# are video game consoles more powerful than PCs
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-video-game-consoles-more-powerful-than-pcs/733346
**Category:** The Game Room
**Created:** [October 3, 2015, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-video-game-consoles-more-powerful-than-pcs/733346 "2015-10-03T07:08:54Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@carlowplayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carlowplayer)
#### Post date: [October 3, 2015, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-video-game-consoles-more-powerful-than-pcs/733346/1 "2015-10-03T07:08:54Z")
am curious as to whether which is the most powerful and are consoles becoming more powerful as time goes by.
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### Author:  [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)
#### Post date: [October 3, 2015, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-video-game-consoles-more-powerful-than-pcs/733346/2 "2015-10-03T08:19:03Z")
E: blah double post
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### Author:  [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)
#### Post date: [October 3, 2015, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-video-game-consoles-more-powerful-than-pcs/733346/3 "2015-10-03T08:20:09Z")
Not really. Consoles tend to run old and/or cheap hardware. They’re probably more powerful than lower end laptops, but a lot of their apparent power has to do with the fact that consoles run Operating Systems that are very light on resources compared to Windows/Linux/OS X, as well as hardware that’s more specialized for gaming than normal computer components are.
To give an idea, the Xbox One has an 8-core 1.75GhZ CPU. It was very common even 10 years ago to have a processor at least 2.5-3GhZ, albeit with fewer cores, even on lower end machines. In fact, this generation’s consoles seem to be running what are, in effect, very souped up phone CPUs.
Consoles can make more with a lot less, it would be difficult to build a computer with the same quality of components as a console (e.g. a 1.75 GhZ 8-core CPU) and get gaming performance that looks and feels like a console. However, that’s just because consoles are focused towards gaming, your computer can multitask and do a lot of things better than a console can.
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### Author:  [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)
#### Post date: [October 3, 2015, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-video-game-consoles-more-powerful-than-pcs/733346/4 "2015-10-03T12:24:26Z")
At best a console will only ever be as good as a gaming PC on the day it comes out. 2, 3, 5 years down the track and it’s becoming more and more obsolete. The good thing about a console is a, that it is designed almost exclusively for gaming, and b, every console is the same which means the game designers know exactly what they are working with and can make the game to suit a very specific set of hardware.
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### Author:  [@Malden\_Capell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malden_Capell)
#### Post date: [October 3, 2015, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-video-game-consoles-more-powerful-than-pcs/733346/5 "2015-10-03T13:48:40Z")
PCs are more powerful as they are designed to managed all sorts of different functions simultaneously. Video game consoles are more complex than they used to be, but they are still far simpler and need less horsepower. PCs run an OS, run the internet, might be playing music, a video, crunching calculations, and maybe running several programs in the background, and may well be playing a game on top. An XBox One or a PS4 will at most be handling the OS and a game at the same time.
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### Author:  [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)
#### Post date: [October 3, 2015, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-video-game-consoles-more-powerful-than-pcs/733346/6 "2015-10-03T16:33:28Z")
Let’s move this over to the Game Room.
Colibri
General Questions Moderator
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### Author:  [@Doughbag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doughbag)
#### Post date: [October 3, 2015, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-video-game-consoles-more-powerful-than-pcs/733346/7 "2015-10-03T16:33:52Z")
Here is a video comparison of[PS4 vs PC from 2013](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtfCWYjOsvI) (look at the door at 0:50 or the lava detail at 1:13min)
This depends on what PC you want to compare to what Console, however a proper Gaming PC is WAY more powerful than a gaming console.
Your regular internet & office computer does not have nor need a powerful enough graphics card build in to run games (and I’m not talking about Solitaire or Facebook games).
A gaming console is designed to a specific standard and then the games get programmed and tweaked to run the best they can on that given consoles hardware.
The hardware specifications of a console is stagnant until the next generation of the console comes out, whereas the hardware in a PC can constantly evolve - all depending on your wallet.
A PC game is designed to be supported (or run) on all sorts of different hardware and Operating Systems (like Windows Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, 10), and the hardware can be below the power of a gaming console or multiple times higher.
