Linustechtips does a $300 Gaming PC that's better than any "next gen" console.

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Godmachine

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http://youtu.be/x1JA24KCAjE?list=PL8mG-RkN2uTyuEutQa79RZ0Q5u5gteUci

Both ran with a goal of 1080p 60fps (which neither next gen console does well at all..) and easily achieved this. I recommend watching all three videos to see exactly what they went through. I'm positive I could have done better myself in a big US city as well especially with access to a Fry's or Micro-Center.

So keep in mind they locally sourced parts. Didn't buy from retail AT ALL. Also important that they already had monitors , KB/M and a copy of Windows ready to go (frankly anyone doing this probably does) and they achieved amazingly playable results with a $300 (Canadian so you could probably do a tiny bit better with US prices however probably around $400+ with Euro) and either PC will happily work as a Steam OS box for the future and rock as a Windows gaming PC right now. And they did all of this inside of a 48 hour window.

Pretty hard to knock these results. They both proved that next gen consoles are totally overpriced and really you should only buy either for ease of use or exclusive titles.

I think this set of videos makes for conclusive proof that PC gaming is hands down the better experience and cheaper experience thanks to the slowed pace of hardware. Of course I don't need to tell you guys this as its already obvious but you should share this anytime someone says "PC gaming is too expensive!" and laugh in their faces.
 
D4rkn3ss said:
mimimimi that shitty insect voice on that shitty marten face
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Very constructive to the conversation...


I thought this was a great little series of videos if not for the very drawn out nature of the acquiring of parts. I guess they had to make it as thorough as possible so nobody cried fake. The point about being patient they made at the end was really important too, they built two systems from parts sourced locally in 2 days time. If you are even remotely patient or can buy parts in stages your results will probably be even better.
 
Kaos_Drem said:
Very constructive to the conversation...


I thought this was a great little series of videos if not for the very drawn out nature of the acquiring of parts. I guess they had to make it as thorough as possible so nobody cried fake. The point about being patient they made at the end was really important too, they built two systems from parts sourced locally in 2 days time. If you are even remotely patient or can buy parts in stages your results will probably be even better.
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Ya I was really impressed. It demo'd how easy it is to make a gaming PC on a small budget and come out on top. The excuses I've heard for why gaming PC's are too expensive are just utter bullshit even more so now.

Unless you plan to run 3 4K monitors , you simply do not have to spend a fortune at all.
 
earrings, i forgot earrings, an insect like voice marten with earrings :p
 
Godmachine said:
I think this set of videos makes for conclusive proof that PC gaming is hands down the better experience and cheaper experience thanks to the slowed pace of hardware. Of course I don't need to tell you guys this as its already obvious but you should share this anytime someone says "PC gaming is too expensive!" and laugh in their faces.
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No. I don't like supporting PC gaming using incomplete information and bad practices:

The majority of people out there DO NOT have a spare copy of Windows. The people who do happen to have spare Windows keys are more than likely not the kind of people that we have to convince to get into PC gaming. I'd rather be up front and tell them that Windows is going to be added to their overall costs. No claims of misrepresentations afterwards

Due to the fact that many of those parts were both used AND of questionably quality, the longevity of the PC is in doubt here. While yes the quality of consoles are questionable as well, most of the time you'll end up buying a new console with new components inside which means there's a lesser chance of early death. With a PC cobbled together out of old and used parts, there's a higher probability of death and therefore more money to spend on replacements. Considering that this recent HardOCP editorial shows that even high quality power supplies can degrade pretty badly after seven years of use, that further supports the argument for better quality and therefore newer parts:
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2015..._1000w_power_supply_7_year_redux#.VP59h_nF9Aw

Even if we disregard the physical longevity, there's also the performance longevity. With the old systems in that vid, you're more than likely going to end up buying new CPU, mobo, and RAM anyway due to the relatively low performance of a Q6600 compared to a modern system.

In other words, I'm not going to tell someone who wants to get into or back into PC gaming that they could build a gaming PC for cheap as long as they have the OS they don't have, low standards for quality, and be willing to spend more money later on when said parts die or become outdated performance-wise. That's just all dishonesty.

