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See the original image at img153.imageshack.us

Not sure what console to buy? Here's the flowchart you need!

img153.imageshack.us — This should help you decide on which next gen gaming system you should purchase.

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  • Archemon, on 01/08/2008, -107/+54Lol, that's priceless. I indeed have a PC and love games. It's really my only gaming platform besides PSP... I'd rather have online PC games (MMORPGs and the likes) than some random online shooter or some other game...
    • elnerdo, on 01/08/2008, -39/+4Stop using the word 'random'
    • falese, on 01/08/2008, -28/+9spoken like a true scholar. you, sir are a prize. your mother must feel very lucky to have you dwelling in her basement.
      • retrovertigo, on 01/08/2008, -7/+8I'm sure that you're quite familiar with living in a parents basement to certainly call him out on it. As they say: you can smell your own.
        • falese, on 01/08/2008, -3/+11actually i live in a stranger's basement. san francisco is expensive.
          • Gir53457, on 01/08/2008, -2/+8I highly doubt you have a basement in San Fransisco, seeing as how unless you live in the historical blocks all homes in SF and most of the Bay Area are devoid of basements. Enjoy your ***** San Jose apartment.
          • MWeather, on 01/08/2008, -1/+8We get it, you're gay. Don't flaunt it.
    • poiuytrewq44, on 01/08/2008, -21/+18Why is he being dugg down? He hasn't done anything to deserve it. Although I disagree with his choice in consoles, that's no reason to digg him down.
      • ledzep19752000, on 01/08/2008, -6/+15Probably because he likes MMORPGs!
        • spyderbyte, on 01/08/2008, -17/+6Along with 9 million others, genius.
          • knetworx, on 01/08/2008, -5/+17But they're too busy leveling up their butt pirates to digg him up.
      • Chompy, on 01/08/2008, -2/+16Probably because he's assuming that anyone gives a ***** about what gaming console and/or PC resides in the home of "Archemon".
        • tikiman453, on 01/08/2008, -8/+3i agree. dont digg him down just for a difference in an opinion.
    • philrenaud, on 01/08/2008, -3/+25"I indeed have a PC"

      Ohhhh, see I naturally assumed you were commenting on Digg by way of WebTV.

      or psychic powers.
      • bcclist, on 06/11/2008, -1/+4webtv...the good ole days.
      • ChronicColonic, on 01/08/2008, -1/+4He received this Digg submission through the mail. He mailed it back to Digg asking them to key in his comment. The postal service is very efficient where he lives.
    • bcclist, on 06/11/2008, -2/+7you sir will/should never get laid.
    • alkaline213, on 01/09/2008, -1/+1hahahaha. Indeed he does have a pc, and indeed he isn't getting laid...ever. I mean he lol'd. straight up
  • thejwac, on 01/08/2008, -48/+249I would love to game on the PC but the initial investment on a PC that can handle games I feel are worth playing (TF2, Crysis, any other suggestions) is too expensive for me.

    My real friends come over and play Rock Band with me on my 360 and we have a blast.
    • chingy1788, on 01/08/2008, -33/+8$1000 - $1500 machine would handle that nicely
      Core 2 Duo 6600
      2GB RAM
      Geforce 8600GT 256MB
      that should be enough
      • Farik, on 01/08/2008, -4/+59For $1000 - $1500 you can get a Core 2 Quad 6600, 2GB RAM and an 8800GT 512MB.
        • L4WL3RS34L, on 01/08/2008, -3/+14For $1000 you can build a Q6600, 4GB RAM, 8800GT SLI. At least I did.
          • Spytap, on 01/08/2008, -4/+26for $1000 you can buy a PS3 or an Xbox and 10-12 games, or a Wii and 15 or so games.
          • knetworx, on 01/08/2008, -3/+16Correction: for $1000 you can buy a PS3, an Xbox360 with 10 games, or a Wii with 20 games.
            But then again, for $1000 you could buy a box of magnums and a decent prostitute for the rest of the week. Tough call.
          • Tilon, on 01/08/2008, -11/+4Awesome you guys, you can spend $40-50 bucks for plastic CDs and a console that's locked out except for said CDs the Mafia lock-in company allows!

            Surely much better than an open piece of computing equipment you can do anything with!

            Screw the ultra-powerful computing machine! I can get a Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

            With Metroid, Mario (With Peach!) MarioKart and Wario! Yayyyy
          • L4WL3RS34L, on 01/08/2008, -2/+14For $1000 you can buy a high end PC and thousands of games...it might not be legal though.
        • GorEjaKz, on 01/08/2008, -7/+5I did the same but with an AMD Processor and 4GB RAM.
        • penguinboy08, on 01/08/2008, -5/+0lol, you just listed my computer's specs.... :D
      • Fizban140, on 01/08/2008, -22/+13Ya, 1,300 every two years.
        • lollercopters, on 01/08/2008, -4/+10I bought some crappy store Compaq two years ago. Last year I added a 7600GT(~$150) and two gigs of ram and I'm playing Orange Box on all high(even 1440x900.) Granted, Crysis doesn't play too well.
        • Tenoq, on 01/08/2008, -1/+8And consoles perform better? Horses for courses, people.
        • Chompy, on 01/08/2008, -1/+14Oh so your console is going to last forever? If you don't buy new games, then you could still be running X-Wing vs. TF on a 386 DX-40.
          • iruel, on 01/08/2008, -0/+5good old Tie Fighter 95. my loyalty to the emperor will never die.
        • pegisys, on 01/08/2008, -2/+13You could get a PC that cost a little more and in about 4 years you may be forced to play new games at resolutions and quality levels that the current consoles run. Or you could spend a little less and run modern games at resolutions and quality levels that current consoles run now.

          The problem with PC gaming is that everyone wants to max out the settings and resolution, I know I'm guilty of this aswell, but you can play games with the same look and feel of the consoles for not much more then what one of the consoles cost.3
      • lacronicus, on 01/08/2008, -7/+6I'm planning a rig for 1400 that has:
        Core 2 quad 6600
        4 gb RAM
        Geforce 8800gt
        500gb hard drive
        bunch of other goodies
        You can get a good computer for less than 800 if you do things right, and even that would be enough to run all but crysis on med-high
        • supermanred, on 01/08/2008, -19/+3Still not enough for Crysis. Maybe two Geforce 8800gts will help you, and that harddrive better be 2 x 500gb really high quality fast SATAs in a raid array for speed.
          • Tenoq, on 01/08/2008, -0/+10And which console runs Crysis? ZZZ :P
          • thecrazyd, on 01/08/2008, -1/+12That is just a ridiculous and inaccurate statement.
          • Blandyman, on 01/08/2008, -1/+9supermanred:

            Spoken like someone who just learned what a RAID array is.

            Regardless, yeah, you dont need that much. Thats crazy.
          • andrewry, on 01/08/2008, -0/+8That's a much better build than my current one (in terms of processor and RAM), and my computer can still play Crysis on all high settings, and some anti-aliasing on a 1680x1050 resolution. Please get your facts straight.
          • Tilon, on 01/08/2008, -0/+6Crysis runs great on a single 8800 Proc with a dual core as long as you're not an idiot who can't find the keyboard
          • alz0rz, on 01/08/2008, -0/+4lol raid
        • logandurand, on 01/08/2008, -3/+11TWO 8800 GTSs? Are you insane? My single 8800 GT runs Crysis on mixed high/very high settings with a steady 30-35 FPS at 1440x900. If I scale back to 1280x1024, I get about 40. As for hard drives, how fast do you *really* need your games to load? SATA drives can transfer data at 3 Gbps - is that not enough for you? My drive is running at half that speed and loading a level of Crysis takes less than 20 seconds.
          • Prodigyman, on 01/08/2008, -0/+6Okay dude just because interface provides 3 GBPS it does not mean HD it self can do that kind of data man... think about it... do you know HOW fast 3 GBPS is? That's 375 mb/sec. NO HD in the world can do it now (not even SSDs)

            I have 4x Raid 0 500 GB 7200 RPM drives and those do about 180 mb/sec and thats FOUR HD acting as one...
          • logandurand, on 03/08/2008, -0/+1Sorry for the uninformed post, I didn't think before submitting.
        • L4WL3RS34L, on 01/08/2008, -0/+2Two 8800GT's wouldn't help because Crysis doesn't support SLI yet. The upcoming patch will, though.
        • Shaflugi, on 01/08/2008, -2/+3Take it from me, Core 2 Quad isn't necessary. Unless you're doing video editing or any other crazy ***** like that, it doesn't do a whole lot other than make Windows boot up faster. Games can only take advantage of multithreading so much.
          Kinda wish I spent that money on getting a Geforce 8800 instead of a Q6600.
      • Calculon, on 01/08/2008, -1/+10You can get a Mid-high range system for ~800$s if you shop smart and dont need a 500$ video card (which you dont...) If you spend the same amount on your GPU as your CPU, you should be okay.
      • Kazbaeden, on 01/08/2008, -8/+3"$1000 - $1500 machine would handle that nicely"

        Yeah, and that's too much for some people. My PC can't play new games anymore, and with its AGP graphics interface I can't upgrade the card to something more competent, so rather than spend the $1000 you propose I bought a 360 off my friend for $200.
        • logandurand, on 01/08/2008, -1/+7Firstly, congratulations on getting a 360 for such a low price. I say if you can get it that cheap, go for it. Now...

