Reasons I Left Console Gaming Behind and Built My First Gaming PC

When it comes to the “Console War” I admit that I had been a member of Team Xbox for the last few console generations. Note that I have owned several different consoles in the past and got respect for each of the different companies making these consoles. Recently I have committed the ultimate act of betrayal and defected to the ranks of the PC Master Race. I knew this change was inevitable because there are PC only titles I want to play, and to be honest PC Gaming does offer better performance and can take your gaming experience to new levels.

Besides wanting accesses to more games there were other factors that led to this switch. Mainly I was focused on game cost and hardware longevity. I wanted something versatile that could last many years. That will not be phased out in a few short years, to make room for the new generation of hardware.

Non-gamers seem amazed that people will pay around 400-500 for a newly released system. You can throw in a few more hundred dollars to account for the cost of games, headphones, controllers, and other accessories. While the price eventually drops the buying process for console gamers is very repetitive. Within a few short years a new console will get released and games from the predecessor are often not compatible with the new hardware. This leaves the some players feeling slightly cheated as the platform they have potentially invested thousands of dollars into is be put aside as focus and support are shifted in a new direction.

It is refreshing that console manufactures are starting to let players revisit some of their classic favorite games through backward compatibility and PS Now. However the fact that these features was available at lunch which did frustrate a lot of people. The currently library of older titles does offer some great content for a sense of nostalgia, but it is yet to reach its full potential. Hopefully the manufactures will understand the features their customers want and improve on the new direction they have taken. Hopefully the community’s voice will have greater influence in future projects.

PC gaming is not for the faint of heart either as some top-tier components can cost more than a consoles. Luckily you can build a rig around a modest budget, but that will factor into the type of performance you can expect from your PC. The benefit of longevity bestowed to the PC gamers comes from the option of performing a quick and simple upgrade that can breathe new life into your computer. PC gamers have an undeniable advantage when it comes to the price of games. If you find the right CD Key sale you can seriously save a substantial amount of money to be spent on more game or however you see fit. Below you will see an excel chart of games I intend to buy for my PC Game Library and the numbers speak for themselves. The chart is a comparison of the cost of purchasing directly from the Vendor vs the average price I found CD Key sites at the time of writing.

Now that we have our games let’s see our hardware we will be played with. Here are the specifications of my first build. I originally had a budget of 1,000.00 and finished under that amount so that is always great. More money for games or real adult things like bills.

CODE NAME: PROJECT GENESIS
CPU – AMD 8350 4.0GHz 8-Core Processor
CPU Cooler – Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO
GPU – EVGA GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB SC Gaming Video Card
MOTHERBOARD – MSI 970 Gaming ATX AM3+
OS- Windows 10 Professional
Power Supply – Sentey 725w Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply
STORAGE – OCZ TRION 150 240 GD SSD. Western Digital 2 TB HHD
Tower - CORSAIR 200R ATX Mid Tower Case
Total Cost $820.27

While building my PC might have cost more than the next console I feel that my investment will be returned in full. Learning a new skill was fun a rewarding and I can feel a greater level of satisfaction typing this article on a machine I assembled and not simply bought. Feel free to let me know what you think of my first build of many. I am thinking about going with an Intel processor for my next machine.
As always thanks for reading.

Agent1904 signing out!!!.