I have a hobby that can get pretty expensive if one indulges regularly. I'm a PC gamer. It's not just the games that are expensive--that would be manageable. No, the trouble is that to really indulge in this hobby, it requires a considerable, and regular, outlay for upgrade PC parts. Maybe you need more memory, or a new processor/motherboard combo, etc.
Many people drop four or five hundred dollars every six to eight months or so, on average. It might be for a new processor or video card, or something. Occasionally the outlay is more.
That's what I'm facing. Due to my "going back to school" thing, I haven't had any significant upgrades in about four years. That's an eternity in PC gaming, and I can feel it in my machine. Now that I actually have work, one of my plans (taking into account all my debt) is to replace my computer. Luckily, I'm an enthusiast who builds his own computers, so I can replace parts.
So that's what I've done. I've replaced my old (blurry) 19-inch CRT with a new Dell 27-inch widescreen, my old case with one that was only released at the beginning of the month, a new sound card, and my new power supply is on a UPS truck somewhere. Unfortunately, the motherboard/processor/video card/memory must all be purchased together (or at least installed together) because my current parts are too old for any one of them to be replaced with modern ones.
That will take a little more time (I figure on November), but in the meantime, I can revel in what I've already got. For reference, here's the old case (no shots of the monitor):
When I got this case, it was pretty sweet. Over the years, well, it's been used. Aside from the obvious cosmetic issue of having no front panel, you can see the reset button dangling and the HD and power LEDs are taped to the front. Pretty ugly. And it wasn't just on the outside. As big as it was, it was actually rather cramped to work in because it wasn't very deep at all:
Cable management? What's that?
Now, here are the new shots. All you'll really be able to tell is that it looks good (and the photos pale next to the real thing), but perhaps more importantly, it was an exquisite pleasure to work in that case. I'm really looking forward to changing out more parts in the future. Quite simply, I've never had a case this nice before, and it was truly worth every penny. Oh, and the monitor is clear, sharp, bright, and I love it. One of the first movies I watched on it (I sort of use it as a media machine in my new house) was Sin City--and it was spectacular.
For better case photos, check out this review.
ooohhh...drool!
Hooray for being able to upgrade. I remember when you got the old case and you were so excited. You must have been in heaven when you got this new one!
Oh, you have no idea. The box was bigger than I expected, and when I pulled the thing out, it was huge. And beautiful. It's hard to describe what I felt about the quality of the construction. All I can say is that when you get a new item and it feels exceptionally well made, there's no feeling like it.