[Commonmind]

Originally Posted by Happy Joe

I beg to differ; most people can do it but most people do not want to do it (a case of intellectual lassitude).

(BTW; Joes are exceptional!)

Note that I used the word proficiency, which implies that an individual has already made the necessary steps to become proficient. The average Joe is capable of building a PC, but that doesn't mean they're proficient in doing so. Understanding happens after application, not before, and even when it does happen prior to, based on research or garnering knowledge from others, one has then become proficient and therefore the above does not apply.

(and just so you know, I did just hit myself for the philosophical diatribe at the end)

In short: I stand by my earlier point. And though the average user is certainly capable, we're still assuming that they're ready, willing and able -- which isn't always the case. I often hear this argument on hardware message boards web-wide, and when the offending poster explains that they simply don't have the time, resources or the want to build their own PC they're met with the same original string of responses that put them on the defensive to begin with. Believe it or not, there's simply people in this world that don't want to bother with building and/or upgrading their PC.

Everyone is surely capable of changing their own oil, putting in a new starter and changing their own tires, and beside the dirty cost of admission, none are really too difficult or out of a normal individual's realm of understanding. Yet, mechanics everywhere strive on offering these types of services.

It's safe to say everyone can do anything but we shouldn't require them to (or assume they can) simply because we're already doing it and feel everyone should too.

Only compared to the state of the PC art. If compared to a console the graphic goodness will improve slightly (better drivers etc.) and the console will remain static.

The dichotomy here is that a PC is being utilized to its fullest degree at the point which the software is getting released and a console's resources are generally only being tapped into when a particular piece of software is released for it. In other words, you need to upgrade a PC when a new game is released, while the console developers will tell you with some degree of enthusiasm that their breathtaking game only uses "10% of the systems full capabilities." Point: the experience scales in the latter case and requires the user scale the hardware in the former. You need to upgrade the PC to maintain the fidelity -- the same isn't required in the console realm - and honestly, for that very reason, it almost isn't fair to compare the two.

One needs to ask the question; is gaming the fun part or are the bragging rights for machine benchies/stats more important. Don't get me wrong; there is a definite "Oh Wow" factor to gaming with good visuals but honestly, IMO, in the heat of combat there is no time to appreciate eye candy.

That's really subjective and each individual will feel differently. I know guys I used to play QIII with who turned everything down to achieve the fastest possible FPS and so they could play without any hiccups. To each their own; my opinion is that in the heat of battle, that level of immersion is key and the graphics are a part of that experience -- which is a sum of all its parts.

I too went from hardware to gaming however I have never been rabid or obsessed about either. At times overclocking has both allowed better gaming performance at no cost and been a source of hours of amusement, optimizing system parameters to get a slightly better clock or benchmark.
Now I game when a new (good) one comes out and use a PC for other purposes, most of the time. (I admit it; I'm a soft core gamer, (and have never even benchmarked the current machine))

I'm slowing down myself, though I still tweak and optimize and run a good solid week of benchmarks and burn-ins before I call a new PC ready-to-use. I guess I'm still a bit OCD where the numbers are concerned.

Must be gettin' old I guess...

You and me both

...and of course Joe's are awesome. I don't only play one on TV, but I'm a Joe in RL as well