Cost of gaming PC's in the PS4/XBO era

[pjbliverpool]

PC gaming has been pretty cheap over the past few years if you were aiming for console equivalent performance but with the launch of the new consoles the cost just went up significantly. So what is the actual cost of a self build PC today that can match the new consoles in both performance and functionality?

Using the PS4 as the benchmark since it's arguably the better value proposition and lacking Kinect it keeps things simple.

A few ground rules:

1. The PC must be at least as performant as the PS4 while taking into account a typical PC overhead
2. The PC must have all the same functionality, including a fully operational OS, WIFI/Bluetooth capability, a BluRay drive and a wireless game controller
3. There can be no re-use of old PC components that you already own.

Here's my attempt:

AMD 760K (Quad Richland @ 3.8Ghz): $90
Socket FM2 Mobo - Biostar A55MD2: $45
2x 4GB DDR3 1600Mhz: $65
HD 7870Ghz 2GB: $160
Case + 585w PS: $60
Wireless Keyboard/Mouse: $19
Win 8.1 64bit: $100
Blu-Ray Dirve 12x: $50
HDD 1TB 7200rpm: £67.25
X360 Wireless Gamepad: $40
WiFi Dongle: $5.30
Bluetooth Dongle: $3.80

TOTAL: $705.35

 

[AlphaWolf]

You ordered your HDD from the UK?

I'd say you also need a headset.

 

[Squilliam]

I would say it is unreasonable to include things like Blu Ray drives which are uncommon. Also PC gamers often prefer wired accessories, so depending on preference you should be able to ignore that part too.

 

[AlphaWolf]

I would say it is unreasonable to include things like Blu Ray drives which are uncommon. Also PC gamers often prefer wired accessories, so depending on preference you should be able to ignore that part too.

Not if you want a living room set up.

 

[zed]

Emulating the 8GB ddr5 will be a bit of a problem

WiFi Dongle: $5.30

So I can use wifi on my PC I take it
I was looking at this the other day and they were way more expensive, what make is this thats so cheap I might grab one?

 

[Davros]

my motherboard had built in wifi and a remote control

 

[Billy Idol]

Do you have a benchmark for your PC? How does it run BF4 in comparison to PS4?

 

[tongue_of_colicab]

Not if you want a living room set up.

Then you still don't need it.

I don't think the rule of having to buy everything new is fair either. If you are new to pc gaming then yes, but I think that will be a relatively small group.

Case, psu, memory, hdd's and OS will be something that most people will carry over from build to build.

Starting from nothing you´ll be spending 1000 ~ 1500 euro's for something that is (much) faster then a ps4 (I don't see why you would buy a gaming pc that is at leas as fast as a ps4, just buy a ps4 instead then. That will be cheaper).

 

[Billy Idol]

It will be interesting to compare the consoles with the steam consoles...I wonder if those have a chance to compete wrt bang for buck.

 

[pjbliverpool]

Starting from nothing you´ll be spending 1000 ~ 1500 euro's for something that is (much) faster then a ps4 (I don't see why you would buy a gaming pc that is at leas as fast as a ps4, just buy a ps4 instead then. That will be cheaper).

I'm not sure how you come to that conclusion. For another $250 you could put an 8 core bulldozer and Radeon 290 in there. That's probably about €850 and already much, much faster than the PS4. You certainly don't need to spend €1000 never mind €1500.

 

[pjbliverpool]

You ordered your HDD from the UK?

I'd say you also need a headset.

Sorry the pound sign was a typo. I didn't include audio/visual peripherals as I was assuming a like for like setup with a console, i.e. using the TV/home theatre as an output.

 

[pjbliverpool]

Do you have a benchmark for your PC? How does it run BF4 in comparison to PS4?

The closest I could find is here:

http://www.hardwarepal.com/battlefield-4-benchmark-mp-cpu-gpu-w7-vs-w8-1/9/

The FX4300 is a good match for the CPU above and you can see that paired with a 7870 it achieves a 61fps average in this (apparently) demanding benchmark scene. That's at high settings which is the best match for the PS4 settings according to digital foundry but its also at 1080p which is about 40% higher than the PS4's 900p so it looks like this PC is faster in this case (and thats before Mantle).

 

[tongue_of_colicab]

I'm not sure how you come to that conclusion. For another $250 you could put an 8 core bulldozer and Radeon 290 in there. That's probably about €850 and already much, much faster than the PS4. You certainly don't need to spend €1000 never mind €1500.

A couple of months ago I paid roughly 770 euro's for a 2tb hdd, 16gb ram, z87 mainboard, i7 4770, case and psu. Add a good gpu and there you have your 1000+ euro's.

 

[pjbliverpool]

Yeah its definitely possible to spend €1000 on a PC but it's not necessary to spend that much to greatly exceed PS4 performance. You could do it for about $850 with an FX8320 and 7950.

 

[tongue_of_colicab]

Once we get the first batch of true next gen games, how much better will that system perform then a ps4?

 

[AlphaWolf]

Then you still don't need it.

Don't need perhaps, but cords dragged across my living space is completely unacceptable.

Sorry the pound sign was a typo. I didn't include audio/visual peripherals as I was assuming a like for like setup with a console, i.e. using the TV/home theatre as an output.

I meant for game chat.

 

[pjbliverpool]

Once we get the first batch of true next gen games, how much better will that system perform then a ps4?

Well considering it sports a near identical GPU architecture - just a lot more of it, and a very similar CPU architecture - just a much faster version, then I don't see much scope for consoles to optimise in ways that won't also apply to that PC - especially were Mantle is involved.

The two trouble spots will be firstly, lack of HSA, however with a lot more CPU power (literally 3x more), running GPGPU code won't be so important on the PC and GPU side efficiencies brought about by HSA would be partially or completely offset by the far greater GPU power. And secondly, the lack of 6GB of fast memory available to the game. However the PC has 50% that amount running at a much higher speed which is fully dedicated to the GPU along with another 8GB sitting behind that running at a much lower speed. I don't see this causing much of an issue at all.

On balance I don't see the PS4 ever achieving parity with that PC (the higher spec one with an 8230 and 7950) until the 7950 is dropped from AMD's driver optimisations altogether (which may be a long while given their apparently long term investement in GCN).

 

[pjbliverpool]

Don't need perhaps, but cords dragged across my living space is completely unacceptable.


I meant for game chat.

Good point, we should probably throw another $10 on for that.

 

[DuckThor Evil]

The cords aren't a problem if the computer is close to where you sit, then you just have to have longer HDMI cable and route it nicely to the TV. There are also options of mounting a monitor next to your couch and move it pretty much out of sight when not in use etc.

This desk mount or the same with a wall mount (or something similar) offers incredible flexibility to place a monitor to just about anywhere. The range of motion on that thing is mind blowing

(Ergotron LX desk mount)

I have one next to my couch and it works even better than I had imagined.

 

[AlphaWolf]

My TV would cause problems with that mount.