So where does the membership of Anandtech (video) stand on the PC owning persons and PC enthusiasts spectrum

[josh6079]

I guess I'm a well-off enthusiast. I don't always contain myself to a strict price/performance ratio (hence the owning of an X1900XTX) but for the most part I try to. Getting other high end components isn't a problem for me, it just that I don't do so until I see the "upgrades" to be justified or needed. Just a year ago I had nothing but dial-up, a suxbox, and an hour commute to the nearest civilization. I think that's why I tend to go for the high-end components, because of how I never had high-end things until recently. Many other members here I think come and see just how diverse the gaming rigs are at Anandtech, mostly ranging from $200 investments to $600 ones and they can normally find someone who's in the same boat as them and recieve help.

Like other members have said, I think a lot of us have started out as gamers and grew to appreciate quality engineering. That and the control/diversity that you have with a computer is hard to go again without.

 

[Polish3d]

Ok here's my story. I think I've always been a bit of an enthusiast;

Both my parents are software/hardware architects/engineers, so as early as the the 80x86 days we had pcs at home. I used to love playing the old DOS games when I was like 8-9 years old, Space Quest (awesome!!) et al

My dad used to be a design guy for AT&T and so I was able to surf the internet before public access was all that widespread. Browsing it back then was slow as all hell, it was only yellow text IIRC and you'd use the arrow keys to move from available link to available link.

Windows 3.1 on our 386 was really cool.

When I was 16 I worked for summer mostly full time at KFC to save up a thousand bucks or so which my mom (parents now divorced) matched part of and I bought an (at the time) top end Gateway Pentium II 400mhz system

I kept that one for awhile while doing other things until my mom gave me a PC from her work for school since mine was getting damn slow. It was a P4 1.8ghz machine... I researched it to see where it stood amongst the technology of the day and decided to buy a better system after selling that one.

Several systems later, here I am, and currently saving up to jump over to conroe and watercooling

PS, I admit, I am a power fantatic. I want fast, fast and faster. It's actually thrilling to me to see my BF2 FPS for instance pass 120+, or to watch how fast windows starts up etc etc

 

[rbV5]

I'd have to place myself as a longtime PC hobbyist/enthusiast these days. I used to build a small number of PC's, but no longer have the time/drive to support that end of it.

I have several family members in the PC graphics industry, which really started my interests in PC's beyond gaming. I have been gaming since the Commodore 64 era, computing since the punch tape/Teletype era, and was proficient in DOS and Lotus 123. I learned to repair PC's with my 286, and learned 3D graphics with POV-ray.

I currently have 4 PC's operating here at home and use them as HTPC's, Gaming, Home music recording studio, Development, Graphics, Video and Photography workstations. I operate a large console of PC's that control a large munincipal Water treatment plant for work as well. I also spend some time beta testing, mostly Catalyst Drivers for ATI these days.

Somehow I find time to pursue my hobby while also taking care/spending time with my wife and kids, working the garden and taking care of our home. I'm lucky to have the income that enables me to do all this stuff.

 

[potato28]

Im just a poor-ass enthusiast that turns low end stuff(my crappy 6600gt and 3200+ Whinchester) into half decent stuff(6600gt at 540/1320 and Whinchester is sitin at 5% oc). At 1078x768, I get over 100 fps in CSS.

 

[akugami]

I'm an enthusiast and after bang for the buck. I buy mostly mid-range parts and overclock them. I don't necessarily need the best, though that'd be nice, just want to be in the top 10-15 percentile. I can afford a $1000 CPU and a $1200 SLI/Crossfire system. However, my budget is constrained by the common sense to not overspend as well as a lack of need to keep up with the Joneses or improve the size of my e-penis. Besides, the Atlantic City casinos beckon...much to the chagrin of the "other." I was actually gambling until they closed recently.