Should I upgrade PC or switch to console?

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iwanecky

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I built my current PC about 2 years ago and some games don't run at 1080p60 anymore so I'm considering an upgrade. However, as I get older I have less time to play and I don't feel like spending 4000 złotys (about 1000 usd) or more on PC. Few months ago I also switched to Linux, so rebooting only in order to play certain games is kind of pain in the back. I play few hours a week, mostly indies and some AAA games (Witcher 3, MGS5 etc). When I heard about upcoming X0 Scorpio I thought it might be good moment to consider buying a console. Over years my main issue against consoles was lack of indie games but I think that have been significantly improved. However last console I had was Gamecube so there might be things I'm missing.

TL/DR: Upgrade PC or switch to console?

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RonGalaxy

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Scorpio doesn't even have a release date yet, so I would say now really isn't a good time to buy a console. And if you care about 1080p60fps, current consoles definitely won't meet that. Ps4 usually hits 1080p, but most games go for 30fps, and even then lots of games struggle to meet that. If you have a PC you can build off of you should probably just put the money into upgrading it.

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hasuto

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Seems like RX480 or GTX1060 should be able to give you 60 FPS in most games at 1080? And for less than a new console.

Also consoles don't do 1080@60. From what they have said about Scorpio it's not intended to give you higher FPS at 1080 but rather higher resolution with same frame rate.

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JeevesPleez

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Can you post your current PC specs? If you can upgrade one piece like Hasuto suggested without causing a bottleneck with the rest, that seems like your best option. Either that or really consider how much 60fps means to you and think about locking to 30 sometimes. In my opinion, switching to console now also means switching ecosystems which comes with its own price tag - namely $ for online if you do any of that.

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OurSin_360

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#5  Edited By OurSin_360

If 1080p 60fps is what you want then you probably need to upgrade your pc. You didn't post your system specs though, but depending on what you have it could be as simple as a gpu upgrade . Scorpio and neo will not be giving you 1080 60fps, they will upres to 4k but games will run virtually ths same. That could change though it would be nice if they added graphics and res options like pcs do.

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big_denim

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@iwanecky: The consoles won't run at 1080p60 either, so it's kind of a wash where you stand right now. So long as you have a fairly modern i5/i7 processor, you can probably snag a 480, 1060 or 1070, have a significant bump in performance and break out even (or perhaps even better) financially than you would with a console.

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Sdoots

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The new Nvidia cards are pretty damn nice. I'm probably biased in this one as I'm making the choice to upgrade my PC right now myself (Going from a Geforce 660 to a 1070), but yeah, I wouldn't want to spend the money on a new console right now until I have seen how things play out a little.

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iwanecky

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Thanks for all responses. Honestly, I thought that whole premise of Scorpio was to compete with pc and provide 1080x60. Currently I have 4th gen i5 with 3.3GHz, 8GB of RAM and 960 with 2GB. For a while I thought about getting 1070 or RX480 but I am worried that rest of PC will slow graphics card. Do you guys think that it makes sense to upgrade these specs?

@jeevespleez: I am to lame of a gamer to play online. Only local multi in indie games.

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JeevesPleez

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@iwanecky: Ha, I feel you there on the MP.

With those specs, you could almost for sure get away with upgrading just your graphics card - that 2GB is probably the thing holding you back. AMD 470/480 or nVidia 1060/1070 would get you where you want to be.

Alternatively, texture resolution/filtering and AA method/strength typically affect your vram usage most. You can try lowering those settings a bit and see if that'll hold you over for a while longer.

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xGryfter

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@iwanecky: A 4th gen i-5 is more than capable. I have a 4690k in conjunction with a GTX1080 and nothing phases it, that's including Oculus games. A GTX1070 will give you amazing performance (60+fps) at max settings on pretty much anything out there now and your CPU will not be an issue for at least a couple more years. I say grab a 1070, it'll give you significantly better performance and visuals than any console (including the upcoming PS Neo and Xbox Scorpio) at roughly the same cost as said updated consoles.

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Dave_Tacitus

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Yep, a 4xxx quad core i5 should be fine for a while yet. My 4670k/980ti combo runs everything (apart from Fallout 4, natch) at 1080p/Ultra/60fps+ and a 1070 should be an upgrade on the 980ti.

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Humanity

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If you don't game all that regularly then a console might be a good solution for casual pick up and play.

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shivermetimbers

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Get a 1060 and save yourself the extra $150 you'd get if you bought a console for some games or a SSD (if you don't have one). The only advantage you get from a console is the exclusives and considering you don't game too much, it will not be that much of a loss.

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OurSin_360

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#14  Edited By OurSin_360

@iwanecky said:

Thanks for all responses. Honestly, I thought that whole premise of Scorpio was to compete with pc and provide 1080x60. Currently I have 4th gen i5 with 3.3GHz, 8GB of RAM and 960 with 2GB. For a while I thought about getting 1070 or RX480 but I am worried that rest of PC will slow graphics card. Do you guys think that it makes sense to upgrade these specs?

@jeevespleez: I am to lame of a gamer to play online. Only local multi in indie games.

