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$550 PC Build That Plays It All - Gamers Nexus

Gamers Nexus writes, "This rig is affordable - costing you only slightly more than an ultra-budget system - and powerful - consisting of a Phenom II X4 quad-core (with amazing L3 cache and cache per core ratios), an ATi 6870, and 8GB of beautifully heat-spread memory modules - clocking in at 1600MHz (PC3 12800 RAM). Oh, and there's more, too."

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gamersnexus.net
lugia 40004695d ago

"$550 PC Build That Plays It All"

Doesn't play Crysis 2 DX11 or Crysis maxed out

WolfLeBlack4695d ago

He never said it would play it all at max settings, just that it would play it.

darkziosj4695d ago

@WolfLeBlack 500$ just to play it? get a ps3 or 360

Dee_914695d ago (Edited 4695d ago )

@dark or get both for cheaper than 550
and literally play them "all" lol

Darkfocus4695d ago

you realize even not maxed out it'll still look significantly better than ps3/360 right -_-

MaxXAttaxX4695d ago (Edited 4695d ago )

I'm still waiting for that price-matching PC to make me switch from my $250 consoles .....no? k.

iPlayGamez4695d ago

i have a 6870.

it plays Crysis on VERY HIGH, full HD and i get 30 or more FPS at all times. it isnt "maxed" but this card can play every game on very high (from my experience) so this is actually a really good deal and setup for people looking for a gaming PC. and yeah it's much more powerful than a console.

that being said, i hate all this crap about PC gaming being cheap...IT'S NOT, it costs alot and they didnt even include Windows OS and a gaming mouse to the final price. oh and a cooling system TOO!

2pacalypsenow4695d ago (Edited 4695d ago )

I would rather play on a console if im not gonna be able to max it out on a pc

Dee_914695d ago

@iPlayGamez
i got a 9890 son what !

Saladfax4695d ago

@iplay

You save money in games. I've bought 3 games at "full" price in the last year: Witcher 2 ($45), Deus Ex: HR ($45), and Portal 2 ($40). I bought them right away to support developers, but I imagine I could have saved a considerable amount by waiting, as I've done with many other titles (Mass Effect, Dragon Age, Arkham Asulum, Bioshock, Dead Space, etc).

I have 152 games on Steam. At least 95% has been under 20 dollars. I'd wager 80% as being under 10.

I'd have to guess that 2/3rds (or 66.6% if you like consistency) were at $5 or under. Steam loves my wallet, and by jove I love saving money.

Sarcasm4695d ago (Edited 4695d ago )

This PC will max out 90% of games on the market while still maintaining a solid 30-40+fps in Crysis 2 with Max settings at REAL 1080p. What do you console kids not understand?

NewMonday4695d ago

how dose it handle Battlefield 3?

PotatoClock4695d ago

"I'm still waiting for that price-matching PC to make me switch from my $250 consoles"

I'm still waiting for a console to actually last more than a couple of years. Have you not learnt anything from cheap Chinese goods that a little extra cost for quality saves you money in the long run?

Even then, you seriously spend way more than $550 on one console and games by the end of it, while the PC enjoys cheaper day 1 game prices, daily sales from Steam and no XBL, PSN+ monthly costs.

Consoles being cheaper is a Myth.

Pekka4695d ago

@PotatoClock: My console has lasted 3,5 years easily and I have played with 8-year-old console too. I would say most consoles last even longer than normal PC (360 is an expection). And you don't pay $550 for PC because you also pay for OS, keyboard and mouse. Also, you have to count monitor to costs too unless you play PC on TV.

Oh, and you don't need to pay PSN+, if you don't want to. You don't need PSN+ to play online. You can even buy all PS3 games online without PSN+.

Btw. If I buy a PC, I expect it to play every game at high details for next 5 years. And this with zero updates on hardware or even OS of course.

Megaton4695d ago

I can play Crysis 2 on high on my pathetic 5450. That game is brutally consolized.

decrypt4694d ago

Lol console gamers are forgetting they pay more per game. Why not consider that when making a price comparison, Sad majority of them even pay to go online lol.

limewax4694d ago

@Pekka

You probably shouldn't ever buy another PC or console then, neither will play games maxed out 5 years down the line. Do you think your console maxes out Deus Ex or Dead Island? or any other multiplat?

Lazy_Sunday4694d ago (Edited 4694d ago )

Crysis 2 DX11 maxed out? Come on, that's a dumb statement, most cards aren't capable of running that at a preferred framerate--namely because they didn't optimize the code, they just slapped the update on the game. It's to your PC what wearing a fur coat in Vegas is to you. I'll tell you what though, it will run any game better than consoles. In fact I can already tell that you'll be able to max out Battlefield 3 at it's console resolution (and even at console resolution, BF3 won't be maxed out)--and then run it at 60FPS+ like it's a whole new game. Just make a custom resolution of 1280x704, in-game turn every graphical setting on and up to 11 (this is a figure of speech), and then make sure your graphics card's rendering quality is set to "quality" instead of performance so you automatically do at least 4x anti-aliasing.
BAM! $550 is all the sudden a value purchase.

Anon19744694d ago

A quick question, based on observation. Is it just me, or are PC gamers touchy this gen about making sure everyone remembers how great PC gaming is?

