Hardware Which one should I get? PS4 vs PC upgrade

[Mantis41]

I can't make up my mind if I should upgrade my PC or buy a PS4. What do you think?

PS4 - £350 + £50 PSN

Pros

• Ease of Use
• 47” inch screen
• Play from the comfort of the lounge
• No DRM
• Some good exclusives.

Cons

• PSN £50 per year
• TV sharing with wife
• Controller VS Keyboard mouse (not too bothered by this)
• Games possibly dearer.

PC Upgrade, GTX760, I5 3750, New PSU, £450

Pros

• Usually cheaper games
• No additional cost for online play
• Keyboard and Mouse (not too bothered by this)
• Able to use it any time of day, no sharing needed for other uses like the TV.

Cons

• Online play is not equal. The more money you have to spend on controllers or performance the greater your advantage
• Smaller screen 22,24" and no budget to upgrade.
• I don’t enjoy playing games at the computer desk as much as sitting in the living room. It will be difficult to re-locate the PC and still suit both house and family.
• Needs to be connected for DRM, not really an issue for a PC as it is always connected anyway.

 

[ilman]

PS4 for the exclusives. And what would your current PC build be?

 

[Kouen Hasuki]

Need I say more

On topic Id say PC you can play it at any time, far more choice of classic titles and from your op can play any time

 

[Mantis41]

PS4 for the exclusives. And what would your current PC build be?

It's a cheap Sandy bridge, AMD6770, G620CPU, 8GB reasonable RAM. and a 430W PSU.

My system board won't take a 4670 so I would have to settle for the 3750. My board won't overclock the CPU either unless I replace it which will blow the budget or force me to skimp on the graphics card.

 

[Dr. Ivo Robotnik]

Given your PC setup, it's a bit of a toss-up for me. Whilst your PC will remain on the slightly weaker end of the spectrum, the lack of competition for screen time, as it were, has its advantages, and this would be a one-off investment as opposed to the PS4's PS+.

On the other hand, the PC's hardware is slightly limited, and thus may require upgrading sooner or later anyway. The PS4 has a set hardware specification that doesn't really alter. Also, console exclusives.

I'm inclined to say "Playstation 4", at present, but that's mostly because I still quite strongly enjoy console gaming, and there're still quite a few console games that simply aren't released on PC. Couple that with the fact that if you want to go high-end, your PC budget won't quite cut it, whereas the PS4, as mentioned, is a stable set of hardware that doesn't need upgrading (aside from POSSIBLY the hard drive, depending on how actively you'll use it).

 

[CompassNorth]

I'd go for the PC.
Ivy Bridge is still great, and so are your other planned parts so you won't need to upgrade for another 3 years.

Wait until the PS4 library builds up then buy the console. There's only 2-4 good console exclusives and most of them aren't even launch day games.

 

[natkoden]

I can't make up my mind if I should upgrade my PC or buy a PS4. What do you think?

PS4 - £350 + £50 PSN

Pros

• Ease of Use
• 47” inch screen
• Play from the comfort of the lounge
• No DRM
• Some good exclusives.

Cons

• PSN £50 per year
• TV sharing with wife
• Controller VS Keyboard mouse (not too bothered by this)
• Games possibly dearer.

PC Upgrade, GTX760, I5 3750, New PSU, £450

Pros

• Usually cheaper games
• No additional cost for online play
• Keyboard and Mouse (not too bothered by this)
• Able to use it any time of day, no sharing needed for other uses like the TV.

Cons

• Online play is not equal. The more money you have to spend on controllers or performance the greater your advantage
• Smaller screen 22,24" and no budget to upgrade.
• I don’t enjoy playing games at the computer desk as much as sitting in the living room. It will be difficult to re-locate the PC and still suit both house and family.
• Needs to be connected for DRM, not really an issue for a PC as it is always connected anyway.

Seems to me that you chose the PS4 already. You sound more like a console gamer. In the long run, PS4 is going to have better exclusives. PC has a few, and most of the multiplatform games are horrible ports. I'd only consider it if you want to play MMORPGs or prefer the mouse over a gamepad, specially for FPS.

Other than that, you'd be better off with a PS4.

Online play is not equal. The more money you have to spend on controllers or performance the greater your advantage = This is not true. But to each its own...

 

[trumpet-205]

Just so you know, you can definitely plug a HDMI cable from GPU to TV. So you can alternate between monitor and TV.

Also HD7950 is a better buy than GTX 760 since HD7950 comes with bundled games and extra 1 GB of VRAM. What PSU are you using right now? Depending on the unit you may not need a PSU upgrade (I run 3770K + HD7850 and it only pulled <250 W under stress).

 

[Mantis41]

Seems to me that you chose the PS4 already. You sound more like a console gamer. In the long run, PS4 is going to have better exclusives. PC has a few, and most of the multiplatform games are horrible ports. I'd only consider it if you want to play MMORPGs or prefer the mouse over a gamepad, specially for FPS.

Other than that, you'd be better off with a PS4.

Online play is not equal. The more money you have to spend on controllers or performance the greater your advantage = This is not true. But to each its own...

I brought the PC originally due to most of friends being PC gamers. I am only a casual gamer so I got something cheap and barely gaming worthy with plenty of storage to double up as a home server for sharing multimedia. To be honest the system has performed better than I expected considering the little amount of money I spent. The poor video card had had a severe overclock since new and has never put a foot wrong, for that matter I have never had a hicup or crash from the PC. The Vid runs constantly at 100% and never seems to get bothered even with the OC. I am guessing I wouldn't be able to treat a GTX760 the same way and expect it to survive.

