You Guys Are Still Spending a Lot on Gaming PCs

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Spending big? Well I did drop about $800 about 3 years ago... and another $600 or so in upgrades recently (Quad core, new GFX, anyone want a 3870? lol ) The problem is with "enthusiests" is that we are too smart, anyone that can stay sober enough not to bend the pins on a processor (Or on the motherboard if your are a LGA or later intel user.) knows how to torrent, and there are groups of people that make it a hobby out of bypassing ownership verifications.

B.o.t... It's hard to believe though that enthusiasts make up almost half of the market however... but then again the adverage bargain basement computer costs as much as the case some of you goofs put your machine in.
 
(((This is actually kind of surprising. I would have thought that the enthusiasts would be a smaller minority since it seems that most people don't want to learn how to build and tweak computers and custom computer companies seem to be holding strong.

Good to see.)))

response: they are, but their equipment just happens to cost 5-10 times as much as a normal user's computer.
Normal user:$300-$1200
Enthusiast: $1500-$6000

also, mac's account for a lot of $1000 p+c's because they are ALL $1000+ pc's.
 
Was the above survey just for purchases within the US or globally (hello from Australia =) ).

Although PC Hardware has been getting cheaper overall (where there are competitors for it as seen with ODDs as opposed to GPUs/VId cards) but it seems as though that software (and games) has gone at a much slower rate then they used to.

Currently I'm typing this on a 2003 built Intel Pentium 4 socket 478 machine and it's been more than plenty for net and casual gaming use [upgrading to 2 GB of ram and a 7300 GT GPU/vid card ~3 years ago helped a bit =) ] and outside of that had no real need to upgrade/build a new PC until now [Blu Ray, getting a little too slow to use with 3DS Max 08, some newer games are struggling too much for my liking etc].
Yep, you read the above paragraph correctly, it took software "7 years" to actually push my ancient P4 machine enough make me really want/need to build a new PC [core i7 930 based].
With the current trend of software taking a very long time to stretch the capabilities of PC Hardware (re games [although I use both consoles and PCs for gaming] I blame console ports) so I doubt I'll be needing to build another PC anytime soon with the most likely upgrades being more HDDs, an SSD [waiting for the sweet spot on longevity, storage space and price =) ] and possibly a sound card (if I can't get DTS-MA to play nice from the 5850's HDMI port to my amp) but overall it'd pretty much stand 'as is' for at least 2 years).

Yes PC Enthusiasts and professionals will take up the majority of $ and sales [nVidia don't make Ion/Tegra/Tesla chips for nothing] but not only because of them needing faster machines [time is money] but also in combination of having less 'low to mainstream' users [with the exception to moms/pops buying propping up sales with pre-built cheap dime a dozen boxes every 12 months] upgrading/purchasing more hardware because they simply 'don't need it' [or just buy consoles and it's expensive games].

My RANTs (sorry) summary;
Enthusiast $ and sales will go up but as software/games take longer to stress mainstream hardware used by non-gamers/business/net users they will purchase less and skew the figures in favor of enthusiast sales.
 
^ GenX is not the only ones...

I know plenty of people in their 40's, 50's, 60's, and even 70's that are heavily into high-tech gadgets and high-powered computer systems. Most of them are tinkerers at heart. They grew up with toys like Erector Sets, home chemical lab sets, and a few with home-built HAM radios. My grandfather was into tech stuff well into his 90's. One of the last tech-gadgets he purchased before his passing in 1996 was a pair of $300 wireless headphones.

GenX grew up with consoles thrust into their faces at every corner. The generation before got Pong. Woopie! But, they also got first ever home computers. I was in the middle of the two. I truly believe the whole reason we have such high-powered computers and tech-gadgetry today is entirely due to the insane amount of work that went into the original computer boom in the 70's and 80's by that generation. They are the people in and entering their senior years like those I mentioned above.

But I really don't think generation has as much to do with it as the actual need and desire amongst many people for high-grade and high-performance tech.
 
lets see

core i7 920 $280
Heat sink $120
Mobo $200
Vcard $430
6gb ram $200
Case $250
Power Supply $250
X3 26 inch monitors $900
Active adapter for eyefinity $100
Mouse $50
Keyboard $70
Speakers $300
Sound card X fi of course $100
Racing wheel $200
Hdds $300

Total
3750

and yet still to come ssd and another VC for xfire

Is that a lot of $$$???

na rather go to my PS3 and finish god of crap III in 5 hrs, than expending hrs of fun with eyefinity setup and awesome sound on battlefield BC2

Console games are the best, they just last 6 to 8 hrs (most of them)
OR go play Gear of CRap 1 and 2 and finish them in less than 6 hrs to.
FEW FEW console games are great ( FEW = demon souls, zelda mario bla bla de classic crap but aside from that is just a thing that run for 6 to 8 hrs and its over)
While PC games are mostly MP and tons of replay value (WOW, Starcraft 1 and 2 is comming out, Diablo III, BFBC2, Dirt 2, to mention some) PLUS the Look 99.9% better on a PC than console and almost no loading times.

But im not a gamer

PC GAMING IS DEAD. YOU HEAR ME, IS DEAD!!!!

8P

PS> YES IT CAN RUN CRYSIS!!!
 
