How do you/we afford such extravagant computer systems?

[Rubycon]

I was thinking the same thing. My dad bought an AST (remember them?) with a CD Rom and Windows in 94 much cheaper than that. I think less than $2000.

Could have been an EISA system. Those were $$$. RIP Zeos computers.

My broker/system assembler has been faced with delay after delay on one of my systems. He send me two loaded macbook pro 17s to make up for it. That probably gives you an idea of the scope of things.

 

[Baked]

The current computer I have at home is a little over 1K. I don't even remember what parts are in it. I built it a year ago I think.

1st computer I bought came out to around 2.5K I think. Stuff are so much more cheaper than when I first started that's for sure.

 

[Bateluer]

Why do have to justify any purchase?

Because its not fair that you can afford the more expensive hardware and others cannot.

 

[waggy]

When i didn't have kids i used to upgrade every year. now that my kids are older i do it when games don't work.

i was going to make a sonz joke..but just couldn't do it.

 

[HamburgerBoy]

Because its not fair that you can afford the more expensive hardware and others cannot.

I didn't get that out of the op. No one is saying that they shouldn't be allowed to. They're just looking for a reason better than "Because I can".

 

[SKORPI0]

Not sure what you mean by "we". I'm a frugal person by nature, but when I have the "need" to upgrade anything I make sure it's bang for the buck.

Like my 5 yr old Asus P5K Premium, Q6600 , 8GB DDR2, 9600GT 1024mb (spent $1500) system. Sure it's slow compared to today's but it does what I need it for.

Of course I'm having this "itch" to upgrade it to a Intel x79 LGA 2011, i7-3820, GTX 560Ti 448, 16GB DDR3 system ($1200 for these parts alone) since I've been lately doing video remux/re encoding. Since time is money, it should be worth it in the long run.

 

[Bignate603]

Most people can afford some incredibly expensive things, its just how much they're willing to give up to do it.

Heck, if I REALLY wanted a brand new Ferrari I could get one. I'd have to chose quite a bit to give up and save for a few years but I could pay cash for one if that's really what I wanted to do. People have different priorities.

 

[ponyo]

Could have been an EISA system. Those were $$$. RIP Zeos computers.

My broker/system assembler has been faced with delay after delay on one of my systems. He send me two loaded macbook pro 17s to make up for it. That probably gives you an idea of the scope of things.

Zeos computers. Wow. That brings back memories. One of the first stock I purchased was Zeos. I debated whether to buy Zeos or Dell stock. I chose Zeos and scored 5 bagger. If I bought Dell, I would've probably scored like 100 bagger.

 

[Tweak155]

I probably have $700 in SSD's alone. But that is my highest investment and they speed up 4 different computers (arguably the best upgrade you can do). Other than that I go cheap. My 5770 died and I replaced it with a 6870. Nice and mid-grade but runs everything I need.

Also I can upgrade semi-frequently by selling my used parts. Makes the new ones cheaper, especially when you aim for mid-high instead of high.

I can sell this video card in a year for half what I paid for it and get a new one if I wanted to and it would cost me $75. But as long as it lasts 3 years (which I'm hoping it does) it is only $50/yr and plus I could still probably sell it for something

 

[Bignate603]

Yeah it is. Salt does that. If you are fortunate to live in a place where they don't salt the roads, then maybe cars do last longer. They don't make cars like they used to. They are purposely made to rust so you can buy a new one faster. You can get undercoating etc to try to make it last longer though, but I'm talking about if you don't do anything special to it.

I grew up in upstate New York where they heavily salted the roads. If your car needs tons of repairs after 2 years there is something wrong. I've had a few cars that eventually had serious issues because of rust but they were all well over 10 years old.

 

[PatrickBateman]

idk, never understood it either, my 6870 plays BF3 and MW3 seamlessly... never understood why you need 2 or 3 of those darn things...

same here....with core i5 2500 and 8gb ram

 

[secretanchitman]

bought my first ever laptop back in 2007 (15" macbook pro, 2.2ghz c2d, 8600GT 128MB), and i saved up all summer for it. since then, i have bought and sold my machine each year and paid the difference (usually less than $200) for the current model at that time, and now use a 2011 15" macbook pro that is pretty much maxed out.

i now am 110% completely satisfied with my laptop. it is way more capable than any machine ive ever used, and i will use it until it is completely outdated (which wont happen for a long, long time).

