Show HN: Pangoly – Build your shiny new PC • Hacker News Board

Re: Show HN: Pangoly – Build your shiny new PC

#141

Post by vlunkr » Tue, Jul 15, 2014, 7:30 PM UTC

ChuckMcM wrote: post #129

vlunkr wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree. These PC/Console flame wars have been going on since the beginning of the internet. To say that either is "superior" is pretty meaningless, you can argue why one is better in certain respects, but in the end declaring one to be better than the other is totally subjective.

It is interesting to look at the history, where the original "flame wars" were Arcade vs private gaming. Pong was an arcade game, and then it was a thing you could plug into your TV, arcade machines (the 'consoles' of their time) got better, and personal computers got better (they fed off the same technology eco-system after all). Then 'consoles' which were nearly as good as the Arcade machines but not as good as ful…

Thanks for the summary, my video game knowledge doesn't go back that far, haha. I agree though that the differences between consoles and PC's are starting to blur. For that reason I'm rooting for SteamOS. I think it won't be an easy transition, because gamers are so entrenched in their ecosystems, but I would love to see the strengths of both platforms together and do away with some of the old principles the gaming world is holding onto.

Re: Show HN: Pangoly – Build your shiny new PC

#142

Post by xyzzyz » Tue, Jul 15, 2014, 7:34 PM UTC

gknoy wrote: post #140

chc wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I really can't name any technological aspect in which consoles are more powerful than a PC. That's kind of the point I was driving at.

The secret power of consoles is that the hardware doesn't change over the course of the console's life in a significant way. If I buy an XBox 360 on ebay, I know that ANY xbox-360 game will run on it. In contrast, PC gaming is a mess of compatibility questions. If I want to play the new Wolfenstein, or Watch Dogs, or any "new" game, chances are my 2 year old PC will not be able to run it well (unless I spent $$$$ on…

I can guarantee that if you spend $1000 on new PC today, you'll be able to run all games at console quality for at least next 3-4 years, almost all in the next five years, and then still most of the games beyond that range. You'll also be able to run any of the thousands of games that have already been released on PC, a feat no console is able to do.

I bought my PC 3 years ago for around that much (in country with higher import cost and higher sales tax, so it would cost 700-800 dollars in the US), and I encountered only a single game that refuses to run smoothly at all times (Mirrors Edge).

Re: Show HN: Pangoly – Build your shiny new PC

#143

Post by mjgoeke » Tue, Jul 15, 2014, 7:38 PM UTC

Looks great, but I spent forever trying to figure out why clicking the tiles didn't do anything. I finally found that touching the tiles works.

I'm on a windows 8 touchscreen laptop, running the latest version of chrome.

Re: Show HN: Pangoly – Build your shiny new PC

#144

Post by EpicEng » Tue, Jul 15, 2014, 7:42 PM UTC

sthatipamala wrote: post #75

I like how polished this site is. It would be a good companion to this parts recommendation guide: http://www.logicalincrements.com/ However, I disagree that a "Pro" build is necessary for software development, as suggested by the description. I've gotten by writing software on a netbook.

Yeah, probably too overarching, but it depends on what you are doing. For example, are you "getting by" on your notebook parallel compiling 1m+ LoC C++ projects? Probably not.

Re: Show HN: Pangoly – Build your shiny new PC

#145

Post by Siecje » Tue, Jul 15, 2014, 7:48 PM UTC

For Power Supplies what is "80Plus Bronze"?

Why isn't the Power listed in the on hover dropdown?

Re: Show HN: Pangoly – Build your shiny new PC

#146

Post by bitJericho » Tue, Jul 15, 2014, 7:49 PM UTC

flomo wrote: post #133

chc wrote: post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, it really is technically inferior to a gaming PC. And I say this as somebody who owns several consoles and does not own a gaming PC. In making that choice, I had to accept that I would get less power than a PC user, at least for most of the console's lifespan. I use a console because that's what I'm comfortable with and it lets me play with my friends, not because I want to be at the cutting edge of gaming tech…

One thing the "master race" seems oblivious about is how owning a desktop computer has become a lifestyle choice. Many people have no need/desire to have a computer desk and office-style chair and a large screen in front of their face. (Perhaps it seems too much like work?) While not strictly "technical", the size/space/noise is a big disadvantage to PC gaming. (Although admittedly there are things like SteamBoxes.)

