Upgrade computer or get a 360?

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bullbert

Senior member
May 24, 2004
717
0
0
Originally posted by: Robor
After playing the PC upgrade game for about the past decade I got a 360 a little over a year ago and I'm very happy with it. I can play a ton of games and I don't have to worry about drivers, patches, keys/serial numbers, etc. Also I play wirelessly from my couch on a 50" HDTV + home theater sound instead of a 'small' 20" LCD and PC speakers. Yeah the KB/mouse is better for most games but once you get used to using a controller it's not that bad.

In short, (IMO) the benefits of a 360 far outweigh the benefits of PC gaming.

Sorry to hear that you did not know that you could have looked up your PC or XBox 1 to the same 50" HDTV + home theater sound and used similar wireless controllers. It is nice that you have finally moved into the 21-century by 2007, but many of us got there a decade earlier.

"You are one of us, now. We love you, Sharon. One of us. One of us." - Naked Boomer 8, BattleStar Galactica



And the 360 and LIVE still has its driver, patch, and keys/serial number bugs. Many of us have had to refurb due to LIVE corrupting our BIOS update (over a year ago), or have spent hours on the phone trying to get keys straightened out after refurbs (last year AND this year). Thanks to the early adopters being unpaid guinea pigs, the newer LIVE services are far less buggy and refurb cycle is smoother. You're welcome.
 

Fingolfin269

Lifer
Feb 28, 2003
17,948
34
91
Originally posted by: bullbert
Originally posted by: Robor
After playing the PC upgrade game for about the past decade I got a 360 a little over a year ago and I'm very happy with it. I can play a ton of games and I don't have to worry about drivers, patches, keys/serial numbers, etc. Also I play wirelessly from my couch on a 50" HDTV + home theater sound instead of a 'small' 20" LCD and PC speakers. Yeah the KB/mouse is better for most games but once you get used to using a controller it's not that bad.

In short, (IMO) the benefits of a 360 far outweigh the benefits of PC gaming.

Sorry to hear that you did not know that you could have looked up your PC or XBox 1 to the same 50" HDTV + home theater sound and used similar wireless controllers. It is nice that you have finally moved into the 21-century by 2007, but many of us got there a decade earlier.

"You are one of us, now. We love you, Sharon. One of us. One of us." - Naked Boomer 8, BattleStar Galactica



And the 360 and LIVE still has its driver, patch, and keys/serial number bugs. Many of us have had to refurb due to LIVE corrupting our BIOS update (over a year ago), or have spent hours on the phone trying to get keys straightened out after refurbs (last year AND this year). Thanks to the early adopters being unpaid guinea pigs, the newer LIVE services are far less buggy and refurb cycle is smoother. You're welcome.

My, isn't this one full of himself? :p
 

bullbert

Senior member
May 24, 2004
717
0
0
Originally posted by: Fingolfin269
Originally posted by: bullbert
Originally posted by: Robor
After playing the PC upgrade game for about the past decade I got a 360 a little over a year ago and I'm very happy with it. I can play a ton of games and I don't have to worry about drivers, patches, keys/serial numbers, etc. Also I play wirelessly from my couch on a 50" HDTV + home theater sound instead of a 'small' 20" LCD and PC speakers. Yeah the KB/mouse is better for most games but once you get used to using a controller it's not that bad.

In short, (IMO) the benefits of a 360 far outweigh the benefits of PC gaming.

Sorry to hear that you did not know that you could have looked up your PC or XBox 1 to the same 50" HDTV + home theater sound and used similar wireless controllers. It is nice that you have finally moved into the 21-century by 2007, but many of us got there a decade earlier.

"You are one of us, now. We love you, Sharon. One of us. One of us." - Naked Boomer 8, BattleStar Galactica



And the 360 and LIVE still has its driver, patch, and keys/serial number bugs. Many of us have had to refurb due to LIVE corrupting our BIOS update (over a year ago), or have spent hours on the phone trying to get keys straightened out after refurbs (last year AND this year). Thanks to the early adopters being unpaid guinea pigs, the newer LIVE services are far less buggy and refurb cycle is smoother. You're welcome.

My, isn't this one full of himself? :p

Just setting the record straight. There is no need to be spreading false info here. That is what marketing bozos are for.
 

Robor

Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
16,979
0
76
Originally posted by: Thurbivore
I have an older non-HD TV, so, the 360 isn't worth it to play on one of these?

You could get a 360 but it's not going to look anywhere near as good as it can. In my case I would not have purchased a 360 if I didn't already have an HDTV.
 

