PC gaming isn’t as expensive as you think

"You know, there has been something that has always bothered me. The amount of people that would love to get into PC gaming tends to outweigh the amount of people who want to play console games. Consoles have always been, and will probably always be more successful than PC gaming. And the number one turn of for most people is the price. And that is one of the most often misquoted things that you can find on the internet. If you ask a PC gamer how much will it cost you to build a cheap but powerful gaming machine, most of the time you will get given a price of around seven or eight hundred pounds/dollars. "

[ShadowKingx]

no you can buy a laptop now and play with no problem, but if you want high quality graphics or sound and best performance. then thats where it gets expensive.

[-MD-]

You can build a rig that will max out any game for under $800.

It'll last years.

[ABizzel1]

@MD

I didn't disagree, but what you said is almost true. The correct response was,

A $700 - $800 gaming PC will run ALMOST any game on max settings, and it'll last years.

[vortis]

@ABizzel1

A $500 PC will run any game on max. Most games are capped for current gen consoles and depending on your GPU you can tweak it/OC it so you can get the most performance out if it.

Of course, games poorly optimized for PC is a whole other matter and even with a $5,000 PC you still may not be able to run games on the highest settings correctly.

[ShinMaster]

That's like 3x the price of a console.
PLUS new PC games on retail stores and online stores like Steam, are still $60 just like console versions.

It is more expensive if you truly want better graphics and performance.

[Ducky]

^ Among the upcoming release, BlackOps2 is about the only one that can't be bought for less than $60.
All the other remaining games can be bought digitally for less than $50 (including Dishonored, Hitman, MoH, MostWanted, Crysis3 and CompanyOfHeroes2).

[MikeMyers]

I'm glad there is still lots of interest in PC gaming and I also like that there's many choices for any gamer. You don't need the latest (and more costly) PC parts either.

It all depends on how much you want to spend on a PC and what you want to do with it, versus getting a console that's ready to go. Both have their pros and cons. A game console is quite inexpensive too and some people just don't want the complexities that can happen with PC gaming. I've been a PC gamer for many years but I can understand the popularity of game consoles.

[MAJ0R]

You must be unaware of the sales available for PC games.

Most people think it's only Steam, but there are many other digital distribution websites like Green Man Gaming, Amazon, GameFly, Gamers Gate, and Impulse. It makes buying games PC games incredibly cheap.

[RickHiggity]

Built mine for around $600. granted it's not the best, but I've been running all the newest games no problem.

[knowyourstuff]

Yeah, especially since some publishers have reported having 80-95% of their games pirated, I'm sure it's cheaper in the long run for PC gamers willing to pay 3 times the price of a console for a PC gaming rig that will almost play max settings. If you really want max settings on Crysis 3 and other big games, you're going to spend well over a grand.

[BattleAxe]

***Disclaimer: Just to be clear, I own a PS3 and a 360. I love my PS3, but I don't really care to use my 360 all that much. I also still own my NES from when I was a kid.***

PC gaming is actually far cheaper than console gaming. Here's what I like about PC gaming.

#1. Most people use a PC every day, so why not spend a bit more so that you can use it for gaming too?

#2. I am a huge fan of Steam, and one of the best aspects of Steam are the massive Steam sales. The games are so cheap it would blow most console player's minds. For example, I bought GTA1, GTA2, GTA3, GTA Vice City and GTA San Andreas all in one bundle for $7.50. I bought GTA4 for $5.00 and The Lost and the Damned & The Ballad of Gay Tony for $10.00.

I bought Deadspace for $5.00 and Deadspace 2 for $10.00. I bought Left for Dead 1 for $6.69 and Left for Dead 2 for $9.99. I could go on and on, you just can't beat it.

#3. Backwards compatibility is one of the best parts about PC gaming. I can play pretty well any game from the last 15 years on my PC. This is something where although there's been nothing official put out by Sony, that I don't believe we'll get BC for PS3 games on the PS4, unless they allow you to play your full library of games that you have purchased through GaiKai or something.

