Jay G.

The problem is that getting "the most" out of games is a constantly shifting target with PCs, because they're constantly developing to allow for higher performance using the latest hardware. The people that spend thousands on their gaming PC setup want to be able to see the effect in games, and sometimes with things like resolution and framerate, it's a relatively minor thing to leave them uncapped so even future hardware that didn't exist when the game came out can get higher performance out of it.

So the question isn't "can this gaming PC run all new games at their highest settings?" which isn't going to be true for any gaming PC build probably a month or two out from purchase, but "can this gaming PC run new games at the level that I'm happy with?"

This is different than with consoles, where due to the mostly fixed hardware per generation, it's a "take it or leave it" situation. The developers only have to target one set of specs, so they can tweak all the settings until they get something they like, and the consumer can purchase the game and play it at those fixed settings and level of performance, or not play the game on that console.

That said, consoles can look good compared to similarly priced PC hardware due to developers being able to optimize for that specific hardware, where on PC they have to make sure the game generally runs well on nearly and hardware, which is a near infinite combination of dozens to hundreds of CPUs, GPU, RAM capacities and speeds, HDD/SSD seek and throughput, etc. PC just isn't a platform where you're going to ever find one piece of hardware that plays all games at best performance for any extended period of them.

If you're waiting for the "perfect" PC, you're never going to buy one.

RichC2

Also, worth noting - you don't have to upgrade every few years, graphic cards last much longer than people give them credit for - they just won't offer some bleeding edge features, and neither will their console counterparts.

Otherwise, you can still play modern games on a GTX 980 that was released 8 years ago.

RocShemp

I think that perfectly sums up the quest for the ideal gaming PC.

K&AJones

I agree and this is one area where performance& price point can be within reach of almost everyone....as long as they truly know and understand what the hardware CAN and CAN NOT Do.....there's plenty who are content with1080P and 60FPS with near max settings...some at 1440P...but others are wanting 4K but don't know or realize you'll have to sacrifice something in settings to get near that. I guess that's what a lot of side-by-side comparison YouTube videos with various video cards showing the FPS, memory and Power Consumption are popular. Seeing numbers on paper is one thing but that subject, "Can my rig run _____ Game" is near the top always and seeing it action is something else.

I play my PS5 thru a ASUS 32" Gaming Monitor at 2160 and can flat out tell the difference between it and my old PS4 at 1080P. I have not seen anything at 1440P so no comment there. To me, the 2160 at 60FPS is a sweet spot for a majority of games out there. I personally don't see me going back to playing anything at 1080P...might as well just fire up the PS4. I don't look for anything on the High End nor low end but right in the middle. But as noted, the High, Middle, Low is constantly changing and evolving with both Hardware and Software so there is No Perfect Time To Buy...

T-bone22

Atomic Heart will have “Dynamic” 4K 60 on consoles which means probably only 4k 60 in dungeons and the resolution will shift down when in the open world. Very few modern games can run in 4k 60 on Series X or PS5. You either take 4k with low framerate or you get reduced resolution to hit 60 fps. The recommended PC specs would give you a solid 4K 60 through all areas of the game which the consoles cannot do.

Noonan

Consoles are built for one purpose only and are sold at a loss even years after they release. NVidia can't do that because they don't have software sales to make their profit (same with manufacturers of any PC components).

K&AJones

Anyone have opinions, experience with these cards....as of now, I would pick one of these and so far what I've seen, depending on Game and Settings, these are all close to each other....

RTX 3060Ti, RTX 3070, RX 6750 XT and RX 6800...I'd say for a card my Budget/Build Idea is about $600 Max.......with MB and CPU I'm more open and have several in mind with both Intel and AMD...

I found this video from 9 months ago comparing specs. Not paying attention to the cost factor since in 9 months it's changed a bit.....



This is a Setup I have looked at seriously (with RX 6700 instead)....I can see myself doing 1440P with close to max settings....

Jay G.

I have zero personal experience with those cards, but for a general AMD vs Nvidia comparison:

https://www.tomshardware.com/feature...vs-nvidia-gpus
https://reviewed.usatoday.com/gaming.../amd-vs-nvidia

RocShemp

Ray tracing looks cool, but the performance hit... I want my games to look good, but I also want them to move smoothly. 4K/60fps would be the goal for me. Sure 4K/120fps sounds amazing on paper, but I don't think we're really there yet. Anyone who knows better, feel free to correct me.

K&AJones

I've been watching a lot of videos showing comparisons between 1080P vs 1440p vs 4K all with Ultra Settings....with various cards and CPU's in the mix. While the FPS Numbers fluctuate between all three options, one thing I have noticed though, 1080P Ultra seems to hold it's own visually. Of course it depends on the game itself in terms of type like Fortnite is not the same as say Destiny in terms of details. And some games no matter what will and can stress the card/CPU no matter what...like in the video below Red dead Redemption and Cyberpunk put this setup...a RTX 3060Ti with Ryzen 5 5600x to the test at all three settings while others not so much.



After posting this early this morning, had to go do grocery shopping, came back and this story popped up on the side that caught my eye....a pretty good long read. And I started to think about because with some games I'm playing, I read reveiws and all and there's several there mention...PC Performance Issues and Bugs....being part of the Con & Negative...... PC gamers are getting fed up with one shoddy port after another | PC Gamer

RocShemp

That was a really good article. Thanks for posting the link.

RichC2

I know he was making point but I do have to say the ports of God of War, Returnal, Forza Horizon 5 and Halo Infinite were really well done.

