Is there any point in keeping an up-to date pc when I have a 360?

zixxer

Diamond Member
Jul 6, 2001
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I have a 360 - but for some reason it seems like I 'get into' pc games more.. I'm faced now with upgrading my old pos 6600 to an 8800 - but ~$270 for a video card is a lot..


Opinions?

Are the graphics better for one versus the other? (360 is hooked up to a 720p plasma)
 

elmer92413

Senior member
Oct 23, 2004
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There are plenty of older PC games that will still run on your 6600. I'd play them and get newer stuff for the 360. No need to spend money until there is a PC game that you absolutely want to play.
I myself am still using a 6800gt and am keeping busy by going back and playing alot of older games, ie I just recently got The Longest Journey.
 

Kromis

Diamond Member
Mar 2, 2006
5,214
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Yes.

PC version always looks better. Unless you have a crap computer. :)
 

Bateluer

Lifer
Jun 23, 2001
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I'd ebay the 360 to finance the PC upgrades. Its almost an unwritten rule of the natural order that PC games are superior to console games in almost all respects.
 

NoSoup4You

Golden Member
Feb 12, 2007
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PC games can support larger numbers of players online, which is huge for games like Battlefield and Call of Duty. 64 players online in BF2 or BF2142 is definitely an awesome experience. With that said though, as long as the game is well designed, 8 players is enough to have a blast.
 

BladeVenom

Lifer
Jun 2, 2005
13,540
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I just bought half a dozen games at CC yesterday for $50. Nothing even that old, most were from 2007. That would have cost me over $240 if they would have been console games.

MODS: I love being able to change skins, and even total mods that change the whole game. A game that gets lots of mods offers more than 10 times the replay value of a console game.

Even an inexpensive HD3850 is going to get you much better graphics than a Xbox 360. The 360 graphics chip was between the 1800 and 1900 series cards.
 

zixxer

Diamond Member
Jul 6, 2001
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Originally posted by: Bateluer
I'd ebay the 360 to finance the PC upgrades. Its almost an unwritten rule of the natural order that PC games are superior to console games in almost all respects.

Can't... use it primarily as a media center extender
 

Fardor

Senior member
Aug 7, 2007
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Really, unless all you do is play games, one console should be sufficient. The games will look good enough on your 360. The games will play fine on your 360.

Personally I've had a lot more fun with console games than PC games. It's really preference. Don't listen to the people who will tell you that it's an "unwritten rule of the natural order" that PC gaming is "better." There's no such thing as a "better" game anyways.
 

Schadenfroh

Elite Member
Mar 8, 2003
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I own a PS3 (mainly for Blu-Ray player / HTPC) and an older gaming PC (x1950 Pro 512mb, Athlon64 4000+). I do not intend to upgrade until a game comes out that I want to play that will not run good even with graphical sacrifices.

I would say it would be worth upgrading if the platform has the exclusive games that you want to play or if the games that you do want to play have extensive modding communities that you are interested in (like The Elder Scrolls series).

If you are heavy into multiplayer, pick which platform your friends are playing on.

The game that I am playing now (NeverWinter Nights 2) is a PC exclusive and the next game I intend to play (The Witcher) is also PC exclusive. In my case, emphasis on the PC would be the choice, but everyone's situation is somewhat unique.
 

skace

Lifer
Jan 23, 2001
14,488
7
81
Look, you are gaming on a budget, don't make the situation any more complicated than that. Find the system that provides you with the most games you want to play for the cheapest amount of money and stick with it.

There is no such thing as PC gaming on a budget unless you fly the skull and crossbones, YARRR.
 

potato28

Diamond Member
Jun 27, 2005
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Better communities, better online players, more challenge, and definitely just for the mods!
 

TecHNooB

Diamond Member
Sep 10, 2005
7,460
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Upgrading every generation or every other generation is a huge waste. Keep the console to stave off your gaming needs until you have at least a 5-6 generation gap between your previous and next vid card.
 

rh71

No Lifer
Aug 28, 2001
52,853
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I just picked up a 7800gs for $100 used. I think it was worth it.
 

zixxer

Diamond Member
Jul 6, 2001
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grr... I ended up buying an xfx 8800gts @ $300 from newegg (not including rebate)

 
Feb 17, 2008
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well.. I have a 360 too collecting dust..

It sits for the day Fable 2 comes out..

I already beat the snot out of Mass Effect 6 times...

I would keep it.. let it collect dust..


I love the option to play some older games on my pc that simply arent on console and look a tick better now with a more powerful computer..
 

MetalMat

Diamond Member
Jun 14, 2004
9,692
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I have decided to just stick with my 360, there is no way something like Mass Effect will run on my old system. My desktop runs TF2 but that is about the best it can go.
 

