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Anyone else try PC gaming only to fail hard and go back to their comfy Console?
- Thread starter ultima786
- Start date
As a desktop user with a 1070 gtx FFXV booted fine and didnt had any problems. It literaly was buy-> install -> turn on controller -> >disable v-sync ->play.
I hope the next time you try you don't have such an experience. I don't play on laptop so i don't know how viable they are
I hope the next time you try you don't have such an experience. I don't play on laptop so i don't know how viable they are
I'm dabbling with it at the minute and finding it can be a bit of a pain. It's also quite funny to me the people who say it's just as convenient as a console, especially with a TV and a controller. PCs have so many advantages but that isn't one of them.
I think a lot of us PC gamers have tried to make it work on a laptop in the past and just gotten burned every time. It's always going to be a compromise in one or more areas. Give it a shot with a moderately specced desktop that you can upgrade over time as you get more into it.
I wouldn't say I failed hard, I preferred the experience something else offered me.
I am keenly watching how things play out in the streaming world though.
I am keenly watching how things play out in the streaming world though.
Um, ok.
Other people aren't having these problems so instead of implying they're snobby and lying about the problems they're having maybe you should take a step back and consider that you might be the outlier here, because if everyone had THIS much trouble just getting a game to work, nobody would play on PC.
Aye man, if there's something you're trying to say, say it with your chest. I replied to a thread about my experience and what I ultimately concluded (about myself and what I like). This "ok?" stuff comes off as a passive aggressive dweeb move.
No, I enjoy ultra enhanced versions of games I love a billion times more than I wince about the time it takes to set them up "proper".
And playing Final Fantasy Tactics, Katamari Damacy, Halo Reach, Pikmin 2, Super Mario Galaxy, Resident Evil REmake 1 and Resident Evil 2 Dreamcast version and DOOM and XCOM 2 with full mods all on the same machine beats the ever loving fuck out of what any console might think it offers, even if Playstation holds onto Bloodborne with all its might!
And playing Final Fantasy Tactics, Katamari Damacy, Halo Reach, Pikmin 2, Super Mario Galaxy, Resident Evil REmake 1 and Resident Evil 2 Dreamcast version and DOOM and XCOM 2 with full mods all on the same machine beats the ever loving fuck out of what any console might think it offers, even if Playstation holds onto Bloodborne with all its might!
'Open GeForce Experience"
'Click Optimize'
'Open Steam'
'Play'
What do you do for 20 minutes?
Before people start dunking on laptops, remember, there's deals to be had, as with any product. Be savvy, browse deal websites, etc.
This is what I got Sept. last year; https://slickdeals.net/f/13360861-d...ssd-gtx-1660-ti-150-visa-gc-715-free-shipping
It was actually cheaper than this deal, since you could get a -10% discount code for signing up for a newsletter. Plus Amex cashback. In total it cost me $500 for a 1660ti laptop... cheaper than building a computer. PLUS 'Alienware Arena' has given me $200 in 'Dell Rewards' and Xbox Game Pass codes just for going to their site daily.
Note; I build computers all the time, and will continue to do so.
As for the laptop itself? I think it's great. I can easily bring it downstairs to play on the TV, round a friends house, in bed, at a desk, etc.
As for overheating, people get way too worked up over this. I've built small form factors PCs, and they have high temps too. CPUs can run at 90c for years just fine. I just have ThrottleStop setup, and the CPU holds 3.9GHz (which is still crazy to me) consistently. GPU never goes above 70c, I can actually overclock it.
As for the OP? No, I love the freedom PC provides. Right now I'm on a 00's RTS binge, while playing a comunity-enhanced version of SIlent Hill 2.
This is what I got Sept. last year; https://slickdeals.net/f/13360861-d...ssd-gtx-1660-ti-150-visa-gc-715-free-shipping
It was actually cheaper than this deal, since you could get a -10% discount code for signing up for a newsletter. Plus Amex cashback. In total it cost me $500 for a 1660ti laptop... cheaper than building a computer. PLUS 'Alienware Arena' has given me $200 in 'Dell Rewards' and Xbox Game Pass codes just for going to their site daily.
