A Timeline of computers?

Prysin · May 1, 2016

So, i dunno if this has any active threads, or has been done. But where did you guys start? What was the first computer you could use at home? what was your first computer? What came after? Where are you now? and perhaps most intriguing -> what is your next "milestone" system?

Personally, for me it all started in 1997 with some Hewlet packard my dad bought, i had two games on it. The PC had 16MB of RAM and a 256MB HDD, and it had a optical disc drive and Windows 95!!

What followed was a Dell Inspiron running Windows XP, also owned by my dad, this was a more powerful setup. Still a single core Pentium, 512MB RAM, a 25GB (i think) HDD and a graphics card which i still dont know what is (we still have the PC, and it still works, we fired it up two months ago).

Next was MY first PC, a Fujitsu Siemens Laptop i got in 2005 (from school). It was a proper piece of shit, even for that time. 256MB VIA/S3 GPU, dual core Pentium 4 processor, 500GB HDD and a battery which was surpisingly good (still works, for 10 minutes or so). This honka-tonk laptop WORKS TODAY. I fired it up 7 weeks ago. It took 25 minutes to reach the log-in screen, but it WORKS)

Next was my HTPC, a ACER Aspire Revolution, with a Atom Diamondville (1st gen) quad core, Nvidia ION graphics featuring up to 512MB of Shared DDR3 RAM, 1333Mhz 4GB of DDR3 RAM, 500GB HDD, intergrated Realtek WiFi controller, many USB ports and most importantly given its minute size, a bracket for VESA mounting to the back of a screen. This thing served me well for YEARS before my next setup.

Next was in 2012 when i got a full time job. Which i spent my first months salary on my next computer. Which was my FX 8320 setup.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/fm7Vqs

Now next up is my CURRENT "Main" setup.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/G8xwwP

Then came my "LAN RIG" setup, V1

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/xJMxwP

Then my "LAN RIG" setup V2

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/kwjTbv

As for my next move. That will be 1x 490X + 1x GTX 1080 + ZEN or Skylake-E 8 or 10 Core with HT/SMT. The case will be swapped for a H440 or possibly one of the more fancy IN-WIN tempered glass cases. Or maybe i will build my own case. Who knows.

79wjd · May 1, 2016

I started with some Pentium 1 system I got from my dad when I was really young. I don't really remember much about it other than that it had a Pentium 1 and that it ran XP.

Next I got my dad's old Gateway with a Pentium 2, 12GB HDD, a floppy drive, and I think 256mb RAM. (Given to my mom when I got its replacement in 2005)

Early 2005: My first actual computer came next, it had an Athlon 64 3000+, Asus A8N-SLI Deluxe board, 1GB RAM (eventually upgraded to 3GB), 250GB HDD, some Nvidia GPU (which was eventually replaced with an ATI X1950 Pro), DVD reader, and DVD burner in a Cooler Master Centurion 530 with a 430w PSU (and the PSU still works today even). It had some Happauge TV tuner card and ran Windows XP Media Center Edition. (Given to my mom in 2010 to replace her old computer)

Early 2007: A few years later I got my first laptop -- a 2007 15" Macbook Pro with a 2.2ghz Core 2 Duo (T7500), 2GB of RAM (shortly thereafter upgraded to 4GB), a 128MB Nvidia GT 8600M, and a 160GB 5400 RPM HDD (later upgraded to a 320GB HDD). (Now sitting in a closet with no battery, it still works great...I just don't have a use for it)

Late 2010: About four years after that I got a Del XPS 15 L501x to replace my desktop for gaming purposes (used side-by-side with my Mac until I upgraded it in late 2013). It had an i7-840qm, 8GB RAM, 2GB GT435m, 640GB HDD (later upgraded to a 256GB Crucial M4 that's now in my desktop), a 1080p dispaly, and a bluray burner running Windows 7. (Given to my mom to replace her old computer)

Late 2013: 15" Retina Macbook Pro with a 2ghz i7-4750HQ, Iris Pro 5200, 16GB RAM, and 256GB PCIE SSD, 2880x1800 display. (still in use, and likely will be for another 3+ years).

Summer 2014: My current gaming rig with an i5-4690k, GTX 780, Seidon 240m, 8GB RAM, 250GB Samsung 840 Evo, 256GB Crucial M4, 1TB WD Blue, EVGA G2 750w, MSI Z97s SLI Plus, and Black/Blue H440. I hope to use this system for another five-ish years (hopefully) before I need to upgrade anything (I plan on throwing in a second 780 that I have in a different computer).

Summer 2015: I decided to build a NAS with a Pentium G3250, 8GB RAM, MSI H81m board, Corsair CX500m, three 4TB WD Reds, one 1TB WD Green (from an old Mybook Live), and one 1TB Seagate Barracuda (from an old Seagate external drive). In December I upgraded it to a Xeon E3 1230v2, Supermicro X9SCM-F, and 32GB ECC RAM. I also pulled a 1TB WD Blue out of my desktop to act as temporary storage in the NAS as I'm currently starting to run low on space and will need to get some more drives in the near future.

Late 2015: I bought a used SP3 for really cheap with an i3, 8GB RAM, and 64GB SSD to replace my Galaxy Note 8 (which I also bought used) for taking notes in class.

Future: At the rate games and CPUs are progressing I don't see myself upgrading anything in my current system for quite a long time (other than adding another 8gb of RAM and replacing the SLI 780s, but the latter I don't plan to do for 5ish years). I would really like to sell off my system and move to something smaller (like a Node 202), but I just don't think it's worth spending the money to do that.

Prysin · May 2, 2016

i think we will soon need more then a 4c 8t i7 for top end gaming.

bgibbz · May 2, 2016

First, my parents bought me and my brothers a Gateway tower in ~2005. I have no idea what the specs are of it, although it still works (i think, i donated it to my neighbor about 4 years ago). I know it had no dedicated GPU, it was an ATX form factor, and when i opened it up 5 years ago everything was coated in about 3 inches of dust.

About 4 years ago, my parents got me a Dell inspiron laptop. It had 8gb of ram, a 500gb HDD, and a dual core I5 clocked at ~2.2 Ghz. I used this for years but about 1.5 years ago i began to get into gaming, and after playing games at minimum settings and getting 20 fps max i decided i wanted to build my own computer.

So I saved up money for about 8 months last year, and asked for several components for Christmas, before building my entire rig. The specs are in my signature, but i really love how it turned out, both in looks and performance. I'm planning on using that for another 3-4 years, before throwing in another 970.

My next rig that i build i plan on featuring custom loop water cooling. I would probably stick with the same red and black color scheme, as those are my favorite colors. That system will probably be a lot more hardcore however. I will probably put in either AMD or NVidias flagship cards in there and I would like to put in an extreme addition CPU. Of course, whether or not i am able to do that almost entirely depends on how much cash i have on hand at the time, but if financially able, I will dump all of my money into some kick ass machine when my current rig can no longer perform as well as i would like it to.