How do you overcome the insecurity of not quite knowing how it will run?

[TheArium]

Edit: Now that I think about it this probably should be in PC Gaming instead of Console Gaming. Can it be moved?

 

The only gaming machine I ever had and still have is my trusty Xbox 360 (until I finally get to build a pc...) The thing I have always liked about consoles is that you never have to worry about how well a game will run. Never have to worry about graphics settings, resolution, you put the disc in and you play the way it was meant to be played. No FPS drop, no low graphics settings, no trouble.

 

So, as a pc gamer on a budget, how do you overcome this insecurity of not quite knowing how it will run on your gaming machine? My plan was and is to build a gaming pc instead of buying a new next gen console, and as things are a bit expensive where I live I could make it to something like a GTX 660 2 GB and an i5-3470 on a 1920x1080 display. It should do quite well, I think, but I have just seen the gameplay from Tom Clancy's The Division and Destiny, which look amazing. Though they are not announced to pc yet I would really like to play them, but if the specs I mentioned above will only do to a low-medium graphics experience in those new and cool games then what is the point? Then perhaps one should just get a new console after all...  :mellow: (no pun intended).

 

Your thoughts?

 

For reference:

 

 

[WoodenMarker]

For the price of a 660, you could get a 7870 which would be better for gaming. What's your budget?

[Theo]

Well i think of it this way, the new games do look a lot better than previous consoles tittles but that doesnt worry me TOO much, since
they have higher quality/resolution  textures= 2gb vram on my 680 which should handle that just fine.
They are running on a higher resolution, hopefully 1080p but i doubt it, so translating that to pc, i run at 1080p so if the consoles can do it, my pc can also.
Well they are running on an 8core at 1.6Ghz i think, so a 6core or quad core at 4GHz should perform fine

This is all relative though, depends on how well they optimize the game for pc,

[TheArium]

For the price of a 660, you could get a 7870 which would be better for gaming. What's your budget?

 

Well, the cheapest 7870 I can find here (258$) is about 21$  more expansive than the cheapest GTX 660 (237$). It's not that much but still. In terms of budget I'd say below 1200$. I've thrown a build together in pc partpicker but it's not finished. http://pcpartpicker.com/user/Marute/saved/VZ3 I was just playing around a bit.  ;)  Where I live it'll be  around 1180$.

 

 

But really, is it pointless to even hope to run these modern games well with those specs? It would be such a bad experience to build a new fast gaming pc just to be let down once the game loads up... And a budget is a budget.  :ph34r:

[xToFxREAPER]

there are alot of factors here, seeing as how both next gen consoles have native x86 architecture could be very good news for the pc world when it comes to optimization :) i think with a 650 ti boost and up or a 7790 and up will set you up very well for a good amount of time. personally i would suggest leaning towards amd for one reason and this is purely my opinion, both new consoles run of amd hardware and i think were gonna see amd's performance really start to pick up compared to nvidia though i could of course be wrong, if your gonna go with a budget build instead of a next gen console i would suggest something like an fx-8350 (or one of the new fx chips when they launch soon) 8gb of ram, 1600mhz would probably be perfect something like g.skill dual channel kit for example, and gpu wise as another user here suggested an hd 7870, their price to performance is amazing speaking from experience as i just installed and played with one on my girlfriends pc... also if you went the pc route and end up getting a next gen console as well at some point you can use smartglass on the pc (provided you run windows 8 though lots of people dislike it) and interact with the xbox one in alot of ways including controlling games, project spark is an awesome example of this as well as many other games :) so you have alot of option and i personally will probably end up with an xbox one, though i dont agree with their drm's among other things thats where alot of my friends are and they have some fantastic console exclusive titles as compared to the ps4 and things that may or may not come to pc such as the titles you mentioned, of course all this is purely my opinions and your free to do as you please :)   

[naca1227]

Well, the cheapest 7870 I can find here (258$) is about 21$  more expansive than the cheapest GTX 660 (237$). It's not that much but still. In terms of budget I'd say below 1200$. I've thrown a build together in pc partpicker but it's not finished. http://pcpartpicker.com/user/Marute/saved/VZ3 I was just playing around a bit.  ;)  Where I live it'll be  around 1180$.

