PC Vs PS4 Graphics, Price & Gaming: When It's Worth Getting A Next-Gen PC Instead Of A Console

PC vs PS4 is slating up to be the biggest question of this console generation. The next-gen Playstation débuts in November at the cost of $400 with an okay list of games, so let's take a look at the pros and cons of going either way. We've looked a lot at Xbox vs PS4, but that's really a whole different question.

[Kingthrash360]

i wonder why no pc vs ps4 vs x1?
oh.. wait they say because x1 dont have enough exclusives...but ask any fanboy of x1 and they say just its the other way around....hmmmmm
weird.

ot....p4 for me over pc.....pc costs too much to stay current. ONLY MY OPINION THO....im sure PC is great just not my thing.

[Angels3785]

Me too. Kinda struck me as odd they didn't even mention it.

[PoSTedUP]

i think its worth geting a gamming pc at any point, looking at that gtaIV Oculus Rift first person Mod. im not getting a gaming pc but i do want one. prob gonna get the oculus rift tho unless ps4 comes out with a VR headset.

[theBAWSE]

why is it odd?

the xbone (whoops sorry major nelson) on paper is inferior in terms of raw power so why would it be mentioned?

couldn't give a toss about pc last of us on ps3 looks as good as most hi end pc games and I'm sure naughty dog quantic dreams santa Monica etc will provide exclusives on the ps4 that look like they are running on a £2000 pc..

[H0RSE]

@theBAWSE

...which is exactly why they should be focusing on comparing the consoles, because like you said, the PS4 is more powerful "on paper." They should be putting the claims to the test.

And you're fooling yourself if you think PS4 devs are gonna put out games that match what a high-end gaming PC can do. There will have to have sacrifices somewhere, either to performance or graphics or both. Also consider that as time goes on, PC's will continually be up to date with hardware, while consoles will still be using old tech.

When rumors of the X1 being more powerful than people think, even saying it may have a dgpu or being capable of 3-5tflops, people immediately dismissed it, saying it would not be practical offer that much power in a $500 console, yet when PS4 is brought up, a console that is $100 cheaper, going toe-to-toe with high-end gaming rigs seems reasonable...

[mewhy32]

I just installed an hd radeon 7750 1gig GDDR5 card into my AMD Fusion 4100 3.8ghz with 8 meg DDR3 RAM. It has some sweet graphics. That card only cost me 89.99 (on sale). Pretty sure that's right on par with the bone's specs but somewhat behind the PS4's specs. At any rate, I run Hawken maxed out at 1600x900 (my monitor's max res) at 30 fps. I think that's a pretty good deal.

[SatanSki]

How i see things is, with pc you have cheaper games and more expansice hardware. Consoles also have multiplayer paywalls (and others?). In a ~10 years planned life of next generation consoles you almost surely will have to buy another one becouse hardware rarely last this long. In this regard pc has an andventage. I reguralery chenge my computers components buying new ones and selling old ones. This way it doesnt cost me full price becouse i have some money from old hardware, my pc is rather new and more and more powerfull. Nowadays im using higher-middle range of componets which in summary dont cost much more then next gen consoles. Adding to all of this much cheaper games on pc, free internet, accesories like Oculus Rift and versatility of pc makes it my leading platform. I own 360 and owned ps3 that died and will probably buy one of new consoles but i think overally gaming on consoles is more expansive.

[CynicalKelly]

Yeah that is your opinion. My PC cost £500 and has given me everything you fanboys are going mental over for next gen. Multitasking, streaming, a voice chat... It still has better specs than a PS4 and I have had indie games for the past ten years...

It will cost me less to upgrade than it will for you to buy the PS4 and PS5. Trust me. The high cost is just an excuse for those who don't want to venture into PC gaming.

And X1 has plenty of exclusives. It takes a fanboy to deny that.

[PIRGANEK]

Okay, calculate this since you want to be an ass hat. When you upgrade your PC to say a better GPU, your gonna most likely gonna have to one of if not all of these things.. Gotta make sure if your PSU can handle it if not - gotta buy a new one.. If your CPU can handle it without causing and bottlenecks if not then you're fcked and/or if any of that isnt compatable with your mobo.. you know what that means.. (dont even get me started on Heat and cooling) So in the end in 2-3 years because of the way PC hardware updates you'd just have to build another Rig. And you say "just change parts" then that means you'll be doing exactly what I just said. While you're doing all of that I'll be just fine playing games on My PS4 just fine. (Former PC player)

[CynicalKelly]

@Pirganek

I bought a PC before the PS3 was released and it has yet to be upgraded, that is seven years. It still outspecs the PS4 and plays all the games on Ultra... So that 2-3 years lifespan for a gaming rig is garbage unless you buy a prebuilt desktop computer like a moron.

