PC gaming is expensive!
This is not meant to be a console vs PC diatribe. Each has its pros and cons.
One of PC gaming’s cons is that it’s expensive. That’s a “fact”, right? Even among PC gaming circles and people in the know, PC gaming is considered to be expensive. It is very easy to spend over R20 000 on a machine only to have it become outclassed in 6 six months by something new.
One thing that does get to me is when people say no matter what you buy it becomes obsolete in 6 months. If your graphics card can run CoD4 at 40fps at 1280*1024, will it suddenly now only give you 30fps because a new range got released? Your hardware does not have an inferiority complex. As long as your hardware does all that you require, it’s all that should matter. Outclassed does not mean obsolete.
You don't need the top of the range to enjoy your games
When choosing the right components, a PC should easily last you 2-3 years without needing to be upgraded.
Of course, you have those that take everything to the extreme. They always have to have the best of the best, with flashy lights, super silent, super fast hotrods of PCs. They have no business exclaiming that PC gaming is expensive. Do you ride a bicycle because the Mercedes AMG SLK55 you want is too expensive, or do you buy a Corolla instead?
Why can’t people that can tolerate a Corolla when they want the Mercedes, not apply the same principle when it comes to PCs? You don’t need that Mercedes to drive to work, just like you don’t need a 20k rig to game.
A R6000 PC is more than enough to game at 1280*1024 or even 1680*1050 at max or very close to max settings, with current games.
Case in point:
AMD Athlon 64 X2 7750 Black Edition processor R996.00
HIS Radeon HD 4830 R1872
MSI AMD K9A2GM V3 Motherboard R608
Western Digital 320GB HDD R652.59
Coolermaster eXtreme Power Plus 460W PSU R525.04
LG GH22LP20 20x LightScribe dual-layer DVD writer Price: R 317
Transcend JetRam High-Performance 2GB DDR2-800 R323.60
Cooler Master Elite 334 Chassis R591
Microsoft Basic Keyboard & Mouse R230.03
Total: R6115.26
These are online prices and are correct at the time of writing. Be prepared to pay between 10-20% more from a brick and mortar store. Please keep in mind that a monitor and operating system are excluded. As the components are from different shops, the PC will require assembly.
Such a PC can run Left 4 Dead at 1280*1024 0AA 0AF, highest settings at 65fps, Crysis at 1280*1024 0AA 0AF, all medium settings at 32 fps and Far Cry 2 at 1280*1024 0AA 0AF, high settings at 47 fps.
The HD4830 is great value for money
As can clearly be seen, the Corolla gets the job done quite convincingly. One could even swap the 4830 for a 4670 and the 460watt PSU for a 390watt, save R1000 and still have completely playable framerates.
If you are using a resolution below 1280*1024 the ATI 4650 is also a great choice.
Moral of the story: a gaming PC is only as expensive as you want it to be.
Update 06/04/2009: After some further digging we’ve encountered possible compatibility issues between the CPU and the motherboard originally selected. We’ve updated the link to a new motherboard.
21 Responses to “PC gaming is expensive!”
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I have been oblivious to the “fact” that PC gaming is expensive. I, actually, have never heard that before or must have blocked it from my memory. I believe console gaming, in the long run, is more expensive. If you look at it this way: PC games R300 – R400 & Console (PS3 and 360) games range from R500 – R800, so you’re essentially paying R200 more per game. After dishing out for 10 console games, you’ve spent 2K more than for the pc equivalents. Regardless, you don’t get the same titles across pc/console platforms but that’s the same with PS3 or 360 exclusives. Consoles too reach “end of life”. They can’t be upgraded, so when when the components inside your console become outdated, it’s time to splash out another (what will be) R10000 when the next gens come.
Actually, considering the amount spent, in general, by pc gamers on new hardware each year, the consoles win on price. Sure, the games might be more expensive, but you’re paying more for flawless performance and a great experience unhindered by DRM restrictions and whatnot.
Go on, ask JP what he spent last year on his computer.
Better yet, ask JP what he’s going to spend in his computer next year ^_^
I spent Zero on my pc hardware last year.
This year I’m hoping to get a new monitor. So doesn’t really count.
Might get some ram since mine has been giving trouble.
As I said, if you choose the right components, 2-3years before upgrading is fine.
What I also didn’t mention in my article is that pc gaming gets even cheaper when the person already has a pc for work stuff. It makes little sense buying a gaming console when you have a work pc already. The cost of the console is all that’s needed to get a work pc to “gaming pc” status, sometimes even less.
