convince me not to buy another xbox 360

nobody_here

[H]F Junkie
Joined
Feb 1, 2006
Messages
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Ok, long story short, launch 360, breaks, send in, get back improved model with new heatsink, lasts through hell, finally breaks recently. I tried every trick, got it to work for a few days, then it broke again....I'm done playing the game. I have a substancial amount of time invested in Forza Motorsport 3, DLC, etc....it is the only game i play, when Fable 3 comes out im interested

I game on a LG 55LH40 HDTV, yes it has the inputs you are wondering about, no problem there. already bought a Sony BDP-S360 bluray player, very happy with TV and player, not interested in PS3 at this point, already have a Wii downstairs in the workout room on a 46" HDTV, no Wii suggestions please

already have a pc, it's weak Antec 550 Earthwatts PSU, Opteron 165 dual core cpu (939 socket Athlon X2 3800), 2 gigs of DDR400 ram, and a 9600GSO GPU, but it works perfectly fine for PC duties, the only gaming i do on pc are MechwarriorLivingLegends and occasional Steam games

i am soon to replace the 360 with a new arcade Jasper with new warranty and all, this will hold me over until the next console is out

can i build anything out of my current system, to suit my gaming taste (almost exclusively racing and not need for speed crap, no guns on cars, real competitive racing), with an additional $200 (lets make it $300) to hold me over until the next thing comes out?

i am also aware and very much wanting to use the pc for media serving and that sort of thing....but with my budget?

because if not then i will just have to drop $200 on a new 360 and wait it out....ideas?
 
can i build anything out of my current system, to suit my gaming taste (almost exclusively racing and not need for speed crap, no guns on cars, real competitive racing), with an additional $200 (lets make it $300) to hold me over until the next thing comes out?

i am also aware and very much wanting to use the pc for media serving and that sort of thing....but with my budget?

Well you're pretty much looking at a new GPU, CPU, mobo, and RAM upgrade as the CPU and GPU are both lacking. Also, find out the exact model PSU you have: There never was a 550W Earthwatts PSU.

Now assuming that you have a decent enough PSU, an upgrade for $300 is doable:
$140 - AMD Athlon II X4 635 CPU + BIOSTAR A785G3 AM3 AMD 785G Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
$55 - Patriot 2GB DDR3 1333 RAM
$110 - PowerColor AX4850 1GBD3-PH Radeon HD 4850 1GB PCI-E Video Card
---
Total: $305 shipped plus tax if you live in CA, NJ, or TN.
 
Dude.

Alan Wake.

That is all I have to say.

Just buy your 360 at a place like worst buy and get their warranty.

I did. Had a problem, walked out with a new 360 in 20 minutes.

Did I mention Alan Wake?

Just snagged myself a N adapter off of ebay for 40 bucks to! *pats myself on back*

and if you're bent on the PC thing. Get a 260 GTX or a 4870 or a 5850 or something.

You might have some bottleneck, but you'll be able to manage.
 
And something I forgot to address: Not saying that you should go the PC route. Just letting you know a PC upgrade is doable for $300. Whether or not to go with 360 still depends on the majority of the games you want to play.
 
its like this, i have no interest in any new games coming out, i am only interested in games i am currently playing on the 360, or if i went the pc route i would have to find equivalents that dont need $600 video cards and 8 core cpu's and 12 gb's of memory.....

i would probably buy fable 3, would only buy the next update to Forza Motorsport, im like no other gamer you know, i play only one game and could care less about anything new, forget shooters on consoles, not happening, i just gave up shooters altogether when i went to console gaming
 
its like this, i have no interest in any new games coming out, i am only interested in games i am currently playing on the 360, or if i went the pc route i would have to find equivalents that dont need $600 video cards and 8 core cpu's and 12 gb's of memory.....

i would probably buy fable 3, would only buy the next update to Forza Motorsport, im like no other gamer you know, i play only one game and could care less about anything new, forget shooters on consoles, not happening, i just gave up shooters altogether when i went to console gaming

none of the games require what most of the people around here build them to do, i game more or less on the same system as you, you just have to scale back some of the settings here and there, that said, if your mobo can handle it, get a s939 x2 cpu ({/edit} read that your cpu is more or less a s939 3800x2, see if you can get your hand's on a 4800,5000,5200 x2) (i'de look in the fs/ft forums here first) and grab an ati 5850, you wont even need to buy a new psu, the 9600gso you have now draws 200w maxed out, the 5850 draws just north of 150w maxed out.