If you are trying to tell me that a little bit of research into the parts is too much effort then you belong on the console. An hour of reading up or tinkering that results in a bigger, better game is not hard work.

On that platform, I have a wide variety of other games that cannot go to PS4, it has games that look better than PS4 and it has all those Indie games which no doubt will be cheaper and quicker to release.

If you want to buy the PS4, that is fine, no harm in that. There are some games on it that that are almost worth buying the console for along. Any of Naughty Dogs games for example. But the price argument is rubbish if you buy the right stuff, the games can give a bigger and better experience and the amount of and variety of games is much better.

[Mr Tretton]

"I bought a PC before the PS3 was released and it has yet to be upgraded, that is seven years. It still outspecs the PS4 and plays all the games on Ultra..."

Bull...SHIT.

[H0RSE]

@PIRGANEK

people upgrading their PC in 2-3 yrs, likely will not need to completely overhaul their system, and can easily just swap out parts. When you start getting into 5, 6 or more years, then you might want to opt to build a new system, depending what you're using your PC for.

Before I built my new system last yr, my prior PC was 6 yrs. old, and although I could still play games on it, I wanted higher settings and better frames, so I built a new rig - new mobo, CPU, GPU, SSD, RAM. I am running an i5 2500k and a GTX680, and even after 6 yrs, my old PSU could handle that easily.

You seem to following this logic, that PC gamers/enthusiast are buying parts that are just enough to get by, when in reality, many of them are buying more than they need for future proofing purposes, hence my 6yr. old PSU sill being put to good use.

[kingduqc]

In the long run pc is cheaper and that is a fact.

[Gamer1982]

PC is cheaper in the long run. PS4 is easier.

Said this all along.. People just gotta use their brains. This is for PC looking better than PS4 i'm talking 1080p 60FPS BF4 here on PC, not 720p 60fps on ps4. It's been confirmed today you need a 7870 and i5 to get 1080p 60fps on pc if you uild a system around those you can get it under £600 easy. Take off your PSN/XBL sub and game premium off consoles and PC is the better option. Of course you can go bigger like I did and it still works out cheaper with a 7970 and top end CPU.

[s45gr32]

I respect your opinion but is not that expensive if and only if you are technically minded. Which is a huge barrier for PC gaming. Meaning is about buying the cheapest, low watt, high performance parts.

[Enemy]

The PS4 is $399. Kinda funny to see this comparison.

[Einhert]

Well you get what you pay for.

[bratman]

which would be what exactly? Amazing games & good times ahead... i'm ready d:

[starchild]

Well, you are going to spend $400 dollars when you could just buy a Wii U for less.

My point is, you are willing to spend more for a better experience.

I'm going to have my gaming PC and will get a PS4 as well, but not everybody has the time or money to invest in more than one platform.

If I had to choose only one platform it would be the PC without a doubt.

[MultiConsoleGamer]

I have said this since E3 and I'll keep saying it until I'm blue in the face.

The PS4 is currently the best value in console gaming.

[Gamer1982]

Best value? How so? PS3 right now is the best value it will also play all major 3rd party multiplication titles this holiday season for less than half the price. Oh and no online fee.. We not talking graphics here are we? Were talking VALUE which is made up of just more than graphics its what you get for your money.

[ZBlacktt]

As much as this comes up and I watched the video in the story. To me, I've seen some of the next Gen games already. I'm telling you people, you are SO not going to be disappointed in Next Gen games. I would take AC4 BF on the PS4 over that Skyrim video. Because nothing I saw in that I didn't see in AC4. It runs a real time ocean simulator and the water looks dead on real, acts real, feels real. It has real time weather cycles, real time living environments. Is VERY detailed in so many ways. The game pretty much runs seamless as well with very little load screens. Now on a huge flat panel TV with surround sound it's just going to be epic. Again, for $399 the experience you cannot go wrong at all. Plus, did I mention how awesome the Dual Shock 4 is? So awesome I know PC guys and Developers on PC are using them.

[starchild]

I agree with your comment about AC4 and I know it will look amazing on the PS4. But the PC version is going to have added graphical features that will make it look even better. http://www.geforce.com/what...
http://www.geforce.com/what...

I'm not saying the PS4 version isn't going to be an outstanding game in its own right. The PS4 is a great value at $400.

But as a PC guy who is also getting a PS4, I'm still going to be getting AC4 and other multiplatform games on my PC.