I'm telling them the truth: That you're looking at around $600 to $700 minimum for a new good quality gaming PC with a copy of Windows 8.1. Maybe even more if you need a newer monitor. That while there's higher up-front costs, PC gaming can be cheaper on account of the fact that pricing for PC games drops significantly faster than console game pricing. That there's a thing called "Steam Sales" where PC games are sold for dirt-cheap prices. That if all they have is about ~$400 and that they're only planning on playing 2-3 games and/or don't mind paying more in the long-run, then the consoles are better for you.

And the voice is kind of annoying too.
 
I was surprised by how it turned out. I remember a certain member here that had a quote questioning the judgment of quad core purchasers for the longest time. I guess that it's finally the future.

PS - the Q6600 "solitaire machine" I built in 2008 is still going strong for its intended purpose...
 
Cheaping out on stuff sometimes costs you more in the long run and a build this cheap is setting yourself up for failure bigtime. With next gen cards coming out the bar is going to be further raised, add publishers pushing out badly optimized ports into the mix which is pretty much the norm nowadays means brute force is the name of the game. When a flagship card like a gtx980 struggles to hold 60fps and even turning down settings doesnt help much in the frame dept on mid range cards, a bottom budget build like this is going to create a lot of disillusioned nerds when their $300 console killer is struggling to maintain 15fps on low settings in the Far Cry 5 or whatever, at that point they were better off spending $50 more for an Xbone/PS4 and guarantee 30fps minimum (thats kind of debatable with recent titles dipping in the mid 20's :D) on future tritles for the rest of the systems life.
 
LstOfTheBrunnenG said:
PS - the Q6600 "solitaire machine" I built in 2008 is still going strong for its intended purpose...
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So is my 2007 built C2D E6400 backup server. Doesn't mean that we can assume that other people treat their hardware with the same level of care and/or have the same luck as we do.
 
Dangman said:
No. I don't like supporting PC gaming using incomplete information and bad practices:

The majority of people out there DO NOT have a spare copy of Windows. The people who do happen to have spare Windows keys are more than likely not the kind of people that we have to convince to get into PC gaming. I'd rather be up front and tell them that Windows is going to be added to their overall costs. No claims of misrepresentations afterwards

Due to the fact that many of those parts were both used AND of questionably quality, the longevity of the PC is in doubt here. While yes the quality of consoles are questionable as well, most of the time you'll end up buying a new console with new components inside which means there's a lesser chance of early death. With a PC cobbled together out of old and used parts, there's a higher probability of death and therefore more money to spend on replacements. Considering that this recent HardOCP editorial shows that even high quality power supplies can degrade pretty badly after seven years of use, that further supports the argument for better quality and therefore newer parts:
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2015..._1000w_power_supply_7_year_redux#.VP59h_nF9Aw

Even if we disregard the physical longevity, there's also the performance longevity. With the old systems in that vid, you're more than likely going to end up buying new CPU, mobo, and RAM anyway due to the relatively low performance of a Q6600 compared to a modern system.

In other words, I'm not going to tell someone who wants to get into or back into PC gaming that they could build a gaming PC for cheap as long as they have the OS they don't have, low standards for quality, and be willing to spend more money later on when said parts die or become outdated performance-wise. That's just all dishonesty.

I'm telling them the truth: That you're looking at around $600 to $700 minimum for a new good quality gaming PC with a copy of Windows 8.1. Maybe even more if you need a newer monitor. That while there's higher up-front costs, PC gaming can be cheaper on account of the fact that pricing for PC games drops significantly faster than console game pricing. That there's a thing called "Steam Sales" where PC games are sold for dirt-cheap prices. That if all they have is about ~$400 and that they're only planning on playing 2-3 games and/or don't mind paying more in the long-run, then the consoles are better for you.

And the voice is kind of annoying too.
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And a PS4/Xbox controller beats the hell out of a $10 HP mouse/keyboard combo in terms of quality. The people who always make the "you can build a gaming PC for under $400!!!111" argument conveniently leave out the important things:

1) $400 can get you a new console backed by a good warranty any day of the week. No sales needed.