Xavier434

Lifer
Oct 14, 2002
10,373
1
0
Like others have mentioned, it mostly comes down to what kind of gamer you are and what you like to play. Other parts which might make you lean more towards the 360 are the XBL features such as downloading arcade games, renting movies, movie trailors, game trailors, and it's ability to become a wireless media center if you have XP media center, Vista Home Premium, or Vista Ultimate. Divx support is highly rumored to be released on Dec. 4th so you may want to wait and to see what happens there if that is important to you.
 

Robor

Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
16,979
0
76
Originally posted by: bullbert
Originally posted by: Robor
After playing the PC upgrade game for about the past decade I got a 360 a little over a year ago and I'm very happy with it. I can play a ton of games and I don't have to worry about drivers, patches, keys/serial numbers, etc. Also I play wirelessly from my couch on a 50" HDTV + home theater sound instead of a 'small' 20" LCD and PC speakers. Yeah the KB/mouse is better for most games but once you get used to using a controller it's not that bad.

In short, (IMO) the benefits of a 360 far outweigh the benefits of PC gaming.

Sorry to hear that you did not know that you could have looked up your PC or XBox 1 to the same 50" HDTV + home theater sound and used similar wireless controllers. It is nice that you have finally moved into the 21-century by 2007, but many of us got there a decade earlier.

And the 360 and LIVE still has its driver, patch, and keys/serial number bugs. Many of us have had to refurb due to LIVE corrupting our BIOS update (over a year ago), or have spent hours on the phone trying to get keys straightened out after refurbs (last year AND this year). Thanks to the early adopters being unpaid guinea pigs, the newer LIVE services are far less buggy and refurb cycle is smoother. You're welcome.

Yeah, like I didn't know that I could use a TV as a monitor... :roll:

When you say 'the 360 and LIVE still has its driver, patch, and keys/serial number bugs' I'm guessing they are few and far between and when you say 'many of us' I'm going to guess you mean < 99.9% of all current 360 users.

By the way, you weren't thanked (Edit: removed insult).
 

Xavier434

Lifer
Oct 14, 2002
10,373
1
0
Originally posted by: bullbert
Originally posted by: Robor
After playing the PC upgrade game for about the past decade I got a 360 a little over a year ago and I'm very happy with it. I can play a ton of games and I don't have to worry about drivers, patches, keys/serial numbers, etc. Also I play wirelessly from my couch on a 50" HDTV + home theater sound instead of a 'small' 20" LCD and PC speakers. Yeah the KB/mouse is better for most games but once you get used to using a controller it's not that bad.

In short, (IMO) the benefits of a 360 far outweigh the benefits of PC gaming.

Sorry to hear that you did not know that you could have looked up your PC or XBox 1 to the same 50" HDTV + home theater sound and used similar wireless controllers. It is nice that you have finally moved into the 21-century by 2007, but many of us got there a decade earlier.

"You are one of us, now. We love you, Sharon. One of us. One of us." - Naked Boomer 8, BattleStar Galactica



And the 360 and LIVE still has its driver, patch, and keys/serial number bugs. Many of us have had to refurb due to LIVE corrupting our BIOS update (over a year ago), or have spent hours on the phone trying to get keys straightened out after refurbs (last year AND this year). Thanks to the early adopters being unpaid guinea pigs, the newer LIVE services are far less buggy and refurb cycle is smoother. You're welcome.

Could you send me a bunch of your money so I can be cool and advanced too while I save for things like my kids future, a wedding, and a house? I like toys.
 

Oyeve

Lifer
Oct 18, 1999
22,066
882
126
I recently redid my whole PC. Everything was replaced except for a coupla HDs about 3 months ago. Total cost was ~1200. I say 360. 1200 bucks probably gained me 25-35% performance increase from my previous system. :( Find myself playing the 360 more than pc lately anyway. And my previous system cost even mopre than my new one and aint worth a tenth of what I paid.
 

syn0s

Member
Jul 9, 2006
178
0
76
360 is great, and I wouldn't give mine up for the world, but you have to have the right setup. Without an HDTV and some decent sound (even stereo speakers) a PC might be a better choice.

Also, if you are going to upgrade your PC, forget the rebate garbage. I picked up an AMD X2 4000+, an AM2 motherboard, 2x1GB DDR2-800 RAM, a cheap $30 case and $30 power supply, an 8800GT for $220 shipped and a 160GB SATA drive for $40. All of these were used on Anandtech's B/S/T forums and on H@rdforum. Total price wont be more than $500-$550 tops and it'll be a plenty nice system for years to come. Granted, I already have a monitor, keyboard, mouse and speakers.

