GTA 4 PC with better graphics than console version

PCGH says according to Rockstar Games there are new features in the PC version of GTA 4: better streaming, new textures with higher resolutions, a higher visibility range and the possibility to set the resolution up to 2,560 x 1,600.

[Silogon]

ahhahaahhahahahaa higher rez textures in aahhahahahahahahaahahaahaha GTA game ahahahahahahahahhaahhahahaah oh, boy these rockstar guys hahahahahahaha they're a laugh riot. Let me tell ya.

[AngryXbot]

Overall, looking back at GT4, the graphics and everything else like animation, controls etc were very mediocre.

The only good thing was the lighting engine.

Most objects in GTA4 isnt even interactive, something Heavy Rain is about to do.

Although they have never said it directly, Rockstar gave enough hints. The DVD is an outdated format and its the 360s fault for GTA4 being mediocre. What could have been if it was fully utilized for the BluRay. What could have been *sigh*.

I blame the 360. Outdated piece of technology and faulty hardware = lose.

[nice_cuppa]

how about you go pay 300 for an elite, 300 for a 60gig ps3 and 300 on a pc and then compare them.......

i bet you the pc version wont even run let alone look better !!!

[donator]

Can they please make more co-op scenarios for the multiplayer? Or at least make the destination points random. It's getting boring playing the same 3 coop maps.

[Fishy Fingers]

"i bet you the pc version wont even run let alone look better !!! "

What? Of course the PC version will look better. High resolutions, more AA, better textures etc and depending on your PC you could max it out and still have more than double the FPS available on the consoles.

Yes, the consoles offer you better value for money, but people dont upgrade their PC for one game (well some do), most of them upgrade and invest in their PC's because that's their chosen platform.

[titntin]

@ fishy - you really should read before you comment mate.

He specifically said 'if you spend 300 on a PC' then it won't run, and only the ignorant would not agree with that.

We all know PC gaming is far more expensive than console gaming, thats an absolute given.

However, if you are prepared to pay the money, you can have significantly improved graphics for those games that are released on it, and its difficult to deny that too...

[Cartesian3D]

can you live without a PC?..(600 million ppl with it?!!)

and fishy want to say many people already have a PC that run console games in better resolution and fps(because many people invest in their PCs every year or even in shorter period ,not just cuz of GAMES)..

you must read Fishhy comment too.

[fermcr]

Actually i can make a PC with 300 that can run GTA4, and prob with better resolutions then consoles... i'm guessing you are saying 300 pounds = 380€ (and since you don't include the TV, i won't include Monitor, mouse and keyboard) and i will not go far from home to do that... BTW, where i live the PS3 is 400€

BOX ... ATX 3RSYSTEM K400 BLACK 29€
HARD Drive ... HDD SAMSUNG 320 GB SATA II 7200RPM 43,95€
Power Supple ... NOX ATX URANO 500W 12CM 36,90€
MEMORY ... KINGSTON 2GB DDR2 800 KVR800D2N6/2G 33,95€
MotherBoard ... ABIT IG31 775 VGA SOM LAN 43,95€
CPU ... INTEL® DUAL-CORE E2200 2.20GHZ 775 FSB800 1MB 65,95€
GPU ... ASUS GF9600GT 512MB DDR3 HDTV 119,95€
DRIVE ... SAMSUNG 20X LightSribe SATA Black Bulk 22,90€

======== 396€
Local Store ... http://www.coolmatica.pt

Those are far from the ideal prices you can find (i can get cheaper prices for some components)

And there you have it... under 400€

[jtucker78]

fermcr - I believe you can build a PC for that money, but ... I've got mates that I go drinking with here in the UK - "normal" human beings that have jobs ranging from accountants to plumbers and plenty of other professions in between.

If we want to get together online how easily do you think I can convince them to build their own gaming rigs?

I work in IT and I can't be bothered to build a PC. I did it once and I really can't be bothered to do it again. Just give me a simple pre-built PC that I can use for work, a games console that has the perfect specs that the game was designed for, a comfortable sofa, a large 1080p screen and some friends to play against.
No offense against people that build their own PCs but I want to play with other people too - not just computer nerds. That is why consoles are great - accessibility.
Plug and Play dudes.
I work on computers all day everyday. I'm not going to build a gaming rig - especially because none of my friends will have one. They aren't going to have a clue how to build a gaming rig. They'd either buy a pre-build gaming rig (expensive) OR buy a PS3 - I bet half the guys couldn't tell much difference between PC and PS3 anyway.

