Computers, and being an "Enthusiast"? What defines that?

[Lepton87]

Can't wait for new hardware to talk about it and buy, lives eats and breathes this expensive habit most of us have..

I think this is actually a cheap hobby to have. Tuning cars can get really expensive, hell even my stock car (only chiptuned, still 20% more power) cost way more then an order of magnitude of what my hardware cost when I bought it.

 

[red454]

This sounds like a Jeff Foxworthy moment...

You might be an Enthusiast if:

• You spend hours and hours on forums reading up on the latest tech.
• You read forum notifications and news from AnandTech before you read email from your boss (or spouse).
• You have a plan on how to get your computer out of the house if there is a fire.
• You wake up thinking about your computer.
• You go to sleep thinking about your computer.
• The inside of your computer is cleaner than your car.
• Your new hardware hasn't even arrived yet and you are already planning your next upgrade.
• You know all the part numbers and specs of your components but can't remember the names of some family members.

(Go ahead, add some more!)

 

[Idontcare]

This sounds like a Jeff Foxworthy moment...

You might be an Enthusiast if:

• You spend hours and hours on forums reading up on the latest tech.
• You read forum notifications and news from AnandTech before you read email from your boss (or spouse).
• You have a plan on how to get your computer out of the house if there is a fire.
• You wake up thinking about your computer.
• You go to sleep thinking about your computer.
• The inside of your computer is cleaner than your car.
• Your new hardware hasn't even arrived yet and you are already planning your next upgrade.
• You know all the part numbers and specs of your components but can't remember the names of some family members.

(Go ahead, add some more!)

:thumbsup: That is a remarkably good list

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Is there a distinction between "Real Enthusiasts™" and "Wanna Be Enthusiasts™"?

Like, okay, so there's people who incorporate technology into their lives whenever possible, and who solve programming puzzles like normal people do Sudoku.

And then there's the "hurr durr overclock your surrvurr" brigade who would stick a GTX680 in an HTPC because back in '03 they read that nVidia's drivers were better, and yet can barely operate a smartphone.

I mean, you can't beat their enthusiasm.

(I know both of these types IRL, so don't even pretend. Claiming that the second group doesn't post on AnandTech will be viewed as tacit admission of poster's membership in said group.)

 

[Zap]

Why would you buy a computer that's not adequate for your needs?

Nothing is ever adequate for a "real" enthusiast.

You might be an Enthusiast if:

• You spend hours and hours on forums reading up on the latest tech.
• You read forum notifications and news from AnandTech before you read email from your boss (or spouse).
• You have a plan on how to get your computer out of the house if there is a fire.
• You wake up thinking about your computer.
• You go to sleep thinking about your computer.
• The inside of your computer is cleaner than your car.
• Your new hardware hasn't even arrived yet and you are already planning your next upgrade.
• You know all the part numbers and specs of your components but can't remember the names of some family members.

1) Yes.
2) Multitask.
3) Yes.
4) Tie.
5) Tie.
6) Tie.
7) Yes.
8) Yes.

D:

 

[VirtualLarry]

Nothing is ever adequate for a "real" enthusiast.

This is true. Newegg is offering free 8GB of RAM with purchase of a mobo. I almost said "screw haswell" and ordered an ASrock Z77 Extreme4, they had both the mATX and ATX versions in that list.

My main rig (the G630) was really only meant as a placeholder system for a year, to help me reduce my electric bills, and then I planned on replacing it with a nice Haswell quad-core 'K' chip.

 

[2is]

If they are not interested in the nuts and bolts of what they are buying and aren't bothered about tweaking and modding and whats coming out in the future, then they aren't enthusiasts. As the previous poster pointed out, it has to do with interest and knowledge. To use your analogy, if you don't own an 'interesting' car, could you be an enthusiast on the OT-garage?

Well, a lot of people won't buy an interesting car simply because they can't afford one, and like you said, they can still be an enthusiast. I think it's more of a state-of-mind than pure knowledge though. The OP might be a genius in terms of computer hardware, but that doesn't necessarily make him an enthusiast. Someone with relatively little knowledge could still be an enthusiast if he has the desire to learn more about the subject. So I'd say, if the OP got a pre-built system because he wasn't overly enthusiastic about building his own, (which is kind of what it sounds like) then yes, his "enthusiast" level would be a few notches lower than someone who would. I also understand that it was cheaper, but the reality is, when it comes to hobbies, value almost always takes a back seat to enthusiasm (if it exists)

With that said, there's nothing wrong with any of that, and this definition of what is or is not an "enthusiast" is of course, my own opinion.

