Why should I buy a gaming PC?

[jigilojoe]

Firstly, if you're a fanboy FUCK OFF, there, we should be safe now.

Ok, I have gone through four 360's and to be honest, it's starting to take the piss, I'm discussing with myself whether to go all out and build a PC out of lots of bits or buy a PS3, but why should I buy a gaming PC? Convince me.

There's another post saying why should I buy a PS3? For people who like PS3's.

 

[New Troll]

PC Gaming is a different sort of gaming than Console Gaming. If you are a consoler, then stick with consoles. If you like computers, go this route. If you consider yourself a hardcore gamer, get both.

Personally, I have always been more of a PC gamer than a console gamer though I always owned both. But then again, I've always been more of an RPGer and strategy buff, which is where the computer has always dominated and forever will. My brother on the other hand is more casual, and definitely more into the action games. He'd be lost without his Xbox.

As of right now, this very day, there's very little reason I can think of to buy a "gaming PC" over a console. Of course if you're into modding, that's always going to be more easily available. But otherwise, there's not much for the PC not on a console these days, except MMOs and strategies, most of which would run on any PC.

So again, just depends what kind of gamer you consider yourself.

 

[Dorian Cornelius Jasper]

Well chances are if you're an ordinary gamer I'd say just get a PS3.

I'm not, so I just have a decent PC and no this-gen consoles--as not much really excites me these days on the console front.

But thinking about it rationally it seems consoles are where it's at. Just, well, not the 360 judging by your experiences. Any game on the 360 that's any good will get ported to the PC and that seems to be more convenient for online gaming (or online anything) than the PS3.

I can't really pull out the best Good Old PC Gaming Elitist Handbook sayings because it's been a while since they've really applied or matter. The advantages of console gaming seem to outweigh PC at the moment.

But if you're just more interested in PC games and the handiness of having a strong PC, then might as well go for it.

 

[Blaghman]

If you're thinking of building the pc yourself, which it appears you are, then its advantageous as you have complete control over whats inside. An upgrade is a relatively simple affair, with the main problem simply being money. Oh, and RTS' can only be played on pc, no game has actually managed to be really good as a console rts.

 

[nixubaby]

Well for starters You could tell if you are buying a gaming pc or a GAMING pc. Any old machine wont do, if you want to get the best experience from pc gaming. I know gaming pc´s can get really expensive but as a pc gamer I can say I´ve been pretty happy with my computer. And hey, you will need a pc, so why not mke sure it´s a good one

 

[Bellvedere]

PC allows for finer control with a mouse then a console does with a control. Is why alot of PC gamers consider console gamers to be 'special'. PC depending on how good it is can be better graphically than any console. PC gets generally gets free online play. PC generally gets free patches/updates. MODS.

 

[xenus87]

If there were two pieces of advice I would give anyone starting out in PC gaming, it would have to be -

-Never buy ported games on release, check out forums ( official/Steam/here ) to see if it has major problems with it rendering it nearly unplayable ( Bully, I'm looking at you )

-Have lots of patience, fixing problems with certain games can take a lot of googling, but eventually you can find a fix for most problems. ( Took me nearly a month to find a fix for skipping music in Fallout 3 )

The initial set-up costs can be rather high if you go for 'bleeding edge' graphics cards and other top end hardware, but once you have the basic system up and running its relatively cheap. You sure as hell don't have to upgrade your graphics card every 3 months like a lot of people seem to want you to believe. ( although I do confess to having spent an obscene amount of cash on this PC lately :/ )

Mods for games is possibly the one reason everyone should play fallout and oblivion on the pc instead of the consoles And the free updates are another cool bonus.

 

[entwinex]

I think now is a good time to explore PC gaming, PC components are really cheap and overpowered at the moment. Even a mid-range rig built today packs a lot more punch than any current console.

I'm guessing you pretty much already know the pros and cons of PC gaming. Lot of good stuff like better visuals, free content, choice of controls etc. But it's expensive and not so easy to use.

Games are of course a matter of taste, for a strategy fan PC is the only choice, but if action games or jrpgs are your thing you're better off with a console. Tho these days it's all about multiplats so you're sure to find something to play, PC will get the Mass Effects, Bioshocks, Alan Wake etc.

 

[jigilojoe]

Oh, and RTS' can only be played on pc, no game has actually managed to be really good as a console rts.

I'm looking forward to seeing how Stormrise fares

 

[jigilojoe]

Well if you have a large disposable income then shouldn't the question be why shouldn't you buy one.
Honestly if you are heavy on sniping or hardcore with multiplayer and updates go for it, otherwise it doesent really matter.

