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pc or ps3

dukebound85

dukebound85

macrumors Core
Original poster
Jul 17, 2005
19,218
4,342
5045 feet above sea level
i have a dilema in deciding between these

1) build a computer off newegg with a quadcore chip with the 8600gts 512mb card for $820

or

2) buy a ps3 for $500

which do you lean to? i know halo 2 is on pc now which is cool. is college football? and possibly gt4? if so thats all id need

oh and a mlb game

i just figure with the pc ill get a killer system that can do more than just games whereas a ps3 cant really be doubled up as a computer imo, regardless of it being able to run linux

what are your thoughts?
 
Personally, I use my Mac for serious purposes and a console for games. If it was me, I'd buy the PS3
 
I'd go the PC route. A lot of the games that you can get for PS3 (or other consoles) come out on PC as well. And typically (well, sometimes) they're cheaper.
Plus, the PC is upgradable.

I'd suggest against the quad-core route though.. unless you're running multiple games simultaneously, it's not worth it. Save yourself some cash and go the dual core route and put the rest into RAM or video card.
 
I would always say PS3 over PC, but then again I've never had a 8600gts to play with ;)

yellow said:
Plus, the PC is upgradable.
Click to expand...

Isn't that the problem, though? That you'll forever been upgrading the PC to the next spec, whilst the consoles set the standard for the game designers to fit their games around?
 
I have the 8800GTS 640MB in my gaming rig. It's pretty sweet. I still think Vista is a piece of **** though. Drivers! It's been out 15 months!!! :mad:

Much Ado said:
Isn't that the problem, though? That you'll forever been upgrading the PC to the next spec, whilst the consoles set the standard for the game designers to fit their games around?
Click to expand...

Sure, that could be a problem, but it depends on what kind of bleeding edge user you are.

I couldn't ever make this choice, so I have a gaming rig AND a 360. :)
 
I'd say go for the ps3. The technology will last a damn sight longer than the PC. You'll have to upgrade the PC to keep up with the games, but the ps3 won't need upgrading and it'll always play the latest games.
 
My vote is for the PS3. The difference in price can buy you a lot of games also.

Can I ask why the 80gb version over the 40 gb version?
 
yellow said:
I'd go the PC route. A lot of the games that you can get for PS3 (or other consoles) come out on PC as well. And typically (well, sometimes) they're cheaper.
Plus, the PC is upgradable.

I'd suggest against the quad-core route though.. unless you're running multiple games simultaneously, it's not worth it. Save yourself some cash and go the dual core route and put the rest into RAM or video card.
Click to expand...

thanks although if i get the pc, it wont solely be used for gaming then. while my macbook handles nice, it would be convenient to do processor intense stuff like movies on the pc

Osarkon said:
I'd say go for the ps3. The technology will last a damn sight longer than the PC. You'll have to upgrade the PC to keep up with the games, but the ps3 won't need upgrading and it'll always play the latest games.
Click to expand...

well as my friend told me when i said the same thing. "well can the xbox play 360 games?" i said no. he said "exactly, at least i still have the option to play the newest games just with lower settings whereas you cant play 360 games on the xbox". i think he made a good point lol


jhsfosho said:
My vote is for the PS3. The difference in price can buy you a lot of games also.

Can I ask why the 80gb version over the 40 gb version?
Click to expand...

games are cheaper and while bootcamp is nice, would be cool to have a powerful pc for other uses. if its necessary i dont know and thats what im debating lol

as far as the price, im just trying to support the case for the pc more in my mind haha:p
 
MacRumorUser said:
Didn't we have a very similar thread to this posted just a few days ago ?

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/429278/
Click to expand...

yea but i didnt get any replies and didnt want to hijack his thread so i thought id make my own thread

and the price comparision is quite a bit closer for my case than his.

just value other peoples opinion before i make a hasty decision lol
 
I've never been able to play games on a PC. I have tried a few, but never was able to get into it. I enjoy being able to just pop in a game into a console, and sitting on my couch. That's just my preference. Do you mind playing games on a PC?

