PC diehard gamers - sell me on 1080p, 2k, or 4k!

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lightheir
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PC diehard gamers - sell me on 1080p, 2k, or 4k!

Post by lightheir »

This one's for the diehard PC gamers out there, and def not for everyone, but I know BHers have a fairly decent stable of computerheads, so strut your stuff!

I'm still trying to decide which PC gaming build to do. Yes, I'm a fully grown man, and I honestly barely have time to game (let alone do anything) given the 7-year old in tow, but I'm getting to the point that life is clearly short, and it's either now or never.

I've played a lot of console and PC games, but I'm still on an X360 console (Witcher 2!) and my computers all have no graphics card (meaning I can play half life 2 but that's as high as it gets for graphics firepower.) And I love graphics!

I like all games - FPS shooters, strategy/CIV stuff, RPGs, etc. Pretty much any game that was highly reviewed, I enjoy. And I admit that I strongly prefer AAA-high-production games. (I play the top-rated Stardew Valley low-res game with my daughter and while it's a perfectly good game, I think it's totally overblown to give this a 9/10 rating compared to, say, the Witcher 3 with its additional high level technical detail.)

I'm considering various builds. Money isn't really a critical object, meaning if it's really ALL that, I'd gladly drop $3k on a system if it's going to blow me away, but honestly, I doubt that's going to be the case, and I'm def MUCH more of a bang-for-buck person/gamer; I doubt I'll NEED the latest/greatest as I clearly don't right now.

Here's my considerations:

- 1080p (regular HD) gaming PC setup: Cheapest by far, I can build one for $1000 that can playing everything on ultra, likely with a GeForce 1060 in it. But probably will be rough on VR or 2k and no 4k, and tough future upgrade route. As I'm a 'cheap' gamer, I could see myself catching up on the backcollection of games I've missed for at least 5 years.

- 2k setup - This is the one I'm leaning most toward; probably with a GeForce 1070. Cost $1200-1500 most likely for a self-build. I'm however not sure I NEED all this firepower and graphics density as I've been perfectly happy with 1080p so far.

- 4k setup - Doubt I'll go this route unless it's that great, and/or the future really is right around the corner with all 4k stuff. Will require a $1800+ build, Geforce 1080. The potential of good VR is a real one - I've been intrigued with the simracing car game setups even though I doubtfully will go all-in there, and they all need powerful systems. My main fear here is that I'll underutilize the system since I don't have hours on end to play, so the bleeding edge price premium will be wasted on me.

I'll also need a new good monitor. G-sync seems awfully expensive, I'm trying to avoid it if possible, and I'm thinking a 144Mhz refresh gaming monitor and to just hope for the best.

Give me your thoughts & recs gamers!
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tomander
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Re: PC diehard gamers - sell me on 1080p, 2k, or 4k!

Post by tomander »

Screen size and how close you sit to the screen are important factors in selecting pixel density. IMO for a 24" monitor or smaller 1080 is fine,
lazydavid
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Re: PC diehard gamers - sell me on 1080p, 2k, or 4k!

Post by lazydavid »

How are 1080p and 2k really any different?

1080p: 1920x1080
2k: 2048x1080


The additional 128 horizontal pixels (138k total pixels) should not really have any bearing on how much graphics horsepower you need. This is a 6.7% increase in pixel count. Contrast that with going from 1080p to 4k, which is a 300% increase in pixel count.
masteraleph
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Re: PC diehard gamers - sell me on 1080p, 2k, or 4k!

Post by masteraleph »

As Tomander noted, a lot of this really boils down to screen size.

For a number of years, I ran a 24" monitor with a 1920x1200 resolution (16:10 ratio), which is roughly 94 pixels per inch. I moved to a 27" 2560x1440 monitor (16:9), which is wider, though not particularly taller physically, than the 24" monitor. That's about 109 pixels per inch, which I found to be too much for me for most general tasks- it was fine with games designed to scale for it, but otherwise I found it frustrating. I recently moved to a 32" monitor at 2560x1440, about 92ppi- a little low, but much more pleasant for me.

A 4k monitor at 40" would be 110ppi. I just wasn't interested, as much as I love gadgets, in having a monitor that was that much of a pain.

