Windows Attack Apple Prices pt.2, or How does one PC game on the cheap

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rumarudrathas

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Remember that cute little red head that MS used to pitch the idea that Window's are a better option because of the price point? Well, they are at it again

Okay, to tell you guys and gals the truth, this is actually one of the primary reasons why my main machine is a Windows machine (aside from the fact its also my gaming PC, but hey, isn't that the reason Boot Camp existed or something). Last time, I asked if you guys or gals are swayed by the previous marketing effort, and I'm essentially asking the same question again, just with an updated add.

On a side note, PC gaming can be somewhat expensive (updating hardware and whatnot), so, what is this communities favorite tips and tricks into getting into and maintaining a PC gaming machine? Is it scoping forums like this or the one at HardOCP (deals forum in general), is it exclusive shopping at a website or price aggregator, or is it as simple as pacing oneself in upgrades, making that purchase of a Nvidia 8600 GT a year ago last for another card cycle/year or two...
 
I'd get a XPS 1530, runs ~$1,150 taxed shipped new, ~$950 from the outlet(but they are slightly lower spec'd) both with 8600m gt.
 
I buy a system on a two year cycle (sometimes a bit more). I don't upgrade or plan to upgrade when I build. If you make smart buying decisions, you won't have to. The most expensive system I ever built was about $1200, but that included everything. Monitor, peripherals, etc. My E8400 8800GT 512mb with 2GB of RAM was about $750 in January of '08. It's still running strong. No games or upcoming engines in the forseeable future will give it problems - definitely not any this year.

My next build will probably be in 2010. Quad Core will start to be sensible for gaming machines by then, Windows 7 will be out, SSD may be reasonably priced, and USB 3.0 will be showing up. I may wait even longer, at least until I see how this machine handles id Tech 5.
 
read reviews.

make friends who have components.

test them.

take your friends old parts.

test them.

go buy parts at garage sales.

test them.

take old "broken" parts from your repair job.

fix them, test them.

shop around at many different sites, don't just stick to newegg or where ever you normally buy from.

don't be afraid to fuck around with old parts, take them apart, see how things connect to other things. read up on overclocking forums.

With all this in mind, people will almost always try to oversell stuff. You NEED part X if you want to play teh gaymez. Usually bullshit, you'd be surprised and how much you can do with a little.

PC that can play everything currently out at a reasonable fps/res shouldn't cost any more than 500-600$. More, obviously, if you're building from scratch and need monitor, OS, KB+M, etc.
 
I buy on a 6-8 year cycle, and my "new" parts are always things that have been on the market at least a year or two. It's about as expensive as console gaming.
 
Why would anyone ever buy Apple computer hardware. I cannot fathom.

PS, my current computer (built August 2008) cost me about $350 (reusing DVD and HDDs, etc), and it doesn't afraid of anything. Crysis on all-highs, and most everything else is a breeze.


Edit: Wow I just watched that video of the ginger and goddamn, why would anyone act so retarded about buying a laptop. Also, why was there no sales tax.
 
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I bought a heavily discounted HP Pavillion last fall for around $300. I paid $60 or so for a good power supply and reused my 8800gt. Good times ever since.
 
The thing about Mac people (many, not all, don't get offended) is that their buying decisions aren't really rational. MS is gearing these commercials toward frugal people who make a stern value judgement over the cost of their hardware. Those people generally already buy PCs. Mac people have strange emontional reasons for buying Macs, like they're hip, or their friends own them, or Microsoft is evil and must be punished. MS might sway a few of those folks, but I think this ad blitz will be mostly money pissed away.
 
The ads aren't really to gain new customers, it's to prevent their current customers (the ones you described) from being influenced. It's about staying relevant in the consumer's mind.
 
Honestly most people don't need state of the art machines. A late model P4 with 1 gb of ram would more than suffice for 75% or more of pc users. Those people won't buy a Mac anyway because Mac's are far overpriced for their needs. I buy Windows PC's because I game heavily on PC's. It doesn't make any sense for me to pay more for a Mac, then buy additional software to play my games when a Windows PC will do the job right off the bat.

I also have doubts that OSX is a better OS than Windows. I guess when you limit the hardware choices for your OS, you do get a more stable product. But XP can work on 1.0 ghz PIII machines with integrated graphics to quad core gaming monsters with multiple video cards and everything in between. I bet if OSX had to work on such diverse set-ups it would have some of the same problems as windows.
 
That's exactly right. Windows really doesn't get enough credit for being everything for everyone. It's pretty fracking amazing when you consider the endless hardware configuration possibilities.
 
[quote name='Sokkratez']That's exactly right. Windows really doesn't get enough credit for being everything for everyone. It's pretty fracking amazing when you consider the endless hardware configuration possibilities.[/quote]

Yes, one of Windows' chief selling points is compatibility: software and hardware will pretty much work once you have the drivers.
 
I've built my own PCs for the past 8 years. However I'm planning on buying a Macbook Pro for my next laptop sometime soon.