I was PC gaming since the start, and as game console started to crop up, PC gamers have always enjoyed an advantage over them, but I can't recall ever rubbing it in people's faces. When everyone was going nuts about GoldenEye, PC gamers were happily playing Unreal, Quake 2, Counterstrike - but I never remember anyone playing GoldenEye and constantly reminding everyone in the room how awesome HalfLife was.

Even last gen we weren't subjected to these "Build a gaming rig for $X dollars" ads like we are today, nor did I ever remember seeing the smug reminders that "PC gaming is the bestest" ever 10th post on the forums like we do this gen.

No one doubts a high end PC can play games. This isn't a battle against console users that PC gamers have to win. It's about the way we play more than anything. Console gamers aren't console gamers because they don't know PC's have games too. Console gamers choose their consoles because of ease of use, and consoles will always be the more straight forward way to get your game on. That's just how it is. PC gamers shouldn't be so concerned about making sure that everyone knows they still exist on sites like this. It just makes them look insecure.

+ Show (14) more repliesLast reply 4694d ago
Motorola4695d ago

HD 6870 could play Crysis 2 DX 11....I don't know how well it could play when put together with the Phenom 2 X4 but the card is capable of doing it.

StoneyYoshi4695d ago (Edited 4695d ago )

i have a 6850 Vsync on all settings maxed at 1080p with dx 11 i get no higher than 24 frames. the 6870 will have no problem, it has a good performance difference that the 6850. probably get around 40 fps crisis 2 maxed.

SantistaUSA4695d ago

hey dontbhatin you could improve your frames per second, for some reason crysis games when used with vsync when played at 1080p it will lock at 24 fps, it drove me crazy because I have a powerful system and knew I should be getting better performance! I have a evga gtx 570, the trick was to make a custom resolution, 1080p we all know is 1920x1080, so I custom made one for 1918X1080, it is still 1080p, and you will get a lot more FPS!!!

my rig is:

i7 960
6gb ddr3 ram corsair
64gb ssd
120gb intel ssd
1 tb
gtx 570
55" samsung ledtv
logitech 5500 surround sound
claro plus sound card

B00M4694d ago

My 6870 can play Crysis 2 maxed very well, but as soon as I turn on tessellation the fps plummets.

limewax4694d ago (Edited 4694d ago )

That's probably because its an ATI. Not bashing them at all by the way, just like to point out that a Nvidia Fermi card has significantly less performance drop when using tessellation. (as I am sure you are probably aware but for anyone who isn't)

Deputydon4694d ago

Yeah. It's definitely because of his ATI card. I have a GTX 560 Ti and it gets a steady 50-60 fps on Crysis 2 even with tessellation on. Crysis 1 actually runs worse for me at about 40-50 fps. Both at max.

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5yN4MWQU4695d ago

It will handle Crysis 2 on Dx11 quite capably. Crysis will effortlessly max out - you need to stay more up-to-date on video hardware :)

Darkfocus4695d ago (Edited 4695d ago )

crysis won't effortlessly max out. at 720p it will but at 1080you'll get between 26ish min to 45ish average fps. I own 2 6870's and I have a better processor, mobo and ram and those were my framerates in single card mode.

Deputydon4694d ago

LOL darkfocus I think you are doing something wrong. I have an single GTX 560 Ti and I can run Crysis 2 at Max settings in 1080p and get about 50-60 fps. Even with DirectX 11 and tessellation and all that crap.

--Onilink--4694d ago

i think darkfocus means crysis 1, which is considerably less optimized than crysis 2, most rigs will get less FPS on Crysis 1 than Crysis 2

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gw4k4695d ago

@ lugia 4000

Please forgive him. He isn't know for begin very bright.

AAWELLS094695d ago

Doesnt really sound like you are either judging that comment of yours.

On-topic:
I have this very card and it plays all games maxed out.

SIX4695d ago (Edited 4695d ago )

gw4k is either epic fail, or awesome troll. Don't know which lol.

Iroquois_Pliskin4695d ago

o lol i think gawk means " he isnt known for being very bright"

gw4k4695d ago

God I love predictive text! Always there to make you look awesome at just the right time. Haha

Man-hands on a candybar sized phone!

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Baka-akaB4695d ago

as if playing that dissapointing game maxxed out matters .

Bottom line is it would play everygame games well enough , including crysis 2

SH0CKW4VE4695d ago (Edited 4695d ago )

since when do pokemon own computers?

The beautiful irony of PC gaming is that the best experiences to be had will run on almost any machine.

The "you need a NASA worthy computer to have fun" myth is ever present.

f7897904695d ago

Fun Fact:Do you know what a NASA worthy computer is? The space shuttle runs off of 1MB of RAM. The most powerful computers NASA has are laptops in front of the old command center consoles.

NCAzrael4695d ago

@f789790

Not to nitpick, but I think you need to check your facts. Yes, the space shuttle runs on technology made prior to 1981. NASA, however, has far more powerful computers than simple laptops in the command center. NASA doesn't just launch a few people into space now and then, they constantly launch unmanned craft and satellites and capture and process tons of data from those sources. They house their own internal network servers, which are way more powerful than anything you would find in your average (even above average) PC owner's home.

Just saying.

