PC malaise: I can't convince myself to spend money upgrading my gaming PC...

[Infohawk]

So this thread has convinced me that there is very little, if any, life left in my desktop rig that I built in early 2005. I guess I shouldn't be too surprised or upset since it will soon be four years old.

That said, this AMD 64 3000+ / GeForce 6600 still works fine as a general purpose PC, playing videos, surfing the net and running productivity apps. I am having issues justifying spending $800 on a new gaming PC because of this. (And sure I could spend less money to get a decent rig but generally this means I'll have to upgrade sooner in the future.)

I am not a hardcore PC gamer, but I have traditionally been a PC gamer because of series like Civilization and SimCity. I also like games like Mass Effect and Fallout, but these are almost always on Xbox these days. Once in a while I'll get into an FPS like TF2 that still has a better community on the PC. Then there are enjoyable games like Company of Heroes that is only on the PC as far as I can tell.

So, assuming you are not an uber-gamer, how do you convince yourself to spend money continually upgrading your otherwise-fine PCs? How do you respond to those people that say one should have a console and an adequate PC? How do you defend the cost of ownership of a gaming PC when consoles seem to have longer lifespans? (I buy my games so I don't care about the ease of piracy advantage on the PC.)

This is a broad topic but I'm interested in any thoughts people have about my predicament or the overall value of PC gaming in light of hardware costs.

 

[ericgomes]

I'll explain my scenario. It's quite similar to yours. I boguht a 42" 1080p Philips for my room. I was planning on getting an Xbox 360 because it's the cheaper route. However, I couldn't let go of my roots. PC gaming is awesome and it will always be awesome. Wanna know why? Because playing games on the 360 isn't the same as playing them on the PC. FPS games were meant to be played on the PC, not the console.

However, you play games like Sim City, Civilization, etc. If you were to build a PC, you could get away with something around 600 bucks. Games like those aren't very hardware demanding.

How I convinced myself to choose the PC over a console is because:
My major is network administrating.
I'm very good at one of the games I play on the PC and if I were to switch to a console, it'd take me a long time to adjust to the feel of a console.
I just love computers.

Just my two cents.

 

[Infohawk]

Originally posted by: ericgomes
Just my two cents.

Thanks. I think you're right that if you're an FPS player you have to stick with the PC. I'd like to be able to dabble with an FPS (Stalker for example) but it's not a focus for me so it's hard for me to base my decision on FPS games. On the other hand, it seems like a lot of RPGs are demanding FPS performance these days (Bioshock, Fallout, Mass Effect).

 

[jae]

Are willing to overclock?
What resolution do you game at?

IMHO, For some one who isnt a uber gamer:
Ill go e7300, Gigabyte P45 DS3L, 4GB Corsair DDR2-800, PCP&C 500W PSU, HD4830, WD 640GB Black and a nice shiny new case.

Im thinkin thats around $500-600 (save some for upgrades) but my math may be wrong as Ive been playing with my daughter all day.

 

[Infohawk]

Originally posted by: jae
Are willing to overclock?
What resolution do you game at?

I'm not really interested in overclocking.
I would like to play at 1600x1200 which is the native resolution of my monitor. (I haven't felt much of a need to upgrade it.)

 

[jae]

ahh.. with an Antec 300 case and e7300/Sapphire HD4830 combo deal it comes out to $607 shipped. plus $75 in MIR. Sure you will tweak here and there.

 

[LumbergTech]

you can save on cost of games first of all

if you are willing to wait a bit ..the prices go down much faster

secondly, a faster gaming pc can generally do everything else faster..as long as you are getting a good cpu


not to mention selection..yes...consoles get all the "pop" games , but PC gets many more games overall

backwards compatibility....you can play almost any pc game that has ever come out (that you purchase) on each new pc that you purchase over the years

i dont know about you but i am very stingy with my gaming dollars..i will only buy something that i think i will replay for a very long time..

to me it is worth the extra price over the 360 to have these features

 

[Twsmit]

If you seek to get a little more life out of your old computer I would search the FS/FT forums. Pick up a used Athlon 64 X2 CPU and overclock it a couple hundred mhz... say 2.4-2.5ghz. Add in an extra 1GB or 2GB of previously used ram and then spend around $125 on a new video card... 4850 or 9800GT.... For around $200 you will be able to upgrade and as a bonus the video card can be used in a new computer down the line.

 

[lxskllr]

I like building computers. The main game I play is UT2k4, but I use new games as my excuse to build new computers. I could live without any new games, but I enjoy researching and building machines. If they quit making games for PC, I would quit gaming(I'll never own a console), but I'll always build new computers :^)

 

[SniperWulf]

Personally, I have more than one. PC and laptop, 360 and I co-own a PS3 with a close friend. My usage is kinda reverse from most people I think. I game mostly on my PC and laptop. The 360 has pretty much become more of a media hub than a gaming machine, although I do play with friends from time to time. And the PS3, well, I caught a deal I couldn't refuse. And since my friend, didn't want to pay full price for one and neither of us would be using it as a primary gaming platform, he offered to give me half of what I paid. THAT SAID, if Sony or Microsoft would allow me to use a keyboard and mouse as input devices for their platforms, I'm almost 100% sure I wouldn't own the PC.

Back to your issue though. I'm not sure what you are targeting with $800, but for PC components, if you buy at the sweet spot, you'll have a much better time sleeping at night. For example if a 9600GT costs $85 and a 9800GT costs $100, your dollar would go further with the 9800GT. The same can be said for almost all PC hardware these days.

 

[vj8usa]

My justification for spending a bit extra for a gaming computer is that even if I wasn't gaming, I'd be using every component other than the video card. I'd have a PC no matter what, so having a faster CPU/more RAM helps desktop use and productivity in general.
With that taken into consideration, the only real expense (for me, at least) for having a gaming computer is the video card. I spent $140 on my 4850 a few months ago, and that's a lot cheaper than a 360/PS3 (not to mention 2+ times as powerful as the GPUs in those consoles).

 

[Denithor]

How's less than $300 sound to you?

Intel e5200 $83
Asus P5KPL $55
G.Skill 2x2GB DDR2-800 $24
Powercolor 4830 $85AR
OCZ 500W PSU $25AR

Total: $288AR

Full upgrade including GPU and a new PSU (if you're using a 5 year old model, just buy a new one - it's a cheap insurance policy if nothing else). Even without overclocking this cpu is equal to an X2 6000+ in most applications and if you decide to overclock your value just goes up.

EDIT :/

 

[jdkick]

I'm in a similiar boat. The last console I owned was an original PlayStation - any gaming i've done since was PC-based. The last video card I bought was my BfG 7900GS OC in my previous AMD S939 rig (now in my modest C2D box). Anyway, I updated my home theater setup earlier this year and ended up throwing in an xbox 360 a few months later, mainly to play on xbox live with friends. I was really opposed to buying a current console 1) at regular prices and 2) while I still had a tube tv in the living room... that largely kept me gaming on the PC for so many years.

Anyway, I've been enjoying the xbox but have been tempted by a few PC-based games lately. I'm thinking of picking up a newer but still models GPU - either a 4850 or 9800GTX+ probably.

At the end of the day tho, I like having a console and a modest PC that's capable of occassional gaming.

It's also been my experience that online gaming with strangers is better on the PC where there are servers that are properly administered. On the xbox, I really only play online with friends... it's more of a social thing for me.