          Keep in mind that the price he gave is for a complete system with top of the line hardware. Since most people already own a case, power supply, optical drives, and one or more hard drives, the true cost of building a new system is greatly reduced. I recently switched from an AGP platform myself, and here was my budget:
          Motherboard - < $100
          CPU - < $200
          2x1 GB DDR2 800 RAM - $50
          8800 GT - $260

          Keep in mind that you could shave off $50 + if you bought a mainboard + CPU combo deal. While shopping for hardware, I found every single one of those components for less than my budget limitations, and I now have a computer that runs Crysis on mixed high/very high settings at 40 FPS, to say nothing of my triple-digit framerates in older games like FEAR. Suffice it to say that you should be able to build an insane machine while staying within budget, as long as you reuse your case, power supply, and the like.
          • iruel, on 01/08/2008, -1/+3i think we are all forgetting the radeon 3870 and 3850. i have always been a bit of an ATI fanboy(not to the point where i didn't acknowledge their utter defeat in the last few generations.) but these two cards look pretty slick.
      • supermanred, on 01/08/2008, -14/+12Chingy, the machine you just described plays Crysis at a crawl. Who are you kidding?

        I paid 500 for my xbox 360 and it STILL looks better at HD resolutions with a better framerate than most of my friend's PCs.
        • Makaveli604, on 01/08/2008, -5/+11Crysis is a ***** joke.
          • MWeather, on 01/08/2008, -0/+1No, it's a game developed specifically to sell the engine to other developers. Doom3 was a crappy game with ridiculous requirements, too. But in the end it was just a vehicle to sell the game engine, and it did that well.
        • Biznarie, on 01/08/2008, -1/+10Ok well my PC is 1000 dollars, I play Orange Box, UT3, CoD4, F.E.A.R., ET:QW at 1050p (if there were such a thing, 1650x1050 native resolution) which is just under 1080p, only 1 game i cant run at 60 fps on highest settings, crysis so I really dont think your xbox looks better.
        • Gizza, on 01/08/2008, -0/+9And how well does that play Crysis?
        • betterth, on 01/08/2008, -3/+10You're absolutely wrong. My PC is only marginally better than that and beautifully runs Crysis at 1680x1050. A resolution the 360 can only dream of, which details, physics and particles that the THIRD generation xbox should hope to aspire to.

          Don't kid yourself into thinking a console can ever compare to a cutting edge PC. The 360 is essentially a three to four year old PC by todays standards.

          This coming from a very satisfied PC owner.
          • knetworx, on 01/08/2008, -0/+8For $1500, I got a 360, a Wii, a 40" HDTV, and enough games to keep me busy for at least another year or two. I think I'll pass on upgrading my PC for Crysis. Besides, I've got COD4 now, with SSBB coming in a month. Does your PC play SSBB? Don't get me wrong, a PC is great for FPS games, but just not worth the investment as far as I'm concerned.
          • scalebane, on 01/08/2008, -2/+3"My PC is only marginally better than that and beautifully runs Crysis at 1680x1050. A resolution the 360 can only dream of"

            This statement is inaccurate. The 360 is capable of 1080p (1920×1080)
          • betterth, on 01/08/2008, -1/+3Yes, but it isn't capable of rendering Crysis at 1080p...or 720p...or 480p, so it's not inaccurate.
          • betterth, on 01/08/2008, -0/+2@knetwrox

            And you still have a PC, because you're on digg commenting. So, lets see. A decent web browsing, internet game playing computer that does digital camera stuff and all the basics for a pc is around $700 these days. For the cost of a PS3 ($500) that computer becomes a $1200 gaming rig capable of playing Crysis just fine.

            So don't pretend that PC gaming is more expensive. You have two devices, a PC and a gaming console, and for about the same price, I have one integrated device.

            So in reality you paid, what, $2200 for that gaming console setup and a PC capable of performing the daily tasks most people use a computer for.
      • chingy1788, on 01/08/2008, -15/+1bah
        1000 aud
        ... sigh
        parts from
        www.msy.com.au
        mm free advertising
      • say592, on 01/08/2008, -2/+6I paid about $650 for all my gear. (plus a copy of windows I already had)

        I am about to go play Crysis at full settings. I can do it with my 8600GT on my 1024x768 monitor with ease.

        PC gaming is the best, but console gaming has its place.
      • MeThePeople, on 01/08/2008, -0/+10for $1500 you could get 1 $1500 prostitute or 1500 $1 prostitutes
        • Scaryclouds, on 01/08/2008, -0/+7Go for the latter and you will get 1500 stds for free!
          • knetworx, on 01/08/2008, -0/+3But head is such a beautiful thing.
      • blakyce, on 01/08/2008, -3/+4Start with the fact that most people already need/use a PC for internet, music, camera, etc and the real cost of a gaming PC is the difference between a regular vanilla PC and a decent gaming rig. Even Mac users can now dual boot Windows for their gaming fix.
      • kenok, on 01/08/2008, -1/+2Don't care much about where and how much you got it. But buying a 8600 GT is just plain stupid. Get the 8800 GT and you'll be much happier in the long run.
      • Locke2053, on 01/08/2008, -1/+2If you have a decent computer (moderately good CPU, RAM, monitor), then turning your PC into a gaming rig only costs an additional $200 for a great video card. That's less than any comparative console.


        If the ONLY thing you do is play games, buy a console. If you also spend serious time on the internet, use photoshop, write software, design web pages, use skype, or do any other non-trivial thing with your PC, you should have a good computer to begin with, and a good video card is just a little bit extra.
    • FatherG, on 01/08/2008, -0/+27TF2 requirements aren't that bad. I'm running an old dell optiplex and get decently high framerates, everyone on medium/high.
      2.4 p4, 1gig of ram and a (slightly) overclocked radeon 9550. Hell, if you could play Half Life2 without problems you can play TF2.
      • Nitesmoke, on 01/08/2008, -1/+1Wow, I think we have the same exact PC, even gpu, its dated as hell, but it works for all the games i play.
      • kubedawg, on 01/08/2008, -13/+1TF2? Why would you play that? Fortress Forever is more close to the original TF game than anything else, plus it's FREE! Better FPS, better overall gameplay, plus grenades!
    • gradivus, on 01/08/2008, -3/+56For $800 you can build a quad core AMD with 3gigs of ram,200gig HD,and an ASUS EAH3850/G/HTDI/256M Radeon HD 3850 pci2.0 video card. This system will run ANYTHING.

      //but hey,keep perpetuating the BS that you need a $1500+ system to run games on low
      ///for $500 I can build a system that runs crysis on medium
      • branjb, on 01/08/2008, -14/+5That's because you're not taking into account all the extras:

        Sure you can get those components for $800, but then you need a case, an optical drive, keyboard/mouse, speakers/headphones, monitor, power supply, and operating system. Doesn't sound like much, but all the small things start adding up quick.
        • Wartz, on 01/08/2008, -0/+22you're using a computer right now right?
          • emjaymj, on 01/08/2008, -0/+38No, no, you don't understand, everything must be thrown out when you buy a new PC!!!
        • Gizza, on 01/08/2008, -0/+9Yeah, but all that can last for 5 years at least, 10 or more if you don't care so much. And you already have most of that if you have a basic PC for doing anything other than gaming. Besides. all of that together can probably be picked up for $200 if you shop around.

          Even the RAM, CPU and mobo you can probably get away with only upgrading once every 3-5 years as it's the vid card that has the most impact on performance. And even then if you don't need to always be able to play the latest games on max graphics at 1920x1200 you could get away with buying a sub $200 card every 2 years.

          It really isn't as expensive as most people think.
        • Alphabet, on 01/08/2008, -2/+17branjb, with your reasoning, you should add in the price of a tv to the console price just to balance things out.
          • branjb, on 01/08/2008, -5/+3Sure, why not? I wouldn't even play my 360 without my HDTV anyway.
          • Zyphron, on 01/08/2008, -0/+3So then the price of an x-box 360 is approx 1500 dollars...
        • gradivus, on 01/08/2008, -1/+4scroll down for the complete build info and specs. If you dont have a monitor/keyboard/mouse already,what are you using the internet with? Speakers,$40 at walmart and sound damn good (unless youre an audiophile nutbar). This BS that you need $1500 to build a system is just that,BS. Top of the line is less than $1000.
          • Spytap, on 01/08/2008, -2/+7A laptop, jackass.
          • gradivus, on 01/08/2008, -4/+5Sucks to be you then I guess. I have this nice desk for my computer.
      • XxIronhidexX, on 01/08/2008, -14/+7Translation- For $800 you can buy no social life.
      • samssf, on 01/08/2008, -8/+3Yeah, except next year when another badass game comes out that you want to play, you have to upgrade your video card again. Consoles have a life of at least 5 years, and you don't have to worry about compatibility issues, etc. And you forgot the price of the OS - if you want to be legit, windows will cost at least $200.
        • tikiman453, on 01/08/2008, -3/+2HEAR HEAR SIR!
        • zeroduck, on 01/08/2008, -2/+6Actually, if you're buying all the components, you can pick up an OEM license.

