Thoughts on a living room gaming box

[OJTheAviator]

Anyone have thoughts on a living room PC? I already have a Gtx 950. I'd use it for light gaming (Forza 7 low settings) and netflix/youtube/floatplane. $450-$500 is about the max I'd want to spend. Would an Xbox one s or x make more sense for under $500?

[Sauron]

3 minutes ago, Computers_And_Tech_Is_Cool said:

Would an Xbox one s or x make more sense for under $500?

Not if you already own a gtx 950, which would be the most expensive part in a new pc.

 

For this purpose, if I were you I'd look for some used sandy bridge i5 desktop - they still perform just fine and can be found for very cheap.

[OJTheAviator]

7 minutes ago, Sauron said:

Not if you already own a gtx 950, which would be the most expensive part in a new pc.

 

For this purpose, if I were you I'd look for some used sandy bridge i5 desktop - they still perform just fine and can be found for very cheap.

Thanks!!

[Wild Penquin]

You may know this already, but: make sure it is not a computer producer branded motherboard (HP, Dell etc.) but a proper motherboard. Those from branded manufacturers can have really big problems in getting a graphics card working. Often they come with a crippled BIOS which will only work with whatever is on the board and perhaps just the 1-3 dedicated graphics card they were shipped as originally as an option.

 

(sorry for my bad english, I'm not even actually sure what you call a "branded computer producer", but perhaps you can deduce my point from the context )

[SlipperyPete]

1 minute ago, Wild Penquin said:

You may know this already, but: make sure it is not a computer producer branded motherboard (HP, Dell etc.) but a proper motherboard. Those from branded manufacturers can have really big problems in getting a graphics card working. Often they come with a crippled BIOS which will only work with whatever is on the board and perhaps just the 1-3 dedicated graphics card they were shipped as originally as an option.

 

(sorry for my bad english, I'm not even actually sure what you call a "branded computer producer", but perhaps you can deduce my point from the context )

your english is just fine

also this is a great suggestion. try to be aware not to buy a pre-built system's motherboard. if you do it shouldnt be the end of the world but if you can avoid it you should.

an i5 2500 or something along those lines sounds very good.

[michaelocarroll007]

37 minutes ago, Computers_And_Tech_Is_Cool said:

Anyone have thoughts on a living room PC? I already have a Gtx 950. I'd use it for light gaming (Forza 7 low settings) and netflix/youtube/floatplane. $450-$500 is about the max I'd want to spend. Would an Xbox one s or x make more sense for under $500?

 

I mean the xbox one S is going for $190 this holiday season and includes the controller.  so hard to beat if it meets your needs ( Though some drawbacks no floatplane and similar ) 

 

You could probobaly build a ryzen 3 build for cheap $250-400 and throw the 950 in it. or find a used i3/i5 computer for 200-300 and do the same though power supplies and motherboards could be prbolems the 950 is very low power though.   and then buy the mouse or controller you want to use to game in the living room.

 

 

Both options are good cheap solutions.

 

Could also get a Steam link & like a firestick for smart tv functions youtube and netflix and steam link for PC gaming  would be under $100

[OJTheAviator]

Thanks for all the info! I'll look into a steam link since my main desktop is pretty powerful, but all this is great!

[dizmo]

Where's the Xbox One X?

[OJTheAviator]

4 minutes ago, dizmo said:

Where's the Xbox One X?

Personally, I'm a pc guy and also the X is pretty expensive. I think I've settled on an NVidia Shield since my main pc has a 1070 and a 6700, kinda hard to beat with a console (assuming the streaming is relatively good).

[dizmo]

18 minutes ago, Computers_And_Tech_Is_Cool said:

Personally, I'm a pc guy and also the X is pretty expensive. I think I've settled on an NVidia Shield since my main pc has a 1070 and a 6700, kinda hard to beat with a console (assuming the streaming is relatively good).

Performance wise, sure, I just find PC from a couch is still too much of a PITA.

