Lets talk gaming rigs, graphics cards.

[Phil Conners]

Haven't really been into gaming for a couple of years, but just realized a Sony PS3 is only around 9,000 baht now, and started thinking about how PC graphics cards compare these days.

Last I looked, high-endian graphics cards were 20,000+ baht. What is the "sweet spot" today, i.e. the point where the price of the graphics card no longer matches the performance?

Looking at a PS3 game in Tukcom the other day, the graphics was really stunning, and with the whole machine costing 9,000, surely a graphics card able to render same quality would be less?

Discussion open .....

[bangkockney]

I think you have to be careful here as the PS3 is still being sold at a loss.

Also, more and more software is leveraging the GPU to scale computational problems.

The question therefore is not one of cost vs pretty graphics, but of increased processing power available to the wider system.

So it's still a point of you get what you pay for. Factor in under optimised code (eg DayZ mod) and you need higher end to run max settings. This becomes even more important as monitor prices drop and resolution increases.

If you have the money, buy an AMD7990 or a GTX690, they're awesome - dual GPU on one board! (~40k THB).

Also, consoles and PCs handle things very differently (shaders, memory calls etc).

Edited July 27, 2013 by bangkockney

[WonnabeBiker]

Provided you got a PC with say 4 to 8 GB RAM?

www.Amazon.com sells RAM and I saw the Soundblaster X-Fi card new for <$ 25 including shipping.

• more RAM
• get a high end sound card
• see what graphics card you can get for maybe $ 50? should have 1 GB GDDR3 RAM.
• buy some speakers. I like Klipsch and www.Teufel.co.uk (THX certified)

The PS3 superslim 500 GB is what, $ 269.99 at www.amazon.com these days? this includes the upcoming GTA V game!!

[ETatBKK]

technically, it is true that game console and PC game station are completely different in the technical concepts and build.

yet, if one enjoys plug-and-play games and get excited by the effect, go for a game console. if one fancy of customising the game for variety of challenges, PC game station should be a better choice.

graphic card is a subjective choice - some already accept out of the box experience, some go for visual + sound combination, and demand for best 'explosion, flame and smoke' effect. of course, pay more !

[spacemunk]

when it comes to eye candy consoles beats PC graphics.

I rather spend that 9000baht on a console and play games on a 50" LED screen than to spend 10 times that amount to play a game on a PC platform on the same screen with max settings... you are looking at running top end cards in tri/quad with top end CPU and also a SSD.

At this point some top end graphic cards are even having problems running in some of the latest games at max settings.

[dave111223]

Why consider a PS3 when PS4 is just around the corner?

[JSixpack]

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/fun/gaming/4745136/pc-or-console-gaming.html

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107.html

Can a £300 gaming PC compare to a £3,000 one?

We pit a cheap gaming PC against a high-end rig

Meanwhile, we've long known that the most expensive CPUs are overkill for games. What we didn't anticipate was how little difference a high-end GPU makes. At this point we've little choice but to reveal the overall result.

Most of the time, most of our subjects literally could not tell the difference. In fact, it was worse than that. It wasn't just a case of putting hands up in the air and declaring it a dead heat. Frequently, our testers actually got it the wrong way round, declaring the low-end rig to be rendering with greater fidelity or actually running faster.

--http://www.techradar.com/news/computing/pc/can-a-300-gaming-pc-compare-to-a-3-000-one-1071338

Edited July 27, 2013 by JSixpack

[Phil Conners]

Thanks for the replies. After thinking about it I probably lean most to get a console as I have a big-screen LCD TV and a very nice Denon/JBL sound system, and playing games on it would probably look and sound much better than almost any graphics card I stick in my PC with a 24" screen and old Saag PC speakers (which are fine for the odd Youtube video or Skype). I think it would also lend itself more to social gaming with friends, and i also like the idea of not messing up my workstation with games, that IIRC tend to mess up things.

As for why not a PS4, well the PS3 is available, the PS4 isn't. But I'm not in a hurry, maybe I'll sit it out and wait to have a look at the PS4 before making a decision.

[SoFarAndNear]

when it comes to eye candy consoles beats PC graphics.

 

I rather spend that 9000baht on a console and play games on a 50" LED screen than to spend 10 times that amount to play a game on a PC platform on the same screen with max settings... you are looking at running top end cards in tri/quad with top end CPU and also a SSD.

 

At this point some top end graphic cards are even having problems running in some of the latest games at max settings.

You can easily plug your 50inch TV into your computer and play all games on your TV And there are also solutions to use you original xbox and ps3 controller on your computer.

[manarak]

My 2 cents are that any slightly outdated midrange PC graphics card can beat PS3 graphics provided the rest of the PC is not too crappy, i.e. also midrange processor and at least 3GB RAM if running in 32 bits.