Does that price include sound card with optical out and a controller?

[kazuma]

he's using a motherboard with integrated soundboard which is erm...not so good, pretty sure it doesn't have optical out.
and i don't see the price of a crt or lcd screen, add a few bucks to that list lol

[jtucker78]

Can I also point out that those are Portugese prices, not UK.
Those parts will cost more in the UK.

You've also forgotten a Dolby digital output soundcard, a controller and a blu ray disc drive for movies.

I know we're talking about building a rig JUST for one game, but I'd rather not build a rig for one game thanks and I'd like to watch blu ray disc movies too.

Also 396 euros is over £300 (the exchange rate isn't what it used to be.

AND will those specs let me run GTA at maximum settings on maximum resolution?
No point spending a lot more money on a rig just to beat a PS3 by a small margin, we may as well smash the PS3 graphics. Otherwise - to be honest - what is the point?

I don't mean to be harsh to gaming rigs I'm sure they are great to have and if you have enough mates knowledgable to build gaming rigs too then that is great. But my friends are a mixed bunch so I'll stick to the best "accessible" option.

[titntin]

@fermcr

Managing to play games without on single box with no keyboard, mouse or gamepad? Running under linux as I don't see any operating system? Assuming you have a TV with a VGA input, as you have very limited output options from that card for use with a TV? Come on - selectively pulling a few prices of a game store doesn't fool anyone. In reality, it costs more than £300 for a box that can run a modern game well and you know it.

@Cartesian3D

I have 3 workstation class PC's in my house and they could all run rings around a console technically. What was your point?
The original point we are answering here, was a valid one, and simply stated that it costs more money to run the game with higher fidelity than it runs on the consoles? Thats surely not a difficult point to agree on?
No one is dissing PC's or their performance here - or even dissing the consoles. We are merely stating that to get significant performance improvements over the console versions, costs a bit more money. 'Bang per buck' you probably get a better price /performance deal from a console. Obviously if you already have a decent PC, its a moot point. As stated - I have a serious PC kit, but I prefer to play my consoles and wouldn't be remotely interested in playing this or any other console game on a PC. My choice, but also the choice of many others...

[jtucker78]

titntin - I think you just summarised what I was trying to get at ... only better.

Thanks.

[Bolts]

Some people prefer to play games on their console just like how some people prefer to listen to music on their ipod instead a full blown stereo system. In terms of audio quality and sound experience the ipod get crushed a good stereo system, just like how the consoles can't come close to the PC's high res graphics and extra features.

[iistuii]

Forget the cash, if your into games as we all are on this site, the pc version is the one youd wanna play. Running it on my rig 1920x1200 with 8x AA it'll look amazing. Dont forget we use the same joypad as a console, its the same game as youve been playing , but looks a million times better.Please dont tell me graphics dont matter or you lot on here wouldn't be slagging each others console off every 5 mins because a game looks better on one console than the other.

[jtucker78]

iistuii - I totally agree with you about graphics. I love graphics, and if I had mates that all had top of the line gaming rigs then that would be excellent ... but they don't, and I don't want to play online against strangers all the time.
1920x1200 and 8 x AA is the ideal, I agree, but the argument was that that you can get all that for the same price as a PS3 ... which you can't.

But it's not all about graphics. Don't forget sound. Some of the latest PS3 games are coming with 7.1 and some are 50GB games.

How many PC games are there out there with 7.1 surround sound?

But as we're taking about graphics, what kind of display are you getting the 1920x1200 on?
If it's a large widescreen CRT then that is probably pretty sweet, but if it's an LCD then the contrast ratio is more than likely going to be cr@p.

I would much rather take a plasma with a 50,000:1 contrast ratio at 1080p than a crystal clear (but washed out) 1920x1200 on an LCD computer monitor.

[Bolts]

Please don't bother comparing things like the TV LCD's contrast ratio too the computer LCD monitor because thats just ignorant.