          At newegg:
          XP Home - $90
          XP MCE - $115
          XP Pro - $140

          But you weren't gonna buy it anyway. That being said, my idea of a fun PC game is solitare.
        • ricree, on 01/08/2008, -0/+3My current gaming computer is about four and a half years old with only a ram upgrade, and still does fairly well on new releases. While Crysis would probably be too much for it (although I've never tried it), it ran the Orange Box and Supreme Commander fairly well. The myth that you need a yearly update to keep your computer working is completely false. As long as you buy a reasonable system in the first place, it should last years before needing to be replaced.
          • SteveMax, on 01/08/2008, -0/+1The problem is that some idiots actually believe that they need a new system every time ATI/nVidia announces a new top GPU. More than that, they buy that new system. I'm talking about the targets for "gaming" mice with 20000DPI, "gaming" mouse pads, "gaming" keyboards with "wasd" separated from the main keyboard and the numbers around it for quick weapon access, "gaming" cases with 10^34 different shades of neon lights and a huge window, FATAL1TY motherboards, etc.

            The rest of the PC users (those with at least half a brain) know that a game like Crysis can be fun, even if it's not played at 2560x1600 with 32x anti-aliasing, ultra-mega-high visual settings, etc. And we know that you can play basically everything that is out today on a 2-3 years old mid-to-low range system.
      • DukeMojo, on 01/08/2008, -1/+15The cost of a 360 is still less than $800.
        • PedleZelnip, on 01/08/2008, -0/+3In fact (assuming you go with the Pro) it's under half that.
        • dsmx, on 01/08/2008, -7/+1no it isn't, you will want a HDTV to go with your xbox 360 so unless you get a crap one it's cheaper getting a PC.
        • tacroy, on 01/08/2008, -7/+6actually DSMX is right. Also keep in mind that while a PC can float in space, a console requires a floor, which is is a HOUSE. House's arn't cheap! So unless you are getting a crap one it's cheaper getting a PC.
        • kyouteki, on 01/10/2008, -0/+2Actually DSMX is wrong. Buy a $100 17" computer monitor and a $30 Xbox VGA cable and you still come out ahead.
      • senorburrito, on 01/08/2008, -3/+1lol phenom
      • ubergeek09, on 02/03/2008, -1/+1Too bad Phenoms suck beyond all reason.
    • barakatx2, on 01/08/2008, -1/+11umm actually if you just take the hard drive and the case and monitor and stuff you have right now, get a new motherboard and ram and video card and processor for around 500 bucks from newegg, you can play pretty much any new pc game on decent settings.
      • gradivus, on 01/08/2008, -0/+8My friend bought an ASUS 8600gt for $130 and can run Crysis on medium and any other game on high. If you have a decent computer built in the last 3 years this is all it should take to run games well. But most people dont understand hardware compatibility,software maintenance,or rational thought. You cant run without at least 2gigs of dual channel memory,this is most peoples main problem.
        • Nitesmoke, on 01/08/2008, -0/+9Also, on a PC even after 5 years you can play new games with lowered settings. Usually the newer the game, the lower settings you must use. Most consoles are designed for a 5 year shelf life. In 5 years from now you will be arguing over PC vs Ps3 vs XBox #3, vs Nintendo #6, vs whatever else. If you are a serious gamer with a decent rig, you can play way more games than on any other system, only missing platform exclusives.
      • DrummerBones, on 01/08/2008, -0/+3Yea but who wants to play on "Decent" settings? At least with a console everyone plays on the same settings. Everyone gets the same feeling for the game. I hate playing a pc game on "Decent" settings. I feel like I am missing out on something. And even if I can get the dream set up for 800 thats more then an xbox 360 and a ps3 combined. And I don't need to update the video card every 1-2 years to remain at high settings.
        • neodorian, on 01/08/2008, -0/+2Yeah but if you set the PC version to the same quality as the console it will run like a dream ;)
    • Dementual, on 01/27/2008, -1/+36You can't have real friends, the chart says so.
      • lsloany, on 01/08/2008, -0/+6He's obviously a liar, the chart is truth!
      • JohnFlux, on 01/08/2008, -0/+2No, the chart says he thus bought the wrong console.
    • TheLeeDynasty, on 01/08/2008, -3/+9Anyone even think that maybe people have a budget and that even 500 dollars at this current time is still to much for some to handle. He never commented on a exact price of such items, he merely said it was to EXPENSIVE FOR HIM. What one man may view expesnive, another man may view as cheap.
      • gradivus, on 01/08/2008, -2/+10Then you sure as hell are not buying a console,except the Wii.
        • TheLeeDynasty, on 01/08/2008, -4/+3I never said anything about myself buying a console? I already own a few consoles and a decent PC. I just remember a time where money was tight and you couldnt just go and blow money on things when you had to ensure you had food to eat and rent was paid.
          • gradivus, on 01/08/2008, -3/+5If someone has to choose between food and video games then you need to get your ass another/better job and start worrying about being a HUGE failure for even considering video games over food.
    • tehAleksandrRox, on 01/08/2008, -7/+37thepiratebay.org
      • tehAleksandrRox, on 01/08/2008, -3/+16My bad, like many diggers I didn't read the comment before replying personally and caught it way to late. Bury me. >.
        • Exbzurg, on 01/08/2008, -2/+14TPB should always be dugg.
          • Nitesmoke, on 01/08/2008, -8/+4Yep, ppl forget if you want you can play most PC games for free :) So buy a good PC and torrent that *****. So it can be alot cheaper than consoles. I love to DL a game to try it. If i like it, I keep it, If it sux, I delete it.
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      LG Electronics Black LG Super Multi 18x SATA DVD Burner GSA-H62NK, 10x DVD+/-R DL, 6x DVD-RW, 8x DVD+RW, 12x DVD-RAM - OEM
      Model #: GSA-H62NK
      Item #: N82E16827136120

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      This system will run Crysis on High to ultra high in any res you want.
      • L4WL3RS34L, on 01/08/2008, -1/+7No...it won't. It's a pretty crappy build, you can get something better for $800 (e2160, p35 mobo). HD3850 will NOT run Crysis on high at any res.
        • gradivus, on 01/08/2008, -1/+1really? It wont? Its a crappy build and you can do better for $800? Prove it.
        • thecrazyd, on 01/08/2008, -1/+22 gigs of RAM? A video card with 256 mb VRAM? No, that will not run Crysis on Ultra High, but it still won't look bad.
          • gradivus, on 01/08/2008, -1/+2It has a 1650mhz core clock, 256 ddr3 ,and its the new standard of PCI2.0. That with a quad core AMD and 3 gigs of dual channel(and using 1 gig of that as your page file virtual memory instead of a slow HD) it will run it.
      • GliTCH82, on 01/08/2008, -2/+6Buried for being an AMD/ATI system. Everybody knows it's all about Intel/nVidia right now.
    • Stevethegreat, on 01/08/2008, -1/+23OK let's say that the best dual core CPU you can get for gaming costs $70 (no need to buy anything better you will get 1-2FPS more, just up the FSB, w/t additional cooling). An 8800GT costs $200 (the 256MB is just fine for "low" resolutions). A $70 mobo would be no worse than a $300 one regarding raw performance and 2gigs of RAM (you'll never need more nowadays) are ridiculously cheap (like $40 for instance). That makes it a $380 upgrade, reuse your old parts/OS for anything else, I don't know where you people take this 1000-1500 figure from. Even if you actually buy the rest of the parts you can't go higher than $700. You can even hook it up in your HD and if you have a controller or a wireless mouse/kb the experience will be amazing.

      Consoles are already expensive, not just the hardware but especially the software (high propriety costs). So -yep- actually things are the other way around, consoles are in fact the expensive parts not the other way around, basic math can get you there......
    • latova, on 01/08/2008, -1/+5No BS on price of PCs. If you're concerned about cost then it compares easily to the 360 and ps3. Learn how to upgrade your machine. Every 4-5 years just upgrade parts. You can keep certain parts so its a lot cheaper. Don't give BS about how its 2k, thats only if you got money to spend. I paid 1100 and built a machine with everything. I can run TF2 at 1600x900 high settings with a high FPS. I can run crysis with high FPS at meduim settings (its not a great game anyway so its not a huge deal).

