Computers vs Money
Hey guys, it’s Icarus again.
So, I’ve been going on different computer forums, and every single day I see at least one post, saying something like “$1500 budget. Need help with Build”. So I go in the thread, type out my opinions and personal experiences, some suggestions, and wallah, I try to help them.
Now, what kinda bugs me is when there’s a thread that says something w/ an outrageous budget, like “$5000 Budget. Need Build suggestions”. So, I go in there, and they have all of these super-expensive computer parts, just beyond high-end, to the point where it’s a completely enthusiast machine.
If you know anything about computers, how to build them, and how to select parts, you know that some things are out of your reach. But just going all out on a computer seems somewhat absurd to me. For example, say you have an Intel Q6600 machine w/ an 8800GT, a P35 motherboard, 2GB of DDR2 800 RAM, a case, optical drive, HDD, PSU, and a 22″ monitor. Now, I would be really happy w/ that; overall, it will give some very nice performance. Comes out to a total of, say 1200 dollars.
Now, compare that to a $3000 dollar machine equipped w/ Intel QX6800, an nVidia 790i motherboard, 2 9800GX2’s in SLI(when it becomes possible), 2GB of DDR3 RAM, a Cosmos S 1100 case, water cooling, a 1KW PSU, and a 24″ monitor. Will you see much of a difference? Maybe in numbers, but maybe not quite in physical performance. Sure, you have a larger monitor, more graphics power, and I guess more of everything. But does that really justify the cost difference of $1800? Sure, you can play all the games at max settings, you can multi-task a lot, and all that good stuff. But in my opinion, there isn’t that much physical performance difference that’ll justify the ridiculous cost difference between the solid and enthusiast machine. You can have the bragging right of having the largest 3D Mark score in your group of friends, but you’ll be the one w/ all the extras you don’t need. I don’t think it’s much of “what you want” issue anymore, now it’s the issue of “what you need”.
Wow, got that all out of my system. I feel much better 
Well, see you later!
Icarus
What’s in store for this site: MANY hardware reviews to come, game reviews, and much more. Stay tuned!
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