I think I may stop Gaming and upgrading

E

eat2na

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jun 9, 2003
Messages
441
I am just older now. I am 40 and somehow don't feel that excited about it anymore. Also Hardware upgrading has gotten too expensive for me. I got a DFI NF4 and an ATI1900XTX in my machine and only play games like less than 1 hour a month since I purchase the Video Card to play Oblivion like 6 months ago.

Mostly what I do is surf the web and that also gets annoying since I only got dial-up. So I guess for the next 5 or more years I will stay with my current setup and not even upgrade to Vista since can't afford it either and XP is fine to surf the web and just play current and older games once in a while.
 
I wouldn't even have a PC if I only have 56k :(

Hopefully you can get Broadband soon, and you will be back ;)
 
eat2na said:
I am just older now and somehow don't feel that excited about it anymore. Also Hardware upgrading has gotten too expensive for me. I got a DFI NF4 and an ATI1900XTX in my machine and only play games like less than 1 hour a month since I purchase the Video Card to play Oblivion like 6 months ago.

Mostly what I do is surf the web and that also gets annoying since I only got dial-up. So I guess for the next 5 or more years I will stay with my current setup and not even upgrade to Vista since can't afford it either and XP is fine to surf the web and just play current and older games once in a while.
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Buy a console, I did after getting into your same situation.
 
I'm done with uppgrading for a while - i'm sick of it.

I currently have an Opteron 165 at 2.6 ghz and a 7950GX2 and that should be fine for the rest of the year.

The truth is that as of recently games have not kept pace with hardware so why bother upgrading?

I dont NEED a E6600 at 3.0ghz and an 8800GTX - there is no game that requires that.

There is NO game that I can not run comfortably.
 
i only upgrage when i can.


like i built a pc for my brother, so i bought a better proc for me and used my old one in my brothers system
 
I guess a new world will open up for me once broadband becomes available where I live, as I never experienced online gaming before. The bad thing for me is that I get some kind of high from actually upgrading my PC for gaming but once I am done I never really play that much.

I just kind of sat back and look at the graphics and at least for awhile, well not right now since I haven't upgraded for awhile, but back when the 7800GTX came out I was one of the few that paid over $600 dollars for it. So I just sat here and benchmarked and tweaked my PC for gaming and felt like a bad ass when I compared it to others, but that is what I actually found entertaining, not actually gaming but the constant tweaking.

It got addicting real quick, buy bleeding edge, keep it for 6 months, sell it on ebay and start all over. But now is too much for my wallet to afford it. And don't have the time to sell and buy.
 
I haven't upgraded in about 2 years, and my rig still plays everything thats come out so far. If you want to be cutting edge, then yes you can spend 1000's a year on upgrading, but you can do without tho in most instances.
 
eat2na said:
I am just older now and somehow don't feel that excited about it anymore. Also Hardware upgrading has gotten too expensive for me. I got a DFI NF4 and an ATI1900XTX in my machine and only play games like less than 1 hour a month since I purchase the Video Card to play Oblivion like 6 months ago.

Mostly what I do is surf the web and that also gets annoying since I only got dial-up. So I guess for the next 5 or more years I will stay with my current setup and not even upgrade to Vista since can't afford it either and XP is fine to surf the web and just play current and older games once in a while.
Click to expand...

See the computer in my sig?
Yeah, thats the one I'm on right now.

I feel you bro. Honestly, I only use the computer to surf the net, and the occasional TV-out session of MAME and my HUGE libuary of emulators. (4 player TMNT arcade is an absolute blast with friends.)

Wii is my most recent console purchase, which I also use on the same setup. (Component to PC monitor) Just recently got interested in the 360 again, but I wont get one for a while.

Life just got busy I guess... At least enough to make me not want to game longer than 1 hour spurts. Which is odd since Im still averaging like 14 hours on a PC a day. (That includes 8 hours of work.) So I moved my finances elsewhere. Zelda is the only exception as of late, I'm averaging 5 hours every time I play. (what a great game)

Apparently my gaming moved from PC to console. (I used to skip school to play Quake 2 online) Monetary convenience is all I can say. Im not sure what happened. I'm still a gamer, but the PC side of things just became..... unappealing. (at least, 6 years ago...)
 
