• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Potato Masher (console-level used PC) vs PS4/PS4 Pro in Watch_Dogs 2

Two separate videos comparing PC and PS4 performance in Watch Dogs 2. The first video is pitting the Potato Masher (a PC built in 2014 using used parts for $375 dollars) against a standard PS4.

https://youtu.be/ii2ts9QP3g0

The second video compares performance between PS4 Pro and the nicknamed Potato Masher Pro, the same 2014 PC with a GPU upgrade.

https://youtu.be/QJTZYfkvgSI

The Potato Masher comes out on top on both tests, which isn't surprising. Sadly 60 fps is out of the question for both Potato Mashers as the game seems very poorly optimized for framerates above 30. Stick to console framerates and you shouldn't have any issues runnigng the game on console-level GPUs.
 

LordRaptor

Member
In before complaints about it being called a potato masher, how unfair it is to compare a PC to a PS4, and how those prices aren't actually those prices.
 

BennyBlanco

aka IMurRIVAL69
i got wd2 free with my 1080 and had trouble running it at 1080p/60. game isn't very well optimized or a particularly good game in general.
 
I tweaked the title to be as clear and non-controversial as possible. If it turns into a shitshow I will notify a mod to lock it down and I won't ever make another one.
 

theultimo

Member
i got wd2 free with my 1080 and had trouble running it at 1080p/60. game isn't very well optimized or a particularly good game in general.
The biggest issue with WD2 is its VERY cpu depenant. A lot of options as well tank performance.

My 6600k at 4.7ghz just barely gets 60 at 1080 with a 1060.
 

Lifeline

Member
But can the potato masher play Bloodborne, Persona 5, Uncharted 4, Horizon, Yakuza, NiOh etc?

Also lol at the PC being $375 with used parts.
 

BigEmil

Junior Member
Why doesn't he list the prices of each parts including OS, Keyboard + Mouse etc since a console includes a $60 controller free with it ?

The biggest issue with WD2 is its VERY cpu depenant. A lot of options as well tank performance.

My 6600k at 4.7ghz just barely gets 60 at 1080 with a 1060.
Yet a tablet jaguar cpu in 2013 premade consoles can handle it stable 30 no problem
 

BennyBlanco

aka IMurRIVAL69
I tweaked the title to be as clear and non-controversial as possible. If it turns into a shitshow I will notify a mod to lock it down and I won't ever make another one.

image.php


why? they're pretty interesting videos
 
With temporal Filtering, yeah, it'd run at about 10fps otherwise

Yeah, turning temporal filtering on makes a huge difference as far as performance has been concerned. I have gotten close to 30fps boost just by enabling this option. However, you will definitely take a hit to image quality but it is better than a normal upscale from a lower resolution.
 

NOLA_Gaffer

Banned
These sorts of comparison videos have always seemed strange.

Every time the "Potato Masher" comes up I get curious and price out the parts at NewEgg and it comes out way more expensive than what the builder of the computer is claiming.

Then I get told to not focus on the price. Okay, so you're making a thread about a PC having the potential to have a better gaming experience than a console that has fixed hardware? Well duh, that's kind of PC Gaming's M.O. and not sure why it needs to be pointed out.
 

Lister

Banned
These sorts of comparison videos have always seemed strange.

Every time the "Potato Masher" comes up I get curious and price out the parts at NewEgg and it comes out way more expensive than what the builder of the computer is claiming.

Then I get told to not focus on the price. Okay, so you're making a thread about a PC having the potential to have a better gaming experience than a console that has fixed hardware? Well duh, that's kind of PC Gaming's M.O. and not sure why it needs to be pointed out.

Pricing out the original parts is not really relevant though since the parts are pretty old now. Even if you can find them, you're paying a premium over newer, often more capable hardware.

You can totally price out a gaming Pc that is a bit better than the Masher Pro today for a price that isn't too much more ($50 to a $100).

