Hardware Addicted.

[CDdude55]

Guys, for the past couple of months. I can't stop thinking about upgrading and tweaking my system. For instance, i just got my 4870 about a month ago and i already want to jump on the 5 series bandwagon, i have the available funds for all the hardware i want, but i just don't need it.(i do tons of gaming and web browsing). I have always thought of myself as mainly a gamer but, lately i just want to get more power and performance with my PC. In my Newegg wishlist, i have a P55 upgrade, a Core i7 upgrade, a Phenom II upgrade, and even a LGA775 upgrade. I always need to force into my head that my rig is good enough for future games and that i need to hold off on buying new hardware.(though i have the money burning in my pockets). Sometimes i will find myself randomly browsing newegg for no certain part, i just have it open to check out the latest components.

How do you guys handle this?

[DR.Death]

i dont i am spending money i dont have well i have it just i need it for other things on stuff i really need to stop that

So far there only 1 game out that supports it and few benchmarks, i don't see any reason to rush wait for prices to drop.

[Frick]

My no 1 time waster is probably sitting on Tradera (swedish ebay), hitting the F5 key over and over again, wishing there's something interesting on sale, be it motherboards, phones, IC's or laptops.

Do you have a surplus of $$$? Save and travel man! It's the best way to spend money imo. Or you can pick up an instrument, once you get into that you'll spend a fair amount on it.

[DirectorC]

I handle it by being poor.

[javaking]

Unlike you I don't have the money to burn in my pockets but I still like to check out newegg,tigerdirect
microcenter,fry's.zipzoomfly. By the way I just brought a I7core cpu from microcenter.

[zithe]

I have no money to buy new parts and my board can't overclock very well. I just had my mom order me a kit to BSEL mod my CPU lol as a stocking stuffer although we just give each other the stuff right after we get home from buying it.XD

Get the most out of what you have I guess.

[Triprift]

Im ok financially but i have plenty of priorities before puters and games wich doesnt mean i wont spend but i have family financial and personal stuff to think off.

[MohawkAngel]

For my parts I always wait to buy end of the line parts at local computer store...cheaper but still the bomb parts for a guy like me. paid 450$ for my right and built it myself.

[DonInKansas]

Originally Posted by DirectorC

I handle it by being poor.

+1 to that.

New parts or feed my kids? hmmmmm.............

Mostly the only way I get new parts is by selling/trading old ones.

[TheLaughingMan]

Wow, that explains so many of your posts I don't know where to begin.

I handle it by finding other things I need and or want. One thing I do is collect anime. While I will gladly admit I have and will continue to download samples of series I have not seen (usually the first 2 to 4 episodes) and shows that are no longer licensed and thus not in print, I will eventual spend some money on my oldest passion. Hell I sold a HD 4770 on TPU from my secondary rig to fuel that habit. I can also state my TV, completely replacing my entire collection of under garments (wife beaters, under-ru, socks), and several dates at sushi restaurants were to avoid buying more computer stuff.

Second thing is I have turned the actual act of shopping for deals, new parts, tracking price drops, etc. as a hobby in itself. It is simple. I go to The Egg, TigerD, ZZZ, etc. knowing full well I will not buy a thing. I don't even entertain the thought as I know I can their with the purpose of finding info. I do this every 2 to 3 days as a way to get my new tech stuff fix without spending my hard earned.

I think I will replace the second hobby with working out. If I working out for 30 minutes every time I get the urge to go to shopping or "tech browsing" I will be ripped by the end of Spring.

I talk to much. Sorry

[Shadowdust]

Originally Posted by TheLaughingMan

Second thing is I have turned the actual act of shopping for deals, new parts, tracking price drops, etc. as a hobby in itself. It is simple. I go to The Egg, TigerD, ZZZ, etc. knowing full well I will not buy a thing. I don't even entertain the thought as I know I can their with the purpose of finding info. I do this every 2 to 3 days as a way to get my new tech stuff fix without spending my hard earned.

That's the same way I coped with it when I was the only one working. Now that my wife is working and we have all of this extra income that I had previously learned to live without, it makes it increasingly difficult. I manage to still do well with retail sites, but honestly, the message boards here are like crack to me when it comes to buying/trading. Before coming here, I managed to keep an old Socket A system for four years. Since coming here, I've rebuilt my computer several times over. xD To all of you sellers: Quit making your prices so attractive! I have no way of stopping myself from buying your stuff!

[johnnyfiive]

Welcome to being a hardware enthusiast.

[TheLaughingMan]

Originally Posted by Shadowdust

That's the same way I coped with it when I was the only one working.

It is good to know I am not the only one who does that.

[Shadowdust]

Originally Posted by TheLaughingMan

It is good to know I am not the only one who does that.