if you end up needing a little more, grab some more ram to toss at the system ( 2x 512 sticks by the same maker if you can get them (match timings at all costs) this will put you at the 3gb barrier in terms of system memory, and with a 1 gb vid crad at the 4gb barrier address space of a 32bit os.

as is said above... the system is dated, and more or less, to do any more means buying/building a new one. will the cpu be a bottle neck, unless your running benchmarks, i doubt it really.. the only place you'll see a difference is at the loading screens.
 
The easiest way to convince yourself not to buy another 360 is the check out the badass PS3 exclusive lineup. Turn in the failed system and games for credit and grab a PS3 and a few games.

Fable 3 is coming out for PC so you're not going to miss that. My outlook is the best exclusive games (or just games in general) will either be on PC or PS3, so I own both and get to play 95% of the games I want. If I owned a 360 and PC, I'd be losing out on a lot of great PS3 exclusives.
 
Console gaming and PC gaming are entirely different.

Stick with the console if you've made a huge investment in console games. Most games you play on console are probably better played on a console.

If you want the buttery smooth experience a console offers on a PC, you're going to be spending at least $1,000.
 
Here ya go, go to microcenter or equivalent store in your area
buy core i3 530 for $100 buy $100 mobo and $100 or cheaper ram. There you have it up to date mobo CPU and ram. If you need a new video card then sell your current mobo CPU ram and 9600gso and use that cash to buy a better video card.

I have had my fair share of 360 breakdowns and this is how I look at it now.
Don't expect reliability when you buy hardware from a software maker.
360 sucks I'll never buy another 360 again. Most of the 360 games are on pc anyways plus the pc games look so much damn better.

There are good racing games on pc, fable should probably be on pc too I don't see why not, it's just a more enjoyable experince on pc. If you get the i3 530 overclock the shot out of it and you'll have a screaming dual core CPU. At least with the i3 530 you'll be able to drop in a i7 later and have a quad if you want.
 
Just sell your 360 stuff to pay for your pc stuff. If you do good and sell your current mobo CPU and ram and all your 360 stuff you should have little to no cost out of your pocket for the new stuff. Plus you'll have a better gaming experience with something that is reliable, the only way you'll have anything ms is your software not your hardware this time lol..

M$ is crap when it comes to the 360 I went thru 4 360's man. I'll never buy another one again. I know at least four people locally who have replaced at least 2 consoles each.
Ms just doesn't make a reliable console and if I'm gonna spend $2-$300 for a console I don't want It breaking down quick. For heavens sake I still have a launch ps2 console that works fine..
 
GET A PC , WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU MAN , DIABLO3 and STARCRAFT 2 are a' Comin!
 
Go the pc route man. There are good racing pc sims. I played grid and liked it alot, I hit a wall doing 35 and my car was all jacked up, alignment was all over the place and i played hell going straight lol..

I think now is the time to go to pc for you man. You might get back into shooters, you said youndont play them because they suck on consoles. You have a variety of good games to choose from on pc.

With selling your 360 stuff and your current mobo CPU and ram you should be in pretty good shape..
 
M$ is crap when it comes to the 360 I went thru 4 360's man. I'll never buy another one again.

Same here.
Bought Pro when Gears of War came out. (1)
RRoD 9 months later, fixed under 3yr RRoD warranty. (2)
RRoD on #2, fixed again under RRoD warranty. (3)
#3 came back with stickers left inside of it. Send back, got #4.
Haven't used #4 lately, last time it worked ok. No more warranty.
If it breaks I will attempt to fix it myself. I refuse to buy another one. I already dropped down to Live Silver, the only 360 game coming out I am interested in is GeoW3.