This is simply to illustrate what a typical mid range gaming PC available BEFORE the PS4 even came out can do today. And that is - pretty much the same or better than a PS4. The whole to the metal, superior optimizaiton , etc, etc of what si the usual console narrative, these videos show (along wiht a ton of other evidence) is mostly BULL SHIT.

With the upgraded Masher Pro, once again they're showing that the same person with that PC only had to spend about the same money or less, than selling and then upgrading to a Ps4 Pro to achieve same orbetter performance levels.

This, in other words, is the typical PC gaming scenario. Not the "$4,000 just for a few more resolution lines" - that is the typical youtube commment on DF videos, for example.

They show that PC gaming on a budget can more than keep up with consoles, and in terms of performance can still be better. Now, PC gaming on a budget isn't necessarily $299.99 at your local walmart (it usually never is), but netiher it is necessarily $1,000 or more, and there is longetivity and cheap, easy upgrade paths that have you still getting better performance than consoles, even console refreshers like the Pro.
 

NOLA_Gaffer

Banned
Pricing out the original parts is not really relevant though since the parts are pretty old now. Even if you can find them, you're paying a premium over newer, often more capable hardware.

You can totally price out a gaming Pc that is a bit better than the Masher Pro today for a price that isn't too much more ($50 to a $100).

This is simply to illustrate what a typical mid range gaming PC available BEFORE the PS4 even came out can do today. And that is - pretty much the same or better than a PS4. The whole to the metal, superior optimizaiton , etc, etc of what si the usual console narrative, these videos show (along wiht a ton of other evidence) is mostly BULL SHIT.

With the upgraded Masher Pro, once again they're showing that the same person with that PC only had to spend about the same money or less, than selling and then upgrading to a Ps4 Pro to achieve same orbetter performance levels.

This, in other words, is the typical PC gaming scenario. Not the "$4,000 just for a few more resolution lines" - that is the typical youtube commment on DF videos, for example.

They show that PC gaming on a budget can more than keep up with consoles, and in terms of performance can still be better. Now, PC gaming on a budget isn't necessarily $299.99 at your local walmart (it usually never is), but netiher it is necessarily $1,000 or more, and there is longetivity and cheap, easy upgrade paths that have you still getting better performance than consoles, even console refreshers like the Pro.

I'm not sure why you're paying attention to Youtube comments. These people are clinically morons or just trolling anyway.

Consoles are for most people (me included) a matter of convenience, not price. I'm well aware a $500 - $700 budget can build me a pretty mid-range to high-end computer but in the end a console is easier to use and more convenient for me.
 

Lister

Banned
I'm not sure why you're paying attention to Youtube comments. These people are clinically morons or just trolling anyway.

100% true, but some people do. As we occasionally get a junior or two in here spouting the same nonsense. Although Gaf, usually is good at correcting them.

Consoles are for most people (me included) a matter of convenience, not price. I'm well aware a $500 - $700 budget can build me a pretty mid-range to high-end computer but in the end a console is easier to use and more convenient for me.

That's cool and all. But the video isn't for you, it's not even trying to convince you to buy a gaming PC - if it was it'd be talking about all the PC exclusives you're missing out on, the performance at the high end which leaves consoles in the dust, the ability to cutomize your gaming experience, the cheaper games, the new tech like Gsync, mods, load times, etc, etc, etc.

It's simply illustrating one point which is probably useful for people either at the low or mid range of pc gaming, or people looking into getting into PC gaming (that's obvisouly not you though).

Also, it's funny I gave up console gaming precisely becuase PC gaming was so much easier for me than console gaming last gen. Last gen the time I spend stuck behind loading screens, looking for and loading game discs, time installing, time updating, etc, etc was just so ridiculously, exponentially more than I was spending doing the same on PC that I said fuck it. I've got limited time, I want to spend that time actually PLAYING my games. The bonus of better grpahics and 60+ FPS was just the cherry on top. I was already playing Pc exclusives liek stratgegy game,s but bringing in multiplats was the best decision I ever made.
 