It doesn't matter if you're playing, say, Gears of War on a budget 24 inch computer monitor because it'll still look hell lot better than the Xbox Gears of War by a ton. The difference is night and day. You'll be able to see high res textures, and true depth of view that simply doesn't exist on the console. So it doesn't matter if you playing the console version from the best TV money can buy because the source is still crap.

I'm not sure why some people even bother with this subject really, the PC will always win in the visual and performance department. There is no way to get around it.

[JsonHenry]

He forgot to add the cost of an HDTV to that console price.. which in the end the console + HDTV cost about $150-$250 more on average than the gaming rig I built last year that could easily play the game at max settings.

Also - in order to run a game at a higher (NATIVE) resolution on a PC compared to the consoles does not take much of a computer despite what you might think. The consoles are grossly underpowered and the PC equal could easily have been built over three years ago.

My father in law can run Gears of War PC on a 4 year old system maxed out at 1440*900 smoothly without any problems. The computer probably does not even have $400 worth of parts in it altogether.

[zagibu]

You can't compare PC prices directly with console prices. A gamer's PC can be used to do regular work, a console can't.
If you already have a decent PC (dual-core, 2GB RAM), it's not expensive to add a good video- and soundcard. You can certainly do it for under 300$, and it will give you better performance than any console has to offer currently.
But really, what's the point? PCs and consoles offer different gaming experiences, so to compare them directly is silly anyway.

[kazuma]

you can use linux in the ps3 and do regular office work

[titntin]

There are some stunningly ignorant people posting in this thread.

To run a PC at the top specs is to imply you can display a 2560 x 1600 image on your monitor. Nothing under a top spec 30" monitor displays this res, and they are a minimum of £1000. Only the tinyest fraction of PC gamers play games on such a monitor.

The fact is - the majority of PC gamers run their output at less than the 1920 x 1080 of a decent 1080P TV - quiet often at 1680 X 1050.

Of course top end PC's can have greater texture deatils and better draw distance than a console equivilant, and have better shaders and more effects too. No one can deny that the very top tier of PC gaming is always going to be most technically advanced graphics.
But its all about visual impact, and looking at a 1080P PS3 game on my (admittidly stupidly expensive) 40" 1080P LCD is often more agreeable to me than my computer monitors - and I do have a top end LCD monitor (as well as a reference level CRT). I continue to play my consoles in preference to my 'superior' PC's.
Don't know what I'm looking at? I've been a digital artist making games for the last 16 years and my three workstation class machines have developed games for PC 360 and PS3 as well as older platforms. I know exactly what I'm seeing - I create the actual content.

[jtucker78]

JsonHenry - Erm ... you don't add the price of an HDTV on to the price of the console, because that implies that a TV exists only to play games on.
I bought my HDTVs to watch TV (funnily enough), watch movies AND games.
So the HDTV is already there same as the 7.1 home cinema set-up.

You are only buying the console. Who doesn't own a TV?
How many people do you know that own a monitor but no PC? Not many I bet.

With a PC you don't buy a monitor for any other reason than for the PC.

And Fanboi - do you even know what contrast ratio is?
LCD Monitor's Contrast Ratios are woeful. Most don't even get above 2000:1 Apples HD 30" 2560 x 1600 is only 700:1 ! !
Yes, on a PC the source is way better than the source from a console, but who cares how amazing the textures are when you lose all you colour by the time it reaches your monitor.
PC monitor's are great for resolution - rubbish for vivid colours.

Even my LCD Sony Bravia manages 33,000:1 I won't even bother bringing up my Pioneer Kuro
What does your PC monitor get?

All this sounds like I'm hating on PC gaming which is not my point at all. Yes PCs are way more powerful than consoles. Yes, they have way better resolution. Yes, way better textures etc.
BUT
No they aren't as convenient or cheap. None of my friends have gaming rigs. Typically they come with cr@ppy LCD Monitors with great resolution but terrible colours. And typically you sit as a recluse at a desk to play instead of with friends in the more social living room area.
Both PC and PS3 solutions are great, weigh up which set-up suits you best, pick your favourite games and make your choice.

Let's all be friends.

[diegodon]

Once again PC owns you stupid/poor people.

[name]

Whaaaaaat? The pc version of a multiplatform game looking better than the console versions? HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE

[fermcr]

Yes... big surprise :S

[Turbo Teddy]

Well.. some incentive the PC-players is granted when waiting for so long for the PC release.. I have begun playing it again on my PS3, and after I changed the HDD it runs a lot smoother and with a very few popups/slowdowns. I cant explain why.