2) The time it takes to source together parts, especially in the methods used in the video.

3) The cost of gas driving around to buy parts.

4) The cost of Windows.

$600-700? Yes, that is doable. A $400 junk machine is going to have a massive hole in it somewhere. You're going to be stuck with a crappy PSU or something.
 
People ask me about my machine sometimes and like how long itll last when to upgrade etc and I'm just like "uuuh I didn't really need to". In all honesty for a home user my old setup which was an i760 and and sli gtx460 1GB still smokes everything out on medium-high with tweaking and you could build my old setup these days for probably under $400.


I will say while my old q6600 was strong my friends E8500 did better in most non quad supported titles which at the time was everything but battlefield and certain Indie titles. I'm surprised to see people getting good results from it though mine was completely incapable of overclock. I think I was locked at or below 3.0ghz


My only complaint with the video is neglecting the fact that with used parts youre taking on serious warranty risks so you have to buy quality hardware.
 
Flogger23m said:
And a PS4/Xbox controller beats the hell out of a $10 HP mouse/keyboard combo in terms of quality. The people who always make the "you can build a gaming PC for under $400!!!111" argument conveniently leave out the important things:

1) $400 can get you a new console backed by a good warranty any day of the week. No sales needed.

2) The time it takes to source together parts, especially in the methods used in the video.

3) The cost of gas driving around to buy parts.

4) The cost of Windows.

$600-700? Yes, that is doable. A $400 junk machine is going to have a massive hole in it somewhere. You're going to be stuck with a crappy PSU or something.
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1 Except I'd prefer a 10$ mouse/keyboard over any game controller at any time, as a control option.

2 you don't neccessarily have to scavenge everything used. The MB/CPU/GPU trio maybe, but it'd take me about 30 seconds to find those if I went on a classified page. Yes It takes a little effort, but you can't expect results without putting in something.

3 That's ridicilous. You don't have to drive to the moon and back to get common PC parts, if you're not stupid you'll choose sellers that are near your daily route.

4. Yeah you'll need windows, but it will work on after you upgrade your PC, so it's unfair to calculate full cost for one build.


But in the end you have a system that runs games better, have more software for it, and is more versatile than any console can dream of.

It's a perfectly viable option, yes it's not for everyone, but even those who doesn't have the know how might have a friend who would put together a gaming PC for them gladly.

If you know nothing about computers and have noone to help you you better forget this option. That's the only drawback.
 
Ticker305 said:
Cheaping out on stuff sometimes costs you more in the long run and a build this cheap is setting yourself up for failure bigtime. With next gen cards coming out the bar is going to be further raised, add publishers pushing out badly optimized ports into the mix which is pretty much the norm nowadays means brute force is the name of the game. When a flagship card like a gtx980 struggles to hold 60fps and even turning down settings doesnt help much in the frame dept on mid range cards, a bottom budget build like this is going to create a lot of disillusioned nerds when their $300 console killer is struggling to maintain 15fps on low settings in the Far Cry 5 or whatever, at that point they were better off spending $50 more for an Xbone/PS4 and guarantee 30fps minimum (thats kind of debatable with recent titles dipping in the mid 20's :D) on future tritles for the rest of the systems life.
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You forget the fact that to match the visuals of the consoles you'd probably run games on low-mid settings and 720p.
 
One of these days I'm going to pair together an embedded Intel CPU with a decent video card and prove that it doesn't take a whole lot to compete with a console.
 
SRTie4k said:
One of these days I'm going to pair together an embedded Intel CPU with a decent video card and prove that it doesn't take a whole lot to compete with a console.
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Go ahead. Once again those of us who are pc literate don't need to be convinced about the pros of pc gaming and will generally have spare parts and the knowledge how to do this.

But the vast majority of people do not have the knowledge of what parts to get, how to assemble said parts, and how to troubleshoot either software or hardware problems should they occur.

Plus if you're now reaching into used parts that still works against you because just the other day I bought a refurbished xbox 1 with kinect for $259. The more the pc master race tries to justify this to themselves the more desperate and idiotic you look trying to prove something to someone that no one really cares about.
 