Would it shock you if I told you you can hook it up behind or under your living room TV, use a wireless mouse/kb/remote and use xbox controllers?

Re: Show HN: Pangoly – Build your shiny new PC

#147

Post by xienze » Tue, Jul 15, 2014, 7:57 PM UTC

xyzzyz wrote: post #142

gknoy wrote: post #140

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The secret power of consoles is that the hardware doesn't change over the course of the console's life in a significant way. If I buy an XBox 360 on ebay, I know that ANY xbox-360 game will run on it. In contrast, PC gaming is a mess of compatibility questions. If I want to play the new Wolfenstein, or Watch Dogs, or any "new" game, chances are my 2 year old PC will not be able to run it well (unless I spent $$$$ on…

I can guarantee that if you spend $1000 on new PC today, you'll be able to run all games at console quality for at least next 3-4 years, almost all in the next five years, and then still most of the games beyond that range. You'll also be able to run any of the thousands of games that have already been released on PC, a feat no console is able to do. I bought my PC 3 years ago for around that much (in country with hi…

> I can guarantee that if you spend $1000 on new PC today, you'll be able to run all games at console quality for at least next 3-4 years, almost all in the next five years

Or I could spend $400 on a console and play every single available game at "console quality" for the life of the console, which is a good deal longer than 5 years. That, coupled with the fact that console games in general look pretty good, is the reason PC gaming is in something of a decline.

Re: Show HN: Pangoly – Build your shiny new PC

#148

Post by chc » Tue, Jul 15, 2014, 8:01 PM UTC

gknoy wrote: post #140

chc wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I really can't name any technological aspect in which consoles are more powerful than a PC. That's kind of the point I was driving at.

The secret power of consoles is that the hardware doesn't change over the course of the console's life in a significant way. If I buy an XBox 360 on ebay, I know that ANY xbox-360 game will run on it. In contrast, PC gaming is a mess of compatibility questions. If I want to play the new Wolfenstein, or Watch Dogs, or any "new" game, chances are my 2 year old PC will not be able to run it well (unless I spent $$$$ on…

That is true, and it's one of the reasons I like consoles. There is just no thinking required, which is really nice.

On the other hand, I think the rate at which PCs obsolesce compared to consoles is often exaggerated. For example, I played Bioshock Infinite at max settings on my circa-2010 MacBook Pro, which was 3 years old when the game came out and was never exactly a gaming machine. And people with fairly mediocre PC setups are able to play Watch Dogs with better graphics than I get on my Xbox One.

Re: Show HN: Pangoly – Build your shiny new PC

#149

Post by cdr » Tue, Jul 15, 2014, 8:10 PM UTC

drzaiusapelord wrote: post #106

randomdrake wrote: post #77

Beautiful execution and a well-done site. Nice visual choices and a good responsive layout. Great example of waiting until a product has some polish before a Show HN. Yesterday, Forbes did an article[1] about how console gamers are moving towards PC. I think you could really knock it out of the park if you capitalized on that trend and added a portion of your site for folks looking to migrate. Something that shows ho…

> $400.00 PC from your service could rival or beat a console. I recently got the itch to buy the Xbox One. I had the 360 before it with the Kinect and it was a passable party game machine, but I usually game on an old-ish desktop that maybe I've invested $600 in over the past four years. i5, 7000 series AMD card, 8gb ram, etc. Seems to handle any modern game I can throw at it. With a copy of Watchdogs that Xbox turne…

You can get a last gen console (XB360, PS3) for what, $100 or less used/refurbished or $200 or less new? If someone never had that console, it's comparable with a lower end PC playing "last gen" PC games. And a good deal of console exclusives that never get ported to PC.

Buying a new console < 1 year after release is the equivalent of buying a new $1K+ gaming PC with a top-of-the-line video card.

Re: Show HN: Pangoly – Build your shiny new PC

#150

Post by dublinben » Tue, Jul 15, 2014, 8:19 PM UTC

Siecje wrote: post #145

For Power Supplies what is "80Plus Bronze"? Why isn't the Power listed in the on hover dropdown?

80+ Bronze is a certification of power efficiency. It's really the minimum quality you should be buying. Some people might prefer 80+ Silver, Gold, and Platinum rated PSUs, but they are not generally worth the slightly improved efficiency.