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Skyrimosity

Well-Known Member
Hello everybody. This is Skyrimosity here and I have a dilemma. I can't decide if I should buy a gaming PC or a PS4. Now, I know that most of you will immediately say "gaming PC" but the thing is that I am and always have been a console gamer. I feel no loyalty, but this would be venturing into new grounds. Upgrades? Building a PC? Huh? At least with a PS4, you buy it, plug it in, job well done.

I do have the Alienware X51 R2 bookmarked, but I suspect common opinion will be "build your own". It is worth noting my technical skills are on par with that of a caveman so... if its really worth it, I'd try... but probably would have to REALLY be worth it.

Price is not an issue (up to $750 I am willing to spend) [If I spent more than that on something that is completely unneeded and not in any view necessary, I"d have to spend the weekend repenting] so I'm just asking for your advice.
 

ZeroDragon

Bring me my broadsword, and clear understanding.
A dilemma indeed.

From a personal point of view, and everyone's will be, I would suggest that it would depend on the games you want to play. If I was just to base it on Skyrim, I have played both PC (built my own and a gaming quality laptop) and console, I would say PC, but purely because I find using keyboard and mouse preferable to the console handset. If you want to use mods you have to go PC.

If I was to look at other games, I prefer racing games on a console because of the handset. Though I find online gaming is more often driven by friends having the same console.
 

Stoshe160

New Member
PC, just like ZeroDragon wrote... Controls and mods are huge plus.
If you can't build PC on your own I belive that guys in hardware shop could patch it up for you.
 

Skyrimosity

Well-Known Member
The more I look into it, the harder the decision is really. If I attempted to build a PC, that means there's all the parts that I know NOTHING about at all. If I trust another person's built PC, it is practically the same as buying a pre-made gaming PC really. Or I could buy a pre-made gaming PC but everyone tells me that's a bad idea (despite mostly positive reviews on the product). Or, just buy a PS4 and plug it in and play games. But I really like RTS games and that genre is non-existent for consoles.
 

Epic Keith

By Ysmir you're going to FREEZE to death!
Actually the problems you might find is the exclusives. It depends on what you really want,
Want Infamous, PS4
Want skyrim with mods, PC
And one more thing, the PS4 is created solely for gaming, but you might get a better computer if you just pitch in some more money.
 

Gunnbjorn

Formerly known as Arillious
I mean I guess it depends how picky you are, and how much you're willing to spend.

A PS4 will always be $400, the price won't go up. When I watch videos of games that will be coming out in the future, I notice the graphics are unbelievable. However, PC games are coming out with games that have amazing graphics too, the problem is: to play a beautiful game that runs smoothly on a PC, you'll have to invest a lot more money than $400. That's the downside for me.

Also, ask yourself what kind of games do you play? Personally, I find that it is much more enjoyable to play FPS games like Call of Duty and Battlefield on Console. I don't know, I just do. However, if you're a person who enjoys playing MMORPGs a lot, there's is a MUCH larger community on the PC than there ever will be on Console. Do you like using a mouse and keyboard or do you fancy a controller? PC offers both, PS4 offers one.

PCs you can add things like mods and all that jazz to your games, although that was never really a deal-breaker for me. I LOVE the trophy system on PS4, I love accumulating trophies because it gives me a sense of completion and accomplishment.

Personally, I'm a console guy.

Elder Scrolls Online is coming out. I've decided that I will be playing it on PS4. Yes, an MMO on a console, ridiculous! Whenever I told people they would say "Idiot! PC is the master race! My rig runs 60 fps constantly, has really really good ram, I never experience lag or game delay, I can play two games at once if I wanted to, and it can make me a sandwich when I'm hungry! PC is WAY better than consoles!" Then I'll ask them "How much did you pay for your PC?" Then they'll respond with something like $1500 or $3000. I sure as hell hope your PC is better than the PS4, considering you paid 3 times the price.

So in conclusion, it's all based on opinion. I think for $400 a PS4 is a great investment for gamers. But. if you want to pay $1500 for a good PC because that's your thing, do you. Just please don't brag about it.
 

raido KASAI

Ansei Master Badass
$750 huh? I build systems pretty regularly and have built some good rigs for around that. One question I'd have though is whether you already have a decent monitor already and thus would only be investing in the tower itself. If you needed to pick up a good monitor, then obviously that eats into the budget.