Ingram4694d ago

@NCAzrael

Not to nitpick but NASA are a world renowned resource hog, their physics are superb, their engineers are clearly subpar.You can argue all you want I won't enter in such debate, I've been a crazy for space stuff and I've done my homework; they just seem to need millions to build cheap shit.

callahan094695d ago

@ lugia 4000: Quote, "Doesn't play Crysis 2 DX11 or Crysis maxed out"

Um. It definitely does play Crysis 2 in DX11. No question about that. Crysis maxed out, well, that defends on what you mean by maxed out? According to reviews of this card in a similar machine, it should be able to get close to 45 frames per second with a minimum dip of about 30 frames per second, at Very High settings, 4x AA, 1920x1200 resolution. If that's not good enough performance for you at a budget price like this then I don't know what the hell else you could ask for. You could spend double this and not get much more significant performance out of Crysis.

limewax4694d ago

Even a 3072mb GTX580 will see frame drops below 60 in both those games, there is only so much a card can do, the rest comes down to the code the game runs on. I will be surprised if we ever see crysis stay above 60FPS throughout the entire game, it just doesn't seem to work, Maybe triple SLI 580's but that's excessive

callahan094694d ago

I agree. I think lugia 4000 has unfairly lofty expectations for what a gaming rig should be, especially if you want to spend less than a 1000 dollars. The rig specified in this article is surprisingly awesome for a really great price.

badz1494695d ago

Dude, stop embarrassing yourself like that. I am mainly a console gamer but even I know that 6870 can handle all Crysis very well at dx11. The "can it run Crysis?" joke is now on you!

clrlite4695d ago

Yeah, I'm aware of that. I've just grown tired of hearing people talking about crysis system requirements. It's time to talk about battlefield and the many other awesome games that are out. Thanks for the system reqs though, I was wondering about the specifics.

kramun4695d ago

So lugia 4000 is your other account then clearelite?

badz1494695d ago

I think he was replying for my comment down there.

BlmThug4695d ago

Who cares about Crysis 2? I want metro last light and BF3

StoneyYoshi4695d ago (Edited 4695d ago )

@ lugia 4000

I bet you it can. i have crisis 1 maxed on a 6850. phenom 2 x4 3.4 over clocked at 3.7 with 4 gigs of G.skill gaming ram and i play crisis 1 maxed at 40 to 50 frames.

crysis 2 with dx11 maxed i get no higher tan 24 frames and thats with vsync on. so a 6870 is much better than a 6850 so id guess around 40 frames maxed with this budget system

wsoutlaw874695d ago

whats the point of this article, what is this a shopping network. Pcs can be a good gaming experience but when you cant play on max then just get a ps3 or 360 and not have to deal with crap visuals or frame rate

clrlite4695d ago (Edited 4695d ago )

I don't care, as long as it plays Counterstrike GO, Battlefield 3, The Witcher 2, etc. at decent settings. Crysis Isn't really my thing. Although some people really dig it apparently. BTW, I probably wouldn't build that rig.

badz1494695d ago

BF3 will require higher spec than Crysis.

BF3
Minimum
OS: Windows Vista or Windows 7
Processor: Core 2 Duo @ 2.0GHz
RAM: 2GB
Graphic card: DirectX 10 or 11 compatible Nvidia or AMD ATI card.
Graphics card memory: 512 MB

Recommended
OS: Windows 7 64-bit
Processor: Quad-core Intel or AMD CPU
RAM: 4GB
Graphics card: DirectX 11 Nvidia or AMD ATI card, GeForce GTX 460, Radeon Radeon HD 6850
Graphics card memory: 1 GB

Crysis
Minimum
OS - Windows XP or Windows Vista
Processor - 2.8 GHz or faster (XP) or 3.2 GHz or faster* (Vista)
Memory - 1.0 GB RAM (XP) or 1.5 GB RAM (Vista)
Video Card -256 MB**

Recommended
OS - Windows XP / Vista
Processor - Intel Core 2 DUO @ 2.2GHz or AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+
Memory - 2.0 GB RAM
GPU - NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTS/640 or similar

hadriker4695d ago

@NathanExplosion

how much was the PC your using to type this message out? 300.00 maybe if its a super budget computer. so for the price of a regular console you've just turned your super budget pc into a machine that is way more powerful than any console. and will run any current gen game on med - high settings.

keep on perpetuating that myth that its more expensive.

ATi_Elite4695d ago (Edited 4695d ago )

A HD6870 can max out Crysis2 DX11. Max graphics DX11 4xAA 1080p

http://www.guru3d.com/artic...

Now Metro2033.....NO WAY!!

Oh and $500 for a gaming pc is pretty good especially seeing how it's a PC that does more than play games.

For the life of me i Do not know why people act like all a PC does is play games. Sorry but Ps3/360 can not run Excel, Quicken Books, MS Office, or Burn Movies/CD's.

so remember that the next time you bring up the $500 PC versus $250 console crap!