#4. The ability to upgrade your hardware anytime you want is probably the best reason to own a PC. Theres a myth out there that you have to upgrade your PC every year in order to play the latest games, which is totally false. I bought my current PC in 2009, and even today I can max out most new games that come out.

The reality is that PC hardware development has outpaced the requirements that the software demands. All of these new GPUs that Nvidia and AMD are coming out with are totally unnecessary for gaming at this stage, since PC hardware is so far ahead of what software developers are making these days. PCs are basically getting games that are designed with 2005 console tech in mind, and while they still look great, developers have not been pushing the boundaries of PC hardware since the big money in in console game development due to the "closed system" nature of consoles.

#5. Cross Game Chat which you can achieve through any number of different chat programs. I personally just use Steam Chat. Whats great about the PC is that it costs you nothing in the way of a subscription or even a software purchase to be able to do these things.

#6. Xinput (XBOX 360 Controller) compatibility for most video games released since 2005. I love the fact that I can choose how i play my games. With Steam just adding "The Big Picture" functionality to the Steam client, you can now use a controller as seamlessly as you can with a PS3 or XBOX 360 from your livingroom. So, if Steam supports controllers for navigating its services, and the games you purchase have Xinput support, you basically have a console on your PC.

[RickHiggity]

@knowyourstuff. You're hilariously wrong my friend

[ABizzel1]

@ShinMaster

As @FatOldMan said PC games usually start off at $50, and quickly drop to lower prices. So while you'll still be paying $50 - $60 for a console version of a game a month or two later, PC gamers will be paying $30 or less.

Also that $800 PC will be AT THE VERY LEAST, as powerful as the next generation Xbox and PS4 if not a step above them meaning your PC will last 10+ years (if you don't mind having console+ graphics on your gaming PC).

For $500 you can build a gaming PC that will rival anything the next generation consoles can do.

Quad Core FX Processor
HD 6850
4GB RAM

and for every $100 you add toward building your gaming PC, is another step up from the next gen consoles.

[starchild]

I built my brother a gaming rig for just over $550 that maxes 90% of current games. The few that can't be completely maxed out still run very well.

My computer probably cost around $800 or $900, but it maxes everything and I am sure I will even be able to play next-gen games right off the bat without changing anything. I might have to cap the framerate at 30fps until I upgrade to a new graphics card, but I believe my overclocked HD 7950 will play those new games just fine.

I won't lie, the up front cost of building a PC is greater than buying a console. But almost everybody needs a PC anyway and the advantages of a gaming PC are worth every penny.

[ShinMaster]

FYI, console games also have sales.

And yes, most new PC games are priced the same as console games, especially in retail stores.

http://i46.tinypic.com/2m2u...
ust saying

[Ducky]

^ Try reading MAJ0R's comment.

Steam isn't the only digital retailer. Skyrim, MaxPayne3 and MW3 were both available for less than $50 if you shopped around (in this case, GreenManGaming for the first two and D2D for MW3)
To use a more recent example, Borderlands2 is $60 on steam, but you could've pre-ordered it from GMG for $36 (and it activates on steam anyways). That's is why screencaps of steam are meaningless as an argument.

What steam is good at is post-launch sales, specifically around Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Summer (July). That's when steam really shines, and the prices trump any console sale. The only downside is that you cant trade those games in on PC.

Most new PC games can be bought digitally for less than $50. The subject is by no means 'touchy', you just aren't familiar with the subject that you're pretending to have knowledge of.

[Gaming101]

Don't you love how PC gamers have to pretend that 800 bucks isn't a lot of money, and the whiniest console gamers have to pretend that $600 is more money than they've ever heard of (for a console, that being the outcry that came after the measly $600 pricetag on the PS3).

Seriously, $600 is not enough money to play top fo the line PC games at max settings with perfect performance for very long, yet PC gamers see 800 to 1000 dollars as being nothing, yet imagine if a console came out at that price? Whiny console fanboys would lose their minds - it would look like Football fans did when the football season was cancelled a few years back - grown men crying and pulling their hair out like toddlers.

Also, if you can build the PC gaming rig yourself you're going to save a substantial amount of money. When you go to these sites that build it for you you're going to be spending hundreds of dollars more in some cases depending on where you go, I think this is where the disparity is coming from regarding people with different pricing experiences with gaming PC's.