Climber said:
Go ahead. Once again those of us who are pc literate don't need to be convinced about the pros of pc gaming and will generally have spare parts and the knowledge how to do this.

But the vast majority of people do not have the knowledge of what parts to get, how to assemble said parts, and how to troubleshoot either software or hardware problems should they occur.

Plus if you're now reaching into used parts that still works against you because just the other day I bought a refurbished xbox 1 with kinect for $259. The more the pc master race tries to justify this to themselves the more desperate and idiotic you look trying to prove something to someone that no one really cares about.
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I don't think we need to rely on the "ignorant peasant console kiddie" to assemble their own hardware. I've had quite a few people approach me about building a PC for them, because they don't have the interest or the knowledge themselves, but they're still interested in playing games. It's those instances where I'd love to be able to say "yes, you can build a decent gaming PC for a comparable price to a console".

Of course, the whole argument of PC cost vs console cost is very loaded anyways, seeing as how I'd be willing to bet 99% of console gamers already have PC's...so it's kind of an unfair argument in the first place.
 
Console vs. PC aside, while $400 is the retail price, these new consoles can often be had for $360 or less.
 
My problem with Linus is he's such a salesman that I want his job....he's not very accurate on a lot of stuff he reviews but he has some History on him like comparing his only Logi G9x mouse to the current line so stuff like that is good.

Consoles will start to rock in the next few months sorta
 
Comixbooks said:
My problem with Linus is he's such a salesman that I want his job....he's not very accurate on a lot of stuff he reviews but he has some History on him like comparing his only Logi G9x mouse to the current line so stuff like that is good.

Consoles will start to rock in the next few months sorta
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I'll turn my PS4 on when Bloodborne is finally here.
It's been off since December....
 
Dangman said:
So is my 2007 built C2D E6400 backup server. Doesn't mean that we can assume that other people treat their hardware with the same level of care and/or have the same luck as we do.
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My Q6600 is still going strong (I gave it to my dad) and my 2600k is also going strong. I'm currently on a 3930k and that is most definitely still going strong.

I don't get how some people treat their hardware. Hell, if I wanted to boot up my old amd 3500+ it'll probably still work without a hitch.
 
Climber said:
Go ahead. Once again those of us who are pc literate don't need to be convinced about the pros of pc gaming and will generally have spare parts and the knowledge how to do this.

But the vast majority of people do not have the knowledge of what parts to get, how to assemble said parts, and how to troubleshoot either software or hardware problems should they occur.

Plus if you're now reaching into used parts that still works against you because just the other day I bought a refurbished xbox 1 with kinect for $259. The more the pc master race tries to justify this to themselves the more desperate and idiotic you look trying to prove something to someone that no one really cares about.
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PC Master Race guys really annoy me. Seriously, my PC is good, but I love playing console games too. Why restrict yourself to one platform?

Choice, people, CHOICE!
 
Some people just need to have something to bitch about to make themselves feel justified, hence the pc master race idiots.
 
I used to be a hardcore PC gamer, putting $500 gfx cards into my gaming rig (though only every few years) because I liked the PC resolution and KB/M controls better. I still enjoy PC gaming, but I find myself in front of the console more often. Much much bigger screen, much much more comfortable chair (recliner), and most of all; excellent resale value of games. I played The Last of Us for free (though I had to go to the post office to pick up the package, and then I had to pack it up and send it off, so there was some opportunity cost). I bought it used, and I sold it on eBay for $3 more than I paid for it. Try that with a PC game.
 
M76 said:
1 Except I'd prefer a 10$ mouse/keyboard over any game controller at any time, as a control option.

2 you don't neccessarily have to scavenge everything used. The MB/CPU/GPU trio maybe, but it'd take me about 30 seconds to find those if I went on a classified page. Yes It takes a little effort, but you can't expect results without putting in something.

3 That's ridicilous. You don't have to drive to the moon and back to get common PC parts, if you're not stupid you'll choose sellers that are near your daily route.