 

[Joseph F]

They don't have lives.

Even if you're making bank and are fiscally responsible so you can easily afford such a rig, the "fiscally responsible" says you won't buy something that ridiculous.
I can afford such a rig, but I do great on a $350 Dimension E521 from 2006 with a $35 9600GT on a 21" CRT I got for free. I simply don't need anything more. My BiL has nearly a million saved, but instead of spending $2000/yr on a computer, he takes his wife on international vacations twice a year. His gaming rig is just a Phenom II X4 925 and 6770 (recently upgraded from a 3000+ and 320MB 8800GTS for under $200) with a monitor he salvaged from work.

So, anyone who spends a good bit of money on their hobby is automatically irresponsible?

my first home built computer, in 1993 cost me $5000
Intel 386DX-33 Mhz, 8 MB RAM, 210 MB HD, 8 bit Soundblaster, 14.4bps modem, 14" CRT monitor
no CDROM, they weren't out yet

Are you sure that it was '93? They had Pentiums out by then that cost no more than $5k.

 

[JimmiG]

I can't afford or justify it..

However computers aren't that expensive compared to many other hobbies. Even if you go silly and buy the most expensive CPU, motherboard, 12GB of high-quality RAM, 3 high-end video cards, lots of SSD storage etc., we're still talking thousands of dollars, not tens of thousands. If you live alone and have a decent income, that's not impossible to manage. It all depends on your priorities and what other expenses you have.

 

[TallBill]

I've dropped $2k on a pc before.. but I was just returning from 14 months in Iraq so...

 

[allenk09]

I just spent about $350 building the system below in my signature. Plays everything pretty good, has enough power for what I want to do. Could use a DX11 card though. I'm pretty poor and cant afford much, but it works.

 

[Doppel]

Many working adults could pay for these setups, it's just that they are not interested to; they'd rather spend thousands gutting a kitchen than paying for a fast computer.

 

[Modelworks]

credit cards !
Many of those people spending the cash are like the same people who bought houses they can't afford.

 

[Dr. Zaus]

You sure you have the date right? The 386 was old by '93. 1993 was the year the Tandy Sensation came out with a 486SX-33, 4MB RAM, a 212MB HDD, Soundblaster 16, and a double-speed CD-ROM, for around $2000.

so much this.

 

[Tiamat]

This will always be the divide between normal consumers like you and hobbyists. The second it turns into a hobby, budgets get a different threshold. Especially when it comes to overclocking, water cooling, and silencing computers. These in particular can become obsessions.

 

[Exterous]

Priorities tied to income/expenses. I used to spend more on my computer but now that we are saving more for retirement/vacations/house improvements I don't spend as much on computers

Having deal alerts on slickdeals for parts helps too

Yeah it is. Salt does that. If you are fortunate to live in a place where they don't salt the roads, then maybe cars do last longer. They don't make cars like they used to. They are purposely made to rust so you can buy a new one faster. You can get undercoating etc to try to make it last longer though, but I'm talking about if you don't do anything special to it.

Uh....since when? We have an 05 civic that we got used in 05 and the only rust it's gotten through 7 years is a little dime sized spot near the window that was easily taken care of

My other car I got 2 years ago (also an 05 model) has had 0 rust problems and there is plenty of salt use around here

 

[IronWing]

I have have a job.
I don't have kids.
I bought a modest home.
I don't spend money on cable, smokes, or booze.
I wanted one.

Your priorities may vary.

 

[BladeVenom]

I'm jealous and intrigued!

Don't be jealous, or try to keep up with the fanatical upgraders.

Like others have said, you don't need to spend much to play all the games that are out there. Most of those games were made to run on consoles which are 6 years old now. Even a moderately priced graphics card will easily run every available game.

In the past it was more expensive, but not anymore. I only spend a fourth of what I use to for a new PC.

 

[Fritzo]

They take money that normal people spend on a wide range of things and spend it all on that one thing.

:thumbsup:

 

[GoStumpy]

Very informative posts, thanks everyone! Lets keep it going!

Personally, I see why I can't justify it, with a mortgage, wife, plans to have kids, vehicles that need repairs, landscaping, home renovations, dreaded CC debt (slightly caused by my computers), I just can't feel good about spending more than a little bit on my computers!

Which is too bad considering how much I love building and modifying them!!

I'm just glad I found my Antec P182SE case, it helps me feel like an enthusiast without spending too much $$$