50Terabytespersec4695d ago

LMAO rebates!!!
Loser get a life!! by the time thoose rebates come in and after taxes this waste of life and time will cost you more in time aka female companionship,money for well rounded education and job,and culture . and most of all an actual computer that is affordable.
PASS this is a joke.
I build 300 dollar render nodes and this is just a cheap rebate retard example..
Also FPS games get old after awhile very old very fast. PC's should be used to help in medical not just numb the nerd girls/boys out there.

ninjahunter4695d ago

it will play both of those maxed, i have a laptop with a (m14x)555m gt and i can max crysis out and almost max dx11 crysis 2. This rig is pushing 10x stronger than mine

bubblebobble4695d ago (Edited 4695d ago )

every one here is spaming on about crysis max this crysis 2 very high that. did any of you see them comparison photos of crysis 1 maxed on pc and crysis on ps3, the ps3 abliterated it, it looked 5 times better. it made me laugh when pc fanboys were saying they must of messed the photos up, yer coz they always do that. crysis is not the best looking game its coded that bad on pc thats y you have trouble playing it. when it comes out on ps3 youll see how it would look on 2011 hardware youll see trust kevdee bubblebobble.

justlikeme4695d ago

I'm sure it would if he played at 720P.

Xheis4694d ago

@Pekka I should say, I created this account just so I could reply.
"My console has lasted 3,5 years easily"
No hard feat, games are aimed at the middle-tiered gamer, the average gamer with the average gear which is an advantage to a console as the more people who have them, the easier it is to please large masses of people with the same quality parts.
"I have played with 8-year-old console too."
Briefly, this doesn't actually help to prove your point, we all play retro consoles. 8-year old consoles are sixth gen such as the gamecube, xbox, dreamcast and ps2. I can also pull out my windows 98 computer and play starcraft.
The life time of a gaming device (be it computer or console) is whether or not you can play new games or if new games are still being made for it. So the wii is still 'alive' but the original xbox isn't.
"I would say most consoles last even longer than normal PC (360 is an expection)."
By my previous point, the opposite should be true. My 5 year old rig can play games now, just in-adequately as opposed to a console (also 5 years old) not being able to play it at the same specs [citation: http://goo.gl/gydZJ at the stock 700 clock]
And you don't pay $550 for PC because you also pay for OS, keyboard and mouse. [ http://goo.gl/N7nLy | http://goo.gl/1Glmf | http://goo.gl/GdaN or http://goo.gl/RHtdd ]
"Also, you have to count monitor to costs too unless you play PC on TV."
This is a very legitimate point, but I should suggest that if this is a budget build, to use a tv.

"Oh, and you don't need to pay PSN+, if you don't want to. You don't need PSN+ to play online. You can even buy all PS3 games online without PSN+."
The equivalent of PSN+ is free on the PC platform in the form of dedicated servers/demo's/free-to-pla y/free updates(most notably, the COD series)/cloud saving and hell, even flashgames. There are more but this has been covered before.
"Btw. If I buy a PC, I expect it to play every game at high details for next 5 years. And this with zero updates on hardware or even OS of course."
I will approach this in in two parts. -
"I expect it to play every game at high details for next 5 years"
In essence, this could be possible considering that the Xbox360 has a projected life that will end in 2015. This computer has a GPU 3 times better than the Xbox360. Developers are currently making games to scale for most gaming devices on the market. As a majority of the market own a Xbox360, developers will continue making games for it. This computer should be able to play the game 3 times as well as any game released on the Xbox for the next 4 years.
secondly, "And this with zero updates on hardware or even OS of course."
This will never be possible. Take the most current example of Dead Island, it was release 'Half-baked' if you will, which required day 1 updates which still haven't fixed it. The same updates are required for many other games (COD4:MW 1 - 3, Fallout series etc.). Secondly, the consoles and Windows 7 OS are both past the half-way mark of their life-span so they probably could be played with zero updates.
If anyone here haven't got a gaming PC, this is a very good build that would please any gamer, whether console or PC. Please, oh god please purchase a new computer as opposed to an old console, simply because we have new consoles coming out 2012-2013.

B00M4694d ago

I have a similar build with a 6870, AMD Phenom 2 X4 955BE, 4GB RAM. It plays Crysis maxed out at 1080p. My FPS ranges from 30-50fps. So Im sure that rig with a slightly lower spec CPU could max Crysis. Crysis 2 with DX11 on my system suffers but its playable, but thats due to the stupid amount of tessellation that they use. So lugia 4000, your wrong.

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-Alpha4695d ago (Edited 4695d ago )

I'm aiming for a $500-$1K PC max to play Battlefield 3 and other PC exclusives. Medium settings at least.

My friend went all out and paid $2K, but that's insanely out of my price range.

Letros4695d ago

~$800 should get you something that runs 99% of PC games maxed. Hit us up on the forums if you're interested in some build ideas.

-Alpha4695d ago

On N4G? Sure, I intend to build one before or sometime after the BF3 beta

badz1494695d ago

Did your friend got a Mac? Lol sorry, had to! Tell him there is no BF3 Mac version.

-Alpha4695d ago

Lol, I don't know what he got, but he did buy a monitor and speakers too.

I'm hoping I can stay under $1K, I'll definitely be around to ask for some assistance

HenryFord4694d ago

2k is totally possible - if you go for a big Intel i7, >12GB RAM (would guess he went around 16), harddrives (probably a SSD?), a good case with a good cooling system, two graphics card, blue-ray drive... If I would built my "dream-PC" I could easily fit 4k worth of parts into it (including monitor, mouse, keyboard, etc. of course), not that I will do that anytime soon...

