Question Unpopular Opinion: The "PC Master Race" mindset is holding PC gaming back.

[sanil]

I'm going to say it: our obsession with pure specs and fps counts is making PC gaming a less fun, more toxic place.

We've turned games into spreadsheets. The conversation is dominated by "Can it run Crysis?" benchmarks and shaming anyone who dares to use Medium settings. We prioritize raw power over artistry, modding, niche genres, and the sheer joy of a game that runs well on a five-year-old GPU.
This constant one-upmanship:

• Scares away newcomers who think they need a $2000 rig just to start.
• Makes developers optimize for benchmark headlines rather than stable, creative experiences.
• Overshadows what makes PC gaming truly unique: customization, backwards compatibility, and a library no platform can match.

Am I wrong? Is the pursuit of ultimate performance the core of our identity, or have we lost the plot?

 

[Colif]

The pc master race mindset doesn't really exist here. No real elitism here... not in these forums.

Many of the regulars can't afford the best hardware. Many make do with what they can afford. Their PC isn't the only thing they have to spend money on...

this question better suited to the discord channel as I feel some there may be part of the PC master race mindset.

I would love a 5090 but in my country they cost $6000 which is close to the total amount I spent on my entire PC. I can't realistically justify spending that much of my money on part of PC (sure, I would spend someone else's money but no one is donating it)

 

[Kaamos_Llama]

I'm going to say it: our obsession with pure specs and fps counts is making PC gaming a less fun, more toxic place.

We've turned games into spreadsheets. The conversation is dominated by "Can it run Crysis?" benchmarks and shaming anyone who dares to use Medium settings. We prioritize raw power over artistry, modding, niche genres, and the sheer joy of a game that runs well on a five-year-old GPU.
This constant one-upmanship:

• Scares away newcomers who think they need a $2000 rig just to start.
• Makes developers optimize for benchmark headlines rather than stable, creative experiences.
• Overshadows what makes PC gaming truly unique: customization, backwards compatibility, and a library no platform can match.

Am I wrong? Is the pursuit of ultimate performance the core of our identity, or have we lost the plot?

The couple of places I go to you dont see much of it, if any tbh.

 

[Zed Clampet]

I'm going to say it: our obsession with pure specs and fps counts is making PC gaming a less fun, more toxic place.

We've turned games into spreadsheets. The conversation is dominated by "Can it run Crysis?" benchmarks and shaming anyone who dares to use Medium settings. We prioritize raw power over artistry, modding, niche genres, and the sheer joy of a game that runs well on a five-year-old GPU.
This constant one-upmanship:

• Scares away newcomers who think they need a $2000 rig just to start.
• Makes developers optimize for benchmark headlines rather than stable, creative experiences.
• Overshadows what makes PC gaming truly unique: customization, backwards compatibility, and a library no platform can match.

Am I wrong? Is the pursuit of ultimate performance the core of our identity, or have we lost the plot?

Your idea makes sense, but if you look at the Steam hardware surveys, most people's PCs are very modest. That's not to say that there aren't people like you describe.

I very much agree with the sentiment of your post. You could be right. I'm just not sure of the impact this philosophy has. It's an interesting topic.

 

[BeardyHat]

The pc master race mindset doesn't really exist here. No real elitism here... not in these forums.

Many of the regulars can't afford the best hardware. Many make do with what they can afford. Their PC isn't the only thing they have to spend money on...

this question better suited to the discord channel as I feel some there may be part of the PC master race mindset.

I would love a 5090 but in my country they cost $6000 which is close to the total amount I spent on my entire PC. I can't realistically justify spending that much of my money on part of PC (sure, I would spend someone else's money but no one is donating it)

Colif pretty much hit it on the head here. We're not influencers here.

Your idea makes sense, but if you look at the Steam hardware surveys, most people's PCs are very modest. That's not to say that there aren't people like you describe.

I very much agree with the sentiment of your post. You could be right. I'm just not sure of the impact this philosophy has. It's an interesting topic.

I do think there's this general mindset in todays world due to influencer culture and I don't think it's limited to PC gaming either.

It's been awhile since I've been out in my Jeep (someday I'll finish the engine rebuild), but when my Jeep was on 29" tires (considered small in that world), I did some obstacles that I had guys in bigger rigs telling me not to go on unless I had at least 35's. For reference, I was on a Low-rated trail to simply do a shakedown run. The top end Jeep Wrangler Rubicon has 35s and is specifically tested on the Rubicon trail, one of the hardest trails in the US, so that might give you an idea of what we're looking at.

Anyway, it seems like this idea permeates a lot of the more popular spaces online, like Reddit, though even there there's different spaces like /r/lowendgaming and with the way things are in the world right now with RAM prices and general cost of living, seems like we're due to see a mindset shift to playing with what you've got. Even LTT, a popular voice in the space, has been advocating for using what you've got, because it's already likely pretty good.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PldqVePztM

 

[Zloth]

I haven't heard "PC Master Race" in... half a decade? Maybe more. Who are these people? It's kinda hard to argue for/against their points if I don't know what they are.

 

[Colif]

I haven't heard "PC Master Race" in... half a decade? Maybe more. Who are these people? It's kinda hard to argue for/against their points if I don't know what they are.

maybe the same people who play Crysis still as from what I can tell it was last released in 2021

Crysis Remastered Trilogy
Windows recommended requirements

OS: Windows 10 64 bit
CPU: Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-7600k or higher / AMD Ryzen 5 or higher
RAM: 12 GB
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 TI / AMD Radeon Vega 56
DX Version: DX 11
HDD: Game requires 20 GB of free space
Sound Card: DirectX compatible audio card

Those are hardly difficult specs to match.

Ryzen 5 is distinctly unspecific. Which one? Other sites show Ryzen 7 2700 which was released in... 2018

We prioritize raw power over artistry, modding, niche genres, and the sheer joy of a game that runs well on a five-year-old GPU.

GTX 1660 TI is a 7 year old GPU, and the AMD GPU is older still.

The entire argument probably shifted to can it run Cyberpunk 2077 with full path tracing at 4k as its the real new Crysis.. it feels like an old conversation.

Even LTT, a popular voice in the space, has been advocating for using what you've got, because it's already likely pretty good.

ltt is on both ends of the same spectrum, they will make videos like the one you listed and also

Throw silly amounts of money around.