Presuming that you're going to be using the monitor for things other than gaming, or even if you have older games that aren't designed to scale to such high resolutions and have text (this is more of an issue for RPGs), then your real question probably should be what pixel density you like. Work backwards from there to figure out the resolution you want.

lazydavid- "2k" in monitor resolution usually means 2560x1440, which isn't really 2k anything, but there you go.
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Re: PC diehard gamers - sell me on 1080p, 2k, or 4k!

Post by oldcomputerguy »

Don't go by my opinion. My first gaming machine was a Commodore 64, and my favorite games of all time either were played on the C64 (the Zork series) or else were SVGA-level (Rama, Zork Grand Inquisitor, Myst Exile).

Man... do I feel old!
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Re: PC diehard gamers - sell me on 1080p, 2k, or 4k!

Post by Sandtrap »

oldcomputerguy wrote: Wed Oct 18, 2017 10:02 am Don't go by my opinion. My first gaming machine was a Commodore 64, and my favorite games of all time either were played on the C64 (the Zork series) or else were SVGA-level (Rama, Zork Grand Inquisitor, Myst Exile).

Man... do I feel old!
+1
zork > green screen, double floppy drive. Interactive Text. No graphics. Terrifying when they introduced sound.
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JDot
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Re: PC diehard gamers - sell me on 1080p, 2k, or 4k!

Post by JDot »

I don't have time to do a detailed post. But you should REALLY consider ultra wide, specifically 3440x1440. I could write paragraphs trying to convince you, but I won't. Ultra wide is great if you're going to be using the pc to do work or just like having lots of real estate. It eliminates the need for two monitors almost completely.

It is is also easier on a the GPU to push 3440x1440 than it is to push a 4k monitor.

Most modern video games are being made to run 3440x1440 now. Destiny 2 will be when it releases for pc this month. (you obviously can still play games that do not support ultra wide you will just need to run it with bars on the side or you can try to mod the game, but I never go through the trouble of modding)

Even kickstarter-ish games are supporting ultra wide now, e.g. Pillars of Eternity.
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lightheir
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Re: PC diehard gamers - sell me on 1080p, 2k, or 4k!

Post by lightheir »

lazydavid wrote: Wed Oct 18, 2017 9:42 am How are 1080p and 2k really any different?

1080p: 1920x1080
2k: 2048x1080


The additional 128 horizontal pixels (138k total pixels) should not really have any bearing on how much graphics horsepower you need. This is a 6.7% increase in pixel count. Contrast that with going from 1080p to 4k, which is a 300% increase in pixel count.
I guess I should clarify

2560x1080 is 2K 21:9 (wider viewing angle, much smaller in terms of height)

2560x1440 is 2K 16:9 (more narrow viewing angle, usually preferred)

I copied and pasted that from some gaming forum, it was news to me. I guess I would be choosing the 2560 x 1440 for '2k'
Tutty59
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Re: PC diehard gamers - sell me on 1080p, 2k, or 4k!

Post by Tutty59 »

I've been an avid gamer for many years, and I cannot think of a reason to drop 3k on a new rig. If you're looking to play games such as the Witcher 3 (what an excellent game btw, just did my first playthrough last month and it was incredible) on ultra quality, your main concern is the graphics. The 1060 would be perfect for such a task, as it would for many other games that demand high graphics performance.

I use a 24" 1080p monitor with a 144 hz refresh rate, and I don't have any issues. That being said, it obviously depends on your viewing distance. If you had the extra money and wanted a worthwhile "investment", maybe go with the 2k as it will likely be relevant for years to come.

Enjoy your gaming! :beer
b42
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Re: PC diehard gamers - sell me on 1080p, 2k, or 4k!

Post by b42 »

Were you planning on building the PC yourself? If so, you could go with a 1060 for now and see if you get more into PC gaming, and then upgrade just the video card when the next-gen cards come out in 2018, since the rest of the system will be fine for 2k/4k gaming.
Countermoon
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Re: PC diehard gamers - sell me on 1080p, 2k, or 4k!

