Lounge Room PC

I am aiming to build a nice small computer for my lounge room. I have already made a list of what I want the machine to roughly look like, but I think its safe to say people on this forum know a lot more about computers than me, so im gonna post my parts list here, and hopefully someone is willing to offer up some potential ideas for improvement and such. :D/>

Parts List

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/cj8GwP
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/cj8GwP/by_merchant/
CPU: Intel Pentium G3460 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor ($96.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B85M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($74.78 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($74.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 500GB 2.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($51.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Superclocked Video Card ($124.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: BitFenix Phenom M Midnight Black MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($68.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($34.88 @ OutletPC)
Total: $527.60
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-28 03:23 EST-0500

I suppose a good starting point would be to define what you want the computer to do.

Oops, forgot that one. I want it to be a modest gaming machine, for playing games at decent settings (not maxing everything out, but at a standard which looks half-good).

Now I'm not some pro-console anti-PC person, I don't even own one, but if you're playing games with it wouldn't it be better to just get a console? You can get a PS 4 from JB-HiFi for pretty much the same price. For the money you're spending, you're probably going to get better performance from a console and a nicer gaming experience as the games are designed to be used in lounge rooms. Yes, ok, you can use a 360 controller with some games and there is Steam big picture, but most games you'll probably end up using a mouse. Not to mention the lack of split-screen multiplayer.

To add to oeed's comments - if you build a 'modest' game machine now, it won't be a 'modest' game machine in a year or two - then you'll be looking at upgrading the video card and/or CPU/RAM which is added expense. You *could* end up spending more than you would on a console that will probably provide more than adequate gaming for several years or more. If you already have a Steam (or Origin, uPlay, etc.) account with games then you'll save money on your initial stable of games if you go with a PC, so that's a consideration. Also, PC games seem to go on sale (and for better prices) more often than console games - but that may be a biased observation on my part.

The one place I see PC really being the 'obvious' better choice is for web surfing - if you want to be able to do that in your lounge (on your big screen), the PC will provide a better experience.

Full disclosure: I'm a PC guy, I don't even own a console…but if I were building a 'lounge' I'd give serious consideration to a console over a PC in that circumstance. Ultimately you really need to do the math and figure out which solution meets more of your needs within your budget.

yeah, after a lot of thought its probably best I get a console, majority of my friends are using an Xbox One, over something such as a PC. A computer is probably a waste anyways, I currently just hookup my laptop to my tv and map a PS3 controller which is probably just a terrible alternative to a console.

cdel, on 29 January 2015 - 01:14 AM said:

yeah, after a lot of thought its probably best I get a console, majority of my friends are using an Xbox One, over something such as a PC. A computer is probably a waste anyways, I currently just hookup my laptop to my tv and map a PS3 controller which is probably just a terrible alternative to a console.

Ps3 controllers in pc are a very bad idea, xbox works great but ps ones you need to configure a lot of things for each game that doesnt support it(the mayority use the xbox format as microsoft use it in direcxt)

TurtleHunter, on 29 January 2015 - 05:14 PM said:

cdel, on 29 January 2015 - 01:14 AM said:

yeah, after a lot of thought its probably best I get a console, majority of my friends are using an Xbox One, over something such as a PC. A computer is probably a waste anyways, I currently just hookup my laptop to my tv and map a PS3 controller which is probably just a terrible alternative to a console.

Ps3 controllers in pc are a very bad idea, xbox works great but ps ones you need to configure a lot of things for each game that doesnt support it(the mayority use the xbox format as microsoft use it in direcxt)

This is not really true you can just emulate an 360/one controller with Xinput using DS3 tool and it will work with every game that supports the xbox controller and it doesnt require you to do any setting up

seriously? Are you SERIOUSLY suggesting a console?
Come on guys. $60 games that never go on sale that you have to rebuy each generation is not going to save money. The PC is going to be the better route here, and it will last quite awhile. Just don't expect to play a game on medium-high now then play a newer game on medium-high 2 years, it will probably be a medium-medium or medium low. That being said, if you just spend a little money (~$40) on more cooling in 2 years, you'll probably be able to just overclock and get to about the same performance.
My advice: buy a slightly bigger PSU than you need. This will let you overclock when it comes time. Or right out of the box, I guess.