[ZBlacktt]

Here's my take on this whole deal. I was PC gaming 30 years ago. Yes, on Apple II, IIc and IIe. I'm more then aware of PC's and consoles. But it comes down to what "you" like to play on. If I or anybody wants a PC they can go get one. Same with the consoles. I also think people try and make it out that there's some real huge inferior game play going on here. When there's not really at all. By that I mean like Next Gen consoles are going to be miles behind. I also think some developers are better then others and can extract more from the consoles then others. Hence why some games look mind blowing. While others are ok... yet on the same console.

Again, those with really nice TV's ( we know what that means ) are going to see unreal games on Next Gen. They are not going to be sitting there looking for the smallest flaws. I was blown away from what I saw. I was pulled into the game itself. So people might be pushing misconceptions when they haven't even seen the games in person yet. I only used AC4 as an example because they showed off the most game play. Again, the PS4 is said to be 10 times that of the PS3. Yet so many have not even seen the games in person. A youtube video does zero justice and is only used as something to see at least. So while PC's will have homegrown better this and that. You are going to not feel like you are missing a thing on the Next Gen consoles. Because they look that damn good.

http://www.cinemablend.com/...

[Gamer1982]

Hey I spent £900 on my PC upgrade and I know it will blow a PS4 away I know its better value over a PS4 but I will get a PS4 in the end for my dynasty warriors and Uncharted but that's not gonna be until at least 2014.. I certainly won't be buying a nex-gen console for Killzone, Ryse or any other of those crappy launch titles the only one I am slightly interested in is dead rising but I don't fancy a spy cam in my house plus we all know that game will be on PC by August 2014.

[TurboGamer]

Everyone on N4G should read this article. I'm a Pc gamer and I can tell you that this is a no-bias article. Very good read.

[5h4h4b]

Of course pc will always be on top when graphics matters. But ps4 is quite powerful for a console. Games are subjective. I personally prefer consoles games over pc.

[grassyknoll]

There no such thing as a "next gen" PC.

[B-radical]

Pc is always next gen :D

[Roccetarius]

How can a PC always be next gen, if it doesn't have any? :)

[Gamer1982]

PC doesn't have gens because its backwards compatible from windows 3.1. I can still play sim city 2000 on my windows 8 machine that plays Battlefield at 120fps 1080p. The PS4 can't even play a PS2 game. I think I made my point.

[steve30x]

The only one thing that is stopping me doing all my gaming on console is I cant get the hang of the controller. If console would allow me to use keyboard and mouse I would ditch my PC.

[steve30x]

As usual some people know me better than I know myself. I wonder how the people who disagreed think that I am lyting about not being able to get used to the controller?

[Gamer1982]

Wow you really need a reality check. Consoles have allowed the use of mouse and keyboard since the PS2 launch. Not all games supported it but especially this generation more and more supported it especially after the launch of keyboards that attached to pads. Hey i'm a PC gamer all the way and even play most my games via a 360 pad on my PC but consoles do allow other forms of controls ps consoles more than MS ones though as MS like to lock down peripherals.

[Jovanian]

console gaming is very expensive in the long run. New games at 60 bucks a pop plus tax plus shipping if you have it shipped or plus preorder fee, it gets very expensive if you even buy a very modest 3 games a year like that. Gotta pay for PS+ and XBL for online multiplayer which should be FREE. That adds up over the consoles lifetime.

Sure used games are nice, but they are detrimental to the industry overall. Why buy new when you get the same exact thing for 5 bucks less? And trading in your games? One of the biggest scams I've ever had the misfortune to take part of when I was younger.

I may look into the PS4 after I've had a thorough inspection of it at a walmart kiosk or something, but I am not laying down four hundo for something I've never even used yet

[Einhert]

It is a pretty simple case of getting what you pay for, Sony are making an initial loss on the PS4 as they are selling the hardware for such a cheap price.

[SatanSki]

I highly doubt that ps4s and xb1s production costs are higher then selling prices.

[Einhert]

Well then you don't have any background in business and marketing then dear sir and it appears 7 people are as ignorant as you are.

Now you need to understand that companies will market at a price which is a loss to them and to sum it up....

short term loss = LONG term gain BIG time.

Sony are taking a gamble like they did with the PS3 which paid off very well.

There is no way all that hardware in the PS4 on launch will be £400 worth and producing those graphics.

to get equivalent parts it will be more expensive but Sony have special deals and are prepared to sacrifice short term profits for extreme long term gains when the hardware value becomes current.

Now don't get all butthurt and defensive because you thought I attacked the beloved Sony, I wouldn't dream of it on N4G the most fair and unbiased site on the web!

