$1500 to spend on gaming...who really gets the last laugh

TOX · 17th March 2007, 2:29 PM

The Console owner or the PC Gamer?

You give person A and person B $1500. Both are gamers and want to play games..... You tell person A to goto Harvey Norman and person B to goto MSY.

Person A wants a console and rekon he can have a better gaming experiance then person B.

Both people have notebooks that are very basic but take care of all there email etc...they are purely looking for a machine that is for gaming...and bloody good gaming at that.

Looking through the wiki you can have a look at the gaming machines.

$1500 Core 2 Duo
Part Model Price Case
CPU Core 2 Duo E6300 259
Motherboard Gigabyte 965P-S3 154
RAM 2GB G.Skill F2-5400PHU2-2GBNT 189
Hard Drive 320GB Serial ATA Hard Drive 127
Optical Drive 16x Pioneer DVR-111D 39
Graphics Card 320MB Sparkle 8800GTS 418
Sound Card Onboard from motherboard -
Case iCute S901-4GA-SS 72
Power Supply SilverStone Strider ST56F 560W 121
Cooling Thermaltake BigTyp 120 63
Additional - -
Total Cost - 1442 + Postage

Shit! He's got an 8800GTS, Core 2 Duo all for under $1500.......oh hang on! He has no operating system and no games. So he has to change what he gets and moves to this.

$1000 Core 2 Duo
Part Model Price Case
CPU Core 2 Duo E4300 234
Motherboard Gigabyte 965P-S3 154
RAM 2x1GB Generic DDR2 667 165
Hard Drive 250GB Samsung SP2504C 99
Optical Drive 16x Pioneer DVR-111D 39
Graphics Card 256MB nVidia GeForce 7600GT 147
Sound Card Onboard from motherboard -
Case iCute S901-4GA-SS 72
Power Supply 430W Coolermaster Extreme Power 48
Cooling - -
Additional - -
Total Cost - 958 + Postage

He then gets Windows, 4 games and a keyboard and mouse to make up for the extra $500. He goes home, builds it, spends hours setting it up, installing drivers, windows, games etc.

Person A walks into Harvey Norman

Picks up an xbox for $600 (Premium Pack)
Extra controller $50
Plug and Charge Kit $35
7 games $700
Year of gold $100
Buys a bucketload of MS points with remaining money

Who do you honestly think is going to hae better graphics and more fun. How can a console not replace PC Games.

Most of OCAU laughs at people spending $1000 on a console but you know what....the same people laugh at people spending $1000 on a computer because there not going to get anything for it.

Person A is at home and with in 30mins is on live, added a few gamertags and already playing games.

csimpson · 17th March 2007, 2:38 PM

I like the way you think.

nexx · 17th March 2007, 2:44 PM

You missed the part where Person A spends $5000 on a TV.

This argument is useless.

CordlezToaster · 17th March 2007, 2:48 PM

it depends what people prefer.

its only recently that most consoles are starting to be backwards compatible with the older generation games. Hence more people getting value out of there purchase.
Some people like the simplicity of owning a console.

I prefer the complexity of owning a pc. and the fact that my machine can be used to play games from a variety of platforms.
Plus you can get alot of free pc games these days. this just adds to the value of owning a pc.

Mika · 17th March 2007, 2:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nexx

You missed the part where Person A spends $5000 on a TV.

This argument is useless.

Believe it or not, most people already have a TV (crazy I know)

SLATYE · 17th March 2007, 2:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TOX

Who do you honestly think is going to hae better graphics and more fun. How can a console not replace PC Games.

But who will end up with a more useful system? You can't do work on an Xbox-360. You can't (easily) browse the internet. It's purely a games machine and DVD player.

A much more reaslistic comparison would be if the person buying the Xbox-360 also bought a basic PC (because, in reality, they're going to need a PC for all the things which an Xbox can't do). That'll be $500 or so, which will really cut into your budget.

The person buying the gaming PC doesn't need to buy an Xbox-360, because the gaming PC can fulfill the roles of both the console and a basic PC.

TOX · 17th March 2007, 2:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SLATYE

But who will end up with a more useful system? You can't do work on an Xbox-360. You can't (easily) browse the internet. It's purely a games machine and DVD player.

A much more reaslistic comparison would be if the person buying the Xbox-360 also bought a basic PC (because, in reality, they're going to need a PC for all the things which an Xbox can't do). That'll be $500 or so, which will really cut into your budget.

The person buying the gaming PC doesn't need to buy an Xbox-360, because the gaming PC can fulfill the roles of both the console and a basic PC.

Clearly someone didn't read past line 1

Quote:

Both people have notebooks that are very basic but take care of all there email etc...they are purely looking for a machine that is for gaming...and bloody good gaming at that.

SpeedRacer · 17th March 2007, 3:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nexx

You missed the part where Person A spends $5000 on a TV.

This argument is useless.

