Is "PC Gaming" becoming too much of a money drain, now that it's "popular"?

[ritditditdidoo]

Titan (X)'s are not normal consumer cards. They weren't even faster than the 780ti and 980ti's. You really shouldn't be looking at those for top end card costs.

And of course, there is absolutely no reason that you need those high end cards for a high end gaming experience.

Yes they are. Nvidia have a whole range of business cards which are separate, the Titan series was exactly a normal consumer card. And the Titan X was much faster than a 980ti. The only thing faster was the Titan Z or the 295x2. And I already said in detail how they are not essential for gaming. My whole post was about that which everyone who has replied to me has ignored or not even read.

 

[Sabrewings]

And the Titan X was much faster than a 980ti.

No, it wasn't. From Anandtech's own review:

With an average performance deficit of just 3%, GeForce GTX 980 Ti is for all intents and purposes GTX Titan X with a different name.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/9306/the-nvidia-geforce-gtx-980-ti-review/18

 

[bystander36]

Yes they are. Nvidia have a whole range of business cards which are separate, the Titan series was exactly a normal consumer card. And the Titan X was much faster than a 980ti. The only thing faster was the Titan Z or the 295x2. And I already said in detail how they are not essential for gaming. My whole post was about that which everyone who has replied to me has ignored or not even read.

If you go with reference 980ti's, there was a small lead for the Titan X. A VERY small lead, but almost every aftermarket 980ti is faster than the Titan X.

 

[sxr7171]

nVidia is just capitalizing on the fact that CPUs are not progressing and people are keeping their setups for 4-5 years, even the regular upgraders. Couple that with the fact that the GPU is the number one most important factor in a gaming PC they have no hesitation going for the consumer surplus, the money that would have otherwise been spent on CPUs/motherboards.

I remember a time when you had to buy soundcards and controllers and even ethernet cards and spend money on that. Today if you buy a motherboard/CPU/RAM you're set. PC hardware is just less expensive overall.

I would argue PC gaming is growing despite these new aggressive GPU pricing strategies and not that the pricing strategies are due to the growing popularity of PC gaming.

 

[StrangerGuy]

Yes they are. Nvidia have a whole range of business cards which are separate, the Titan series was exactly a normal consumer card. And the Titan X was much faster than a 980ti. The only thing faster was the Titan Z or the 295x2. And I already said in detail how they are not essential for gaming. My whole post was about that which everyone who has replied to me has ignored or not even read.

"Heeeey listen to me man, when I fail completely at simple facts"

 

[Red Hawk]

Zodiark hit the nail on the head:

PC gaming is only as much of a money drain as you choose. Versatility and ability to scale is the beauty of the platform. For the most part (with a couple exceptions), it's only AAA games that want you to have the best-of-the-best PC setup. Of course, no one is holding you at gunpoint to have all settings maxed out.

Or you can choose to look elsewhere than AAA titles. The games I have the most hours in Steam will run happily on a potato.

Also, if you're buying your PC hardware at Best Buy, you're doing it wrong.

 

[ritditditdidoo]

If you go with reference 980ti's, there was a small lead for the Titan X. A VERY small lead, but almost every aftermarket 980ti is faster than the Titan X.

I meant 980 but yes even the 980ti it has a small lead. And aftermarket just means overclocked which you can do to the titan too. The Ti was also released a lot later.

"Heeeey listen to me man, when I fail completely at simple facts"

What facts did I "fail at" exactly? I haven't seen Anand's review of it but every other I read put the Titan at the top. And why did you bold the last part? Have you even read any of my posts or do you just want to troll? Seems a lot of people on this forum with a serious lack of reading comprehension and basic social skills.

 

[bystander36]

I meant 980 but yes even the 980ti it has a small lead. And aftermarket just means overclocked which you can do to the titan too. The Ti was also released a lot later.

The 980ti had better cooling solutions in aftermarket cards, while the Titan X was only allowed to be sold with reference coolers for most of its life. Due to this fact, the Titan X would be loud and throttle when OC'ed, the aftermarket 980ti's would out perform it as a result.

 

[ritditditdidoo]

The 980ti had better cooling solutions in aftermarket cards, while the Titan X was only allowed to be sold with reference coolers for most of its life. Due to this fact, the Titan X would be loud and throttle when OC'ed, the aftermarket 980ti's would out perform it as a result.