As far as PC or console, it depends on what you want to do with it more than anything else. A PC is typically more expensive, but has more potential uses. Also they are upgradeable so you can change out parts down the road where as a console only has the option of buying the next big thing if you want to upgrade. Personally I tend to like the PC route, but I like my PS3 a good deal too and will eventually get a PS4 at some point.

I built my desktop from scratch. The only pre-built PC I have is my Alienware M17x laptop which I like a lot but it was by far the most expensive tech item I've bought, but I use it for a bunch of work related graphic design type stuff to so that was part of my justification for it. There's not all that much to being able build your own desktop. It's pretty simple for the most part. Laptops are way harder and have far less build it yourself type options hence I always buy one outright.

Also how you like to play games most often plays some role as if you like keyboard/mouse, PC scores points there. If you like console-type controllers, obviously the PS4 has that out of the box. You can use the standard wired XBox 360 controller on a PC though and it is generally supported by a majority of games. I use it for Skyrim a good bit as I originally put many hours in the game on my PS3 before getting the PC version and thus was more comfortable with a controller
 

Crooksin

Glue Sniffer
The above post by raido KASAI is everything I would tell you and more. Couple things I will add:

- Assuming you don't plan on being mobile with your gaming as you are thinking of buying a PS4, in this case don't get a gaming laptop. Its overpriced (for mobility/convenience) and you can build a better PC for 40% less. Once your gaming laptop becomes out-dated, there's nothing you can do about it, either. Very little parts can be swapped out, unlike desktops where you can just replace whatever part when need be.

- Stay away from Alienware. They are very sexy looking computers and in most cases, very capable. That being said, you pay for the name and look and you pay way too much in this case. Stay away from all pre-built PCs. Building your own can be time consuming (mine took about 5 hours of some frustrating work and I was/am a complete noob to building PCs) but you'll save a couple hundred bucks in the long run. The frustration was worth it to me, at least.

If you really need help on deciding a PC build, you can PM me and I will show you my own build and give you tips on which companies to put more faith in (some companies are better/worse depending on what part). It was 1100 Canadian and that includes monitor, keyboard and mouse. I bought it mostly from American sites so I suffered a lot of custom and shipping fees. If you happen to be American, I'm sure you could've got it for maybe around 800 and even less now because its been about a year. My computer can play games like BF4, Crysis 3, Far Cry 3, Skyrim all on Ultra with no problem.
 

raido KASAI

Ansei Master Badass
- Stay away from Alienware. They are very sexy looking computers and in most cases, very capable. That being said, you pay for the name and look and you pay way too much in this case. Stay away from all pre-built PCs. Building your own can be time consuming (mine took about 5 hours of some frustrating work and I was/am a complete noob to building PCs) but you'll save a couple hundred bucks in the long run. The frustration was worth it to me, at least.

At this point, the Alienware systems are just upper end Dell systems now. In some cases you could get the exact system with a Dell case and it's cheaper.

For me, a laptop is one of the only systems I go the pre-made route. You still pay a lot but usually there isn't many drastically cheaper alternatives for the same quality. You do pay a lot for portability so if that's not a big thing for you, then there's not much of a reason for one. I love my laptop but if I didn't also use it for work and take it around on the road a good bit, it wouldn't be practical

I find in most cases, pre-made desktops are usually over-priced for what you get. The low-end stuff is cheap, but there are far less upgrade opportunities usually down the road. You can get some good stuff in the mid-level and upper-end, but there's extra money that is wasted. If you do go pre-made I'd look at systems that have been out for 6-12 months as retailers are trying to get rid of them because they aren't the newest thing but for a user, the difference between a good system of a year ago and a good system today is not that vast a difference for most users
 

AS88

Well-Known Member
Staff member
Thanks for asking this, Skyrimosity, I'm going through a very similar dilemma at the minute. I'm very interested in getting a PC for a modded Skyrim experience, and the fact that mine and my girlfriend's laptops are about 4 years old each now. But I, like you, have always been a console gamer, and I can not operate without a controller when it comes to playing games. Especially because I play a lot of racing games (Gran Turismo, Need for Speed, etc) and sports games (NBA 2K and FIFA), and I would be looking to use a controller with Skyrim on PC anyway.

I'm hoping that I'll be able to save up and eventually get both, and enlist some help from friends to get a good PC built, and maybe a contribution from my girlfriend who's a casual gamer and could do with a PC for university work.