GamerSciz4694d ago

I spent about $2k on a new computer I just built.

i7 2600K
8gb DDR3
2TB
EVGA GTX 580
CoolerMaster HAFX ATX-Full tower case
1000W Power Supply
Self Liquid Cooler for CPU
Logitech G500 Mouse
Saitek Cyborg Laser-Cut Keyboard

After all the shipping and full warranty on everything it came to be a total of around $2k. But I do 3D modeling and Gaming and with that rig I can do it all with ease.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 4694d ago
5yN4MWQU4695d ago

The article above will handle Battlefield 3 comfortably, the 6870 is an excellent card and this is a quad-core machine. Of course, you can also check out our $744 PC build, which uses a Sandy Bridge CPU (smaller architecture and combined graphics, integrated execution cores, PCI-e controllers, and memory functions all on one silicon chip).

If you go to the above article and then click on "$744 hardcore build," you will see the one I am talking about. As we always say, let us at GN know if you need help -- our hardware experts will make sure your build is compatible and accomplishes your goals.

hiredhelp4695d ago

my build unit was around 1k inc sli 560's

hiredhelp4694d ago

Ok i get disagrees np.
Coolermaster haf x £150
PSU corsair hx 1000watt £170
Mobo asrock fatality p67 £180
Cpu £250 ish
Memory 1600mhz £60 8gb
2x kfa2 oc ex gtx560 £160 each 905hmz at 1gb each.

Hmm. Ok i was bit over my rough estimate soo yeh in dollars thats what $1300
I do applogise for the under pricing. I dont just use this for gaming i do encodeing alot extracting too.
If i didnt i could save money. Down to prefrence end of the day and budget. Shop around get best deals. Having a top gaming board to a decent board isnt gonna really change your gameplay. Having a i7 to a i5 again not gonma make it better. Hell at night i use my partners computer core 2 duo that does most games even today.

death2smoochie4695d ago (Edited 4695d ago )

http://www.ibuypower.com/St...

That will cost you 1K and run BF3 easy at medium settings.
Some settings a bit higher

@Mika

after you spend that extra $5-$20 for the same exact game on your console that is on the PC, by years end depending on how many games you buy, that PC rig ends up cheaper.
You can play your PC with an Xbox360 or PS3 controller from your couch...on any viewing screen from multiple monitors to your HDTV.
You have that choice.
It's not just better graphics for PC gaming...its also CHOICE on how you want to play.
More fluid controls. 40+ frames for almost every game as opposed to 30fps or less that plague consoles.
Free DLC almost always.
Free MODS.
In the end PC gaming is actually cheaper.

hadriker4695d ago (Edited 4695d ago )

thats still way more expensive than it needs to be. you could build a pc that would run BF3 on high for about 200.00 less.(just switching to an i5 instead of an i7 would save a person an easy 50.00 - 100.00, and all you lose is hyper-threading, which is useless for games) While we don't know fir sure what kind of machine will be needed to get BF3 on high or ultra, basing what we know about the closed alpha and statements made by Dice, the one you linked would probably get high settings (i think people are over estimating the frostbite engine, its an incredibly well optimized engine) ultra is probably where you would start running into problems though. but then again ultra is for those hardware enthusiasts that like to get everything they can out of their system, as it should be.

Pekka4695d ago

"You can play your PC with an Xbox360 or PS3 controller from your couch...on any viewing screen from multiple monitors to your HDTV. "
Except almost all games on PC are practically unplayable on Xbox360 or PS3 controller.

"Free MODS. "
I don't really care about mods. Game should work perfectly directly from package with 0 tweaking. Not to mention, 99.9% of the free mods are pure crap and only make game worse.

"Free DLC almost always. "
I never buy DLC and I don't care about DLC anyway, whether it's free or not.

"In the end PC gaming is actually cheaper"
Is it? With console you can be sure that game you buy works perfectly, even if console is 6-7 year old. Does your rig run PC games perfectly 6-7 years from now with no updates (neither on hardware nor OS)?

Autodidactdystopia4694d ago (Edited 4694d ago )

No our rigs don run things 7 years out because our games get new technology. so the old crud wont do after 7 years.

So the reason we cant play games 7 years after we build our pc because by that time they are releasing MUCH better games and pushing the envelope of visual physical and gameplay fidelity not just more of the same.

it is that reason that we dont slide into a massive circle jerk of denial thinking that devs should still be excited about our old and aging hardware and rationalize about all of the money we are saving because our hardware which used to cost 600 is now worth 200 and somehow our severely diminished experience given our ancient hardware is somehow justified by a price that directly reflects its value and a mere argument that it is guarunteed to work and that we can play on our couch.

@pekka

runs them perfectly at the crappiest settings possible. Raise the bar much?

StoneyYoshi4695d ago

you could go around 700 and run everything maxed. just don't go cheap on the video card and you will be golden. if i went 20 bucks more to get the 6870 instead of the 6850 id have no issues running crisis 2 in dx11

B00M4694d ago

You would have problems. A 6870 playing Crysis 2 maxed in 1080p with tessellation on and high res textures gets FPS below 25 most of the time, sometimes really low.

