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I subscribed to Maximum PC and PC Gamer and my wallet has never been the same :( Every issue I feel like my peripherals and hardware are out-of-date.

soylentcola 10y ago
This is why I don't visit my local Microcenter unless I have something specific I need to buy. Even then I typically put it off for a bit to see if I really wanted that item or if it was more of an impulse/luxury purchase I lose interest in. When I got my current job (and matching salary bump) I built a new PC. It had been 4 or 5 years since I built the last one and that one was assembled on something of a budget. With the raise, I decided to go (for me) more high-end because I wanted to celebrate my raise in a way that wouldn't really break the bank if I later decided it was maybe a bit foolish. So instead of my usual ~$800 budget for something that could handle all of the "boring" daily stuff like web browsing, email, and file storage as well as give a nice boost to rendering times when playing around with video, graphics, and animation projects, I spent around $1500. Incidentally, it would also be great for games so that covered all the bases for my computer uses. It's been less than 4 years since I built that PC and I occasionally consider an upgrade but I like to force myself to no less than 5 years between "elective" upgrades. The PC is running smoothly. I don't have any real bottlenecks outside the stuff you can't avoid without spending several thousands of dollars (oh, boo-hoo, I have to play games at 2560x1440 even though the TV/monitor is 4K native). The incremental updates of processor generations and RAM speeds are certainly nice but since I also suffer from this Diderot Effect, I like to do new PC builds with all new parts to take advantage of all the improvements of the past 5+ years. I think on some level, I just like to occasionally take stock of the current state of the art and put together a parts list, do the assembly, and feel the satisfaction of a nice, clean setup that is running faster than the last thing. So instead I just offer to build for friends when they are in need of an upgrade. I still get to enjoy the hobbyist aspect and even though I don't typically charge for the effort, they always leave me with a case of good beer or a bottle of some nice Scotch.
- stuxnet79 10y ago
  > I think on some level, I just like to occasionally take stock of the current state of the art and put together a parts list, do the assembly, and feel the satisfaction of a nice, clean setup that is running faster than the last thing. So instead I just offer to build for friends when they are in need of an upgrade. I still get to enjoy the hobbyist aspect and even though I don't typically charge for the effort, they always leave me with a case of good beer or a bottle of some nice Scotch. I understand what you mean. I had waay more fun building my PC than using it. Once it was all done and I had Windows 10 installed I had nothing else to do and it was just sitting there. Let's just say that I was underwhelmed with the final outcome, especially since I don't game much these days due to time constraints. I am thinking of getting a new case later this year and installing an aftermarket cooler because this is the one thing I never got to do for my current build, but oh boy the boredom afterwards :( I would definitely be down to build a PC for anybody who was interested - no charge. The work would be its own reward for me. But yea, it is impossible to chase that high you get when putting together a parts list perpetually as building rigs is an expensive hobby.
  - soylentcola 10y ago
    It's not something I want to do all the time. The last one I did reminded me that it can still be a hassle when dealing with someone else's build. Thankfully he was receptive to my advice regarding reasonable budget for what he expected (no more requests for high-end gaming PCs under $600) and where to put his money. Still, a few months later it's like "hey, so there's sometimes this "ticking" sound in the back of the PC. I think it's the power supply but I'm not sure." "OK, well see if you can blow some canned air in there in case some bit of plastic or paper got sucked in." "No, it's not that." "OK, well if it's defective, I still have the receipts so you can RMA it." "Nah, that's too much of a hassle. I'll just order one. When can you swap it out?" Then I proceed to realize that he has no interest in doing this and I have no free weekends to spend taking apart this PC and rebuilding it with another PSU. It's one reason why small-time PC building businesses have always been tough to run and why I never bothered to do it professionally. Any time something is not working, I'll fix my own setup but when you build something as a favor, it becomes your responsibility for life :/

soylentcola 10y ago

This is why I don't visit my local Microcenter unless I have something specific I need to buy. Even then I typically put it off for a bit to see if I really wanted that item or if it was more of an impulse/luxury purchase I lose interest in. When I got my current job (and matching salary bump) I built a new PC. It had been 4 or 5 years since I built the last one and that one was assembled on something of a budget. With the raise, I decided to go (for me) more high-end because I wanted to celebrate my raise in a way that wouldn't really break the bank if I later decided it was maybe a bit foolish. So instead of my usual ~$800 budget for something that could handle all of the "boring" daily stuff like web browsing, email, and file storage as well as give a nice boost to rendering times when playing around with video, graphics, and animation projects, I spent around $1500. Incidentally, it would also be great for games so that covered all the bases for my computer uses. It's been less than 4 years since I built that PC and I occasionally consider an upgrade but I like to force myself to no less than 5 years between "elective" upgrades. The PC is running smoothly. I don't have any real bottlenecks outside the stuff you can't avoid without spending several thousands of dollars (oh, boo-hoo, I have to play games at 2560x1440 even though the TV/monitor is 4K native). The incremental updates of processor generations and RAM speeds are certainly nice but since I also suffer from this Diderot Effect, I like to do new PC builds with all new parts to take advantage of all the improvements of the past 5+ years. I think on some level, I just like to occasionally take stock of the current state of the art and put together a parts list, do the assembly, and feel the satisfaction of a nice, clean setup that is running faster than the last thing. So instead I just offer to build for friends when they are in need of an upgrade. I still get to enjoy the hobbyist aspect and even though I don't typically charge for the effort, they always leave me with a case of good beer or a bottle of some nice Scotch.

stuxnet79 10y ago
> I think on some level, I just like to occasionally take stock of the current state of the art and put together a parts list, do the assembly, and feel the satisfaction of a nice, clean setup that is running faster than the last thing. So instead I just offer to build for friends when they are in need of an upgrade. I still get to enjoy the hobbyist aspect and even though I don't typically charge for the effort, they always leave me with a case of good beer or a bottle of some nice Scotch. I understand what you mean. I had waay more fun building my PC than using it. Once it was all done and I had Windows 10 installed I had nothing else to do and it was just sitting there. Let's just say that I was underwhelmed with the final outcome, especially since I don't game much these days due to time constraints. I am thinking of getting a new case later this year and installing an aftermarket cooler because this is the one thing I never got to do for my current build, but oh boy the boredom afterwards :( I would definitely be down to build a PC for anybody who was interested - no charge. The work would be its own reward for me. But yea, it is impossible to chase that high you get when putting together a parts list perpetually as building rigs is an expensive hobby.
- soylentcola 10y ago
  It's not something I want to do all the time. The last one I did reminded me that it can still be a hassle when dealing with someone else's build. Thankfully he was receptive to my advice regarding reasonable budget for what he expected (no more requests for high-end gaming PCs under $600) and where to put his money. Still, a few months later it's like "hey, so there's sometimes this "ticking" sound in the back of the PC. I think it's the power supply but I'm not sure." "OK, well see if you can blow some canned air in there in case some bit of plastic or paper got sucked in." "No, it's not that." "OK, well if it's defective, I still have the receipts so you can RMA it." "Nah, that's too much of a hassle. I'll just order one. When can you swap it out?" Then I proceed to realize that he has no interest in doing this and I have no free weekends to spend taking apart this PC and rebuilding it with another PSU. It's one reason why small-time PC building businesses have always been tough to run and why I never bothered to do it professionally. Any time something is not working, I'll fix my own setup but when you build something as a favor, it becomes your responsibility for life :/