Post by Countermoon »

I'm pretty satisfied with my 1080p setup: RX 480 8GB GPU, Intel i5 6500, 16GB RAM, etc. It plays all recent mainstream games on Ultra with 60+ FPS.

Someday (3+ years I imagine) I'll build a 4K gaming rig.
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Re: PC diehard gamers - sell me on 1080p, 2k, or 4k!

Post by Afty »

+1 on ultrawide. That seems to be all the rage in PC gaming circles right now.
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Re: PC diehard gamers - sell me on 1080p, 2k, or 4k!

Post by tigermilk »

JDot wrote: Wed Oct 18, 2017 10:25 am I don't have time to do a detailed post. But you should REALLY consider ultra wide, specifically 3440x1440. I could write paragraphs trying to convince you, but I won't. Ultra wide is great if you're going to be using the pc to do work or just like having lots of real estate. It eliminates the need for two monitors almost completely.

It is is also easier on a the GPU to push 3440x1440 than it is to push a 4k monitor.

Most modern video games are being made to run 3440x1440 now. Destiny 2 will be when it releases for pc this month. (you obviously can still play games that do not support ultra wide you will just need to run it with bars on the side or you can try to mod the game, but I never go through the trouble of modding)

Even kickstarter-ish games are supporting ultra wide now, e.g. Pillars of Eternity.
I've got a 3440x1440 (Dell 34") that I love. Was able to pair it nicely with my old GTX 770 with no performance issues. Unfortunately a few games didn't support that resolution, and even the current 2017 release of one soccer game STILL doesn't support it. But it is a great setup that sits between 1080p and 4K. In the last few months I did get a VR headset, and my 770 GTX was under-performing. Upgraded to a 1080ti and VR keeps pace. However, visually there is a downgrade between the 3440x1440 setup and VR. But for my VR games (mostly racing), I won't go back as the immersion is so much greater.

Personally, if going down the VR route, go big and get a 1080ti. If not, strongly suggest the 3440x1440 setup and you can save a bit on the card.
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Re: PC diehard gamers - sell me on 1080p, 2k, or 4k!

Post by lightheir »

JDot wrote: Wed Oct 18, 2017 10:25 am I don't have time to do a detailed post. But you should REALLY consider ultra wide, specifically 3440x1440. I could write paragraphs trying to convince you, but I won't. Ultra wide is great if you're going to be using the pc to do work or just like having lots of real estate. It eliminates the need for two monitors almost completely.

It is is also easier on a the GPU to push 3440x1440 than it is to push a 4k monitor.

Most modern video games are being made to run 3440x1440 now. Destiny 2 will be when it releases for pc this month. (you obviously can still play games that do not support ultra wide you will just need to run it with bars on the side or you can try to mod the game, but I never go through the trouble of modding)

Even kickstarter-ish games are supporting ultra wide now, e.g. Pillars of Eternity.
I'm seriously looking at that 3440 x 1440 screen.

What GPU are you running to play those games?

And also, what % of your games support this resolution without the black bars on the sides currently? The main reason I'm not as highly considering it is that I felt that most non-bleeding edge games wouldn't support it. (Does Witcher3?)
wrl
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Re: PC diehard gamers - sell me on 1080p, 2k, or 4k!

Post by wrl »

Get a i7-7700k based machine, at least 16gb ram, solid state hd, and a 1080Ti. Trust me, I play alot of video games.

VR uses ALOT more computing power then screens, anything less then this machine will play high end VR games slow, or your will have to significantly reduce graphics settings. For those that say their lessor computers work just fine, remember, this computer you buy today will be running games 3-4 years from now, unless you plan to buy a new one every year or two.
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lightheir
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Re: PC diehard gamers - sell me on 1080p, 2k, or 4k!

Post by lightheir »

Questino re: 3440 resolution - do you have problems if you have to run the games in 1080p (because the game might not support higher resolutions?) Or does it run fine just with the letterbox format?
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Re: PC diehard gamers - sell me on 1080p, 2k, or 4k!