 

 

But really, is it pointless to even hope to run these modern games well with those specs? It would be such a bad experience to build a new fast gaming pc just to be let down once the game loads up... And a budget is a budget.  :ph34r:

Hmm you know I would say try your best to throw in a like $40 more bucks and get an 3570k, that "k" is very important when buying Intel but if you can't I would recommend going FX 8350 for that price

[WoodenMarker]

Well, the cheapest 7870 I can find here (258$) is about 21$  more expansive than the cheapest GTX 660 (237$). It's not that much but still. In terms of budget I'd say below 1200$. I've thrown a build together in pc partpicker but it's not finished. http://pcpartpicker.com/user/Marute/saved/VZ3 I was just playing around a bit.  ;)  Where I live it'll be  around 1180$.

 

 

But really, is it pointless to even hope to run these modern games well with those specs? It would be such a bad experience to build a new fast gaming pc just to be let down once the game loads up... And a budget is a budget.  :ph34r:

So where would you actually be shopping?

[TheArium]

there are alot of factors here, seeing as how both next gen consoles have native x86 architecture could be very good news for the pc world when it comes to optimization :) i think with a 650 ti boost and up or a 7790 and up will set you up very well for a good amount of time. personally i would suggest leaning towards amd for one reason and this is purely my opinion, both new consoles run of amd hardware and i think were gonna see amd's performance really start to pick up compared to nvidia though i could of course be wrong, if your gonna go with a budget build instead of a next gen console i would suggest something like an fx-8350 (or one of the new fx chips when they launch soon) 8gb of ram, 1600mhz would probably be perfect something like g.skill dual channel kit for example, and gpu wise as another user here suggested an hd 7870, their price to performance is amazing speaking from experience as i just installed and played with one on my girlfriends pc... also if you went the pc route and end up getting a next gen console as well at some point you can use smartglass on the pc (provided you run windows 8 though lots of people dislike it) and interact with the xbox one in alot of ways including controlling games, project spark is an awesome example of this as well as many other games :) so you have alot of option and i personally will probably end up with an xbox one, though i dont agree with their drm's among other things thats where alot of my friends are and they have some fantastic console exclusive titles as compared to the ps4 and things that may or may not come to pc such as the titles you mentioned, of course all this is purely my opinions and your free to do as you please :)   

 

Sorry for highlighting while quoting you. If that is the case then the 660 should do fairly well. I haven't actually given too much thought into AMD, although I have been looking at the 7850 before deciding I needed a bit more power. As I said, the 7870 is a bit more expensive where I life, but if it's a seriously noticeable improvement then perhaps I should look into it.

 

Hmm you know I would say try your best to throw in a like $40 more bucks and get an 3570k, that "k" is very important when buying Intel but if you can't I would recommend going FX 8350 for that price

 

I wasn't really planning on overclocking so I thought I'd drop the 3570k and save a bit of money. AFAIK, the 3470 should perform similarly when neither is overclocked? According to this, the FX 8350 is inferior to the 3470: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-cpu-review-overclock,3106-5.html I don't know how accurate that is.

 

So where would you actually be shopping?

 

From whatever reliable site is cheapest. I use this site to look up prices: http://www.edbpriser.dk/ I live in Denmark btw.  :)

 

It's really nice of you with all the suggestions and ideas, I appreciate it. If you guys have to be honest, though, do you think it is even realistic to build a gaming pc now on the edge of a shift in generations that will run the likes of the games I mentioned (and perhaps BF4?) nice and without problems within the budget I mentioned? Consider everything is a bit expensive here compared to North America, so it would probably be a system with performance close to the specs we've been talking about here.

[naca1227]

 

I wasn't really planning on overclocking so I thought I'd drop the 3570k and save a bit of money. AFAIK, the 3470 should perform similarly when neither is overclocked? According to this, the FX 8350 is inferior to the 3470: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-cpu-review-overclock,3106-5.html I don't know how accurate that is.

