PC Gaming...rules once more?

[Scerpi]

I wouls say ease of use is in the PC favor now, run faster, updates done in the background, multitasking is way beyond anything a console can do, and steam supports most controllers now connecting a DS4 is the same as a PS4.

Steam has revolutionised PC gaming by auto installing patches and updates. And if all else fails you can just do a fresh install.

The days of spenings hours installing off discs (or floppys), then finding and downloading patches and possibly drivers are thankfully over.

I remember having to select the sound/video and options devices during a pc game install and it not working. Then troubleshooting for hours...

*Shudders*

 

[jefferz]

Steam has revolutionised PC gaming by auto installing patches and updates. And if all else fails you can just do a fresh install.

The days of spenings hours installing off discs (or floppys), then finding and downloading patches and possibly drivers are thankfully over.

I remember having to select the sound/video and options devices during a pc game install and it not working. Then troubleshooting for hours...

*Shudders*

Irq conflicts... kids these days don't know the struggle.

 

[m52nickerson]

I don't disagree. I plan on building a htpc someday when I have the time to do so. I'm pretty computer savvy and I've always found them fun to tinker with.

I'm just afraid that I'll spend more time and money dicking around with the thing vs playing games As of now I'm more than happy with my XB1 and 360 and I know that once I get the taste of high dollar PC gaming I'll start to obsess over it and spend less time gaming.

As for modding sports games goes that doesn't always cut it as some years the physics and engines change.

You might spend a little less time gaming, but not much. After all, there is no way better to test overclock and new hardware then your favorite games on ultra high settings.

 

[Law Talkin’ Guy]

Steam has revolutionised PC gaming by auto installing patches and updates. And if all else fails you can just do a fresh install.

The days of spenings hours installing off discs (or floppys), then finding and downloading patches and possibly drivers are thankfully over.

I remember having to select the sound/video and options devices during a pc game install and it not working. Then troubleshooting for hours...

*Shudders*

I remember when I was in grade 7 I fucked up my best friend's family computer by trying to install drivers in order to get OpenGL working for Quake 2. His dad wanted to kill me.

 

[Scerpi]

I remember when I was in grade 7 I fucked up my best friend's family computer by trying to install drivers in order to get OpenGL working for Quake 2. His dad wanted to kill me.

lol - I jacked up my dad's computer (Tandy) in 89' by farting around with CMOS. I accidentally got it back working after desperately trying different settings for a few hours....

.... and I have no idea how I fixed it. Just pure luck.

All from from tying to get a Kings Quest game to work.

 

[fdswer]

Steam has revolutionised PC gaming by auto installing patches and updates. And if all else fails you can just do a fresh install.

The days of spenings hours installing off discs (or floppys), then finding and downloading patches and possibly drivers are thankfully over.

I remember having to select the sound/video and options devices during a pc game install and it not working. Then troubleshooting for hours...

*Shudders*

The consoles just work argument is a thing of the past now that consoles are basically cheap computers running the same games and a OS. I game way more on my PC than my PS4 and the PS4 probably gives me more trouble with the slow speeds, crappy PSN service that you have to pay for and clunky UI.

 

[fdswer]

lol - I jacked up my dad's computer (Tandy) in 89' by farting around with CMOS. I accidentally got it back working after desperately trying different settings for a few hours....

.... and I have no idea how I fixed it. Just pure luck.

All from from tying to get a Kings Quest game to work.

lol I used to fuck up my family's PC all the time when I was a kid, but now you have to be a retard to do that.

 

[Madmick]

Steam Hardware & Software Survey: July 2017

• 80% of CPUs are Intel, 20% are AMD
  • The 3.3GHz+ CPU tier became the #1 most common by May 2017
    
  • 94% of CPUs registered to Steam are dual core (42.4%) or quad core (51.8%).
    
  • When the above two facts are observed in concert it's becomes no wonder that developers haven't been chomping at the bit to devote time, energy, and resources to better multicore scaling optimization. The market benchmark remains Intel dual core processors (i.e. Celeron, Pentium, i3).
• On the other hand, 78% of GPUs are DX12-compliant, now, and 53% of users are on Windows 10, so I don't understand why developers are dragging their feet producing more DX12 (and Vulkan) titles.
  
• 55% of Steam gamers have 1GB-2GB of VRAM
  
• Nevertheless, the NVIDIA GTX 1060 (comes with either 3GB or 6GB of VRAM) is the current king of gamer GPUs. Makes sense.
  
• Generally speaking, NVIDIA dominates the GPU market. Its hardware performance superiority on an absolute scale, and its reputation for better game driver support has clearly established it as the preferred gamer brand for GPUs.
  
