PC gaming THE COST

[romxxii]

yes you heard right, I use a TV via HDMI connection

Doesn't that introduce some significant input lag? IIRC, the best speed you can get with a display is if you're connecting via dual-link DVI or even RGB.

So how much did you guys pay for your rigs? that is what you call them yes?

Yes, that is what we call them. My rig in its current form is roughly a year and a half old, after I scrapped my old budget build in favor of a core i5 2500k (which also required a new mobo), and 8GB of RAM. Went through several upgrades after that, adding in a solid-state drive (a must, if you ask me), an extra 2TB HDD, aftermarket cooler, and an 850W PSU.

Since then, I've also gone through three different video cards. The first one, a Radeon 6870, was sold off to a co-worker. The second one, a factory-overclocked GTX 670, is going to my nephew. Since I'm not going to recoup any losses from purchasing that card, I factor that in my current rig's expense.

The latest GPU is a GTX 690, which by itself cost me over a thousand dollars. In fact, it'd be safe to say I've spent over $2,000 on this rig, but even that is a modest estimate at this point. It's probably closer to 3k, maybe more.

Also please don't make any PC gaming master race comments, they churn my stomach and make PC gamers seem terrible.

I always thought 'PC gaming master race' was meant to be used ironically. I know I never deliver it without tongue firmly in cheek.

...the important part is to not upgrade too often. This is where PC gaming can get expensive.

He can always sell old parts to offset the expense of upgrading.

 

[The AmeriCanadian Gamer]

I have never been one of those people who get a raging boner for hd graphics and the performance of a machine, those things seem utterly shallow and pointless to me.

That, right there, is one of the best parts of PC gaming. You don't NEED a top-end super machine like people think. You're still going to spend more than a console, but your not spending $2,000 on a single machine (which can be hard to do for a high-end setup unless you buy the latest and greatest).

The only reason I put more into quality graphics is because I record and produce videos from the games I play, but even then my last upgrade (GPU, CPU, MOBO, RAM) was only $600, and thats after having the same machine for 2.5 years.

But I'm going to flat out recommend Torchlight 2 for you, great game with a strong modding community.

 

[Pharsalus]

Welcome to the master race, all will bow before you now.

Fr my own part I've gone back and forth between a series of consoles and computers, but it's the PC that's my go to, my bottom ***** you might say.

 

[LetalisK]

What the...

Okay, for those who spend more than $1200 on a computer, WHY!? Unless you do something really high speed besides gaming on it that incurs costs I'm not aware of, or there is some crazy tax stuff I'm not subject to, why are you paying more than $1200? Every PC I've built or bought was between $800 and $1200(monitor included!), have lasted me years, and has no problem cranking out the latest games on ultra with processing power to spare.

And if all that money was spent on some uber GPU, I will smack a monkey.

 

[Jak23]

I spent about $800USD on mine counting the monitor, $700 on the PC itself. Of course I built mine which makes it cheaper.
Specs:
CPU: AMD FX6200 3.8Ghz(I ordered a 6300, but by the time I noticed I got the wrong one I'd already voided the warrenty...)
GPU: HIS Radeon HD7850
RAM: Corsair Vengeance 8GB 1600mhz
MB: Asus M5A97 LE R2.0
HDD: 1TB

Which roughly translates to 60fps on Crysis 3 max settings...
Now that I'm done jerking off to my PC, let me personally welcome you to the PC crowd. Hope you enjoy the benefits it provides, I know I did!

 

[MrTub]

What the...

Okay, for those who spend more than $1200 on a computer, WHY!? Unless you do something really high speed besides gaming on it that incurs costs I'm not aware of, or there is some crazy tax stuff I'm not subject to, why are you paying more than $1200? Every PC I've built or bought was between $800 and $1200(monitor included!), have lasted me years, and has no problem cranking out the latest games on ultra with processing power to spare.

And if all that money was spent on some uber GPU, I will smack a monkey.

I've spent quite a lot of money on my pc since I used to play at 5760x1080 reoslution and since the graphics cards were quite loud and were running at 90-95'c so I decided to wc them which costs a bit money as well.

