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larryhammerEaglet has found their summer project.
Starting this spring, they’ve been expressing increased dissatisfaction with their basic gaming laptop. Their minimum performance requirement is being able to play Forza Horizon 5 with their gaming friends (set to medium graphics quality, without noticeable lag). So last month they started searching online for a desktop replacement, to be bought using their savings. They found a couple candidate models in their budget ($550), but they were all either almost good enough or from sketchy suppliers.
So last week, they started investigating whether building their own is possible, so they don’t have the labor markup, and roped me into helping with the research. We watched several YouTube videos (“gaming pc $500 build 2023” is a useful search), scrolled through forums, and solicited advice from our grownup friends network, and by leaning heavily on the compatibility and price-compare widgets on pcpartspicker.com we came up with a parts list that meets their requirement (as confirmed via the benchmark section of a video of a build using the same core components) that — bonus! — came out cheap enough they could upgrade to a better case and cool-looking fans with programmable RGB LEDs.
After pondering for a day, on Saturday night they committed to this (and right before bedtime clicked the Purchase buttons). Assuming supplier estimated arrival dates can be believed, we’ll be able to start building this Sunday. I’ll assist with reading the instructions, directing which screw goes where, and being a general set of extra hands (though being honest here, I’ll likely be the one actually installing Windows), but the main work will be theirs, if I have any say in it. Which, yes, I do. I expect frequent breaks for chilling with screen time.
(Yes, I’m watching a buncha tutorials. It’s been a while since I’ve done anything like this. That I built my first computer when I was only two years older has reassured Eaglet that we can figure this out—especially since this build, unlike mine, won’t require soldering.)
Besides, Eaglet wants the flex of being able to say come fall, “Well, over the summer I built my new computer.”
This week’s day-camp, btw, is horse-riding. Next week is something called Code Ninjas.
---L.
Subject quote from Proverbs 31:21 (KJV and descendants), where crimson presumably indicates “fine” and thus “warm.” Substitute RGB for the computer equiv.
Starting this spring, they’ve been expressing increased dissatisfaction with their basic gaming laptop. Their minimum performance requirement is being able to play Forza Horizon 5 with their gaming friends (set to medium graphics quality, without noticeable lag). So last month they started searching online for a desktop replacement, to be bought using their savings. They found a couple candidate models in their budget ($550), but they were all either almost good enough or from sketchy suppliers.
So last week, they started investigating whether building their own is possible, so they don’t have the labor markup, and roped me into helping with the research. We watched several YouTube videos (“gaming pc $500 build 2023” is a useful search), scrolled through forums, and solicited advice from our grownup friends network, and by leaning heavily on the compatibility and price-compare widgets on pcpartspicker.com we came up with a parts list that meets their requirement (as confirmed via the benchmark section of a video of a build using the same core components) that — bonus! — came out cheap enough they could upgrade to a better case and cool-looking fans with programmable RGB LEDs.
After pondering for a day, on Saturday night they committed to this (and right before bedtime clicked the Purchase buttons). Assuming supplier estimated arrival dates can be believed, we’ll be able to start building this Sunday. I’ll assist with reading the instructions, directing which screw goes where, and being a general set of extra hands (though being honest here, I’ll likely be the one actually installing Windows), but the main work will be theirs, if I have any say in it. Which, yes, I do. I expect frequent breaks for chilling with screen time.
(Yes, I’m watching a buncha tutorials. It’s been a while since I’ve done anything like this. That I built my first computer when I was only two years older has reassured Eaglet that we can figure this out—especially since this build, unlike mine, won’t require soldering.)
Besides, Eaglet wants the flex of being able to say come fall, “Well, over the summer I built my new computer.”
This week’s day-camp, btw, is horse-riding. Next week is something called Code Ninjas.
---L.
Subject quote from Proverbs 31:21 (KJV and descendants), where crimson presumably indicates “fine” and thus “warm.” Substitute RGB for the computer equiv.
no subject
Date: 13 June 2023 03:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 13 June 2023 04:13 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 13 June 2023 04:00 pm (UTC)The other symptom the computer was exhibiting was that I'd touch a metal part on the case, it would spark, and the computer would shut off. We were never sure why that happened (IIRC), but fixing the thermal paste thing fixed that too.
I had that computer for the better part of a decade until I accidentally installed malware--a banner that looked exactly like the Adobe Acrobat update notification banner, arg--and in the process of trying to clean it out,
no subject
Date: 13 June 2023 04:13 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 13 June 2023 04:18 pm (UTC)Surprisingly we didn't have to replace the motherboard for a few years, until I wanted upgrades!
no subject
Date: 13 June 2023 07:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 14 June 2023 02:46 pm (UTC)