I tested 3 $200 AMD card options from different eras: the Radeon 480 8 GB, the 5500 XT 8 GB, and the 6500 XT 4 GB. Nope, no 580 here. And no, they're not all...
Well the biggest issue with PC gaming these days is the high cost of entry. Once you have a PC, you can upgrade as needed or wanted and have your machine how you want it. Versus buying a console that is limited in what it can do and more to that point stuck in a market for games that are sub based or just outright paying full price for games, even years after release. coughcall of dutycough
We are at that point in the current console’s lifespan where they DO make more sense compared to the high cost of entry for PCs and this won’t get any better since we’re dealing with inflation and silicon shortages as things are now. Problem being, and the question people who are in the market right now will have to ask themselves, “What do I want this machine to do for me.”.
If you just want to game, well, a console might be the best idea.
If you want to do more than that and have full control over your system (Especially with Linux gaming being something that is possible now.), then PC might be where you want to aim.
This back and forth has been happening for years, and like you said, used is the best way to get into the PC market as it all stands.
For the record, I did end up with a 6650xt for myself as I realized the value that the card had over the others. I bought mine right at the end of the GPU shortage and paid $400 for it, but that was the best I could get at the time for the money I had. The next step up (Actual worth it step up, I mean.) was $200 more than that. So for me it was a no brainer, but to a budget shopper right now they may not see the benefit of an extra $20-$40-$60 on a video card as it’s really the most important piece to a successful budget build to perform halfway decent. Trust me, I’ve built a lot of machines over the years and I think this build I have now has been my best chosen for being futureproof, current performance, and compatibility, while still being somewhat mid-range. Well, it’s starting to get down towards more low-range now if you’re all about AAA games, but thankfully that isn’t the case for me.
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6650xt would objectively be a better buy unless you’re really penny pinching. A couple of them are at $240.
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Well the biggest issue with PC gaming these days is the high cost of entry. Once you have a PC, you can upgrade as needed or wanted and have your machine how you want it. Versus buying a console that is limited in what it can do and more to that point stuck in a market for games that are sub based or just outright paying full price for games, even years after release. coughcall of dutycough
We are at that point in the current console’s lifespan where they DO make more sense compared to the high cost of entry for PCs and this won’t get any better since we’re dealing with inflation and silicon shortages as things are now. Problem being, and the question people who are in the market right now will have to ask themselves, “What do I want this machine to do for me.”.
If you just want to game, well, a console might be the best idea.
If you want to do more than that and have full control over your system (Especially with Linux gaming being something that is possible now.), then PC might be where you want to aim.
This back and forth has been happening for years, and like you said, used is the best way to get into the PC market as it all stands.
For the record, I did end up with a 6650xt for myself as I realized the value that the card had over the others. I bought mine right at the end of the GPU shortage and paid $400 for it, but that was the best I could get at the time for the money I had. The next step up (Actual worth it step up, I mean.) was $200 more than that. So for me it was a no brainer, but to a budget shopper right now they may not see the benefit of an extra $20-$40-$60 on a video card as it’s really the most important piece to a successful budget build to perform halfway decent. Trust me, I’ve built a lot of machines over the years and I think this build I have now has been my best chosen for being futureproof, current performance, and compatibility, while still being somewhat mid-range. Well, it’s starting to get down towards more low-range now if you’re all about AAA games, but thankfully that isn’t the case for me.