4. Yeah you'll need windows, but it will work on after you upgrade your PC, so it's unfair to calculate full cost for one build.


But in the end you have a system that runs games better, have more software for it, and is more versatile than any console can dream of.

It's a perfectly viable option, yes it's not for everyone, but even those who doesn't have the know how might have a friend who would put together a gaming PC for them gladly.

If you know nothing about computers and have noone to help you you better forget this option. That's the only drawback.
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1. Depends on the game

2. 30 seconds to find, now how long to coordinate a good time for the seller to meet up with you, the actual drive time to the meeting, the length and any testing you do on said meeting, etc?

3. There's a lot of cities out there where population of computer hardware sellers are spaced quite far away from one another. Even in a major metropolitan area like my home town, it can still take me anywhere from 20 to 45 minutes to get to certain areas.

4. We're not talking about a PC for yourself. We're talking about gaming PCs for other people. As mentioned before, not everyone has a spare Windows key lying around. Of all the people that I've built PCs for over the past ten years, I can think of only two people that actually had a spare Windows key lying around. Every other time they had to pay for a Windows key. So it is entirely fair to factor in the costs of Windows for a new gaming PC.

Only drawback? Clearly you didn't read my earlier post: There's also the issue of the quality and longevity of the used hardware itself.

refraxion said:
My Q6600 is still going strong (I gave it to my dad) and my 2600k is also going strong. I'm currently on a 3930k and that is most definitely still going strong.

I don't get how some people treat their hardware. Hell, if I wanted to boot up my old amd 3500+ it'll probably still work without a hitch.
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Any number of reasons:
- They don't have the time to take care of the hardware
- They dont' really care about taking care of the hardware
- They don't know how to take care of the hardware
- They bought said hardware from someone else without checking.
 
I like the idea of this, but it needs to be done with retail hardware that can be bought for that price at any time.

Could have easily went with an overclocked Pentium G3258 and a R9 270X. That's a great combo.
 
linustechtips logitech mice unboxing review:

pine_marten.jpg


:p
 
Leonardo Leonardo said:
I like the idea of this, but it needs to be done with retail hardware that can be bought for that price at any time.

Could have easily went with an overclocked Pentium G3258 and a R9 270X. That's a great combo.
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I'd choose that too except the G3258's days are limited, as games starting to require 4 threads.
 
Dangman said:
1. Depends on the game

2. 30 seconds to find, now how long to coordinate a good time for the seller to meet up with you, the actual drive time to the meeting, the length and any testing you do on said meeting, etc?

3. There's a lot of cities out there where population of computer hardware sellers are spaced quite far away from one another. Even in a major metropolitan area like my home town, it can still take me anywhere from 20 to 45 minutes to get to certain areas.

4. We're not talking about a PC for yourself. We're talking about gaming PCs for other people. As mentioned before, not everyone has a spare Windows key lying around. Of all the people that I've built PCs for over the past ten years, I can think of only two people that actually had a spare Windows key lying around. Every other time they had to pay for a Windows key. So it is entirely fair to factor in the costs of Windows for a new gaming PC.

Only drawback? Clearly you didn't read my earlier post: There's also the issue of the quality and longevity of the used hardware itself.



Any number of reasons:
- They don't have the time to take care of the hardware
- They dont' really care about taking care of the hardware
- They don't know how to take care of the hardware
- They bought said hardware from someone else without checking.
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1. I haven't seen a game yet where I'd say oh this is so much better with a controller. At most it's not worse.

2. In my used transactions so far I could always find a buyer / seller who would come to my location. But if I have to go somwhere to pick up a part, how is it different from going to a retail shop? It usually takes 4-5 messages back and forth to set up a buy. That takes 5 minutes of my life.

3 And how long does it take you to go to a retail shop? Or multiple ones because often you can't get everything at one place. But even a 45 minute trip would cost what in fuel 5$ at most. If that's a problem for anyone they shouldn't be thinking about gaming computers.

4. But if you buy a new copy of windows now it will be usable after you upgrade the pc, so you can split the price for your next build. Yes you have to pay it in full now, but then I come back to the fact that if you can't afford it, then you shouldn't be thinking about buying a gaming pc, or a console either. Because if the $100 windows is a problem, then how will you afford next gen games for your console that are even more expensive than pc games?