An modern entry low level graphic card for PC gaming, the [GeForce 750Ti](http://gpuboss.com/graphics-card/GeForce-GTX-750-Ti) is faster than the Xbox One’s graphics card and the much higher end [GeForce GTX 980Ti](http://gpuboss.com/graphics-card/GeForce-GTX-980-Ti) is about 5 times as fast as the 750Ti.
That is now, never mind in 6 months or 1 year, but the console will still have the same graphics chip it had when it first came out, remember the video from 2013? The PC can produce that now 2 years later with even more detail.
Just bare in mind, that your $299 PC will not play Crysis 3, etc…
Here is a
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### Author:  [@Teuton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Teuton)
#### Post date: [October 3, 2015, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-video-game-consoles-more-powerful-than-pcs/733346/8 "2015-10-03T16:56:27Z")
> [@Doughbag](#):
>
> Here is a
I assume at this point that a Sony hitman took **Doughbag** out.
He’s right, though, any “gaming pc” will
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### Author:  [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)
#### Post date: [October 3, 2015, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-video-game-consoles-more-powerful-than-pcs/733346/9 "2015-10-03T17:04:44Z")
Of course gaming PCs are more powerful.
There are plenty of reasons why one might choose a console over a PC, but raw power is not one of them, and never has been.
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### Author:  [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)
#### Post date: [October 3, 2015, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-video-game-consoles-more-powerful-than-pcs/733346/10 "2015-10-03T21:18:30Z")
A high-end PC will always be more powerful than a console, even on the console’s release day. However, a console, especially a new one, will usually be significantly more powerful than an entry-level PC, and much more powerful than a PC of the same price. So it depends on what your budget is.
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### Author:  [@Doughbag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doughbag)
#### Post date: [October 5, 2015, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-video-game-consoles-more-powerful-than-pcs/733346/11 "2015-10-05T13:24:05Z")
> [@Johnny\_Bravo](#):
>
> Of course gaming PCs are more powerful.
>
> There are plenty of reasons why one might choose a console over a PC, but raw power is not one of them, and never has been.
Correct.
Certain types of games just play better on PC (RPG, FPS) others are better on a Console (Sports, Racing, Jump’n’Run).
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### Author:  [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)
#### Post date: [October 5, 2015, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-video-game-consoles-more-powerful-than-pcs/733346/12 "2015-10-05T15:53:01Z")
> [@Doughbag](#):
>
> Correct.
> Certain types of games just play better on PC (RPG, FPS) others are better on a Console (Sports, Racing, Jump’n’Run).
Why would those be better on a console? If it’s just the controller, you can hook up a controller to a PC.
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### Author:  [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)
#### Post date: [October 5, 2015, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-video-game-consoles-more-powerful-than-pcs/733346/13 "2015-10-05T22:09:12Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#):
>
> Why would those be better on a console? If it’s just the controller, you can hook up a controller to a PC.
Personally it has nothing to do with the hardware and everything to do with the seating arrangements. If my computer was hooked up to a huge TV with a lounge in front of it and a surround sound system, then I’d probably play a lot more games on my computer, but it is not and so I prefer to play almost all games on the console.
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### Author:  [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)
#### Post date: [October 5, 2015, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-video-game-consoles-more-powerful-than-pcs/733346/14 "2015-10-05T22:43:51Z")
> [@Chronos](#):
>
> A high-end PC will always be more powerful than a console, even on the console’s release day. However, a console, especially a new one, will usually be significantly more powerful than an entry-level PC, and much more powerful than a PC of the same price. So it depends on what your budget is.
True, though if you already have a semi-decent PC for other reasons, then the cost to upgrade it to a gaming system may be only the cost of a decent video card. If you pay the same figure for the video card as you would have for the console, the PC will be much faster.
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### Author:  [@Doughbag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doughbag)
#### Post date: [October 6, 2015, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-video-game-consoles-more-powerful-than-pcs/733346/15 "2015-10-06T11:33:21Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#):
>
> Why would those be better on a console? If it’s just the controller, you can hook up a controller to a PC.
Personal preferences for the most part, I guess.