And the 1080 is better again, everything is better than earlier cards. My point is that at the time, the Titan was the best, and it cost a fortune.

 

[bystander36]

And the 1080 is better again, everything is better than earlier cards. My point is that at the time, the Titan was the best, and it cost a fortune.

My point was the Titan X (and Titan before), was not sold as a normal consumer card, and a 1-3 months later, the 780ti/980ti came out to be the normal performance card. Only people with money to burn, or impulse control bought the Titan (X) (with some researches who got the original Titan for CUDA). They don't really fit into the normal scheme of things. They are more like a MARS or ARES card were.

 

[Blitzvogel]

"PC Gaming" is such a broad term. I would put mainstream PC gaming in a similar class as to consoles when it comes to overall system processing power. We could argue all day long as to price/performance ratios, console optimization, and underpowered console CPUs. However, my given feeling is that most mainstream PC gamers are rocking such systems on average when considering laptops, prebuilt PCs and custom built machines.

I guess I'm part of that mainstream group to a certain degree with "only" an R9 270, but it's done great for 1080p, especially when most of what I play is War Thunder and games that have been out a while.

You can scale your experience up or down, based on how much you want to pay and what kind of games you're into. For those stuck with a "lowly" laptop or OEM desktop, they are likely to be quite limited to older titles, but it's ignorant to forget how good the PC gaming library is, going back 5, 10, or even 15 years.

It's also imperative to remember how PC Gaming is a "gateway drug" for learning about electronics, programming, IT and anything else interrelated Being limited to a laptop set in motion my PC gaming and PC hardware educational journey. I even use that knowledge to help me make a bit of money reselling older PC hardware.

 

[StrangerGuy]

I meant 980 but yes even the 980ti it has a small lead. And aftermarket just means overclocked which you can do to the titan too. The Ti was also released a lot later.

What facts did I "fail at" exactly? I haven't seen Anand's review of it but every other I read put the Titan at the top. And why did you bold the last part? Have you even read any of my posts or do you just want to troll? Seems a lot of people on this forum with a serious lack of reading comprehension and basic social skills.

-You claimed your 8800 GTX was a "$300" card, and we have proven you wrong.

-You claimed the Titan X was so much faster than the 980 Ti, and we have proven you wrong. "I would buy a Titan X over a much cheaper 980 Ti for gaming" said no one ever.

-You are obsessing over $600+ cards, and you are complaining GPUs are getting too expensive, made even more ridiculous by your own irrational hardon for the Titan X. Newsflash: top tier cards has never been cheap. Where were you when GF2 Ultra was $500, GF3 was $500, 6800 Ultra was $500, X1900 XTX was $650, GTX 280 was $650...?

You massively shift goalposts at every corner to fit your arguments, and now you are accusing us of reading comprehension. Maybe you should troll harder.

 

[sxr7171]

The 980ti had better cooling solutions in aftermarket cards, while the Titan X was only allowed to be sold with reference coolers for most of its life. Due to this fact, the Titan X would be loud and throttle when OC'ed, the aftermarket 980ti's would out perform it as a result.

It barely throttles if at all when you set it to 100% fan, but it's unreasonably noisy that way. The machine must be in a different room. With a hybrid cooler I think they can beat all but the top 980ti cards. A 980ti at 1600MHz would beat a 1470-1500Mhz Titan X.

 

[ritditditdidoo]

-You claimed your 8800 GTX was a "$300" card, and we have proven you wrong.

No I didn't, I was talking about in my country where it was a £300 card. Again, reading comprehension.

-You claimed the Titan X was so much faster than the 980 Ti, and we have proven you wrong. "I would buy a Titan X over a much cheaper 980 Ti for gaming" said no one ever.

Not proven wrong. It is faster depending which reviews you read.

-You are obsessing over $600+ cards, and you are complaining GPUs are getting too expensive, made even more ridiculous by your own irrational hardon for the Titan X.

Nope, my post was about 4 paragraphs long all about how you can game cheaply, and only one small sentence about how top end cards are so expensive. stuff deleted.

You massively shift goalposts at every corner to fit your arguments, and now you are accusing us of reading comprehension. Maybe you should troll harder.

No you.

 

[PingSpike]

PC hardware was an expensive hobby in the 80s and 90s, but compared to most hobbies its now cheap as hell. Classic cars, wood working, motorcycles...you can spend a fortune on those to if you want to. But the basic entry point for PC stuff is really low and the top of the line is nowhere near other hobbies.