I'm in a similar boat. Currently got a 2.4G HT, 1 G ram and BFG Geforce 6800 OC and this just doesn't cut it. I was a bit depressed when I heard Company of Heroes wouldn't even run on my PC. Same goes for Oblivion.

I got an xbox 360 for xmas and have just been gaming on that. I still play the occasional CS or CoD on the PC but for new titles, I'll most likely be sticking with the console. Just gotta learn to control the right thumb with greater precision.

Marriage, wife, kid, work, things to do.. means less time to research hardware upgrades and less cash to do the upgrades..

w.
 
eat2na said:
I am just older now and somehow don't feel that excited about it anymore. Also Hardware upgrading has gotten too expensive for me. I got a DFI NF4 and an ATI1900XTX in my machine and only play games like less than 1 hour a month since I purchase the Video Card to play Oblivion like 6 months ago.

Mostly what I do is surf the web and that also gets annoying since I only got dial-up. So I guess for the next 5 or more years I will stay with my current setup and not even upgrade to Vista since can't afford it either and XP is fine to surf the web and just play current and older games once in a while.
Click to expand...

sounds like me recently

what i did was trade a friend my PC for his Xbox 360 with tons of extras and games + $300 cash

best thing i ever did
 
Nate_MachV said:
Do people not understand that the card in that article is for professional 3d rendering and not gaming. It's a Quadro - not a Geforce. Almost all Quadro cards are above the 1k price point and they are not intended for gaming at all.
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I was being a little sarcastic:rolleyes:

Anyway at least my 11 year old daughter gets to play the Sims2 and some Barbie games in my PC with everything maxed out thanks to the 2gigs or ram, Opteron 165 at 2700Mhz and ATI 1900XTX .
Although she doesn't know how to get all the eye candy turned on.

Someday I may get the spark again and hopefully money. But since I am not planning on selling any parts from this PC any day soon it will be extra hard to come out with the amount of money to set up a high end rig from nothing.

The problem I have with buying a console is that my TV is really old, is a 32" tube set because I don't watch that much TV. So I would have to also purchase a 1080p high definition set over 37" a receiver, surround speakers etc. I like to get the whole effect. I mean if you purchased a Sony Playstation 3 to play on a 10 years old 27 inch tube TV in your bedroom with the sound coming just from the TV mono speaker is like buying a Ferrari but never go past 25MPH when you drive it.

Also I don't like how console games are so much more expensive than PC games and they rarely go down on price unless you buy used. I mean NFSMW for PC went down to $19.99 really quick. The console version is still $39.00 and up.
 
I wasn't directing my comment at you, it was more directed to the crowd on that article you linked to. A lot of people mistake these quadro gpus for gaming cards, and it boggles my mind that so many people do.
 
When it comes to updating my computer, it's far and in-between for me. I haven't updated in close to 4 years, and my computer will run what I want (specs in sig). I update (by this I usually mean a new system) when I need to, and it works out for me. I think the key is when you update, think ahead.
 
I only upgrade when there is a game I want to play that my machine cant play comfortably. Even as a college student working part time and living off campus in my own apartment I find it easily affordable. No one really needs the newest generation stuff, like right now you should have an Athlon 64 X2 and a geforce 7xxx, you don't need an opteron/FX or a geforce 8800, there is no reason for it and you are paying a premium for them right now.
 
wujimon said:
I'm in a similar boat. Currently got a 2.4G HT, 1 G ram and BFG Geforce 6800 OC and this just doesn't cut it. I was a bit depressed when I heard Company of Heroes wouldn't even run on my PC. Same goes for Oblivion.


w.
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What are you talking about? Both games will run on that. Just because you don't have EVERYTHING turned on doesn't mean you're not going to enjoy it
 
Netrat33 said:
What are you talking about? Both games will run on that. Just because you don't have EVERYTHING turned on doesn't mean you're not going to enjoy it
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heh I was just thinking that. I have the exact same computer as you, and both those games ran great on my system. Just turn a couple of the extra's off and the it will be playable and beautiful.
 
Guys...

