If I want to start PC gaming - Questions...

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Lancer
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If I want to start PC gaming - Questions...

Post by Lancer »

So I see a lot of people gaming on PC. I've always been a console guy. I have some questions that if you PC gamers can help answer it will help me -

1.How much does a good gaming PC average? What are the medium and high end ranges of building a PC just for gaming?

2.Console generations are limited to the specs of the console. Like PS5/XBX right now will last say another 4 years. So they have 8 years of known technology that developers program for. For PC is it the same? Meaning say I buy a High End PC this year. How long will that last me until the technology goes to the next level for PC? Will it average 8 years like a console? or will i have to spend more to upgrade more often?

3.One plus of consoles is I can turn on th big screen tv, lay down on the couch, and play the game on my console. For PC, from what I see, it's more like you're at an office desk with a tiny monitor. Feels like work rather than kicking back and relaxing to game.

Is there a way with PC to mimic what I just described with a console? Can I hook up a PC to a TV and not monitor, turn in on remotely like I do with XBX or PS5, and kick back and play? Or do I always have to boot up the thing, go into Windows or IOS, run some commands, and then play the game? The latter seems like too much work.

4.I see Steam talked about a lot. I know it's a gaming service you can buy games off of and download to play on your PC. Is Steam the best option? I know there is gamepass which I think I already have for PC since i have GPU. But does gamepass limit me to the games vs Steam?

5.FPS i see always talked about with consoles. to me i don't really care about it since I think if the game is good then the game is good. I hate the console community at times since a game may not be 60fps it gets automatticaly s*** upon even if it may be a great game with great story, gameplay,controls. What fps do pc's average? and it is even a toxic talking point in the PC community?

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Re: If I want to start PC gaming - Questions...

Post by dbdynsty25 »

Too many questions, stick to consoles. lol.

1. If you want a Pc to last you 5+ years you are going to spend a good 1500 minimum but likely 2500.

2. My current PC which I built on the lower high end in 2018 is still running strong. PC gaming, and consoles, and phones for that matter, have kind of plateaued. There are not huge jumps anymore so you can definitely go a while without upgrading.

3. You have to do the latter. It’s not just boot up and play like a console. The only real advantage to me of Pc gaming is FPS games. Mouse and keyboard will always be superior.

4. There are tons of different software front ends for buying and playing. Steam is probably the biggest. Game Pass works great as well but the number of games is more limited. But of course free with your membership.

5. 60 fps is always the goal but PCs can surpass that. If you can get 60 at the resolution and screen size you want then you’re good to go.

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Re: If I want to start PC gaming - Questions...

Post by Lancer »

thanks man. i am thinking of still getting into it. this console gen has been so so. had a bad start with covid. seems like there is more variety of games on PC these days than console.

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Re: If I want to start PC gaming - Questions...

Post by sportdan30 »

I'm new to PC gaming. Fortunately, my son helps me out quite a bit with any issues I may have in terms of getting the settings just right. There's definitely more tinkering involved, but that can be part of the fun. However, once you do often times the game plays much more smoothly on the PC than on the console.

If you don't want to mess with building a PC, this looks like a heck of a deal.

https://www.ign.com/articles/save-over- ... -gaming-pc

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Re: If I want to start PC gaming - Questions...

Post by Danimal »

I'm going to respond to these but the tone of your post makes me think you have no intention on getting a PC but maybe someone will find this useful

1. & 2. I'll answer both of these at once. The short version is the more you pay up front the less you will have to upgrade. My current rig cost me $3,500 but I've always been a PC gamer first and foremost. I buy Falcon Northwest PC's over the last 18 years I have owned 3 of them and honestly if I didn't have 2 houses I would still be using my 2nd one which is 8 years old and can still run anything on the market fine. I like their builds and their customer service. When I was younger and poorer I would buy and tinker myself, I'm older and not poor so I don't have to do that. As DB said $1,500 - $1,800 is a good range for a new PC

3. Most TV's today you can easily hook a PC up too. I prefer the closeness to the monitor. I can't even read the text in NCAA on my 100 inch TV but I have no problems with Madden on my PC. I almost never turn my PC off btw.

4. I own close to 1000 games on Steam, I have Gamepass, I have EA Play Pro, Ubi connect, Epic which give free games and Gog. Yes having multiple launchers sucks but I mainly use Steam.

5. 60 fps is the average I can get way more then that on my new rig. As for communities it depends on the game, there are a lot more shooters that are team oriented and military oriented on the PC and those communities are great. COD on the PC is COD but its a little better player base as most kids can't afford gaming PC's

The only reason someone should get a PC is for the wealth of games and genres available. There are games you will never see on the console on the PC. Cost of games are way cheaper as well especially during one of Steam's sales.
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Re: If I want to start PC gaming - Questions...

Post by F308GTB »

Danimal wrote:
Fri Sep 27, 2024 11:35 am
4. I own close to 1000 games on Steam, I have Gamepass, I have EA Play Pro, Ubi connect, Epic which give free games and Gog. Yes having multiple launchers sucks but I mainly use Steam.

The only reason someone should get a PC is for the wealth of games and genres available. There are games you will never see on the console on the PC. Cost of games are way cheaper as well especially during one of Steam's sales.
Upfront cost for a PC is high, but long term goes to PC IMO because of how cheap you can get games. Another great aspect for some games is modding. Some great free and cheap mods out there for many games.

My PC is 7 or 8 years old. It wasn't until this year I upgraded anything; I yanked my old 1080ti GPU out and replaced it with a 4080 Super. Of course now I want to get a new CPU, which leads to new motherboard.... I upgraded to get better VR performance on some games, whereas playing games on a monitor I was still getting decent performance.

My only complaint about PC gaming is a lack of a modern hockey game, but with emulation i can at past play games from a few generations back (or just drag my PS3 or 360 out).

PC gaming can be a rabbit hole. Bought a Steam Deck 2 years ago and don't regret it. Great for on the go or casual gaming on the TV.

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Re: If I want to start PC gaming - Questions...

Post by Lancer »

so if pc gaming is better value on the long run, how much do avg pc games cost? right now ps5/xbx games are $70 upon release and that's not including DLC. How much cheaper are PC games?

Do they sell gaming PC's like consoles where you don't have to build one? Like if I go on amazon I can get a gaming pc with everything ready to be shipped to me and no tinkering out of the box? Like buying a PS5 or XBX. Or do you always have to tinker even when getting the PC?

I've seen these mini pc's - are those not strong enough for gaming? I like how they are small like a little box but other than that, I dont know if they are used for gaming.

Any links you guys can share which would be a good buy for a gaming PC for a starter? and what about gaming laptops? not strong enough?

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