Fair PC to Console Compairson

[EZy42]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD A10-5800K 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($87.95 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-F2A58M-HD2 Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard  ($50.49 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2400 Memory  ($66.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($44.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Rosewill FBM-01 MicroATX Mini Tower Case  ($29.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA 430W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply  ($33.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $314.40
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-03-13 18:55 EDT-0400

That will beat it under the assumption that PC gets the kind of optimization that console receives which unfortunately is not the case. 

you cant forget an operating system, certainly if your paying a company to put it together for you, and keeping in mind that were talking about someone who wouldnt have an extra copy kicking around and wouldn't have the know how of obtaining it through other means.

[theloveablemoose]

Either way the consoles are going to end up consuming waaaaay more than two hours because they require all games to be installed to the hard drive now do they not? I decided to play bf4 on my mates Xbox One and it took nearly an hour just to install lol......... I take a one time 2 hours than an hour everytime I buy a new game...

Is the same on PC no? You have to download the files from steam to play the game. I guess its a one time thing since you can transfer files over but IIRC you can do that on console since i used to do it when i installed games to my hard drive on 360.

[WolfDeville]

computers also have you install them to a hard drive to..

Yeah but It doesn't take a god damn hour lol...

 

Is the same on PC no? You have to download the files from steam to play the game. I guess its a one time thing since you can transfer files over but IIRC you can do that on console since i used to do it when i installed games to my hard drive on 360.

You don't HAVE to download games from Steam, you can buy them from a store. I don't know about that, never tried it.

[theloveablemoose]

Yeah but It doesn't take a god damn hour lol...

 

You don't HAVE to download games from Steam, you can buy them from a store. I don't know about that, never tried it.

Well you'd install the game from disc then steam would have to verify the files and assuming that a patch was released that would have to be downloaded too.

[theloveablemoose]

I had 0 experience building my first PC last year, was coming from console,, it was fairly easy, as well as gratifying. All I did to learn was read everything I could, and watch youtube videos.

 

Compared to console, which is easy, expensive, and frequently infuriating.

 

 

ERMAGERDDD....DER DIFFERCULTY

I think the point is that consoles come pre built so an applicable comparison would be for a prebuilt PC. It's not difficult but the point is price to performance goes a bit differently when you have to pay someone to put the thing together.

[Trik'Stari]

I think the point is that consoles come pre built so an applicable comparison would be for a prebuilt PC. It's not difficult but the point is price to performance goes a bit differently when you have to pay someone to put the thing together.

Which is why you don't pay someone to do it for you.

 

The only defense for console is "convenience" (laziness) and exclusives, which are artificial and not really a valid defense.

 

Edit: Before someone says "but people don't have time to build a PC".....chances are you don't have time to game so what's your point?

[WolfDeville]

Well you'd install the game from disc then steam would have to verify the files and assuming that a patch was released that would have to be downloaded too.

Consoles go through the same process? They are generally a lot slower at it from my experience.

[Kyuubixchidori]

 

The only defense for console is "convenience" (laziness) and exclusives, which are artificial and not really a valid defense.

Sorry, but I disagree, and not everthing i will say after this will apply to you, it kind of turned into a longer post then i expected. but if Im working 40 hour weeks, and have zero experience with pcs, it will take me a while to build a pc. My buddy who is a tech head took a whole freaking weekend to buy parts and build a pc. He knew every single component, he just was slow.

now imagine if he didnt even know what a cpu or gpu was. it could take a really long time to learn what to buy and finally do it. If i have to spend 10 hours to do everything, from research to complete build, thats nearly 100$ of lost wages. and thats near min wage. let alone most people spend MUCH longer to learn. thats a extremely conservative number. 

 

basically, Time has value. not everyone is a teenager with unlimited time on their hands.(not saying you are, just). if you only have 30-40 minutes of free time everyday, it could be weeks before you get around to building your pc, or you could be already playing.