Most of the stuff nowadays is multiplatform, if I can't get it in Steam I'll buy it on Ps3. If it's 360 only (like GeoW3), I'll hope my system works otherwise I may "borrow" one to play the game (either borrow a friend's or buy one and sell it afterward).
 
its like this, i have no interest in any new games coming out, i am only interested in games i am currently playing on the 360, or if i went the pc route i would have to find equivalents that dont need $600 video cards and 8 core cpu's and 12 gb's of memory.....

i would probably buy fable 3, would only buy the next update to Forza Motorsport, im like no other gamer you know, i play only one game and could care less about anything new, forget shooters on consoles, not happening, i just gave up shooters altogether when i went to console gaming

If all you want to do is play the 360 games you already have, then I think you have your answer, don't you? Just buy the 360 and move on with your life.
 
If you enjoyed your launch 360 this long, yes buy another. Same thing recently (3 months ago) happened to me on my launch premium machine and I'm enjoying my new Jasper (arcade too). The jasper units are way more stable. Lot of places you can get an arcade unit plus a $50 gift certificate to their store (Walmart, bestbuy, target whatever)
 
Wait they have Fable 3 coming out for the PC but no Fable 2 for PC, they are skipping a generation? o_0
 
hrm....not sure....i think i am going to have to just get the 360 for now and plan ahead
 
Personal opinion is plug the computer into the TV, use one of your xbox controllers (if thats what you prefer) and maybe get a $150 gfx card and some more RAM.
 
or if i went the pc route i would have to find equivalents that dont need $600 video cards and 8 core cpu's and 12 gb's of memory.....
You have never needed a $600 video card to play games. Even a $60 graphics card provides better graphics than a Xbox 360.

Even a cheap dual core is good enough for all but a couple of poorly optimized games.


i would probably buy fable 3,...

Fable 3 is coming out on the PC.
 
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Well we shouldn't have to convince you. Buy one if it has games you want to play. Our hobby costs money, rest assured a new one is more reliable and covered for 3 years. Or wait until E3 to see what MS announces.
 
If all you play is forza 3, then there is no need to look for anything. Get another 360. lol
 
GET A PC , WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU MAN , DIABLO3 and STARCRAFT 2 are a' Comin!

Not everyone cares about Blizzard games. I sure don't, but whatever. I still second the motion to upgrade your PC, or buy a PlayStation 3 and forget about the 360. Between the PC and the PS3, you'll be able to play most of the games out there today, save for Halo or Gears, but these are ho-hum at best.
 
If you want the buttery smooth experience a console offers on a PC, you're going to be spending at least $1,000.

If I turned my graphics levels to that of the 360...Intel integrated graphics would be almost enough. Your argument is very flawed.
 
hrm....not sure....i think i am going to have to just get the 360 for now and plan ahead

What id' suggest is first looking at PC racing titles, i think you'd be much happier with a PC and your current PC will play quite a bit of the racing titles out there..

i'd start here

http://www.simhq.com/_motorsports/motorsports.html#reviews
(simhq does a weekly or so 2.5 hour multiplayer racing competition event)
then

here
http://www.gamespot.com/reviews.htm...st_date&dlx_type=all&sortdir=asc&official=all

if you want to make the jump into "racing sim" territory then you pretty much have to go with the PC, my suggestion is get yourself a nice racing wheel + a trackIR 4/5 and really get into the racing on the PC. you can do that for pretty cheap..
 
SIM racing on the PC is leagues better than Forza 3. The requirements to run the games are not at all taxing and the upgrades mentioned at the begging of the thread will do depending on the res you play at.

The other thing about PC racing is that you WILL want a seat and wheel at the minimum.

This makes the upgrade cost more than the price of a new 360, so I'd say that's what you need to get yourself for now..
 
If I turned my graphics levels to that of the 360...Intel integrated graphics would be almost enough. Your argument is very flawed.

While I agree that you can now build a decent gaming computer for under $1000, I do have to point out that your comparison of 360 graphics to intel integrated is completely false. I would love for you to prove me wrong and show any game that runs on both platforms performing equally on intel graphics. You simply cannot compare the graphics of a pc to a console based on pure hardware specifications -- games are heavily console optimized allowing for a good playing experience.