If you are going to get a 360 and a new HDTV, then the price becomes more realistic for a new computer ($500 HDTV + $350 XBox 360). Something to stew over...

syn0s
 

Robor

Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
16,979
0
76
Originally posted by: Oyeve
I recently redid my whole PC. Everything was replaced except for a coupla HDs about 3 months ago. Total cost was ~1200. I say 360. 1200 bucks probably gained me 25-35% performance increase from my previous system. :( Find myself playing the 360 more than pc lately anyway. And my previous system cost even mopre than my new one and aint worth a tenth of what I paid.

Keeping up with the latest and greatest hardware is a very costly hobby. I did it for a while (too long) and realized I couldn't afford it. Wealth people or people with a lot of expendable income may be able to but I'm neither so I stopped. IMO the way to go is get a console of your choice or buy a PC with only 'best bang for the buck' hardware. Sure you might be 25% behind in performance but with a little at least when the newer generations come out you don't lose as much. I'm still kicking myself for that $600 ATI X1900XTX in my sig. ;)
 

Thurbivore

Banned
Nov 23, 2007
10
0
0
Originally posted by: syn0s
360 is great, and I wouldn't give mine up for the world, but you have to have the right setup. Without an HDTV and some decent sound (even stereo speakers) a PC might be a better choice.

Also, if you are going to upgrade your PC, forget the rebate garbage. I picked up an AMD X2 4000+, an AM2 motherboard, 2x1GB DDR2-800 RAM, a cheap $30 case and $30 power supply, an 8800GT for $220 shipped and a 160GB SATA drive for $40. All of these were used on Anandtech's B/S/T forums and on H@rdforum. Total price wont be more than $500-$550 tops and it'll be a plenty nice system for years to come. Granted, I already have a monitor, keyboard, mouse and speakers.

If you are going to get a 360 and a new HDTV, then the price becomes more realistic for a new computer ($500 HDTV + $350 XBox 360). Something to stew over...

syn0s

Could you recommend me a nice $500 HDTV?
 

syn0s

Member
Jul 9, 2006
178
0
76
hmm.. I got my Olevia 337H 37" 720P for $530 locally on sale. You can get several 32" LCDs for Sub $500. Any bigger though and you are breaking the bank. You might also be able to check locally for a Non-LCD DLP television. Something around 40" should do the trick (there are some nice Samsung DLP tube TVs).
 

mugs

Lifer
Apr 29, 2003
48,920
46
91
Originally posted by: Thurbivore
Originally posted by: syn0s
360 is great, and I wouldn't give mine up for the world, but you have to have the right setup. Without an HDTV and some decent sound (even stereo speakers) a PC might be a better choice.

Also, if you are going to upgrade your PC, forget the rebate garbage. I picked up an AMD X2 4000+, an AM2 motherboard, 2x1GB DDR2-800 RAM, a cheap $30 case and $30 power supply, an 8800GT for $220 shipped and a 160GB SATA drive for $40. All of these were used on Anandtech's B/S/T forums and on H@rdforum. Total price wont be more than $500-$550 tops and it'll be a plenty nice system for years to come. Granted, I already have a monitor, keyboard, mouse and speakers.

If you are going to get a 360 and a new HDTV, then the price becomes more realistic for a new computer ($500 HDTV + $350 XBox 360). Something to stew over...

syn0s

Could you recommend me a nice $500 HDTV?

How close are you going to sit to it? At $500 you're not going to get anything great. I have a 26" that I got for $400, but I sit close enough to it that I'm actually within the THX recommended viewing distance.
 

samduhman

Senior member
Jul 18, 2005
397
2
81
Your asking this in the console forum so what do you expect people to say here? Did you ask this same question in the pc gamers forum or did you just ask it here because you actually already made your mind up?

Consoles are great and all but they are not necessarily the best choice. I own them all except for the 360. They are two different beasts and the pc gives me a better gaming experience. I get more deeply engrossed in games world when playing on the pc. I hit my Wii or PS3 when I want some light hearted gaming or to chill out a couple minutes. Do you really want to play FPS or RTS on a console..really? It can be done but man is it easier and more fun IMHO on a pc. OH and yes I hook my pc to my 60" hdtv anytime I want to. ;)

Couple of links which might help you out. Might not. Any console fanboys will rip them apart but thats to be expected.