[Inversion]

55 minutes ago, michaelocarroll007 said:

 

I mean the xbox one S is going for $190 this holiday season and includes the controller.  so hard to beat if it meets your needs ( Though some drawbacks no floatplane and similar ) 

 

You could probobaly build a ryzen 3 build for cheap $250-400 and throw the 950 in it. or find a used i3/i5 computer for 200-300 and do the same though power supplies and motherboards could be prbolems the 950 is very low power though.   and then buy the mouse or controller you want to use to game in the living room.

 

 

Both options are good cheap solutions.

 

Could also get a Steam link & like a firestick for smart tv functions youtube and netflix and steam link for PC gaming  would be under $100

Don't even really need to go for Ryzen 3 with that GPU. Could get by with an A320 Board and the new Athlon chips. I have an older Athlon and I don't really get a bottleneck on a GTX 960

[michaelocarroll007]

Just now, Inversion said:

Don't even really need to go for Ryzen 3 with that GPU. Could get by with an A320 Board and the new Athlon chips. I have an older Athlon and I don't really get a bottleneck on a GTX 960

this is true  and  a good way to look at it. But i personally wouldn't go any cheaper then a ryzen 3. there $99  and if you have a micro center you can get $50 off if you buy the mother board there making it $49.

 

i also feel like its just better overall for all the tasks they might throw at it. any lower id just go used.  the ryzen 3 wont get bottle necked until l after a 1060. the 1070 bottlenecks pretty hard with it but the 1060 gets very little if any at all typically.  so maybe for the future if he likes having the pc in the living room or something and wants more out of it it  would be decent upgrade path to a 1060 or 1050ti . 

 

[Ben Quigley]

1 hour ago, Computers_And_Tech_Is_Cool said:

Anyone have thoughts on a living room PC? I already have a Gtx 950. I'd use it for light gaming (Forza 7 low settings) and netflix/youtube/floatplane. $450-$500 is about the max I'd want to spend. Would an Xbox one s or x make more sense for under $500?

Here in the UK you can get many old Xeon workstations that are still fairly decent for around £100, throw in your gtx and off you go!

[tmcclelland455]

56 minutes ago, dizmo said:

Where's the Xbox One X?

Not in my hands yet for some stupid money-related reason, that's where. 😠

[dizmo]

10 minutes ago, tmcclelland455 said:

Not in my hands yet for some stupid money-related reason, that's where. 😠

Hahah, yessss. I'm going to get one next year when they drop loads in price because of promotions and people trying to sell them off. Same way I've gotten my last 2. "I got this with my Telus contract, but I don't game...come get it cheap!"

[tmcclelland455]

1 hour ago, dizmo said:

Hahah, yessss. I'm going to get one next year when they drop loads in price because of promotions and people trying to sell them off. Same way I've gotten my last 2. "I got this with my Telus contract, but I don't game...come get it cheap!"

If I ever get one I can guarantee it won't be for a good while because I'm hopefully going to make the OptiPlex 7010 I got into a sleeper and make it my daily, and then probably get a new TV and a receiver and a slew of other things... I'm not going to be a good adult when I get a job lmao

[dizmo]

15 minutes ago, tmcclelland455 said:

If I ever get one I can guarantee it won't be for a good while because I'm hopefully going to make the OptiPlex 7010 I got into a sleeper and make it my daily, and then probably get a new TV and a receiver and a slew of other things... I'm not going to be a good adult when I get a job lmao

Psh naaah. Just make sure you get a good job and you're golden
My buddy's building his new beast. 1080Ti SLI, 32GB RAM, 16TB HDD storage, 2TB SSD....

Glorious. Who says you can't be a good adult and still have nice things

[AshleyAshes]

My livingroom HTPC/Steam machine is just made of out hand-me-down parts from my workstation.

 

i7 3770K @ 4.2ghz

16GB DDR3

Radeon R9 390X

250GB HDD for OS

1TB SSD for games installations.

 

While it's a LOT bigger and uglier than a console, with a K400 wireless keyboard and some Xbox 360 controllers it's a great way to game in the livingroom.  I rarely buy 'new' parts for it but rather just hand down ones from my workstation.  This machine has already been upgraded from an HD 6950 to an HD 7950, then to the R9 390X, and in two years it'll get the GTX 1080 that's in my workstation now.

