Smash the PS4 v2 ($392.44)

[Jack.EXE]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD Athlon X4 760K 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($70.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock FM2A88M-HD+ Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard  ($44.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: Crucial 2GB (1 x 2GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($19.91 @ Amazon)
Memory: Crucial 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Hitachi Ultrastar 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($40.62 @ Amazon)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 270 2GB TurboDuo Video Card  ($131.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Cougar Spike MicroATX Mini Tower Case  ($29.99 @ Mwave)
Power Supply: EVGA 400W ATX Power Supply  ($9.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer  ($13.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $392.44
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-24 11:51 EST-0500

 

It has been about a month since my last smash the PS4 thread. Prices have changed, Benchmarks have shown the G3258's weakness, and it's time for an update.

 

This time, we have ourselves a quad core processor, six gigs of ram, an R9-270, and a 500 gig HDD.

 

I'm confident in this rig's ability to play most games on high, and almost every game on medium.

 

[ParticleAccaleration]

Look's amazing for dat price

[Suika]

No OS. No peripherals.

 

If you say SteamOS, I'd rather pick the Xbox One because of the better game selection. If you say buy some cheap $30 mouse and keyboard bundle, I'd rather use an Xbox One controller. I could live without the headset, but it's nice to have.

[vt3c]

Beautiful.

[TheRetiredSlave]

I know that there are a decent amount of games on Linux, but Windows is still going to add another ~$100 for people who want to play anything.

 

That being said, it's still a very powerful PC for the price.

[Guest]

No OS though... To be honest you cannot beat the new consoles in terms of price for performance. 

[Sousuke]

I know that there are a decent amount of games on Linux, but Windows is still going to add another ~$100 for people who want to play anything.

 

That being said, it's still a very powerful PC for the price.

 

Or ... 

 

 

Not that I am recommending doing that sort of thing. OEM Windows 7 isn't that expensive these days.

[Shroomster]

I know that there are a decent amount of games on Linux, but Windows is still going to add another ~$100 for people who want to play anything.

 

That being said, it's still a very powerful PC for the price.

You can get windows for like 30$ on G2A

[Lotus]

Here you go:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD Athlon X4 860K 3.7GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($83.45 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock FM2A88M-HD+ Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard  ($44.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: Team Elite Plus 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1333 Memory  ($58.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($48.88 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R7 260X 2GB Video Card  ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Raidmax ATX-249B (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 430W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply  ($24.98 @ NCIX US)
Keyboard: Rosewill RK-100 Wired Standard Keyboard  ($7.99 @ Amazon)
Other: Perixx MX-1800 Mouse (A3090 Sensor, Omron Switches) ($17.99)
Total: $397.26
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-24 12:08 EST-0500

 

Includes peripherals except monitor/speakers. 8GB memory. 860k. R7 260x is still more GPU horsepower than next-gen consoles. And Linux/SteamOS still is a great gaming library, or if you're a student you can get windows on the cheap with the dreamspark program. Tons of options. Cheap. Better.

 

Also, all parts here are actually good parts with no corner cutting. Actually good PSU (and by good I mean not shit), 8GB RAM without going weird single-channel of two different DIMMs, great mouse, serviceable keyboard, 2GB VRAM on the GPU, etc. Good stuff. Even the case is decent. Granted I rely on rebates to hell and back, but whatever. It's cheap as hell.

[Dude]

No OS. No peripherals.

 

If you say SteamOS, I'd rather pick the Xbox One because of the better game selection. If you say buy some cheap $30 mouse and keyboard bundle, I'd rather use an Xbox One controller. I could live without the headset, but it's nice to have.

You need to pay for peripherals and online gameplay on consoles.

[Suika]

You need to pay for peripherals and online gameplay on consoles.

The console comes with a controller and mic, I'm not talking about a monitor or speakers.

 

You also don't have to pay for online, it's just if you absolutely want to go online. If I'm looking to do only solo games, do I have a problem with either choice? 

 

If you want more features, this console smasher doesn't include WiFi, yet consoles do.

[Lotus]

The console comes with a controller and mic, I'm not talking about a monitor or speakers.

 

You also don't have to pay for online, it's just if you absolutely want to go online. If I'm looking to do only solo games, do I have a problem with either choice? 

 

If you want more features, this console smasher doesn't include WiFi, yet consoles do.