RedDead4695d ago (Edited 4695d ago )

Yeah this is my plan too. Just need the money though. Was thinking 700 would be enough after some research.

SantistaUSA4695d ago

hey Alpha, i enjoy building PC, I spent over $2k on my as well, with $1K you build a fairly powerful computer. If you need some tips or have questions, I would be glad to help you out.

FlameBaitGod4695d ago

U should check tigerdirect.com for parts(thats where i built my $1600 gaming rig :D). Or if you have a local compusa near by(same thing as tiger direct)

TOSgamer4694d ago

Jeez, some of you people need to learn how to comparison shop, use cashback sites and deal sites. $2k for a 4 core desktop that doesn't sport 2 or 3 video cards is ludicrous.

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-Mika-4695d ago

It still more expensive than a console.

5yN4MWQU4695d ago

What many console fanboys do not take into account is the following:

- You need a computer to perform your everyday duties (work, school work, and general web entertainment).
- You probably overpaid for a pre-built, non-gaming system from the local retailer.
- You could pay the same price (~$550 -> $700 for an awesome one) to get a gaming PC, which will handle your everyday tasks -and- your gaming functions.

The simple fact is that PCs are more versatile, but with that said -- hey, play what you like. If you like a console, go play it. If you like PCs, go play them. It's really not hurting anyone's feelings, just play what you want to play with your free time -- we all know that is rare these days.

-Mika-4695d ago

-The thing is my computer works perfectly fine so i don't want to pay that much for a computer.

-Playing games on the computer are uncomfortable. I would rather just lay back on my couch or bed and play my games. I don't want to sit up and play. It just really bad for the back.

The simple fact is consoles are more easier to setup and play. It more cheaper and comfortable to play. I think that what pc fanboys need to understand.

Baka-akaB4695d ago

anyone that stubborn about playing from the couch can with a pc . It's up to you and your choice of options .

Consoles are fine too , and taks probably 70% of my gaming time , but just like pc fanboys , you guys need to drop the mytho bullsh*t

xX_Altair_Xx4695d ago

The versatility argument is more hypothetical than real: I have both a PC to play games and a laptop for uni work as well as consoles. Most people I know have laptops for work since they can take it anywhere. They can't play games on their laptops so they buy consoles.

HenryFord4694d ago (Edited 4694d ago )

@-Mika-:
There is just something wrong with your logic that you need to realize: A PC can be hooked up to your TV. Yeah, I know, it's unbelivable.
And then just use your controller on the PC as well, you can easily play on the couch if you want to. I do that all the times for many games - the nice thing is: Want to play a highly competitive FPS after your casual gaming-time? Just go to your desk and take mouse and keyboard again, everything is working fine.

And yes - I do own a console (XBox 360 specifically), but I only own it for the exclusive nowadays, if a game is on PC - I will go for that. All the time.

@xX_Altair_Xx:
No, no it's not. It is a real argument, but there are a lot of people who just don't utilize it that way. BUT - if you want to, you can make your PC to a media-monster, playing all your favourite movies/shows at the click of a button (yes, yes you can attach a remote and use it from your couch), play games, surf the web, etc. . The versatile argument is not hypothetical - at least not for me.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 4694d ago
Letros4695d ago

You get what you pay for, a better experience isn't free.

-Mika-4695d ago

Im paying a few extra hundreds dollars for better graphics. Im srry but it just not worth it.

Letros4695d ago

Your loss, have fun with BF3: Lite, 12v12.

Xalaris4695d ago

Everything was fine until you mentioned that.
Here come the flames.

uYaSouL4695d ago

and have fun forgetting which keys do what.

solar4695d ago

@ uYaSoul

you mean too many keys is too hard for you?

Letros4695d ago

Yea, a human with an IQ higher than a monkey can use a keyboard, who's typing for you uYasoul?

FlameBaitGod4695d ago

I think he forgot he can use the 360 or ps3 or any Logitech controller out there on PC. Oh he didn't forget, its just that he talks about things that he knows nothing about which makes him look bad :(

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 4695d ago
rajman4695d ago

I've just recently bought a gaming PC for £600 (specs below) anyone know if it will run Battlefield 3 @ 1080p max settings? I probably wont get 60fps, but I'll be happy with 30fps
- AMD Phenom X6 1100T AM3 Six Core 3.3ghz
- 8 GB DDR3 1333 PC10660 Memory (Kingston)
- Asus GeForce GTX 560 Ti Top Directcuii - 1 GB GDDR5 - PCI-Express 2.0
- OCZ ZS Series 750W 80PLUS Bronze Power Supply
- Windows 7 64 bit software

Sieg4695d ago

You can't really max out BF3 at 1920x1080 with a 560ti with all of the eye candies. You can tone down the AA and AT to get 30+fps. BF3 can really scale massively. You can try maxing out metro 2033 or the witcher 2. If you can do good, then you can do good in BF3.

rajman4695d ago

Thanks, it should be delivered to me in the next couple of days so I will do alot of tests, to be honest I'll be happy playing at 1280x720 since my monitor is only 21' so hopefully I can max out the settings (or nearly), plus I was told my 560 TI has been OC'd to 900 MHz...compared to 830 MHz on the standard 560 TI, will that really help?

hadriker4695d ago

its like people have played the game with different setting and know what and when to max.