I'm not sure how accurate that is either. Eitehr way though the 8350 will last a lot longer now that consoles have an AMD 8-core CPU so game devs will optimize games to use all 8 cores. You will last a lto longer in CPU intensive games going to 8350.

[TheArium]

So where would you actually be shopping?

 

Like this for instance.  :)

 

http://alturl.com/gn2hs

 

http://alturl.com/tmbjt

 

Edit: Actually I have considered Amazon.co.uk as well as it appears they have free shipping to Denmark. Some parts could be bought there if they are cheaper.

[xToFxREAPER]

Sorry for highlighting while quoting you. If that is the case then the 660 should do fairly well. I haven't actually given too much thought into AMD, although I have been looking at the 7850 before deciding I needed a bit more power. As I said, the 7870 is a bit more expensive where I life, but if it's a seriously noticeable improvement then perhaps I should look into it.

 

 

I wasn't really planning on overclocking so I thought I'd drop the 3570k and save a bit of money. AFAIK, the 3470 should perform similarly when neither is overclocked? According to this, the FX 8350 is inferior to the 3470: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-cpu-review-overclock,3106-5.html I don't know how accurate that is.

 

 

From whatever reliable site is cheapest. I use this site to look up prices: http://www.edbpriser.dk/ I live in Denmark btw.  :)

 

It's really nice of you with all the suggestions and ideas, I appreciate it. If you guys have to be honest, though, do you think it is even realistic to build a gaming pc now on the edge of a shift in generations that will run the likes of the games I mentioned (and perhaps BF4?) nice and without problems within the budget I mentioned? Consider everything is a bit expensive here compared to North America, so it would probably be a system with performance close to the specs we've been talking about here.

yeah but if you go the route of the fx 8350 thatll save you a few bucks to get the 7870 instead of a 660, the 660 is pretty good but from what ive seen the 7870 will smoke it in most cases, linus has many videos that prove it and as naca stated going the amd route will give you a good advantage because of the fact the new consoles are both running 8 core amd apu's

[TheArium]

I'm not sure how accurate that is either. Eitehr way though the 8350 will last a lot longer now that consoles have an AMD 8-core CPU so game devs will optimize games to use all 8 cores. You will last a lto longer in CPU intensive games going to 8350.

 

 

yeah but if you go the route of the fx 8350 thatll save you a few bucks to get the 7870 instead of a 660, the 660 is pretty good but from what ive seen the 7870 will smoke it in most cases, linus has many videos that prove it and as naca stated going the amd route will give you a good advantage because of the fact the new consoles are both running 8 core amd apu's

 

Is that a thing? Can you really count on AMD 8-cores CPUs and AMD GPUs being more future proof because the consoles are using them, even though the FX 8350 based on a single graph appears to be mildly inferior to the i5-3470? Leads to my next question, isn't 8 cores total overkill? It appears to run at 4GHz though which is higher clocked than the 3470.

 

The FX 8350 actually costs 9$ more than the 3470 here, darn it... What kind of a cooler do AMD CPUs come with? I was planning on using the stock cooler at least to begin with.

 

I will check out Linus' videos about the 7870 for sure.

 

Edit:

http://www.edbpriser.dk/processor/fx-fx-8350-8-mb-amd-processor-in-a-box-pib-id-7042039.aspx

http://www.edbpriser.dk/processor/core-i5-i5-3470-6-mb-intel-boxed-id-6829780.aspx

[xToFxREAPER]

Is that a thing? Can you really count on AMD 8-cores CPU's and AMD GPU's being more future proof because the consoles are using them? Even though the FX 8350 based on a single graph appears to be mildly inferior to the i5-3470? Leads to my next question, isn't 8 cores total overkill? It appears to run at 4GHz though which is higher clocked than the 3470.

 

The FX 8350 actually costs 9$ more than the 3470 here, darn it...

 

I will check out Linus' videos about the 7870 for sure.