 

that and no one figures in OS in the cost, that bothers me(not directed at you)

 

and exclusives? pcs have them so its a poor argument. but its still a argument because Id honestly be happy with forza, halo, and cod. thats all I want. Yet I have a 1200$ pc. 

 

for the building though, I can relate it to quadcopters. I spent probably 15 hours so far in just research. Im only spending 250$ to outpform 500$ quadcopters, but it has no or limited warranty, less support, have to build it myself, so im using a large amount of time to save proportionally not that much money. but its just my free time, so its not a big deal. PCs dont have the advantage of being cheaper.

 

for pcs, the sole advantage is better graphics. thats what it all boils down to. we pay to get the best. thats simply fact and what it is. well the other day, my dad pulled up a 60 fps video on youtube. I asked him if he could notice because I could right away, and he thought i was crazy, somehow seeing the video smoother then him. well, fun fact, sometimes people dont notice diffrences.

YES SOME PEOPLE CAN. but not everyone. or they just havent learned to notice it yet. or simply dont care. 

 

I have yet seen a new pc build that competes with a xbox one for 350$. not a single build. Let alone when you start to figure in mutiplayer. thats a whole other story. someone call me out on it so I can rant some more.

 

disclaimer. all this is meant in a positive learning way. if anyone can disprove me in a friendly way, by all means challenge what i said. 

[QuadNine]

-snip-

You don't have time to do the research, there a ton of people on this forum that will make a system for your budget, choose one then boom buy the parts, go on YouTube, look up a guide, then follow it

Now for the OS, use steam OS it's an OS for gaming, hence the name. Don't know how to set it up? Go to YouTube. Sure it may take more time than buying a console. But how much are you losing, or how much are you gaining?

[Riddler356]

Now I want to start with this, I am a PC fan, I play most of my games on a PC, and am not saying that either is better then the other.

 

My issue comes in to whenever I see "PC is better better" posts or videos on YouTube the console is almost always placed against a 800 to 1500 dollar custom built computer, and I want to take on the custom part of that in more then the price part, because there are equal value posts.

 

Now, I know you can take 400 or 500 dollars and piece together a computer that is in every way better then the PS4 and the XB1, but nowhere can you buy a prebuilt gaming computer for that price that would compare to the consoles.

 

And I feel that in order to properly say that you can get a better PC then a console for that price it would have to be brebuilt, because people who are buying consoles are generally not someone who is going to budget build a computer. Regardless of how easy we think it is there are people out there who just don't know how to piece together a computer.

 

That is why I don't feel there is a way you can justify telling someone that for the price you can get a better computer, because for the people who buy consoles, it usually isn't true.

 

the linus tech tips console to pc comparison, and all of tek syndicate console killer videos would be good reference material for you.

[Jumper118]

its never fair, because one has to be better

[Mush Brain]

Console wins, a PC at such a budget will not keep up after a year.

[Kyuubixchidori]

You don't have time to do the research, there a ton of people on this forum that will make a system for your budget, choose one then boom buy the parts, go on YouTube, look up a guide, then follow it

Now for the OS, use steam OS it's an OS for gaming, hence the name. Don't know how to set it up? Go to YouTube. Sure it may take more time than buying a console. But how much are you losing, or how much are you gaining?

This may be mind blowing to you, but not everyone knows these forums even exist. 

 

if you needed a car, and I told you, you could save money or get a better car by swapping in your own engine/trans, 99% of the time people will call you crazy. yet you can get stock engines for dirt cheap. its the exact same thing as building a pc, but just more steps. but you save radically more money.

 

This may also be mind blowing, but the average not gamer or techie doesnt even know what steam is. Let alone they have their own operating system. 

Hell, I had to explain to people a gaming computer can still do everything a normal pc can do. 

 

.....and also mind blowing, a hell of a lot of people cant comprehend you can even build a computer. So try to go up to someone, who doesnt even know you can build a computer, to go build one themselves, download a operating system that, hell, they dont even know what a operating system is, to play games. but its okay because theres places on the internet you never once heard of to explain it to you. 