I've learned to upgrade at my own pace, especially when games don't take advantage of hardware as much as they should. What's really great is the sheer amount of freedom PC gamers have to pick and choose as we please, and knowing that even if a game doesn't run great now, we can buy something within a certain price range in the near future that will allow it to. PC gaming is one continuous road, vs consoles that have the consumer take a detour every 5 or so years.
 
Console games will continue to rape PC games in sales because...
(A) It's cheaper

(B)People are incredibly lazy... they just want to pop in a game and play

(C)Ease of use. People are incredibly stupid or young and the path of least resistance is the path they will take. (simple controllers, no installation, configuration, or reading required.)

(D)Social interaction. You can play with your friends or siblings. Madden on the big screen vs hunkering around the monitor equals no contest.
I believe this holds the most appeal for console gamers. Playing games together is almost a universal need for all ages.

Despite all this I think the enthusiasts market will continue to grow as I believe there is so much more depth to computers and we build the best for a myriad of reasons not just gaming.
 
"You Guys Are Still Spending a Lot on Gaming PCs"
as a gaming enthusiast - We already know that.

Also, Everone should be noted that
"You Guys Are Still Spending a Lot More on Apple PCs"
 
[citation][nom]cloakster[/nom]I do agree that PC gaming is for the true enthusiast. but console gaming will never die because of how cost effective it is for the consumer, assuming that they buy all their games legitly.[/citation]
Paying 30-50% more for each console game (even more if on sale) and 400-600$ buck for console itself and even more for big flat TV.
I would hardly call this cost effective.

My PC is now 2.5 year old with only graphic card upgrade and using it 15% work 45% entertainment and 40% gaming. Yes I have PS3, and I bough maybe 3 games for it (because none was available on PC) compared to 100+ games I bought on PC in last 2 years alone.
 
there's nothing i really want to say but i wonder where do u get the money to buy all this expensive hardware!I live in india(please don't think of slumdog millionaire) and i don't have enough money to buy a corei7 975 or whatever 1000$ cpu u are talking about!I wouldn't spend a month's of my salry buying these stupid hardware when i can make a gaming rig with 800$.u should know man that somewhere in the world there are people who just want to own a decent gaming computer and wait for the prices to go down rather than grabbing them off shelves!PC gaming's future is in making gaming available to all rather than making a 1000$ cpu and claiming it to be the fastest in the world when no normal man would buy it in my country!
 
[citation][nom]kshitizvijay[/nom]there's nothing i really want to say but i wonder where do u get the money to buy all this expensive hardware!I live in india(please don't think of slumdog millionaire) and i don't have enough money to buy a corei7 975 or whatever 1000$ cpu u are talking about!I wouldn't spend a month's of my salry buying these stupid hardware when i can make a gaming rig with 800$.u should know man that somewhere in the world there are people who just want to own a decent gaming computer and wait for the prices to go down rather than grabbing them off shelves!PC gaming's future is in making gaming available to all rather than making a 1000$ cpu and claiming it to be the fastest in the world when no normal man would buy it in my country![/citation]
You dont need to pay 1k$ for cpu, usualy 200$ is more then enough, anything more is just to pay additional 200$ for each few percent in performance which is clearly not worth it unless you use it for living or are rich and use multi displays.
Decent quadcore, 58xx graphic, 4GB ram is more then enough to play any game around with decent performance and it easy to get it for 800-1200$
 
I started PC gaming around 1991. And as long as there are good PC games available, I'll be a PC gamer. It's sad to see however, the most powerful, advanced and versatile gaming platform go by the wayside to stamped out consoles. Please know I'm not a hater, I enjoy some games on the consoles as well (co-op shooters, etc) but for the most part the most cutting edge, complex, interesting and competitive games have been on the PC.
 
If it's doing great how come I go to the gamestop & they only have only 1 little crappy half mini rack of computer games? Is it just gamestop or other stores also?
 


Not sure where you're getting those $400-$600 numbers from. It's more like $200-$400. And $400 usually includes a game or 2. Then throw in the fact that many people already have hi-def TVs so that cost is sunk and doesn't count in those cases. And if not, many people don't seem to mind playing on their standard def TVs. Combine that with the fact that consoles are true plug-and-play with setup time amounting to plugging the thing in along with the ability to play comfortably sitting on your couch, and it's clear why some people prefer consoles to gaming PCs. Gaming PCs are typically a $600+ investment along with a comfortable office setup. And games are only $10 cheaper on PC in most cases. Today's consoles are also media centers as well. They're not restricted to just gaming.

So comparing the 2 honestly, you save about $400 with a console using the minimum investment for each. If you compare a bare-bones setup where you don't have a TV or you don't have a computer to upgrade, then it's a bit more complicated. In many cases the TV will be used as a TV for watching movies and shows, so you can't just attach that cost to the cost of the console. But the cost of a PC monitor is solely for the PC. Then throw in the fact that you might have to buy a windows license, and you're looking at another $200 or so. You really have to be trying hard to ignore all the little costs that go into PC ownership to conclude that a console is not more cost effective.

Gaming is entertainment by the way.

With all that being said, I love my gaming PC and I love my console. There's room for both in my opinion. Some games are better on PC (like Starcraft or Company of Heroes) and others are better sitting on my couch with my console (like Gears of War or Mass Effect).
 
[citation][nom]Marco925[/nom]If enthusiasts make up half of the money for gaming PCs, Who are the other half of people?[/citation]
Half the money spent != half the people. Given the price of enthusiast-class products, the other half of money spent probably accounts for the vast majority of computer users.
 
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