Yeah, unfortunately I'm 15 and the money for this is coming from paper rounds...

Paper rounds are cool yo

 

[Abedeus]

Oh, and RTS' can only be played on pc, no game has actually managed to be really good as a console rts.

I'm looking forward to seeing how Stormrise fares

Scored a 2.0 on Gamespot and holds a strong 51 on Metacritic.

I'm always vote in favor of PC and handheld consoles.

PC - Powerful rig that doesn't need much to be good. Dark Sector runs in perfect 60 on a medium-class rig, PS3 is more expensive than my PC.

Handhelds - mobility + simple, but awesome games.

 

[Stewie Plisken]

It comes down to how much you give a crap about presentation and, in particular, graphics. Unless we're talking about the uber-gaming PC, the one that the VGA alone will cost you 400 bucks, you can build a pretty decent machine at a relatively low price (not counting peripherals, mind you). It will play everything, it just won't be as pretty as the optimized versions for the consoles. And it has also a lot to do with practicality. I always found it quite handy to be able to switch between a game and a task fast, instead of having to set up and boot the entire console and leave the PC aside to do its own thing or have to shut it down.

But while I myself prefer PC gaming, a lot of it is going to have to be about the titles. Are you interested on the PC lib or the PS3 one? Do keep in mind that PC ports of console games generally suck. A lot.

 

[Tegual]

PC gaming and console gaming are different. I built my own computer mainly because i didn't trust anyone to build it, i also want to have control over what was put in. It was more expensive but i got the benefit of knowing everything that is in my PC. I ended up buying both The ps3 for the blu-ray player (when blu-ray players came out they were more expensive than the ps3) and the xbox360 for the exclusive games.

Pros for the PC
Completely upgradable
can be cheap
lots of different choices in hardware and software
learning about the workings of the pc (if you dont know already)
easy access to mods
mouse and keyboard generally give better control over games
lots of extras
greater flexibility in control mapping
able to plug your favorite controller into the pc
better graphic
new pcs are now generally faster than consoles
backup options
being a multimedia platform you can do almost anything on the pc
while making games sometimes less fun or more fun cheats are more accessible on the pc
great online support

Cons for the PC
can be expensive
best hardware costs a pretty penny
once you buy a component it is super ceded within 3 months (usually)
can generate alot of heat (epically in crossfire/sli modes)
DRM (GAME & DVD/CD/BLU-RAY KILLER)
game activation (pain in the arse sometimes)
can be hard to find out whats causing problems
MICROSOFT (no offense to them but there operating system can be a ***** sometimes)
VIRUS'/ADWARE/MALWARE good virus scanners and firewalls can protect you but the cost money again

 

[MercFox1]

My friend and I "built" a gaming PC from parts on TigerDirect and NewEgg last night for just about $600.

That's with a GeForce 9800 GT, 8GBs of Kingston RAM, an Athlon 64 X2 6000+, a 500GB SATA hard drive, a Lightscribe burner, a 550 Watt PSU, and a widescreen LCD monitor.

We usually do this thing where every week we virtually 'build' a PC and try to keep it around the $600 to $700 dollar range (he doesn't have a true gaming PC yet). Each time we've done so, the PC has gotten better and better. Eventually, yes, it will come down to the games, but the PC has the most extensive catalog of any platform you'll get, and it's continually expanding.

But while I myself prefer PC gaming, a lot of it is going to have to be about the titles. Are you interested on the PC lib or the PS3 one? Do keep in mind that PC ports of console games generally suck. A lot.

Mirror's Edge for the PC was excellent. The scheme was much more suited for the mouse and KB, and the improved graphics and PhysX stuff are excellent to look at. GTA4 sucked terribly, and I really don't understand why, but I think most of the blame has to go to Rockstar for that one. They absolutely massacred their PC release.

 

[Stewie Plisken]

^^ I haven't played any version of ME; I'm glad the port was good though. These days, that's the exception, not the rule. For some reason (that probably looks an awful lot like this: "$") developers just crap all over the PC, be it in terms of title availability or ports.

 

[Laughing Man]

Here we go. The answer is simple and is the same for which console you want to buy, which handheld you want to buy or which PC you want to buy.

THE GAMES.

If the medium has the games you want to play then buy that medium. If it doesn't then why waste the cash?

 

[keyper159]

I recently upgraded my PC to gaming standards after 8 years of handhelds and consoles and I gotta say its a little hard to make the crossover at first but after a while it gets a lot easier. In the long run I' say PC gaming takes a little getting used to but its worth it.