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/rosewill-wireless-network-card-rnxn150pce

 

$11.59

 

That's really not that expensive. You really can fit it all in if you want to nitpick by taking my build and downgrading the CPU to a 760K like in the OP's build, or if you even want to fit in an OS you can downgrade the memory to a single 4GB stick and you have $30 for the dreamspark program or other sources.

 

edit:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD Athlon X4 860K 3.7GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($83.45 @ OutletPC)

Motherboard: ASRock FM2A88M-HD+ Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard  ($44.99 @ Micro Center)

Memory: Corsair XMS3 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory  ($22.99 @ Newegg)

Memory: Corsair XMS3 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory  ($22.99 @ Newegg)

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($48.88 @ OutletPC)

Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R7 260X 2GB Video Card  ($89.99 @ Newegg)

Case: Raidmax ATX-249B (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($19.99 @ Newegg)

Power Supply: EVGA 430W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply  ($24.98 @ NCIX US)

Wireless Network Adapter: Rosewill RNX-N150PCe 802.11b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter  ($11.59 @ OutletPC)

Keyboard: Rosewill RK-100 Wired Standard Keyboard  ($7.99 @ Amazon)

Other: Perixx MX-1800 Mouse (A3090 Sensor, Omron Switches) ($18.00)

Total: $395.84

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-24 12:39 EST-0500

 

There, still kick-ass (at least, compared to the consoles) and under-budget, with good peripherals and wifi. You can drop a single stick of memory for Windows (via dreamspark or other) if you must. 4GB RAM + 2GB VRAM is equal to the console, and sufficient for gaming if you don't have anything going on in the background.

Edited January 24, 2015 by Lotus

[Jack.EXE]

Logitech Controller: $9.99

Rosewill Wifi card: $11.59

Fedora 20 W/ Playonlinux (WINE for gaming): Free

[Sauron]

No OS. No peripherals.

 

Why do people ALWAYS use this argument?

 

Look at the price tag of a ps4. Does it include 5-6 years of sub fee? No. And while people might already have an os, nobody already "owns" leftover sub months. Peripherals are like 20 bucks. Sure, you don't HAVE to buy the subscription, but if you don't you're giving up PART OF YOUR GAMING CAPABILITIES  Not to mention that without the sub fee, you pay all games at full price, and guess what, they are 10 to 20 bucks more expensive than on pc at launch and while pc prices on steam drop very fast, they hardly ever do for console games.

 

Last but not least, windows 10 is currently 100% free, and it seems like you'll be able to purchase the retail version for damn cheap when it does release. Not to mention ubuntu with wine, which can actually run almost any game although it's sub optimal.

 

@Jack.EXE personally I'd prefer if you used @Lotus ' case and used the extra money to go for 8gb of ram and a 1tb hdd, they are just a couple of bucks more expensive than 500gb ones.

[TomvanWijnen]

Doesn't everyone have a random keyboard and mouse laying around?

Or, I would assume that most people already have a pc, so therefore have a mouse and keyboard.

[Dude]

The console comes with a controller and mic, I'm not talking about a monitor or speakers.

 

You also don't have to pay for online, it's just if you absolutely want to go online. If I'm looking to do only solo games, do I have a problem with either choice? 

 

If you want more features, this console smasher doesn't include WiFi, yet consoles do.

What "genius" uses WiFi on a DESKTOP?! Also, don't lie to me when you say you didn't consider gaming when you bought that TV of yours. Also, you need to buy additional controllers for friends and plus, you can't honestly tell me you use the stock headset? because no one uses stock headset.

[awesomes8wc3]

Or ... 

 

 

Not that I am recommending doing that sort of thing. OEM Windows 7 isn't that expensive these days.

 

lol just go to a store, school or something and write down the product keys on the side of all their computers thats what I do.

[Tacitus]

Why do people ALWAYS use this argument?

 

Look at the price tag of a ps4. Does it include 5-6 years of sub fee?

 

Look at the specs of that PC. As it stands, that PC is barely better than a console (and I'd for that price still take the console), and additionally the PC will show its age faster than the PS4 will. Developers will always work to press the limits of the consoles available, and weak GPUs and CPUs like the ones in the "smash the PS4" builds will simply fall by the wayside with no one caring for them, and very quickly settings will go from high to medium to low.

