Anybody else sick of the waste?

shanethemofo

uberpixie wrote:

I think the only thing I ever see as wasteful is people who go out and put together a €2500+ rig and then sell it on less than a year later to build another rig that is really only a bit of a speed bump in comparison to the old one.:eek:

I usually try and get at least 2 1/2 to 3 years out of a rig at least before I change it totally, (there is the odd little upgrade or two within that time of course)

Just don't see the point of upgrading the entire machine sooner and I dont have the money to do it either!

But that is just me:D

But if you are somebody who constantly upgrades then you might only spend ~ 1k, 1.5k a year because your constantly selling old stuff to part finance the new stuff. that makes sense but its the initial startup money that is the main problem with this method

L31mr0d

shanethemofo wrote:

But if you are somebody who constantly upgrades then you might only spend ~ 1k, 1.5k a year because your constantly selling old stuff to part finance the new stuff. that makes sense but its the initial startup money that is the main problem with this method

yeah this is how I reason it. The initial cost is what kills you but after that you can pretty much live on around an extra 1k a year for a top of the line PC with getting the parts second hand and selling off the old stuff.

DirkVoodoo

Very interested by your recent build log L31mrod, do you use ebay for these second hand purchases as well as adverts? Is it safe enough buying from the states (customs/jerkhole sellers, etc.)?

I think this second hand market is a PC builders dream. most components don't get overclocked, modern fans come equipped with fantastic bearings and are easy enough to swap out in PSUs, heat sinks, etc. and protection like "double lifetime warranties" only sweeten the deal.

L31mr0d

DirkVoodoo wrote:

I think this second hand market is a PC builders dream. most components don't get overclocked, modern fans come equipped with fantastic bearings and are easy enough to swap out in PSUs, heat sinks, etc. and protection like "double lifetime warranties" only sweeten the deal.

What i've found to be the ideal position to be in for the compulsive PC builder on a budget is around 6 months behind the leading edge hardware. It is also usefull to position yourself to recieve the hardware as its disgarded by the builders who have to have the best as soon as it comes out... or run up too many credit card bills and have to pay them off :rolleyes:

I would never recommend any sites to buy stuff off as your experience will change with every seller. I've never had a problem, but i'm not naive enough to think I never will. Plus the process is a lot longer. I've been getting the components together for my next build since March and i'm still probably a few weeks away from having all of them. But the money saved was worth it. It paid for my 42" Plasma TV and z5500 sound system. Oh and i've never had to pay import tax as the packages come from private individuals rather than businesses.

Anti

L31mr0d wrote:

what resolution are you playing games at? 800x600? I can't believe your claim that you are able to play these games at max settings using a 6800LE. I had a spec almost identical to yours at the beginning of last year (had the 3700+ at 2.7Ghz and 6800Ultra, a lot better than the LE) and it was FEAR that convinced me to upgrade my graphics card as I was getting FPS below 20 at 1280x1024 with everything on high.

I'm now on a 1080P plasma, and my 8800GTX just barely runs Spiderman 3, DiRT and GRAW 2 at max settings... try running those games on your PC, games that actually are new and actually require a high spec PC.

I personally only upgrade out of necessity. If I can't run a game or app or my PC is slower than i'd like it I upgrade. I purposely have avoided buying into the P35 chipset as I don't plan on upgrading again for at least another year.

I agree, there is no way that spec pc will run cnc3 at high res and max details with aa and af. The 6800le is a budget card. And the 3700+ is only a single core cpu. And you only have 1gig of ram.

DemonOfTheFall

[DM]-TheDOC- wrote:

i have cnc 3 and play it full spec, not a bother .

Don't think so buddy.

Core2 at 3.00GHz with 2GB 800MHz 4-4-4-12 RAM, 256MB X1900XT.

C&C3 gets a bit jerky for me with 1680x1050 High. Don't think I even have AA or AF on.

uberpixie

L31mr0d wrote:

What i've found to be the ideal position to be in for the compulsive PC builder on a budget is around 6 months behind the leading edge hardware. It is also usefull to position yourself to recieve the hardware as its disgarded by the builders who have to have the best as soon as it comes out... or run up too many credit card bills and have to pay them off :rolleyes:

By the sounds of it you seem to stay very up to date the smart way and it sounds like the best way of doing it.

Personally I just prefer to build and machine, beat it until it works well and then get it to STFU and stay in the corner and just work. Drag as much life out of it as possible, prop it up with an upgrade or two then strip it for parts and rebuild at the end of its life.

It wouldn't suit me to constantly be swapping in and out parts and I usually couldn't be arsed with buying 2nd hand and dealing with sellers over the net.
(That said it does seems like a very good idea and it's something I will start looking into it a bit more, build time is coming up soon for me)

I suppose it comes down to how well you like to play games: it doesn't bother too much having to lower gfx settings towards the end of a machines life, it's just a sign to me I should start to build in the next few months and I start to look at parts and reviews a bit closer.

I really do like to drag as much life out of the hardware as possible and will wait a while to see what is around the corner techwise before I build: at the very least the older stuff gets cheaper:D.

I also game off a 17" tft, which will not be replaced until it dies. I'm sure if I was gaming off a 22"+ TFT I would be upgrading every year or so with fresh parts to stay playing at native res.

The current rig is a Shuttle box:3500+, 1 gig of ram and a X800XT PE.

Not up to much above 1024 x 768 @ medium to low settings in graphic intensive modern games: a very modest spec but it will still play Company of Heroes on medium to low settings at 1280 x 1024 and anything older runs fine.

No way in hell a similar spec can run a game such a C&C3 or Graw at full settings though. (you will play well on medium to low though @ low res)

DirkVoodoo

uberpixie wrote:

Personally I just prefer to build and machine, beat it until it works well and then get it to STFU and stay in the corner and just work. Drag as much life out of it as possible, prop it up with an upgrade or two then strip it for parts and rebuild at the end of its life.

Possibly the worst case of domestic PC abuse I have come across .

TonyM.

Some of the computers at the E-BAY Dell outlet are worth looking at i picked up a pc for €201.00 and kept the hard drive and modem and got €200 for the remaining parts.

stevejazzx

my new rig now consists of

aq6600 - 290 from flaccus/adverts
2gb top gskill ram - 120 from richard downer/adverts
monitor 20' lg - 250 from friend
case, mobo 300e - from 0c
dvdrw - 15e sterling form ocuk ./clearance itme
xfx 8800gts - 300

less than 1400 altogether and it's pretty much top of the range
what these guys do with 3.5k i don't know....2x8800gtx? madness in my opinion...900 euo on a cpu - insanity!

uberpixie

DirkVoodoo wrote:

Possibly the worst case of domestic PC abuse I have come across .

Its not abuse its love.


(fear is the same as love right......?)