Console or PC which is right for me??

[Need Help_71]

Console vs. PC

I know this would be a broad discussion area so I narrowed it down so that it can be applied to my situation.

I don't really mind about the cost of the console/PC itself.
My main concerns are:
- which has better graphics
- is keyboard or a controller better - considering PS3 controller for PC gaming - will that be good?
- how future proof are both relatively?
- how much bandwidth does PC online gaming take up? I have a cap of 30GB of internet usage a month at 4mbps....is that good enough for the PC??

Extra Question:
I know there isnt much said about the new PS4 to release in December but would a PC of about 1300 USD outperform it and by how far do you think? The PS4 is rumored to have a 300 USD graphics card and a 3.1 GHz procesor....

Thanks for all your help!!

 

[jaguarskx]

My main concerns are:
- which has better graphics
- is keyboard or a controller better - considering PS3 controller for PC gaming - will that be good?
- how future proof are both relatively?
- how much bandwidth does PC online gaming take up? I have a cap of 30GB of internet usage a month at 4mbps....is that good enough for the PC??

Extra Question:
I know there isnt much said about the new PS4 to release in December but would a PC of about 1300 USD outperform it and by how far do you think? The PS4 is rumored to have a 300 USD graphics card and a 3.1 GHz procesor....

Thanks for all your help!!

PC games will have better graphics. There is a constant cycle of new hardware coming out. For example, the Radeon HD 8000 series is expected to be released at the end of 2012 or the beginning of 2013.

The controller depends on each individual's preference. I don't like controllers because I find they are too limiting. Keyboard and mouse offers more options for different actions and I find using a mouse to be more accurate.

"Future proof" is a relative term. But a console will be more "future proof" than the PC because the hardware will always remain the same for the life of the console. Therefore, developers can only push the performance envelop so much. If you bought your Xbox 360 back in 2005, it should be able to play games just as well as any other Xbox 360 for a game that will be released next year. On the other hand if you built a PC back in 2005 and have upgraded nothing since then you will find that if you tried to play a recent game or a 2014 game, you will likely be disappointed. That's because of new tech coming out all the time which allows developers to push up graphic effects, physics effects and complex game AI (artificial intelligence) amongst other things.

I don't play MMOs, but 30GB of bandwidth per month should be fine for online gaming. I really can't see it being more than 2GB of data even if you were to play 24/7 for the entire month. But you should wait for a MMO player to chime in about that.

I would say a $1,300 PC would easily beat a PS4 or Xbox 720. However, as mentioned above, new hardware is always coming out and developers will always push the performance envelop for PC games. Eventually, your PC will be too slow for newer games. There's a reason why Crysis 1 was not released for consoles. It even brought high end ($2,000) PC to it's knees when it was released. Metro 2033 is even more demanding than Crysis. In the long run playing console games will cost you less because you never have to worry about hardware upgrades because there aren't any.

 

[Need Help_71]

PC games will have better graphics. There is a constant cycle of new hardware coming out. For example, the Radeon HD 8000 series is expected to be released at the end of 2012 or the beginning of 2013.

The controller depends on each individual's preference. I don't like controllers because I find they are too limiting. Keyboard and mouse offers more options for different actions and I find using a mouse to be more accurate.

"Future proof" is a relative term. But a console will be more "future proof" than the PC because the hardware will always remain the same for the life of the console. Therefore, developers can only push the performance envelop so much. If you bought your Xbox 360 back in 2005, it should be able to play games just as well as any other Xbox 360 for a game that will be released next year. On the other hand if you built a PC back in 2005 and have upgraded nothing since then you will find that if you tried to play a recent game or a 2014 game, you will likely be disappointed. That's because of new tech coming out all the time which allows developers to push up graphic effects, physics effects and complex game AI (artificial intelligence) amongst other things.

I don't play MMOs, but 30GB of bandwidth per month should be fine for online gaming. I really can't see it being more than 2GB of data even if you were to play 24/7 for the entire month. But you should wait for a MMO player to chime in about that.

I would say a $1,300 PC would easily beat a PS4 or Xbox 720. However, as mentioned above, new hardware is always coming out and developers will always push the performance envelop for PC games. Eventually, your PC will be too slow for newer games. There's a reason why Crysis 1 was not released for consoles. It even brought high end ($2,000) PC to it's knees when it was released. Metro 2033 is even more demanding than Crysis. In the long run playing console games will cost you less because you never have to worry about hardware upgrades because there aren't any.

Thanks so much!
About being future proof, I just need this 1300 dollarish PC to last me 2 years max! I will definitely be upgrading then. So do you think a pc like that would play games in 2014 even without maxed out settings? I know you cant see the future, but can you tell me from past experience? Thanks 

 

[jaguarskx]

$1,300 will get you a very good PC assuming you are not including the cost of the monitor.

For around $950 you can the following 4 components. The rest of the money can be used for the case, PSU, keyboard, mouse, etc...

i5-2500k
Z77 Motherboard
8GB of RAM
nVidia GTX 680 (if you can find one)

 

[Need Help_71]

Yeah that's what I was planning in my build

just my last question.....i should post it elsewhere but would you know if having windows 32 bit or 64bit makes any difference to gaming?? :S

 

[hushinimi]

32bit uses only 3gig-4gig memory ram only..(usually 3.5gig memory ram)
64bit uses more than 4 gig of memory ram I think some windows 7 supports up to 128gig of memory ram? :O not sure lol...

if your planning on a 8 gig ram or more, definitely get a 64bit edition

 

[Need Help_71]

ok thanks for your help

 

[Need Help_71]

Best answer selected by Need Help_71.