Upgrade computer or get a 360?

[Thurbivore]

I can't decide what I should ask for as a Christmas present. Should I ask for ~$400 to upgrade my PC, or should I get one of the next gen consoles(thinking the 360)? My computer does really need to be upgraded (3000+ with a 6600GT), but I think I'll need more than $400 to accomplish that. Also, what 2 games would you recommend getting with the 360?

 

[mugs]

It really comes down to whether you like PC gaming or console gaming more... they're entirely different beasts.

As for what two games to get, really depends on your taste. What kind of games do you like?

FPS:
Halo 3
R6: Vegas
Bioshock
Call of Duty 4

Sandbox:
Saints Row
Crackdown

Racing:
Forza 2
PGR
Dirt

Other:
Battlestations: Midway
Lego Star Wars complete trilogy
Dead Rising

 

[randay]

Originally posted by: Thurbivore
I can't decide what I should ask for as a Christmas present. Should I ask for ~$400 to upgrade my PC, or should I get one of the next gen consoles(thinking the 360)? My computer does really need to be upgraded (3000+ with a 6600GT), but I think I'll need more than $400 to accomplish that. Also, what 2 games would you recommend getting with the 360?

$400 wont get you anywhere on PC, go for the 360. get the holiday bundle and one game? mass effect is the new hotness. also theres halo 3, bioshock, and those older games. gow? i would say guitar hero or rock band but those will put you over 400.

 

[gorcorps]

Originally posted by: randay

Originally posted by: Thurbivore
I can't decide what I should ask for as a Christmas present. Should I ask for ~$400 to upgrade my PC, or should I get one of the next gen consoles(thinking the 360)? My computer does really need to be upgraded (3000+ with a 6600GT), but I think I'll need more than $400 to accomplish that. Also, what 2 games would you recommend getting with the 360?

$400 wont get you anywhere on PC, go for the 360. get the holiday bundle and one game? mass effect is the new hotness. also theres halo 3, bioshock, and those older games. gow? i would say guitar hero or rock band but those will put you over 400.

I agree. If you had a modern mobo or PCI-E it might be worth the PC upgrade. But you have to get new CPU+mobo+memory+vid card at least.

I had the same choice in Sept. w/ my B-day. I went w/ the 360 and love it.

 

[TecHNooB]

Definitely get a 360. Upgrade your vid card so you can run existing games at higher fps? Forget that! That being said, the holiday bundle blows. X-Men and Forza 2? Eww.. Need a better bundle

 

[Schadenfroh]

I would go with whichever platform that has the games that you want to play.

STALKER shadows of Chernobyl, Neverwinter Nights 2 (its expansion and all of the user made modules), Crysis, and The Witcher are all PC exclusives and have received much praise.

The xbox 360 has Mass Effect as an exclusive. The only platform (although it is on the pc) I would consider Bioshock for would be the 360 because of the secuROM issues.

But, those are just the games that interest me (although I do not care about Crysis, just listed it because it seems to be the 2nd coming for FPS fans). In my situation, the PC has more exclusive games that interest me and I play almost all of my games using player made mods that do not exist on consoles.

What genre are you interested in?

 

[I Saw OJ]

Get the 360. I did the same thing and I love my 360. I should have bought one a long time ago.

 

[tatteredpotato]

Go for the 360. $350 and you're out of the hardware upgrade cycle until (approx) 2012. Everyone has the same equipment and you know you have a level playing field online. No modders/hackers to worry about (usually).

Not to mention the fact that 90% of games are developed for consoles first and PC second.

 

[Modeps]

360

 

[imported_Imp]

360

Hate to say it, but the 360 has a lot of good stuff on it right now, some of which is also ported to PC.

 

[DaveSimmons]

> Also, what 2 games would you recommend getting with the 360?

See mugs' list above, but he forgot:

RPGs
Mass Effect
Oblivion

....or ask for a 1-year Gamefly.com subscription so you can play a bunch of different games.

 

[digiram]

Comes down to this. Do you prefer playing with a keyboard and mouse or a control pad?

 

[gi0rgi0]

Well ps3 would be a good choice since UT3 is coming out dec 10 and I think
will have support for keyboard+mouse. I decided instead of upgrading the pc
id just get the game for the console. Plus free bluray offer right now. Great games
on the way. R&C, uncharted, warhawk, resistance, folklore, motorstorm already out.
Free open network. And it wont break.

 

[Modeps]

Originally posted by: digiram
Comes down to this. Do you prefer playing with a keyboard and mouse or a control pad?

No, it doesn't just come down to that. I think the control scheme of a mouse and keyboard is better for most games, however I prefer gaming on a 360 because it's less expensive than constantly upgrading my PC.

For what its worth, I've got a AMD 3000+, 1gb ram, w/9800 Pro, and it will be staying that way till it dies.

 

[KlokWyze]

Would recommend a 360 like everyone else. $400 isn't worth it to "upgrade" your rig. You should probably just get an entirely new PC rather than upgrade what you have. I have a very similar setup to yours as well.

As far as 2 badass games to get:

Halo 3 or The Orange Box or COD4 or Gears of War
+
Oblivion or Mass Effect

Or choose 2 from the 1st row, if you just want shooters.