Note; I build computers all the time, and will continue to do so.
As for the laptop itself? I think it's great. I can easily bring it downstairs to play on the TV, round a friends house, in bed, at a desk, etc.
As for overheating, people get way too worked up over this. I've built small form factors PCs, and they have high temps too. CPUs can run at 90c for years just fine. I just have ThrottleStop setup, and the CPU holds 3.9GHz (which is still crazy to me) consistently. GPU never goes above 70c, I can actually overclock it.
As for the OP? No, I love the freedom PC provides. Right now I'm on a 00's RTS binge, while playing a comunity-enhanced version of SIlent Hill 2.
Pick a graphics preset or boot up Geforce Experience and hit optimize for whatever game you're playing and you're done. If you're testing one setting at a time then you only have yourself to blame for spending 20 minutes on tinkering. It's really not that hard.
Dear OP: if you're still interested enough to ask, I urge you to consider building your own PC. It is much easier than it sounds, by far the best value for your money, and you'll learn a few things that will only make regularly gaming on a pc easier for you.
Please consider it, PC gaming has so much to offer and I really think you'll fall in love with mods, emulators, having direct control over the settings that matter to you, the abundance of control options, the unique games you can't get on console, etc etc.
I will FaceTime you through it if you're really intimidated but I'm telling you, it's adult legos. It's totally doable with just a YouTube tutorial and a read of your case's manual.
Please consider it, PC gaming has so much to offer and I really think you'll fall in love with mods, emulators, having direct control over the settings that matter to you, the abundance of control options, the unique games you can't get on console, etc etc.
I will FaceTime you through it if you're really intimidated but I'm telling you, it's adult legos. It's totally doable with just a YouTube tutorial and a read of your case's manual.
Laptop gaming is all about compromise. I've spent a decade while I was a student living away from home with massive (non-gaming) laptops. I managed to play a lot of stuff on the integrated GPUs, and I appreciated the portability, but you pay the price in performance and stability.
PC gaming at its best in obviously desktop gaming. ever since building my first rig all i ever use my laptop for is for word processing and other work-related things.
PC gaming at its best in obviously desktop gaming. ever since building my first rig all i ever use my laptop for is for word processing and other work-related things.
I'll reiterate what others have already said, gaming laptops are not great regardless of what people try to tell you. Are they portable? Yes. Are they going to run games as well as a similarly specced non-laptop PC? Absolutely not. Whatever your think you're going to get out of a gaming laptop, it's best to turn down that expectation a couple notches, and you won't feel burned.
As for the other experiences you describe, and had a pretty terrible time with FFXV on PC until after a number of patches. That game never felt great. Then again, the whole reason I got it on PC was because I found the performance on PS4 Pro to be pretty abysmal.
For me, the cost of upgrading is the main deterant. PC graphics card prices are bonkers right now. That's what has me thinking about next gen consoles. But forgoing some of the great games I've played there and having the option for better performance in a few years really makes me loathe the idea of making consoles my main place for playing again. I play in my Switch all the time, so it's not like I'm anti-console, but I locking myself into ecosystems, dealing with crappy UI decisions, etc really turns me off especially when all I really want to do it play games at a high fidelity when it comes to Xbox and PlayStation.
As far as comfy, I do all of my PC gaming on a TV from my couch. I use a controller or steam controller for all of it. So, no discomfort there.
As for the other experiences you describe, and had a pretty terrible time with FFXV on PC until after a number of patches. That game never felt great. Then again, the whole reason I got it on PC was because I found the performance on PS4 Pro to be pretty abysmal.
