And how much did that card cost 3 years ago? As much as an entire Xbox?

That was a high end card at the time, so yes, but one could have also bought a 7600 GT which wasn't too terribly far behind it performance wise.

But lets look at now, not 3 years in the past. $100 will get you a video card that will utterly destroy any game out on the market. 1680x1050, max everything (including AA). Drop that into the computer that you already have (and lets face it, even if you have a console you STILL have a PC), and bam.

Or you could always buy used. A coworker bought my old system off of me for about $300, give or take. 3ghz X2, 4GB RAM, 4850 - easily plays all the latest and greatest games with AA. That was pretty much a full system, just needed a hard drive ($50) and DVD drive ($25)

You can get a used xbox for less than half that, that's not the point. Video cards are only part of a computer. There's also the motherboard, and it's components(RAM, processor(s), fans, etc.). Now maybe things have changed, but last time I went to Micro Center, a good power supply ran more than $50, fans were sometimes cheaper than that, Motherboards were around $200, video cards were between 100-200$, and RAM was less if you went with an older type. Then there's the housing, peripherals, and drives, which can cost a pretty penny. Now I'd love nothing more than to build myself an awesome computer, but I can't afford the startup costs right now. I could probably handle upgrades, but neither of the Desktops I have right now are even worth it, as one has a 512mb RAM limit and has only PCI slots, and the other has integrated Intel graphics(which I think we both agree sucks the c0ck).

An off the shelf HP that people buy from places like Office Depot has good enough CPU and RAM nowadays. Like I said, most people *already* have a decent desktop (Core 2 Duos and higher are extremely common), all that is needed is a decent video card.

Basically, you can spend $500 and get a midrange gaming desktop, or you can spend $300 on the cheapest HP or Dell + $300 for a console. Then once you have a console you get to spend $10+ more on every game you buy. For example, I got Left 4 Dead 2 for $45 for the PC whereas it is $60 on the 360. Or look at something newer. Bioshock 2 on PC: $50, on consoles its $60.

So not only is a console going to cost more upfront 90%+ of the time, its going to cost more over time.

You're forgetting about USED games, which are much cheaper, especially after time has passed(The Orange Box used is $11 for 360. New it's around $15. You won't get that kind of deal on Steam). Then there are rentals, which can cost even less, depending on the rental plan and how many games you play. Also, that midrange gaming desktop will only be midrange for a year or two. That console will play all the newest games until a new console is released(which can be 5+ years), and even then, it takes a while for everyone to transition.

Accually, Steam had a holiday sale with ToB at 10 dollars.

Gamestop has holiday sales, and a buy 2 get one free deal that they do all year round.

Seems this post went off topic before answering the guys question xD shame on you guys.

I do minor repairs on 360s since i come across a LOT of broken ones. Step 1 would be to find the problem. The number of rings represents the danger of the problem (generally speaking). the RROD is a 3 ring error and has many different realistic issues. The most popular is that the 360 overheated for causes yet to be determined (such as someone left the console on for a week without touching it). When the 360 overheats, a temperature gauge triggers the error code. This code will stay on until a more important code appears, or is fixed and reset (not so much fixed, but it doesn't do much good to just reset).

To find out what problem your 360 is ACTUALLY having, try this guide: http://www.llamma.com/xbox360/repair/Xbox-360-error-codes.htm

To sum it up, it says that when you get any error light, hold the wireless controller sync (on console) and hit the eject button slowly about 5 times. The number of lights will stay solid and change after pressing it 4 times, each giving off a different code. 1 light means error code 1... The most recent RROD i cured was 1022 (which would come out as 1 solid 4 solid 2 solid 2 solid). This code would appear if you unplugged the video cable on a working xbox. Having this code with the cable plugged in means that either the connector on the box is broken, or the GPU overheated. The technical method to 'fix' this would be to heat the MB to the temperature it was at when the gauge triggered (while disconnected and disassembled of course). This is where the idea of the towel wrap came in. People thought that if they used the 360's heat itself, they could fix the problem. Sometimes worked sometimes made it worse.

Truth be told, i didn't actually 'fix' this problem... nor did i heat it. If your 360 has an error code that seems fixable, the next method might work. If its a hardware malfunction (broken, fried, etc) this wont do anything. First find out the code, then power down the console. Power it back up, and, before the red error code appears, hold the Wireless Sync button and press the eject button, then release both. This will clear the system of the error codes stored. Should continue to boot normally. If the error code is still there, you system has to be repaired, no ifs ands or buts.

Future warning, don't be an idiot... turn the console off when you put the controller down for more than a few hours. Doesn't matter if your gonna lose some cool items and a bit of progress... hurry to a save point or do it again. Don't Risk your 360.

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now that that's 'solved'... as far as the console wars go, PS3 targets solo players who have money (and sometimes those with a thirst for pretty flashy things), 360 targets a general audience with some addicting games and a large supply of multiplayer action, and wii targets everyone else, as well as the guys who figured they had the money from their paycheck so 'why not'.

Each console has its ups and downs, so the entire thing comes to speculations. Just shut up and play your fav already xD <- harsh

I agree with the above statements regarding console wars, up until you said the 360 had better multiplayer. In my experience, the multiplayer lags(I think this might be due to all the ginger now associated with Xbox Live, but I could be wrong). Now I don't have a PS3, nor have I used the multiplayer on the ones I was honored enough to play, so I don't know that it would be any better. I DO know that it can be better, as I've never had lag problems playing multiplayer games on my PC(except when I was running uTorrent like an idiot), and back when I had a PS2, I had loads of lag-free fun. Single player is great on the 360(Mass Effect anyone?) but I've yet to really enjoy the multiplayer.

you'll have to excuse me for the direct burst... but...
You seem to have misinterpreted my comment about the 360's capabilities. It's not that the 360 has 'better' multiplayer, but 'more'. Speaking in opinions only, when it comes to multiplayer... more is better. I've heard some good things about the PS3's multiplayer capabilities, but the sheer quantities of communities is a huge difference... this is what leads to in-game lag most of the time. That and these idiots keep tryin to play on half-assed internet services and poor quality wifi xD

If a console doesn't USE a function, they cant claim to be 'better'. It would be like sayin the Wii has the best multiplayer because its got wifi built in (taking out the fact that the inter connectivity sux to hell)... PS3 has some really good things goin for them, multiplayer just isnt a focus.

Clearly you don't use Steam, as Steam has *good* sales all the freaking times (and don't forget about bundles).

Midrange gaming desktop will still play all the newest games in ~2-3 years as well, and a midrange gaming desktop now will never have worse graphics than a 360 or PS3.

Also, as I've told you about a bajillion times now, as someone who has a 360 AND a PS3 I can tell you without a doubt that the 360 has better multiplayer. Live is much better than PSN.

I still think Xbox Live is terrible, and if what you say is true, then PSN must suck even more, but I would need to see that for myself before taking your word for it.