The console gaming is mostly done with my son. We now have two XBox consoles. I am probably in favor of the PS4 but can see two issues. One is the TV share with my wife and the second is having my son take it over or having to purchase a second one.

I am still torn. The PC upgrade makes more sense even if a little selfish whereas the PS4 because it would be awesome on the main telly and speakers and would be nice to play with my Son with the downside that it would probably result in the purchase of a second console. Still two PS4s is cheaper than a second PC. I then have the task of convincing my PC playing friends to buy a PS4 as well.

 

[Mantis41]

Just so you know, you can definitely plug a HDMI cable from GPU to TV. So you can alternate between monitor and TV.

Also HD7950 is a better buy than GTX 760 since HD7950 comes with bundled games and extra 1 GB of VRAM. What PSU are you using right now? Depending on the unit you may not need a PSU upgrade (I run 3770K + HD7850 and it only pulled <250 W under stress).

Thanks for the info

The PSU is a Corsair CX430. Do you think this would handle a single 7950?

What is your brand preference for the 7950 for price, performance, durability? I have seen prices range from £230 to £360.

 

[trumpet-205]

It will be fine. Intel CPUs are incredibly energy efficient, so a quality 430 W PSU can handle one GPU configuration.

If you are not going to overclock, brand doesn't really matter. I personally have experience with ASUS, MSI, and Sapphire. In terms of quality, I find MSI to be the best. Somewhat don't like ASUS as its RMA policy requires you to pay shipping to get the RMA done.

 

[Mantis41]

It will be fine. Intel CPUs are incredibly energy efficient, so a quality 430 W PSU can handle one GPU configuration.

If you are not going to overclock, brand doesn't really matter. I personally have experience with ASUS, MSI, and Sapphire. In terms of quality, I find MSI to be the best. Somewhat don't like ASUS as its RMA policy requires you to pay shipping to get the RMA done.

Thanks. I nearly always overclock my PCs if possible. If I drop the £50 for the PSU then that will make Up the difference between the GTX760 and 7950. My current card is a Sapphire and it has been rock solid.

 

[trumpet-205]

Thanks. I nearly always overclock my PCs if possible. If I drop the £50 for the PSU then that will make Up the difference between the GTX760 and 7950. My current card is a Sapphire and it has been rock solid.

Same here, Sapphire HD7850 2GB.

 

[the_randomizer]

It will be fine. Intel CPUs are incredibly energy efficient, so a quality 430 W PSU can handle one GPU configuration.

If you are not going to overclock, brand doesn't really matter. I personally have experience with ASUS, MSI, and Sapphire. In terms of quality, I find MSI to be the best. Somewhat don't like ASUS as its RMA policy requires you to pay shipping to get the RMA done.

I can attest to that; I have a Core i5 3570 Ivy Bridge (not a K version since I don't OC) and a Corsair 600 W PSU and even under full load (running intensive programs), the CPU never gets super hot and the voltages are very stable. They're very well built for energy consumption. This is running with an MSI GeForce GTX 660, which also is plenty for my needs

 

[Mantis41]

Thanks to all. I think I have a plan of action.
Upgrade the PC now so I can enjoy BF4, Watchdogs and Witcher 3 over the next 12 months.

Wait till the dust settles on the console wars and then probably buy a PS4 for Xmas 2014. This should be plenty of time to determine which console has the best exclusives for my tastes and for any other issues to surface. It should be a bit cheaper by then as well. Inevitably Junior will slowly drop his 360 and start to take over the PS4, it's already happening with the PC. I will then buy a second next gen console or PC for the lad some time 2015, either for a birthday or Xmas.

 

[Ethevion]

If you're PC can handle newer games on low graphics, get a PS4. Otherwise, go for PC upgrade.
PS. Paying for PSN isn't a con, it means you get better service, just like XBL.

 

[Mantis41]

If you're PC can handle newer games on low graphics, get a PS4. Otherwise, go for PC upgrade.
PS. Paying for PSN isn't a con, it means you get better service, just like XBL.

My current PC playing Watchdogs would be like a Wii trying to play Modern Warfare 2. Sure, it would probably work at low res with almost every engine feature turned off but I just couldn't bring myself to do it knowing what it is supposed to look like.

 

[trumpet-205]

I'm more a believer on getting console later (even though I much prefer gaming on console due to lack or DRM). Usually this means any problems are ironed out and you get bundle sales.

You did say you overclock on your PC,
* AMD GPU has more headroom for overclocking. Nvidia GPU isn't much of a overclocker.
* Intel Ivy Bridge isn't much of a overclocker unless you delid it.

 

[Ethevion]

My current PC playing Watchdogs would be like a Wii trying to play Modern Warfare 2. Sure, it would probably work at low res with almost every engine feature turned off but I just couldn't bring myself to do it knowing what it is supposed to look like.

In that case it's best to upgrade your PC. I would probably do the same and wait for the consoles to get a bundle deal or something.

 

[Mantis41]

I'm more a believer on getting console later (even though I much prefer gaming on console due to lack or DRM). Usually this means any problems are ironed out and you get bundle sales.

You did say you overclock on your PC,
* AMD GPU has more headroom for overclocking. Nvidia GPU isn't much of a overclocker.
* Intel Ivy Bridge isn't much of a overclocker unless you delid it.

Not keen on removing the spreader on a £170 CPU. I have the wrong chipset to OC as well. I have pushed up the FSB a little on my current setup and it hasn't caused any issues. This gives me some minor performance increases. I will just have to settle with ramping up the video card frequencies. I might swap out the system board at a later date.