Post by JDot »

lightheir wrote: Wed Oct 18, 2017 11:45 am
JDot wrote: Wed Oct 18, 2017 10:25 am I don't have time to do a detailed post. But you should REALLY consider ultra wide, specifically 3440x1440. I could write paragraphs trying to convince you, but I won't. Ultra wide is great if you're going to be using the pc to do work or just like having lots of real estate. It eliminates the need for two monitors almost completely.

It is is also easier on a the GPU to push 3440x1440 than it is to push a 4k monitor.

Most modern video games are being made to run 3440x1440 now. Destiny 2 will be when it releases for pc this month. (you obviously can still play games that do not support ultra wide you will just need to run it with bars on the side or you can try to mod the game, but I never go through the trouble of modding)

Even kickstarter-ish games are supporting ultra wide now, e.g. Pillars of Eternity.
I'm seriously looking at that 3440 x 1440 screen.

What GPU are you running to play those games?

And also, what % of your games support this resolution without the black bars on the sides currently? The main reason I'm not as highly considering it is that I felt that most non-bleeding edge games wouldn't support it. (Does Witcher3?)
Good. You seriously should be! I have a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 4GB and it runs things very well. As I said, 3440x1440 is a bit less demanding than 4k so the ultra wide will be easier for your gpu. I don't keep up with all of the tech, but I imagine a 1060 would do as well or better than my 980, but you could look this up.

I'm actually surprised at how many games support ultra wide. Even some of the indie type games are supporting it now. If a new blockbuster game comes out, it seems quite rare for it to *not* support ultra wide and everyone in the ultra wide community whines and threatens not to buy the game. So it seems developers are getting the message. I don't know what percent exactly. Witcher 3 does support ultrawide. Most of the games that don't support ultra wide are some console ports or older games. The new(ish) Gears of War supports ultra wide and runs absolutely beautifully.

As to your other post, it's no big deal if the game doesn't support ultra wide; you are just left with the black bars. Sure, it's annoying, but you're basically just getting the same experience as people who don't have an ultra wide monitor. BTW- I have the Acer Predator x 34. The cost is high, but it eliminated the need for me to purchase two monitors. (as I would have needed two for times when I work from home anyways)
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Re: PC diehard gamers - sell me on 1080p, 2k, or 4k!

Post by lightheir »

OOooh, that's a super awesome monitor Acer Predator 34 inches. I seriously want that!

Curious - does yours have G-sync? And on that note, how important is G-sync anyway? I know it's about the screen tearing with frame refresh vs video card mismatches, but to me it seems like tearing would be a really transient, fast artifact that one could get used to.

On my X360, the whole screen blurs to near incomprehensibility when you move the camera in Halo3 and 4!
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lightheir
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Re: PC diehard gamers - sell me on 1080p, 2k, or 4k!

Post by lightheir »

OOooh, that's a super awesome monitor Acer Predator 34 inches. I seriously want that!

Curious - does yours have G-sync? And on that note, how important is G-sync anyway? I know it's about the screen tearing with frame refresh vs video card mismatches, but to me it seems like tearing would be a really transient, fast artifact that one could get used to.

On my X360, the whole screen blurs to near incomprehensibility when you move the camera in Halo3 and 4!
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Re: PC diehard gamers - sell me on 1080p, 2k, or 4k!

Post by Momus »

https://slickdeals.net/share/android_app/t/10587872

$900 GTX 1080 16GB ram, will handle any game you throw at it at max settings.

Keep looking into slickdeals.net, the deal comes up once in a while and you can't never beat the price.
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Re: PC diehard gamers - sell me on 1080p, 2k, or 4k!

Post by JDot »

It's G-sync for Nvidia and free sync for AMD. It basically locks the frame rate of the monitor to the frame rate your GPU is able to put out so they talk nicely and therefore you don't get the screen tearing. It replaces V-sync if I understand it correctly. (I think v-sync is a software/setting in game that attempts to do the same thing with mixes success)

I've read reviews where people absolutely rave about how great g-sync is. It probably depends on how picky you are at picking up subtle smoothness, etc.

I'd by lying or just trying to justify my purchase if I told you that personally it made a big difference for me.

For me, I just knew I wanted a great monitor and didn't want to have buyer's remorse or have an itch to upgrade in a few years So, I went (in my book at the time) all out when selecting a monitor. Unless this one dies an early death, I can't imagine replacing it for the next 5-8 years. I know there will be bigger and better, but this thing is sweet.