 

Edit:

http://www.edbpriser.dk/processor/fx-fx-8350-8-mb-amd-processor-in-a-box-pib-id-7042039.aspx

http://www.edbpriser.dk/processor/core-i5-i5-3470-6-mb-intel-boxed-id-6829780.aspx

well its speculation of course but seeing as how they will be optimizing the console games for the 8 core cpu games will probably start taking advantage of an 8 core desktop cpu not to mention you can get a very large overclock on the 8350 and just beat the intel to hell, especially if speculation is right and new games are actually made to take advantage of more then 2-4 cores then that gives you a HUGE advantage over that i5.. personal opinion of course i think your much better off with the amd route, their price to performance is unmatched in alot of cases and are very well known for being able to get large overclocks and further increase their price to performance ratios

[TheArium]

well its speculation of course but seeing as how they will be optimizing the console games for the 8 core cpu games will probably start taking advantage of an 8 core desktop cpu not to mention you can get a very large overclock on the 8350 and just beat the intel to hell, especially if speculation is right and new games are actually made to take advantage of more then 2-4 cores then that gives you a HUGE advantage over that i5.. personal opinion of course i think your much better off with the amd route, their price to performance is unmatched in alot of cases and are very well known for being able to get large overclocks and further increase their price to performance ratios

 

You do make a good point and I'll be taking it into consideration. At some point in the future I'll be making a dedicated build thread with my final questions on my build and I'll make sure to include the FX 8350 (or newer equivalent) there. It's good for overclocking as well like the 3570k? Though I'm not really planning on overclocking at some point I might. Cannot hurt to have the opportunity.

 

Linus said something, he said "not all cores are created equally". Does AMD 4GHz 8 core actually show a measureable advantage over Intel 3.2GHz 4 core?

 

So, you guys are not too worried whether it is possible to build a pc within my budget that will run the next generation of games really well?

[xToFxREAPER]

You do make a good point and I'll be taking it into consideration. At some point in the future I'll be making a dedicated build thread with my final questions on my build and I'll make sure to include the FX 8350 (or newer equivalent) there. It's good for overclocking as well like the 3570k? Though I'm not really planning on overclocking at some point I might. Cannot hurt to have the opportunity.

 

Linus said something, he said "not all cores are created equally". Does AMD 4GHz 8 core actually show a measureable advantage over Intel 3.2GHz 4 core?

 

So, you guys are not too worried whether it is possible to build a pc within my budget that will run the next generation of games really well?

Ok so i did a quick throw together of some parts, not this is my local pricing im not sure how it will change for you, the mobo i chose is basically top of the line for the cpu and could easily be changed out for something cheaper that will do the job just as well

 

amd fx-8350 - 209.99

asus crosshair v formula - 239.99

corsair vengeance pro 8gb (2x4gb) 1866mhz memory - 89.99

xfx radeon double dissipation ghz edition 7870 - 259.99

corsair cx600 watt - 64.99

seagate barracuda 1tb - 64.99

kingston ssd 60gb - 69.99

windows 8 64bit - 119.99

 

so obviously you can swap out some parts but the total in my local currency with tax is $1301.91, you didnt really state an actual budget but i thought i would slap something together really quick as an example

 

the fx 8350 is great for overclocking and can gain alot of ground over the i5 you chose

[TheArium]

Ok so i did a quick throw together of some parts, not this is my local pricing im not sure how it will change for you, the mobo i chose is basically top of the line for the cpu and could easily be changed out for something cheaper that will do the job just as well

 

amd fx-8350 - 209.99

asus crosshair v formula - 239.99

corsair vengeance pro 8gb (2x4gb) 1866mhz memory - 89.99

xfx radeon double dissipation ghz edition 7870 - 259.99

corsair cx600 watt - 64.99

seagate barracuda 1tb - 64.99

kingston ssd 60gb - 69.99

windows 8 64bit - 119.99

 

so obviously you can swap out some parts but the total in my local currency with tax is $1301.91, you didnt really state an actual budget but i thought i would slap something together really quick as an example

 

the fx 8350 is great for overclocking and can gain alot of ground over the i5 you chose

 

Actually I mentioned earlier that I would like to go below 1200$, but I appreciate it anyway. The mobo for instance is a bit on the expensive site. While I haven't  researched enough, I would like to stay around 130$ if it's possible and still get a decent board.

