Now is the very best time to get into PC video gaming. The high-end graphics cards are more affordable than the last generation. The release of new consoles means AAA games will lastly make use of all that visual power. And most notably, the PC community has never been so robust and consumer-friendly.
The concern is, “How much should you spend?”
Yes, the latest Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 will likewise technically play computer game at 4K with high frame rates, but do not expect the hardware to likewise have the ability to manage the more taxing graphical techniques available in the graphics options of PC games.
If all these numbers and letters checked out like alphabet soup, all you really require to understand is this: The RTX 3080 is powerful enough to run efficiently every modern video game with optimum visual settings at 4K with a 60 frames-per-second frame rate. This graphics card will make the many of any new TV or monitor.
Naturally, all of the abovementioned games are playable without these functions and on far less effective and more affordable hardware. In reality, theyre appealing without these features, operating on a video gaming PC from four years back. The RTX 3080 is absolutely a “desire” graphics card, not a “need” graphics card. If you want a pricey piece of hardware that must play AAA games at high settings for several years, I cant recommend it enough.
Image: Nvidia
As a fan of raw spectacle, I like consuming over the little details that a big graphics card like the 3080 can muster. It feeds my practice of freezing the current video games, floating through virtual worlds on impromptu computer game photography adventures.
The RTX 3080 is the Goldilocks entry of Nvidias latest line of graphics cards. At $699, its more powerful and more costly than the RTX 3070, however less powerful and a lot less expensive than the RTX 3090.
Ive used the extra power of the RTX 3080 to power a variety of unique features.
Ive visited the clouds of Microsoft Flight Simulator at maximum settings on my ultrawide display.
Ive turned the new Marvels Avengers into a damage simulator, taking advantage of visual alternatives that fill the screen with security debris following every smash of the Hulks fists or punch from Ms. Marvel.
Ive revisited a couple of favorite old games like Red Faction: Guerrilla, improving their frame rates to a preposterous 144 frames per second– the maximum speed of my monitor.
Even newer video games like Control have seen outright unnecessary boosts in performance, running beyond 60 frames per 2nd with all settings maxed out, consisting of ray tracing, which develops the “oh wow, this is what the future of video game graphics looks like” reflections on every shimmery surface. Do I need to see my characters reflection in every pane of glass?
If you only require a method of getting into video games, what then?
If youre on a tight budget plan, I personally suggest older generations of hardware from the past few years, which should play modern video games at functional settings, sometimes approaching what well see from the new Xbox and PlayStation consoles. More significantly, they will get you into the PC environment.
Thats the genuine reason why now is the best time to get into PC video games. The current hardware is gravy, making an already great approach for playing video games even better. PC gaming offers access and choice. You can buy games on Steam or GOG or the Epic Games Store. You can try little indie video games on itch.io or assistance indie PC developers on Patreon. You can get loads of games for cheap (often in assistance of an excellent cause) through Humble Bundle. You can subscribe to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, and attempt over 100 PC video games and stream lots of on Android devices through xCloud. I expect every Xbox unique to appear on PC. And I will not be surprised if PlayStation exclusives appear on PC eventually too, as weve currently seen with Death Stranding and Horizon Zero Dawn.
Whatever quantity of power you can manage, my bottom line applies. PC video gaming has never ever been better, and it would be an embarassment for any person who likes this pastime to miss out. At No Escape, Adam Clark recently composed a handy guide on medium- and low-budget PC gaming. Clark strolls through the concerns to address before purchasing PC parts, then shares communities that will assist you maximize your cash.
In October, Nvidia will also offer the previously mentioned RTX 3070, which the company claims will be more effective than its previous top-end graphics card, the RTX 2080 Ti, and at a fraction of the expense. I used an RTX 2080 Ti for the past year. It was splendidly powerful, performing whatever task I tossed its way.
Both the RTX 3080 and 3070 feature Nvidias expensive new features, like the aforementioned ray tracing along with DLSS. Heres how my friend Tom Warren describes DLSS in his more technical evaluation of the RTX 3080 at The Verge:
Nvidias DLSS innovation utilizes neural networks and AI supercomputers to examine games and clean up or sharpen up images at lower resolutions. In easy terms, DLSS allows a video game to render at a lower resolution and utilize Nvidias image restoration strategy to upscale the image and make it look as great as native 4K or much better.
The RTX 3080 is now offered. The GPU was tested on the reviewers personal PC with an Intel i9-9900K CPU, 24 GB RAM, and a variety of storage choices, including SATA and NVMe SSDs. The reviewer utilized a retail RTX 3080 provided by Nvidia.
Previously, that sort of improvement was cost-prohibitive, requiring customers to sink over $1,000 into the highest-end graphics cards. The new Nvidia cards are various. They make the future available in today.
Thats why if you desire something less expensive than the RTX 3080, but wish to maximize brand-new video games for the next couple of years, I still suggest the RTX 30-series cards– even if that means waiting on the RTX 3070 next month. For newbies (and even most current PC players), the graphics card will feel like a generational leap.
Essentially, DLSS lets you “phony” high resolutions without requiring the required power from your graphics card. Not just are the brand-new RTX cards more powerful, however they likewise have an approach for developing stunning images while using less power. These functions dont just include a few extra frames per second. In Metro Exodus, utilizing the RTX 3080, I saw my frame rate almost double with DLSS switched on. Not every video game has that significant of a boost, but the difference was consistently noticeable and favorable in games like Minecraft, Fortnite, and Control. Well have to see and wait if the 3070 has comparable improvements, however going off its brother or sister hardware, the early signs are appealing.
Image: Nvidia
Over the previous years, PC gaming has ended up being the “one-stop store” for the medium, giving players freedom with how they purchase and play games. Like I stated up leading, nows the best time for everyone to get into PC gaming. If you have the means, the RTX 3080 is a perfect entry point.
Even newer video games like Control have seen outright unnecessary boosts in performance, running beyond 60 frames per second with all settings maxed out, including ray tracing, which develops the “oh wow, this is what the future of video game graphics looks like” reflections on every shimmery surface area. Thats the real factor why now is the best time to get into PC video games. You can subscribe to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, and attempt over 100 PC games and stream many on Android devices via xCloud. Not every video game has that dramatic of a boost, however the difference was favorable and regularly obvious in video games like Minecraft, Fortnite, and Control. Over the previous decade, PC gaming has actually ended up being the “one-stop shop” for the medium, offering players freedom with how they buy and play video games.
The RTX 3080 (and the less expensive RTX 3070) accomplish something I used to love about brand-new computer game console launches: huge, generational visual enhancements. Apparently overnight, my video games looked better, like they d been provided to me from the future.
To be clear, not every game includes the alternative to use these functions, but they will end up being progressively typical with the next generation of titles. This fall, Cyberpunk 2077, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, and other video games will make the most of the functions.
