How much do YOU invest?

[Tall_Dallas]

OK, So you can look at my sig to see my system specs.
What you don't see is my fiancé’s computer that I have networked together. She’s almost as much of a gamer as I am. She still plays UT2K4 and other games all the time. She has a
P4 2.4 533FSB
1024MB DDR 333
80 GIG HDD (2- 40 GIGs)
128MB GeForce4TI 4400
SB-Live Platinum

So her system isn't THAT great, but it definitely keeps her happy.
Now, Most of what she has is constructed via my 'hand-me-downs' but I don't think she can really complain.

I try to keep my PC investments around $750-$1000 a year. This allows me to keep some very descent hardware on my machine and upgrade wherever the 'bottleneck' is as needed.
Then I can build a system from her leftovers and sell it! Which usually keeps MY upgrades coming!

What I want to know is this.
How much do you budget or invest into your systems annually (Excluding software)
What systems do you have... and how important is it to 'you' to have a good running machine?

 

[xotix]

i upgrade around every year and sell my old computer parts, i'm going to have to guess in this poll because i ain't in the states.
i'm a gamer so it is very important to me how my system performs.
i'm going to be buiding another computer shortly and i'm looking to be spending somewhere around a gran now, and then another gran on add-ons a couple months after.

 

[ShoobieRat]

I do one incredible update every 18 months, then I sit back and make sure that I'm just enough up-to-date that I don't become legacy before my next "incredible update."

There's a point when you have to look at the thousands of dollars yer spending each time new stuff comes out, which is often, and realize...what the hell are you doing? You could be using that thousand bucks for something more real, like a vacation, time with yer gf, a great car, or a better (or more livable) home. That extra grand will allow you to have more beer around the house, better TV and vacations...not to mention the ability to have the funds for those shiny things that keep your gf's nearby.

If I have to settle for not being able to run Doom3 at ultra-super mode for a few months, then so be it. I love gaming, but I'm not going crazy each time ATI or NVIDIA craps out another card.

 

[sithspawn]

totally agree with shobbie. im exactly the same. about every year and a half ill go all out with a series of amazing updates. That generally lets you play all the latest games...However, at the end of next year i am planning a wham bam update where i spend about 2-3 grand on an absolutely awesome machine (whatever is awesome in a year and a bit) im currently saving for it now.

But yeah, as a struggling student i cant really justify spending money on things like computer parts that often, when i have much more important things to try and worry about (new couch, new fridge etc etc). I just try to save any extra dollar i can get my hands on, and ask for puter parts around birthday, christmas

 

[jayhawker01]

Just like me, I know gaming is a huge hobby for individuals, and money will be spent, but I think some buys are unecessary. I work with people who buy a new video card about every 6-8 months. Will a 9800 pro or 9800 xt run a new game just fine? The answer is yes. Then why would someone with a 9800 go out and spend 300-400 on an 6800? An upgrade like my example is unecessary in my opinion. but that's what it is an opinion. Other than gaming my other hobby is racing, and I spend a hell of alot more on that than pc parts, so I'll just shut up now. LOL

PS: Just remember it doesn't cost them a grand to make a new pc chip.

Let's hear some input.

 

[Tall_Dallas]

I'm with you guys...
I do my upgrades throughout the course of a 3-4 month period about every year. I just base it upon when I need to.
for instance. I started upgrading in June for preperation for doom3.
It wasn't a MAJOR upgrade, but enough that I am happy with what I got.
P4 2.4 533FSB 512 L2 >> P4 2.8 800FSB 1024 L2 $200
Geforce4TI4400 128MB 4X >> Geforce 5900 128MB 8X $165
Motherboard upgrade to handle Vid and processor. $100
added another 512MB of DDR 333 Ram. >> now at 1024MB. $90

Total cost $555
I plan on upgrading my sound card and my case this year. Also want to get a 21" monitor soon.
So as you can see. I got alot better machine overall with only $550 expense. my fiance got her system upgraded from a 1.7 with 512MB Ram up to my old parts. and she also likes her stuff.
I then sold her old parts for $250...
So total out of pocket was $200
but I am happy, my fiance is happy, and so is the guy who got my parts... can't really argue with it over everything being considered.

 

[Kangaroo]

I spend a lot on computer parts, but me and my brother use them so I usually get something back from him.

I put down $1500+ because thats only about £820 a year.

 

[ShoobieRat]

My current g-card in my home gaming machine (getting embarrassed) is a geforce3. Okay okay, you can stop shouting about how old it is!!!

My new system (which I'm building now) will have the latest thing I can get. Probably the 6800GT. If I buy the latest card on the market (that I can afford, at least) then I can ride it for almost two years before I need to really upgrade. I mean, my geforce3 does just fine with UT2004, as long as I turn the settings down just a bit.

My sound card, which is a Creative SoundBlaster 5.1 Platinum, I'll probably only upgrade when it burns out. I mean, my two speakers (or headphones) ain't gonna be able to utilize THX, and it's kinda dumb to buy a 6.1 soundcard when you only got two speakers! You're never gonna notice much of a difference.

I was smart, and bought excellent quality UATA133 HDDs, which have served me well for many years. You buy good, it keeps good.

Every time I go out and spend $500, whether on a date, vacation, or just shopping, I stop and think about how I could have spent $500 buying a new g-chip that would show me 10% gain on fighting monsters in a dark hole of a comp room were I could have segregated myself from the world and basically do what amounts to nothing. That's when I'm glad I didn't spend $500 on a new graphics card or other PC thingy.

 

[Kangaroo]

I spend my money on traveling, books and music mainly - I was going to buy a GeForce 6800 GT but I decided to go to Bristol for a week and see my uncle, I don't regret it.

 

[Monster00]

i bacisally upgrade every 2-3 years...