K&AJones

i've been back looking at CPU and Motherboard combos....I'm almost set on the CPU...AMD Ryzen 7 5700X. However on the MB's I've narrowed it down some but...can someone tell me just what is the difference with the last letter attached to the number means? In other words I'll see a B550-F...B550-P...B550M....B550-A.....I remember seeing a Review Video on various AMD Boards and they said don't get the "M" for whatever but I simply don't know what these letters at the end mean on the B550/B650 Boards mean?

As of now...if I had to pick it's this one...it doesn't have a letter after the B550...just curious asto what they all mean....
I was looking at cards and nowonder everyone is shaking their hea at the insaness......I looked at a RTX4070Ti for about $890.00....and right below it was a RTX3080 for $900.00....good grief...

T-bone22

This is the board that I went with on my build a couple years ago, and it was a really well recommended board after doing a lot of research. https://pcpartpicker.com/product/JXB...-b550-f-gaming

Jay G.

From what I can find, those aren't "official" AMD codes, but what manufacturers used to distinguish models, and for each manufacturer they may have different meanings. I think you'll just want to look at the features to make sure it's got everything you want.

The "M" designation, however, most likely means a Mini or Micro-ATX board, so not what you want unless you want a compact PC build.
https://linustechtips.com/topic/1429...rd-names-mean/

Jay G.

Is the actual percentage of shoddy ports up, or are there more shoddy ports (at least on initial release, before bug fixes, etc.) due to there being more PC ports overall?

It's not like PC-exclusive releases aren't known to have major bugs and issues upon release too. It's all about how much time and effort the developers/publishers want to put in the product, and whether they're aiming to meet a particular release date, and how much QA they do. However, PC releases are always going to be trickier and more bug-filled due to the complexities for releasing a product that's going to run on thousands to tens of thousands of PC configurations. Like, the game could run fine on all the PC configurations the developer had on hand to QA test on, but once released into the wild it's going to be run on PC configurations they hadn't thought of, and those could potentially reveal issues previously unseen.

RocShemp

Are Alienware PCs still considered overpriced, or is this actually a good deal?

https://deals.dell.com/en-us/product...HtswyomkrrgPaO

T-bone22

I don't know if things have changed in recent years, but historically Alienware has always been VERY overpriced.

K&AJones

A long time ago when Alienware first came out, they were considered Top Notch....many feel when Dell took them over, the uniqueness and brand started to go down. It might have changed, I can't say....some areas might be great like their Laptops and Monitors...BUT...after I saw this video from Gamers Nexus doing a review on a $5000 Alieware PC...I'll never even consider one....from 9 months ago...





Which with that, I saw this story the other day and hts the nail on the PC gaming Coffin....the insane prices on High End Rigs, Cards, Boards... Ultra-enthusiast hardware is strangling PC gaming | PC Gamer

RichC2

Alienware is fine when there are sales for their mid-level rigs. You can get a Gen 12 core i7 with a 3060 TI from them for under a grand which isn't bad and the performance is great on that particularly setup. But no, they are no longer a viable option for high end configurations (and frankly never really have been).

I don't particularly agree with the high end rigs/boards complaint, since bleeding edge has always been absurdly overpriced - that article even says as much. You can buy a sub $400, generation old graphics card and still reap most of the benefits.

RocShemp

I'm just 7 minutes into the first video and... Yeah, Alienware is still overpriced. Might even be worse $/performance than I remember it being.

I'd normally build my own, but was feeling lazy this generation. Hell, I might just get a Steam Deck to tide me over until I decide what I wanna do. I'm currently saving for a new AV Receiver, so I guess I got time.

EDIT: Here are two articles that should be of interest. Best PC Builds for Gaming: From Sub $500 Budgets to $3000+ (for the DIY'ers) and Best gaming PC in 2023: the top systems today (for anyone looking to go prefab).

K&AJones

Thanks for the links....and I tend to look for something like these and videos since it's constantly changing. However, I was surprised on the $1500 Build saying you can get a RTX-3080 and RX-6950XT for $700...I don't think so. In fact last I looked maybe a RTX 3070.
Curious on the Power Supply Choice but guessing price wise. Corsair PS seem to be always rated high. I have them, EVGA, Cooling Master, Seasonic and another that's some are high on...XPG
Other day when looking at MB's I went over to Best Buy and saw where they had a MB and CPU Combo up...and also noticed that the newer model MB & CPUs Combos costing $700 to $900...all Sold Out...

Saw this article that pretty much sums up what everyone else knows...and one primary reason why PC gaming has got expensive.... Shocking but not surprising: The average price of a GPU at retail has doubled since 2020 | PC Gamer

And this site here is a good one on Video Card Stuff...plus they cover Ram, CPU's and other parts but mainly Cards..... VideoCardz.com - Home of Graphics Cards, Video Cards, GPUs

K&AJones

Once again...as the old saying goes....More $$$$ doesn't always buy happiness or in this "CASE"...better quality....just posted 10hrs ago....

Phodg

Prices have come down a lot recently, although they're still artificially high. Just has a quick look at Best Buy - 3060 = $399, 3070 = $550, 4070Ti = $829. A 3060 or 3070 will easily see you through the next several years of PC games.

K&AJones

Once again another great video from Gamers Nexus...who this time went out and bought a very expensive PC...this from Origins at the tune of $6000+....this video is more of indepth of the teardown inside. the original review is ...well interesting on all the stuff they found.