General PC Discussion

[DeadlyWest]

Thanks! That was just what I had downloaded at the time of the photo. I'll post my desktop when I have everything installed.

I just checked out CP2077 on Psycho and it is gorgeous. STALKER 2 will definitely be one to check out, same with the System Shock remake.

Prey never captured my interest. I'm not a big fan of horror games, so that turned me off. And it got pretty mixed reviews. I did love the original Prey and it bugs me that Bethesda just made Arkane slap the name on this game for just the IP recognition.

I'd also count Red Dead Redemption 2 here, albeit the most bare minimum for FPS-ish lmao

But even for a game from 2018, on max settings? Good God it holds up with the best of them. One of if not the most immersive game I've ever played that wasn't an outright sim.

 

[DKDetective]

Nice!! Overwatch 2 and Modern Warfare 2 are both from Oct if you’re into those.

Sweet rig, man. Since you're now with a 4K monitor, and you have CP2077 installed, I reckon that's one game to push your rig to its limit especially with the Psycho settings.

I'd also highly recommend Metro Exodus: Enhanced Edition. That's probably the game with the most effective use of ray tracing I've seen so far (from YouTube reviews that is). In the same vein, STALKER 2 should come out later this year.

Atomic Heart just released. However, it's developed by a Russian studio and apparently there are some pro-Russia imagery in the game...

Scorn, while not a full-blown shooter, does have some great visuals.

The System Shock remake should come out next month. There's a demo if you haven't tried it yet.



Finally, I see that you have some of the Arkane games but no Prey (2017) installed. Get to it ASAP!

So I finally got everything installed last night! Currently sitting at 3TB of games. I moved the tower under my desk for more room and here is the current setup:

Spoiler

BTW @Iceman, thanks for the suggestions, but online multiplayer isn't really my thing. I'm more of a single-player story driven game sorta guy.

The New Colossus is looking darn pretty though:

Spoiler

They did a great job retrofitting raytracing support and the like.

 

[Iceman]

So I finally got everything installed last night! Currently sitting at 3TB of games. I moved the tower under my desk for more room and here is the current setup:

Spoiler

View attachment 62663

BTW @Iceman, thanks for the suggestions, but online multiplayer isn't really my thing. I'm more of a single-player story driven game sorta guy.

The New Colossus is looking darn pretty though:

Spoiler

View attachment 62664

They did a great job retrofitting raytracing support and the like.

I love how organised and neat the apps on your desktop screen are. How big is that screen?

Ah gotya, sorry assumed multiplayer as soon as I heard FPS.

That looks great! 4090 doing its work.

Good to hear

 

[DKDetective]

I love how organised and neat the apps on your desktop screen are. How big is that screen?

Ah gotya, sorry assumed multiplayer as soon as I heard FPS.

That looks great! 4090 doing its work.

Good to hear

Thank you! I'm a bit OCD about having all of my games on my desktop in alphabetical order by series. Glad you don't think I'm weird for it!

It's a 43 incher. I'm really liking it both for gaming and work. As a lawyer, I often have to draft things based upon original client documents or case decisions and the bigger size makes it a lot easier to have multiple documents on the screen now that our firm has gone paperless.

 

[Iceman]

Thank you! I'm a bit OCD about having all of my games on my desktop in alphabetical order by series. Glad you don't think I'm weird for it!

It's a 43 incher. I'm really liking it both for gaming and work. As a lawyer, I often have to draft things based upon original client documents or case decisions and the bigger size makes it a lot easier to have multiple documents on the screen now that our firm has gone paperless.

That's exactly how I want mine organised.

Nice, sounds like a great buy for both gaming and WFH.

I have actually never used a monitor for games or for working from home, just because being an AV enthusiast I have always had tons of large high spec TVs taking up space and it wasn't convenient to use up even more space for extra devices that would only be used for one purpose. I also need a lot of screen space for working from home as in the office I use 6 monitors. Office is a better set up but having big TVs is much better than working on 2 small ones. I use a 75 inch for all the most important time sensitive stuff and put all the reference materials and news that are less urgent on the other screen (also big but forgot exact size). I then use the same 75 as my main for both pc and console gaming while in the lounge. Got a big mounted TV in the main bedroom for console gaming there. One drawback that other people would have with this setup is that the 75 is mounted high up on the wall so need to stand for work and pc gaming or game from the cross trainer for console. It's still possible to game from the couch too if one doesn't mind looking up all the time, but I don't really do it unless I have guests.