For me, the cost of upgrading is the main deterant. PC graphics card prices are bonkers right now. That's what has me thinking about next gen consoles. But forgoing some of the great games I've played there and having the option for better performance in a few years really makes me loathe the idea of making consoles my main place for playing again. I play in my Switch all the time, so it's not like I'm anti-console, but I locking myself into ecosystems, dealing with crappy UI decisions, etc really turns me off especially when all I really want to do it play games at a high fidelity when it comes to Xbox and PlayStation.
As far as comfy, I do all of my PC gaming on a TV from my couch. I use a controller or steam controller for all of it. So, no discomfort there.
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Your first and most definitive mistake was to buy a gaming laptop of a not well known manufacturer.
Gaming on a laptop is supposed to be a "emergency only" thing. Like travelling or being stuck in a hospital bed. To me at least.
If you want a proper PC experience, you get a tower. Honestly, given the specs and the price you paid, you'd had a equivalent if not better machine in a tower. Including a 1080p screen and kb/m (and even a cheap keyboard would have been better than the crap that appears to be on your laptop).
Lazy or not, the first thing one should do when wanting to start PC gaming would be to ask for advice on dedicated places of the internet (era included). You'd have gotten a better bang for your buck and avoided most issues.
As for FF XV, i never played that game on any platform so i wouldn't be able to tell but some issues might be hardware related. Many players don't seem to have this kind of issues with it.
Gaming on a laptop is supposed to be a "emergency only" thing. Like travelling or being stuck in a hospital bed. To me at least.
If you want a proper PC experience, you get a tower. Honestly, given the specs and the price you paid, you'd had a equivalent if not better machine in a tower. Including a 1080p screen and kb/m (and even a cheap keyboard would have been better than the crap that appears to be on your laptop).
Lazy or not, the first thing one should do when wanting to start PC gaming would be to ask for advice on dedicated places of the internet (era included). You'd have gotten a better bang for your buck and avoided most issues.
As for FF XV, i never played that game on any platform so i wouldn't be able to tell but some issues might be hardware related. Many players don't seem to have this kind of issues with it.
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I had the same experience. The overheating didn't start right away but eventually it did and became frustrating. That plus general distaste for tinkering and getting hardcore into fighting games again led me back to consoles.
However, I had to compromise because my kids use the tv constantly. Which led to me using the switch more and more. And when I would use my tv consoles, I realized that really, really missed 60+ fps. So I bought a desktop pc. I kept the consoles around for games that did not have controller support in pc but I eventually sold them in order to kick start my handheld obsession.
Now I just deal with the hassle of tinkering when necessary and straight up just don't buy games that lack controller support. But overall I am happier.
However, I had to compromise because my kids use the tv constantly. Which led to me using the switch more and more. And when I would use my tv consoles, I realized that really, really missed 60+ fps. So I bought a desktop pc. I kept the consoles around for games that did not have controller support in pc but I eventually sold them in order to kick start my handheld obsession.
Now I just deal with the hassle of tinkering when necessary and straight up just don't buy games that lack controller support. But overall I am happier.
I've never had a gaming laptop, but modern PC gaming and builds are so much better than they used to be. I grew up in the 286/386 days where PC clone hardware was mostly unreliable, and you had to tinker all the time with config.sys and autoexec.bat files to free up enough memory to run your games. Then you had to hope your hardware was supported, if you were even fortunate enough to have hardware like an EGA/VGA card or a sound card. And if you had something like a Gravis Ultrasound instead of a SoundBlaster, that meant even more tinkering "fun" and compatibility issues. Of course, this was 30 years ago, give or take, which is an insane realization as I type this. LOL
These days, I play on everything. I tend to prefer consoles due to there being less distractions on them, but I enjoy all platforms. I'm itching to build a new PC, but am going to wait until the next wave of video cards.
These days, I play on everything. I tend to prefer consoles due to there being less distractions on them, but I enjoy all platforms. I'm itching to build a new PC, but am going to wait until the next wave of video cards.
You should also tell people how your PC nearly burned half your house when you tried to boot it.
