The Real Deal with Console vs. PC Graphics?

[Justice2K]

I'm an owner of a PS4, Xbox One and Wii U, and I just built the first PC I've gamed on in 20 years for the sole purpose of being able to play any non-portable game I want.

I know that PCs have been murdering the last-gen (PS3, Xbox 360) for a while now in performance, but I'm wondering if the current gen has really bridged the gap as it relates to most gaming PCs. I have a decent high-end build (see below), but I'm wondering if a build like that can REALLY crush PS4 graphics on multi-platform games, or if they will be so comparable as not to matter.

As a former IGN writer, I know that passions run high on either side of this issue, but I figured you guys might be able to give a more grounded response. Thanks!

My build:

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K Processor (8M Cache, up to 4.40 Ghz)

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-UD3H LGA 1150 Z97 Ultra Durable UEFI DualBIOS ATX Motherboard

Optical: LG Electronics Optical DVD Drive GH24NSB0B

SSD: Crucial MX100 512GB SATA 2.5" 7mm (with 9.5mm adapter) Internal Solid State Drive CT512MX100SSD1

Power Supply: Corsair CX750 Builder Series ATX 80 PLUS Bronze Certified Power Supply

Graphics Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 G1 Gaming 4GB GDDR5 PCiE Video Graphics Card GV-N970G1 GAMING-4GD

HDD: Seagate Desktop 3 TB HDD SATA 6 Gb/s NCQ 64MB Cache 7200 RPM 3.5-Inch Internal Bare Drive ST3000DM001

RAM: Patriot 8GB(2x4GB) Viper III DDR3 1866MHz (PC3 15000) CL9 Desktop Memory With Red Gaming Heatsink- PV38G186C9KRD

Case: Corsair Carbide Series Black 300R Windowed Computer Case (CC-9011017-WW)

OS: Windows 8.1

 

[Gam3r01]

The graphics capabilities of consoles are on par with ~7850/70.
The 970 is around 50% faster than the 7870.

So the PC in question will out perform consoles easily.

 

[clutchc]

Of course it can. And besides, until consoles allow upgrading their components, they will continue to fall even further behind.

 

[gilbadon]

Your build kills consoles. As a PS4 earner, I know my PC is leaps and bounds above the console world. I have the options to play games on 3 screens or even at 4k. A ps4 would explode at those resolutions if it were even allowed. Now if you were to say performance/$, you will always want console gaming because the hardware is so much better optimized despite being worse.

 

[quilciri]

Just one example.

Battlefield 4.....we'll assume the consoles run with everything cranked, though I know that's not the case.

Xbone: 720p @ 60fps
PS4: 900p @ 60fps
GTX970 PC: 1440p @ 62fps (http://www.guru3d.com/articles-pages/gigabyte-geforce-gtx-970-g1-gaming-review,15.html)

it's not even close. the PC is pushing at least four times the game performance of the xbone, and two and a half times the performance of the ps4.

 

[quilciri]

A more interesting question is whether a PC that costs the same as a console can outperform it.

Again, the answer is yes, click the $400 build in my sig.

R9 270/Pentium G3258 PC: Battlefield 4 : 1080p @ 65fps

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-r9-270-review-benchmarks,3669-4.html
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/pentium-g3258-b81-cheap-overclocking,3888-3.html

...the prosecution rests *drops drumsticks with attitude and walks away*

 

[clutchc]

+1^
Not to mention the difference in texture quality, FOD, Anti-Aliasing levels, shading, and many more high end visual specs too numerous to mention that are less than optimum in the consoles.

 

[Matthew-san]

I have the benefit of having a brother who is an avid gamer and plays almost every game he buys on PS4. This way I can compare how his games looks and runs on PS4 compared to how they look and run on my PC. I have a pretty decent rig capable of handling the most demanding games at 1080p/60fps. The largest difference I can tell compared to the games that my brother plays on PS4 to that of the same games that I play on my PC is frame rate. I can play any game around the 60 fps mark on tweaked ultra while many of the PS4 games are locked at 30. Having a steady 60 fps makes the image quality of the games that I play much better. Dragon Age: Inquisition is definitely a game where I noticed how much better it looked on my PC simply because of the higher frames.

Both me and my brother play a plethora of triple AAA titles every year and one thing we like to do is compare our games and see how the stock up. We've noticed a trend occurring when we do so. My PC wins. It's not huge differences always but certainly noticeable. Here's is what is usually better on my PC compared to PS4. Frame rate, which is usually running at 60 fps if the PS4 version runs at 30 and if the PS4 version run at 60 then my PC usually runs it at 80+. Secondly, textures. PS4 textures are equivalent to either medium or high textures compared to the PC version. Thirdly, shadows. Shadows are pretty well done on PS4 games coming in at high setting equivalent of the PC version (not ultra though). Fourthly, resolution and AA. I'm not sure what it is about the image quality of my pc games looking smoother and more rich in detail. I believe it is because I use a very high quality 1080p 27 Inch ASUS monitor and my brother uses this massive 1080p 50 Inch TV. The pixels must be stretched on his TV. However, even when he was gaming on my old 32 Inch 1080p TV my monitor still produced higher quality images (perhaps it has to with the colors as well).

So yeah, there are some noticeable differences between gaming on a high-end PC compared to playing on a PS4. The new-gen consoles are certainly powerful but with the right PC you can best them when it comes to graphical fidelity and a smoother image (thanks to higher frame rates).

 

[quilciri]

Seriously, the only console I bought is the Wii U; Partly because that console has the most games that aren't available on PC and partly because that console has the most games that aren't buggy messes on release day 😀

 

[Justice2K]

Thanks for the feedback. Matthew-san: You saying I would achieve better results NOT gaming on my 60-in. Samsung?

 

[Matthew-san]

It's pure preference on what size TV or monitor you use. The larger the TV the more stretched the pixels will look (depending on the resolution of the TV). I suppose if you use a 60 Inch 1080p TV and sit back far enough then you won't notice much of a difference. I do know that if you are PC gamer and play at a desk like myself then you probably won't want to have a massive monitor because you'll only be a couple feet from the monitor and the images may look less realistic, stretched. But like I said, it's pure preference on what type of display you use to game on.