Are you spending too much on your PC?

[thebrowneman]

Ok, First - I'm currently running an e5200 @ 3.25 (stock 2.5) with no volatage increase with an Akasa 965 cooler, with a 4870 512 (@785GPU/960RAM) on dual 19 inch monitors. Im using 4gb standard ddr2 800 (@866 no voltage increase) with my younger bro's old Foxconn G31 (!) mobo and the 650 watt psu that came with his pre built Zoom system, in an Antec 300 Case. All bought about 2 months ago.
I can run Crysis, Farcry 2,Grid, anything using the older Doom 3 or Unreal T engines(All in 1400*900 at highest graphics and 4X AA under DX 9c on XP)while downloading using Utorrent and firefox in the background with no problems at all.

Total tower cost - Case,CPU,RAM,Cooler,GPU,320gb hd =£300 UK - about $420 US (depending on the current exchange rate!) Mobo, and psu came from my bro, plus old dvdrw and XP I had already.

My question is- If, as most people seem to, you are just using your pc for gaming and browsing then is it worth spending so many dollars on an uber system? Is this just becoming another market where we are encoraged to spend our hard earned cash by the egging on of the Industry on upgrades that we don't really need, to benefit what we want? (note the deliberate capital 'I'! )

Damn I'm a cynical bastard and have been into PC's for 20 yrs (And I'm only 28 !) but I can't help feeling that younger and less experienced people of all ages are are being conned out of their cash for better componants than they need by this fast moving market especially at this time.
Your collective thoughts and opinions would be appreciated.
TheBrowneMan

 

[3Ball]

We often advise people on ~$600 builds around here, and when building from scratch yours wouldn't be to far off from that. So when people are on a tight budget then sure, we recommend systems similar to that of yours, but when you do have the money to spend on higher end components its always nice.

I mostly prefer the higher end components for reliability, for instance, the power supply you are running, though we know nothing about it, it could be a risky endeavor to run a pre-built system power supply in a powerful build for obvious reasons. The typical ones just usually do not suit well for the job, especially when OC'ing. As I am sure you know.

For the people running at 1440x900, $600 is probably something that most certainly can suit their needs, but for someone the likes to run at much higher resolutions and truly puts a lot of time into gaming may want to get the best experience possible, and that is where the more expensive builds come in.

Overall there are just too many parts to the equation, peoples budgets, expected lifetime of the system, personal standards on picture quality and frames per second, etc... That is what is great about PC's though, you can always build one to suit your needs.

Best,

3Ball

 

[one-shot]

I often spend more than is required, but that's ok. It'll hopefully last longer that way. If not, I'll upgrade again.

 

[xtc28]

I always try to build the best that I can with what I have.

 

[overshocked]

Why did you post this in the OC section??

 

[xtc28]

Because hes Brown. I have a friend we actually call Brownguy, for the life of me I cant remember his real name. Anyway when ever he does something stupid he always says its because hes brown. This guy even has a superman symbol with a B in the center as a tattoo! He is just BROWN.

 

[overshocked]

Because hes Brown. I have a friend we actually call Brownguy, for the life of me I cant remember his real name. Anyway when ever he does something stupid he always says its because hes brown. This guy even has a superman symbol with a B in the center as a tattoo! He is just BROWN.

LOL [:jaydeejohn:4]

 

[richardscott]

£300 for a pc is nothing try over £500 just for cpu cooling thats too much money

 

[xtc28]

NAh spend the money IF YOU CAN. If it makes you happy then get what you want. I prefer to get what it is that is the best that I can get wait A while then get the best I can get. That way Im not disapointed in whatever it is that Im doing. It makes me feel good to have whats on top and allows me to get it done quickly, whatever it is that Im doing. If you are not shopping around and getting the best deal, in that case you may be spending to much. Then again there are too many factors governing everyone paying to much, buying a PC that they dont need or one toooooo powerful. Who are we to say what too much is, too much for me would make you wince and too much for you may make me laugh.

 

[overshocked]

£300 for a pc is nothing try over £500 just for cpu cooling thats too much money

Slander!!!!!

I have spent well over that on cooling but it is sooooooooooo worth it when you see the -60 on your thermometer!

 

[thebrowneman]

Gentlemen - The reason I posted this here is because I hoped to get a more thought through answer from a higher minded level of community (thank you 3ball et al).
However some of the other comedy stylings are second to none... (xtc - did it take 28 attempts to achieve it?)
I hope the rest of you are not doing yourselves a similar diservice?

Also because more confused newbs come through this forum than any other on 'Tom...' with more of mummy's/mommy's cash than any other.

My focus was less on those on those who ARE capable but on those who are in-capable. Those who should have bought an X-box for $200 rather than spend $1500 to get what they 'think' they need.

I'm interested in getting people what they need to be satisfied rather than what they think/are told they want and are left hungry.

I love the budget builds they have on this site and consider it an excellent reference.
Equally the high end builds/reviews for those with the cash are, again, excellent.

Maybe there should be a seperate 'High End OC' forum for those with the spending power and the know-how and a second 'Budget OC' forum for those just starting out OC'ing, those trying to maximise what they have or who are just stepping into PCs?
Intelligent thoughts and 'witty' ripostes expected.

 

[overshocked]

^ Dude, im on the OCing section of toms all day and 95% (lierally) of all the questions on the foum are for people "just stepping into pc's"

There arnt enough people to make a new section althought that would be fantastic!