[ShinMaster]

Sorry.

[Sarcasm]

My PC is around $1897 in total cost with tax.

i7 2600K - $320
Zotac GTX 680 - $500
Crucial M4 256GB - $200
Antec HCG 750W - $100
Corsair H80 - $80
Segate 1TB - $80
Antec One Case - $45
Patriot Viper 16GB - $100
P8Z68 V-Pro Gen 3 - $200
Asus DVD-R Drive - $20

Let's just say I don't have a problem maxing out any game at all. But guess what, I do other things than just gaming. Video editing, photo editing, video conversion, hundreds of excel sheets for work, 3D rendering, Virtual Machines etc. etc. etc.

What's my point? Well not trying to flog my e-peen or nothing but the point is that computers CAN DO OTHER THINGS AND NOT JUST PLAY GAMES.

[kaozgamer]

the problem is that pc do not get any of the console exclusives

[Jason143]

quad core 3.8ghz and dyi kit with 550ti $400. can run battlefield 3 on ultra so that buys you a few yrs of worry free upgrading

[yeahokchief]

I don't understand why people feel the need to continuously write these articles. DIY is always cheap whether you're talking about computers or whatever. Instead of writing about why it's cheap you should make videos of building computers. That would get more people into PC gaming than reposting articles like this.

I have been pricing out 15inch single gpu laptops for the past 2 weeks.

Currently the best deal you're going to get is $1450 for a i7 3610 ivy bridge,128gb ssd, 16gb ram and 660m gpu. You could technically spend less by finding an outlet deal on a refurbished system or buying a brand with less build quality, but you'll get what you pay for and if you're going to spend almost 1,000 you might as well get it right the first time.

If you want a 7970m you're looking at around $2000 with similar specs. 7970m is the best value for money but it is having driver issues with enduro in models that do not have a mux cable so you have to be careful if you plan on buying this card.

And if you want a 680m you're going to be paying $2300 with similar specs. Totally overpriced, but it is the best card out there right now with lower temps and energy use since it's kepler.

Those are the best prices you're going to find for this level of performance. By next year i'm guessing these cards will be able to run most games at medium settings, but dont expect them to run new games requireing high performance on higher settings next year.

[kornbeaner]

They will run blizzard games on ultra. Blizzard are probably the best at optimizing their code for a wide spectrum of systems. My FX-6100, HD6850, 16gb system runs Starcraft 2 and Diablo 3 on ultra settings.

[yeahokchief]

For those that don't know you can go to notebookcheck to see the performance of each card.

Of course they'll run Activision Blizzard games on ultra. They are all about making their games accessible to the largest audience possible so they can make more money (even at the expense of the game itself in terms of content).

My guess is that their next project is largely completed and that they're just pissing time away polishing it while they wait for newer cards to drop in price or for tech to advance where playing the game is affordable by the masses.

But I wouldn't play a Blizzard game if you paid me to. They were a good company back in 2002-2007 but their values have gone down the toilet for money. It's not even the same people working on the games anyways. You have the developers of their current games like D3 being disrespectful to the creators of the series that they coattail right out in the open. It was all over reddit a few weeks ago. So pathetic.

[kornbeaner]

But blizzard has a history of being available to the masses. WoW, Starcraft 1, Warcraft series (not MMO) and Starcraft 2 is a really good game. They may not be what they once were, but honestly what company is. As the taste of the modern gamer change so do the developers. If you are old school like me (been gaming since '85) you remember the classic, but at the same time you can't disrespect the present for the gems that come out now will be the new-schools classics. Just the way things are.

[NoFanboyRequired]

Meh, laptops are a ripoff for performance. Much better off with a gaming rig. So much cheaper.

[tachy0n]

i disagree, i have a system with a Q6600, GTX 460 and 4GB of ram and it max all games in 1080P and it cost less than $500.

keep in mind PC gamers are not limited like console gamers, we can overclock!!!