Although, I’m a PC Gamer, certain games are just more fun on a console, like the Wii Boxing, Tennis, Mario Cart, etc in multiplayer mode.
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### Author:  [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)
#### Post date: [October 6, 2015, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-video-game-consoles-more-powerful-than-pcs/733346/16 "2015-10-06T11:57:41Z")
Used to, I’d say they were more powerful at the same price point, but that’s not even all that true anymore. You can get a cheap PC and a semi-decent graphics card for the same price that will easily outperform any console.
The dream of a console with a replaceable graphics card didn’t happen.
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### Author:  [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)
#### Post date: [October 6, 2015, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-video-game-consoles-more-powerful-than-pcs/733346/17 "2015-10-06T12:04:13Z")
> [@BigT](#):
>
> The dream of a console with a replaceable graphics card didn’t happen.
Whose dream? Allowing owners to replace graphics cards would negate one of the biggest advantages consoles have: games always work because you don’t have to worry about individual system configurations.
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### Author:  [@Doughbag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doughbag)
#### Post date: [October 6, 2015, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-video-game-consoles-more-powerful-than-pcs/733346/18 "2015-10-06T14:05:52Z")
> [@Johnny\_Bravo](#):
>
> Whose dream? Allowing owners to replace graphics cards would negate one of the biggest advantages consoles have: games always work because you don’t have to worry about individual system configurations.
Which is exactly the point of the console - less hassle than a PC - it works with every game that is sold for that specific console.
No IT knowledge what-so-ever is required to install a console game.
Most game stores here in Ireland don’t even bother having PC games on the shelf anymore, because they got sick of the problems with people returning the games because it didn’t work on their laptop with a Celeron CPU with an Intel onboard graphics card.
And if they do, they give you EVERYTIME the spiel of asking if your PC can handle the game and that it’s exempt from return.
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### Author:  [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)
#### Post date: [October 6, 2015, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-video-game-consoles-more-powerful-than-pcs/733346/19 "2015-10-06T15:35:08Z")
> [@Richard\_Pearse](#):
>
> Personally it has nothing to do with the hardware and everything to do with the seating arrangements. If my computer was hooked up to a huge TV with a lounge in front of it and a surround sound system, then I’d probably play a lot more games on my computer, but it is not and so I prefer to play almost all games on the console.
Sure, but that’s a personal choice on your part. It’s like me saying that games are better on my PC because I have a 30" monitor on it and a 14" CRT for my console. There’s nothing stopping you from using the TV as a display for your computer aside from you not wanting to hook it up (for various reasons that I’m sure are legitimate for you).
The upcoming “Steam Boxes” are designed for “plug-and-play living room gaming” but all strike me as ridiculously overpriced/underpowered. Frankly, for the cost of the ones I’ve seen, I’d recommend someone just buy a console.
As for the OP, I guess I’m just repeating, but consoles (at least earlier in their cycle) provide more performance per dollar but that performance is hard capped by fairly weak equipment and you could easily build a more powerful PC if you were so inclined. The older the console gets, the easier it is to match it in cost with a PC but scales of economy in console manufacturing and a willingness to sell at a loss means that you’re not going to custom build a PC to match a new console out of the gate.
> [@Doughbag](#):
>
> Most game stores here in Ireland don’t even bother having PC games on the shelf anymore, because they got sick of the problems with people returning the games because it didn’t work on their laptop with a Celeron CPU with an Intel onboard graphics card.
Most places here in the US don’t sell many PC games just because most people buy them digitally so there’s so sense in taking up retail space with boxes.
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### Author:  [@Doughbag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doughbag)
#### Post date: [October 6, 2015, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-video-game-consoles-more-powerful-than-pcs/733346/20 "2015-10-06T16:00:41Z")
> [@Jophiel](#):
>
> Most places here in the US don’t sell many PC games just because most people buy them digitally so there’s so sense in taking up retail space with boxes.
Yes, it’s a worldwide thing, online (Steam, etc.) is in many cases the only way to get the game these days.
However, even Consoles are doing this these days, but it hasn’t stopped them from being sold in the shops and taking up retail space.
PC games are just not shop friendly.
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