So my last blog post had a bit of controversy attached. I stated that PC's...

..."are cheaper than consoles to own in many circumstances over a 5 year span, for moderate to hardcore gamers."

(Here's yet ANOTHER article that supports my post...)
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/features/how_build_awesome_pc_647

There were some diligent console fans using many exceptions to break this statement, but generally my basic math is correct. I may follow up on this with a part II and work it out so the costing is easier to follow, but what I laid out is generally correct.

So now I say that a single base build PC is viable for 10 years!!! Well that has to be double insanity. It's not... and here I offer up some edumication...

ONE: GRAPHICS
Graphics are based on Level of Detail. This LOD is known as resolution. Most of us understand that PC gaming offers better resolution over console gaming, and to actually equal the quality of output on a console, a typical PC component cost could be under $300 easily.

Here's a chart that outlines what frame rates a $130 monitor outputs.

http://www.legionhardware.com/document.php?id=866&p=2

This indicates that a 2 year old video card (9800gt @ $170 2 years ago) is still a viable solution. Remember we are really looking for that magic 34 FPS. This is about the point at which the eye can't discern extra frames (which is generally true). There are still many people that have built PC's that have this card or a similar card they are still using.

TWO: PC COMPONENTS
PC parts need to get replaced as often as new technology pushes the capability of new types of software. This technology will be around for quite some time, as seeing as how DDR 2 was around for (and is still alive and well) about 7 years, we should expect to see DDR3 match that lifespan. The difference is that at intro dual channel ddr2 was vastly more expensive than ddr3.

-DDR3 RAM: This stuff has just released about a year ago. Now it is cheap. Also ram is easily scalable in most cases.
- Dual/ Quad Core Processors: There are many PC's that were built that have been using true dual core processors. Since then OS and games have started to take advantage of the capability. This means that it is VERY HARD for software to outpace the hardware, and keeps the processors viable for long stretches of time.

This link shows how strong these processors perform over the years.
http://www.legionhardware.com/document.php?id=874&p=10

THREE: MOORE'S LAW IS DEAD
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moore%27s_law
It's dead people. That means the traditional idea of rapid hardware growth IS SLOWING! This means that the drive is slowing and new developmental leaps take longer to produce. IE... your stuff doesn't become as obsolete as fast.

FOUR: $$ COST $$

New technology is getting cheaper and cheaper. The new batch of Intel processors are coming out and they are two things...

1. FAST
2. CHEAP

They are full dual core models and AMD has a quad core processor that is around $100. This technology. Notice that i3-530 processor @ $123. That's a full dual core with hyper threading. Its essentially faster than anything near its price range that's out now.

CONCLUSION
In the end we can talk about building a P55 system with an i3 processor and 4 gigs of DDR3 ram for around $330 + video card.

Now here's the catch. You knew one was coming. High performance video cards are extremely inefficient based on price. Its better in the long run to buy cheaper cards more often then buying one expensive one.

So... Over 10 years you build the $330 system listed above, get a $150 video card ever 2-3 years.

We know this is likely because there are older dual core systems that are 3-4 years old and still going strong. The video card does almost all of the graphics work. YES THIS IS A STRETCH. It would be much more viable at the 6-8 year range, but based on what people are using and the frame rates they are getting with older CPU technologies, getting 30-60 fps for the next 10 years is possible!

On average the core of this system will cost: about $1000 over 10 years. With hard drives and other stuff sensibly bought at the right time we can have a system like this:

- CPU: i3 ($120) or quad core i5 750 ($200) <---- this is what I own...
- MB: p55 ($100)
- RAM: 4gb ddr3 ($90)
- HDD: 1TB ($90)
- optical: blu ray ($50)
- Video: xxxx ($170)
- PSU: xxxx ($60)
- Case: xxxx ($50)

total: $730 or $73 a year

Additional Stuff...
- +3 video cards every 2.5 years ($450)
- +4 GB of Ram ($80) not that you need it...
- +2 HDD's ($180)

total: $710 or $71 a year

grand total for complete system: $1450 or $145 a year
or
grand total for bare bones: $1200 or $120 a year (this assumes owing a PSU, Optical, HDD, & Case)