I am seriously getting tired of people just guessing and passing it off as fact.

hiredhelp4695d ago

were u shop to man. im in uk you over paid slightly dude. i have i7 2x 560 not ti not always needed. pm me buddy

Sieg4695d ago

It will help a little bit. Like 2-5 fps extra in certain games. If you want really good performance without breaking the bank. You can get another 560ti later on for SLI. That's what I'm doing with my 6850 right now.

rajman4695d ago

I may get a 2nd card in a few months, but what is SLI? is it the same as crossfire? if not, whats the difference?

Karum4695d ago

SLI is the nvidia equivalent of crossfire

Flavor4694d ago (Edited 4694d ago )

Rajman your rig will absolutely conquer BF3. I played the alpha on a oc'd core 2 duo with 4gb ddr2 from 2006 on freakin vista home basic 64 and got 60fps maxed out at 1600x1200. This was with 12x edge detect morphological AA on a 6870. And they say the alpha is non optimized.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 4694d ago
zackacloud4695d ago

2k for PC

Or 2k for 3DTV(less than 1k from Samsung) and console(250$) and hometheater(500$) with some games.

But WOW! really if you notice even 10K can't do a lot for us these days ( for the life matters not just games ).

5yN4MWQU4695d ago

You can purchase 3D Vision gaming equipment (developed and sold by nVidia, Acer, and ASUS - we reviewed it in depth at the link below) for around $400 (monitor + glasses). You're buying a video card for your PC anyway, so might as well go with 3D Vision if that really concerns you. Here's the review:

http://n4g.com/news/837178/...

Baka-akaB4695d ago

dont you guys get tired of speading BS on both side of the spectrum ?

you dont need 2k for a good 3dtv (wich you can even use if you want as a pc monitor) nor even 500k for hometheater .

Both 3d and home theater not even a actual need and as much an option on pc.

HenryFord4694d ago

500k for a home-theater would bring you some sick stuff ;)
Seriously - you are right though.

Show all comments (184)
160°

Leaked RDNA 4 features: AMD to catch up in RT - doubled RT intersect engine could come to PS5 Pro

A partially redacted data sheet highlighting the expected ray tracing features coming to RDNA 4 GPUs has been shared by well-known hardware information leaker @Kepler_L2. We expect the features to also be present in the hybrid RDNA 3 + RDNA 4 RT design coming to PS5 Pro when it launches (presumably) later this year or early next year. The leaked data points seem to confirm that advancing ray tracing technology is going to be a major focus of RDNA 4.

Read Full Story >>
tomshardware.com
Einhander19724d ago

This will be the actual start to Ray Tracing on consoles, I'm really looking forward to seeing what PSSR is capable of as well.

I can't wait to see what games designed around this can do.

sagapo4d ago (Edited 4d ago )

Don’t hope for anything major imo. RT remains a power consuming feature and I don’t think a pro version will make all that much difference. Higher frames (say 60fps) with RT features as they are now would be a big win if that would be the case. If RT features would be extended, games will probably stick at 30fps like they do now, is that worth a pro upgrade?

Einhander19724d ago (Edited 4d ago )

Zero first, second or major third party console exclusives have lacked a 60 fps mode on PlayStation, 30 fps is an xbox problem.

The GPU alone statistically offers 40% uplift, and with PSSR upscaling games designed around the console should have a significant performance uplift.

And my understanding is that RT has been largely decoupled from the CU's in RDNA 4 so the performance hit from RT should be much less than on current AMD GPUS. And regardless, the huge number of RT cores with the doubled RT intersect engine should be able to power through RT in a way that simply is not possible on current consoles.

fr0sty3d ago (Edited 3d ago )

With a rumored (according to the leaks) 4x performance jump in RT performance (and a 40% boost in overall GPU performance), in addition to the added AI upscaling frame generation tech, the actual RT performance increase should be significant.

sagapo3d ago (Edited 3d ago )

@Frosty; 40% GPU boost you claim. With PS4 pro vs base at the time, that increase basicly doubled so 40% ain’t that big of a deal imo.
4x performance jump with RT (if true) sounds impressive but will we be able to play games in 60fps quality mode then? If not then pro is a waste as most gamers prefer 60fps performance over 30fps quality mode.

Einhander19723d ago (Edited 3d ago )

@sagapo

The PS4 Pro had the same GPU as the PS4, the PS5 Pro is switching from RNDA 2 to a mix of RDNA 3 and 4. The 40% increase is just the CU increase and doesn't include any uplift from the technological improvements AMD has done to RDNA which have been significat.

PS5 Pro is going to be a much bigger improvement than the PS4 Pro was, especially when you take into account the RT improvements..

sagapo2d ago

@Einhander; assuming you are right, answer my question: will the pro do 60fps in quality (RT) modes? Because if not, why bother imo.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 2d ago
FinalFantasyFanatic3d ago

I really hope so, AMD has been pretty far from Nvidia's performance on Ray Tracing, so to see such a huge uplift, with greater performance and efficiency is a big win.