So in conclusion, I'm crazy happy with the ultrawide monitor choice. But, I can't really tell you how much g-sync contributes to this satisfaction.
Cieren
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Re: PC diehard gamers - sell me on 1080p, 2k, or 4k!

Post by Cieren »

Both my husband and I are diehard PC gamers. We have similar gaming rigs (but the differences let me speak to what you're considering to an extent), built last year:

Processor: Intel Core i7-5820K (both)

RAM:16GB (4x4GB) DDR4 DRAM 2400MHz (PC4-19200) (both - he has Corsair Vengeance, I went with G.Skill Ripjaw because it was looks awesome - we both have windowed side panel cases)

Motherboard:
ASUS ROG Rampage V Extreme/U3.1 LGA2011-V3 DDR4 M.2 ACWiFi USB 3.1 Type A Intel X99 eATX (his)
ASRock X99 Extreme4 LGA 2011-v3 Intel X99 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.1 ATX Intel Motherboard (mine)

Cooling:
Corsair Hydro Series H100i GTX Extreme Performance Water / Liquid CPU Cooler. 240mm (both)

Graphics Card:
GTX 1060 (me)
GTX 970 (him)

Monitors:
I run 2 24 inch monitors - gaming monitor is an ASUS VS248H-P 24" (1080p)
He runs...3 monitors. Gaming monitor is an ASUS PB287Q 28" 4K/ UHD
The other two aren't used for gaming - one's for internet browsing, the other is to monitor stream feed/video stats when he streams.

HDDs:
Samsung 850 EVO 500GB SSD (he has 2 in RAID..0 I think. I have one) - used for gaming - helps decrease load times
WD Black 6 TB 7200 RPM (his - used as a shared drive accessible by both of us for storage/documents)

Results:
I haven't had any issues with my GTX 1060 running any game I've thrown at it with ultra/high graphics settings - however, the highest I game in is admittedly 1080p (so...HD). I play everything from Stardew Valley to Overwatch to Guild Wars 2 to Shadows of Mordor to modded Skyrim. I own Witcher 3 but I haven't fired it up yet. As an added bonus, it comes with an app that lets you make the GFX card's led lighting change color/breathe/etc. I may or may not have it synched to match my mouse... :D

With his 970, my husband can crank up Far Cry 4 in 4k, but not with ultra settings. I could run 4k with my 1060, as well, although on some games would not be able to crank the settings up to max/ultra. Tempting to test it out w/Far Cry 4 to see if I can grab some results for you.

You really don't need to have a GTX 1080 to get 4k performance or to use VR unless you want to max out all your settings.

Same with VR - a 1060 can use an HTC Vive without major issues, just not cranked up to max.

This might be helpful with regard to VR (if you're going the Vive route) - it's a list of results for Steam's VR performance test run by different systems: https://www.reddit.com/r/Vive/wiki/systems
JDot
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Re: PC diehard gamers - sell me on 1080p, 2k, or 4k!

Post by JDot »

Also, if you're not going to build your own, I suggest Digital Storm. They are a smaller company in CA. Sure, you can find better deals spec wise. But from what I've read (and my experience), Digital Storm will NOT skimp on parts or the labor. For instance, they don't just throw in a "reference" GPU. My GPU ended up being an EVGA and was overclocked. They use brand name power supplies, etc.

Check out the vanquish and choose which level you think suits you.

http://www.digitalstorm.com/
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lightheir
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Re: PC diehard gamers - sell me on 1080p, 2k, or 4k!

Post by lightheir »

JDot wrote: Wed Oct 18, 2017 3:54 pm Also, if you're not going to build your own, I suggest Digital Storm. They are a smaller company in CA. Sure, you can find better deals spec wise. But from what I've read (and my experience), Digital Storm will NOT skimp on parts or the labor. For instance, they don't just throw in a "reference" GPU. My GPU ended up being an EVGA and was overclocked. They use brand name power supplies, etc.