I may stop buying Ice creams and eating them! :(

Seriously though...I could understand this being the topic of an interesting thread if there was some reason other than "only play games like less than 1 hour a month " but someone is just realising that they don't game anywhere near enough to warrent spending the money on upgrading their PC.

Seriously, stop spending money on something that obviously does not interest you and move it along, nothing to see here people :p
 
Frosteh said:
Guys...

I may stop buying Ice creams and eating them! :(

Seriously though...I could understand this being the topic of an interesting thread if there was some reason other than "only play games like less than 1 hour a month " but someone is just realising that they don't game anywhere near enough to warrent spending the money on upgrading their PC.

Seriously, stop spending money on something that obviously does not interest you and move it along, nothing to see here people :p
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but it does make the case of a console gaming system being more suited to people in this situation......it's a valid discussion, just because you dont see the validity of it doesn't make it any less valid, apparently you fall into the category of someone who does have alot of time to play video games and constantly upgrade and spend alot more money to get the same enjoyment out of a $1000+ PC with constant upgrade costs as a console owner who makes one smaller investment every 4-5 years

and in case you haven't noticed, these threads are becoming more and more frequent lately. I think it has to do with the fact that consoles are finally up to par with a PC for the most part and their adoption of HD technology (with the exception of the Wii) only makes it more appealing, for the first time, people like us can enjoy great graphics and games, with no fuss/upkeep/upgrading/etc........for less money than a PC, and enjoy it on the big HDTV from the comfort of our couch

it's a very valid point
 
nobody_here said:
but it does make the case of a console gaming system being more suited to people in this situation......it's a valid discussion, just because you dont see the validity of it doesn't make it any less valid, apparently you fall into the category of someone who does have alot of time to play video games and constantly upgrade and spend alot more money to get the same enjoyment out of a $1000+ PC with constant upgrade costs as a console owner who makes one smaller investment every 4-5 years

and in case you haven't noticed, these threads are becoming more and more frequent lately. I think it has to do with the fact that consoles are finally up to par with a PC for the most part and their adoption of HD technology (with the exception of the Wii) only makes it more appealing, for the first time, people like us can enjoy great graphics and games, with no fuss/upkeep/upgrading/etc........for less money than a PC, and enjoy it on the big HDTV from the comfort of our couch

it's a very valid point
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No.

This wasn't the argument used for stopping upgrading his computer, nor was it an argument for a replacement for doing so.

Why do people automatically assume that somoene unwilling to purchase hardware reguarly to play PC games should get a console instead.

Consoles aren't magically cheaper somehow, the hardware is sold cheaper than it costs to produce meaning the base units make a huge initial loss, the price of each game is far higher than that of a PC game, typically in the UK the same game coming out on the PC and on a new console platform can expect a price difference between £29.99 and £49.99 (i.e roughly £20) and with the growth of console game prices recently I expect that gap will get bigger. If you game a lot, maybe 15-20 games a year, then the price difference between a console and a PC is negligable.

In any case, the reason this is not a valid solution for the OP is because he only plays games 1 hour a month, there no sense in laying down the cash for an upgrade to his PC or a console, neither makes any sense whatso ever, the money would be better spent on his daughter, or on another cheaper hobby that the OP takes more interest in.
 
Yep, I am 39, and also getting tired of constant upgrading for the latest hyped game.

Like the OP, I too am stuck with dialup. I guess single player games just aren't cutting it, for me anymore. Trouble is, console games seem to be becoming more multiplayer oriented, as well. I have actually begun replaying great, old SP games on my PC.
 
I realized this a few years back after trying to upgrade and maintain my old rig for the sake of gaming quality and speed. Console gaming is moving forward quickly with the 360, wii and PS3. No need for patches, punkbuster, etc. and of course super memory. Most console games are ready for online play with a broadband connection and are rarely laggy. Just my opinion... :cool:
 
In my opinion, this issue comes down to whether you find the hobby of upgrading and gaming fun anymore. Some people stick with it longer than others. Yes, its expensive, but I'd rather have my PC than a console right now. My next upgrade wont be for a while, though I dont feel like I need to since I dont have much trouble playing games as of now. I'm still open to upgrading later though.
 