To play devils advocate, he also didnt include a monitor for the PC, but yeah if you want to have the high def experience on consoles you do seem to spend a little more to get a TV that supports it than a PC monitor that does. This is mainly down to the fact that tv's are a lot bigger than pc monitors as you sit a lot further back from them.

But yeh this argument is old, PC gaming has never been the most cost effective method of gaming and it never will be. This is entirely the reasons consoles actually exist in the first place

It just offers different experiences than what consoles typically have, so its just up to what sort of games you want to play and how you want to play them.

I choose both!

TOX · 17th March 2007, 3:25 PM

A 32" LCD TV that does 720p can be had for under $1,000.

Dell 24" can be had for $1,000 - $1,150.

You ad a decent monitor into the picture its a similar story

Andres · 17th March 2007, 3:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TOX

A 32" LCD TV that does 720p can be had for under $1,000.

Dell 24" can be had for $1,000 - $1,150.

You ad a decent monitor into the picture its a similar story

And then a 42" plasma for not much more - which is also a lot more useful for movies etc.

DaemonEyes · 17th March 2007, 3:29 PM

As has been said before, it's a pointless argument, just buy whatever suits your needs best... or both. Some people prefer PCs, some people like consoles, some like anchovies, some like olives some like both..... what does it matter?

Oh, and the price thing is stupid, it’s like comparing the price of a hammer with a set of tools. The hammer is better value if all you want to do is drive nails into wood, if you want to put in a screw, or cut some wood then your buggered.

Joehax · 17th March 2007, 3:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mika

Believe it or not, most people already have a TV (crazy I know)

Most people have a keyboard, mouse, monitor and some games from their old PC.

The only person who might be better off is the person who has never in his life owned a PC, knows nothing about PCs and is after a form of entertainment that requires minimal effort in which case average Joe Sixpack can go to harvey norman and buy his games console.

Of course a PC can do more than just play games, but obviously thats such a minor feature of modern day computers its not worth mentioning

Lets use Tox's comparison with a $1000 PS3 and all of a sudden the line becomes a little more blurred.

Elyzion · 17th March 2007, 3:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mika

Believe it or not, most people already have a TV (crazy I know)

Haha, awesome, thats going in my sig.

FoderMe · 17th March 2007, 3:45 PM

I've always considered that sentiment to be truth, but you've put it in a way that I've never thought of before. Very good. A+.

Deity · 17th March 2007, 3:56 PM

Well the way I see it, if someone wants to buy something to play games and only games, then buy a console. At least with a console, you know your buying a system with enough grunt and capability to churn out great looking games now, and better looking games in the future, without having to upgrade a single component on the unit.

... Which can't be said about PCs. The amount I spent to upgrade my PC some 8 months ago (not inc. hard drives, or LCD, which was purchased separately) I could've had an XBOX360 and enough money left over to buy 6 or 7 games. And nothing I've played on my PC back then or now looks half as good as an XBOX360 game (7900GT). But I didn't upgrade just for games, since my PC was a good 4 years old. Plus I do spend a lot of time in front of the PC, so it's good cos it's versatile.

But telling someone to buy a PC cos a console is a waste of money, esp. when they're after something to play games, is like telling someone who wants a 2 door coupe to buy a sports-oriented SUV - it will still be a compromised, under-performing barge that won't deliver the expected or required experience. Well.. unless you have $$$ and you can get something like a Cayenne Turbo or something... but its still a barge :P but in terms of PC gaming, that's what?.. a 4 grand system? For the amount that would depreciate in such a high-end system, plus the need to constantly upgrade just to play the latest games at an acceptable resolution (AA, AF) and framerate, a console makes a whole lot more sense.

My 2.2c

17th March 2007, 2:29 PM	#1
TOX Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Xindian City, Taipei Posts: 14,265	$1500 to spend on gaming...who really gets the last laugh The Console owner or the PC Gamer? You give person A and person B $1500. Both are gamers and want to play games..... You tell person A to goto Harvey Norman and person B to goto MSY. Person A wants a console and rekon he can have a better gaming experiance then person B. Both people have notebooks that are very basic but take care of all there email etc...they are purely looking for a machine that is for gaming...and bloody good gaming at that. Looking through the wiki you can have a look at the gaming machines. $1500 Core 2 Duo Part Model Price Case CPU Core 2 Duo E6300 259 Motherboard Gigabyte 965P-S3 154 RAM 2GB G.Skill F2-5400PHU2-2GBNT 189 Hard Drive 320GB Serial ATA Hard Drive 127 Optical Drive 16x Pioneer DVR-111D 39 Graphics Card 320MB Sparkle 8800GTS 418 Sound Card Onboard from motherboard - Case iCute S901-4GA-SS 72 Power Supply SilverStone Strider ST56F 560W 121 Cooling Thermaltake BigTyp 120 63 Additional - - Total Cost - 1442 + Postage Shit! He's got an 8800GTS, Core 2 Duo all for under $1500.......oh hang on! He has no operating system and no games. So he has to change what he gets and moves to this. $1000 Core 2 Duo Part Model Price Case CPU Core 2 Duo E4300 234 Motherboard Gigabyte 965P-S3 154 RAM 2x1GB Generic DDR2 667 165 Hard Drive 250GB Samsung SP2504C 99 Optical Drive 16x Pioneer DVR-111D 39 Graphics Card 256MB nVidia GeForce 7600GT 147 Sound Card Onboard from motherboard - Case iCute S901-4GA-SS 72 Power Supply 430W Coolermaster Extreme Power 48 Cooling - - Additional - - Total Cost - 958 + Postage He then gets Windows, 4 games and a keyboard and mouse to make up for the extra $500. He goes home, builds it, spends hours setting it up, installing drivers, windows, games etc. Person A walks into Harvey Norman Picks up an xbox for $600 (Premium Pack) Extra controller $50 Plug and Charge Kit $35 7 games $700 Year of gold $100 Buys a bucketload of MS points with remaining money Who do you honestly think is going to hae better graphics and more fun. How can a console not replace PC Games. Most of OCAU laughs at people spending $1000 on a console but you know what....the same people laugh at people spending $1000 on a computer because there not going to get anything for it. Person A is at home and with in 30mins is on live, added a few gamertags and already playing games.