HW longetivity is not really an issue nowadays. I haven't seen a single hw failure in years. In fact the only thing that failed recently was a bunch of Nvidia Quadro cards, Cisco Business networking products, and Dell workstations. The things you'd expect to be built for relyabilty instead of home consumer products. So now even at my workplace most workstations are built like gaming PCs, and they work much better.

So I'd even have more faith in the longevity of home built gaming pc-s, not less.

What care does a PC need anyway? Clear the dust from the air filters a few times a year, that's it. But if you don't have much dust you can even get away with never cleaning them.
 
Thuleman said:
I used to be a hardcore PC gamer, putting $500 gfx cards into my gaming rig (though only every few years) because I liked the PC resolution and KB/M controls better. I still enjoy PC gaming, but I find myself in front of the console more often. Much much bigger screen, much much more comfortable chair (recliner), and most of all; excellent resale value of games. I played The Last of Us for free (though I had to go to the post office to pick up the package, and then I had to pack it up and send it off, so there was some opportunity cost). I bought it used, and I sold it on eBay for $3 more than I paid for it. Try that with a PC game.
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So at best you broke even, although chances are you didn't having to pay the gas to get to the post office, and the cost of having to package it up.

I'd much rather take a $5 loss and buy the game on a Steam sale, and never have to move my ass to go get a game or package one up to sell it. And they pretty much all get down to that level within a year or two.
 
Keyboard... Mouse... Desk... Chair...

People don't care how much more l33t you think you are... it sucks playing games sitting at a desk with a keyboard and mouse. Feels like work for most people.

Until you realize that you will never understand the argument. It is not graphics, modding, price, nothing.... but implementation on top of the pretentious assholes that fill the "PC gaming master race".

On top of all that PC gamers are cheap bastards who don't want to pay developers for their work. Think any game that comes out should be $5 and god forbid there is a bug or something.
 
XvMMvX said:
Keyboard... Mouse... Desk... Chair...

People don't care how much more l33t you think you are... it sucks playing games sitting at a desk with a keyboard and mouse. Feels like work for most people.

Until you realize that you will never understand the argument. It is not graphics, modding, price, nothing.... but implementation on top of the pretentious assholes that fill the "PC gaming master race".

On top of all that PC gamers are cheap bastards who don't want to pay developers for their work. Think any game that comes out should be $5 and god forbid there is a bug or something.
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So you can't hook a PC up to the same TV you would use with a console? Or is that concept also too pretentious?
 
XvMMvX said:
Keyboard... Mouse... Desk... Chair...

People don't care how much more l33t you think you are... it sucks playing games sitting at a desk with a keyboard and mouse. Feels like work for most people.

Until you realize that you will never understand the argument. It is not graphics, modding, price, nothing.... but implementation on top of the pretentious assholes that fill the "PC gaming master race".

On top of all that PC gamers are cheap bastards who don't want to pay developers for their work. Think any game that comes out should be $5 and god forbid there is a bug or something.
Click to expand...

I tend to go cheap on the big name games or games I don't really want to support. But for the games I do want to support/will play I do tend to spend close to full price. But I do admit, even I am guilty of this to a degree. You'll see people buy $500-1000 video cards (SLI) but then only want to pay $10 for a game. :p
 
Eradan said:
So you can't hook a PC up to the same TV you would use with a console? Or is that concept also too pretentious?
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There is not a good way to use a Keyboard/Mouse from a couch/chair. Stop pretending like there is.

There is no argument that point and click is going to beat a controller which you have to practice to be good at. However, you can't go online and play the latest FPS with a controller if other people are using a KB/M.

Until you get smooth, sleek integration at a reasonable cost into the home theater setup this argument is dead in the water.
 
I'm actually interested in how the steam controller works. Anybody part of the steam PC beta and has access to the controller? How do you rate it compared to KB/M? I love my KB/M but I see the ease of use of controllers for all things other than FPS/RTS/Point and click adventures.
 
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