy stuff for these games but they won't change the basic game and are usually cosmetic
other great free ones are
Tribes Ascend
Battlefield Heroes
Battlefield Play for free
Team Fortress 2
and a lot of MMO's have gone free to play as well such as DC Online, Star Trek, Lord of the Rings etc.
and have a look at previously commercial games that now free
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_commercial_video_games_released_as_freeware

Genghiz Cohen

Actually OP, set up a Steam account NOW!
The sales are coming, and Steam sales are legendary.

ShadowHearth

Genghiz Cohen wrote: »

Actually OP, set up a Steam account NOW!
The sales are coming, and Steam sales are legendary.

They leave a very soar hole too. Make sure to stack up with lube.

dregin

hooradiation wrote: »

Treat it like you would buying any other console - are there enough (any?) games that you really want that you can only get on that platform? Would the kind of games you like to play receive any real benefit from being on a PC?
Do you actually really want one or do you just think it'd be nice?

If so, go for it, I'm sure you can find a willing gaggle of neckbeards to give you conflicting advice that won't make much sense on what to buy. They do that, just pick whatever the hell comes closest to being the consensus and then go with it.

But if not then just don't waste your money, it's just another platform to play games on, not a goddamn miracle box.

I agree. **** MORD!

Sephiroth_dude

I'm hopefully gonna be building a new computer next year,one I currently have is 4 yrs old

ScumLord

Will you be using the PC just for gaming? PCs can become an entertainment centrepiece. Windows 7 has support for being controlled by remote, I have one for my pc (it was only a tenner) and I use my PC for everything, I can sit back on the couch and use an app on my phone as a wireless mouse.

Tar.Aldarion

what does the remote do then?

what do you control on it btw, just music/video?

Overheal

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar wrote: »

yeah, 1080p porn is nothing to be sneezed at

but bring a tissue anyway

2smiggy

i think i will just go ahead and get one. for the sake of 1/3 of a holiday to spain i'm sure i will get much more enjoyment. it will only be for gaming though. i'm a bit of a tech/game whore , and have spent a fortune in gadgets in the past so why not !?! i'll throw up a few pics in a minute to show my tech-whoredum

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

if you like fps check out the Stalker series once you get it all setup. with the complete mods or some of the more drastic game changing mods they (apart from clear sky I guess) are the best fps of the modern generation.

2smiggy

2smiggy

ScumLord

Tar.Aldarion wrote: »

what does the remote do then?

what do you control on it btw, just music/video?

Outside of media centre it basically controls volume and start stop on videos. It would be very handy if it had some sort of mouse control but I have the phone for that anyway.

2smiggy wrote: »

it will only be for gaming though. i'm a bit of a tech/game whore , and have spent a fortune in gadgets in the past so why not !?! i'll throw up a few pics in a minute to show my tech-whoredum

The thing about using a PC though is you can consolidate all your gadgets into one piece of technology and have one box instead of several. I spent years building up to the PC I have now but it's replaced everything else.

Tomk1

2smiggy wrote: »

it been 7/8 years since i played games on the PC

Same here, saved for 16 months and got an i7 last year, well worth the wait and money. Using an old CRT and waiting to save for a projector, well worth picking up a PC-xbox gaming pad, then best of both worlds.

oxo_

Remotes are so old fashioned. What you want to do is get dragon naturally speaking, set your mic sensitivity to high-ish, sit back and tell, no, Command! Your computer to do stuff !

Saying that, I dropped a 250gb HD into my Linux sat box and now use it instead for watching downloaded stuff. PC downloads direct to it too.

If you're a complete gadget freak, try get your hands on one of the brain controllers. Seriously, it sits on your forehead comfortably and you use it as a mouse, you "will" the mousepointer etc to move with your brain. Overclockers used to sell them, out of stock the last couple month though.

ScumLord

oxo_ wrote: »

If you're a complete gadget freak, try get your hands on one of the brain controllers.

You just have to make sure you get the right version, the brain controller I got worked in reverse controlling my brain. I was at the mercy of an evil geniuses plan for world domination for over a month.

Skerries

ScumLord wrote: »

You just have to make sure you get the right version, the brain controller I got worked in reverse controlling my brain. I was at the mercy of an evil geniuses plan for world domination for over a month.

ah! that explains your avatar

Headshot

sigh

still no steam sale

jate3d9u1qxmwc

€800 will get you a very good gaming pc if you build it other than that you could prob get an alright gaming pc if you buy Alienware or Razor etc.

Tar.Aldarion

800e got me an amazing PC a year ago. It's still amazing tbh.

Sephiroth_dude

Tar.Aldarion wrote: »

800e got me an amazing PC a year ago. It's still amazing tbh.

what are your specs ?

Tar.Aldarion

Sephiroth_dude

Nice,can you play everything/most things on ultra?

Tar.Aldarion

Yeah I play everything I have on ultra, maxed out to the last, on 1080p. I suppose skyrim is the most demanding that I have and it looks great.

ShadowHearth

Sephiroth_dude wrote: »

Nice,can you play everything/most things on ultra?

he should be able to play anything on ultra. only bf3 should be toned down a wee bit.
if he will want to play anything ultra for the next 3-4 years, then he just needs to swap GPU.

today 800eu would buy you even more

Tar.Aldarion

ShadowHearth wrote: »

he should be able to play anything on ultra. only bf3 should be toned down a wee bit.
if he will want to play anything ultra for the next 3-4 years, then he just needs to swap GPU.

I should mention I OCed the cpu to 4.5ghz and the gpu is already OCed and the frozr version is quite nice.


I was thinking of getting a second 560ti at some point as a boost when I need it, as I hear it scales well?

today 800eu would buy you even more

I think mine aged pretty well

Only thing I couldnt see was the mobo, put in one with worse sli support. And a different cheap cooler.
He could probably go for z68 or whatever the newest one is now heh. Probably better gfx for that price these days.

ShadowHearth

I would not bother with 2x560ti now.

Those scale lovely, but you will be limited heavily by low VRAM. Bf3 is the first game which dips over 1gb on 1080p. So for future you better off getting a new gpu.

Tar.Aldarion

All right, there goes my carefully laid plans where I got a 750 watt psu

Sephiroth_dude

what resolution are you playing at tar?

uncle_sam_ie

The case is the wrong color:D. http://www.fractal-design.com/?view=product&category=2&prod=72

Tar.Aldarion

Sephiroth_dude wrote: »

what resolution are you playing at tar?

1920x1080.

uncle_sam_ie wrote: »

The case is the wrong color:D. http://www.fractal-design.com/?view=product&category=2&prod=72

Ew no, I hate white technology things.