Well then, JP, what did you spend on your PC last year and what are you going to spend on your next PC? I spent 11K at the beginning of 2008 and no upgrades since then. Don’t think I’ll need anything anytime soon (except for another SLI card, maybe) as all my games run on maximum settings brilliantly. With that said, everyone chooses their gaming platform based on their personal criteria. There are pros and cons from every side, whether it be pricing, performance, games etc. I like having the best of both worlds, pc for most shooters and RTS and ps3 for everything else!
Yeah, that’s true. Everyone has their own preferences. Even time I mention getting rid of the tv and dstv because my pc serves my needs, my GF thinks I’m crazy.
That’s why I want a new monitor. A Samsung T260 if funds allow.
Hi JP
I just want to state that if your funds allow you to get a new monitor, don’t hesitate to get it … for I myself have a T260 and it’s brilliant !
R11000, thats enough for a PS3 and five or more extra games. Consider that I’m not going to have to replace the console for another four or so years, and the price of Blu-ray discs will slowly come down, meaning my games will eventually be cheaper, and more in line with PC game prices today.
In the past, yes, pc’s were definitely cheaper than consoles, but today it seems that the opposite is true. Granted, the industry is starting to concentrate a whole lot more on the mainstream and budget users, so now there is a slew of products out there that are able to play the latest games at high settings, while still ending up cheaper than the consoles altogether, but the fact remains that those budget pc’s will never play games with the kind of performance we can expect from a console.
You’re not thinking long term.
If you buy one AAA game a month for two years:
PC:R9600
Console:R19200
That extra R9600 is more than enough to upgrade a pc to play games at high res.
Also I only took the average price for console games. Some go up R999.
You’re also forgetting that to enjoy the next gen consoles you need an HD tv which is upwards of R6000.
PC gaming is far far cheaper.
The Xbox 360 was released in 2005. That’s pushing 4 years ago already. Anyone with an Xbox 360 can buy the latest 360 games and play them. With no confirmed successor in sight, it’s likely the 360 will be MS’s primary gaming platform for at least another 3 years, probably more. A 360 bought on launch day will still be able to play games released in 2012.
Can anyone say the same of the PC they bought in 2005? Oh. Wait. That’s right. They don’t even own that PC anymore.
I daresay it’s you who’s not thinking in the long term.
Look, I realise that I cant actually argue the point, seeing as I own a three-year old laptop, but my point still stands. If you take the price difference in those two years, imagine if you had the same budget for both platforms – I daresay that in order for your computer to consistently keep up with the ever-increasing abilities of Sony and Microsoft’s lounge offerings you have to spend upwards of ten grand in those two years, if not more.
Bloody hell, look at the Core i7 – it costs over 8k to adopt the basic platform! I’ll buy a PS3 bundle for that price, and I could even go and buy an Xbox too, and both will come with games that I can play.
Tarryn summed the situation up perfectly. Hell, you can even ask Megan about it – she’ll tell you straight she prefers her Xbox because there’s less chance it’ll give her problems.
We’re not debating the other aspects of the Console vs PC debate. It’s all down to preference. Some people like the M+KB, some like chilling on the couch. Some like the customizability of the pc, while others prefer to just pop in a game and have it work. There’s no end following this route.
What we can debate though is money. I’m afraid though, Tarryn, that the advantage you gain from buying a “cheap” console over an “expensive” pc diminishes with every game purchase you make.
Kinda like buying a R600 printer, thinking you got a bargain, but the cartridges are R500.
My example can be extended to any number of years. Console game prices just kill any hope of having them be cheaper. Also if you buy more than one AAA game a month, PC gaming’s advantage merely increases.
Yeah. ‘Cept you can trade in console games, and buy them secondhand from leading retailers like BT Games. Can’t do that with PC gaming. In the last year, I’ve bought over 30 games for Xbox, Wii, and DS, many of them at bargain > R300 secondhand prices. Stop playing that “butbutbut PC games are cheaper” card, and start thinking instead. And let’s not mention the huge PC game patches that’ll devour R100 worth of bandwidth at a time. Or let’s.
It’s also worth mentioning that the price difference between PC and console games is somewhat wider in SA than elsewhere, while console games tend to drop significantly in price shortly after launch. I saw Mass Effect for Xbox 360 in London for a tenner (about R150) less than a year after its release. For people like me who travel overseas regularly, it really is cheaper to be buying console games than PC games. Fact.