Gaming laptops are garbage, I had one like 7 years ago. Expensive and small hardware problems can be a pain in the ass to fix, and, on top of that, they will never run a game as well as a good desktop. Gaming laptops somehow manage to be worse than consoles.
I mean, I never fully stepped away from console gaming. I've always owned at least one current console along with my PC if not 2-3. I will say, my PC gaming has sort of become isolated to indie games or games I think I'll want to mod one day (or if I can just get them cheap like how I bought over a dozen Sonic games for less than $60). Most of my gaming happens on my Switch and/or PS4 though.
LOL NO...I just bought a gaming laptop and I only use it for streaming games...I never use it to push the limits of the hardware as a main gaming platform.
Also as others have said, you could have gotten a desktop at half that price that would have worked just as well, plus you would be able to upgrade it easily.
Also as others have said, you could have gotten a desktop at half that price that would have worked just as well, plus you would be able to upgrade it easily.
Just tired of seeing this thing where PC is this mess that you have to tinker with every game to get it to work and it really is not true so I see your post saying you'd rather console because it's mindless annoying. Honestly surprised you even considered a PC when you call yourself lazy in the same post too.
If it took you 20 minutes to launch a game every single time then yes YOU should stick with consoles cause clearly PC is a little over your head.
Also explaining away console 30fps to PC 120+ as "a few extra frames" is a good laugh and shows even more so you have more clue what you're talking about.
The only game I play on PC is Final Fantasy XIV. When that comes to Xbox One my PC will gather dust. I've tried other games on Steam at various times and I just prefer the console experience.
More and more of my friends have abandoned consoles for gaming PC's. Prebuilt desktops or built themselves.
Gaming laptops all sound like a bad time.
Gaming laptops all sound like a bad time.
Like, I literally don't understand this. The difficult part of PC gaming is usually assembly of the hardware (which really isn't hard anymore) and maintenance. What are you doing where every game you try to play has problems? We're at the point where driver updates, firmware update, game updates, it's all automated, so how is everything you're trying to run so busted?
Most pc gamers don't give themselves an unpractical expectation that you can get the best possible visuals. Anyone tweaking games long enough knows unless the dev has given you really good console/ini and engine access you're at the mercy of how the engine is left for you. Max is relative cause you may not be able to get there.
Also there are plenty of topics here discussing why that is bad and how it goes wrong. This digital foundry video on red dead redemption 2 easily explains how this is wrong and why it is wrong. Maxing doesn't work because as it has been discussed here in depth and other places often times those max settings haven't been optimized and will literally eat any power your cpu or gpu offers to it.
Most of gripes here are self inflicted wounds you could've avoided knowing more or not thinking that you as a consumer could address something that MS as firmware maker is still figuring out or that companies with millions and billions of dollars haven't figured out well on the pc platform. You never settled down cause you kept picking at a scab like a dunce. That's not fault of the pc or platform that's all you. Unless I want to or have too I don't tweak these days. Most games have good enough auto detection you shouldn't need to tweak unless it guesses your hardware spec wrong even then only a few settings might need adjustment.
You also don't need to keep your pc next to your tv look up what linus tech tips does to setup some of his stuff. He's not the only one who does similar but he's a popular personality I know who does it. You can just use a really long set of cords and have wireless products like mice, keyboards, and gamepads do their job.
I'd second that question OP! Why a 1400 buck gaming notebook of all things? And by the sounds of it, not a good one either.
Overall, consoles will probably always have an advantage in terms of convenience over a PC. Even though the consoles seem like little more than very competitively priced PCs with all the online and update requirements today. But if you dipped your toes in PC gaming to experience the advantages of higher resolution/smoother framerates at that resolution, a notebook seems like a weird half step. My impression is that 1400 bucks gets you a decent mid end / lower high end "desktop" PC. You can also build one in a HTPC case, that's a bit more living room compatible, like a console.