Kind of miss the days at my parent's house when I did all gaming (and watching films) on a film projector - wonder how that would have worked out for WFH.

 

[Gee]

You guys actually like having your icons/shortcuts displayed on the desktop?

Spoiler

I kid, I kid.

I have screenshots taken from games I played as my wallpapers in rotation so I hide the shortcuts on my desktop.

With WFH, my gaming PC has pretty much turned into my work PC too. Eventually when I buy a house (I keep telling me this in this crazy housing market ), my ideal setup would be two PCs: one for gaming/family use and one strictly for work (software development).

For the former, a nice 32" ultrawide 1440p monitor should suffice. For my work setup, I reckon a triple-monitor setup would suit my needs best. Three 4K screens, including one rotated in portrait mode for reading long chunks of code and typing documentation, would be my ideal setup.

I'd also count Red Dead Redemption 2 here, albeit the most bare minimum for FPS-ish lmao

But even for a game from 2018, on max settings? Good God it holds up with the best of them. One of if not the most immersive game I've ever played that wasn't an outright sim.

Yeah RDR2 is definitely one damn gorgeous game. Once I eventually build my new PC, I can't wait to spend hours and hours in photo mode in that game.

 

[DKDetective]

You guys actually like having your icons/shortcuts displayed on the desktop?

Spoiler

I kid, I kid.

I have screenshots taken from games I played as my wallpapers in rotation so I hide the shortcuts on my desktop.

With WFH, my gaming PC has pretty much turned into my work PC too. Eventually when I buy a house (I keep telling me this in this crazy housing market ), my ideal setup would be two PCs: one for gaming/family use and one strictly for work (software development).

For the former, a nice 32" ultrawide 1440p monitor should suffice. For my work setup, I reckon a triple-monitor setup would suit my needs best. Three 4K screens, including one rotated in portrait mode for reading long chunks of code and typing documentation, would be my ideal setup.

Yeah RDR2 is definitely one damn gorgeous game. Once I eventually build my new PC, I can't wait to spend hours and hours in photo mode in that game.

Yeah, I should clarify that I have a separate computer for work. It is a laptop/tablet issued by the firm. I just use its dock to plug it into my personal monitor and peripherals during the work day. I don't have enough space in my home office to maintain two fully separate setups.

I had a 32" 1440p monitor with my previous PC. It was great, but this is definitely another step up. Given that our family has been basically under lockdown for three years straight due to me being immunocompromised and us having a new baby who isn't fully vaccinated yet, it felt right to splurge on something to make being stuck at home more fun.

Yeah, RDR 2 is a gorgeous game and fun that will definitely put this baby through its paces, it's also a very long dense game and I wasn't quite sure about diving into it again right now. A good new single player shooter in that 15-20 hour play length would just hit the spot...

Come on, Valve, where is my bloody Index!

 

[DKDetective]

I'd also count Red Dead Redemption 2 here, albeit the most bare minimum for FPS-ish lmao

But even for a game from 2018, on max settings? Good God it holds up with the best of them. One of if not the most immersive game I've ever played that wasn't an outright sim.

It seems it is humbling even for an RTX 4090.

I averaged 115fps throughout the benchmark, except during the blizzard sequence which brought me down to 85fps.

 

[DeadlyWest]

It seems it is humbling even for an RTX 4090.

I averaged 115fps throughout the benchmark, except during the blizzard sequence which brought me down to 85fps.

Mmmmm hm, Rockstar build their games' graphics to last, man. It could've come out yesterday with no visual changes since 2018 and it'd still be in the top 5 best looking games

 

[Iceman]

You guys actually like having your icons/shortcuts displayed on the desktop?

Spoiler

I kid, I kid.

I have screenshots taken from games I played as my wallpapers in rotation so I hide the shortcuts on my desktop.

With WFH, my gaming PC has pretty much turned into my work PC too. Eventually when I buy a house (I keep telling me this in this crazy housing market ), my ideal setup would be two PCs: one for gaming/family use and one strictly for work (software development).

For the former, a nice 32" ultrawide 1440p monitor should suffice. For my work setup, I reckon a triple-monitor setup would suit my needs best. Three 4K screens, including one rotated in portrait mode for reading long chunks of code and typing documentation, would be my ideal setup.

Yeah RDR2 is definitely one damn gorgeous game. Once I eventually build my new PC, I can't wait to spend hours and hours in photo mode in that game.