 

[red454]

Well, I know I have the "disease" with computers.

And model railroads, aquariums, old cars, and old tractors.

Not enough time / money for all of them. At least that is what my wife tells me.

 

[GPz1100]

Some of us are casual enthusiasts. As with all hobbies, the limit is only as deep as your wallet.

 

[Gillbot]

http://valid.canardpc.com/show_oc.php?id=2613613

 

[nitromullet]

Is there a distinction between "Real Enthusiasts™" and "Wanna Be Enthusiasts™"?

Like, okay, so there's people who incorporate technology into their lives whenever possible, and who solve programming puzzles like normal people do Sudoku.

And then there's the "hurr durr overclock your surrvurr" brigade who would stick a GTX680 in an HTPC because back in '03 they read that nVidia's drivers were better, and yet can barely operate a smartphone.

I mean, you can't beat their enthusiasm.

(I know both of these types IRL, so don't even pretend. Claiming that the second group doesn't post on AnandTech will be viewed as tacit admission of poster's membership in said group.)

I don't think there is a distinction. If you are enthusiastic about something, want to be an enthusiast, you probably are. There really isn't an entrance exam...

Of course, someone else' level of knowledge may not be up to the level of yours, but then again you don't have to agree with or like someone just because you may have a common interest.

I also don't see any correlation between smartphones and being a PC enthusiast. A DIY PC and smartphone are almost completely opposite in design and intent.

 

[VirtualLarry]

So I'd say, if the OP got a pre-built system because he wasn't overly enthusiastic about building his own, (which is kind of what it sounds like) then yes, his "enthusiast" level would be a few notches lower than someone who would. I also understand that it was cheaper, but the reality is, when it comes to hobbies, value almost always takes a back seat to enthusiasm (if it exists)

Well, call me a "budget" enthusiast. The whole PC including OS was $200 + tax. (Edit: Not including the $65 120GB SSD, and the $53 GT430 LP card.) If those $60 H61 Foxconn barebones case/PSU/mobo deals had been around when I was buying this, then I might have gone that route instead.

It replaced a (built) E-350 rig that I had spent around $300 on (including OS), that I found to be just a tad too slow.

That replaced the overclocked Q9300 @ 3.0 w/GTX460 card, due to power-consumption reasons. (My electric bill was over $200, for a single person in a small apt.)

Edit: I should mention, I see the same kinds of idle and ave. power usage with the G630, as I did with the E-350 rig. Load is a tiny bit more, and then a bit more beyond that because of the NV GT430 GPU I added.

Under full distributed-computing load, this rig pulls 91W.

My old Q9300 @ 3.0 w/GTX460 would take 260W.

 

[InsaneAdam]

Just give me your badge and no one will get hurt. You can have it back when you buy/build/overclock a haswell


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[Kodongo]

For me, becoming an enthusiast begat building your own computer.

Basically, a few years ago, I had (and still have) a Dell Dimension 530 E4300 1.8GHz Dual Core and I felt it was running a bit slow.

So I decided that I was gonna take £300 and upgrade the hell out of it (keep in mind at this point I knew next to nothing about computers). So after searching a bit I decided that the three aspects of my computer which needed upgrading were CPU, GPU and RAM.

I started with the RAM. I spent £100 on 4GB of OCZ DDR2 and then I took it to my local computer shop and they told me it would be £50 to install the RAM. At this point, I naïvely took their word as gospel, so I brought the PC in and sat there for 15 minutes while they upgraded it. While I was there, I saw that their prices were £60 for a CPU installation, £30 for a GPU installation and I was thinking to myself, its gonna cost me another 50% of what I paid in hardware to get the things to work in my system. After the RAM was installed, I decided to go home and educate myself to see if it was feasible to do it myself in order to avoid these charges.

Little by little, I learnt, mostly through trial and error, about the peculiarities and idiosyncracies of computers.