Skunkwourk

Diamond Member
Dec 9, 2004
4,662
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I dunno, every since I got an Xbox360 PC controller, most of the Xbox360 titles I've wanted to play have ended up coming out as a Games for Windows title (fully compatible with the Xbox360 PC controller). My computer is mid-low range, but I still think Gears of War on med settings is just as good as on Xbox360, if not better.
 

zixxer

Diamond Member
Jul 6, 2001
7,326
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Originally posted by: m0mentary
I dunno, every since I got an Xbox360 PC controller, most of the Xbox360 titles I've wanted to play have ended up coming out as a Games for Windows title (fully compatible with the Xbox360 PC controller). My computer is mid-low range, but I still think Gears of War on med settings is just as good as on Xbox360, if not better.



I believe you'll find most games that are out for 360 are also out for pc since it's easy to port a game back and forth (vs ps3 where it has to be at least partially rewritten)



I decided just to go ahead and keep the 8800gts I just bought and play most games on pc - thus devoting my 360 for use primarily as a media extender.
 

Krakn3Dfx

Platinum Member
Sep 29, 2000
2,969
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Priced out a gaming system for a friend about 2 weeks ago, came to right at $350 total after rebates, not including the monitor, which most people already have. That bought him an e2160, an 8600GT, 2GB of RAM, and a 320GB HDD in a nice Coolermaster CM 690 case . He's thrilled, it runs everything he throws at it, including Crysis at 1280x1024 with a mix of medium/high settings.

We sold his old system on Craigslist for $200, so in the end, the upgrade cost him around $150.

One of the best things you can do as a PC gamer is to not sit on hardware until it's too old to be worthwhile to others. I've moved from a 6800GT to a 7800GT to an 8800GTS g80 320MB to my current 8800GT, and I haven't spent more than $40 either time to move to the newer card. Also sold my Opty 165 w/ mobo and 2GB of RAM and only paid like $20 more to move to a nice P35 board w/ an e4500 and another 2GB of RAM, then about a month ago, I sold my e4500 for $120 and picked up an e8400 for $190.

It's work and money to be a PC gamer, but it doesn't have to be this huge money sink that people tend to make it. In the last 3-4 years, I've spent less running the occasional piecemeal upgrades than a PS3 would cost me, and probably a 360 bundled with a 120GB HDD. Yes, if you do it all at once, it's going to hurt your wallet, but that's why you don't do it that way.

Also, if you have a Microcenter anywhere by you, their Microcenter card is invaluable for upgrading. You can buy new stuff, sell the old, and put that money towards your card bill, and it's always 6 months same as cash on their card, so no annual fees or interest if you pay the stuff you buy off within 6 months. Also a great way to buy items that come with a hefty mail in rebate, since you'll usually get that rebate in time to pay the bill off, and in the 2 cases that I didn't receive my rebate within 4 months, I took copies of everything back to the store and they cashed out my rebate right there at the customer service desk.

Anyway, hope these few tips work for people, I've been using them for years and I rarely go wrong with piecemeal upgrading, and I rarely have to hear my wife complain because I spend too much on upgrading anymore :).
 

Aikouka

Lifer
Nov 27, 2001
30,383
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Why didn't you get your friend an 8800GT instead? :eek: They're not too bad in price if you hit up the 256MB version (if you can find one).
 

Krakn3Dfx

Platinum Member
Sep 29, 2000
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Originally posted by: Aikouka
Why didn't you get your friend an 8800GT instead? :eek: They're not too bad in price if you hit up the 256MB version (if you can find one).

Eh, we were shopping at Microcenter, and they had the XFX 8600GT for $103 with a free copy of CoH, which is pretty good for local retail if you don't want to deal too much with MiRs, which he didn't.

Plus, he's not really a hardcore gamer, he rarely plays, but likes to have something decent on hand if he decides to.
 

TehMac

Diamond Member
Aug 18, 2006
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Why get an 8800 now? There is something called patience and waiting for new graphics cards to come out in a month and then those cards drive down the prices of current cards, and the current cards are just as good. Or wait for the new midrange, honestly, who is making you upgrade now? I have a 2 year old system, it's doing fine for me, quite frankly, this whole "ZOMG NEED TO KEEP PC UPTODATE KTHXBAI!?!"!" attitude is what people don't get (and killing PC Gaming!1111!1111) If you save money, look for deals, be patient don't be an nVidia/ATi/AMD/Intel whore, your system will be marvelous and do fine for a couple of years.

Originally posted by: Krakn3Dfx
Originally posted by: Aikouka
Why didn't you get your friend an 8800GT instead? :eek: They're not too bad in price if you hit up the 256MB version (if you can find one).

Eh, we were shopping at Microcenter, and they had the XFX 8600GT for $103 with a free copy of CoH, which is pretty good for local retail if you don't want to deal too much with MiRs, which he didn't.

Plus, he's not really a hardcore gamer, he rarely plays, but likes to have something decent on hand if he decides to.

Well I'll be darned....a casual gamer playing a PC....what's the world coming to?
 

ja1484

Platinum Member
Dec 31, 2007
2,438
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Originally posted by: Kromis
Yes.


What he said, and not necessarily all because of graphics. Many games (read: shooters, strategy, RPG) just play better on PC.