      Everytime theres a new xbox or ps it'll set you down about 400-500 bucks. Upgrades to a gaming PC are less, better if you look for good deals.
      • iloveGod08, on 01/08/2008, -1/+5$1100 isn't a very easy initial investment, when compared to a baseline $350 x360.
        • BenKenobi88, on 01/08/2008, -0/+6We just said it's NOT $1100...and even if $700 is too much for you, consider that 360 and PS3 games are always $60 and don't get cheaper for at least a year. PC games start at $50 and drop to $20 within a half year typically.
          • hottyson, on 01/08/2008, -0/+1Unreal Anthology is only $10 at J&R Musicworld.
            It includes a copy of the old Unreal Tournament GOTY edition.
            I can play it with all settings turned up on my 1.4 Ghz Windows XP PC.
            There are thousands of servers and players who still play this online.

            Unreal Tournament GOTY is the funnest game ever made for the PC.
    • petebert, on 01/08/2008, -5/+1wow, an actual argument in favor of console games, good job.
    • GodCast, on 01/08/2008, -0/+9http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/joke
    • TehSoM, on 01/08/2008, -0/+3I always thought that if all the console makers decided to collaberate on one console, and gave it mouse and keyboard support AS WELL AS controller support, they would pretty much enslave every single person who ever liked video games.
      • JohnFlux, on 01/08/2008, -0/+1There would also be no competition and no advances. In 5 years time there would be no new console.
      • TAGline, on 01/08/2008, -0/+1You would have a PC with a USB controller and proprietary hardware :P
    • krazyman, on 01/08/2008, -1/+5You can run TF 2 max settings on a $600 machine.
      • oxdeltaxo, on 01/08/2008, -0/+2Hell you could run crysis on a $600 machine with all low settings.
      • DrummerBones, on 01/08/2008, -1/+2My 360 runs TF 2 perfectly and it only cost me 300 bucks.
        • unfinite, on 01/08/2008, -0/+3But can your 360 browse the internet? Run Photoshop? 3DS Max? Spreadsheet! .....porn
          PCs are not only great for gaming but they can do a lot more too.
      • fisherdr, on 01/08/2008, -1/+0That machine is called a PS3, and it actually has dropped in price from $600!
        Thing is, the 360 runs it even better, and it costs less than $300.
  • MechaZain, on 01/08/2008, -23/+496In before fanboys over analyze a simple joke...
    • bluenullity, on 01/08/2008, -10/+5Diggers aren't rational? what is this?
      Wish I could digg this higher for truth.
    • Makaveli604, on 01/08/2008, -11/+10This is ***** ridiculously true.
    • HaxAttaX, on 01/08/2008, -17/+7Here is a more accurate chart:
      http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2085/2176275655_7fc ...
    • bigmac375, on 01/08/2008, -13/+2ps3 r sweet xboch$ suks

      i hav freinds............ YOU SEE THAT PSTRIPLE!>!>!!?!?!?
    • Richandler, on 01/08/2008, -6/+17Oh that's right digg has become a joke.
    • battletrax, on 01/08/2008, -11/+11So i can make the front page by drawing a little picture?
      Why the f*** do i even try to submit news stories.
      • xTRUMANx, on 01/08/2008, -1/+4There's a lot more to it. You need to study your audience. I guarantee you this wouldn't have made frontpage if the order in which the consoles were presented from left to right were in certain different combinations. Too late to test that out now. But my statement can be proven false if every other variation reaches frontpage.
        • battletrax, on 01/09/2008, -0/+1Ok ok you got me.

          But what about the ron paul factor?

          96 digs. For saying Ron Paul.
      • flirtacious, on 01/08/2008, -2/+2because digg (as in every one of its users) redefined "news"
    • bmartin, on 01/08/2008, -0/+1Hmmm... let's see here, no friends... oops, I guess I should've bought a PS3.
    • Tenetri, on 01/08/2008, -3/+1I'd prefer to buy something that doesn't have a 1 out of 3 defective rate... 33% is pretty *****...
      Wii and PS3, thanks for not being pieces of garbage like that 360, which I still havn't got back from ***** microsoft...
      • Archeologist, on 01/09/2008, -0/+2Just be grateful that they replace it for you for free.
    • FadieZ, on 01/09/2008, -0/+4The sad part is you're right about fanboys.

      "Warning: The Content in this Article May be Inaccurate
      Readers have reported that this story contains information that may not be accurate."
  • GetUthunized, on 01/08/2008, -71/+19WTF PS3 RULZ U SUCK PC GAMZ 4 LOZERS 0NLY! CONSULES FTW!
    You mean like that Mecha?
    • Dylson, on 01/08/2008, -0/+12*Smiles and nods.
    • esotericguy, on 01/08/2008, -4/+24See what i just did?
      I HIT THE ***** REPLY BUTTON!
    • LiquidIse, on 01/08/2008, -4/+6/points to reply button
    • adminmatt, on 01/08/2008, -6/+4it's called the reply button for a reason
    • googooly, on 01/08/2008, -2/+9you have been buried all the way to China
      • Nitesmoke, on 01/08/2008, -0/+4I wont bury u for not replying, as ususally every time I try to reply these days I get "Your session has expired. Please reload the page before trying again."
    • transform100, on 01/08/2008, -7/+1PS3, hm lets see not many exclusive games mostly PC/Xbox ports who the hell would buy a PS3?
  • Hipple, on 01/08/2008, -73/+284I think a more appropriate first question (or maybe a follow up question) would be: Do you have $2000 to spare?
    • UnterDenLinden, on 01/08/2008, -33/+14On graphics cards alone, that is.
    • ubergeek09, on 01/08/2008, -18/+7This is true. That's the main thing that keeps people out of PC gaming. Hopefully emerging technologies like Hybrid Crossfire will help bring costs down for PC gamers.
    • lacronicus, on 01/08/2008, -9/+27only about half that, really. You can get very high on Crysis for about 1300, if you can settle for medium, it'd be that much less.
      • SingerSirCoda, on 01/08/2008, -3/+26I can get very high on pot for a lot cheaper.
      • Lennalf, on 01/09/2008, -0/+3I just spent $1100 on a PC that runs Crysis on all "High" settings (except for AA, of course) at 1680x1050 ("Very High" not available as I refuse to install Vista).

        You could buy an Xbox for around $400, have no control over your system, and pay a monthly subscription fee to play online. Then you can spend another $500 on a mediocre PC for all of your basic computing needs. The Xbox is pretty good for games; the cheap PC is pretty good as a computer. Total cost: $900.

        Or, for an extra $200 overall (total cost: $1100) you can get a machine that PWNS for games and is insanely fast for all other computing needs. You will have the ability to fully customize your system, and you'll never have to consider whether it is worth spending money on a gamer tag. Also, you can make future upgrades when you feel they are needed/appropriate rather than letting the console manufacturers decide FOR you.

        I'd rather invest in one AWESOME system than in two mediocre systems... but it is obviously a matter of preference.
    • h4mx0r, on 01/08/2008, -16/+8You mean: Do you have $2000 to spare? (Does not know how to shop for an affordable decent PC)
    • lollercopters, on 01/08/2008, -10/+85You already need a computer. So just spend the $500 needed for a console to upgrade the computer. I don't know where the hell people get $2,000, a great PC costs $1,000-$1,500.
      • B1663r, on 01/08/2008, -11/+4That is a ***** load of cash any way you cut it....
        • lollercopters, on 01/08/2008, -0/+17You already buy a computer for what, $800? Add price of console to that and you've got a gaming PC.
          • B1663r, on 01/08/2008, -7/+1Im the guy who dumpster dives and gets all my computers for free(and Im never more than 6 months out of date) The last computer I purchased was in 1997. You are throwing your money away...
        • mooseofshadows, on 01/08/2008, -0/+5wait. how much exactly is a ***** load? It's been a while since I used the metric system.
          • B1663r, on 01/08/2008, -0/+2Oh, simple, one ***** load converts to 2.4 ass loads.
        • ADWestCo, on 01/08/2008, -2/+0My advice: stay in the ***** dumpster.
      • itsthebrod, on 01/08/2008, -17/+2A "great PC" migth cost $1000-1500, but absolutely not a "great gaming PC." You will absolutely spend a bare minimum of 1500-1700 on a decent gaming machine.
        • lollercopters, on 01/08/2008, -1/+12I don't know, 8800GTs kick ass and are very cheap. Not to mention processors prices these days. Quad core for $300?
        • Fizban140, on 01/08/2008, -1/+11Not even close man, for $1200 you can get a PC that will run almsot all games on high settings.
        • L4WL3RS34L, on 01/08/2008, -0/+9You can easily build a "great gaming PC" with $1300. As long as you understand that quad core xtreme and 8800 Ultra quad SLI is completely unnecessary...and that nothing on the market yet will max out Crysis. A $1300 build would definitely almost max out Crysis though.
      • GorEjaKz, on 01/08/2008, -6/+0I don't know where you go to buy your parts but that's a bit too expensive for a "decent gaming machine." A decent gaming machine that can play Crysis on medium without lag would cost about 1000+ (probably a bit cheaper now). But to play the game at its maximum with ZERO problems would then cost you in the 1500+ range. 2xGTX anyone? (I run the game at 1920x1680)
        • Arcum, on 01/08/2008, -0/+1Nice aspect ratio
          • GorEjaKz, on 01/20/2008, -0/+0Lol. I meant 1920x1200. I dunno where the 1680 came from.
      • incredibilistic, on 01/08/2008, -11/+8The main problem with using a PC for gaming is that the video cards are outdated within about 6 months so you never really see the card's true power.