That's not to say that the pc doesn't provide a superior experience on the right hardware -- eyefinity anyone? :cool:
 
SIM racing on the PC is leagues better than Forza 3. The requirements to run the games are not at all taxing and the upgrades mentioned at the begging of the thread will do depending on the res you play at.

The other thing about PC racing is that you WILL want a seat and wheel at the minimum.

This makes the upgrade cost more than the price of a new 360, so I'd say that's what you need to get yourself for now..


that is really the fun part :)

what you'll find after the seat + wheel is then you'll want the cockpit, eyefinity etc.. its as much fun building the gaming environment as it is playing the game.


i told my boys we are going to build a Motoracer controller out of some old game pads i have, taking an old bicycle and hooking the pots up etc so you can play some of these motorcycle games like the old arcade setups :)
 
While I agree that you can now build a decent gaming computer for under $1000, I do have to point out that your comparison of 360 graphics to intel integrated is completely false. I would love for you to prove me wrong and show any game that runs on both platforms performing equally on intel graphics. You simply cannot compare the graphics of a pc to a console based on pure hardware specifications -- games are heavily console optimized allowing for a good playing experience.

That's not to say that the pc doesn't provide a superior experience on the right hardware -- eyefinity anyone? :cool:

you mean eyecheat
 
ok i just came across something neat i think

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16856119017

looks to me like all it needs is a SODIMM and a hard drive, then of course wireless keyboard and mouse

this time away from gaming has actually started me thinking i may not get back into it, im almost 35 years old, family and responsibilities, and frankly, i dont really have much time anymore to game

what i would like to do is have something like this box above hooked to the tv that will allow us to have access to pretty much any media out there in the living room, we used our 360 much of the time as a Netflix and other media streaming box, this would just "up the ante"

so i think, in the end, perhaps i may have convinced mysle fnto to buy another 360..... :)
 
My top five reasons for having a PC instead of a console:
1. Civilization
2. Mods for Civilization
3. Mods for Oblivion
4. Mods for everything else
5. Mods
 
My top five reasons for having a PC instead of a console:
1. Civilization
2. Mods for Civilization
3. Mods for Oblivion
4. Mods for everything else
5. Mods

Its to bad the greedy game makers are not using dedicated servers so they are the ones pushing DLC....for money, of course.
 
i looked into this iracing thing by the way, $100 a year subscription, and cars/tracks are DLC just like Live, but they are around $12 per car or track.......for $5-$10 i typically get 10 cars or at least a couple tracks in FM3.......and you really have to get a wheel/pedal /chair setup, so by the time it's all over you easily have $400-500 just in iRacing and controllers for one years worth of play, assuming you already have the pc to run it, and also assuming you never purchase DLC...
 
can i build anything out of my current system, to suit my gaming taste (almost exclusively racing and not need for speed crap, no guns on cars, real competitive racing), with an additional $200 (lets make it $300) to hold me over until the next thing comes out?

Well Now assuming that you have a decent enough PSU, an upgrade for $300 is doable:
$140 - AMD Athlon II X4 635 CPU + BIOSTAR A785G3 AM3 AMD 785G Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
$55 - Patriot 2GB DDR3 1333 RAM
$110 - PowerColor AX4850 1GBD3-PH Radeon HD 4850 1GB PCI-E Video Card
---
Total: $305 shipped plus tax if you live in CA, NJ, or TN.

that pretty much does it right there....
 
Don't buy the 360, just use a 360 controller and play your racing games on pc. They will look so much better then the crap box 180 for sure. Just Hook the pc up to your HDTV and call it a day.
Pc is so much better for gamin then a xbox man.

I remember when I first took the plunge to pc, I kept my 360 and did a side
by side comparison of cod4 and it looked so much better on pc. I sold my 360 that same
day after I did the comparison.

If your gonna stick with consolE gaming at least get a ps3
 
Mods, more mods and even more mods. It will look so much better and you'll use the pc alot more as it will run so much better with new hardware...
Don't buy another piece of ms hardware junk, you owe it to yourself to have
a great gaming experince on pc.

I have a family too and alot of responsibilities but I be damned if I'm gonna settle for crummy console graphics anymore. Do the pc route. Just use a 360 controller for your racing games and enjoy the much better graphics...
 
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