Sounds good! One work colleague has 2 of his screens in portrait mode (on the sides of his setup for similar reasons). I just don't have room for monitors with how many TVs big and small are around the house, and given that I still do a lot of console gaming. I am tempted to upgrade my card at some point and want to find the best reference game for that. RTS games are awesome on my current pc.

 

[DKDetective]

@Gee, @Iceman, and @DeadlyWest, my Index arrived today out of the blue. I guess that message I got about Valve having issues with their Canadian distributor was a nothingburger.

And playing Alyx in VR is nothing short of the most revolutionary gaming experience I have had since I got my first 3d graphics card. Like it is everything I hoped for and more.

 

[Iceman]

@Gee, @Iceman, and @DeadlyWest, my Index arrived today out of the blue. I guess that message I got about Valve having issues with their Canadian distributor was a nothingburger.

And playing Alyx in VR is nothing short of the most revolutionary gaming experience I have had since I got my first 3d graphics card. Like it is everything I hoped for and more.

Hmm, I live for these kinds of experiences. VR (and 3D) is something that would massively appeal to me but doesn’t at low tech levels, so I was waiting for the tech to catch up. So we’re already here I guess? Alyx is 2020 so I hope the tech just keeps improving significantly till the day I eventually jump back in (when I have more time too).

A few questions if you don’t mind:

How important do you think having such a great base pc setup was to the experience?
Could you describe what was revolutionary about it?
How much space do you need for modern day VR?
Is it only the Index headset you need to buy beyond your base pc?

 

[DKDetective]

Hmm, I live for these kinds of experiences. VR (and 3D) is something that would massively appeal to me but doesn’t at low tech levels, so I was waiting for the tech to catch up. So we’re already here I guess? Alyx is 2020 so I hope the tech just keeps improving significantly till the day I eventually jump back in (when I have more time too).

A few questions if you don’t mind:

How important do you think having such a great base pc setup was to the experience?
Could you describe what was revolutionary about it?
How much space do you need for modern day VR?
Is it only the Index headset you need to buy beyond your base pc?

1. Given Alyx's age, I would guess that it also looks great on your RTX 2090 (or was it an 80, either way I understand it runs well on Turing cards).
2-4. These all tied together. The Index is not just a headset, it is also base stations that track you in the room, and a pair of controllers. They need minimum a 1.5m x 2m open space for full effect, but you can also play sitting down.

Basically, if you are exploiting the full capability of the Index, you can actually walk, crouch, and bend over in real life and it is reflected in game. Similarly, the Index controllers allow you to manipulate items in game almost like you would in real life. The controllers read your fingers squeezing and grabbing objects like picking up books, turning door handles, pressing buttons, etc. To throw a bottle in game, you literally make the motion of throwing it in real life. it is incredibly wild.

 

[DeadlyWest]

Yeah, Alyx is insanity in terms of how much it pushes the bar with that regard.

Makes me wonder just how ambitious Valve really are with what they wanna do with HL3

 

[Iceman]

1. Given Alyx's age, I would guess that it also looks great on your RTX 2090 (or was it an 80, either way I understand it runs well on Turing cards).
2-4. These all tied together. The Index is not just a headset, it is also base stations that track you in the room, and a pair of controllers. They need minimum a 1.5m x 2m open space for full effect, but you can also play sitting down.

Basically, if you are exploiting the full capability of the Index, you can actually walk, crouch, and bend over in real life and it is reflected in game. Similarly, the Index controllers allow you to manipulate items in game almost like you would in real life. The controllers read your fingers squeezing and grabbing objects like picking up books, turning door handles, pressing buttons, etc. To throw a bottle in game, you literally make the motion of throwing it in real life. it is incredibly wild.

Sorry, sure I replied to this soon after you posted but guess it must have got lost - thanks for the info! Forgot what I said but will do a reply from scratch lol.

My current is 2080 Ti- really haven't made the best use of it since buying having been too busy and mainly played RTS on it.

Thanks. Sounds like it would be more suited to my parent's house and their huge lounge rather than where I am now then, would be tripping over cats too here.

Acknowledging crouching and bending does sound crazy, the item interactivity too! I wish there was a demo station of this in a shop near me. I probably can't jump in till I've sorted the space issues but I'm stoked nonetheless in the upgrades to the tech.

Is there a wide range of good games available yet for VR? That was another concern - also are there many child friendly games as I'm sure my nieces would go crazy for VR. My brother in law said they had played a VR dinosaur game somewhere and thought it was amazing.