Check out the vanquish and choose which level you think suits you.

http://www.digitalstorm.com/
Man, those builds are nice but super pricey. $1800+ for a build with 'only' a GTX1060 is crazy when you can build a similar spec for <$1200 on your own.
LiterallyIronic
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Re: PC diehard gamers - sell me on 1080p, 2k, or 4k!

Post by LiterallyIronic »

Here's my build that I put together last August:

i7 6700k
32GB DDR4-3200
GTX 1080 FTW Superclocked (there was no 1080TI yet)
256GB SSD
6TB HDD (three separate 2TB drives, two of which are exclusively for games)
850 watt PSU
Blu-ray drive

Ran me $1,900 (does not count monitors, keyboard, mouse, 5.1 surround sound speakers, battery backup unit, wireless headset, USB controller, or external 2TB hard drive).

I have every single one of my Steam games installed, as well as all my Origin games, BattleNet games, GOG Galaxy games, and games that aren't on such a platform, such as Minecraft.

My thoughts?

I don't build around resolution, I build around "graphics settings." That is to say, I build a computer powerful enough to play everything on Ultra. Then, over the years, my rig will eventually only be able to play on High. Then Medium. Then I build a new computer. I was running GTA V on Medium on my previous machine - i7 930, GTX 560TI, 6GB RAM.

What resolution are my monitors? 1600x900 and 1360x768. Both are 20 inches. Hence I can (and possibly into perpetuity) play games on max settings. I'm playing GTA V on max, Dead By Daylight on max, PUBG on max, etc. For me, it's all about putting the graphics on Ultra.

So I'd suggest a killer rig with the lowest resolution that you're comfortable with. Maybe it's my 20/40 vision, but I don't really see a difference between my 900p monitor and my brother's 1440p monitor, except that his bigger. Definitely not worth spending $500 on a monitor. Same reason I put nearly $2,000 worth of parts inside a $30 case - just doesn't provide me with any real value.

Hypothetically, though, if I wanted a sweet monitor in the future, like maybe one of mine falls of the desk and I have to buy another, I can buy a nice one. Had I opted for a cheaper machine, then my future options would be limited.

If you buy an expensive, powerful rig, you at least have the option of higher resolutions, bigger monitors, VR, and whatever you want in the future. I'd vote for cutting edge every time.
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Re: PC diehard gamers - sell me on 1080p, 2k, or 4k!

Post by oldcomputerguy »

Sandtrap wrote: Wed Oct 18, 2017 10:11 am
oldcomputerguy wrote: Wed Oct 18, 2017 10:02 am Don't go by my opinion. My first gaming machine was a Commodore 64, and my favorite games of all time either were played on the C64 (the Zork series) or else were SVGA-level (Rama, Zork Grand Inquisitor, Myst Exile).

Man... do I feel old!
+1
zork > green screen, double floppy drive. Interactive Text. No graphics. Terrifying when they introduced sound.
Yeah, I can't help but wonder... are there any games at all anymore that are *not* the "shoot guns and kill people" variety? I've never been a fan of those. Much prefer the Zork / Myst genre.
There is only one success - to be able to spend your life in your own way. (Christopher Morley)
simmias
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Re: PC diehard gamers - sell me on 1080p, 2k, or 4k!

Post by simmias »

oldcomputerguy wrote: Wed Oct 18, 2017 4:48 pm
Sandtrap wrote: Wed Oct 18, 2017 10:11 am
oldcomputerguy wrote: Wed Oct 18, 2017 10:02 am Don't go by my opinion. My first gaming machine was a Commodore 64, and my favorite games of all time either were played on the C64 (the Zork series) or else were SVGA-level (Rama, Zork Grand Inquisitor, Myst Exile).

Man... do I feel old!
+1
zork > green screen, double floppy drive. Interactive Text. No graphics. Terrifying when they introduced sound.
Yeah, I can't help but wonder... are there any games at all anymore that are *not* the "shoot guns and kill people" variety? I've never been a fan of those. Much prefer the Zork / Myst genre.
You'd be surprised. The indie scene offers anything you'd be looking for. Even point and click games are making a resurgence. And then you have some big budget single player experiences that will just blow you away.

People even still code text adventures if that's your fancy.

