The Upgrades Never End

[Alltheshots]

June last year I built my first PC in roughly 15 years and ended up with a capable machine.

 

Fast forward to now... The case has been changed, the CPU cooler upgraded to a 240mm AIO, the GPU changed from a 1660 6GB to an RTX 3080ti 12GB. I've also added a vertical mount for the GPU (needs upgrading to a gen4 type), added an extra 1TB NVMe M.2 drive, looking to upgrade the CPU from a Ryzen 3600 to a 5900x. Will probably need to change the PSU to something a little beefier than a 750W. 

 

On top of all that, I also like the look of the Lian-Li AL120 fans of which I'll need 8.

 

Will it ever end?

Anyone else on a continual upgrade path with no real end in sight?

Has anyone ever finished a build and been happy to stop changing things? 

 

The irony is that I don't do much gaming and the PC is mainly used for editing pictures in Lightroom. I had planned to start doing some video editing but that's not really happened yet.

[Dedayog]

1 minute ago, Alltheshots said:

June last year I built my first PC in roughly 15 years and ended up with a capable machine.

 

Fast forward to now... The case has been changed, the CPU cooler upgraded to a 240mm AIO, the GPU changed from a 1660 6GB to an RTX 3080ti 12GB. I've also added a vertical mount for the GPU (needs upgrading to a gen4 type), added an extra 1TB NVMe M.2 drive, looking to upgrade the CPU from a Ryzen 3600 to a 5900x. Will probably need to change the PSU to something a little beefier than a 750W. 

 

On top of all that, I also like the look of the Lian-Li AL120 fans of which I'll need 8.

 

Will it ever end?

Anyone else on a continual upgrade path with no real end in sight?

Has anyone ever finished a build and been happy to stop changing things? 

 

The irony is that I don't do much gaming and the PC is mainly used for editing pictures in Lightroom. I had planned to start doing some video editing but that's not really happened yet.

I'm 100% happy with my machine.  You just have the bug, and have impulse control issues, and it looks like started making some good money too.  Good on you.

 

[Alltheshots]

1 minute ago, Dedayog said:

I'm 100% happy with my machine. 

HOW!!
I must know the secret to being 100% happy with my machine. 

[Skiiwee29]

Never ending cycle. Last upgrade/change I did on mine was going from a 3700x to 5900x back in July. Before that was switching from an EK CPU Block to an Optimus Waterblock and mobo switch from Crosshair VI Hero to Crosshair VIII Hero back in July 2020. Never... ending... EVER

 

EDIT: oh wait... like 2 months ago I swapped PSUs from an EVGA G2 750w to a Corsair HX850 and got some custom cables from Ensourced... 

 

again.. NEVER ENDING!!!

[BiotechBen]

3 minutes ago, Alltheshots said:

June last year I built my first PC in roughly 15 years and ended up with a capable machine.

 

Fast forward to now... The case has been changed, the CPU cooler upgraded to a 240mm AIO, the GPU changed from a 1660 6GB to an RTX 3080ti 12GB. I've also added a vertical mount for the GPU (needs upgrading to a gen4 type), added an extra 1TB NVMe M.2 drive, looking to upgrade the CPU from a Ryzen 3600 to a 5900x. Will probably need to change the PSU to something a little beefier than a 750W. 

 

On top of all that, I also like the look of the Lian-Li AL120 fans of which I'll need 8.

 

Will it ever end?

Anyone else on a continual upgrade path with no real end in sight?

Has anyone ever finished a build and been happy to stop changing things? 

 

The irony is that I don't do much gaming and the PC is mainly used for editing pictures in Lightroom. I had planned to start doing some video editing but that's not really happened yet.

I built my first system with a 2600X and an RX480 8GB right before the market went berserk, the only thing I'm still itching for is a better bottom intake fan, something a little quieter and moves a little more air. It plays the games I want it to play at reasonable settings ( on a 720p Roku tv that I win in a raffle) so downscaled 1080p on a 720p display, I'm happy for now.

[Dedayog]

12 minutes ago, Alltheshots said:

HOW!!
I must know the secret to being 100% happy with my machine. 

Well to be honest, I started at the top end.  When I built her, the 8700K was the fastest chip out, and the 1080Ti was the fastest consumer GPU on the market.  I really only got the 1080Ti because my buddy sold me on the 35" Ultrawide and it needed the horsepower.  I added more SSD love and another 16GB of RAM last year.

 

Basically start with the best or near the best and stack it up.  Then no real room to upgrade

 

It sounds like you're upgrading due to FOMO or money burning a whole.  Gen 4 for GPU?  Hype, not needed.  5900x from 3600?  Why?  What do you need that many cores for?

 

Upgrade need to be logical and useful or they're just upgrading to upgrade.  I feel you're just looking at things to buy cuz you've finally got money and can? 

 

Edit: No judgment, just asking because you brought it up. Why you buy is your call, not mine.

[Alltheshots]

4 minutes ago, Caroline said:

Well my wallet is usually the limiting factor when it comes to upgrading, also I've built mine hoping it'll last for *at least* 5 years without any significant upgrades, the case and power supply are the things I hope to last me for about 10 years.