 

[DKDetective]

Sorry, sure I replied to this soon after you posted but guess it must have got lost - thanks for the info! Forgot what I said but will do a reply from scratch lol.

My current is 2080 Ti- really haven't made the best use of it since buying having been too busy and mainly played RTS on it.

Thanks. Sounds like it would be more suited to my parent's house and their huge lounge rather than where I am now then, would be tripping over cats too here.

Acknowledging crouching and bending does sound crazy, the item interactivity too! I wish there was a demo station of this in a shop near me. I probably can't jump in till I've sorted the space issues but I'm stoked nonetheless in the upgrades to the tech.

Is there a wide range of good games available yet for VR? That was another concern - also are there many child friendly games as I'm sure my nieces would go crazy for VR. My brother in law said they had played a VR dinosaur game somewhere and thought it was amazing.

Sorry, I totally forgot to reply to this. Was tired due to the Hype awards that night.

I find the Index works rather well in a limited space. I play in my home office which is not huge, although bigger probably would be a bit better. To be honest, I don't know a ton about other VR games. Alyx was my main reason for pulling the trigger. I also wanted to give Star Wars: Squadrons a try in VR.

 

[Iceman]

I hope this TLOU port is the last of these terrible pc ports. PC is the best platform going forward as long as they sort this element out where games don’t take advantage of what pcs can do and introduce tons of bugs and crashes. Glad GoW at least was much better.

 

[Lily Adler]

Should I give up on trying to upgrade my gaming PC and go for a Steam Deck?

 

[DJ Kornphlake]

I think that largely depends on what kind of games you're looking to play and what settings you want to play them on.

 

[DKDetective]

@Gee, oh computer expert, I need your sage wisdom. I discovered that there is a bit of a glitch in the bios between my motherboard and video card. It seems MSI and Gigabyte don't always play the nicest together. As a result, if my monitor is not plugged it, it causes the system to enter a boot loop of powering on, trying to boot up, stopping, and starting all over again. It seems to do that every five seconds. The problem is it seemed to try to do that all night last night after an update and I only discovered it this morning. Do you think the constant powering off and on has damaged my PC? Will this shorten its life?

 

[Gee]

@Gee, oh computer expert, I need your sage wisdom. I discovered that there is a bit of a glitch in the bios between my motherboard and video card. It seems MSI and Gigabyte don't always play the nicest together. As a result, if my monitor is not plugged it, it causes the system to enter a boot loop of powering on, trying to boot up, stopping, and starting all over again. It seems to do that every five seconds. The problem is it seemed to try to do that all night last night after an update and I only discovered it this morning. Do you think the constant powering off and on has damaged my PC? Will this shorten its life?

Nah, the boot loop should not physically damage your PC.

What update has caused this? Windows? Motherboard BIOS firmware? GPU drivers? If the latter, then downgrade to an earlier version.

When you say "if my monitor is not plugged it", you mean the HDMI/DP cable is not plugged into your GPU from the monitor?

 

[DKDetective]

Nah, the boot loop should not physically damage your PC.

What update has caused this? Windows? Motherboard BIOS firmware? GPU drivers? If the latter, then downgrade to an earlier version.

When you say "if my monitor is not plugged it", you mean the HDMI/DP cable is not plugged into your GPU from the monitor?

The DP cable was unplugged from the monitor itself as I had my work computer plugged in instead. It was still plugged in at the tower. They couldn't replicate the issue at Canada Computers. I wonder if it was the result of my Index still being plugged in or something.

 

[Iceman]

Should I give up on trying to upgrade my gaming PC and go for a Steam Deck?

If you want portable gaming, sure. Otherwise desktop is the way to go IMO, even if staying behind the most recent tech depending on budget.

 

[Iceman]

Anyone planning on playing Starfield on pc? Think this might be the game for me to dive in on, loved what I saw yesterday and want that at high FPS.

 

[DKDetective]

Anyone planning on playing Starfield on pc? Think this might be the game for me to dive in on, loved what I saw yesterday and want that at high FPS.

While Bethesda games always tend to run best on PC, I hate to be a buzzkill, but the gameplay trailer didn't really inspire any interest in me. It looks like BGS is using the same old technology they have been clinging to for 20 years. I am also very wary of the writing and quest design. Big games and a big open world don't do it for me like they did 15 or 20 years ago unless the content therein is awesome. I feel like BGS' quest design and writing has been getting increasing boring and generic since Oblivion.