- Jan 13, 2009
- 2,331
- 16
- 81
A little background first. About 3 years ago, I deviated from the typical gaming PC build, I went with a modest HTPC setup. I5 2400 (non K) 2x4GB 1333 MHz sticks, 520W PSU, 128GB SSD for the OS and a 7950 GPU. It served extremely well, even after driving a 1440p monitor with it.
A good friend of mine wanted to get into PC gaming for a long time but couldn't afford a proper PC setup, since he was starting from scratch. He tried to build one a few years ago, even bought a few components but ultimately failed to secure the budget for the most expensive parts. His girlfriend goes on shopping sprees that sabotage his effort to build the PC or just save up money. Eventually he just gave up and sold the parts, doesn't make enough money so it was easier for him to get a 360 even though the 360 and xbox live ended up costing more all these years, he got the console soon after it launched and wasn't buying the cheapest annual membership, was paying monthly fees.
Recently I decided to upgrade and started from scratch myself. I had decided a long time ago to give him the HTPC and to get him started with proper gaming. Wiped the HTPC and set it up for him. Bought Witcher 3 and a couple of other games for him, the most relevant PC titles from the past few years.
Once I told him he's getting my PC, he sold his 360, the games he collected over the years were more valuable than the console itself. He canceled the xbox subscription and bought a decent 1080p monitor and storage. He was playing the 360 games and watching movies on a ancient 720p TV.
Fast forward to a month ago, he texted me to let me know the monitor arrived. I grabbed the HTPC and went over to his place. He had a few people over so after I got there, I went into the other room and set everything up while he was entertaining his guests. After I set it all up, I joined him and the guests, I could tell he was getting increasingly anxious to see the setup. Half an hour later, guests left so I pulled the curtains and "unveiled" the present.
He's a huge RPG fan and the last notable title he played was Dragon Age: Inquisition on the 360. I fired up Witcher 3 and let the game do the rest.
Over the past month, we hung out a few times, he can't get enough of PC gaming now. To be honest, I envy him a little because he's experiencing a few games for the first time and I miss that feel of playing a great game for the first time. He was clueless to many great games that have come out in the last 10 years.
The 7950 and the rest of the HTPC should hold up well for 1080p in the near future. I'll give him my 970 and the 1440p monitor too once I decide my GPU upgrade path. I've also introduced him to trading forums on popular tech sites, that was an eye opener for him too. He's sworn off consoles for good, he's gushing over FEAR, Dishonored and Crysis but he's absolutely hooked on Witcher 3. He did the math, looks like he spent more than a grand total on the 360. Says the biggest regret is not using credit to buy a PC instead.
There was some unpredictable euphoria too, I never knew someone could get so excited about an ad blocker lol. He used to browse on his girlfriend old Apple laptop, it's so old I couldn't figure out which model it is. He's watching E3 coverage and he's all smiles knowing he'll be able to play those games too.
I knew the transition would be hard so I bought him one of those things that are typically plugged into consoles, you hold them in your hands when you play console games and it has buttons you have to mash. It was funny watching him try to play PC FPS's with those. He's learning quick and scrambles to mouse+kb when it's FPS time.
A good friend of mine wanted to get into PC gaming for a long time but couldn't afford a proper PC setup, since he was starting from scratch. He tried to build one a few years ago, even bought a few components but ultimately failed to secure the budget for the most expensive parts. His girlfriend goes on shopping sprees that sabotage his effort to build the PC or just save up money. Eventually he just gave up and sold the parts, doesn't make enough money so it was easier for him to get a 360 even though the 360 and xbox live ended up costing more all these years, he got the console soon after it launched and wasn't buying the cheapest annual membership, was paying monthly fees.
Recently I decided to upgrade and started from scratch myself. I had decided a long time ago to give him the HTPC and to get him started with proper gaming. Wiped the HTPC and set it up for him. Bought Witcher 3 and a couple of other games for him, the most relevant PC titles from the past few years.
Once I told him he's getting my PC, he sold his 360, the games he collected over the years were more valuable than the console itself. He canceled the xbox subscription and bought a decent 1080p monitor and storage. He was playing the 360 games and watching movies on a ancient 720p TV.
Fast forward to a month ago, he texted me to let me know the monitor arrived. I grabbed the HTPC and went over to his place. He had a few people over so after I got there, I went into the other room and set everything up while he was entertaining his guests. After I set it all up, I joined him and the guests, I could tell he was getting increasingly anxious to see the setup. Half an hour later, guests left so I pulled the curtains and "unveiled" the present.
He's a huge RPG fan and the last notable title he played was Dragon Age: Inquisition on the 360. I fired up Witcher 3 and let the game do the rest.
Over the past month, we hung out a few times, he can't get enough of PC gaming now. To be honest, I envy him a little because he's experiencing a few games for the first time and I miss that feel of playing a great game for the first time. He was clueless to many great games that have come out in the last 10 years.
The 7950 and the rest of the HTPC should hold up well for 1080p in the near future. I'll give him my 970 and the 1440p monitor too once I decide my GPU upgrade path. I've also introduced him to trading forums on popular tech sites, that was an eye opener for him too. He's sworn off consoles for good, he's gushing over FEAR, Dishonored and Crysis but he's absolutely hooked on Witcher 3. He did the math, looks like he spent more than a grand total on the 360. Says the biggest regret is not using credit to buy a PC instead.
There was some unpredictable euphoria too, I never knew someone could get so excited about an ad blocker lol. He used to browse on his girlfriend old Apple laptop, it's so old I couldn't figure out which model it is. He's watching E3 coverage and he's all smiles knowing he'll be able to play those games too.
I knew the transition would be hard so I bought him one of those things that are typically plugged into consoles, you hold them in your hands when you play console games and it has buttons you have to mash. It was funny watching him try to play PC FPS's with those. He's learning quick and scrambles to mouse+kb when it's FPS time.