 

And anyway, I have a PS4, and don't have PS+. If I did, I'd get free games every month which alone pays for the sub fee. Plus Xbone/PS4 controllers are not exactly cheap, and its inclusion should be factored in.

[MageTank]

You can get $5 keyboards and $5 mice at Walmart. Lets not forget the glory that is Steam sales. Or the multiple websites that offers games for as much as 75% off (even Amazon and Newegg do this for older games, i bought several copies of Borderlands 2 for $5 a piece). A lot of the newer games are coming out with linux support already, and Wine is another option that works for the most part. If you are a college student, MS sells all versions of windows at an incredible discount (even comes with the office programs). You can get Windows 8.1 for as little as $40 as a student. I know not everyone is a student, but the majority of people that play consoles are quite young, and even my cheap community college qualifies for these discounts. 

 

There are alternatives and shortcuts that anyone can take to get the best gaming experience on all platforms, but i find that the Pc offers the best price over time. The games tend to be cheaper, the multiplayer experience tends to be better (lets not forget all of the MMO games we can play that consoles do not even have access to) and the ability to mod older games to add a longer lifespan to them is an amazing appeal to most gamers.

 

The consoles price is going to be cheaper than a PC, but the price for the experience you get, will forever be in the PC's hands. 

[Suika]

What "genius" uses WiFi on a DESKTOP?! Also, don't lie to me when you say you didn't consider gaming when you bought that TV of yours. Also, you need to buy additional controllers for friends and plus, you can't honestly tell me you use the stock headset? because no one uses stock headset.

1) My desktop has WiFi because my old ASRock board had broken ethernet connectors.

2) None of my TVs were considered with gaming. I have a 50" TV I got because it was on sale for $200, and the others don't even belong to me. My monitor was purchased with gaming in mind, though.

3) At least I have the option to buy new controllers, I only know one PC game that works with more than one player.

4) I use the stock headset, I'm too cheap to get anything else if I don't need it.

[Sauron]

Look at the specs of that PC. As it stands, that PC is barely better than a console (and I'd for that price still take the console), and additionally the PC will show its age faster than the PS4 will. Developers will always work to press the limits of the consoles available, and weak GPUs and CPUs like the ones in the "smash the PS4" builds will simply fall by the wayside with no one caring for them, and very quickly settings will go from high to medium to low.

 

And anyway, I have a PS4, and don't have PS+. If I did, I'd get free games every month which alone pays for the sub fee. Plus Xbone/PS4 controllers are not exactly cheap, and its inclusion should be factored in.

 

The R9 270 is faster than a ps4, there's no argument to be had here. Especially with overclocking, which is impossible on a console. Maybe developers try to push the limits (although bare in mind this isn't CELL anymore, this time developers already know what they are dealing with perfectly well), but the fact is that if I want 1080p 60fps on an R9 270, at medium settings if necessary, I can do it with pretty much any game. Not so with consoles. Also, bare in mind an hd6450 can do as well as a ps3 if not better. When the ps3 launched, even high end gpus had a hard time beating it by a large margin; this time even mid-low end stuff can easily beat the ps4. This generation won't last even remotely as long as the last one, and an R9 270 won't have any problem getting through it while still sporting better resolutions and framerates.

 

The free games don't pay for ps+ if you compare it to what you could buy on a pc for the same money. And every time you pay full price for a physical game that isn't offered on ps+ you spend on one game what you could spend to buy 3 or 4 on pc. And by not paying for ps+, you get features simply removed from those same games that you pay extra for.

[Dude]

1) My desktop has WiFi because my old ASRock board had broken ethernet connectors.

2) None of my TVs were considered with gaming. I have a 50" TV I got because it was on sale for $200, and the others don't even belong to me. My monitor was purchased with gaming in mind, though.

3) At least I have the option to buy new controllers, I only know one PC game that works with more than one player.

4) I use the stock headset, I'm too cheap to get anything else if I don't need it.

1) Replace the board then it stuff starts breaking on it

2) And you didn't consider the probabioity that a 50" for $200 would be craptacular?

3) I can name many local multiplayer games on PC. Point is?

4) Too cheap to get better headsets yet not too cheap to pay $60 a year for online gameplay and $60+ for your games?

Also, remember that you have to consider the long term cost...