I just bought a 40gb PS3 and hooked it up to my 50" plasma. I LOVE IT! I am just now getting back into gaming. I didn't mind not getting the 80 gb with backwards compatibilty, as I already have a PS2 and only really played Gran Turismo anyway. I just put a 120gb HD in the PS3 for more space. Doubt my post helps your decision, but just thought I would give my .02!
 
lazyboy922 said:
I've never been able to play games on a PC. I have tried a few, but never was able to get into it. I enjoy being able to just pop in a game into a console, and sitting on my couch. That's just my preference. Do you mind playing games on a PC?

I just bought a 40gb PS3 and hooked it up to my 50" plasma. I LOVE IT! I am just now getting back into gaming. I didn't mind not getting the 80 gb with backwards compatibilty, as I already have a PS2 and only really played Gran Turismo anyway. I just put a 120gb HD in the PS3 for more space. Doubt my post helps your decision, but just thought I would give my .02!
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thanks for your input

yea i havent played computer games before really. i figure i could get the 360 controller and have the same gameplay feel as a 360
 
PC, because you can't play *DOTA Allstars* on a a console. It's a Warcraft3 Mod. Starcraft II is also coming! :D And if you've never played BURB -- another WC3 mod -- with 3 other friends, you haven't lived the NERD life. :eek:

But as usual, my answer is get both. I personally would lean towards a PC now, then get a PS3 later this year, especially if the PS3 Slim turns out to be more than a just a rumor.

I like that the PS3 has an upgradeable HD (This is Hard Drive you young whipper snappers, HDD is High Density Disk! :mad:) and that it supports a mouse and keyboard.

<]=)
 
JackAxe said:
PC, because you can't play *DOTA Allstars* on a a console. It's a Warcraft3 Mod. Starcraft II is also coming! :D And if you've never played BURB -- another WC3 mod -- with 3 other friends, you haven't lived the NERD life. :eek:

But as usual, my answer is get both. I personally would lean towards a PC now, then get a PS3 later this year, especially if the PS3 Slim turns out to be more than a just a rumor.

I like that the PS3 has an upgradeable HD (This is Hard Drive you young whipper snappers, HDD is High Density Disk! :mad:) and that it supports a mouse and keyboard.

<]=)
Click to expand...

oh i would get both but i cant afford it!

as far as games, i like mainly sports and racing/flight sims and halo

im trying to decide that if gaming is pretty equivalent to ps3 then having a nice performing computer may be justified. but then again my mb is pretty nice

tough call

keep the inputs coming and thanks!
 
Sports: PS3

Flight Sims: PC without a doubt.

Racers: PC The PS3 definitely wouldn't be a slacker in this area, but the PC has one of the best racers availble.

Halo(FPSs): PC Well over a decade of support gives is a clear edge over any console and Gamepads just plane suck for FPSs, so thankfully Sony has realized this and its developers are also now making the shift.

<]=)
 
Osarkon said:
I'd say go for the ps3. The technology will last a damn sight longer than the PC. You'll have to upgrade the PC to keep up with the games, but the ps3 won't need upgrading and it'll always play the latest games.
Click to expand...

Invalid argument. The PS3 is not more future proof than a PC, it's hardware is inferior and games ALREADY look much better on a PC, the PS3 will obviously keep running the latest games but it won't look nearly as well as PC games that will come, even if your card can't cope with MAX settings it will still do medium and it will still look better than the PS3.

You should base your decision on whether or not games on the PS3 have your interest, nothing more, cost is barely an issue, not with the computer you are building and technical characteristics matter very little when it's all about gaming.

Personally I'd go with a gaming PC but you know, the PS3 also has some great games coming out like Metal Gear Solid 4, Devil May Cry 4, Ratchet & Clank, Gran Turismo, Grand Theft Auto 4 (though this might come for the PC eventually as well) and quite a few others.

So make your decision based on the games.
 
I got my 40Gig PS3 after a Sony rebate for $299.

You can't really touch a decent gaming PC for that...

I did find a deal on an older HP workstation for $100, and after putting money into parts to get it up to at least DX9 games, it came to about $320 total. It won't really play the DX10 games though...
 
I think consoles get better exclusives these days, personally. But PC vs PS3 is a very poor comparison, as the PC does much more but costs much more.