[SatanSki]

@Einhart: I know how console makers used to price their systems and i think its you who shows ignorancy here. The components in next-gen consoles are low end by todays standards and unlike previous generations are based on standard pc architecture with some modifications so their production costs are very low. Im not sure what graphics you talk about but i know next gen hardware runs BF4 on medium pc settings. Cheap, medium/low end pc can do the same so taking into consideration that sony and ms made a deal which lets them buy components at much lower price then regular consumers let me believe they make profit from the start.

[Bladesfist]

I game on PC for two reasons. It is nice to have a device that does everything and secondly it is nice to have a device that gives you options. Many input devices, multiple monitor support. Better I/O options. Mods. Customizing options to my tastes. Being able to upgrade to improve my experience. The list goes on.

[awi5951]

PC gaming isnt expensive at all console people just like to keep that lie going. As long as you get a proper pc not some mass produced piece of junk you would get from walmart or dell your fine. Even the mass produced pieces of junk could work if it has a proper motherboard with Pci-e slot for a graphics cards and has a updated CPU.

Most of these mass produced pieces of junk cheap out on the power source so you will need to get a 650 watt supply off amazon or something for 60 bucks add a graphics cards and your gaming on pc for pretty cheap

.Usally when i upgrade i sell my graphics cards,cpu,motherboard, and ram. When im done even at used prices im looking at having 500 to 600 dollars from the sale. If my motherboard is still usable i save on having to upgrade that.

[CRAIG667]

get both.

[DEATHSTROKE-cro-]

1. ps4 and pc versions of a game will look almost the same and I doubt that developers will focus on making pc version the best. there was a difference last gen but now...

2. people buy playstation because of exclusives.
god of war, inFamous, uncharted, gran turismo...
those people will not wait for a better pc so they can't play all the playstation exclusives.

[starchild]

1. You're wrong. Assassin's Creed 4, Watch_Dogs, COD Ghosts and Battlefield 4 have all been confirmed to have more advanced graphics on PC. And this is just the very beginning of the generation. What do you think it is going to be like years down the road?
http://www.geforce.com/what...

2. There are lots of exclusives on the PC as well. I don't know why some of you are so blind to this fact. Just because you own a PS3 and those are the games you are familiar with doesn't mean that other platforms don't have exclusives as well. The PC actually gets more exclusives than any of the consoles.

[ZBlacktt]

Yet, when the Dev's come out and say awh no. Nobody wants to believe them either. There are many stories like this. People to fail to believe. While PC is better, the human eye is limited to the degree of measure. Maybe a Bald Eagle could do it, lol.

http://gamingbolt.com/contr...

http://www.examiner.com/art...

http://www.extremetech.com/...

"Keep in mind, this generation will be noticeably different from the preceding one. The PS4 and Xbox One are using very similar AMD APUs, so direct comparisons will be easier to make. While porting between the PC, PS4, and Xbox One will by no means be push-button, the core similarities are a huge benefit. Instead of fighting to get a game running on a different architecture, developers will be able to spend their time optimizing for quirky features like the Xbox One’s 32MB of ESRAM. Now, it’s only a matter of time before we get to see if the PS4′s beefier internals will actually make any noticeable difference in the real world."

[DEATHSTROKE-cro-]

1. I just love how some people decide PS4 will have 720p games and it isn't even out. even DICE said that 720p 60fps is NOT final for Battlefield. yes, this is beginning of next-gen. and developers didn't have those consoles for long time. Killzone SF and that Dark Sorcerer 12min demo look better than anything I saw on PC. that's my honest opinion.

2. and again, WHAT pc exclusives ??? what ?
tell me, what exclusive pc game you have that can compare to inFamous, Uncharted, Last Of Us, Wipeout, Warhawk, God Of War, Flower. Journey, LittleBigPlanet, Heavy Rain, Zelda, Mario, Gears, Halo...

what, Starcraft, Warcraft and Diablo.
I don't know how many times I've heard PC has the most exclusives but no one talks about them.

[livininsin]

@ Deathstroke
Here ya go
http://images.lazygamer.net...
http://i.imgur.com/iTZtG.jp...
http://www.medievalfuture.c...

[SatanSki]

1. Now, becouse of hardware similiarity the difference will be even more noticable as porting will be much easier and performacne wont take so bad kick from lack of optimisation. Even if devs wont add any additional gfx effects pc versions will benefit from much better antialiassing, higher resolutions and frame rates.