        Then there's the issue of memory that can get expensive. But no matter what you do you're never guaranteed to get the best possible performance. Where as console you're going to get the best possible performance based on the system. Developers know it and they'll do their best to maximize it.

        PC gamers can argue about cheap updates and upgrades but ultimately a PC gamer will spend hundreds of dollars just to play one game that's been in development for 3 years. Face it, it's a niche market and serves a particular fan base. Meanwhile consoles will continue to be the TRUE videogame centers as well as media centers.

        For all of Vista's and XP Media Center Edition's features I don't see very many people with their PC connected to their HDTV in their living room.
        • zxcasd, on 01/08/2008, -0/+3i'm too cheap to get a >30" HDTV....
          use my comp as a gaming comp+TV Tuner/DVR...... cost about $1400 3 years ago for 1g ram, p4 dual core, subwoofer, x600 256mb, 160gig... same specs cost about $600 now.... :(

          probably time to upgrade my graphics card
          • darkphenox, on 01/08/2008, -0/+4Maybe you should get 1g more ram.
        • psykiv, on 01/08/2008, -0/+1I have a win2k box connected to my 42" HDTV... It runs MyHTPC and serves its purpose well.
      • FazeRN, on 01/08/2008, -1/+6The real issue here is all these scrubs are fanboys and are too lazy enough to research and build their own gaming rigs. Instead they blow $3,000 on an apple overpriced pos or an equivalent pricing overrated alienware. Both specs of which you can match easily if you spend $1000-$1500 building one. You're a retard if you pay that much to buy an alienware or an apple (are there any decent games on an apple?? lol) play the most current game only to find out that you will pay another $3000 in 3 years to play the most current games then. L2build & upgrade your own.
      • Roland1232, on 01/08/2008, -0/+2So true.
      • PresPPsP, on 01/23/2008, -1/+1[quote]A "great PC" migth cost $1000-1500[/quote]

        $1500 is more than buying the premium bundles of all three systems. {Rolls eyes}
    • jguy584, on 01/08/2008, -3/+22A good mobo, Intel Quad-core (Q6600), and an 8800GT can all be had for $700 or less and will play crysis on full res high settings.
    • Katana314, on 01/08/2008, -5/+35OMG! HOW DID HIPPLE POST THAT COMMENT IF HE NOT HAVE A PC?
      Stop screwing with evidence, pal. You generally only need a $200 graphics card. In some ways, PC gaming is the LEAST expensive method of gaming.
      • schmitey, on 01/08/2008, -0/+8WORD! I got 5 years out of my last computer ('02-'07) and could still play pretty much every game at the time at reduced settings. If you can settle for not playing games at the highest video settings and having 2nd gen stuff versus the latest and greatest it will last you years on a few cheap upgrades. Besides....you can't download a game, beat it, and then delete it for free!
      • logandurand, on 01/08/2008, -0/+4Indeed. I, for one, prefer the option to upgrade components individually, rather than buying an entirely new console.
    • L4WL3RS34L, on 01/08/2008, -1/+6You could easily upgrade a PC for $400-500 that will run any game (but probably not that good in Crysis).
    • Fizban119, on 01/08/2008, -1/+18Why do you insist on playing THE NEWEST GAMES?!?!?!?! I prefer CS:S or Starcraft any day! And it doesn't cost $2000 to put together a rig unless you shop at ***** Best Buy, in which case you need to man up and use the internet to find deals.

      I put together a gaming rig in 2004 to play CS:S and it cost me less than $300 total. RAM is less than $70 for 2 Gigs, Graphics cards don't cost that much unless you go very top of the line, so just don' go very top of the line.
    • Spuy767, on 01/08/2008, -3/+27When did Crysis become the benchmark of what a fast PC is? Crysis runs like ***** because it is an inefficient engine, not because it looks ZOMG good. Unreal 3 is capable of looking just as good as crysis for the msot part, and runs a hell of a lot better.
    • carl25, on 01/08/2008, -1/+11Oh you mean for the hd tv +console ?
    • petebert, on 01/08/2008, -1/+11$2000! you must buy from Alien Ware.
    • Bozmanbeyond, on 01/08/2008, -8/+0then add in a new top of the line graphics card every year for the next 9 years (Life Expediency of PS3) and times that by $500 = $4500 and more memory, a new processor. Oh wait, this is getting expensive. I'll just stick with the 399.99 price tag.
      • chingy1788, on 01/08/2008, -1/+6you sir are an idiot
        ps3 is limited to the graphics it has now and cannot possibly get better (you can through software tweaks, but you can only go so far)
        PCs now exceed the graphical quality of the PS3 and later you have the choice of upgrading and having better graphics sooner than waiting for the next ps3
        or if you dont mind playing on medium then you dont have to spend anymore
        that and you can do a whole lot more on a pc than on a console

        think of it this way
        Console are limited PCs
      • Masterful1, on 01/08/2008, -0/+2wow highly unlikely that many PS3's will last 9 years, due to the high failure rate of the processing cores, it has 8 cores in it and only uses 7. the extra one will kick in when one of the first ones fail, I guess Sony needed the extra to make sure your PS3 makes it past the warranty before it fails, so you are stuck buying a new one to play your now worthless games.
        and you don't need to upgrade your system every year anyway, I haven't done a serious upgrade in 3 years and I can still play most games with it, granted maybe not on high settings, but I can still get enjoyment from the quality games.
      • YojimboJango, on 01/08/2008, -0/+3a 399.99 graphics card now will produce better graphics than a PS3 will ever hope to produce.
      • Bozmanbeyond, on 01/08/2008, -1/+0Just to let you all know I was not saying how great the PS3 is. I was simply stating how expensive a PC can get over time if your using it as a gaming system. Sony is the one that claims it will last 10 years and first off I don't even own a PS3 because it has no games as of yet. I do have a 360, Wii and PC that will play some High end games at the moment
    • neodorian, on 01/08/2008, -0/+2Damn, $2000?! Mine always cost $500-800 every 2 or 3 years and will play all but the most demanding games (Crysis) on high to ultra at 1920 on my plasma. Coupled with the fact that I already need a computer, it's always been the best for me.
  • rib13, on 01/08/2008, -30/+18I would much prefer to play games on a pc, but until I can afford to buy one without selling parts of my body, I'll stick to consoles
    • capiCrimm, on 01/08/2008, -0/+27sell parts of other peoples bodies. Solved.
      • Wartz, on 01/08/2008, -0/+7right, "consoles"