• One can't help but notice the popularity of the GTX 750 Ti (#2), GTX 1050 Ti (#6), GTX 1050 (#8), and GTX 750 (#14). Looks like quite a few gamers out there have repurposed AIO office builds or other home computers with these GPUs that are the most conveniently added to any system because almost any PSU can handle their added power demands, because they can draw power from the motherboard alone, and because they are easily obtained in mini single-slot form. The best GPU for the same purpose missing from that lineup is the RX 460.
  • The GTX 1050 Ti, in particular, shines for what it represents. The ability to add it to almost any home PC means that you can add roughly 40% more GPU power over what a baseline PS4 or Xbox One S possesses for $145. Since many already own a home PC, and since Intel's Pentium and i3 lines are its most popular processors in these types of PCs, providing ample gaming CPU power, this makes it a cheaper practical AAA gaming option than buying even the cheapest game consoles starting around $250. This is a GPU that *can* average better than 50fps@1080p with maxed settings on Battlefield 1, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, DOOM, Hitman, and Assassin's Creed: Syndicate; even better, it averaged north of 60fps@1080p on GTA V running its highest settings. It's a legit 1080p gaming card.
  • Don't forget that the consoles are often running upscaled 900p/720p resolutions, and that there are still console games with 30fps locks.
• I was surprised to see that the Vive is dominating the Oculus, but of course this is on Steam.

 

[Law Talkin’ Guy]

lol I used to fuck up my family's PC all the time when I was a kid, but now you have to be a retard to do that.

I personally find YouTube to be a godsend in this regard. Last month I put Diablo 1 on my laptop running windows 7 and the colours were all completely fucked. But a quick search on YouTube showed me how to fix the problem. If this was 20 years ago I would have been shit out of luck, or at least really struggling to get it running properly.

 

[jefferz]

Steam Hardware & Software Survey: July 2017

• 80% of CPUs are Intel, 20% are AMD
  • The 3.3GHz+ CPU tier became the #1 most common by May 2017
    
  • 94% of CPUs registered to Steam are dual core (42.4%) or quad core (51.8%).
    
  • When the above two facts are observed in concert it's becomes no wonder that developers haven't been chomping at the bit to devote time, energy, and resources to better multicore scaling optimization. The market benchmark remains Intel dual core processors (i.e. Celeron, Pentium, i3).
• On the other hand, 78% of GPUs are DX12-compliant, now, so I don't understand why developers are dragging their feet producing more DX12 (and Vulkan) titles.
  
• 55% of Steam gamers have 1GB-2GB of VRAM
  
• Nevertheless, the NVIDIA GTX 1060 (comes with either 3GB or 6GB of VRAM) is the current king of gamer GPUs. Makes sense.
  
• Generally speaking, NVIDIA dominates the GPU market. Its hardware performance superiority on an absolute scale, and its reputation for better game driver support has clearly established it as the preferred gamer brand for GPUs.
  
• One can't help but notice the popularity of the GTX 750 Ti (#2), GTX 1050 Ti (#6), GTX 1050 (#8), and GTX 750 (#14). Looks like quite a few gamers out there have repurposed AIO office builds or other home computers with these GPUs that are the most conveniently added to any system because almost any PSU can handle their added power demands, because they can draw power from the motherboard alone, and because they are easily obtained in mini single-slot form. The best GPU for the same purpose missing from that lineup is the RX 460.
  • The GTX 1050 Ti, in particular, shines for what it represents. The ability to add it to almost any home PC means that you can add roughly 40% more GPU power over what a baseline PS4 or Xbox One S possesses for $145. Since many already own a home PC, and since Intel's Pentium and i3 lines are its most popular processors in these types of PCs, providing ample gaming CPU power, this makes it a cheaper practical AAA gaming option than buying even the cheapest game consoles starting around $250. This is a GPU that *can* average better than 50fps@1080p with maxed settings on Battlefield 1, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, DOOM, Hitman, and Assassin's Creed: Syndicate; even better, it averaged north of 60fps@1080p on GTA V running its highest settings. It's a legit 1080p gaming card.
  • Don't forget that the consoles are often running upscaled 900p/720p resolutions, and that there are still console games with 30fps locks.
• I was surprised to see that the Vive is dominating the Oculus, but of course this is on Steam.

Pair that gtx1050ti with a dell optiplex with an i5-2400 or i5-3470 and you'll be good with almost everything at 1080p 60fps medium to high settings.
You can buy those dells for $100 off eBay that include 4gb ram, a 250gb hd, and a DVD drive.
Even stepping down to a used 750ti, you're not losing that many frames and can be found for $60 used.