It goes by what you like. Personally, I don't like FPS's much. Oh, I enjoy the occasional FPS but they're all too similar (sadly, I feel the same way about most JRPG's). But if I did like FPS's more...well I wouldn't DREAM of playing FPS's without my beloved keyboard and mouse.

I've been using my PC to play Portal recently. LOVE IT. Dissimilar to anything out there.

Do you prefer racing games? Flight games? Platformers? JRPGs? Stealth games?

Gran Turismo, Warhawk, Ratchet and Clank, Final Fantasy, and Metal Gear Solid will be better than anything you find on a PC.

Do you only play FPS's? Get a PC if you've got the cash. MMO's? Get a PC. Strategy? Get a PC.


Invalid argument. The PS3 is not more future proof than a PC, it's hardware is inferior and games ALREADY look much better on a PC, the PS3 will obviously keep running the latest games but it won't look nearly as well as PC games that will come, even if your card can't cope with MAX settings it will still do medium and it will still look better than the PS3.
Click to expand...

I think the argument goes that in four or five years, companies will still be making games that match the original PS3 spec and someone with a launch PS3 can still run everything as it was meant to be played, while in four or five years PC games' graphics will improve to the point where your PC will be running games at minimum settings or choppily.

The PC's graphics will still be better than the PS3's of course, but you'll have to continue upgrading for things to be playable.

Just playing devil's advocate :)
 
I vote PS3.

PCs for one need their own setup - aka a desk and room setup. A PS3 can just take up space under the tv. I think it's a pretty easy choice. And wouldn't you rather use the extra 300 dollars or so on games?
 
7on said:
I vote PS3.

PCs for one need their own setup - aka a desk and room setup. A PS3 can just take up space under the tv. I think it's a pretty easy choice. And wouldn't you rather use the extra 300 dollars or so on games?
Click to expand...

true but i dont have a tv do either one would have to connect to my external monitor
 
You can build a mean PC rig for far less than $820. Heck, I can price you a much more powerful PC for probably 600-700. Scrap that 8600GTS and get a Radeon 3850. It easily blows away the video card on the PS3.

Yes, the PS3 will have more games for it in say 3 years hardware wise. But does that make it look much better? The PS3 is already struggling on games at 1080p and while usually it's not noticeable, measuring performance has ntoiced that they're already reaching the upper ends of GPU power. Keep in mind folks that this is the first ever generation of true-HD compatible consoles. Who knows if 2 years from now, a new console has to come out to match the fact that the GPU is outdated for such high resolutions?

What size is your monitor by the way? If it runs 1680 x 1050 and lower, a Radeon 3850 will power games for you for 2+ years easily, and to optimize performance you always have the option to change settings. And if you are using the PC for more than games, it's a no brainer as you can do a lot more such as video editing/rendering with it than a PS3.

If you need the quad core, in a month or two the new 45nm Q9300 will come out at ~$300 iirc but a Q6600 should drop to $250 or so by then, and that's plenty of power. Get a decent mid-range motherboard, a reliable PSU at ~500W, 2GB RAM, whatever HD space you need, and a Radeon 3850 (or more depending on how much you are willing to spend) and that puppy should last 2+ years no problem, and you'll always have room to upgrade if you want to keep the rig going.

As far as game selection goes, PS3 definitely has some nice titles coming along. GTA4 will likely be ported in the long run, but who knows how long that is. Personally, since i play strategy, MMO, FPS, and sim games a lot though, the PC is hands down a no brainer.

<-- Has an 8800Ultra in a PC w/ a 30" monitor... Call of Duty 4 might look great in 1080P on a PS3 but wait til you see it completely maxed out 4xAA on 2560 x 1600 ;)
 
having built a new PC for my brother for ~600 bucks including a GT8800 i can say build your own...

consoles games also cost more on average and later on don't drop as far in price as PC games (around here a brand new PC game costs 45-50 bucks while a brand new PS3 games costs 60-70...)

also a PC can do much more than playing games ..

after all nobody here seems to include TV prices here either in those obvious comparisions ;)

some people need a computer anyway so the upgrade cost of a graphics card (~200-250) isn't that much compared to console
 
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