Elandyll

Banned
I'm not sure why you're paying attention to Youtube comments. These people are clinically morons or just trolling anyway.

Consoles are for most people (me included) a matter of convenience, not price. I'm well aware a $500 - $700 budget can build me a pretty mid-range to high-end computer but in the end a console is easier to use and more convenient for me.
I disagree.

Talking RRP, with 1yr waranty and counting everything you need to connect to a network/ TV and control, $399 gets you more for the buck on a console (PS4 or now PS4 pro) than PC. Period. It's also arguably, as you say, more convenient.

Now obviously PC scales while consoles do not (fixed hw, and $700 is not high end btw), which is the main advantage of a pc, along with being able to do SO much more than playing games or accessing medias.

But seriously, this race to prove that you can seriously game at $400 on PC is both misguided (that's not a PCs strength) and disingenuous (refurb instead of rrp/ extreme deals/ omitting parts "you should already have laying around", etc).

I also am left a bit puzzled by the video which starts implying that it's not about comparing/ dumping on consoles, when the video does just that, and that if it really was about the challenge of just doing the cheapest possible rig able tob play recent games at 1080p on Ultra and 30fps he could actualy make that the goal and put a clear warning that obtaining those prices require digging for deals/ building/ re using and possibly having no or very limited waranty on parts.

But that might mean less clicks?
 

Lister

Banned
But seriously, this race to prove that you can seriously game at $400 on PC is both misguided

And yet there are millions of PC gamers that do it, and are happy. They aren't playing games on ultra at 4K, but neither are console gamers. They get by, like switch owners do, or they happen to enjoy the hundreds of great PC exclusives that don't need beefy GPU's or CPU's.

It just so happens that if you do build smart, and wait for some deals these "Potato Masher" PC's can last a long time and even give consoles a run for their money (in terms of performance).
 

Hux1ey

Banned
But can the potato masher play Bloodborne, Persona 5, Uncharted 4, Horizon, Yakuza, NiOh etc?
.

Can a PS4 play CS:GO, WoW, LoL, Dota 2, Civ 5, Battlegrounds, iRacing, Path of Exile etc?

But not really sure how it's relevant to the topic anyway tbh.
 

stoke1863

Member
Every time this stuff gets posted the posts always go the same way. It's not trying to dump on consoles or say one is better than the other. It's simply seeing if an old PC can keep up with consoles despite some claims of "coding to the metal" and "you have to upgrade your pc every 2 years to stay relevant"
 

Hux1ey

Banned
Every time this stuff gets posted the posts always go the same way. It's not trying to dump on consoles or say one is better than the other. It's simply seeing if an old PC can keep up with consoles despite some claims of "coding to the metal" and "you have to upgrade your pc every 2 years to stay relevant"

Insecurity is very prevalent in gaming forums I feel.
 

wolgoen

Member
> Grabs popcorn

I admit PC is always my first choice with all multi platform games but it still amazes me how devs for some console exclusive games squeeze so much out of the system, the obvious example is Horizon ZD. That game blew me away.

It's going to be very interesting when Scorpio arrives.
 

Curufinwe

Member
Also, it's funny I gave up console gaming precisely becuase PC gaming was so much easier for me than console gaming last gen. Last gen the time I spend stuck behind loading screens, looking for and loading game discs, time installing, time updating, etc, etc was just so ridiculously, exponentially more than I was spending doing the same on PC that I said fuck it. I've got limited time, I want to spend that time actually PLAYING my games. The bonus of better grpahics and 60+ FPS was just the cherry on top. I was already playing Pc exclusives liek stratgegy game,s but bringing in multiplats was the best decision I ever made.

Yeah, the lost hours really add up quickly when game discs go missing.
 
Why doesn't he list the prices of each parts including OS, Keyboard + Mouse etc since a console includes a $60 controller free with it ?