[Cartesian3D]

may be the reason is your HDD speed.. 5400rpm vs 7200!

but if the difference is significant I think there are more reasons :P

[MvmntInGrn]

Of course it looks better, honestly by those screens, not THAT much better. Mostly the higher resolution and AA.

[Bolts]

You can't be serious. The draw distance goes for miles, not sure how you missed that.

[KidMakeshift]

Everything's always prettier on PC. Me jealous. Stuck with macbook

[Close_Second]

...up GTAIV all you like but its still one of the biggest dissapointments of 2008. Now, if they said they had delivered GTA:SA gameplay using a revamped GTAIV graphics engine then I'd be interested.

[pow3r of t3h c3ll]

Yeah better graphics, pity its still the same sh*t old game!!!

GTA4 = worst game ever!

[batichon frandy]

now u want 2 talk about 360 an
at 360 sold more gta4 than PSGAY

360 simply tha best!

[Dyingduck]

What a retard way to compare two consoles, rofl...

[Turbo Teddy]

Cartesian3D: It should be the same (5400 rpm), and thats what puzzling me because the only difference should be the HHD size, but want to run some tests on the 60 GB to see if I can find any flaws :P

[kylegtheassman]

its the Buffer Memory man thats what its making it fast and Average Seek (msec): and Average Latency (msec)that is why.

and the HHD in the ps3 sux sh*t its small and slow i wish sony would have spent the money and put a better HHD it would make games that are installed on the HHD run faster it and more ram hehehe

[Strife Lives]

Lol they need to start making GTA5 already.

[Cherchez La Ghost]

Alot of people out here don't realize the power of PC gaming over consoles!! You should check out the Mods they have out there for GTA series. Don't believe me?! check this link out...

http://www.gtagarage.com/mo...
http://www.youtube.com/watc...

[newneto]

I did not like the graphics on consoles so much and the game is just ok.

[-SIXAXIS-]

Why do some of the screenshots have major colour banding??

Oh yeah, do you guys think I will be able to run the game as good as the consoles with these specs:

Core 2 Duo 2.4GHz
nVidia 8600M GT
2 GB RAM (upgrading to 4)
Windows XP

[Bubble and Squeek]

I'm assuming you are using a laptop?

It seems okay, should work, though it is just a guess since I don't have the system specs for the game.

Though keep in mind that 2GBs of RAM is very respectable already. I'm skeptical adding another 2GBs will improve things noticably. But given the price of RAM at the moment, if it doesn't break bank...

Also, 32-bit operating systems (which I'm assuming yours is) can only address around 4GBs of RAM in total. Your video card (and various other things) will eat into that limit, so a significant part of that upgrade will be wasted RAM.

As I say though, it is unlikely to break the bank, and may help slightly. GTAIV should run as is, unless there is an arcane incompatability with you chipset.

[DevastationEve]

Intel Core2 Duo t5250 (merom)
Intel GM965 (santa rosa)
nVidia GeForce 8600m GS 256mb
2x1gb DDR2 667 PC2 5300
2x120gb SATA 150 5400rpm

I get 7700 3dmark 2003, 4700 3dmark 2005. I can play older dx9 games (Splinter Cell Chaos Theory) with everything up to max 1280x720 8xMSAA 16x AF at 90+FPS. COD4 I can run with everything up to max 1024x768 4xMSAA 8xAF
at around 30FPS. Crysis makes my system CRY...like a sis.

edit:

Here's a tip: run INF modded 177.89 drivers, and get the newest PhysX drivers as well. You'll be able to run PhysX enables games on 8 series and up graphics chips, via CUDA enabled PhysX.

You'll need modded inf since nvidia fvcks us laptop gamers over by not bothering worth a damn to keep us up-to-date.

[moses]

a 8600 is definitley not a gaming card ( even worse that it's a mobile card), it's a mid-range card that's two generations old already, you'll be able to run it, just not up to par with the consoles. Your processor is pretty good, and the ram is sufficient, also the 4GB is waste as posted why above. Hopefully your 8600 is 512, you'll be able to play it at a much higher resolution then with the 256 version.