 

[JRich]

Save your money and upgrade the computer

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

I'd say go for the 360, especially if you have a decent home theater audio setup and/or HDTV. I thought I was going to shake my house of its foundations playing CoD4 this weekend on my 360 - awesome fun.

 

[Dacalo]

There are pro and cons for both, but if I had to choose one, I would go PC.

E2160 = $70
Abit IP35-E = $60 ~ $80 depending on rebates
8800GT = $210 ~ $280 (I got mine for $210, you can find them for a good deal if you look around)
RAM 2GB = $30 ~ $60 (AR)

Remember, console games tend to be much more expensive ($60 versus $30 to $50), and with PC, you can do other stuff.

Either way though, you can't go wrong. 360 has some good games out now, and the bundle is a great value.

 

[KlokWyze]

Originally posted by: Don Vito Corleone
I'd say go for the 360, especially if you have a decent home theater audio setup and/or HDTV. I thought I was going to shake my house of its foundations playing CoD4 this weekend on my 360 - awesome fun.

good point. I would actually have to say the xbox 360 isn't worth it @ all, unless you have a HDTV already.

 

[msi1337]

personally I would say get a 360 and get Skate, Assassins Creed, or another good game.

but just like the others say, do not get a 360 if you have an older non-HD tv.

 

[KlokWyze]

Originally posted by: Dacalo
There are pro and cons for both, but if I had to choose one, I would go PC.

E2160 = $70
Abit IP35-E = $60 ~ $80 depending on rebates
8800GT = $210 ~ $280 (I got mine for $210, you can find them for a good deal if you look around)
RAM 2GB = $30 ~ $60 (AR)

Remember, console games tend to be much more expensive ($60 versus $30 to $50), and with PC, you can do other stuff.

Either way though, you can't go wrong. 360 has some good games out now, and the bundle is a great value.

This is why $400 just isn't good enough for a "good" upgrade. All those prices are AFTER rebates which is definitely a problem. And what about his current power supply? Would it handle everything adequately? Is his current HDD fast enough? If you are gonna spend $400, you might as well just get an entirely new PC, so EVERY peice is the current generation of hardware.

Plus the current generation of video cards are so overpriced.... I won't pay for one.

 

[Gooberlx2]

Originally posted by: KlokWyze

Originally posted by: Dacalo
There are pro and cons for both, but if I had to choose one, I would go PC.

E2160 = $70
Abit IP35-E = $60 ~ $80 depending on rebates
8800GT = $210 ~ $280 (I got mine for $210, you can find them for a good deal if you look around)
RAM 2GB = $30 ~ $60 (AR)

Remember, console games tend to be much more expensive ($60 versus $30 to $50), and with PC, you can do other stuff.

Either way though, you can't go wrong. 360 has some good games out now, and the bundle is a great value.

This is why $400 just isn't good enough for a "good" upgrade. All those prices are AFTER rebates which is definitely a problem. And what about his current power supply? Would it handle everything adequately? Is his current HDD fast enough? If you are gonna spend $400, you might as well just get an entirely new PC, so EVERY peice is the current generation of hardware.

Plus the current generation of video cards are so overpriced.... I won't pay for one.

8800GTs are about to be made obsolete with the next crop of PC games coming in anyway right? I seem to remember a lot of people in the PC gaming forum talking about Crysis making their 8800GT systems cry for mercy. So that only increases the $$$ he's have to spend to make a decent and semi-lasting gaming PC.

 

[gorcorps]

Originally posted by: Gooberlx2

Originally posted by: KlokWyze

Originally posted by: Dacalo
There are pro and cons for both, but if I had to choose one, I would go PC.

E2160 = $70
Abit IP35-E = $60 ~ $80 depending on rebates
8800GT = $210 ~ $280 (I got mine for $210, you can find them for a good deal if you look around)
RAM 2GB = $30 ~ $60 (AR)

Remember, console games tend to be much more expensive ($60 versus $30 to $50), and with PC, you can do other stuff.

Either way though, you can't go wrong. 360 has some good games out now, and the bundle is a great value.

This is why $400 just isn't good enough for a "good" upgrade. All those prices are AFTER rebates which is definitely a problem. And what about his current power supply? Would it handle everything adequately? Is his current HDD fast enough? If you are gonna spend $400, you might as well just get an entirely new PC, so EVERY peice is the current generation of hardware.

Plus the current generation of video cards are so overpriced.... I won't pay for one.

8800GTs are about to be made obsolete with the next crop of PC games coming in anyway right? I seem to remember a lot of people in the PC gaming forum talking about Crysis making their 8800GT systems cry for mercy. So that only increases the $$$ he's have to spend to make a decent and semi-lasting gaming PC.

Just because Crysis makes that card cry doesn't mean all near-future games will. It's far from obsolete for pretty much anything else. They made Crysis for longevity... in that every time you upgrade in the next couple years it'll look and run better and better. They'd make less money if it peaked right now.

 

[ghost recon88]

I would go with the upgrade list for your PC that was given, but instead get the ATI HD 3870, cheaper + it can play all the games the 8800GT can with the graphics cranked (seeing as how neither can play Crysis )

 

[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.