 

The 390X is also great, on paper it's superior to the PS4 Pro and roughly toe to toe with the Xbox One X.  You'd be suprised how many games run fine on such hardware at 4K if you just use mostly Normal settings rather than Ultra.

[OJTheAviator]

One more question: would a nvidia shield for streaming from my gtx1070, intel 6700 PC or a used system with my gtx950 be better? 

[michaelocarroll007]

10 minutes ago, AshleyAshes said:

My livingroom HTPC/Steam machine is just made of out hand-me-down parts from my workstation.

 

i7 3770K @ 4.2ghz

16GB DDR3

Radeon R9 390X

250GB HDD for OS

1TB SSD for games installations.

 

While it's a LOT bigger and uglier than a console, with a K400 wireless keyboard and some Xbox 360 controllers it's a great way to game in the livingroom.  I rarely buy 'new' parts for it but rather just hand down ones from my workstation.  This machine has already been upgraded from an HD 6950 to an HD 7950, then to the R9 390X, and in two years it'll get the GTX 1080 that's in my workstation now.

 

The 390X is also great, on paper it's superior to the PS4 Pro and roughly toe to toe with the Xbox One X.  You'd be suprised how many games run fine on such hardware at 4K if you just use mostly Normal settings rather than Ultra.

Yeah Playing 4k medium settings no AA (Dont need it at 4k as much)  you can run a lot of games on a 390x even some current ones and this is what the xbox one X is going to do with its similar hardware in power.  Crank textures and easier but good looking settings and keep medium everything else at 4k resolution.  Xbox GPU is going to be decently more power efficient then a 390x though not that it matters at all. 

 

[AshleyAshes]

Just now, michaelocarroll007 said:

Xbox GPU is going to be decently more power efficient then a 390x though not that it matters at all. 

For sure out the wall the Xbox One X will consume less lower.  But if you consider that nearly every component is recycled for 'free' and given additional service life as a result then the whole thing is green to start with.  Assuming of course you have hand-me-down parts in the first place.

[tmcclelland455]

3 hours ago, dizmo said:

Psh naaah. Just make sure you get a good job and you're golden
My buddy's building his new beast. 1080Ti SLI, 32GB RAM, 16TB HDD storage, 2TB SSD....

Glorious. Who says you can't be a good adult and still have nice things

Well apparently there's a part-time job at the local schools for a lunch supervisor, so it'd likely be like slightly more than minimum wage.

 

And I'd still be terrible at adulting, cuz I'm an impulse spender. If I didn't impulse spend so much since I got my current PC I could easily have a 4790K and be halfway to a 1070...

 

Guess that's why I'm hoping I can get a 1050 out of my dad and aunt and a 3770 out of my mom and grandma, because I really want to replace my PC. 'ol G3258 has held 'er own and it's just not enough for me anymore. 😕And of course there's the matter that my 7950 makes this PC about as reliable as a Chevy Astro with 350K miles, and for someone whose college plans involve lot of computer things that's just baaaad.

[dizmo]

58 minutes ago, tmcclelland455 said:

Well apparently there's a part-time job at the local schools for a lunch supervisor, so it'd likely be like slightly more than minimum wage.

 

And I'd still be terrible at adulting, cuz I'm an impulse spender. If I didn't impulse spend so much since I got my current PC I could easily have a 4790K and be halfway to a 1070...

 

Guess that's why I'm hoping I can get a 1050 out of my dad and aunt and a 3770 out of my mom and grandma, because I really want to replace my PC. 'ol G3258 has held 'er own and it's just not enough for me anymore. 😕And of course there's the matter that my 7950 makes this PC about as reliable as a Chevy Astro with 350K miles, and for someone whose college plans involve lot of computer things that's just baaaad.

Hey, any money is better than no money I'd take a pretty hard look at what you take in college before diving in. Just because you enjoy it doesn't mean it's in demand. Don't take a degree that will be useless to you after you graduate

[OJTheAviator]

You guys are awesome! (also how did this become "thoughts on a living room box" to "thoughts on a college education"? lol)

[tmcclelland455]

Just now, Computers_And_Tech_Is_Cool said:

You guys are awesome! (also how did this become "thoughts on a living room box" to "thoughts on a college education"? lol)

It's because I'm the master thread derailer.