Notebooks - to get good ones - require a hefty premium over a "desktop" PC, if you're looking at even comparably performing hardware and quality. Dunno if there are gaming notebooks in the 1400 pricerange offering a better experience OP, but with that kind of money, a non-portable PC would've given you all the higher resolution and better framerates you could've wished for.
From there on, it only depends on whether you can live with the hassle of navigating through your PC OS instead of the more simplified console OS to get to your game and potentially sub par PC ports for some games.
No matter what PC elitists try to tell you, PC gaming is a hassle. I recently joined in on the fun, having kept up with the tech for multiple years. And yeah it is awesome, but whatever is awesome comes with a load of problems. First I had problems with sound and my sound system, then I had to give up on HDR because that is a shit show on PC. Then I had trouble with multiple games. I think the number of games where I had to tinker with ini files outgrows the ones that worked perfectly. Then the overclock of my CPU was making problems with headset sound, so I had to change some stuff. And I could go on for hours. XMP is not working even though my RAM, MB and CPU should support it. I spent 7 hours fixing Alice: Madness Returns. I had to install foreign dll files to get 5.1 audio from Alien Isolation. Recently I gave up on a game because it wouldn't launch (Assassin's Creed syndicate on EGS).
And sometimes the solution to those problems is not even obvious, with Alice 1, I don't even know what fixed my resolution problems.
So yeah, a lot of hassle but on the other hand, when it works, it's awesome. Playing Control at 60fps felt great. But I totally get people not wanting to tinker. I am at a point in my life where a couple of hours of tinkering is tolerable. I can't imagine how pissed I would be if a game gave me a headache while I have real responsibilities that make gaming time a luxury.
Also, I don't like this feeling that what I am playing could run better, smoother, prettier if only I tinkered a little more. On console, you get just the game and that's it, you can completely forget settings, framerate, overclocke and so on. Just gaming.
So yeah, consoles are great. PC are great too and both have their strengths and weaknesses.
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I'm sorry to hear about your problems, but this is more of an "I bought a no-name-brand laptop and it was bad" post than it is a "PC gaming isn't for me" one.
I've never even heard of Powerspec, and if it was overheating I'd return it immediately.
It shouldn't be if you buy from a reputable brand. But those are expensive.
Did you actually need a laptop though? You typically spend significantly more for a gaming laptop of equivalent hardware to a desktop system - and then you're stuck without an upgrade path later.
And if it doesn't cost that much more than an equivalent-spec desktop, I'd be asking why that is and would expect problems.
I do get the appeal: it's a small and portable system - smaller than SFF PC builds (which have their own problems) but I'd never recommend one.
I've always been of the opinion that gaming laptops are for business people that spend most of their year traveling and spending their time in hotels, or people where money is no object and it fits a specific requirement.
Because it's always a compromise; both as a laptop, and as a gaming system.
Many of the problems you listed could be specific to that machine, or laptop gaming in general - since they are often power-constrained. Stuttering is going to be more common on a low-wattage laptop CPU than a desktop CPU for example.
- You can connect your PC to the TV. You can use HDMI, HDBaseT (Ethernet), or stream it.
- You can use controllers to play games on the PC.
- You can get lapboards if you don't like controllers:
Really, you've never just installed a game and been playing it without spending 20 minutes to make it work?
This is how it should be most of the time:
Yeah, I know all this lol. I appreciate the advice, but my PC is long sold, I wasn't using it. I don't really miss it at all
it's not advice I'm calling out how unnecessary some of it was. Others users can benefit from getting rid of that notion you have and leanring to avoid so it's not just for you.
Yup. Never again. Gaming on PC desktop will always be my first love. Still thinking of going back.
Unfortunately your biggest problem might be the Laptop. Most people don't include Laptops when they talk about "PC Gaming" for various reasons. PC Gaming is usually a tower with way too much RGB stuff in it, around it and too many monitors connected to it (because RGB makes stuff faster and you can never have enough screens).