 

I know that we know nothing about specs, but I think you are a bit more experienced than I am. If you should make a wild guess based on the videos we've seen, how do you think the system you just put together would run the next generation of games?  ;)

[xToFxREAPER]

Actually I mentioned earlier that I would like to go below 1200$, but I appreciate it anyway. The mobo for instance is a bit on the expensive site. While I haven't  researched enough, I would like to stay around 130$ if it's possible and still get a decent board.

 

I know that we know nothing about specs, but I think you are a bit more experienced than I am. If you should make a wild guess based on the videos we've seen, how do you think the system you just put together would run the next generation of games?  ;)

i think with that system you would be getting very playable framerates at 1080p with close to max settings maybe slightly lower, as it stands the 7870 can max alot of games and if you reduce your anti aliasing you gain alot of fps back which at 1080p loads of antialising isnt really needed anyway, next gen wise i think it will stand up to it very well with similar settings for a decent amount of time, even at bare minimum settings though i will note that the games will still look very very good and very similar to the consoles. as for the mobo yeah i picked an expensive one there are tons out there for cheaper :)

[TheArium]

i think with that system you would be getting very playable framerates at 1080p with close to max settings maybe slightly lower, as it stands the 7870 can max alot of games and if you reduce your anti aliasing you gain alot of fps back which at 1080p loads of antialising isnt really needed anyway, next gen wise i think it will stand up to it very well with similar settings for a decent amount of time, even at bare minimum settings though i will note that the games will still look very very good and very similar to the consoles. as for the mobo yeah i picked an expensive one there are tons out there for cheaper :)

 

Great to hear, thanks man. I suppose that eventually when the time comes and a card such as the HD7870 doesn't quite cut it on the highest settings you could go CrossFire if you can find a cheap card to accompany it? :)

[xToFxREAPER]

Great to hear, thanks man. I suppose that eventually when the time comes and a card such as the HD7870 doesn't quite cut it on the highest settings you could go CrossFire if you can find a cheap card to accompany it? :)

you could but by that time a better generation will probably be out and you could just upgrade to that gen :)

[Profquast]

On the 8350 thing - amd boards are cheaper than intel boards with the same features.

[TheArium]

On the 8350 thing - amd boards are cheaper than intel boards with the same features.

 

They are? Because I assume it would be unwise to get a FX 8350 without a board that is a good overclocker.

[WoodenMarker]

I wasn't really planning on overclocking so I thought I'd drop the 3570k and save a bit of money. AFAIK, the 3470 should perform similarly when neither is overclocked? According to this, the FX 8350 is inferior to the 3470: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-cpu-review-overclock,3106-5.html I don't know how accurate that is.

Core for core, the 3470 definitely beats the 8350.

From whatever reliable site is cheapest. I use this site to look up prices: http://www.edbpriser.dk/ I live in Denmark btw.  :)

 

It's really nice of you with all the suggestions and ideas, I appreciate it. If you guys have to be honest, though, do you think it is even realistic to build a gaming pc now on the edge of a shift in generations that will run the likes of the games I mentioned (and perhaps BF4?) nice and without problems within the budget I mentioned? Consider everything is a bit expensive here compared to North America, so it would probably be a system with performance close to the specs we've been talking about here.

So what's your actual currency? It's easier to just use that instead of a dollar conversion.

 

It's perfectly fine to build a new computer right now since the new tech coming out will lower the price of previous gen parts. It will be more dependent on your budget though. Here is the US, $1000 is more than adequate to build a powerful gaming system.

[TheArium]

WoodenMarker, on 14 Jun 2013 - 12:01 AM, said:

Core for core, the 3470 definitely beats the 8350.

So what's your actual currency? It's easier to just use that instead of a dollar conversion.

It's perfectly fine to build a new computer right now since the new tech coming out will lower the price of previous gen parts. It will be more dependent on your budget though. Here is the US, $1000 is more than adequate to build a powerful gaming system.

My currency is DKK. 1200$ is 6703 DKK, which I would like to stay below. ;) Includes OS, not monitor and peripherals.