If PC games were as good as console games, I really wouldn't mind upgrading....but the crap they release now just sucks:(
 
Circuitbreaker8 said:
If PC games were as good as console games, I really wouldn't mind upgrading....but the crap they release now just sucks:(
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In part, thanks to consoles.

All this cross development and ports, not to mention consoles stealing original PC games is sickening. Half the PC games now a days are rubbish ports or cross developed games which contain all the constraints of a console game on a PC.

I blame it on consoles architecture moving towards PC architecture, as consoles are getting "better" they're just getting more and more like PC's and developers can't help but sqeeze 2 crap games out of one development cycle rather than making something good. There's a few exceptions.
 
I bought an Xbox when it came out for this very reason. I didn't quit upgrading like I should have. Sure I told myself that I would live on my system for at least 3 years but saying it is much harder than doing it. There is the psychological aspect to it that just will not allow me to. Anyway, I play 95% of the time on the console. My current system for the most part is 2-3 years old. I have stopped upgrading as often but I still have the itch to do so even though I play few games on PC.
 
Okay okay, enough with nonsense about how PC gaming is more expensive, because it isn't. The people moving from PC gaming to console gaming are doing it for one reason and one reason alone... they are getting older and don't have as much time to play as they used to (or aren't as interested anymore). Most console games you can pick up and play for 10 or 15 minutes and be done with it. Most computer games require significantly more time investment. Take WoW or BF2 for example. If you want to get anywhere in those games you will want to play for 20 or more hours a week. I am a student and when I am on break I play WoW for 40 or more hours a week. Now, when I go back to school, or further yet, get out of school and get a real job, this will be impossible. At that point when I only have an hour a day or so to play games I will probably switch to consoles too, unfortunately.
 
Well.....since broadband isnt available at ur location...what about satellite broadband? thats in all of the 48 states....unless u live in another country....
 
I feel the same way. PCs just aren't as exciting these days for some reason. I'm waiting for the next big game that will make me upgrade but i've yet to see it.
 
wujimon said:
I'm in a similar boat. Currently got a 2.4G HT, 1 G ram and BFG Geforce 6800 OC and this just doesn't cut it. I was a bit depressed when I heard Company of Heroes wouldn't even run on my PC. Same goes for Oblivion.
Click to expand...

i wouldnt be so sure about that. i felt the same way about my pc, which has a slightly faster proc (p4 2.6c) and a worse vidcard (x700 pro) until i got oblivion a few weeks ago. i can get 35fps on mostly low settings and 20 on low/medium settings, which is fine for me. i got company of heroes for christmas and can pull down 30fps on medium. i'd try borrowing them from a friend or something and seeing how they run for yourself.
 
nobody_here said:
but it does make the case of a console gaming system being more suited to people in this situation......it's a valid discussion, just because you dont see the validity of it doesn't make it any less valid, apparently you fall into the category of someone who does have alot of time to play video games and constantly upgrade and spend alot more money to get the same enjoyment out of a $1000+ PC with constant upgrade costs as a console owner who makes one smaller investment every 4-5 years

and in case you haven't noticed, these threads are becoming more and more frequent lately. I think it has to do with the fact that consoles are finally up to par with a PC for the most part and their adoption of HD technology (with the exception of the Wii) only makes it more appealing, for the first time, people like us can enjoy great graphics and games, with no fuss/upkeep/upgrading/etc........for less money than a PC, and enjoy it on the big HDTV from the comfort of our couch

it's a very valid point
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Unless your aware of something i am not, a HDTV costs a fair amount of change. say roughly $500. An xbox 360 and a HDTV will run you $900ish. You could get a decent PC for $900 easily.

Just thought I would point that out.
 
Most people buy HDTV's not for gaming, but for watching TV and movies. Conversely, most people do not buy good monitors for their pc's for anything other than use with their pc.
 
Let's not forget all the spyware DRM crap you have to deal with on a PC (starforce anyone), or the install time/space considerations, or the fact that they are just now beginning to adopt the DVD format (3 cd install for diablo ii anyone?). Or how about the lack of a packaging standard. I went to best buy the other day and just laughed. Instead of just a plastic dvd box with an insert, we have unnecessarily wide double dvd boxes, fully cardboard boxes (oblivion was one), and absolutely no art standard. EA had these ugly gray pinstripes with small "PC DVD" lettering on them, several other companies had their own. Microsoft had a very nice looking "Games for Windows" label on their games. Many games were in plastic cases, but with a cardboard flip cover attached. My guess is they needed this to fit all the hardware requirements on the back and still have room for a game description. It was a very ugly, non-uniform shelf.

