How My First Build Changed My Life

[EpicEric]

I am 14 years old. Since last winter, I've wanted a gaming PC. Because of COVID-19, I had online school and I was able to have more free time, which I used to start a small yard work business. My first job was on May 5th. Around this time, I started planning the first version my parts list, which included a 9700K and a 2080 Super. Business grew, and by summer, I was making over CAD$1000 per month.

 

Here is what my equipment looked like. This picture was taken in July.

By mid-August, I had nearly enough money to buy the parts, and an updated parts list, including a new 10700K. I didn't think I would actually end up with it, but I persevered. A few weeks later, I finally bought the parts. I was able to snatch the last 10700K at my local Canada Computers store.

 

My original build can be found here:

 

Additionally, here are a few more pictures of this.

I greatly enjoyed gaming on this system, and I felt very proud of my efforts. The story doesn't end here, however. Around the beginning of September, Nvidia announced the upcoming RTX 3000 cards. I wanted the 3080, and I was still able to return my 2080 Super to the store. (Slight coil whine that didn't really bother me allowed me to return it if I wanted to.) I decided to return the card and temporarily get a GTX 1650 Super, which I didn't actually end up using, and ended up returning unopened.

 

Around this time, I was starting to look for my first job. Given my interest in computers, I applied at a local computer shop that specializes in IT. I won't mention the name of it, because it is rather small and local. A week later, I was hired for part-time work after school. I am so happy to be able to do something that I am passionate about and that I enjoy doing.

 

I was also able to build free computers from hardware destined to be recycled. Since my gaming rig didn't have a graphics card, I used a free PC that I built from there for that time period. It has an i5 3570, a GT630, and 16GB of ram.

 

On September 17, at the exact moment that Canada Computers opened that day, I immediately backordered the Tuf Gaming 3080 OC. I chose this card because I think it looks great, and I heard good things about it from people who got it early. I was the 2nd person in line for this specific card. On October 2nd, I was notified that a small shipment of Tuf Gaming 3080 OC's arrived. I got the card the next day. I immediately unboxed and installed it. Here are a few pictures of it.

After I got the 3080, things started to settle. I was extremely happy. At work, things got better. I fit in perfectly, and I was very proud to be there. I biked to work every day after the online portion of my school. As the weeks went on, I found myself thinking about how my PC probably changed the course of my life. I probably wouldn't have considered working there, or working at all, if it wasn't for this. I'm extremely grateful for where it has taken me, the things I've experienced, and the people I have met along the way.

 

 

Thanks to all for reading this. I thought it would be nice to post this here since I was heavily inspired by @LinusTech and his team. Linus, thank you so very much for inspiring me to do this. I'm extremely proud of where I am, and I wouldn't be anywhere near where I am now without you guys.

[SlashedM]

Hey congrats man! I plan to get a part time job at a Pizza chain restaurant (already applied, heard they hire almost anyone, just waiting since their Hiring Manager doesn't come in until tmr), and try getting like a 10600k or a 10700K and pairing it with a 2070S or 3070. Nice that you got a 3080 after it was backordered. 

[EpicEric]

Just now, SlashedM said:

Hey congrats man! I plan to get a part time job at a Pizza chain restaurant (already applied, heard they hire almost anyone, just waiting since their Hiring Manager doesn't come in until tmr), and try getting like a 10600k or a 10700K and pairing it with a 2070S or 3070. Nice that you got a 3080 after it was backordered. 

Thanks! Hope you get it!

[GreatnessRD]

Congrats on the build, mah boi. Makes it much sweeter when you work for it and can call it your own. Good luck with your gaming rig and your job.

[jwwagner25]

way to go dude, that's awesome. I wish I had done my first build at 14 instead of 29..ended up wasting much of my life with drugs. Keep up the good work. With an attitude like yours, the sky's the limit. 

[kelvinhall05]

Very cool, glad to see someone around my age actually work for their money/PC instead of asking for a Rog Rig Reboot handout...

 

 

I love the trailer on your bike, lol. How is it biking with that?

[DustyHeatsink]

Hey man, that’s so cool! I’m 14 as well and I just built my PC this last Christmas. It’s not nearly as powerful as yours and I play it in my living room at the tv (I can’t afford a desk or monitor), but it’s good enough. Congrats on your hard work and I think you deserve that PC for your work!

 

(I’m too lazy to get a job :P)

[Morrie Sells Wigs]

On 10/25/2020 at 4:29 AM, EpicEric said:

I am 14 years old. Since last winter, I've wanted a gaming PC. Because of COVID-19, I had online school and I was able to have more free time, which I used to start a small yard work business. My first job was on May 5th. Around this time, I started planning the first version my parts list, which included a 9700K and a 2080 Super. Business grew, and by summer, I was making over CAD$1000 per month.