        that means you speant a minimum of $600 on consoles alone. Factor in things like an extra controller or 2, the $10 extra you pay for each console game over PC games and you could have easily bought the parts to upgrade your current PC to a monster rig.
  • NaziHatinChimp, on 01/08/2008, -19/+5Yeah I think I'll let Microsoft help pick up my gaming bill since they lose money on consoles.
  • bdub92, on 01/08/2008, -45/+208Seriously, if you love gaming buy a gaming PC, if u like gaming, get a console.
    • LordSeth, on 01/08/2008, -7/+103If you love gaming get all of them
      • blademanx, on 01/08/2008, -0/+7If you love gaming and don't have anything to do with your disposable income, get all of them.
        • lsloany, on 01/08/2008, -0/+22If you love gaming and only have 15$ get a chessboard.
    • fedorafandango, on 01/08/2008, -18/+27No, I love gaming but can't afford to pay out the ass to keep my rig up to date. Some people are console gamers by necessity.
      • deivys, on 01/08/2008, -12/+45thats such a bull crap excuse. I have a 4 year old machine machine that I can play crisis on low settings without chocking at all. Also I can play call of duty4 on medium to high settings too. And that rig cost me 1500 old back then. I am sure i can built a replica to my machine now and it would cost me no more than the 360 elite or the ps3.
        • Narcism, on 01/08/2008, -4/+12If he complains about low settings, I think you should bring up what resolution typical TV's are.
        • ubergeek09, on 01/08/2008, -4/+14Crysis isn't fun on low settings though, as it makes the Physics lame and doesn't allow you to blow up buildings and such.
        • SemiSarcastic, on 01/08/2008, -0/+16Well...thats great...think you could build me a PC?
        • lacronicus, on 01/08/2008, -0/+10Actually, ubergeek, while it is true that low settings for physics, just about any processor sold today can at least medium, so that's not near as much an issue as you make it out to be.
        • Homoomo, on 01/08/2008, -3/+7If you could build a replica for 400 bucks that could only run on low settings, then why not buy a console? To buy a computer that could run most of the good games out there on max settings, it would cost about 800 - 1000 bucks. Some people don't have that kind of money.
        • L4WL3RS34L, on 01/08/2008, -1/+12@homoomo
          Many people don't play PC because of the great graphics, they play it because mouse+keyboard completely owns a controller on most genres, and they have all the RTS games. At least that's why I like the PC more.
          • Homoomo, on 01/08/2008, -1/+1a) Digg has a reply button
            b) I actually agree with you, there is just way too much to put into this comment when it comes to the reasons why or why not to buy a pc for gaming, I was just addressing the price issue. I would love to buy (or put together) a top of the line computer for games but the fact is consoles are cheaper and more convenient (when it comes to having to buy the different parts for the pc).
          • bCabulon, on 01/08/2008, -1/+1While keyboard/mouse is better for RTS, shooters, and some types of RPGs the console controller is better for platformers, racing, flight sims (a good joystick/throttle is better yet), and fighting games. It really depends on the games you are into. I have a rhythm game for the PS2 that requires your button presses to be the right pressure as well as the right timing. A keyboard can't do that.
        • thecrazyd, on 01/08/2008, -1/+7Homoomo -
          Building a PC from scratch could cost $800 to $1000, but upgrading the one you are using now would not.
          • Homoomo, on 01/08/2008, -2/+1Yea but you still have to buy a computer! Whether you buy an old one and upgrade it, or build one from scratch it'll still cost you more than the consoles, which saddens me because I absolutely love rts games (Tiberium Wars freaking blows for the 360). and apparently you need to upgrade your computer because you must've not been able to see the reply button...
          • YojimboJango, on 01/08/2008, -1/+2Homoomo: You're saying that you don't own a computer... You're on the internet. Without a computer. Idiot.
          • opnickc, on 01/08/2008, -1/+1Saying "You can't use upgrade prices because you need a whole computer!" is like saying "Game consoles cost thousands because you need a whole home theater setup!"
            You need a computer anyway. The cost of making it a computer capable of running most games is probably less than that of buying a new console.
            The advantages consoles have don't include price; they're things like ease of use, larger display (usually), and local multiplayer. If you have X console, then you know any games with X console at the top of the package will work on it (and work as well as anyone else's system). If you have friends, you can play in the same room on the same system.
            A computer is for the hobbyist gamer. It's all about customizing, tweaking, and really making it your own. That's a big part of why RTS and God Games are so popular on the PC, they give the user more control. And beyond that, there is of course the modding community.
            The point is, PC's and consoles both have advantages and disadvantages. Price really isn't one of them (unless you buy your 'gaming' PC from a specialty retailer, but as I said above PC gaming is mostly for the hobbyists, and they'll usually upgrade or build themselves).
          • Homoomo, on 01/09/2008, -1/+1@ YojimboJango. Where did I say I don't own a computer? ***** retard... learn how to read.
      • MutatedNantuko, on 01/08/2008, -2/+19Custom built PC that cost me a little less than 800 dollars about two years ago and I can run bioshock on max settings (save for DX10) at 1280x1024 really well. PCs aren't expensive, you just need to learn how to buy stuff.
        • Homoomo, on 01/08/2008, -10/+3That's still twice what the consoles are worth...
          • DarkShroud, on 01/08/2008, -1/+4Yeah, look at the prices of 360 hardware. $100 for the wireless alone is a joke. That's not even looking at the prices of the hard drives or the fact that consoles games cost more than PC games.
          • emjaymj, on 01/08/2008, -0/+4You're using a computer just to post on Digg though. Almost everybody posting here on Digg already has a computer, a few hundred dollars over and above what they're already spending on non-gaming computers would give them a very capable gaming rig, with much better controls and the advantage of having a gigantic game-modding scene. And, the improved specs you spend your money on also benefit many areas of computer functionality OTHER than games.
        • ryuujinusa, on 01/08/2008, -0/+4Yah it's call newegg.com
      • Alix7, on 01/08/2008, -12/+10That's nothing, I bought a cardboard box 10 years ago and IT runs Crysis on max.
      • zxcasd, on 01/08/2008, -0/+0console games are more expensive on the long run: (i believe only Wii is being sold at cost, meaning production cost is barely lower than what you pay for the hardware.....)

        sure, u get a good console hardware for $300(PS3/Xbox 360), but the royalties tha M$ and Sony crap you over through the games suck!

        computer = surfing net, skype/MSN, word processing/video editing, games
        console = game, fun factor...maybe a little surfing
    • sobe86, on 01/08/2008, -9/+29PC gamers seem to assume console owners have never tried PC games. It's a matter of opinion guys...
      • L4WL3RS34L, on 01/08/2008, -13/+10They assume it because it's true.
      • haterofps3, on 01/08/2008, -0/+3Great gamer = Skill
        Correct?
        The consoles out today are mainly for FPS at least thats what the shelves at EBgames tells me. In all the FPS on consoles I have played their is always on thing that sticks out. the freaking AIMBOT!
      • unearth, on 01/08/2008, -0/+4If you like competitive FPS gaming, you obviously want a PC. No analog stick can match up to a mouse for aiming in any FPS. Granted, you can become competitive in any form of online gaming, console or otherwise, but the highest levels of competition on PCs are miles above what you can achieve on consoles.

        (Not looking for citations of prestigious console championships, just stating my take on the situation).
    • somesthetic, on 01/08/2008, -5/+13and if you like anything other than first person shooters, you don't like videogames!
      • sleeknerve, on 01/08/2008, -2/+1not true, who doesnt like metal gear or god of war here, im sure there are plenty more
        • LogitechG15, on 01/08/2008, -0/+3*whoooshhh* that's the sound of the sarcasm flying right over sleeknerve's head.
      • opnickc, on 02/24/2008, -0/+1God games, RTS, MMORPG, indie games. . .
    • LiquidChimera, on 01/08/2008, -1/+18As soon as innovative games like Shadow of the Colossus or Okami are released regularly on the PC I'll invest happily. Until then I'm happy with console play
      • Spuy767, on 01/08/2008, -1/+6I game on the PC regularly, but I see where you're coming from. It seems to me that the only games that ever get releases on PC's are warmed over shooters with the occasional gem like Bioshock.
      • freakk123, on 01/08/2008, -0/+2Exactly! I like my Mario Galaxy, my Zelda, my Metal Gear, and all those other games that are console exclusive.
        Then again, right now I'm clearing up space on my MBP so I can install XP solely to play games. Honestly, they both have their strengths, I by and large prefer consoles, but pigeonholing yourself to one platform is dumb.
    • Haiz, on 01/08/2008, -2/+7you
    • nebion, on 01/08/2008, -4/+1Wow, you really are biased.

      I have a gaming PC with the latest hardware, and while I've played some nice games on it lately (my latest favorite - The Witcher), I'm glad I also have a console (a PS3 - I would've also bought an XBox360 if Mass Effect had gotten better reviews). For one thing, I don't think that all games need to be FPSs, so UIs other than mouse+keyboard are reasonable.

      While I liked Portal as much as anyone, I'm happy I also got to experience Assassin's Creed, Heavenly Sword, Ninja Gaiden Sigma, Uncharted - Drake's Fortune etc.

      I'm very much looking forward to the next GTA and MGS....

    • HBNDonut, on 01/08/2008, -1/+1I love gaming but can't afford to spend that much money on a quality PC. D:
    • bmartin, on 01/08/2008, -0/+2I love gaming so much I learned how to build PCs so that I could afford a gaming PC.

      If you want to know how, take a look at AMD's site... there are instructions all over the net for how to do it. Learning how to mix/match hardware is not difficult, and if you get a PC with a standard form factor, updating isn't that daunting. You don't need to update your hardware any more often than you'd need to buy a new console, and even then it's usually only your graphics card and RAM, and RAM is cheap.
  • kylehoward, on 01/08/2008, -5/+138they inaccurately spelled accurate
    • Flame15, on 01/08/2008, -1/+3That's irony for ya.
    • wibambau, on 01/08/2008, -0/+9dugg for accuracy
    • blob4000, on 01/08/2008, -1/+7i disagree. they accurately misspelled the word.
    • coolsteve, on 01/19/2008, -0/+1Well, the word "acurate" wasn't part of the guide, so it's ok.
  • Weip, on 01/08/2008, -50/+8Buried as inaccurate. Everybody knows gamers dont have friends any friends : either real or internet.

