It was the excitement of discovering new worlds and mastering skills that drew you to PC gaming and building.
It was the excitement of discovering new worlds and mastering skills that drew you to PC gaming and building.
I was just wondering what sparked people into this interest. For me, it started when I grew tired of Microsoft's offerings. I needed a gaming setup that allowed online play at no cost, games without high prices, and more storage options. When I was in the early years of eighth grade, I visited my parents and discovered some components—like a core 2 quad and a gigabyte motherboard—but the latter didn't work. Eventually, I picked up an Aussie P5 (something like that) and assembled it. I also found an xt 2600x and a damaged case. It wasn't perfect, but I loved it and kept working on it until I could afford something better. The process was tough; I spent days troubleshooting, dealing with poor airflow, overheating, and slow performance. Even the tiny fan was a challenge. Eventually, I upgraded to a more powerful system with overclocked parts. After months of saving, I finally assembled a solid build. I made several computers for my family and helped fix others, which gave me confidence in recommending gear. What about your experience?
I don't recall World of Warships at all! I was tested in closed alpha on my 2011 iMac with a Radeon HD 6520M graphics card and 512MB of VRAM (back when entry-level iMacs came with a dedicated GPU). I could only run at 1080p with medium settings. I upgraded to the rig I assembled, which now uses a 4690k and an R9 380 4GB. Interestingly, my iMac still has more RAM than my PC—12GB versus 4GB.
My father worked at Digital, and getting early access to PCs sparked his curiosity. Details are hazy, but it likely began around 1990-1992 (when I was 4-6). We owned a few machines during that period, all running DOS, which included my fascination with a game called The Legend of Tully Bodine released in 1995, along with others like Pitfall. I attempted to look up the models those computers would have had, but found little success. Eventually we moved from DOS to Windows 95, so I didn’t use 3.1. The next machine I recall was a Digital model equipped with a Pentium Pro at 200Mhz. I remained stuck on that system until 2001, when I purchased my first gaming PC featuring a P4 1.7Ghz processor, 512MB RAM (possibly upgraded to 1GB), a 60GB hard drive, and a GeForce 2 MX 64MB graphics card. As I became more involved in the gaming scene and online life, I discovered more about custom builds and started crafting my own setup afterward.
It's amazing how quickly technology has advanced. Back then, I remember using Windows XP and even tried to play Halo on it when I was five. I regret missing the golden era of retro gaming. Now I only experience the latest high-end games. I wish I could have been there when Xbox launched and Halo was released. What would I think about it now?
I and my friend often debated what was superior in grade 5. I once claimed Xbox had better graphics, while he argued it was ridiculous. Eventually, I tried playing his PC and discovered games running at 15fps were a new experience for me. Now I’m just surprised how much I’ve changed my mind.
He got the very first PC in the house, and I think he helped pave the way for me to eventually own my own machine and upgrade it over time. As a young person, I was always eager to try whatever was available, and I still am. While no one ever gave me new consoles, my PC evolved alongside me. The first complete build came about ten years after he got it, and those years were also when I reached the height of my PC enthusiasm.
1. My parents introduced me to computers (one worked at MSI).
2. My cousin makes PCs.
3. My uncle or aunt loves computers.
4. Learning about it is enjoyable.
We had a gaming background thanks to our cousin's collection of Super Nintendo and Win95 titles like Action Supercross, Worms, Tommi Mäkinen Rally. When we got a PC running Win95, those kinds of games became available. Family friends also introduced us to Age of Empires 2 and Settlers 3. Later, with WinXP, we tried FPS titles using the AthlonXP and Radeon 9600+ graphics card we bought. Around 2002/3 I began reading PC magazines more often, which deepened my interest in hardware upgrades. Eventually, I upgraded my prebuilt system, but my laptop and the upgraded PC still couldn't handle the games I was playing at the time—like BF2 and CoD4. My DVD drive remains functional from that build, though the motherboard, RAM, and cooler are no longer working; only the disc drive is in decent shape.