The cost is high, and it's the main reason I made the initial switch from Mac to PC 10 years back. However I'm at a different place financially now, so Mac has re-entered the equation.

Personally I've decided on a Mac because it is higher quality. Everything from the feel of the machine, the parts inside, the options provided, and the quality of the screen take the best of what PC has to offer and crams it all into one device.

Yes I will install windows on my Mac, and that's where it shines. It runs windows wonderfully. So yes, I will pay the Apple Tax / Premium to have the greater flexibility and quality over it's PC counterpart.

Would I do this for a desktop machine? No. I'd build my own where I could control the parts from top to bottom. But for a laptop, absolutely.
 
pc gaming is only expensive if youre buying the top of the line. i just got a 9800 gtx+ for $135 from new egg. that baby can run any game out there.
 
[quote name='RAMSTORIA']pc gaming is only expensive if youre buying the top of the line. i just got a 9800 gtx+ for $135 from new egg. that baby can run any game out there.[/QUOTE]

ya, good parts are ridiculously cheap these days
 
it's funny how hard all the mac fanboys hate these windows ads

i stopped reading gizmodo due to hardcore apple bias.. engadget's not quite as bad, but they definitely show some disdain everytime ms does anything and treats apple's poop (rejecting apps, faulty hardware, stupid pricing) as if it's golden.. wish there was an unbiased gadget site
 
I just basically try and reuse parts when possible.
Like my latest rig I built. I had a SATA HD so I reused it, DVD drive and case I reused.

The rest of my build, E5200 OCed to 3ghz, 2GB DDR2 800, el cheapo Gigabyte mobo, corsair PSU, and my sapphire HD4830 core OCed 700mhz. It only cost me 290 for all those parts, and it plays everything out there, but I'll have to upgrade to 4GB of ram probably in about 6 months or so. Gaming doesn't have to be expensive, it's only when you get into real high enthusiast parts that it gets high.
 
This is really an excellent marketing campaign from Microsoft right now with the current state of the economy.
Of course I had friend who's a hardcore Linux fan respond to these ads by saying that Linux is free. ;)
 
The core user on CAG is Mister I-only-buy-the-cheapest-stuff-can-you-pricematch-this-no-I-do-not-want-the-extended-warranty-wait-I-have-a-coupon Guy. Asking them to understand the motives behind buying a Mac is futile.
 
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[quote name='Zing']The core user on CAG is Mister I only buy the cheapest stuff can you pricematch this no I do not want the extended warranty wait I have a coupon Guy.[/QUOTE]

HYPHENATE
 
I didn't feel like typing all the hyphens. :p

You got the point, anyway.

But I did fix it for you. You can rest easy now.
 
[quote name='crystalklear64']read reviews.

make friends who have components.

test them.

take your friends old parts.

test them.

go buy parts at garage sales.

test them.

take old "broken" parts from your repair job.

fix them, test them.

shop around at many different sites, don't just stick to newegg or where ever you normally buy from.

don't be afraid to fuck around with old parts, take them apart, see how things connect to other things. read up on overclocking forums.

With all this in mind, people will almost always try to oversell stuff. You NEED part X if you want to play teh gaymez. Usually bullshit, you'd be surprised and how much you can do with a little.

PC that can play everything currently out at a reasonable fps/res shouldn't cost any more than 500-600$. More, obviously, if you're building from scratch and need monitor, OS, KB+M, etc.[/QUOTE]

This man speaks the truth. I just borrowed a sweet ass card from my bass player, and now I can run WoW at almost full settings.

Before I was running onboard video, ha! Be frugal, be aware, and be patient. It will pay off!
 
[quote name='Koggit']it's funny how hard all the mac fanboys hate these windows ads

i stopped reading gizmodo due to hardcore apple bias.. engadget's not quite as bad, but they definitely show some disdain everytime ms does anything and treats apple's poop (rejecting apps, faulty hardware, stupid pricing) as if it's golden.. wish there was an unbiased gadget site[/QUOTE]

Yes, the amount of air-quotes (they're actual quotes, but I can see the bloggers using air-quotes in my head) in each Engadget post about Microsoft ad is hilarious.

On the subject of "sexy", I think they should use this laptop in one of their ads. Brushed metal AND Windows... it's the best of both worlds. Kind of looks like wood:

 
PC gaming isn't that expensive, especially if you already have a monitor and peripherals. Just shop around and don't buy into the hype. Check the deal sites on a daily basis. It took me about 2 months to buy all my components because I just waited around for deals :D
 
[quote name='Serik']PC gaming isn't that expensive, especially if you already have a monitor and peripherals. Just shop around and don't buy into the hype. Check the deal sites on a daily basis. It took me about 2 months to buy all my components because I just waited around for deals :D[/quote]
Correct!

You can look at it this way too:
You're going to buy a pc anyway and instead of buying a game console, put that money into the pc. You can save even more if you hunt craigslist for an older gaming pc that some one is getting rid of. Just check it out before hand. I've gotten some great deals. All three pcs in my household can play newer - newest games. Sometimes all you need is extra RAM or a cheap video card.
 
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