And I'm currently playing at 2560x1440 and you still need a high performing pc for to be able to play at highest settings at that resolution.

 

[Amaror]

Welcome though, enjoy your stay, and remember, Steam is one manipulative ************.

Thanks!
Really? Steam seems like a good guy to me :s his sales are nice and everyone I've talked to sings its praises.

Remind yourself of that, when you have 20 games in your shopping cart on the next sale and still 10 games you haven't played that you bought on the sale before

 

[hino77]

I build mine a couple of years ago, and it cost me the equivalent of 503 USD,with a monitor and all the additional stuff, so it was not a monstrous price, though it is getting too old now,i need a card with dx 11 compatibility, and some overall upgrades, but right now i can playe most games reasonably well, with 60 fps and all that. So it`s not that bad. Today you should have little problem with building a better one, though i have to say that my knowladge is not that great in the field.

 

[Siyano_v1legacy]

the component of my computer costed me about 700CND$ almost 5 years ago, I changed the gfx card (defective) for a newer one 6 month ago with some new rams, I haven't had any trouble playing Tomb Raider or Bioshock!
(Quad 2.4 Ghz with 4 GbRam, Radeon Hd 6700 Series)

personal big gift, 32 inch LED screen

 

[RicoADF]

yes you heard right, I use a TV via HDMI connection

Doesn't that introduce some significant input lag? IIRC, the best speed you can get with a display is if you're connecting via dual-link DVI or even RGB.

No I've never seen any input lag, and considering both PS and xbox 360 use HDMI also I'd doubt it's a connection vunerable to the issue (atleast I've never noticed any).

 

[Inconspicuous Trenchcoat]

I initially paid about $670 for mine in January of 2010. Since then, upgrades have raised the total to about $1,157. Yeah, so I've put $1,157USD into my PC over 3 years and 3 months. This doesn't include the monitor, as I already had one. And I received Windows 7 as a Christmas gift--conveniently, the month before I ordered the PC.

It still runs everything I want to play well, except The Witcher 2 (it's perfectly playable, but I wish it ran a bit smoother). I know it also struggles more than I'm comfortable with in modern MMOs, which just gives me another reason not to play them, which is probably for the best.

I'm planning to splurge on my next build though (no idea when that's gonna be; probably will build in time for The Witcher 3 for maximum prettifulness). #YOLO . But, yeah, I have the money to burn for the first time in my life, so I figured that I'd like a top of the line gaming PC at least one time in my life. So, might as well do it soon while it's financially feasible. Cause, who knows, I might be dirt poor in X years.

Some considerations for the OP (that EBay page you bought from was difficult to read)
-From what I've read, that processor is weaker than an i3 processor. It's basically an A10 chip without the integrated graphics. It might suffer in CPU intensive games (Planetside 2, modern MMOs).
-Your power supply is 450W (I think), and it's probably a cheap one. So if you ever upgrade past a 5770/6870/7770/560/450/650/ graphics card, you'll need a better one. I have an off-brand 550W PSU that hasn't exploded yet, so gambling is an option as well.
-A 6670 is a pretty weak GPU at 1080p. Just FYI. I know you don't care, but there you go.

 

[Valkrex]

Welcome to PC gaming sir!

As for you question, I believe I spent about $1000 USD on the parts for my rig about 2 years ago. Putting this bad-boy together was fun.

Antec 900 Case
ASUS Sabertooth X58 MOBO
Corsair HX750 750 watt PSU
16 gb RAM
Intel i7 950 quad-core 3.1ghz (I really wish I knew how to overclock as an upgrade for this would require a new motherboard)
GTX460 Video Card - This I replaced last summer with a GTX680, SUCH a great card.


Enjoy the new machine and happy gaming

 

[Soundwave]

Generally I pay less for PC games than I have for consoles. My laptop cost me about 1300 initially, have bought two cooling whatchamacallits that it sits upon for about 30 each, a wireless keyboard and mouse for 80 and had to look around a bit getting a bag large enough for it (it's 18.3" asus). I think the bag cost me about 100. Altogether cost about 1540-1600 dollars.