    *Go buy a PS3
    • Nitesmoke, on 01/08/2008, -1/+2Why do people say gamers dont have friends, millions of people play games, Im sure they dont all live in their mom's basement.
    • AFHCO, on 01/08/2008, -4/+1Sony PS3 is the best. Hands down.
  • roffelmeh, on 01/08/2008, -22/+52my computer runs cod4 just like my xbox or even better
    8600 GT 512mb plus 2 more gigs of ram = ~$250
    • MutatedNantuko, on 01/08/2008, -31/+7Bet you have a small penis.
    • ubergeek09, on 01/08/2008, -3/+27Yep the thing is a lot of PC gamers want to run games at their highest settings at high resolutions with AA and such. If you are content with running at lower resolutions (1024 x 768, 1280 x 1024, 1440 x 960 etc) then PC gaming isn't all that bad money wise.
      • KeithA45, on 01/08/2008, -1/+10? Is 1440 x 960 really considered a lower resolution?
        • Spuy767, on 01/08/2008, -1/+7No, it's considered not a resolution. What aspect ration is that, 16:10.67?
        • logandurand, on 01/08/2008, -1/+4I think it's 1440x900. That what I play at, anyway.
        • zxcasd, on 01/08/2008, -3/+0i play at 800x600 windowed and always-on-top with MSN, irc, Opera, iTunes running in the background, sometimes with my TV tuner/media center running as well....
        • YojimboJango, on 01/08/2008, -1/+3I remember back in the day we played at 320x200 or something like that. Cranking it up to 640x480 was just considered stupid and a waste of your frame rate.
        • ubergeek09, on 02/03/2008, -0/+1logandurand is right that's what I meant.
      • emjaymj, on 01/08/2008, -0/+3The Xbox 360's games are at most 720p (there may be a few exceptions.) Those resolutions are all better than 720p. Even 1080p only has a vertical resolution of 1080 lines, being only a bit better than the resolutions you cited. What you're considering a "low" PC resolution is very similar to what console gamers call "high-definition."

        In absolute pixels, modern consoles have somewhat higher numbers because of the 16:9 aspect ratio, but what use is a "high" resolution when the only advantage is horizontal? It makes no sense to say that PC gamers have to be "content" with those resolutions in order to be cost-effective when it isn't far off from the maximum that the alternative is capable of achieving.
        • ubergeek09, on 02/03/2008, -0/+1Because monitors are always ahead of TVs resolution wise. Some people play games at 1920 x 1200 and 2560 x 1600. Also 1080p has a rather high horizontal resolution.
    • Vullkan, on 01/08/2008, -14/+3If You have money you buy a PC which you will upgrade constantly ( once in 3 months) otherwise you buy a PS3
      • Homoomo, on 01/08/2008, -10/+2Or if you like playing non-mediocre games, a 360
      • zmjone2992, on 01/08/2008, -1/+6I am a compulsive upgrader and I only do so every 5 to 6 months. New technology simply isn't released that fast.
        • cesclaveria, on 01/08/2008, -0/+5yes it is, but the things worth an upgrade do come out about once every year (for each part)
          • zmjone2992, on 01/08/2008, -0/+2thats what I meant. Rarely do people make tiny incremental upgrades. Like p35 to x38 to x48. Or qx6800 to 6850 to 9650 to 9770
    • carl25, on 01/08/2008, -6/+8you posted a fact, a true fact.

      Prepare to be dugg down
    • Salanmon, on 01/08/2008, -5/+0did you buy those at tigerdirect? if you did then you're my clone
    • lovedunks, on 01/08/2008, -5/+11Wow. $250 is all it takes to run COD4. I didn't know that. So you just stick the COD4 disc straight into the graphics card? I think you're forgetting about all of the other parts that go into a computer that, yes, do cost money also.

      I love PC gaming (HL2 is best on PC), but there are a lack of games available and it really is expensive to keep it going. You constantly need to upgrade your graphics card when you could just spend $400 on a console that will last longer. Besides, I'm having a blast playing COD4 on Live.
      • emjaymj, on 01/08/2008, -0/+3"Wow. $250 is all it takes to run COD4. I didn't know that. So you just stick the COD4 disc straight into the graphics card? I think you're forgetting about all of the other parts that go into a computer that, yes, do cost money also."

        I think you're forgetting that nearly everybody on digg already has thing like a case, power supply, hard drive, optical drive, keyboard/mouse, etc. Graphics cards also do not need to be very updated at all. I have had the same PC for almost 3 years now (and my video card was "last-gen" when i bought it) and it still plays things like TF2 exceptionally well. Maybe not Crysis, but it's not that great a game anyways.
        • Memitim, on 01/08/2008, -0/+5I'm beginning to wonder if they don't solely read Digg from school or on their parents' computers for all of the price bitching I've seen. I'm a PC gamer precisely because I am such a cheap bastard, although I did cave and get a Wii.
      • ubergeek09, on 02/03/2008, -0/+1Lack of games? Are you crazy?
  • antiorblkflag9, on 01/08/2008, -36/+14Do you like bland washed out versions of PC games? If yes buy a 360
    • KobraKommander, on 01/08/2008, -0/+0pc gaming is dead.....unless you like mmorpg's which people with social lives don't..
  • bballbackus, on 01/08/2008, -12/+184What was this made in... paint?
    • strictnein, on 01/08/2008, -2/+74Is there a better professional graphics/image manipulation package out there? I think not!
    • kcpepper111, on 01/08/2008, -20/+20Yes, and it took OVER 9000 HOURS to make.
    • ryan83189, on 01/08/2008, -0/+44thats mspaint to you
    • rockjunky116, on 01/08/2008, -0/+1Powerpoint.
    • ithinkican, on 01/08/2008, -0/+2Wii Paint
    • jakefloyd, on 01/08/2008, -1/+1bballbackus, that was one of the the funniest comments I've ever read.
      • bmartin, on 01/08/2008, -1/+2strictnein's comment was much funnier... if you're familiar with popular FOSS.
    • mightycbu, on 01/08/2008, -1/+1his $3000,- gaming-rig prolly didn't include MS word
  • Vibhorsir, on 01/08/2008, -66/+8Ron Paul is Amazing!!
  • Icithis, on 01/08/2008, -27/+12Ah, so if I like video games, I should go for the hardware that has the least amount of games being developed for it. Makes sense. Wait, no, buried.
  • SemiSarcastic, on 01/08/2008, -22/+91What if I like Metal Gear Solid and Final Fantasy?
    • hrvat420, on 01/08/2008, -19/+9I know what you mean. Ive been putting 3-5 hours on my ps3 everyday. Too many games, not enough time. It just blows that the 360 fan boys do nothing but talk *****. And I only use my computer to dl torrents. Iphone + ps3 my friends. It's a deadly combo.
      • Homoomo, on 01/08/2008, -1/+4I love the 360 and have had no faith in the ps3 until the past couple of months. MGS4, Resident Evil 5, Final Fantasies, that game with the dude jumping around ruins like laura croft have all got me saving up my money for a ps3...
        • NeoTEKK, on 01/08/2008, -0/+1Uncharted: Drake's Fortune. You'll need to know the title when searching for the game to buy it. ;) (awesome game).

          Oh, and Final FantasIES just sounds totally like like a bad porno spinoff. Where's my mind at? Ah yes, early work hours for me. This explains it. *Sighs*.
    • browwiw, on 01/08/2008, -15/+84Then you need to man up and quit beating it to Sailor Moon.
      • SemiSarcastic, on 01/08/2008, -1/+19HEY! I can quit whenever I want!...I...just don't have the time right now.
      • TuxedoMax, on 01/08/2008, -1/+13Never!
      • gregrp, on 01/08/2008, -0/+6...but that cartoon has got the boom anime babes that make me think the wrong thing...
        • thealliedhacker, on 01/08/2008, -0/+1Dugg, but I think most people wont get the reference.
      • NeoTEKK, on 01/08/2008, -0/+4"She is the one named Sailor...Sailor Venus! Sailor Mercury! Sailor Mars! Sailor Jupiter!"
    • Vullkan, on 01/08/2008, -4/+12than this flowchart is ***** up
    • B1663r, on 01/08/2008, -19/+4Well MGS4 has been confirmed for the 360
      • SemiSarcastic, on 01/08/2008, -0/+14How about I hear that from konami.jp and not from xboxfanboy.com.
      • GorEjaKz, on 01/08/2008, -0/+6Have you got legitimate evidence to prove your BS?
    • sirswatalot9, on 01/08/2008, -12/+8Then you have no friends.
      • SemiSarcastic, on 01/08/2008, -1/+2"friends"? Can those hurt you?
    • Fizban119, on 01/08/2008, -10/+1Then play them for a few hours before heading back to your PC to play FPS and RTS, the genres of true gamers which were born for the PC.
      • SemiSarcastic, on 01/08/2008, -0/+5Can't I just pay Civilization IV?
      • navster15, on 01/08/2008, -2/+9So going by your logic, anyone who enjoys platformers, puzzle games, racers or any other genre can't be considered 'true gamers'? To that, sir, I humbly ask you to ***** off.
      • Dracusis, on 01/08/2008, -0/+4Funny, seeing as the commercial games industry on a whole was forged by consoles past.

