In February 2013, I started grade 12. It was a rough start to the year with my Acer Laptop having a busted CPU fan during just the second week of the year, and because it was just out of warranty, it wasn't the cheapest repair. Less than 2 weeks later the screen busted for no apparent reason, and I knew it was time for something else.
This was around the time I first began following the Tek Syndicate Youtube channel and forum, however I knew that a PC was not practical due to my parents being divorced, and having to move between houses on a very regular basis. My dad kindly came with me and he bought me a new laptop (not a gaming laptop, didn't have the budget for one as they are even more expensive here in Australia). However, I could not stop fantasizing about a full blown gaming PC, and would spend the next several months planning out what I would get if I could. I just looked back at a (different) forum post that I made on March 3rd, one of the first builds I planned out: FX-8350, 990FX Sabertooth, 16GB 2133 RAM (only $135 AUD at the time - to give some perspective the cheapest 8GB kit of RAM around is about $90 for 1333 MHZ now), gtx 660, etc.
Anyway, as the year dragged on, new products came and went, and I was constantly planning what I would get when I could, as I realized when I finished year 12 and as I had moved out into the granny flat out back of my mums house, that I could in fact buy a gaming PC. This was around the time I became interested in level design in Cry Engine 3. Finally, as my final exams where upon the horizon, I had settles with a build. The list was as follows:
- AMD FX-8350
- ASUS m5a99x Pro R2.0
- Coolermaster CM 690 advanced II with window
- MSI HD 7950 Twin Frozr
- Corsari HX-650
- Samsung 840 Evo 120GB
- G-Skill Ares 1866Mhz 8GB RAM
- Asus Dual Band Wireless adapter
However, not long after this a whole lot changed. A forum member was selling a system, and I managed to negotiate to buy an i7-3930k and an ASUS X79 Sabertooth from it for $600 USD (~$640 AUD) including shipping, which was a ripper deal given that I was going to be spending only about $200 less on a vastly inferior CPU and Mobo, and I knew that I could utilize the extra power of the 3930k, and the extra features on the sabertooth. The new AMD cards were also released, and I decided that, given I wanted to eventually get a 1440p monitor, that the R9-280X was an appropriate choice.
The CPU and motherboard arrived from the US just before exams started, and sat on my shelf torturing me during my exam study.
Anyway, as exams were underway I finally ordered the rest of my parts from http://www.pccasegear.com/ (great website, good prices, really helpful staff especially if you contact through facebook, so do recommend for Australian customers).
Anyway, it was not a cheap purchase, but I could not contain my excitement when the parts came (quicker than I had expected) even with a physics, chem, and the harder of my 2 maths exams still to come.
TO BE CONTINUED
(It's late and I'm tired)