You buy this PC ~$350, you buy cheap peripherals for $10 and then buy a Windows key from /r/softwareswap and in the end you have $40 left for games. During or not during a Steam sale that gets you a lot of games.

You buy a PS4 for $399. You buy at least three games for it, so that's $180. When those are completed you probably end up buying three more and that's another $180. You'll need to replace your controller eventually so that's $50 gone as well. Altogether, that's $810. You could upgrade the GPU on the other PC and that would still not cost as much as the PS4 would over time.

[Albatross]

Okay, what about a build with the following?

 

• OS?
• Monitor?
• Keyboard and mouse?

Most people have a TV (not for gaming needs!), and the console comes with the OS and controller setup, so...this guide is really only beneficial to people who have things they can carry over from older builds, or people with higher budgets (which, generally, consoles players do not have).

 

1) Replace the board then it stuff starts breaking on it

2) And you didn't consider the probabioity that a 50" for $200 would be craptacular?

3) I can name many local multiplayer games on PC. Point is?

4) Too cheap to get better headsets yet not too cheap to pay $60 a year for online gameplay and $60+ for your games?

Also, remember that you have to consider the long term cost...

You buy this PC ~$350, you buy cheap peripherals for $10 and then buy a Windows key from /r/softwareswap and in the end you have $40 left for games. During or not during a Steam sale that gets you a lot of games.

You buy a PS4 for $399. You buy at least three games for it, so that's $180. When those are completed you probably end up buying three more and that's another $180. You'll need to replace your controller eventually so that's $50 gone as well. Altogether, that's $810. You could upgrade the GPU on the other PC and that would still not cost as much as the PS4 would over time.

You're joking right? Keyboards, mice, monitors and PC hardware breaks as well. If you can't properly take care of your controllers, sure, they break. But the same thing happens to keyboards and mice. Don't use the need to replace controllers or broken hardware as a console only problem. You will sound naive and bias.

 

And when you add the OS, monitor, keyboard and mouse the price will shoot way over the console. And then you go about buying Steam/games and the price continues to grow.

 

You people arguing over this are absolutely ridiculous looking.

[Dude]

Okay, what about a build with the following?

• OS?
• Monitor?
• Keyboard and mouse?

Most people have a TV (not for gaming needs!), and the console comes with the OS and controller setup, so...this guide is really only beneficial to people who have things they can carry over from older builds, or people with higher budgets (which, generally, consoles players do not have).

You're joking right? Keyboards, mice, monitors and PC hardware breaks as well. If you can't properly take care of your controllers, sure, they break. But the same thing happens to keyboards and mice. Don't use the need to replace controllers or broken hardware as a console only problem. You will sound naive and bias.

And when you add the OS, monitor, keyboard and mouse the price will shoot way over the console. And then you go about buying Steam/games and the price continues to grow.

You people arguing over this are absolutely ridiculous looking.

You can still use a controller and TV with your PC so it probably wouldn't be necessary for you to buy a monitor. Also, even with a hardware fault; replacing it would still be cheaper than consoles in the long term. you also have to consider the longevity of both platforms and in this instance the PC always wins because you can easily fix it unlike on Console where you either have to send it back to the manufacturer or if it's past the two year warranty; you have to buy a new console.

Additionally, also, my pricing includes OS which you can get from /r/softwareswap for around $25. You can get a cheap keyboard and mouse bundle for approximately $15 or less.

[Albatross]

You can still use a controller and TV with your PC so it probably wouldn't be necessary for you to buy a monitor. Also, even with a hardware fault; replacing it would still be cheaper than consoles in the long term. you also have to consider the longevity of both platforms and in this instance the PC always wins because you can easily fix it unlike on Console where you either have to send it back to the manufacturer or if it's past the two year warranty; you have to buy a new console.

Additionally, also, my pricing includes OS which you can get from /r/softwareswap for around $25. You can get a cheap keyboard and mouse bundle for approximately $15 or less.

 

Okay, that's true about the controllers and TV. Eh, it depends on your PC hardware. If it is cheap, sure, but you also have to worry about that hardware not being sold anymore when it does die. The chances of a console not being found new or pieces of it new are a lot less likely. At least in my experience it has been easier.

 

Okay, what is the final price of the build (you don't mean the OP one, right?)? 600$, 700$ or 800$? More?