Definitely upgrade your graphics card and skip the consoles, scorpio may have marginally better performance than the xbox one(the One S actually has 7% performance boost on regular titles) it still won't be as good as what you have right now. A 1070 is a step above what you have now and the 1060 is basically the upgraded model and has the perfotmance of a current 980(which can still get 1080 60fps and even do some games in 1440p with some tweaks). Personally i say always go with a better model but go with what your budget allows, a 1070 can do current games at 1440p around 60fps and kills 1080p. A 1060 kills 1080p but obviously won't be viable as long as the 1070 etc. Speaking of the RX 480 the Rx 470 just released as well but i'm not sure if it's much of an upgrade to what you have but it's also 180$ and only has after market cooling so should overclock well.

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Mirado

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@iwanecky: You'll be more than fine if you just tossed a 1060 or 1070 in there, although I'd be a bit more hesitent if that 4th gen i5 was a dual core instead of a quad. I have a 4790k (so same generation as you, but an i7) and it drives a 980Ti will no problem at all.

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iwanecky

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@mirado: sysinfo says it's quad core i5-4590 with 3.30GHz (and capacity 3.90GHz)

@shivermetimbers: I am missing great titles already every month. Now playing MGS5, I doubt I will be able to play Doom this year, so I don't mind missing some games.

@humanity: Yes, that would be the case for me if Scorpio or Neo were guaranteeing solid 60 fps.

@oursin_360: I think it's better to spend more now for more comfortable gaming in long term.

Once again thank you for all answers and advices, I am much more optimistic now. After reading all your posts I decided to get new graphics card this autumn.

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Mirado

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@iwanecky: Yeah, you're absolutely good to go then. I know people still rocking a 2500k and they are just finally having to upgrade, and that's two generations behind you.

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Humanity

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@iwanecky: If you plan a transition to consoles, or rather modern consoles, you have to realize that performance is never going to be a solid promise. Currently most PS4 games run fine at a stable 30, which to some is a bare minimum, others perfectly fine, and to others still nearly unplayable. Yet some games don't even hit a solid 30 which is something you can either deal with or not. I highly doubt that neither Neo nor Scorpio will output a "steady" 60 nor will it be a guarantee for most games. If that is something that will be a huge problem for you, i.e. reliable performance, then you should seriously think twice about this. The biggest advantage of the PC, as you probably already know coming from that space, is that you can generally solve most problems by throwing money at your machine until the FPS counter reaches a level you're satisfied with. Consoles conserve your wallet but you have to put up with their whims at every turn.

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iwanecky

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@humanity: Consoles still have this indescribable charm, even those modern ones. When I visit a friend who has X0 and we sit on the couch to play Lego, it resembles me the old times when I was sitting with brother 1 meter from monochromatic TV playing on old systems imported from behind the iron curtain. But now I'm used to comfort of decent hardware and I want to put nostalgia away.

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Humanity

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envane

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if your current pc wont run the game at a solid 60 at 1080p then consoles probably run it locked at 30fps , if not then at a lower resolution (or both), food for thought.

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isomeri

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#23  Edited By isomeri

@iwanecky: I'm going to join the choir and recommend getting an RX 480, GTX 1060 or GTX 1070. The Scorpio might be a very nice console, but we don't really know at this point. Your PC is certainly recent enough to justify an upgrade instead of a whole new rig.

And comparing modern consoles to the Soviet shit we had to endure way back in the day is a tad harsh. The Xbox One and PS4 offer pretty great value at around the 300 euro price-point.

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JaguarJK

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For me, if you are a gamer, the consoles is the best

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clagnaught

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The indie scene has certainly come a long way on consoles, and it certainly is the easiest option, especially if you primarily use Linux and have to upgrade that PC, etc.

The only hesitation is there are some great console ports, like MGSV, but there are some not so great ones like The Witcher 3 (from what I've heard, compared to how it runs and looks on a good PC)

Of course a PC will always outperform consoles and there are arguably more games on PC than there are on consoles, even with Sony's and Microsoft's push to get some more indie games on their platform. If you can't justify $1,000+ USD worth of upgrades, maybe a $300-400 USD upgrade would be more accessible? (Although it sounds like you are in Poland, based on you referencing złotys--thanks Google--so I'm not sure how much a PS4 costs in Poland)

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dagas

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Your PC is better than mine. I have a 3570K. You don't need a new CPU just a new video card. Even a 1060 is going to be better than even a PS4 neo. If you compare with Witcher 3 the console versions are like playing on medium settings on PC and it still can barely keep 30 fps. I have a 3 year old PC and it is still about twice as powerful as the consoles. PC is still the best way to play if you care about graphics.

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OldManLight

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There's never been a better time to build a new gaming PC.

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iwanecky

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@isomeri: Maybe I wasn't precise, I was reminiscing the feeling of collective gaming in front of TV, not comparing hardware or value.

@clagnaught: PS4 + 2nd pad + FIFA16 + MGS5 would be about 1800-2000 złotys, while RX480 would be 1300-1400 złotys and GTX1070 would be 2100-2300 złotys, so if forum is certain that card upgrade itself would do, switching to console would be more expensive. Especially, because I already have many games on Steam, gog, as well as collection of old boxed games.

@dagas: Until this thread, I didn't know that PC-console performance difference was big, because my X0 experience was limited to FIFA and Lego, which played nice on console.

@oldmanlight: Yeah, I remember my first PC I got in late 90s. You could get a car in similar price and hardware was ageing rapidly.