Destiny10804d ago

if astro bot is fully raytraced / 60fps on the pro model, we can start believing the hype

fr0sty3d ago (Edited 3d ago )

No games are fully raytraced as of now, even on PC. All of them utilize a combination of raytraced and rasterized graphics, with ray tracing being used for shadows, reflections, or global illumination in the best cases, but not for the entire rendering process.

Whitey2k3d ago

There's gonna be quite a difference between ps5 and ps5 pro compared to ps4 and ps4 pro

fr0sty3d ago (Edited 3d ago )

agreed, PS4 Pro was only geared at pushing more pixels per frame (and HDR), not making those pixels look better in the process. PS4 Pro didn't offer much as far as increasing the actual quality of the rendering went.

Whitey2k3d ago (Edited 3d ago )

Expecially when ps5 is around 10tflops and ps5 pro rumored to be 30tflops compared to ps4 at 1.84tflops and ps4 pro at 4.2tflops u could pretty much call it a ps6 near enough. Then ps5 pro could be using rdna 3 or say rdna 3.5 because it's rumoured to be using that newly assets of rdna 4 which benefit greatly on resolution and Raytracing even effect etc etc. What would be nice for sony greatly benefit is amd solution of the X3D in its Cpu on cpu bound games

dveio3d ago (Edited 3d ago )

As always:

I can't wait for the specs of the new consoles.

Wether it's NSW2, Xbox Next or PS6.

If Cerny stays the lead architect of the PS6's hardware (which is very likely I guess?), I am VERY excited for Sony's approach.

They've always done something unique noone else did.

And I expect the same for the PS6.

Edit: man, crazy. PS6 (six!) is already near! Time flies.

neutralgamer19923d ago

Ceeny won't be going anywhere I don't think. He and his team have produced back to back amazing consoles

What I want to know is what the price for pro will be since it's much more powerful compared to regular PS5

smashman983d ago

This might be his last run tho, I hope he has looked into training a protege

70°

AMD working with law enforcement after reports of massive data breach

Initial investigations will weigh the significance of any data theft.
— hack may have uncovered future product details

Read Full Story >>
tomshardware.com
rlow137d ago (Edited 37d ago )

China/Russia plain and simple. Chinese are producing their own chips and to catch up they do what they have always done……steal it. When you can’t innovate, stealing is your best friend.

150°

AMD Could Revolutionize Handheld Gaming In 2024

Shaz from GL writes: "AMD could spur the beginning of a new era in handheld gaming with their upcoming APUs"

Read Full Story >>
gameluster.com
rlow171d ago

To me the most important hardware is the battery. Doesn’t matter how powerful the chips are.

ABizzel171d ago

Eh…. It’s a combination of multiple things.

The battery is hugely important as it allows you to have ideally 4 - 5 hour gaming sessions.

The more powerful the processor the more games developers can share to the handheld, nd of course the better said games perform.

From there display, software, and ergonomics matter, as a good display/software will allow games to be more vivid, run at variable fps 30/40/60 ideally, and good ergonomics means it’s comfortable to play for said 4 - 5 hours. Everything else is gravy at that point.

rlow170d ago

I know we all want more power. But it’s sad that 4-5 hours is considered good now. It really shows how batteries have progressed at a much slower pace than hungry components.

redrum0670d ago

Of course it matters how powerful the chips are for it to be future proof. Don't you want to be able to play new games?

Neonridr70d ago

the Switch proves that you don't need the most cutting edge power out there to be successful.

RaiderNation70d ago

@Neonrdr that doesn't prove anything because only Nintendo could get away with that. Their games aren't the most complex/graphically ambitious and Nintendo fans don't care.

Vits70d ago

@Neonridr

If anything, the Switch proves the exact point "redrum06" was making. Yes, it might be successful, but it's definitely not future-proof. Just look at how many games and franchises completely skip the platform.

redrum0669d ago

I have a Switch, and recently got the Legion Go. I havent touched the Switch ever since, purely because of its inability to play even older games at a decent frame rate. For anyone wanting to play multiplatform games as well, people should skip the Switch.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 69d ago
Marcus Fenix70d ago

There’s no way you’re getting that 40CU 16-core APU in a handheld. That’s too hot and power hungry for that. The highest end APU they’re suggesting is going to end up in gaming laptops that can cool a 100W chip.

Jingsing70d ago (Edited 70d ago )

I think these articles get things a little out of perspective, Steam Deck has sold around 3 million and Switch has sold 140 million. But if you are browsing certain parts internet you'd think the Steam Deck had sold over 100 million. If articles are going to continue to circulate like this and continue to put the Steam Deck in the same arena then I'm comfortable calling the device a flop.

Neonridr70d ago

Steam Deck, while considerably more popular due to it's lower barrier of entry, is still a niche device with the likes of the ROG Ally and others.

I own one and it's really nice to be able to play some games on the go or in bed, but it'll never fully compete with a system like the Switch.

Skuletor70d ago

Especially when they're not in the same price range, the Switch is considerably cheaper.

gold_drake70d ago

sure but theres still a limit to what u can put in there ha. power consumption would be the biggest hurdle. and cooling.

Demetrius70d ago

I wana try out a pc handheld but I would like to experience a steady framerate etc I don't wana have to keep going into my settings trying to make things smoother in gameplay, that's the only thing that's been keepin me from getting one I've heard others having to go into the settings time from time that'll be annoying