The same reason we don't add monitor, sound system, and TV costs into this. There are literally hundreds of keyboard and mic options across the entire price spectrum. Bringing this up over and over again just comes across as being intentionally obtuse.
 

BigEmil

Junior Member
Amazing considering your stance on anyone comparing anything to a switch.

The same reason we don't add monitor, sound system, and TV costs into this. There are literally hundreds of keyboard and mic options across the entire price spectrum. Bringing this up over and over again just comes across as being intentionally obtuse.
Monitor and TV and all everyone has but not gaming M+K. People seem to forget these consoles also include expensive controllers for free too
 

93xfan

Banned
Why don't they use the same size hard drives as well as new parts? Or better yet, what's the best deal on a used PS4/PS4 Pro?

Never got the point of this, as it doesn't even attempt to be fair.
 
Monitor and TV and all everyone has but not gaming M+K. People seem to forget these consoles also include expensive controllers for free too

You don't need a "gaming" branded mouse or keyboard to play games lol. If it makes you feel better, add $10-20 to the Potato Masher price for a basic mouse and keyboard.

Bottom line is there are products at every price range for both console and PC. I went and bought an OLED TV for my PS4 pro, that doesn't mean I'm going to add the cost of that TV to the console and try to pass it off as the "price of console gaming."

People here seem so insistent on making PC gaming sound more expensive and inaccessible than it really is, and that's very odd to me. PC and PS4 complement each other beautifully and if this series of videos helps more people realize that, the better IMO.
 
Monitor and TV and all everyone has but not gaming M+K. People seem to forget these consoles also include expensive controllers for free too

You can get m+k from your local electronics shop for about 30 euros. While ps+ costs something along the lines of 4 euros a month. I would call that a wash and just leave that out tbh.
 

BigEmil

Junior Member
You don't need a "gaming" branded mouse or keyboard to play games lol. If it makes you feel better, add $10-20 to the Potato Masher price for a basic mouse and keyboard.

Bottom line is there are products at every price range for both console and PC. I went and bought an OLED TV for my PS4 pro, that doesn't mean I'm going to add the cost of that TV to the console and try to pass it off as the "price of console gaming."

People here seem so insistent on making PC gaming sound more expensive and inaccessible than it really is, and that's very odd to me. PC and PS4 complement each other beautifully and if this series of videos helps more people realize that, the better IMO.
Sure but he doesn't include the price of the OS too his first video he presented to get Windows 10 free which is now not
 

Darkroronoa

Member
I really like these videos because i can see how old/budget videocards fare against recent games.
I use a 750ti and its always interesting to see the performace of similar GPU's so i can plan any possible upgrades and game purchases based on performance.
Also these videos are perfect to put to rest claims like "you need to upgrade you GPU every year to keep up with games".

Also its always good to see that old PC's can be price competitive against consoles. Competition is good for the consumers and people should be informed. Even if the setup on the video is from used parts its not far from the price of brand new parts. Actually this PC could cost probably less than 375$ right now if bought used, these are the old prices if i am not mistaken.
 
Sure but he doesn't include the price of the OS too his first video he presented to get Windows 10 free which is now not

Sure, thats fair. If you dont have windows on your earlier pc (they are still transferable, right?) the cost should obviously be taken into consideration.
 
If you want a gaming pc that'll outstrip the PS4 Pro for less money, I recommend picking up an old Dell Precision with a Xeon off EBay and a RX480. It eats the Pro for dinner, and you can do a lot more with it.

Money isn't everything though. A lot of people forget that whenever these threads arise.
 
Oh man these threads never go well.

As mentioned before, these videos and experiments dispel the myths of constantly needing to upgrade your PC.

This PC is using a CPU that's over 7 years old and a GPU that released around 4 months before the current gen consoles, there were also much better GPUs available at that time. A PC can also do a near infinite more things than a console.
 
Top Bottom