I still own all the old Infocom boxes with the feelies, and I love to play them every once in a while. But what gaming has come up with in the last few years is pretty great. It's worth a look beyond the mindless shooters. Even there, some of them are great (the new Wolfenstein games come to mind).
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lightheir
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Re: PC diehard gamers - sell me on 1080p, 2k, or 4k!

Post by lightheir »

I played nearly all of those text adventures! They were fun at the time but...man, they do NOT age well. Zork is TERRIBLE!

The current crop of 'interactive fiction' is orders of magnitude better, but even those are no comparison to the AAA games out there nowadays. Hate to say so, but it's true. The old text adventures are for nostalgia purposes only. They have terrible pacing, terrible difficulty levels, obtuse puzzles, poor puzzle progression, you name the problem, and it has it. And I haven't even started on graphics! :shock:

The shooters now today are totally amazing, as well. If you recall shooters from the era of Quake and Unreal, you haven't seen anything yet.
JDot
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Joined: Fri Apr 24, 2015 10:15 pm

Re: PC diehard gamers - sell me on 1080p, 2k, or 4k!

Post by JDot »

lightheir wrote: Wed Oct 18, 2017 4:22 pm
JDot wrote: Wed Oct 18, 2017 3:54 pm Also, if you're not going to build your own, I suggest Digital Storm. They are a smaller company in CA. Sure, you can find better deals spec wise. But from what I've read (and my experience), Digital Storm will NOT skimp on parts or the labor. For instance, they don't just throw in a "reference" GPU. My GPU ended up being an EVGA and was overclocked. They use brand name power supplies, etc.

Check out the vanquish and choose which level you think suits you.

http://www.digitalstorm.com/
Man, those builds are nice but super pricey. $1800+ for a build with 'only' a GTX1060 is crazy when you can build a similar spec for <$1200 on your own.
I'm not sure which one you clicked on. (maybe you clicked on one that was smaller form or liquid cooled, etc and therefore they charge more.) But the $1799 Vanquish comes with the GTX 1080. The Vanquish with the GTX 1060 is $1199. I'm not saying this is cheaper than building it yourself, but at least when I checked a couple years ago, they were very hard to beat. (especially if you consider the quality of parts they use)

See:

Ultimate
$1,799
or $110/month*

Intel Core i7-7700K
GeForce GTX 1080 8GB
16GB DDR4 Memory
240GB Solid State Drive
2TB 7200RPM Storage
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Sandtrap
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Re: PC diehard gamers - sell me on 1080p, 2k, or 4k!

Post by Sandtrap »

lightheir wrote: Wed Oct 18, 2017 5:01 pm I played nearly all of those text adventures! They were fun at the time but...man, they do NOT age well. Zork is TERRIBLE!

The current crop of 'interactive fiction' is orders of magnitude better, but even those are no comparison to the AAA games out there nowadays. Hate to say so, but it's true. The old text adventures are for nostalgia purposes only. They have terrible pacing, terrible difficulty levels, obtuse puzzles, poor puzzle progression, you name the problem, and it has it. And I haven't even started on graphics! :shock:

The shooters now today are totally amazing, as well. If you recall shooters from the era of Quake and Unreal, you haven't seen anything yet.
I've come full circle.
My senior brain only reacts as fast as Zork interactive text. Online chess works fine at 1080p. :shock:
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shanefairman
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Joined: Mon Jun 29, 2015 8:21 pm

Re: PC diehard gamers - sell me on 1080p, 2k, or 4k!

Post by shanefairman »

I have been rocking dual screens since the CRT era. In the last year I switched from 1x 23" 1080 monitors and 1x 32" 1080 to a single 55" 4K display. I use the Windows 10 snapping function to treat it as 4 separate 28.5" quadrants. Truth be told it is sub optimal especially if you want to use it for gaming. The screen is just too large and you move your head too much.

I got one hell of a deal on the 4k TV at 75% off but i'm really looking to move back to dual displays and ultra wide.
“You must not only think for yourself, you must plan for yourself, and you must plan ahead, and you must live up to these plans. You must know exactly what you want to do.” -George Carlin, Boston Rant
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