Sometimes you just have window shop to nullify the pain.

Originally Posted by johnnyfiive

Welcome to being a hardware enthusiast.

I never really thought of myself so much as an enthusiast but rather more of a scavenger since I always buy the pass-me-downs.

[Kantastic]

I had my head up my ass and was buying new parts for all my upgrades, and even when I built my first system 3 months ago (X58 platform) I paid retail for everything. Now I'm buying everything used because the prices are just so much easier on the wallet, and I know I'll replace the parts before they get even remotely worn out.

Oh and I'm always on TechBargains, SlickDeals, DealSea, Woot, and Yugster looking for deals on stuff I *might* need. If the price is right, I'll buy it.

[Frick]

Originally Posted by Shadowdust

I never really thought of myself so much as an enthusiast but rather more of a scavenger since I always buy the pass-me-downs.

That's the best kind of hardware. I'm never as happy as when I get a phone, smartphone, laptop (or anything that is something remotely electronic) that's "probably broken", and then nurse it back to life.

BTW: What are you doing with 8GB Ram in a HTPC?

[Shadowdust]

Originally Posted by Frick

That's the best kind of hardware. I'm never as happy as when I get a phone, smartphone, laptop (or anything that is something remotely electronic) that's "probably broken", and then nurse it back to life.

BTW: What are you doing with 8GB Ram in a HTPC?

DDR2 pricing fears. I know it isn't really necessary but a fellow member was selling a $50 pair of the same memory modules I had already installed in my HTPC. Prices had already nearly doubled at the stores so I did a kind of impulse buy.

[BraveSoul]

i like this thread, CDdude55 try folding or crunching then u will want to buy even more stuff,,,, haha "tech browsing" sounds nice

[Fourstaff]

Lock your rig and throw the key away.

[twicksisted]

im constantly surfing different sites and building uograde ideas fior myself... when im not doing that im checking out benchmarks and the latest tech... unfortunately thats not my only expensive hobby, I have got another money drainer, my fishtanks!!! amazing how much you can put into those lol

[MatTheCat]

Originally Posted by CDdude55

Guys, for the past couple of months. I can't stop thinking about upgrading and tweaking my system. For instance, i just got my 4870 about a month ago and i already want to jump on the 5 series bandwagon, i have the available funds for all the hardware i want, but i just don't need it.(i do tons of gaming and web browsing). I have always thought of myself as mainly a gamer but, lately i just want to get more power and performance with my PC. In my Newegg wishlist, i have a P55 upgrade, a Core i7 upgrade, a Phenom II upgrade, and even a LGA775 upgrade. I always need to force into my head that my rig is good enough for future games and that i need to hold off on buying new hardware.(though i have the money burning in my pockets). Sometimes i will find myself randomly browsing newegg for no certain part, i just have it open to check out the latest components.

How do you guys handle this?

Handle by knowing that upgrading your current rig purely for gaming is pointless. Existing games are all made to run on the PS3/360 (with the odd exceptions). That means even the system you have got is barely going to get challenged.

I look at things this way. The next upgrade I get, I expect to able to run Crysis (poorly optimsed p.o.s.) maxed out with at least 4FSAA, with not a single dip below the 60fps point ever. Even a combination of the most expensive RAM, CPU + GPU today cannot do that.

If DX11 really is the factor which compells developers to take more of an interest in exploiting the full potential of PC gaming, then the end users are not going to see this for at least 1-1.5 years. However, probably games will be continued to be made primarily for consoles and PC gamers will if we are lucky, get a few extra layers of graphical eye candy at most.

Wait until a real DX11 PC exclusive/centric hits the shelfs like Battlefield 3. If we ever get a real Battlefield 3 game then that will be the time to upgrade and rest assurred, if BF3 does hit the shelves, then a poxy current gen i7 and a 5890 simply will not cut the mustard, just as not even the latest and greatest hardware back in 2005 could cope with BF2 when it was first released.

Maximise your potential by waiting is what I say....if what you got is already good enough....then waiting is easy.

[overclocking101]

when I first got into pc's i had lots of money now I'm broke I used to just buy and upgrade buy and upgrade, now my only source to upgrade is trading on the forums and usually its not really an upgrade. it's called the itch but trust me no matte how new the stuff you get is it's never really as powerfull as you want, there will always be someone qwith higher benches than you, thats how I manage not to spend anymore.

[HossHuge]

Hmm let's see; June 08, I sold my my amd 4800+, 8600GT and 690v motherboard. See my system's spec now. There as been a lot of hardware come and go since then.

I know how you feel but my wife doesn't......

[freakshow]

Originally Posted by DonInKansas

+1 to that.

New parts or feed my kids? hmmmmm.............

Mostly the only way I get new parts is by selling/trading old ones.

i was thinking the same thing lol