Remote desktop applications and Scammers

There are a lot of myths and misconceptions about Gaming PC’s. We take a look at the realities and find out why this market is quickly making a comeback and becoming the undisputed king of gaming platforms.

Gaming PC’s are fast becoming the catch all replacement for consoles. You and your family can work on them. Do your Browsing and your shopping. Run your video calls. Knock out a solid gaming session at your leisure and then get straight back to work without ever switching devices. A good PC does it all.

Many people though, are put off by stories of PC’s that cost as much as a decent second hand car. Or what can seem to be confusing terminology. We’re going to take a short look at the benefits of a Gaming PC compared to a typical console and dispel some myths.

What is a gaming PC?

The short answer is; ANY PC you game on really.

To use an analogy, gaming on a console is like dining on a set menu. You have limited choice, and whilst you may enjoy what there is to offer, your choice is limited.

Gaming PC’s then are the “world buffet”, Your choice is unlimited. The only difference is, there’s no real limit to what you can spend, but it CAN be done on a budget too.

Any computer is made up of some basic components. A CPU or Processor (the brains), RAM (the short term memory), Storage (Long Term memory) a GPU or Graphics Card (The Beauty). All modularly connected to a Motherboard.

All of these components are in a typical games console too. The difference is, Consoles have a pretty definite end of life.

Some computers have the graphics and the Processor on the same chip. Your Phone is a good example of an integrated processor for Computing and Graphics. Some computers separate the two.

Having a separate graphics processor is usually a good indication that the graphics “mean business”. At least to some degree.

Chances are, you already have a desktop PC that has these components, and so turning this into a Gaming PC is just a matter of selecting some parts. Usually a “Discrete Graphics Card” is the first step but a desktop PC is modular. Every component can be replaced and upgraded.

This sounds expensive.

To many, the idea of building a Gaming PC sounds expensive and it IS true that you can spend thousands building up a custom gaming PC.

You don’t need to though.

It’s a bit like cars, you can easily buy a car that “does the job”, an A to B runaround, an efficient long distance rep-mobile or you could spend 3 or 4 times the price of those cars and buy a car with twice the performance.

When you hear of gaming PC’s in the thousands you’re hearing of people who are chasing the ultimate performance of marginal gains.

What will this cost?

You can tell then, that you could easily spend more and more and more chasing that extra FPS number. You can just as easily though, spec out a gaming PC for the same price as a new gaming console. Even less depending on your needs!

What are the benefits?

Other than the obvious additional functionality of a PC with internet access. All the software suites and use cases you can have with a PC will be no secret to you at this point. There are massive benefits to having a PC over a games console.

Cheaper Games

Games Consoles are taking a massive leap forward in performance in this new generation of consoles. Their aim in doing so however, is to emulate the performance and functionality of a gaming PC.

The functionality of an online store such as in a games console is relatively new to consoles, but has been a mainstay of the pc gaming market for many more years than that.

As a result, there are numerous online outlets for digital copies of games, and this creates a competitive market for the consumer.

On average then, a game is at least £10 cheaper at launch on PC than it would be on a console store and the reality is, it is often FAR cheaper, particularly when the desire to play an older game crops up as often console stores cash in on your nostalgic impulse knowing you can’t go anywhere else.

There’s also a far bigger library of free to play games. This F2P platform is a newer concept to consoles with the rise and rise of Battle Royale titles, but the concept of F2P has existed on PC for decades and continue to dominate the charts of platforms such as Steam.

Multiplayer Costs

Take any one of the recent or new generation consoles online to play with friends or compete with others and you’ll have to pay a subscription fee. Whether it’s Xbox Live, Playstation Network or Nintendo’s Online store, you will pay for the privilege of playing with friends. Either monthly, quarterly or annually.

Not so with online service on PC. Steam, Origin, Epic, Battlenet….all completely free!

Backwards Compatibility: Nostalgic titles and Emulators.
A common topic of discussion when a new console launches is “What will it be backwards compatible with?” There’s never such concern with a PC.

In many cases, you can buy what you want to play from a variety of retailers quite cheaply, as well as run any number of emulators to play older titles from consoles such as the Atari, through the NES/Megadrive era all the way to modern day.

Mods.

The PC gamer base is awash with mods, and is for many, one of the crowning facilities of PC Gaming. The occasional title on console may have this feature in some form, but it is often massively limited.

What are mods? Put simply, a modification to an already existing game.

The current trend of Battle Royale titles have their roots in a fan made modification to an already existing game but another example might be; you absolutely love playing GTA 5 but you’d much rather play as the incredible hulk, or you’d prefer all the cars in the game were real life brands?

Mods have you covered.

Community.

In the case of Games, emulators, and mods, these projects are heavily backed by their communities. Externally, or within some game launchers. In 99.99% of cases these projects are free, open source and serviced by a dedicated community, who are mostly more than happy to welcome new members!

Sometimes a community is so committed they’l travel 65,000 Lightyears just to help you out!

Longevity

Games Console have a finite lifespan. Their components are generally made on proprietary hardware, with no consideration of longevity. Developers will make games for that generation of hardware and move on when a new generation is released. The consistent software of “windows” means that new titles are always available to PC, it’s generally just a question of whether your hardware can run it and at what performance level.

A PC then, is something you can build on, and very often, the cost of upgrades will not exceed the cost of a new generation console and due to their modular nature, you can often sell your older hardware on to someone else looking to upgrade and recoup some of your costs.

Misconceptions.

There are often misconceptions of PC gaming, We’ve covered costs, but here are some other oft heard “drawbacks”

“I don’t have the space for a desk, and monitor.”

No problem, Gaming PC’s connect to TV’s just fine.

“PC’s are too bulky.”

You’d be surprised how small you can build a PC. It’s possible to rival the size of a console and still maintain superior performance.

“I don’t like Mouse and Keyboard.”

With Windows, you can use any control method you like, and whilst Mouse and Keyboard is the predominant controller method on PC for a variety of reasons, your favourite control pad style is likely plug and play with a PC. Not to mention the variety of readily available and easily compatible other control methods there are, from Steering wheels to joysticks and everything in between.

A superior platform

In many ways then, the gaming PC boasts a lot of strengths that the console doesn’t and likely never will.

The only limit is your imagination and your budget!

If you’re interested in finding out more about gaming PC’s why not stop by our branch for a chat, give us a call on 0131 209 7984, use the contact us form below or on our social media channels. Advice costs nothing and we love a good old chinwag about one of our biggest passions.