Reasons why its great to be pc gamer in 2008

$500 gaming machine articles/upgrades. These are a little old so some of the hardware may be a smidge cheaper now plus you can't rule out the sweet new Nvidia 8800GT card that can be found for $200 with a little hunting/waiting.

tomshardware $550 gaming rig

firingsquad $500 pc upgrade

Basically don't be so quick to jump ship to consoles exclusively. Do some searching. I lurk different forums and while you'll see a lot of people who say they decided to buy a console vs upgrading their pc Im now starting to see where people who went console after a period of time find themselves coming back to the pc. As I said they are two different beasts. IMHO you should do both and be a true "hardcore" gamer. If you truely can't afford it then it does come down to the games you want to play.

EDIT************

I just found this thread in the pc forum. It kind of relates to your question if you would have asked it there.

pc games always better thread
 

bullbert

Senior member
May 24, 2004
717
0
0
Actually, if you have to ask, you probably should not be upgrading a PC in the first place. Boy the console.

And for those who still believe you have to be rich to rise the crest of the upgrade wave, then you need to read AT, FW, SD more closely, since the SMART upgraders get the newest video, motherboard/CPU, whatever for $20-40 (after selling the 6 month "old" hardware before the prices plummet). Foolish upgraders spend $400 dollars. Smart upgraders spend $20 for the same thing. But of course you will refuse to read anything close enough to understand how, when, and where this works, so I just have one thing to say to you: enjoy your console.
 

Modeps

Lifer
Oct 24, 2000
17,254
44
91
Originally posted by: bullbert
Actually, if you have to ask, you probably should not be upgrading a PC in the first place. Boy the console.

And for those who still believe you have to be rich to rise the crest of the upgrade wave, then you need to read AT, FW, SD more closely, since the SMART upgraders get the newest video, motherboard/CPU, whatever for $20-40 (after selling the 6 month "old" hardware before the prices plummet). Foolish upgraders spend $400 dollars. Smart upgraders spend $20 for the same thing. But of course you will refuse to read anything close enough to understand how, when, and where this works, so I just have one thing to say to you: enjoy your console.

Can you please tell me where I can find a $20 processor that's better than my Barton 3000+ ? Also, a $20 motherboard to support it, with $20 ram and a $20 video card?

I'd love to get a new computer, and according to you, I can upgrade basically everything for about $100.
 

Thraxen

Diamond Member
Dec 3, 2001
4,683
1
81
Originally posted by: Modeps
Can you please tell me where I can find a $20 processor that's better than my Barton 3000+ ? Also, a $20 motherboard to support it, with $20 ram and a $20 video card?

I'd love to get a new computer, and according to you, I can upgrade basically everything for about $100.

He's claiming that if you buy a $350 video card and want to upgrade you should sell it off before the next wave of cards hit six months later. His idea has merit, but there's a couple of issues with that though. First off, his $20-40 difference between what you will get for a nearly 6 month old piece of used hardware and a brand new one is HIGHLY optimistic. Maybe if you find an idiot you can sell off a 6 month old card for $40 less than you paid at retail, but in most cases you simply won't get those kinds of returns on used parts.

Second, if you want to beat the price drops associated with a wave of new hardware you're going to end up with a gap where you have sold off your old part but the new replacement isn't out yet. May work for a video card, but I fail to see how most people are going to get by without their RAM, motherboard, or CPU. Honestly, the guy's an ass. If you go read his post in the PC gaming forum you'll see that he think's anyone that doesn't keep up with the latest PC hardware is simply lazy and/or lacking in IQ.

I personally think this whole debate is kind of dumb. PCs and consoles offer distinctly different gaming experiences that goes way beyond tech specs, resolutions, frames per second, etc... Those of us that game on both platforms understand this, but unfortunately we're always going to have the hardcores on both sides. We'll have the hardcore consoles guys that think PC gaming is completely bug ridden and will claim you need $2-5K computers to get a decent experience. Neither is true. Then you will have the PC-only guys that think that the superior hardware on the PC trumps everything and you're just lazy idiot if you don't care to upgrade your PC. Neither of those is true either.
 

Modeps

Lifer
Oct 24, 2000
17,254
44
91
Originally posted by: Thraxen
He's claiming that if you buy a $350 video card and want to upgrade you should sell it off before the next wave of cards hit six months later. His idea has merit, but there's a couple of issues with that though. First off, his $20-40 difference between what you will get for a nearly 6 month old piece of used hardware and a brand new one is HIGHLY optimistic. Maybe if you find an idiot you can sell off a 6 month old card for $40 less than you paid at retail, but in most cases you simply won't get those kinds of returns on used parts.
Maybe that would work reasonably well for a college kid with lots of time on his hands, but it certainly wouldn't work for me. That's just too much effort in staying on top of what I've looked at for the past few years as more of a tool than a gaming platform.
 