The prices have stopped going down but old stuff is also remaining viable for longer.

 

[jlee]

PC hardware was an expensive hobby in the 80s and 90s, but compared to most hobbies its now cheap as hell. Classic cars, wood working, motorcycles...you can spend a fortune on those to if you want to. But the basic entry point for PC stuff is really low and the top of the line is nowhere near other hobbies.

The prices have stopped going down but old stuff is also remaining viable for longer.

That's the truth. After getting into cars, computers are cheap...

 

[Sabrewings]

That's the truth. After getting into cars, computers are cheap...

This. So much this.

 

[cmdrdredd]

Hah, I have a BMX bike that cost me more than my PC did to build.

 

[Nhirlathothep]

no, hw it s a lot cheaper pple.

if you think that now it s more expensive, you re pretty new to tech

 

[Sabrewings]

Hah, I have a BMX bike that cost me more than my PC did to build.

Same with my mountain bike. For that matter, I could buy my PC twice over for the cost of the Bilstein coilovers I had on my STI.

PC gaming is cheap.

 

[WhiteNoise]

PC gaming today doesn't seem more popular to me. It's always been popular. I also do not think you need a state of the art PC to play AAA titles at all. Sure if you want the best performance but games can be played on lesser computers and still provide great visuals and a fun time. I know plenty of people that run mid level PC's that have no complaints. Heck I know a few friends that have low end PC's and still have a blast.

I personally own a pretty decent gaming rig and I'm still running a 1080p monitor. I don't feel the need to upgrade that to a 1440p or 4k monitor at all. In fact IMO I don't feel the need to compete with others in having the latest greatest of anything. I buy what I want and luckily I have the money to do it but I do it for me. Some guys have all the latest kit, awesome 4k monitor etc. Good for them. Ultimately I only care about my experience and mine is great.

As far as prices go; I don't really see PC component prices going higher and higher. Doesn't seem much different to me over the years. In fact I think some prices have gone down. I can build a $600 PC that will run games just fine today. Or I can build a $1700 rig that does everything a little bit better.

Anyways I'm rambling. I guess what I'm trying to get at is I do not see eye to eye with the OP.

 

[HeXen]

Cheap compared to many other adult hobbies. Just look at what some spend on fishing and stuff like that. Drugs...now there is an expensive hobby.

 

[aigomorla]

mmm i should introduce you guys to exotic cooling, like phase change / high tier watercooling...

after being said and done, id like to see you guys call it cheap, when u can spend in excess of 5g's just on the cooling.

but still when ratcheted against a car i guess it is cheap... my rice rocket back in early college, i think i dropped several g's to get a turbo + intercooler installed, and that was just the icing on the cake.... then there was headers + exhaust + the audio system that needed to be heard 3 blocks away.... ahhh memories...

 

[cmdrdredd]

mmm i should introduce you guys to exotic cooling, like phase change / high tier watercooling...

after being said and done, id like to see you guys call it cheap, when u can spend in excess of 5g's just on the cooling.

but still when ratcheted against a car i guess it is cheap... my rice rocket back in early college, i think i dropped several g's to get a turbo + intercooler installed, and that was just the icing on the cake.... then there was headers + exhaust + the audio system that needed to be heard 3 blocks away.... ahhh memories...

Cause you can get the same gaming performance with a $50 air cooler. You don't need a custom water setup to hit 60fps at max settings in games.

 

[WhiteNoise]

mmm i should introduce you guys to exotic cooling, like phase change / high tier watercooling...

after being said and done, id like to see you guys call it cheap, when u can spend in excess of 5g's just on the cooling.

but still when ratcheted against a car i guess it is cheap... my rice rocket back in early college, i think i dropped several g's to get a turbo + intercooler installed, and that was just the icing on the cake.... then there was headers + exhaust + the audio system that needed to be heard 3 blocks away.... ahhh memories...

That is not what this topic is about my friend. You are talking about another hobby related to computers. Custom cooling is not a requirement for a PC.

I've gone down the path of spending hundreds of dollars on water rigs in the past. It's a fun hobby and fun to tinker with for silent operation and better temps but other than that not needed to play games on the PC or do anything else on the PC for that matter other than what I already stated; better cooling.