I'll be watching this :p
 

raido KASAI

Ansei Master Badass
Thanks for asking this, Skyrimosity, I'm going through a very similar dilemma at the minute. I'm very interested in getting a PC for a modded Skyrim experience, and the fact that mine and my girlfriend's laptops are about 4 years old each now. But I, like you, have always been a console gamer, and I can not operate without a controller when it comes to playing games. Especially because I play a lot of racing games (Gran Turismo, Need for Speed, etc) and sports games (NBA 2K and FIFA), and I would be looking to use a controller with Skyrim on PC anyway.

I'm hoping that I'll be able to save up and eventually get both, and enlist some help from friends to get a good PC built, and maybe a contribution from my girlfriend who's a casual gamer and could do with a PC for university work.

I'll be watching this :p
a wired 360 controller works on PC fine. Some of the other ones will work but need additional utilities running to make it happen. I play Skyrim all the time on PC using a 360 controller. Some games I just like it better than mouse and keyboard
 

ZeroDragon

Bring me my broadsword, and clear understanding.
The black magic those PC builders do only on certain nights of the year ........ isn't really that magic. I paid to have a gaming pc built back when the Matrox Millenium G400 MAX was the favoured graphics card in all reviews with a huge, at the time, 32Mb. Being naturally curious I had to take the side off and have a peek. Later something went wrong and I decided to have a go at repairing it. Not rocket science at all. Since then I've developed an evolution of upgrades until I end up with my current PC which resembles the original in no way shape or form whatsoever.. Care and common sense is all that is needed, along with the money to buy the parts and software.
 

raido KASAI

Ansei Master Badass
The black magic those PC builders do only on certain nights of the year ........ isn't really that magic. I paid to have a gaming pc built back when the Matrox Millenium G400 MAX was the favoured graphics card in all reviews with a huge, at the time, 32Mb. Being naturally curious I had to take the side off and have a peek. Later something went wrong and I decided to have a go at repairing it. Not rocket science at all. Since then I've developed an evolution of upgrades until I end up with my current PC which resembles the original in no way shape or form whatsoever.. Care and common sense is all that is needed, along with the money to buy the parts and software.
I agree, as long as your are careful, particularly as far as static electricity goes, there's not too much to it all. Way less so now than even 5 years ago since there are much better integrated secondary components in motherboards, network cards for instance that used to have to be expansion cards to have anything more advanced than the most basic hardware. Today, much of what can be on-board is often high quality. I still always use a separate video card except for the most basic of systems, but the rest I can often be happy with what's on the board out of the box
 

ZeroDragon

Bring me my broadsword, and clear understanding.
The black magic those PC builders do only on certain nights of the year ........ isn't really that magic. I paid to have a gaming pc built back when the Matrox Millenium G400 MAX was the favoured graphics card in all reviews with a huge, at the time, 32Mb. Being naturally curious I had to take the side off and have a peek. Later something went wrong and I decided to have a go at repairing it. Not rocket science at all. Since then I've developed an evolution of upgrades until I end up with my current PC which resembles the original in no way shape or form whatsoever.. Care and common sense is all that is needed, along with the money to buy the parts and software.
I agree, as long as your are careful, particularly as far as static electricity goes, there's not too much to it all. Way less so now than even 5 years ago since there are much better integrated secondary components in motherboards, network cards for instance that used to have to be expansion cards to have anything more advanced than the most basic hardware. Today, much of what can be on-board is often high quality. I still always use a separate video card except for the most basic of systems, but the rest I can often be happy with what's on the board out of the box

I agree totally - the static is the main careful and siting the cpu. I always use a separate graphics card ... or at the moment 2. I might use onboard sound for the next one. But, knowing me, I'll want something dedicated.

I'm sure there is more than enough knowledge on this forum to help guide someone embarking on their first build/upgrade.
 

raido KASAI

Ansei Master Badass
The black magic those PC builders do only on certain nights of the year ........ isn't really that magic. I paid to have a gaming pc built back when the Matrox Millenium G400 MAX was the favoured graphics card in all reviews with a huge, at the time, 32Mb. Being naturally curious I had to take the side off and have a peek. Later something went wrong and I decided to have a go at repairing it. Not rocket science at all. Since then I've developed an evolution of upgrades until I end up with my current PC which resembles the original in no way shape or form whatsoever.. Care and common sense is all that is needed, along with the money to buy the parts and software.
I agree, as long as your are careful, particularly as far as static electricity goes, there's not too much to it all. Way less so now than even 5 years ago since there are much better integrated secondary components in motherboards, network cards for instance that used to have to be expansion cards to have anything more advanced than the most basic hardware. Today, much of what can be on-board is often high quality. I still always use a separate video card except for the most basic of systems, but the rest I can often be happy with what's on the board out of the box

I agree totally - the static is the main careful and siting the cpu. I always use a separate graphics card ... or at the moment 2. I might use onboard sound for the next one. But, knowing me, I'll want something dedicated.