Robor

Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
16,979
0
76
Originally posted by: bullbert
Actually, if you have to ask, you probably should not be upgrading a PC in the first place. Boy the console.

And for those who still believe you have to be rich to rise the crest of the upgrade wave, then you need to read AT, FW, SD more closely, since the SMART upgraders get the newest video, motherboard/CPU, whatever for $20-40 (after selling the 6 month "old" hardware before the prices plummet). Foolish upgraders spend $400 dollars. Smart upgraders spend $20 for the same thing. But of course you will refuse to read anything close enough to understand how, when, and where this works, so I just have one thing to say to you: enjoy your console.

That statement is utter crap. The stuff isn't worth only $20-$40 less immediately after you purchase it let alone 6 months later preceeding a new generation. Please get over yourself already.

Oh, the PC Gaming forum is that way >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

What's that? They think you're a tool too? Sorry...
 

Thurbivore

Banned
Nov 23, 2007
10
0
0
Originally posted by: bullbert
Actually, if you have to ask, you probably should not be upgrading a PC in the first place. Boy the console.

And for those who still believe you have to be rich to rise the crest of the upgrade wave, then you need to read AT, FW, SD more closely, since the SMART upgraders get the newest video, motherboard/CPU, whatever for $20-40 (after selling the 6 month "old" hardware before the prices plummet). Foolish upgraders spend $400 dollars. Smart upgraders spend $20 for the same thing. But of course you will refuse to read anything close enough to understand how, when, and where this works, so I just have one thing to say to you: enjoy your console.

I built my current PC myself 3 years ago.
 

bullbert

Senior member
May 24, 2004
717
0
0
Originally posted by: Thraxen
Originally posted by: Modeps
Can you please tell me where I can find a $20 processor that's better than my Barton 3000+ ? Also, a $20 motherboard to support it, with $20 ram and a $20 video card?

I'd love to get a new computer, and according to you, I can upgrade basically everything for about $100.

He's claiming that if you buy a $350 video card and want to upgrade you should sell it off before the next wave of cards hit six months later. His idea has merit, but there's a couple of issues with that though. First off, his $20-40 difference between what you will get for a nearly 6 month old piece of used hardware and a brand new one is HIGHLY optimistic. Maybe if you find an idiot you can sell off a 6 month old card for $40 less than you paid at retail, but in most cases you simply won't get those kinds of returns on used parts.

Second, if you want to beat the price drops associated with a wave of new hardware you're going to end up with a gap where you have sold off your old part but the new replacement isn't out yet. May work for a video card, but I fail to see how most people are going to get by without their RAM, motherboard, or CPU. Honestly, the guy's an ass. If you go read his post in the PC gaming forum you'll see that he think's anyone that doesn't keep up with the latest PC hardware is simply lazy and/or lacking in IQ.

You just don't get it. You need to read the Hot Deal forums more closely. There have been many many many thread discussing those who buy newest new hardware today, Ebay the 6 month old hardware tonight. Price difference sometime makes upgrading result in a profit. Coupons, rebates, bundles, etc. But of course if you only read the console threads, you would not know this.

Like I said, if the OP had to ask, then just buy the console, but if you want Thraxen's "complete gaming experience" you have to own every console, every handheld, a Mac, and a PC. If you only have $400, just budget that over the next year, to buy several $60 new console releases. If you read several Hot Deal forums, you could stretch that $400 over a years worth of discounted new console releases AND discounted additional console controllers (wireless gamepads, wireless gamepad batteries, driving wheel, etc) AND discounted console add-ons (headphones, memory cards, harddrive upgrade, HD player, HDTV cables, wifi upgrade, etc) AND discounted LIVE points AND etc.

OP, of course if you only listen to the above console Fanboy posts, none of them ever admits to spending money on additional console controllers (wireless gamepads, wireless gamepad batteries, driving wheel, etc) OR console add-ons (headphones, memory cards, harddrive upgrade, HD player, HDTV cables, wifi upgrade, etc) OR LIVE points OR etc, so the fanboys may not need $400 for a console and another $400 for upgrades to complete their gaming experience, but you may need that additional $400.

And Thraxen, just so that you know from this point on, call someone an ass only makes you one.
 

nycxandy

Diamond Member
Apr 11, 2001
3,731
0
76
Oh yay... another PC vs. console thread! :roll:

This needs to stop. Just use the search button and go over the old threads. This topic has been beaten to death.
 

bullbert

Senior member
May 24, 2004
717
0
0
Originally posted by: Canai
Consoles are just a snapshot of where PC computing is at any given time.

And the 360 IS a computer. It's even running (a version of) Windows.

agreed