I tried to throw in a Q6600. Rejected. I assumed it wasn't working and returned it.

I tried to throw in a Q6700. Rejected. I knew that it was something to do with the computer and not the chip then. I finally got privy to the fact that my chipset didn't support quaddies so I finally ended up with an E8600.

As far as GPUs went, I just went with the hype and straight away got an Palit 8800 something or other. Tried to install it. Didn't fit nor did my power supply have the right cables to support it.

Returned the 8800 and settled with a nice XpertVision 8500GT and a new power supply.

Since then, I try to keep up to date with all the tech news and my knowledge has become more profound over the last few years.

I finally did my own build in the summer of 2011 (2600k, XFX 5770 et cetera) but I doubt I would have been able to without all of my previous technological adventures/misadventures.

From wanting to simply make my Dell PC run a bit faster, I guessed I just happened into technology enthusiasm.

 

[Blitzvogel]

Being an enthusiast is simply being "enthusiastic", highly interested and invested in all or specific parts of computer and electronics tech. It doesn't require you to own bleeding edge hardware. Perhaps the most respectable enthusiasts are not the ones who are about bleeding edge, but the ones who are dedicated to making the most out of what they have, just because they can and it's interesting.

It's the person who runs Crysis on a dual Pentium III system.........

 

[Insert_Nickname]

It's the person who runs Crysis on a dual Pentium III system.........

There is an idea...

Now where did I put that dual Socket 370 MB... (runs of to parts locker... )

 

[Nemesis 1]

What if all you want is low gudget hardware with a kick butt case and wire management nice paint job . this is Enthusiast

 

[TylerS]

I am of the oppinion, as many here, that "enthusiast" is about interest how and why your computer is doing what you want it to. I honestly think you can be an enthusiast buying a zbox or stock Dell and making no changes at all -- that is if you spent hours/days (or months as I tend to) researching all of the choices out there to come to the conclusion that it is the right choice for you.

I think you are NOT an enthusiast if you walk into Radio Shack and buy the computer the sales rep says is the right one.

I personally felt I was really an "enthusiast" when I decide to upgrade the video card in my Dell in 2003. I found I needed to upgrade the PSU, which in turn led me to go out to buy a hack saw so I could cut out some of the back panel to make it fit. When I was having fun doing that I knew I was in trouble of starting a very expensive hobby. My girlfriend (now wife) thought I was INSANE!

 

[Zap]

Now where did I put that dual Socket 370 MB... (runs of to parts locker... )

Old Abit board? :wub:

 

[Idontcare]

Old Abit board? :wub:

Loved my BP6, and the 550MHz OC'ed celeries I put into it

 

[Ferzerp]

Loved my BP6, and the 550MHz OC'ed celeries I put into it

Only for you rich folks. We poor college students used the BH6.

 

[Idontcare]

Only for you rich folks. We poor college students used the BH6.

I had two BH6's (one with a PII-450MHz and the other with a 300A OC'ed to 450) in addition to the BP6...and I was living on top-ramen in grad school at the time. (it was just a matter of priorities, I spent very little on beer and a lot on my computers)

Here they are stacked on top of each other in my grad office:

^ that fricken beast of a mustek scanner there cost me $1200, the KVM sitting above it was another $800 Such a waste of money that could have gone to pizza and pitchers

Eventually space in that little grad office got even tighter, so I mounted the basic components of the BH6 rigs onto two boards (as in wood) and physically screwed them to the wall next to the ceiling where they wouldn't be in my way anymore:

 

[2is]

You're an enthusiest if you bust out your box of old components, put together a functional computer, install an OS on there and when you're done, think to yourself "now why the !@#$ did I just waste my time on this???"

 

[cbn]

You're an enthusiest if you bust out your box of old components, put together a functional computer, install an OS on there and when you're done, think to yourself "now why the !@#$ did I just waste my time on this???"

 

[bononos]

I had two BH6's (one with a PII-450MHz and the other with a 300A OC'ed to 450) in addition to the BP6...and I was living on top-ramen in grad school at the time. (it was just a matter of priorities, I spent very little on beer and a lot on my computers)

Here they are stacked on top of each other in my grad office:
.....

Brings back memories when beige was king. Unfortunately my 300A was Costa Rican and couldn't do 450.