[steve30x]

The hardware may be similar but the Operating systems are different so it wont be as straight forward as you think to port a game from PC to PS4 or Xbox 1 or vise versa

[SatanSki]

Im not saying it will be as simple as recompilation but it will be tons simpler then changing the code for completely different architecture

[ZBlacktt]

People just want the believe in what "they" like and prefer. Again, it's that justification to make up what they spend to do the very same thing ( game ). Feeling threaten when the word " console " is even brought up in comparing. So it's much easier to click disagree and go off to some other story trying to forget what they just read/saw..... But, it's coming.... In just two months now. Then they will get to see first hand.

[fullmetal297]

I highly disagree. The fact that PS4 architecturally close to a PC will make it that much is easier for developers to port game across a PC. And with PC gaming becoming more prevalent in demographics and zero licensing fees, it's going to be stupid for developers to ignore it.

[Bolts]

Nextgen PC? Mine is three years old and it totally destroy the PS4. BF3 at 1440p and 60 FPS while the PS4 can barely do 1080p. Thus building a "nextgen" PC is pointless when the nextgen consoles are already 5 years behind the current technology curve.

In about three years we will be talking about the iPad 7 vs the PS4.

Ultimately this article is pointless because most PC gamers already own a console or plan to buy a nextgen console anyways.

[pandehz]

When u realise ur ps4 cant do many things ur pc can.

If its only gaming and ur low on cash well go for PS4 or X1

[wtopez]

Well PC has more games already than the PS4 will ever have and it out-muscles the PS4 in power already with a mid-range GPU. When AC4 and Watch Dogs and Battlefield 4 launches this holiday, you can play them on PC without having to get a whole new system. PC just obliterates every console.

[fullmetal297]

PC easily for me. You can't have this much freedom and versatility on consoles.

I can't simply remove a part from a console and replace without having to go through the painful customer service of Sony or Microsoft, only telling me that my warranty doesn't cover this and that. I can pick any part to my liking and most PC component vendors have excellent service.

Mods and custom servers are also a big advantage. There are so many mods out there for all the popular games. Skyrim is one example where you can completely can the look with a texture pack. Custom servers gives anyone the freedom to tweak any game mode and add admins to ban hackers. With a console I'm stuck with the vanilla version forever with overpriced DLC.

What gives the PC the biggest advantage is the backwards compatibility. I can play any game ever made for the PC. No need to buy another PC or reinstall another OS. Might have to mess around with some settings but that about it.

[ATi_Elite]

The Obligatory PC vs. PS4 "My LAME website needs Hits" BULLCRAP article!

Stop comparing a $400 toy to a Machine!

PC's are almost a necessity for life. Used for Education, Medical Diagnosis, pay bills, run a business, entertainment, Engineering, Manufacturing, Space exploration, etc. while a PS4 ONLY plays GAMES.

If you think all I do on my $2000 PC's is play games then you do not realize ALL the wonderful NON GAMING things a High End PC can do!

Anyone who tries to make a PC seem like it's just a Game playing toy is just STUPID and that's what these lame articles do and YES it annoys me.

Also I'm so sick of the "Sony Exclusives" CRAP! sure a FEW Great games (Uncharted KZ GOW Heavy Rain Gran Turismo) Meanwhile Nintendo and the PC both have a LONGER list of Exclusives but why so much hype about Sony's?

now I'm not Bashing Sony (so don't RAGE disagree) but The WHOLE entire reason why MOST Gamers choose the PC is because of the PC Exclusives. MMO's, MOBAS, RTS, FPS/RPG, RTS/FPS, ARPG, Simulation, and Indie games that are just NOT on ANY console.

Nintendo's Exclusives have been running the Company for over 25 years strong but Nintendo never gets the same "Exclusive" hype train as Sony and Nintendo has made some very unique and award winning games too.

Sony is NOT the only platform with great Exclusives and a lot of Great games are out there on every platform.

Bottom Line: one is NOT better than the other because Console gaming and PC Gaming are TWO entirely different worlds.

if you enjoy the console gaming experience then buy a XB1/PS4

If you enjoy PC Games and want a CUSTOMIZED GAMING experience then build a PC!

I know the Internet is business and these articles will continue but it annoys me to DEATH cause these articles mis-inform and are nothing but FLAIMBAIT.

Happy Gaming!

[s45gr32]

Well said

[mysteryraz11]

get a ps4, better exclusives, is getting indie games to, a awesome deal for 400 bucks

[s45gr32]

Basically is like this if you want to have control of your gaming experience or even make your own games go with a PC ; however, if you want a multi billion dollar corporation dictate your gaming experience or not technically minded go with a console for now What I mean by that is 5-10 years from now all you will have to do is pay for the service like xbox live gold or Plus as app for your television set.