QOTD: How Much Did You Spend on Your PC?

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We're all computer and hardware enthusiasts. We all love building, tweaking, and upgrading our systems for the most performance.

That said, often times stores and other places still try to rip you off. So it's best to shop around and shop where most of your friends shop so you can have a bit of peace of mind. Online shops also provide speedy service and cheaper prices than local stores. Who shops at local stores these days anyway right?

I remember buying a stick of 32 MB of EDO DRAM way back when, for $300! Those times are gone now. After I moved on to a more powerful system, the 32 MB of EDO was still useful, in my Sound Blaster AWE 32--yep, it took memory modules.

The question of the day is: How much have you spent on your entire PC?

Include things like speakers, etc. What's the most costly part of your computer?

Was it all worth it?

Tuan An Nguyen
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152 Comments Comment from the forums
  • matchboxmatt
    I spent $1200 on my Dell in 2005. Then it exploded.

    I built a new computer for $350 and took the CPU, GPU, and HDDs from the dead Dell and put it in here. It's just been a series of upgrades since.
    Reply
  • My latest component upgrades cost $650, but $1700 over the life of the oldest component has been spent, Spent the most on HD4870 then Asus P5Q Mobo and have not looked back
    Reply
  • pjmelect
    I spend absolutely zero on my PC, my computer is built up from parts I manage to scrounge from various places including out of tips skips etc. My current main system is an Athlon 3000 with 1 gig of RAM and a 120 Gig hard drive and a Ti4200 graphics card. I may not have the fastest system but in only a few years I will manage to scrounge the most powerful computer available today.
    Reply
  • pjmelect
    I spend absolutely zero on my PC, my computer is built up from parts I manage to scrounge from various places including out of tips skips etc. My current main system is an Athlon 3000 with 1 gig of RAM and a 120 Gig hard drive and a Ti4200 graphics card. I may not have the fastest system but in only a few years I will manage to scrounge the most powerful computer available today.
    Reply
  • mrndn1
    I usually spend about $1,500 each time I build a PC. On that budget, I'm consistently able to put together a nice gaming machine with good hardware and a nice new case. I usually use Shuttle cases because they're small, easy to store, and able turn into ok-looking media center computers once their lifespan as a gaming rig comes to an end. Is it worth it to do this every 1-3 years? It's worth every penny. I love building and owning a new custom PC.
    Reply
  • starryman
    1992 I bought my first PC. 386DX 40 processor. 16 MB ram (that was about $600 - remember not GIG but MB). 60MB hard drive (again not gig but MB). 2MB video card. 14" color monitor. Ran Windows 3.1. My total price with 1.44 floppy drive was I believe $2,300.

    My beater computer today CoreDuo 2, 4Gig ram, 1Gig Ram Video Card, two 640Gig HD, 2 dvd burners, blah blah... $850.
    Reply
  • avericia
    I built my first system last November q9550@3.2 on a 780iftw with sli gtx260 core 216 SC, corsair 1000w, and a 24in benQ and I spent around $2200 total. It was worth every penny. I never thought a comp could be this fast and never bog down or crash...... for now lol
    O ya and I will never buy a $500 dell junk box ever again!!
    And a Big thanks to tomshardware for helping me to build and OC my rig
    Reply
  • anamaniac
    The first computer I bought (though I had a few before it) was $800. I still have it. 1.8ghz amd64, 512mb ram, onboard graphics.

    The current was $700 initially. pentium D at 2.8ghz, 1gig ram, nvidia 7500LE 256mb graphics, 80gig hdd.
    I immediately added a 250gig hdd for $120. I just added a $90 ati 4670 512mb.
    The keyboard came with the rig. The mouse was $60 4 years back. The speakers cost $20. The 17" LCD cost $450 3.5 years back (ripoff). A second LCD for free.
    I bought everything locally.
    Total setup is about $1500 if I include AV software (foolish of me).

    Its been worth every penny. Except the LCD which viewsonic won't fix even though it has power issues. About to spent a few hundred more, slowly on mobo, psu, ram, then hdd.

    All pricing is in Canadian. I;d say $1200 USD ;)
    Reply
  • tiredwolf
    Never more than 1000$ but usually around that price range, lasts a long time with minor upgrades like more ram and possibrly a VGA swap. But I don't need to upgrade the monitor I have a 22 in and hardly see a differnce in the new HD monitors so don't feel a need to upgrade.
    Reply
  • The_Blood_Raven
    $250 for i7 920, $300 for MSI Eclipse, $150 for 6GB DDR3, 1 $550 4870 X2 and 1 $400 4870 X2, $120 1TB HDD, $220 1000w Enermax PSU, $300 for TJ07, $250 for blu-ray burner, $180 Asus D2X, and about $950 worth of watercooling equipment. About $3700 which is a lot, but then again I make $15 and hour and only have a car payment, gas, and insurance to pay so I'm hoping this will last me through college.
    Reply