 

or, for literally less money,(but less performance) you can just buy a box to plug into your tv to play games. Keep in mind people pay to have their tv and printer set up. how do you expect someone like that to build their own pc? Its just unrealistic to expect everyone to learn how to make a computer, simply because its easy for us. 

 

note, I still perfer pc, I just love devils advocate. and most of this is very true. pc gaming isn't for everyone. 

[MLG Doge]

Console wins, a PC at such a budget will not keep up after a year.

Wrong, a PC will not play the same game at the same graphic details after 1yr< 

a console wont get better, so the graphics will be the same, devs have to turn off features to make it playable.

[Misanthrope]

This was released just like a day ago, explains everything better than most of us here could:

 

[MLG Doge]

 

When i first wanted to game.

All my friends played console but i had seen these famous youtubers play indie games on PC

so i thought that looks cool, how much do they cost?

then, Jeez thats expensive.

I looked more, and i stumbled on Neweggs How to build a PC guide.

i realised it wasnt that hard and planned a parts list.

whilst researching i found LTT and then the forum so i was set.

[Misanthrope]

Sorry, but I disagree, and not everthing i will say after this will apply to you, it kind of turned into a longer post then i expected. but if Im working 40 hour weeks, and have zero experience with pcs, it will take me a while to build a pc. 

 

You were already given fully functional and compatible part lists here in this very thread. As for putting it together, if a 5 year old girl with some adult supervision can put together a rig, can you tell me honestly that you cant? 

 

[Kyuubixchidori]

When i first wanted to game.

All my friends played console but i had seen these famous youtubers play indie games on PC

so i thought that looks cool, how much do they cost?

then, Jeez thats expensive.

I looked more, and i stumbled on Neweggs How to build a PC guide.

i realised it wasnt that hard and planned a parts list.

whilst researching i found LTT and then the forum so i was set.

yeah, but its still more expensive. and takes way more time. just because you dont have to spend 1000$ doesnt mean its not more expensive. no one has yet showed me a build, with new parts, at 350$ including a operating system, and some way to interact(or a controller) with said computer. not one. Not a single one build. yet theres so many people claiming to be able to kill consoles. 

[Kyuubixchidori]

yeah, but its still more expensive. and takes way more time. just because you dont have to spend 1000$ doesnt mean its not more expensive. no one has yet showed me a build, with new parts, at 350$ including a operating system, and some way to interact(or a controller) with said computer. not one. Not a single one build. yet theres so many people claiming to be able to kill consoles. 

 

You were already given fully functional and compatible part lists here in this very thread. As for putting it together, if a 5 year old girl with some adult supervision can put together a rig, can you tell me honestly that you cant? 

 

 

Yeah, and theres 5 year olds that know several languages. Im glad a 5 year old can follow a process that has someone that has more expensive Pcs then some peoples cars. 

[Misanthrope]

Yeah, and theres 5 year olds that know several languages. Im glad a 5 year old can follow a process that has someone that has more expensive Pcs then some peoples cars. 

 

She's no genious just watch the video: it's just a matter of using a philips screw driver and putting pieces together that only plug in one way. Legos can be more involved than PC building for beginners really.

[Kyuubixchidori]

 Legos can be more involved than PC building for beginners really.

? yeah. cause you can fry 100$s of components if you mess up legos. 

 

show me a build that can beat a xbox one at 350$. include a OS, can even just be a 20$ on reddit swap. give me basic input thats equal or better to a xbox one controller. 

[MageTank]

This argument will always happen, and it will always be one sided. My only problem with the "consoles vs pc" argument is the misinformation that is spread among the fans of both sites. When it comes to consoles, you are not paying a premium for the hardware. You are paying a premium for the form factor. That hardware is actually not that bad when you think about the space you are fitting it in. Yes, you can build ITX PC's, but to match that performance on an itx rig (GPU alone will be difficult) you would pay a hefty fee to do so. The simple UI is not a selling point anymore, and after seeing Steam OS, i do not think it will be a compelling argument in the future either. Windows may seem like it requires more effort to get into a game, but it really is not. Launch a single .exe, and you are magically looking at your entire library of games. Click play on any of those games, and you are set. The only thing is, with PC games, you must know the limitation of your hardware. You have to set the graphics settings according to those limitations, or you will have a poor experience. Most games for consoles are made around the device itself, so they do not have to deal with this issue.