Already the 9800GT is stronger than the PS3's graphics.

It can be had today for... 30 USD? 50? what about the Radeon 6750?

The 550Ti is just above 100 USD.

Remember that only few PS3 games support full HD, most games push the console to its limits in 720p resolution, while 720p is a joke for PC graphics cards.

PC graphics beat console graphics anytime.

Edited July 27, 2013 by manarak

[jbrain]

Gaming console over gaming rig anytime, smaller - cheaper - cooler and less to mess up,however I would go for the Xbox instead of the Playstation.

[Satcommlee]

You are not comparing apples to apples.... Games consoles are a different beast altogether compared to personal computers..

In PC's an expensive graphics card can cost more than the PC itself, but show me a games console that can run Microsoft office and do all your regular day to day PC stuff! They don't exist! Simply because games consoles are mass produced to be graphics gaming machines where as your PC is a general purpose computer system.

[jbrain]

You are not comparing apples to apples.... Games consoles are a different beast altogether compared to personal computers..

In PC's an expensive graphics card can cost more than the PC itself, but show me a games console that can run Microsoft office and do all your regular day to day PC stuff! They don't exist! Simply because games consoles are mass produced to be graphics gaming machines where as your PC is a general purpose computer system.

And you should use a computer for it's intended purpose, and use a game console for games.

[Phil Conners]

You can easily plug your 50inch TV into your computer and play all games on your TV And there are also solutions to use you original xbox and ps3 controller on your computer.

Not really ... as they're at different ends of the house

[Tywais]

You are not comparing apples to apples.... Games consoles are a different beast altogether compared to personal computers..

In PC's an expensive graphics card can cost more than the PC itself, but show me a games console that can run Microsoft office and do all your regular day to day PC stuff! They don't exist! Simply because games consoles are mass produced to be graphics gaming machines where as your PC is a general purpose computer system.

And you should use a computer for it's intended purpose, and use a game console for games.

PC stands for Personal Computer. That doesn't put restrictions as to what you use it for and that includes games. I'm a heavy game player and play the top end and latest, resource intensive games on my PC at full HD (actually higher as I have 1920x1200 monitor and card supporting it and the games support it) with no problems. My 51" Full HD plasma with HDMI sits right next to it so can use that if desired. It's personal requirements only that dictate which way to go. I personally do not want a game console as I have to have a high end computer already for my work requirements so already satisfies my game needs at no additional cost.

As for 'messing up the computer', my games go on a separate SSD or hard drive from my main work disks so no interference and never had a problem. In Phil's case, logistics does seem to indicate a console would be more suitable.

Besides, ask any hardcore gamer which he would prefer and would probably scoff at the thought of a gaming console.

[Loptr]

Console vs PC is an old topic. Bottom line depends on how serious a gamer you are and what titles / genre you like to play. As a serious racing sim participant I had to go PC to get to the high end online products. Triple 27" HD monitors with AMD Radeon HD 6700 video card, 12 gb RAM, i7 processor, SSDD's, etc. If you are a casual gamer, then console gives you the most bang for the buck and a higher enjoyment quotient per $$$ spent.

[spacemunk]

Triple 27" HD monitors with AMD Radeon HD 6700 video card

Crysis , BF3 and such will never happen on max settings.

Even a single GTX Titan has a hard time keeping up.

[Phil Conners]

Console vs PC is an old topic. Bottom line depends on how serious a gamer you are and what titles / genre you like to play. As a serious racing sim participant I had to go PC to get to the high end online products. Triple 27" HD monitors with AMD Radeon HD 6700 video card, 12 gb RAM, i7 processor, SSDD's, etc. If you are a casual gamer, then console gives you the most bang for the buck and a higher enjoyment quotient per $$$ spent.

Yes I'm certainly a casual gamer at this point in life and this is exactly what I thought.

Still might upgrade my PC graphics card since there seems to be some decent options available under 4,000 baht, even here in Pattaya. For example GTX650 (~3500). Radeon 7750 (~3300) and 7770 (~3800). Or am I missing out on a gem not mentioned? I don't need super-high performance hardware but essentially looking for value.

[manarak]

Console vs PC is an old topic. Bottom line depends on how serious a gamer you are and what titles / genre you like to play. As a serious racing sim participant I had to go PC to get to the high end online products. Triple 27" HD monitors with AMD Radeon HD 6700 video card, 12 gb RAM, i7 processor, SSDD's, etc. If you are a casual gamer, then console gives you the most bang for the buck and a higher enjoyment quotient per $$$ spent.

Yes I'm certainly a casual gamer at this point in life and this is exactly what I thought.