 

Here is what my equipment looked like. This picture was taken in July.

By mid-August, I had nearly enough money to buy the parts, and an updated parts list, including a new 10700K. I didn't think I would actually end up with it, but I persevered. A few weeks later, I finally bought the parts. I was able to snatch the last 10700K at my local Canada Computers store.

 

My original build can be found here:

 

Additionally, here are a few more pictures of this.

I greatly enjoyed gaming on this system, and I felt very proud of my efforts. The story doesn't end here, however. Around the beginning of September, Nvidia announced the upcoming RTX 3000 cards. I wanted the 3080, and I was still able to return my 2080 Super to the store. (Slight coil whine that didn't really bother me allowed me to return it if I wanted to.) I decided to return the card and temporarily get a GTX 1650 Super, which I didn't actually end up using, and ended up returning unopened.

 

Around this time, I was starting to look for my first job. Given my interest in computers, I applied at a local computer shop that specializes in IT. I won't mention the name of it, because it is rather small and local. A week later, I was hired for part-time work after school. I am so happy to be able to do something that I am passionate about and that I enjoy doing.

 

I was also able to build free computers from hardware destined to be recycled. Since my gaming rig didn't have a graphics card, I used a free PC that I built from there for that time period. It has an i5 3570, a GT630, and 16GB of ram.

 

On September 17, at the exact moment that Canada Computers opened that day, I immediately backordered the Tuf Gaming 3080 OC. I chose this card because I think it looks great, and I heard good things about it from people who got it early. I was the 2nd person in line for this specific card. On October 2nd, I was notified that a small shipment of Tuf Gaming 3080 OC's arrived. I got the card the next day. I immediately unboxed and installed it. Here are a few pictures of it.

After I got the 3080, things started to settle. I was extremely happy. At work, things got better. I fit in perfectly, and I was very proud to be there. I biked to work every day after the online portion of my school. As the weeks went on, I found myself thinking about how my PC probably changed the course of my life. I probably wouldn't have considered working there, or working at all, if it wasn't for this. I'm extremely grateful for where it has taken me, the things I've experienced, and the people I have met along the way.

 

 

Thanks to all for reading this. I thought it would be nice to post this here since I was heavily inspired by @LinusTech and his team. Linus, thank you so very much for inspiring me to do this. I'm extremely proud of where I am, and I wouldn't be anywhere near where I am now without you guys.

Great to see a young person with a goal, and a willingness to work hard to achieve it.

 

Enjoy your set up, mate.

[Bitter]

You and your PC, a better love story than Twilight! It was nice reading, well written, PC looks great, awesome job!

[Teddy07]

You can be proud of yourself

[GDRRiley]

27 minutes ago, Maury Sells Wigs said:

Great to see a young person with a goal, and a willingness to work hard to achieve it.

 

Enjoy your set up, mate.

do not quote the entire OP

 

nice work

[CommanderAlex]

I could relate with this story as I was your age when I built my first PC back in 2015. I got a lawn mowing job that my sister found for me on Facebook and all they needed was the front lawn and sides to be cut. The size of the lawn was huge, at least 3-4x the size of mine and I used a push mower. My mother would take me over there and the owner provided the lawnmower and gas. I would check the mower over and got to cutting. I did this job for the whole summer and at the end of the summer, I was starting my journey in high school as a freshman. I finally got enough money to buy all the parts at once and waited for them to shuffle in from Amazon. I returned back to work for the owner a second year and asked if I wanted to do their spring cleaning of the front yard as well. 

 

That computer served me well up until last year when I decided it was time to upgrade. 

[EpicEric]

13 hours ago, kelvinhall05 said:

Very cool, glad to see someone around my age actually work for their money/PC instead of asking for a Rog Rig Reboot handout...

 

 

I love the trailer on your bike, lol. How is it biking with that?

Thanks, it was pretty heavy. I probably wouldn't do it for much longer without an ebike. It was good, though.

[EpicEric]

6 hours ago, mustard puddle said:

Hey man, that’s so cool! I’m 14 as well and I just built my PC this last Christmas. It’s not nearly as powerful as yours and I play it in my living room at the tv (I can’t afford a desk or monitor), but it’s good enough. Congrats on your hard work and I think you deserve that PC for your work!

 

(I’m too lazy to get a job :P)

Haha, nice! What games do you play?

[DustyHeatsink]

10 hours ago, EpicEric said:

Haha, nice! What games do you play?

I mainly play a lot of Minecraft and Rocket League, but I’m into some shooters as well. My main genre of games that I have an unexplainable fascination with are physics-based destruction sandbox games.