 

[xtc28]

I appologize for the way you took that Browne. I was kind of hoping you were him, I guess. Even though you were taking a shot at me, 28 was my age when I started using XTC as a handle.

By my last coment I really meant that there are too many factors involved. Naturally there are really 2 questions that should START the build process. 1) What will it be used for? 2) Whats your Budget? Now we know were to start. Then later when we know where we stand for a platform, I ask "How do you like the quality of your video?" .... "Are you a gamer?" (If aplicable) and other questions.

Budget builds are the easiest to do and often are not the most reliable. With that being said I must point out that all builds are not created equal and just because its cheap doesnt mean its good or even going to last very long.

For the people who do want Close to the top for performance and what and all, will likely already know where to find the deals or can find it relatively easily..... Or they ask questions.

If you are refering to the people who demand 10x more of a computer than they need and spend GOBBS of money (that they dont have or NEED for neccessities). Well those people are either Out of touch with technology and life or Duped by a Wicked salesman.

 

[OvrClkr]

Try using your 4870 on a 24" Screen @ 1920 x 1080 and see if you will get the same frames....trust me you will get to know something called "stutter" AKA "Lag"..

Gaming on a 19" ain't really considered gaming IMO... yea you can play any game you want but you are actually bottlenecking your GPU since it is capable of so much more, even if you use your dual 19's as one big screen....I used to game on a 19" a while back and when I upgraded to a 24" it was a night and day difference....

And there is a difference between gaming and hard-core-gaming....One is more expensive than the other...I hope you get the idea

 

[4Ryan6]

My question is- If, as most people seem to, you are just using your pc for gaming and browsing then is it worth spending so many dollars on an uber system? Is this just becoming another market where we are encoraged to spend our hard earned cash by the egging on of the Industry on upgrades that we don't really need, to benefit what we want? (note the deliberate capital 'I'! )

Damn I'm a cynical bastard and have been into PC's for 20 yrs (And I'm only 28 !) but I can't help feeling that younger and less experienced people of all ages are are being conned out of their cash for better componants than they need by this fast moving market especially at this time.
Your collective thoughts and opinions would be appreciated.
TheBrowneMan

As a moderator here with the responsibility of going over these posts to see just what information is being shared, I've seen many build project suggestions that were dead on the money of coming within someones budget.

So if you're pointing this at THGF, thats just not the case, and if this is meant for high end hardware manufacturers, well they are appeasing the market and Hoo Rah for that, they also produce medium and low range products, for whatever the build you desire to build.

High end products are a seek out commodity, meaning you won't find a GTX 295 or a 4870 X2 on the shelves at Best Buy, and a person needs to educate their own selves on what they're spending their own money on, and whether theres a need for it or not.

As has already been covered by OvrClkr

And there is a difference between gaming and hard-core-gaming....One is more expensive than the other...

Everything he said is dead on.

 

[OvrClkr]

+1 (thumbs up) "4ryan6" ....... You could have not said it any better... [:jaydeejohn:5]

 

[Shadow703793]

^+1. Well said.

 

[Danzo337]

Technology is moving at a rapid pace, and nothings going to stop it.

I personally can't help but feel that all electronics not just computers that I buy these days will have little to no cash value in the long run.

None the less, Like someone said, the market offers different ranges of their products.. You still ultimatley have the decision in the end whether you want a high end rig or main stream.

IMO, let enthusiasts do their thing. If having a watercooled quad makes em happy, so be it.

 

[xtc28]

^^word....WORD

 

[phrostbyte]

Ok, First - I'm currently running an e5200 @ 3.25 (stock 2.5) with no volatage increase with an Akasa 965 cooler, with a 4870 512 (@785GPU/960RAM) on dual 19 inch monitors. Im using 4gb standard ddr2 800 (@866 no voltage increase) with my younger bro's old Foxconn G31 (!) mobo and the 650 watt psu that came with his pre built Zoom system, in an Antec 300 Case. All bought about 2 months ago.
I can run Crysis, Farcry 2,Grid, anything using the older Doom 3 or Unreal T engines(All in 1400*900 at highest graphics and 4X AA under DX 9c on XP)while downloading using Utorrent and firefox in the background with no problems at all.

Total tower cost - Case,CPU,RAM,Cooler,GPU,320gb hd =£300 UK - about $420 US (depending on the current exchange rate!) Mobo, and psu came from my bro, plus old dvdrw and XP I had already.

My question is- If, as most people seem to, you are just using your pc for gaming and browsing then is it worth spending so many dollars on an uber system? Is this just becoming another market where we are encoraged to spend our hard earned cash by the egging on of the Industry on upgrades that we don't really need, to benefit what we want? (note the deliberate capital 'I'! )

Damn I'm a cynical bastard and have been into PC's for 20 yrs (And I'm only 28 !) but I can't help feeling that younger and less experienced people of all ages are are being conned out of their cash for better componants than they need by this fast moving market especially at this time.
Your collective thoughts and opinions would be appreciated.
TheBrowneMan

I have come to the point where it was time to upgrade. I could upgrade my processor for a few hundred and have it maxed to when I want to upgrade a again I really can't or I can upgrade to the newer technology now that way when its time to upgrade again I can. It is true alot pf people probably do buy more than they really need. But that's not a bad plan. Its always better to have some wiggle room for whats next. Some people have butt loads of money and like to spend it! Some people drool over computer parts and just have to have them. If it makes them happy and doesn't ruin there lives, then it doesn't matter. Get what you want people. Just not ALL the time! You only live once, and who knows how long that could really be?