The Thrill of a New PC or How to Allay Your Buyers Guilt

There's nothing like the excitement of getting a new PC (or console, if that's how you play).  It's like being a little kid at Christmas.  I recently got to experience the joy of unboxing and setting up my new PC.  Then I got to experience the real fun of playing a game on it--the speed, the beautiful graphics.

For me it's always a tough decision to buy a new PC.  It's a big investment and it seems a little shallow.  Do I really need it?  I struggled with this internal debate for months.  My old PC was 6-7 years old, but ran most games at an acceptable level.  Here, I have to admit my lack of PC knowledge.  I buy pre-built PC's.  I don't build my own, which is what all the cool kids do.  When I bought my old PC (a Dell XPS 630i--I think) part of the reason I bought it was that it was supposed to be easily upgradeable or modifiable.  It boasted a huge case and a 750W power supply to add in more goodies.  Before I purchased a new computer I decided that I would try to upgrade my old one.  The graphics card was seriously out of date so that was my first task.

I bought a new, mid-range graphics card to soup up my old PC.  It installed easily enough, but I found out that the motherboard in my computer was too outdated to handle the new card.  So much for being "easy to upgrade."

So I finally caved and bought a new PC and I am blown away by the difference.  Games that were a little slow or laggy run without a hitch.  I can't wait to play the new games coming out soon, "Dragon Age:  Inquisition" and "The Witcher 3:  Wild Hunt."

Alienware Aurora R4.  My new PC!

What's my point in this narrative?  Firstly, I bought a new PC and it's awesome.  Secondly, gaming is my hobby and unfortunately it is a hobby that requires you to upgrade your "gear" fairly frequently.  That's how I've mentally justified my major purchase.  Just think of all the hours you'll spend enjoying it.  I had my old PC for 6 years--let's do some math and figure out costs per month.  I think I initially paid $1200 for it.  6 years = 72 months.  $1200/72= $16.67 per month.  If you go to Starbucks and buy a coffee everyday that's probably about $120 a month ($4x30 days).  So save up your money and make a worthwhile investment in a new PC--you won't regret it.