[ZoyosJD]

You should note that overclocking is a tradeoff as well, as it deteriorates the lifespan of the part you're overclocking. And if you screw it up there goes the part. I've seen a $1000 CPU literally go up in flames because somebody didn't have it cooled enough.

[FlameBaitGod]

I really don't think people get the idea here... if you wanted a pc with console specs you would spend less money building the computer than buying a new console.. If you want better graphics then it starts going up, but that depends on what you are looking for.

[kneon]

I usually build a new PC every few years and since the dawn of (PC) time it always seems to cost between $1500-2000. Sure you can do it for less but if you want quality and performance then it will cost you.

But we get so much more for our money now than a couple of decades ago. I remember the days of $300 20MB hard drives. My current machine has 7TB internal and 8TB external. At those prices it would have cost over $200,000,000 for that kind of storage.

Of course you would also need a place big enough to put 750,000 hard drives :)

[caperjim]

If you want to run games maxed out with at least 60 FPS then yes it can get expensive. Im talking highest settings with a resolution of at least 1920X1080. This is the resolution of most plasma/LCD TVs.

My high end GTX 580 that i payed $600 for last year dont run all games released at a steady 60 FPS. "No bottle neck either." Sure i can reduce settings but why should i have to. I might as well go buy a console and not toy with settings at all.

Many might say most console games play at 30 FPS so playing at 60 FPS on PC is just a bonus. The truth is 30 FPS on console is not the same as 30 FPS on PC. With most games on PC, 30 FPS is unplayable. I find you need a least 45+ FPS for a smooth experience.

Im about to drop another $600+ for the new GTX 680 so i can play with at least 60 FPS at maxed settings with upcoming games this fall.

PC gaming seems pretty expensive to me compared to console. Dont get me wrong i love gaming on PC. I will continue to do so but its not cheap.

[Blastoise]

...I bet that one in the picture is.

[gulevski]

LoL :)

[3GenGames]

If you go through Alienware? For sure it'll be f***ing ridiculously expensive.

If you go through Newegg and do it yourself? Probably about $1K for a pretty good computer. It all depends on what's inside, really.

[torchic]

$1000 is a lot of money.

I couldn't even afford a PS3 at launch, bought mine for €350/$350

face it people PC gaming is expensive. it isn't really worth it anyway considering the best gaming experience is only about €100; with a PS2. best library ever assembled and you can play PSone games.

$100 console > $1000 gaming rig all day everyday.

if money is no object then yea go for it.

[3GenGames]

Well I guess I look at it differently. If you look at it as a entertainment device, yeah it's a lot. Yeah I'd go with a console too. But as somebody who works on computer 6+ hours a day for my hobbies with also produce some money along with entertainment, it's a great investment.

But still, $1000 is nothing for a device that will last you 6+ years of good use. Much less than those Alienwares.

A computer is a tool, not just a gaming/internet machine.

[NoFanboyRequired]

Dont see how any one could disagree with that alienware statement. Alienware is the apple of the PC market. Aunt bought an mx15 laptop for 1200 2 years ago and all it came with was a crappy 256mb nvidia card, a cheap i3 and 3gb of ram.

If she did research, and looked on ibuypower for a laptop, she probably could have got one with 4x the power for the same price.

Dell sucks and everyone knows that. Like i said, theyre the apple of the pc market, and honestly, i prefer the apple computers over any dell/alienware pc.

My $800 toshiba satelite even outperforms the thing and the only thing rendering graphics on it is a 3rd gen intel i7. Pretty sad really!

[Norrison]

@torchic
Are you dumb? We can emulate Psone, PS2, xbox, wii, Gamecube, etc.
It is worth it, you said it ps2 is the best library ever assembled, that means pc gaming got the best game library ever assembled + PC games library and previous gen consoles libraries. Also I'm pretty sure we will be able to emulate X360 and PS3 someday.

[NoFanboyRequired]

Norrison.
Theres only one good emulator for the xbox, and it only plays a couple games. So i wouldnt really count that one in there. All the others on the other hand, i have them all and its great. I can play all the games I've missed out on last gen.