For me it's either the wallet or my Mrs that says no, only one of those can be negotiated with. My last PC lasted around 6 years but that was a prebuilt

 

4 minutes ago, Skiiwee29 said:

Never ending cycle. Last upgrade/change I did on mine was going from a 3700x to 5900x back in July. Before that was switching from an EK CPU Block to an Optimus Waterblock and mobo switch from Crosshair VI Hero to Crosshair VIII Hero back in July 2020. Never... ending... EVER

Glad to see the pain being felt by others too.

 

[Skiiwee29]

1 minute ago, Alltheshots said:

For me it's either the wallet or my Mrs that says no, only one of those can be negotiated with. My last PC lasted around 6 years but that was a prebuilt

 

 

I find it easier to ask for forgiveness than permission  just how I operate and my wife tolerates it. Been married almost 16 years, so must be doing something right  

[YoungBlade]

I upgraded earlier this year and I've been very happy with the result. I just need one more part to put it in a really good spot, and then I'll probably be satisfied with the result for a few years.

 

Can you guess which part it is?

 

Just now, Alltheshots said:

HOW!!
I must know the secret to being 100% happy with my machine. 

The secret is to be satisfied with the level of performance you have. Your computer is already godlike compared to what came before it. If you'd had it 10 years ago, you would've been the envy of everyone here.

 

I sometimes compare my performance to old supercomputers and that makes me feel pretty good. When I consider that my CPU alone is equivalent to the most powerful computer in the world in 1997, the ASCI Red, which required 850 kW of power and took up 1600 square feet of space, I feel pretty happy.

 

Next time you're at your computer, try slapping it while saying "this baby can fit so many early 90s supercomputers worth of performance in it." You'll feel prety good.

[XGoodGuyFitz]

10 minutes ago, Alltheshots said:

HOW!!
I must know the secret to being 100% happy with my machine. 

If you send me your machine, I will be 100% happy with it so you do not have to worry about it anymore. 

[jaslion]

16 minutes ago, Alltheshots said:

HOW!!
I must know the secret to being 100% happy with my machine. 

Does my computer do what it has to do well?

 

Yes sweet time to ignore it and carry on eventually forgetting about the want to upgrade

No. Time to see what the problem is and possibly budget for a upgrade if needed.

[Alltheshots]

3 minutes ago, Dedayog said:

Well to be honest, I started at the top end.  When I built her, the 8700K was the fastest chip out, and the 1080Ti was the fastest consumer GPU on the market.  I really only got the 1080Ti because my buddy sold me on the 35" Ultrawide and it needed the horsepower.  I added more SSD love and another 16GB of RAM last year.

 

Basically start with the best or near the best and stack it up.  Then no real room to upgrade

 

It sounds like you're upgrading due to FOMO or money burning a whole.  Gen 4 for GPU?  Hype, not needed.  5900x from 3600?  Why?  What do you need that many cores for?

 

Upgrade need to be logical and useful or they're just upgrading to upgrade.  I feel you're just looking at things to buy cuz you've finally got money and can?

Honestly, Gen 4 because it can, more cores as I do actually plan on getting into video editing when time allows. The only reason I went for the 3600 at the time is because I'm impatient (as you mentioned earlier, impulse control can be an issue for me). 

 

If I was just looking at/for things to buy then my Mrs is more than capable of helping me spend. 

[Dedayog]

1 minute ago, Alltheshots said:

Honestly, Gen 4 because it can, more cores as I do actually plan on getting into video editing when time allows. The only reason I went for the 3600 at the time is because I'm impatient (as you mentioned earlier, impulse control can be an issue for me). 

 

If I was just looking at/for things to buy then my Mrs is more than capable of helping me spend. 

Speaking of... what PC is she rocking?  I mean, equal rights and all

 

 

[Alltheshots]

8 minutes ago, Dedayog said:

Speaking of... what PC is she rocking?  I mean, equal rights and all

 

 

At the moment she has the following:

Intel i5 7500

MSI B250M MORTAR

32GB Corsair Vengeance 3200

ROG Strix 1050ti 4GB

Corsair Spec Delta Carbide Case (my throwaway)

 

Not the greatest of setups. It's mainly used for photoshop and university work and could probably use an upgrade. I actually have a spare X570 motherboard so that's how I will justify the 5900x for myself. I'm pretty sure the PSU she has is a throwaway from an old PC so upgrading that would probably be a good idea. Also, I know the case is poor for airflow so a new case will be needed.

 

Look what you've done! 

I've now got two never ending upgrades 

[Dedayog]

1 minute ago, Alltheshots said:

At the moment she has the following:

Intel i5 7500

MSI B250M MORTAR

32GB Corsair Vengeance 3200

ROG Strix 1050ti 4GB

Corsair Spec Delta Carbide Case (my throwaway)

 

Not the greatest of setups. It's mainly used for photoshop and university work and could probably use an upgrade. I actually have a spare X570 motherboard so that's how I will justify the 5900x for myself. I'm pretty sure the PSU she has is a throwaway from an old PC so upgrading that would probably be a good idea. Also, I know the case is poor for airflow so a new case will be needed.