        I'm not dissing the PC here, I love laying some smack down in TF2 and UT3 on my 8800GTX powerd rig on a 27" Dell screen, but if you're going to get that picky about all of this, then I'm not going to let you be so ignorant as to forget where the cultural revolution of gaming began.
    • BugMeNot2, on 01/08/2008, -4/+11Then buy a gaming PC and a PS3?
    • MaTT2011, on 01/08/2008, -12/+2then get better taste....
    • KingGorilla, on 01/08/2008, -2/+19You buy a diving suit, bandanna, and learn to ride an ostrich
  • Dylson, on 01/08/2008, -21/+62Dugg for the use of a flowchart.
    • lovedunks, on 01/08/2008, -0/+2Seriously, I feel like there is a flow chart post here every day.
  • phqu88, on 01/08/2008, -12/+2Go buy a Gaming rig and xbox 360...winders loves xbox and xbox loves winders you know?
  • snapple112, on 01/08/2008, -22/+2Wow this is a pretty nice, but funny, statistic... Very nice find and good job :)
    • falese, on 01/08/2008, -5/+2aww your so nice. its true all the best stuff is in snapple!

      DRINK MOLTEN LEAD
  • V0lk, on 01/08/2008, -7/+122Since you're only allowed to buy ONE!
  • idiggitall, on 01/08/2008, -17/+9flow charts are soooo 2007.
    • B1663r, on 01/08/2008, -5/+2It is a crappy thrown together black and white flow chart none the less. Dugg down just because the author was too lazy to even use color.
      • michael1406, on 01/08/2008, -0/+4Crappy chart...but dugg up because you didn't like it.
  • taco248, on 01/08/2008, -15/+0amazing................
  • FrogKermit, on 01/08/2008, -19/+8Me and all of my friend play videogames all the time.
    [no typo].
  • PHovey, on 01/08/2008, -12/+4Mirror just in case:
    http://bayimg.com/HaiGgaabn
  • sestalker, on 01/08/2008, -5/+39Dugg because this was submitted eight hours ago and already on front page. Now currently working on a flow-chart Digg submission of my own.
  • skinsgamer, on 01/08/2008, -33/+5Wii should have stemmed off of, "Are you under the age of 12, or unwilling to accept reality."
    • GorEjaKz, on 01/08/2008, -0/+9I think your mom had the same thought when she had you.
  • MagicToenail, on 01/08/2008, -12/+5Dugg for MS paint
  • r3negadeX, on 08/11/2008, -47/+12Ironic considering PCs barely have any decent games
    • Nitesmoke, on 01/08/2008, -2/+8Dumbass, they have more than every other console together.
      • r3negadeX, on 08/11/2008, -10/+1Does the PC have Mass Effect? Halo 3? Call of Duty 4? Assassin's Creed? God of War? Resident Evil? Guitar Hero? ANY Mario game? ANY decent racing game? Didn't think so *****.
        • l0k0, on 01/08/2008, -1/+7Every Bioware game has eventually come to the PC and Mass Effect will be no different. Halo 3 will likely come to the PC as well, like the first two. We do have COD 4, a better version at that. Assassins Creed is due out this February for the PC. Resident Evil 4 has been on the PC for quite a while. Yes, we have Gauitar Hero, and yes, GTR 2 is the most realistic racing sim you will find anywhere. Care to keep talking out your ass? I find it quite amusing.
        • Zindrix, on 01/08/2008, -2/+3The funny thing about this is, even if these games come to PC would it matter? These are games intended for consoles and there are already much better PC versions of these games. Like Halo? Try 2142, COD 4, TF2. Like Assassin's Creed? Buy Oblivion and play through the Dark Brotherhood quest line then you still have 98% of a game left. Resident Evil? Get Bioshock instead or Silent Hill. God of War? Oblivion once again. Racing Game? ***** driving when you can fly - try a flight simulator. See where I'm going with this? Typical console fan boy. (and lol @ Mario games)
      • icemanxp, on 01/08/2008, -2/+3Mass Effect coming.., Halo 3 2 years out, Call of Duty 4 check, Guitar Hero check, Lots of decent racing games check, Tons of Mario like games, ***** negative.
    • zxcasd, on 01/08/2008, -1/+1yay for PS2 emulator on PC.... runs a good number of games at playable framerates:PCSX2
    • jinxplayer, on 01/08/2008, -1/+1You sir, are a ***** moron.
  • PHovey, on 01/08/2008, -12/+2Mirror just in case:
    http://bayimg.com/HaiGgaabn
  • someguy9, on 01/08/2008, -11/+1mirror if it goes down
    http://360post.com/forum/attachments/miscellaneous ...
  • jaynemother, on 01/08/2008, -34/+16Buried for being gay.
  • browwiw, on 01/08/2008, -26/+269- Do you like flow chart jokes?

    > Yes

    - Then you're an *****.
  • ssahagun, on 01/08/2008, -37/+13I call BS. PC is nothing compared to console gaming
  • Wiinii, on 01/08/2008, -7/+16Why, cause there are a lot of Warcrack players? I know Crysis isn't the reason...
    • zmjone2992, on 01/08/2008, -0/+3the witcher?
    • chingy1788, on 01/08/2008, -0/+10Starcraft 2 is coming
      • MrESaulved, on 01/08/2008, -0/+2That fact is so cool and refreshing to me, Starcraft 2 in 2008 makes the year ahead not seem so formidable.
    • KobraKommander, on 01/08/2008, -0/+1yes to the 360 as well.
    • smaisch, on 01/09/2008, -0/+2Hating on Crysis = the new Ron Paul.
  • mal1964, on 01/08/2008, -6/+22I'm still on the fence to if i like video games. is there a flowchart for that?
    • Mishka, on 01/08/2008, -1/+5They forgot to add the bubble for you that says "Buy a Mac"
      • mal1964, on 01/08/2008, -0/+1Wouldn't " not sure, or don't know " be the bubble?
    • Tulle, on 01/08/2008, -1/+7Do you like gaming? [Yes] --> Are you a douchebag? [Yes] --> Buy a Mac
      • mal1964, on 01/08/2008, -1/+2You get a up digg, for being honest with yourself.
  • AppleGeorge, on 01/08/2008, -16/+8You should probably start by getting Photoshop so your diagrams you make don't look like complete ***** because of MSPaint.
  • Vibhorsir, on 01/08/2008, -9/+94Everyone quiet! What is that sound? It sounds....sounds like fanboys....


    RUN FOR COVER
  • TheMarenum, on 01/08/2008, -21/+84Just buy a DS and stop being a little bitch.
    • elislider, on 01/08/2008, -12/+2doesnt having a DS qualify you as probably being a little bitch? unless you have an R4 or G6Real, then youre a smart little bitch
      • TheMarenum, on 01/08/2008, -0/+5Apparently, you're wrong.
      • Syphon8, on 01/08/2008, -0/+6Tell that to the 20 million people with DSs.
  • narcosis219, on 01/08/2008, -16/+44STILL flaming on the PS3? jeez.
  • Themauvestorm3, on 01/08/2008, -4/+25Perfect image - PC has just been blowing my Wii and 360 out of the water recently
    • timusca, on 01/08/2008, -0/+1If you don't mind John Hodgman blowing your wii, then more power to you...
  • Vullkan, on 01/08/2008, -6/+16That's Why they put Crysis just for PC.
    • Comanche, on 01/08/2008, -0/+6Right, so it would flop in sales. GG
      • lsloany, on 01/08/2008, -2/+3Sales don't equal quality, examples: GTA3 "expansions," Halo 2, and even more so Halo 3.
      • l0k0, on 01/08/2008, -0/+3Remember Enter the Matrix? 5 million copies of that garbage. Meanwhile, Psychonauts sells 10,000 copies on the PC...
  • Mikey9oo, on 01/08/2008, -9/+24You know, I have an Xbox 360. I love Xbox Live. My friends convinced me to ditch it and get a PS3, because they are all playing on the Playstation Network. I am sure it is because it is in its early stages, but the Playstation Network sucks compared to Xbox Live.....at least for Call of Duty 4.

    I am slightly pissed.
    • MutatedNantuko, on 01/08/2008, -5/+34You must be very gullible to have a friend convince you to dump a 360 for a PS3.
      • B1663r, on 01/08/2008, -0/+15Bet his "friend" traded him for it;)
    • TheLeeDynasty, on 01/08/2008, -2/+5What are the differences between Live and PSN as far as COD4 goes? I have COD4 for PS3 and dont have any problems with it.
      • Mikey9oo, on 01/08/2008, -1/+2It was just very reliable on Live: except for that post-holiday downtime. Now, on PSN, I can never get into Team Deathmatch games, and it has some serious lag, often. The house I am at now has a somewhat shotty internet connection, but the Xbox responded to it fine (with the wireless attachment). Maybe I am experiencing growing pains, but this is no good.
      • FoxOrian, on 01/08/2008, -0/+5I don't know how the servers are for COD4, but I've never had a single problem playing online in Warhawk. The only complaint I have is that if a player is being an *****, I can't give them bad rep on PSN.
        • Sharky35, on 01/08/2008, -2/+1Yeah, but there are only 4 people in the WORLD playing Warhawk. So you shouldn't lag too bad.
    • GorEjaKz, on 01/08/2008, -5/+2I disagree. He must be pretty dumb to trade away