Next we've got driver issues to deal with. No matter how much money you spend, you can never get rid of these. With each company offering a maddening number of models and variants, card-specific issues start popping up in the increasingly complex drivers. Stuff like SLI starts eating away at time which could be spent fixing bugs. And as time goes on, Microsoft and video card vendors have been extremely poor at maintaining compatibility with old games.

In the end I went to consoles for more than one reason, not just money. Now that consoles are high res, powerful, and have digital outputs, it simply makes more sense. Programmers can optimize a game with one kind of hardware in mind, I can get into the gaming aspect faster and cheaper and easier than a PC can ever hope to accomplish. All we need is better mouse support in strategy/fps games, and we'll finally have an ultimate solution. When I was in high school, I fell into that "upgrade and benchmark more than playing games" crap, but I've gotten smarter with my time and money and will never look back.
 
For you guys who say that games run fine on old systems. Sure they run but I can't deal with 20fps on average with everything turned off and neither can others. Sure some like yourselves can but many can't.
 
pandora's box said:
Unless your aware of something i am not, a HDTV costs a fair amount of change. say roughly $500. An xbox 360 and a HDTV will run you $900ish. You could get a decent PC for $900 easily.

Just thought I would point that out.
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This is true. I spent $1200 on my DLP TV however that $900 investment for a PC will not last as long as the console will. You will have to buy an all new system in 2-3 years if you want to stay in medium settings and a console will be around for 5+ years before it dies off.

My biggest beef with PC gaming was not only the price but also the driver updates, game updates and incompatibilities. And the fact that there are not many that interest me anymore. Consoles have taken over the spotlight for now, lets see if MS really can make a PC gaming revolution with Vista as they think. I think it won't happen but we can always hope.
 
pandora's box said:
Unless your aware of something i am not, a HDTV costs a fair amount of change. say roughly $500. An xbox 360 and a HDTV will run you $900ish. You could get a decent PC for $900 easily.

Just thought I would point that out.
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decent, but not decent enough.....you are correct but i agree with Staples

Staples said:
This is true. I spent $1200 on my DLP TV however that $900 investment for a PC will not last as long as the console will. You will have to buy an all new system in 2-3 years if you want to stay in medium settings and a console will be around for 5+ years before it dies off.

My biggest beef with PC gaming was not only the price but also the driver updates, game updates and incompatibilities. And the fact that there are not many that interest me anymore. Consoles have taken over the spotlight for now, lets see if MS really can make a PC gaming revolution with Vista as they think. I think it won't happen but we can always hope.
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agreed, my $1000 investment in a HDTV not only enabled me to play games in HD, but also GREATLY increased our enjoyment in watching movies and TV since we have COmcast's digital cable with HD channels, etc....

and my HDTV and 360 will last me at least 5 years, so a $1500-$2000 investment +/- that lasts 5+ years with no upgrading, no patching, no troubleshooting, etc.......

or

a PC for $1500 to get a great one, that needs constant upkeep and troubleshooting, not to mention i would say an average of $200 per year in upgrade costs....likely more, trying to be conservative here (i am a former hardcore PC gamer btw), and for what?

things are changing in the console world for sure
 
constantly buying new computer hardware is stupid, I am fine with my 1.3ghz laptop, does me fine.
 
Right now I can't find a wii, and don't want to play anything else, except for older games on my computer, right now I'm playing threw older games, that I never got to when I was younger, still fun, and I guess it will hold me over for awhile, anyways, I understand your point of view completely, of course I think I'm still going to game some on the computer in the upcoming years, anyways games I will probably get this year.

Two Worlds
Oblivion Expansion
Dragon Age (high possibility of not releasing till 08)

Zelda: Twilight Princess
Smash Brothers: Brawl
Metroid Prime 3
Mario Galaxy's
Rayman Raving Rabbids

That is all, unless something very good thats not on my radar pops up.
 
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