 

Look what you've done! 

I've now got two never ending upgrades 

I'm glad you realized all that before I had to call you out on it!

 

Least I can do to help, and I even did it right when Black Friday deals are appearing.  No need to thank me!

[Alltheshots]

Just now, Dedayog said:

I'm glad you realized all that before I had to call you out on it!

 

Least I can do to help, and I even did it right when Black Friday deals are appearing.  No need to thank me!

My bank manager may want a word with you lol

[WhitetailAni]

54 minutes ago, Alltheshots said:

HOW!!
I must know the secret to being 100% happy with my machine. 

Before buying an upgrade I always ask myself the question "What will buying this do enable me to do that my current part doesn't (if I'm replacing)?"
If the answer is "it won't change a whole lot" I don't buy. If the answer's something like "It'll allow me to actually use macOS without having to worry about graphical glitches" or "My CPU won't overheat if I try to run anything more demanding than Minecraft" or "I'll be able to use my retro Macs" then I buy.

I'm also a jobless minor who makes money by selling old tech I find and fix up so I rarely impulse buy.

[XGoodGuyFitz]

4 minutes ago, FakeKGB said:

Before buying an upgrade I always ask myself the question "What will buying this do enable me to do that my current part doesn't (if I'm replacing)?"
If the answer is "it won't change a whole lot" I don't buy. If the answer's something like "It'll allow me to actually use macOS without having to worry about graphical glitches" or "My CPU won't overheat if I try to run anything more demanding than Minecraft" or "I'll be able to use my retro Macs" then I buy.

Or "will it allow me to use a computer without the restricted school access?"

[WhitetailAni]

1 minute ago, XGoodGuyFitz said:

Or "will it allow me to use a computer without the restricted school access?"

I mean

I have 5 computers at my desk

That's covered

3 don't work but that's not important

[BiotechBen]

3 hours ago, Skiiwee29 said:

I find it easier to ask for forgiveness than permission  just how I operate and my wife tolerates it. Been married almost 16 years, so must be doing something right  

Learned that lesson from the nuns, you would not believe how much they got away with hahaha. That's why relationships are important, if you start out on good footing, you have "wiggle room" to finagle things. Isotoner gloves were the go-to gift for the nuns because they could return them for store credit and the diocese never questioned gloves as gifts to get around the vow of poverty .

[Mihle]

I am happy with my computer as it is, I don't keep upgrading it.

R5 3600 and RX 5700 XT, 2TB NVMe SSD, as it has from when I got it.

 

Helps if you are like me and don't like spending money, doesn't matter if I have 10k € in my bank account or not, if I consider something, something I only do if I actually need it at least little bit, I always consider how much it costs and if it's worth it a lot. Something that means I never go for the flagships for example.

 

If I am actually considering to upgrade something, I also consider future use.  But I don't already consider something because I need it in a short time, I don't start considering a upgrade I might need in 2 years.

 

Right now I feel my PC have what I need, and it's def not worth it to spend lot of money on only a small upgrade.

[krakek]

14 hours ago, Alltheshots said:

June last year I built my first PC in roughly 15 years and ended up with a capable machine.

 

Fast forward to now... The case has been changed, the CPU cooler upgraded to a 240mm AIO, the GPU changed from a 1660 6GB to an RTX 3080ti 12GB. I've also added a vertical mount for the GPU (needs upgrading to a gen4 type), added an extra 1TB NVMe M.2 drive, looking to upgrade the CPU from a Ryzen 3600 to a 5900x. Will probably need to change the PSU to something a little beefier than a 750W. 

 

On top of all that, I also like the look of the Lian-Li AL120 fans of which I'll need 8.

 

Will it ever end?

Anyone else on a continual upgrade path with no real end in sight?

Has anyone ever finished a build and been happy to stop changing things? 

 

The irony is that I don't do much gaming and the PC is mainly used for editing pictures in Lightroom. I had planned to start doing some video editing but that's not really happened yet.

Same here, the only parts that stayed are the 5800X CPU (I plan to swap it when Zen 3 refresh happens) and the GTX 980 GPU (which would be changed soon for 6900XT GPU).

 

I think the key is... to plan the build forward and get it right the first time round. I certainly didn't.

[LogicalDrm]

Don't you consider buying something new as upgrade anyway? For me, apart from clothes, I always look for something that is at least same, but preferably better than what I currently have. And I rarely buy on impulse, most are for improving some need.

[Radium_Angel]

My workstation is a twin Xeon Ivy Bridge PC.

Old? Certainly, but it's just fine because it fits my needs, I don't game much and it handles everything I need it to do, just fine. An upgrade to it won't get me anything more than I already have, so why bother?

64GB Registered ECC RAM

12c/24t 2x 2643v2 Xeons

About a dozen drives, mixed between SAS, SATA, SSD and PCIe nVME

Workstation GPU (Radeon Pro WX 7100)

1200 watt PSU

 

I'll run it until it dies and then deal with the upgrade path.

[krakek]

All said however some upgrades from like to like are needed, for example I had to change my PSU b/c I went with Gigabyte 850W. And those can explode.