17th March 2007, 2:38 PM	#2
csimpson Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Sydney Posts: 7,629	I like the way you think. __________________ twitter

17th March 2007, 2:44 PM	#3
nexx Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Brisbane Posts: 6,366	You missed the part where Person A spends $5000 on a TV. This argument is useless. Last edited by nexx; 17th March 2007 at 2:47 PM.

17th March 2007, 2:48 PM	#4
CordlezToaster Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Your Mums Bed Posts: 3,875	it depends what people prefer. its only recently that most consoles are starting to be backwards compatible with the older generation games. Hence more people getting value out of there purchase. Some people like the simplicity of owning a console. I prefer the complexity of owning a pc. and the fact that my machine can be used to play games from a variety of platforms. Plus you can get alot of free pc games these days. this just adds to the value of owning a pc. __________________ Playing online games?, Want some Company? Come Join us Join us as a member (Social or Competitive) @ www.deathinc.com.au

17th March 2007, 3:29 PM	#11
DaemonEyes Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Brisbane Posts: 431	As has been said before, it's a pointless argument, just buy whatever suits your needs best... or both. Some people prefer PCs, some people like consoles, some like anchovies, some like olives some like both..... what does it matter? Oh, and the price thing is stupid, it’s like comparing the price of a hammer with a set of tools. The hammer is better value if all you want to do is drive nails into wood, if you want to put in a screw, or cut some wood then your buggered. __________________ \| E6320+ at 2.23GHz \| Asus P5N-E SLI \| 2 Gig Kingston Ram \| Gigabyte X1950 Pro \|

17th March 2007, 3:25 PM	#9
TOX Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Xindian City, Taipei Posts: 14,265	A 32" LCD TV that does 720p can be had for under $1,000. Dell 24" can be had for $1,000 - $1,150. You ad a decent monitor into the picture its a similar story

17th March 2007, 3:45 PM	#14
FoderMe Member Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: melb Posts: 2,635	I've always considered that sentiment to be truth, but you've put it in a way that I've never thought of before. Very good. A+. __________________ "I've got 73 quid in my backburner, I'm gonna wax the lot, man! The milky bars are on me! YEAH!" Seti 25,000 Club, My recommended traders list 僕だって漢字くらい書ける。ってことは僕もエリートだね !

17th March 2007, 3:56 PM	#15
Deity Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Eastern Suburbs, Victoria Posts: 703	Well the way I see it, if someone wants to buy something to play games and only games, then buy a console. At least with a console, you know your buying a system with enough grunt and capability to churn out great looking games now, and better looking games in the future, without having to upgrade a single component on the unit. ... Which can't be said about PCs. The amount I spent to upgrade my PC some 8 months ago (not inc. hard drives, or LCD, which was purchased separately) I could've had an XBOX360 and enough money left over to buy 6 or 7 games. And nothing I've played on my PC back then or now looks half as good as an XBOX360 game (7900GT). But I didn't upgrade just for games, since my PC was a good 4 years old. Plus I do spend a lot of time in front of the PC, so it's good cos it's versatile. But telling someone to buy a PC cos a console is a waste of money, esp. when they're after something to play games, is like telling someone who wants a 2 door coupe to buy a sports-oriented SUV - it will still be a compromised, under-performing barge that won't deliver the expected or required experience. Well.. unless you have $$$ and you can get something like a Cayenne Turbo or something... but its still a barge :P but in terms of PC gaming, that's what?.. a 4 grand system? For the amount that would depreciate in such a high-end system, plus the need to constantly upgrade just to play the latest games at an acceptable resolution (AA, AF) and framerate, a console makes a whole lot more sense. My 2.2c __________________ Why isn't clubbing a violent form of activity?