I'm sure there is more than enough knowledge on this forum to help guide someone embarking on their first build/upgrade.
Yeah, I totally dig the multi-video card setup. The triple monitor setup would be hard otherwise. More than 2 was a bit of an overkill but I just had to try it.
 

Crooksin

Glue Sniffer
For me, a laptop is one of the only systems I go the pre-made route. You still pay a lot but usually there isn't many drastically cheaper alternatives for the same quality. You do pay a lot for portability so if that's not a big thing for you, then there's not much of a reason for one. I love my laptop but if I didn't also use it for work and take it around on the road a good bit, it wouldn't be practical

Honestly, I wouldn't even think to build a laptop. The very little I looked up on it is that you need a lot of knowledge before hand and some of the parts just aren't viable to replace after. I have a laptop just for school but because I exclusively game at my house, I knew getting a gaming laptop isn't worth it. One of the questions OP has to ask themself before purchasing either or.

I find in most cases, pre-made desktops are usually over-priced for what you get. The low-end stuff is cheap, but there are far less upgrade opportunities usually down the road. You can get some good stuff in the mid-level and upper-end, but there's extra money that is wasted. If you do go pre-made I'd look at systems that have been out for 6-12 months as retailers are trying to get rid of them because they aren't the newest thing but for a user, the difference between a good system of a year ago and a good system today is not that vast a difference for most users

There will always be extra money wasted when buying a pre-built one. I did find some good ones on newegg and it was probably the cheapest there than any other ones (i.e on Dell site etc) so if a pre-built is what you want, that's where I would recommend to go. I also kind of designed my computer around a build I saw because they break them down into seperate products you can check out so its a nice tool. I had a pre-built Dell one for years and while it was decent enough for a couple years, it was like 1800 I think. This was back in '05. Never again, the mark-up they have is insane and I just want to take a moment and comment on how plops their customer service is even though its unrelated lol. I'm just one who likes the bang for the buck and when I see people buy pre-built comps because they don't know anything else, I just die a little. 2 hours research, 5 hours build time and you saved yourself a few hundred bucks.
 

NENALATA

Last King of the Ayleids - RETIRED
If you care nothing whatsoever for mods, then go with the PS4. If you like PS4 like I like Samsung, go with that. However, I'd do some more research so you know what you can and can't do with the PS4. Personally, I have to have my mods. Esp the one that makes Ore Deposits glow so they're easier to find.


ASUS gaming laptops are absolute best, however you want to make sure and get a 17" screen and pay close attn to how much video ram the onboard graphics card is built with. 2Gb is all you really need, Win RAM should be 4 - 8 GB, (8 pref). i5 is not bad. i7 is better for Overclocking and overall stability, generates heat though. Also want to pay attn to the Gen of the i5 or i7 processor.

Intel i7 is great, however generates lots of heat so if you go with a custom gaming rig (like I built over 3 yrs) then that's a problem. I use an enclosed water cooler which dispels heat like a beast, keeping my core/case temp(s) down by about 10 Deg.

ASUS Mobo's are a very good choice. Prob will need a 1050 Watt P/S, you can either invest in a really good graphics card or go with 2x Nvidia's (bridged).

Building a laptop isn't that hard really but not worth it. The only reason to do that is if you want custom hardware in the unit that Manuf won't or doesn't include/install with the unit.
 

raido KASAI

Ansei Master Badass
Honestly, I wouldn't even think to build a laptop. The very little I looked up on it is that you need a lot of knowledge before hand and some of the parts just aren't viable to replace after. I have a laptop just for school but because I exclusively game at my house, I knew getting a gaming laptop isn't worth it. One of the questions OP has to ask themself before purchasing either or.
Yeah, I looked it up at one point and there are very few options on barebones laptop cases. very few options on motherboards and various parts, and what there is available is too expensive for what you get out of it. It took me no time at all to rid myself of the building a laptop idea. I got a custom built gaming one for the same basic price and it blows the one i could have built for scratch away completely
 

GratuitousViolets

PS3 Addict
Buy both a laptop and a Ps4 for the price you'd pay for an Alienware. Then you can do both things,run high end games on console but have laptop for socialisation, utilities and other various things.
 

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