[Qrphe]

It's not, but you'll still get fools saying stuff like "I do3znt wann4 spent thousanz of monies on g4m1ng XDDDDD LMAO"

Decades worth of games and cheaper than console ones.
Plus and above all, PCs can be used for things well beyond gaming.

[Lord_Sloth]

How many times have we read this exact article now?

[thebudgetgamer]

Three times.

[dark-hollow]

....in the past week.

[Myst]

It is when you try and jungle each other console in and try to get those games =x. Thank goodness Steam helps us out every now and again.

[ShaunCameron]

It ain't just about price. Consoles also tend to provide more convenience and efficiency. Less buttons to learn. No (or optional) mandatory installs. No worries about compatibility as long as let's say you got an XBox 360 and the game you plan to get corresponds. Games work 99.999% of the time. Little need to worry about maintenance.

Consoles have always been about less is more. Plus offering experiences that the PC just plain can't offer at all if not particularly well for all its technological prowess such as offline multiplayer.

[Neo Nugget]

PS3 has mandatory installs.

[Lord_Sloth]

Sometimes. Not terribly often outside of Capcom games. Most are only optional.

[FlameBaitGod]

Um.. I didn't know PC games had more control actions than consoles... LOL so much fail and you can use all controllers on pc, so you actually have a lot more options than consoles when it comes to how you want to play.

Mandatory Instals: Yeah like if every owner wouldn't want that, they cant due to storage space but who wouldn't want games to load faster and run smoother?

"No worries about compatibility as long as let's say you got an XBox 360 and the game you plan to get corresponds"

Wut? this isn't 1995

"Little need to worry about maintenance"
Um... pc owners have to worry less... we can actually open our computers and clean it and not void the warranty unlike console owners.

"Consoles have always been about less is more"
.... if you build a pc with the same specs and xbox and ps3 you would pay less than a retail console when it arrives...

[Somebody]

Personally I used around 10-14 buttons for most of my PC games. The number decreases for console ports and increases with vehicle simulation games. In the end it doesn't matter. If I like a game I would spent hours on it and those button presses will be imprinted into muscle memory. This is helped by the fact that PC controls are extremely customizable. Make the game to play the way you want.

Consoles have always been about less is more...I see the opposite is being implemented for next gen consoles. For example Smartglass/Surface integration for new X box sounds like adding a keyboard capabilities - a no brainer since Internet Explorer has been absorbed into X Box LIVE. It'll be a hard time typing those particulars and credit card numbers with the controller when you are buying some hats during a console F2P game.

[kornbeaner]

"Plus offering experiences that the PC just plain can't offer at all" like what? please share. Anything, I mean anything a Console has to offer a PC can offer just as easily. Not to mention if you build a gaming rig and can be used for more than just gaming. I love console gaming when they have the games to keep my attention, but other than that no machine gets used in my house more than my PC.

[ninjahunter]

Eh, a good college laptop will play 90% of games maxed out. Pc gaming isnt just for elitists.

[josephayal]

PC gaming is Dying

[shutUpAndTakeMyMoney]

Then ps3 is dead?

Xbox 360 led the pack, bringing EA $292 million in the past three months. That compared favorably to the PS3 which did $267 million for the firm. But the PC platform actually managed to outperform Sony's console with $276 million.
http://www.computerandvideo...

Why is sony making a 2000 shooter for pc only? Besides the fact that ps3 is old?

pc never will die. Where else to get non generic shooters, hardcore tatcical, or non cod like shooters?
http://www.youtube.com/watc...

Find something like that on console..

on topic:
pc cost more because they are better. Also if sony and ms don't take another loss then you will get a expensive powerful consoleor a cheap and weak console

[tachy0n]

have you seen the amount of F2P games released exclusively for PC? and the amount of players each ones has?

need for speed world for example, it is going 15+ million users....

[mamotte]

And still, the experience is still the same, in basic settings, medium, ultra or console.

[tachy0n]

no, since games run at way higher FPS, MODS etc...

LOL any midrange PC will run COD @ 250+FPS

DAT SMOOTHNESS!!

[mamotte]

dat smoothness... and same game?

[Ducky]

^ Even if you overlook shooters which often feature larger multiplayer playercounts on PC, and games which have mod-support that allows user-content to the game, there's still the fact that visuals and framerate do infact have an impact on the experience.