Compared to consoles (of just this generation), I've spent about 2000. (3 xbox 360s, 2 wiis, and 3 ps3s at various times in their cycle, due to the systems breaking down prematurely)

This isn't a perfect comparison, as the PC that this laptop replaced cost about 1000 (600 initially, 400 in upgrades over its lifespan), but I did purchase that PC before the xbox 360 was released.

Taking software into account, I've probably spent 1.5-2 times as much on consoles as my pc

It might also be worth taking the cost of the television you use with your console into account.
Mine was about 2000 after rebates w/ the stand, cables, and my surge protector/battery backup. I could count the cost of that set up towards my consoles, except that I also like to run an HDMI cable to my laptop and play it on the big screen.

 

[Lunar Shadow]

I think I have spent roughly 3 or 4 grand USD on my desktop, thought that is largely cause of component failures from being almost a decade old. My initial investment was around 700 USD, but I have literally replaced every single part save for the hard drive due to hardware failure. The last big failure was my old ass motherboard (it had an IDE slot) gave out and I had to replace the processor and RAM cause they were old enough to be obsolete socket type and DDR2, and I had to get an AMD3+ socket DDR3 RAM mobo. Not to mention the occasional power supply failure (that invaraibally took out RAM) That said, over a Decade that isn't too bad, and usually a repair only costs about 100 USD tops unless something catastrophic dies like the mobo or graphics card.

 

[DrOswald]

I have been thinking about the state of console gaming recently, and I'm not liking what I see and hear. I've never like paying for xbox live it always seemed like a massive waste, there are other things I could slag the xbox off for but suffice to say its not perfect. And sadly the future of consoles seems equally as bleak, as its depressing present.

The PC gaming scene has always held a certain allure for me. I have never been one of those people who get a raging boner for hd graphics and the performance of a machine, those things seem utterly shallow and pointless to me. Its the extensive library of games, the MODS, and the comparative cheapness of games. Also the amazing Steam sales (I saw the Witcher2 for £6 the other day, on Xbox the minimum would be around £15).

So I finally relented and bought a PC which I am waiting for at the moment, I also need to buy a monitor, wifi card, mouse, keyboard, speakers, and a headset. Now onto the threads actual point... IT COST and is still going to cost A LOT OF MONEY. I got the pc for £325, the wifi card will be around £15 and the monitor will cost £97, and the other things I have budgeted to get individually for under £5 each.

Its gonna cost around £500 all together... (apologies to any Americans reading this but its costing me around $760) and if its as good as you PC gamer guys say I won't regret it at all. If anyone is interested in the PC here is a link to it http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/200886653771?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2648

So how much did you guys pay for your rigs? that is what you call them yes?
Also please don't make any PC gaming master race comments, they churn my stomach and make PC gamers seem terrible.

My computer was around $800 total.

That is a lot of money to pay for a gaming machine, even one vastly superior to any console on the market (and a gaming pc, when used properly, is vastly superior to any console.) But look at it this way: you were going to get a computer anyway. That computer was going to cost a minimum of $500. Your gaming PC actually costs $300, not $800. And in the end, pc gaming is far cheaper than console gaming. You pay a greater upfront cost for the machine, but if you are a serious gamer you will save a huge amount of money in the long run on steam sales alone.

 

[Ascarus]

for anyone considering buying a PC here are a few tips:

1. BUILD IT YOURSELF
2. go here: www.pcpartpicker.com
3. do your research
4. profit

done.

 

[verdant monkai]

Your gaming PC actually costs $300, not $800. And in the end, pc gaming is far cheaper than console gaming. You pay a greater upfront cost for the machine, but if you are a serious gamer you will save a huge amount of money in the long run on steam sales alone.

Actually Mr.American my computer cost me £325. I don't know or care how much that is in dollars as I live in Wales, not the U.S of A, I just put the numbers into google translate.

I consider myself a serious gamer and will be taking advantage of steam sales, but I will continue to spend most of my gaming time on a console, because it is less stressful to use. If you mean superior by way of graphics I do not consider that superiority. Being able to make out more pockmarks on a characters face does not make me enjoy the game more. I will be using the console for exclusives and stuff that I feel would work better on a computer like the Witcher 2 because it was originally a PC game, and Skyrim which I will be modding extensively.