Still might upgrade my PC graphics card since there seems to be some decent options available under 4,000 baht, even here in Pattaya. For example GTX650 (~3500). Radeon 7750 (~3300) and 7770 (~3800). Or am I missing out on a gem not mentioned? I don't need super-high performance hardware but essentially looking for value.

yes, all those cards are excellent value. I went with a radeon 7770 recently.

in terms of power, it is about 12 to 15 times more powerful than PS3 graphics using tom's hardware benchmarks.

[Tywais]

Console vs PC is an old topic. Bottom line depends on how serious a gamer you are and what titles / genre you like to play. As a serious racing sim participant I had to go PC to get to the high end online products. Triple 27" HD monitors with AMD Radeon HD 6700 video card, 12 gb RAM, i7 processor, SSDD's, etc. If you are a casual gamer, then console gives you the most bang for the buck and a higher enjoyment quotient per $$$ spent.

Yes I'm certainly a casual gamer at this point in life and this is exactly what I thought.

Still might upgrade my PC graphics card since there seems to be some decent options available under 4,000 baht, even here in Pattaya. For example GTX650 (~3500). Radeon 7750 (~3300) and 7770 (~3800). Or am I missing out on a gem not mentioned? I don't need super-high performance hardware but essentially looking for value.

yes, all those cards are excellent value. I went with a radeon 7770 recently.

I agree also and the 7770 is very good.

[manarak]

an interesting link:

www.videocardbenchmark.net

[Phil Conners]

Yes, that's an excellent website, I've used cpubenchmark.net (a domain alias it seems) to scope CPU's for years, only recently realized they also benchmark GPU's.

Thanks for the recommendation for the 7770. Compared to the GTX650 it seems a little more powerful for a little more money, so value wise they should be about the same right? Or are there other reasons why the 7770 is better? (driver quality, power consumption, heat, other?)

[Tywais]

Yes, that's an excellent website, I've used cpubenchmark.net (a domain alias it seems) to scope CPU's for years, only recently realized they also benchmark GPU's.

Thanks for the recommendation for the 7770. Compared to the GTX650 it seems a little more powerful for a little more money, so value wise they should be about the same right? Or are there other reasons why the 7770 is better? (driver quality, power consumption, heat, other?)

When it gets down to close performance/features, then it may be individual preference of Nvidia control panel or AMD Catalyst. I've always preferred Nvidia chips and associated control panel but currently running AMD Radeon and Catalyst due to getting a very good deal on the card from an acquaintance and happy with it.

Comparison article - http://www.hwcompare.com/13467/geforce-gtx-650-vs-radeon-hd-7770/

and YouTube vid.

[doontp]

any opinions on the Nintendo Wii?

No one has mentioned anything about it. I like the physical aspect of the sports games....baseball, tennis, etc. My wife likes the dancing game. The console is Bt9k and the dancing game is Bt5k.

A PS2 is Bt4,500 and the dancing game that goes with it costs Bt750.

We looked at these two consoles this past weekend, but did not make a purchase. We are thinking. We have no experience with the latest stuff. I had a Nintendo when I was a kid. 20+ yrs ago. I enjoyed the sports games.

I like American football, soccer and hockey games the most. I do like a racing game.

[Loptr]

Yes, that's an excellent website, I've used cpubenchmark.net (a domain alias it seems) to scope CPU's for years, only recently realized they also benchmark GPU's.

Thanks for the recommendation for the 7770. Compared to the GTX650 it seems a little more powerful for a little more money, so value wise they should be about the same right? Or are there other reasons why the 7770 is better? (driver quality, power consumption, heat, other?)

When it gets down to close performance/features, then it may be individual preference of Nvidia control panel or AMD Catalyst. I've always preferred Nvidia chips and associated control panel but currently running AMD Radeon and Catalyst due to getting a very good deal on the card from an acquaintance and happy with it.

Comparison article - http://www.hwcompare.com/13467/geforce-gtx-650-vs-radeon-hd-7770/

and YouTube vid.

I've always had good luck with the AMD licensed Radeon cards, so I've stuck with them. The Catalyst software with the correct Radeon card and DisplayPort technology can drive up to 16 monitors at once, allowing you to map all of the monitors as one viewport. Cool stuff. My resolution is set to 5760 X 1024 and I have it locked at 120 frames per second. Plenty fast for online racing. I'm not much into first person shooter games, so can't comment on performance for this genre.

[Satcommlee]

Anyone after a good monitor??

I bought a 27 inch, Series 9, Samsung SA950, 3D FULL HD LED, 120 Hz computer monitor from "The Mall" company in Korat today.. 16'657 baht

I was about to buy the 23 inch version for 18'900 baht, he then said I can get the 27 inch for 20K baht, but when I came to pay at the cashier they applied a 4000 baht discount.

I guess the same deal will be available at all the other "The Mall" places in Thailand.

The 3D movies are the brightest of any 3D TV I have seen.

Very happy with it.