I can't wait to play this with my SSC GTX 280, E8400 (OC 3.5ghz), 2GB DDR2 1066 on maximum 1920x1200, hopefully at 60fps. Doubt it but we'll see, haha.

[omimasum]

i wonder how the game
would have been if it was a ps3 exclusive

gameplay, graphics wise (not sales)

same goes for others

[Charmers]

I wonder how the game would be like if it was PC exclusive, gameplay/graphics wise not sales wise.

[Pain]

Just pointing out a Fact.

waits for the idiot xBot: oh yea! u a eMo queer somthing something stupid xbot kids say fact.... View

[pwnsause]

well the getaway 3 proves that, but that game is now cancelled.

[levy]

Listen how everyone will start bash this as demanding as Crysis. I for one think that it's great that they improve the graphics, when they have the option for it. And it's some eye candy for those that have the computer for it.

[zonetrooper5]

Ram is dirt cheap atm so if you need more then most people could afford it and then you got graphics cards which thank god for ATI making a great card at last, prices are being lowered so for the time being PC gaming isn't as expensive as it used to be, just not sure how long this will last though.

[ortayus]

This topic is so stupid but I will comment just to point out some ignorance of console gamers talking about PC gaming rigs.

Guess what the current consoles are these days?!?! Get ready... Mini PCs. They go to PC motherboard manufactures and say "here are my specs with onboard sound and graphics, make this for me." Sometimes they don't have onboard graphics but instead go to a graphic card manufacture and say, "make a slower cooler version of your current card for me."

Then you expect this console that is in production for months/years while PC technology moves forward and you expect it to compare to a current gaming PC??? The 360/PS3 has been out for a while and are running at least 3 generation old graphic technology.

Not to mention that a console has a life of 4 years while PC technology doubles every 18 months.

Once again this article and thread is stupid. Lets just compare apples and oranges the rest of the time...

[JeepGamer]

You people do realize that by computer standards the 360 is completely obsolete and the PS3 very nearly is right? By the time a console is designed and the very first one is built the technology used to design it has in most cases already been improved upon. By the time a console actually makes it to market the technology in it has already been improved upon several times.

The speed at which technology advances is mind blowing.

[-LETS-ALL-GET-ON-]

I am no fanboy but this comment is the pure truth. Thankgod someone has a brain......

"nice_cuppa - As long as you have loads of ram and a graphics card that costs more than a ps3 !
how about you go pay 300 for an elite, 300 for a 60gig ps3 and 300 on a pc and then compare them.......

i bet you the pc version wont even run let alone look better !!!"

[nice_cuppa]

= )

[SolidSnake93]

What else is new.

[mephixto]

I'm tired of pepole bashing PC gaming. I own a PS3 and a PC(Xbox 360 in my country doesn't count because of the RRoD and warranty issues, you get your repaired 360 after 6 months if you are lucky).

Pc Gaming is like tunnig a car, you can customize it, add anything you want, overclock it, it have a special feeling when you built your rig or upgrade it. In the other hand console gaming is boring, it's like buying a family car.

I love my PS3 have incredible games it looks stunnig. but you can't do too much with the hardware.

PC's are more expensive but they're much better than cosoles. People who bash PC's it's because they don't know too much about it or can't afford building one. And I'm not saying that's bad but the should stay quiet and not talking trash about it.

[mgbass13]

Who cares. The game was overhyped, and the same freaking game it always was with a new coat of paint and annoying side quests. Sold it after 3 weeks...fail!

[Iceman100]

lol if the ps3 or 360 game tried to run anywhere near pc res it most likely would crash, and even with a lower res not only do the consoles look bad but play just as bad. The main problems wit consoles is that you can't upgrade it, and they include cheap parts mainly the ram. There is no way they can make anything on a console like they can with a pc with 512 or the ps3 very outdated 256bm of ram.

"How many PC games are there out there with 7.1 surround sound?"

who are these people lol that sound quality is old, and was out way before the mafia days.......wake up son.

[Kami]

it still SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!

[MarioJP]

There are lot of things that needs to be clarified. First of PC hardware is getting cheaper. A $279 ATI 4870 graphics card will be more than enough to run this game at max settings Ram is dirt cheap 2x2GB ram is $100. I think most of the console gamers are jealous, and are attacking pc gaming at a price point of view lol.