 

In my opinion, comparing a specific game on a console, to a specific game on a PC is a losing battle. No matter what you do, it will always be better on PC. However, consoles do win at the key aspect they were originally designed around. That is playing with friends. The consoles of old were designed to be played with your friends in the same room, and i find they do this better than PC's do. Sure, everyone can go buy their own $400+ computer and multiple copies of the game and attempt to play it, or they can simply buy multiple controllers and have a smoother experience on a single console. Not to mention the fact that a ton of PC games simply lack the ability to play local co-op (not LAN, i mean multiple people playing on a single PC). 

 

This is reason enough for me to want to pay for something like the Wii, because i enjoy party games with my friends. I enjoyed pulling all-nighters with my cousin playing the Halo series too. For a PC user to make fun of a console gamer for wanting this kind of interaction, when the majority of us grew up on this exact same setup, is just stupid to me. As long as console players remember that their console is not made of magic, and will not outperform a PC, then no PC user should be mocking a console gamer for choosing to play on that platform. 

 

If you are wanting the best single player experience, or you want to play something like MMO's over the net, then the PC is for you. If you are a casual gamer and often have friends over, then console gaming is probably a good idea. Just wish console gamers could have the same discounts we PC gamers get.

 

Praise the sun, Praise lord Gaben, and snap into a Slim Jim. Ohhh Yeahhh

[Kyuubixchidori]

 

In my opinion, comparing a specific game on a console, to a specific game on a PC is a losing battle. No matter what you do, it will always be better on PC. However, consoles do win at the key aspect they were originally designed around. That is playing with friends. The consoles of old were designed to be played with your friends in the same room, and i find they do this better than PC's do. Sure, everyone can go buy their own $400+ computer and multiple copies of the game and attempt to play it, or they can simply buy multiple controllers and have a smoother experience on a single console. Not to mention the fact that a ton of PC games simply lack the ability to play local co-op (not LAN, i mean multiple people playing on a single PC). 

Exactly. this is why consoles still are meaningful. because if you want to get technical, If I want to play games with my bros, we all need computers. suddenly every fee for pc gaming quadrupled. a lot of people forget this, 

 

and pretty much the sole reason I defend it even though I have a 1100$ pc. Because there is use cases for both

[Misanthrope]

? yeah. cause you can fry 100$s of components if you mess up legos. 

 

show me a build that can beat a xbox one at 350$. include a OS, can even just be a 20$ on reddit swap. give me basic input thats equal or better to a xbox one controller. 

 

Like I said, you cannot "fry" anything since cables just won't go in if they are the wrong way around. More over, keyboard/mouse is superior to an xbox controller for many (almost all of them) PC games, you can use an xbox controller if you disagree however. The lists of parts were already provided.

 

But really let's just says that this is what I get for giving a serious reply to obvious trolling posts. Rest assured, I won't be making that mistake 

 

*does something mysterious in the forum settings*

[MageTank]

Exactly. this is why consoles still are meaningful. because if you want to get technical, If I want to play games with my bros, we all need computers. suddenly every fee for pc gaming quadrupled. a lot of people forget this, 

 

and pretty much the sole reason I defend it even though I have a 1100$ pc. Because there is use cases for both

 

My brothers and i all own high end gaming PC's, and still break out the nintendo 64. You cannot beat that experience on a PC. Some games are just far more enjoyable on a console in the living room. I wish game dev's would start making party games for PC, with all of the controllers that are available for the PC. I know some indie games are attempting to do it, i would just love to see some nice titles take advantage of it.