And stop being so obtuse about PC upgrades. Just because you’re a miser who refuses to upgrade more than one every three years doesn’t preclude anyone else from doing so. And I think you’ll find the hardcore gamers are buying new graphics cards and RAM every year, sometimes more than once. Look at the relevant survey results in the new NAG. The fact is, to maintain a PC that plays games at the same performance level (or better) as an Xbox 360 or PS3, users would have to upgrade with some regularity. A PC bought in 2005, for example, would most certainly not run Gears of War 2 at the same settings seen on an Xbox 360.
Everyone has excellent points and its all very interesting but lets throw a new ingredient into the mix…Graphics..you see Xbox 360, PS3 and PC graphics all fall into the ‘oh so great’ graphic category where everyone just loves how good the graphics are… but then something happens along the years that pass and 360 graphics and PS3 graphics start to fall into the ‘they still good but…’ category and then the ‘they ok’ category, but somehow the PC seems to retain the ‘oh so great’ category…look Im not trying to say that PC rules because of small things like graphics and I probably have every single kind of gaming platform ever..No jokes…and I love them all oh so dearly regardless of graphics but so many others out there hate that fact about consoles
Also regarding the previous topic about money and games and all that…PC games are so easily pirated and can be bought for about R50 at a Flea Market, more than making up for that expensive upgrade… it does sadden me so that so many people have fell prey to the fake games industry and continue to fuel its flame just to save a couple of rands.. oh well. also excuse my typing if i did make mistakes or didnt make sense in some areas, look at the time i wrote this and then you’ll see why…Im tired now good night
Firstly, a post appears to have been deleted somewhere along the way here, leaving my “I’m sure someone…” comment sadly stranded and lacking context. Lollies.
Secondly, while you’re not entirely wrong there, Jason, you’ve not considered one very important aspect of console development – static hardware standards, far from being the restriction you might imagine, allow game devs to exploit and take increasing advantage of available resources as time moves along, the devs become familiar with the platform, and development techniques are improved. Compare the visuals of launch titles like the original Condemned, for example, with its sequel. The 360 life cycle has spanned and hosted both the Unreal Engine 2 and now 3, and the visual difference is very significant indeed.
Perhaps you’re old enough to remember the days of adventure gaming back in the late 80s and early 90s – technology crawled back then, leaving hardware standards largely unmolested over long time periods. And so we had Sierra’s AGI games becoming Sierra’s SCI games, becoming Sierra’s SCI2.0 (VGA) games on computers that were more or less the same.
While you do have a point there, you are actually affirming mine and Tarryn’s points as well.
Did you know that at the end of the life of the PS2, Ken Kuratugai admitted in an interview that developers weren’t utilizing all the power left on the platform? Some experts estimate that the modern-day games were only exploiting 60% of the Playstation’s power, which leaves a lot to the imagination of the kind of visuals that could have been achieved on the platform.
Likewise, all the modern-day consoles have outstanding potential, but the likelihood of actually seeing that potential is very small. Kuratugai also said we might only see developers with the ability to harness the full power of the PS3 in nine or ten year’s time, and you can bet a fresh pair of socks on the Playstation Four being released long before that happens, long before developers fully realise the creative possibilities the Cell has to offer.
That’s one of Sony’s selling points, incidentally. The Xbox will eventually have to change to accomodate the growing trend towards parallel processing, and likely Microsoft is already looking at offering Blu-ray drives as standard a few years from now. All this while Sony touts that it could last ten years without releasing another iteration of the Playstation console, keeping competitive by utilizing the next-gen 40nm process, all the while updating the firmware to take advantage of the ever-expanding abilities of the basic hardware and filing down the list of moveable components inside.
All in all, its down to what JP said: both platforms have their pros and cons. But, at the moment, consoles are riding the gravy train, and looking more and more enticing everyday.
LOL. Azi, is that you!?
The one and only.
Tarryn’s a Highlander! ZOMGZOMGZOMG!
True true, everyone is once again right…boy I love it when people actually know what they talking about..but in the end it doesnt actually boil down to whats superior and whats not, more so towards who prefers what….if the consumer prefers a PS to a PS3 then thats good for them because they enjoy classics, same as if you prefer xbox over the 360 or a Ds over the psp… and thats why this great new gaming world of ours offers us with variety and choice and oh how we love the variety we get, if it werent for that then gaming wouldnt be where it is today and we wouldnt be discussing these things on a gaming mag site and we wouldnt all actually need binoculars for glasses when we turn 80 because of those all nighters at LANs like rAge….oh how boring that would be..