As far as the 1080p HDTV goes. This is a very moot point, because you are aware that these HDTV's are now hybrid to accommodate every sorts of devices such as consoles,digital cameras video cameras, and yes even PC's. But I find a monitor much better because they are cheaper and more better.

For those that say that are in I.T does not mean you know everything or are expert or have the skills. I have seen alot of bad I.T people just not really doing a good job because A easy money B its work.

I love the I.T job and i don't mind having a gaming rig that does not put a HOLE IN MY WALLET. This is becoming a moot point, due to Hardware is soo cheap nowadays that this debate should just end. Only marketing and retail pc's are out right dam expensive for gaming (if this is your idea of I.T then yes it would be very boring indeed). Not custom building however. If custom building was to go away and more retail oriented. Then yes PC gaming will for sure be gone.

As far as socializing goes. This can be easily be solved by Lan parties or even having a private lan parties, especially with laptops. sure laptops may not run the latest games, (although until now in fact some of them can run crysis at a decent settings.) but will for sure keep pc gaming noticed.

Lastly I know alot of people that owns a 360 a ps3 and the ultimate platform is a very high end gaming rig thats not so high in price if you shop properly (and i mean literally too). Those high end prices are fading away at a faster rate than one can imagine. We are living in a golden age of PC hardware for everyone to have that is more bang for your buck and really game very good. only Intel (Actually intel has really learned its lesson and their cpu's are getting cheaper) and nvidia are in the past and they need to wake up that no one is buying their expensive video cards anymore. ATI wins the performance/price ratio hands down.

You see the problem with people having trouble understanding is "what classify a high end rig"??? In our minds is "oh high end rig means it cost 2 or 3k" Uhh yeaaa only if you go shop at Alienware Pc's LOL. In fact the term of High end rigs should be changed.

With all of that said?? I can't wait for this game and play it at a much better framerates. I already starting to hear that this game is suffering framerate issues with consoles.

So the only thing left for PC's with consoles it is "Its too technical" Uhh consoles are slowly heading that way too lol.

[daddy_09]

wouldnt you think it would have better graphics on a pc

[MarioJP]

most definitely.

[DevastationEve]

you guys need to try out MS Virtual PC 2007. Really good stuff. Instead of going through the hassle of a dual boot, you basically create a "virtual" PC (with its own vHDD, vRAM, and vLAN) and you can get xp to run INSIDE of your Vista environment. It will run seamless and without problems. Here's the rundown:

1:get xp's files off of the disc and copy to a location on your pc
2:get any service packs drivers (ie for SATA drives)
3:get nlite, an app for creating the ISO you'll need
4:follow its instruction for integrating it all together
5:get MS Virtual PC 2007 for free off of MS's download site
6:install and run it (it might say that your Vista isn't supported that's okay)
7:configure your new virtual machine (memory, hdd, lan, ports) and then save it
8:start up that virtual machine and select from the toolbar "CD> capture ISO"
9:browse for and locate said ISO
10a:let xp instal begin and follw through with it (have a copy of another OS or xp itself to validate for upgrade, i have win95 handy)
10b:it might get tricky when switching between the ISO and the win95 disc. it'll ask for the XP disc again after you put in win95 disc, for which you have to back to the toolbar CD>capture ISO and then hit enter.
11:select the unallocted space of the partition you want to instal to (it should be the only one there, since its virtual and the only one that xp can see right now)
12:let it quick format that partition (full format not necessary)
13:let it proceed to copy files to the virtual hdd and then reboot into the old familiar xp setup process.

the rest is pretty much easy!
Fvckin ey!

pm me with any questions

[flappo]

i agree , the game was overhyped dross

utterly boring

and all those dumb side misions and the annoying ****ing friends bullshit

oh and the cheats were junk too

having to open your phone while being shot at

lame

[kindi_boy]

DUH!

[pornflakes]

"Although they have never said it directly, Rockstar gave enough hints. The DVD is an outdated format and its the 360s fault for GTA4 being mediocre. What could have been if it was fully utilized for the BluRay. What could have been *sigh*."

So thats why GTA4 runs with 30 FPS on 360 and 25FPS on PS3? And in 720p on 360 and 630p on PS3??

Are u a retard or something like that?