A big problem with this debate is that one side has logical/factual points and metrics and the other side is plugging their ears and claiming people are being haters/jealous. A debate is not occurring.
The high end of a market has significant diminishing returns. This isn't always the case unless the high end of the market demonstrates they don't care about price and just want to be fleeced.
Just because you like spending gobs of money on the most 'high end' hardware, doesn't make someone an enthusiast. It means that you enjoy spending the most money on the most high end hardware. There are tons of gamers who log far more hours, spend far more money on games, and the
factual data reflects that they play on cards equal to or less than a 1060. Meanwhile, there are console players all across the world who seemingly love their experience, buy far more games, and are running on far less spec'd equipment.
It’s odd to me that people are complaining about prices here but will absolutely spend more on a high end CPU that is only a few percentage points more capable that a lower tier or older cpu.
My 8 core CPU cost 1/2 as much as the 4 core CPU I bought.
That's actually how things work in tech. You pay less for more with time as a product matures.
As for why I went from 4 core to 8 core? I had an actual computational need for it.
I didn't buy it because it made me feel warm and fuzzy inside to have the latest and greatest.
I buy based on my needs and
value. If the value isn't there and there isn't a business case associated with it, I use great discretion.
Although I have been gaming for years, my focus is on the experience not on how much $$$ i can throw at hardware. There is nothing related to a gaming enthusiast that translates to high end hardware. From Comicon, to burning man, to gaming, to general computer usage, to cell phones, to the internet, to social media (used to be restricted to college students and campus's) it's like things go off the rails once it goes mainstream. The spirit and nature of things die and is replaced by how much money one can spend and how extravagant they can be. People cared about FPS when things ran at 10 fps.. and then 20 and then 30 and then 40 and then 60... Now at the clown end of the curve, we have this weird sense of oneupmanship. Interestingly, people have a valid argument against such people because they serve as a catalyst for destroying affordability for a wide range of enthusiast. This has occurred in just about everything known to man across time. Concert tickets go from $40 to $300... A goofy phone goes from $200 to $1000. And no it doesn't cost that much to make nor is the R&D that expensive which is why margins and quarterly profits are at an all time high.
Gap between rich and poor balloons and everyone pretends like they don't know how...
Hint : The rich are buying stock in companies where consumers buy at at cost. The non-rich are the consumers spending their incorrectly evaluated wealth on excessive products.
Affordability... $250k+ salary. Does that mean I go and blow it on products that are a rip off and call such a habit being an enthusiast? A ferrari owner whose never been to a track? Never been above 60 mph... Or the teenager who knows every aspect of a car that cost 1/10th tunes it himself, tracks it on weekends? 4k 4000fps $10k rig ranking at the bottom or the CS:Go gamer that constantly ranks top 10 on the server playing on a poverty tier dual core w/a 780ti...
Blowing money and fattening a corporations pockets doesn't make you an enthusiast.
More often than not the true enthusiast have and spend far less money, log far more hours, and own far more games (most often not graphic intensive "blockbuster" titles).
Fortnite is renowned around the world. You can play it on max settings on poverty tier $140 APUs.
$$$ tends to ruin everything and propel it into idiocy.
Nvidia released 2080/2080ti and the prices are unmysteriously right at the levels 1080s and 1080tis were selling at during the height of the crypto idiocy. This has absolutely nothing to do w/ R&D cost and other nonsense. Absolutely nothing to do w/ enthusiast game and everything to do w/ a fleecing.
I could piss the money I make on every tech gadget known to man when it comes out... On the very products I make a living making. But that would be foolish. I buy a company's stock when a pronounced group of people maintain they will w/o question buy their products because they're 'enthusiast'. Hilariously, the true enthusiast flee things that become infected with $$$ and lose their soul... As soon as they do and find something solid....in comes the rush of 'take my money' crowds. The thing in question loses not gains value, dies out, and the cycle repeats.
$800/$1200 video cards are absurd.. Period.
As are $1000 phones.
Why the prices then? because the market (take my money) continues to suggest they're ok with it.
Record profits and margins...
Ferrari enthusiasts.
There are people I know who are millionares from phone app revenue who have dumb phones.
Ask them why and their remark will be : I'm busy making money. I rarely use my phone. A phone is for texting and calling people and my dumb phone does that just fine.
Meanwhile, someone flipping burgers has a $1000 Iphone 8XD.
Again, i guess someone has to keep people in tech employed.
I can't argue with that if people want to brag about such a habit.
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