If visuals were meaningless, then we wouldn't be seeing HD remasters this gen.
Framerate, meanwhile, has a noticeable impact on gameplay. Higher framerates not only means smoother gameplay, but it also means that games can have a faster pace.

[dark-hollow]

go play BF3 on pc maxed out then go play it on console then tell me with a straight face that the "experience" is the same.

[bunfighterii]

One thing we console gamers are really missing that makes PC gaming so attractive to me are mods. You can't say the experience is the same there.

[Kaos_Vll]

that's the only thing that has me interested in pc gaming, mods.

I don't need uber omg graphics to enjoy my games and when i see pc heads talk thats all they talk about.

the whole gaming pc's do more is irrelevant as consoles are made for just that, gaming. i don't need my gaming hardware to do anything more than that.

[deletingthis34675334]

Article #91 about this. No it isn't as expensive as you think. I built my PC for under 1000 and even that is considered a future-proof rig for the next many years. If 1000 is too much for your budget you can easily spend around 500 for a gaming PC rig nowadays that will play the latest games. You spend that same $500 for a computer from Best Buy you will get a piece of crap office paperweight with Intel integrated graphics. Instead, shop online for the parts and put them together yourself, a lot of them have discounts and will end up getting the most out of your dollar.

[LeoDDestroyer]

The problem isn't price but ease of use. It many more things you have to be aware when getting into pc gaming. Sometime things just don't work as they should.

[bunfighterii]

Steam is what pisses me off about PC gaming. The amount of times I've tried to play Shogun 2, WHICH I BOUGHT A PHYSICAL COPY OF- and Steam has delayed me for 2 hours for a massive, non-optional update to be installed, or prevented me from playing it entirely if I don't have an Internet connection, which happens frequently enough for this to be an issue living in an old apartment building, has put me off coming back to PC gaming. Steam is used as DRM and its messed up my reunion with PC gaming after 5 or so years of being a PS3 gamer exclusively.

one of these days ill start seriously contemplating PC gaming again- most likely when Rome II Total War releases, which might mean buying a gaming rig that'll max that puppy out.

[Th3 Chr0nic]

The build in the article is a waste of money. yes u can build it cheap yes it will run the game but realisticly it is already outdated by far. that GPU SUCKS ASS and will barely give you anything above console level visuals with poor performance. and thats with games that have came out over the last year. whentalking about upcoming games then this is truly a waste.

i had a 4870 and a quad core and it was really weak. and this article expects a dual core to be worth it wow truly laughable.

so many people would have regrets if they used this build. you might be like oh wow this is nice at first but soon it would all come crashing down

[urwifeminder]

Sometimes pc gaming is a real headache but worth it when you get it right,i love self patching no extra sighn up games makes it a seamless smooth experience,if you are new to pc gaming allways write the error down google it most forums will help you solve issues im not to savy this is my pc noob tip.

[level 360]

Still is and will always be expensive.

[kornbeaner]

Than you sir need help in building a proper rig. If you spend $600 and can't get games to run right you did it wrong.

[taquito]

if you just wanted a pc that was slightly better than consoles, say 1360x768 (much higher than consoles 1280x720 or less) with 4x aa (better than consoles after market, fake blur aa that just makes the game look like shit) and 30 frames, you could buy used parts and build one for under $200-$300

heck, probably WAY less;

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lin...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/EVG...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Int...

-granted, i looked for 1 min.......this is not a recomendation in anyway, you could find a much better setup, but just to illustrate, if your ok with refurns you could build a killer rig for $500 that would max everything

if you want 1080p, 8x aa, ssao, dx11 all brand new parts and all the things that make pc games look better than anything ps4 or nextbox will have, you gotta spend around $700-$800, granted, if you buy 50 games a year like i do, that cost is very, very quickly offset by the AMAZING deals on steam, amazon, greenmangaming, gamers gate, ect.....

pc owns consoles in 100% of every way imaginable, because, consoles are actually just 8 year old pc's with built in nazi drm and almost no backwards combatibility.