How do YOU make computers fun again?

[mnewxcv]

For me, with prices of parts so high it's not even an option to build out a new system (nor do I need one), I've been gathering retro parts so I can do a complete build, but with a much lower price point with old parts. The build process is just as fun! And for less than the cost of a few new games, I'll build a retro rig and play some old ones, and old games on ebay are pennies on the dollar of new games. Gives me an opportunity to play through the games that got me into pc building in the first place with hardware that does them justice.

I've always dreamt of game detail getting to where it is finally getting to today, but I will never be able to justify the cost of a 5090 or pro 6000 just to play some games in super high detail. The last gpu I bought new was a 3090, and I thought $1500 was an insane msrp!

So I open it up to all of you, what do you guys do to keep having fun with computers? Replay old games? Push overclocks to the limit? Case modding? Look forward to more ideas.

 

[Hash_Immutable_1337x]

I've been thinking of building a second rig... while may not be considered truly "retro"... I was looking into something based on the 4790k. This would be something based on a platform I missed, due to me being out of work around that time frame and not having any extra income to support the hobby.

I fall in that same boat as yourself... just can't stomach the thought of even attempting to build a new system. ( the 5800x3D I just upgraded to recently and an RX 9070 XT was my extreme limit )..

 

[narsbars]

I am still running a 570, 5900x, and WAS running a 3070 with 64 gig. Big whoop upgrade, found an affordable 4070 and will get some money back from the 3070. Just can't afford to play in this arena any longer.

 

[Gigantopithecus]

My latest project has been building an entirely offline system for my basement, and seeing how much I can do with it.

It has the following specs:
Intel Core i5-250K Plus
Thermalright Burst Assassin 120 SE
ASRock Phantom Gaming B860 - I bought this specifically for its removable wifi card
32GB (2x16GB) Crucial Pro DDR5-6400
Gigabyte 9070 XT Gaming OC
2TB WD SN5100
12TB Toshiba N300 Pro
ASRock Steel Legend SL-850G
MSI 27" G274QPF 1440p IPS 170Hz display

I installed Office 2024, my entire GOG library on it, and it has my entire media library (i.e., all book and article/paper PDFs, music mp3s and FLACs, movies, and tv shows) except my 4K documentaries and movies.

Shockingly, I am more productive on this machine than on my main desktop. I have settled into a nice routine of emailing first thing in the morning on my main desktop, then working on my offline system, then emailing again at the end of the workday.

Making an effort to reduce the amount of time I spend online has been a boon to my mental health.

 

[That_Sound_Guy]

On a I7-9700 with a 2070.

As sad as it may be, the rise in prices and drop in game quality, it motivated me to stop PC gaming. I now have a side gig making money instead without losing any time with the family. I'll revisit when Subnautica 2 matures a year from now.

 

[wra18th]

I'm glad I took the dive of a new build in 2024. I was $5000 then. But I'm almost done getting the parts to build a retro gaming rig using an AMD Athlon XP 2500+ on an Abit NF7-S. Still debating on what GPU to use. I have several on hand already. Also, I'm playing with rack-mounted Dell and Super-micro servers that I've acquired over the last 2 years. That's got me very entertained.

 

[Starfalcon]

I'm glad I took the dive of a new build in 2024. I was $5000 then. But I'm almost done getting the parts to build a retro gaming rig using an AMD Athlon XP 2500+ on an Abit NF7-S. Still debating on what GPU to use. I have several on hand already. Also, I'm playing with rack-mounted Dell and Super-micro servers that I've acquired over the last 2 years. That's got me very entertained.

Damn, that is my favorite board. My NF7-S was my main system from 2003 to 2008. Started with a XP1700, upgraded to a XP2500, and finally got a mobile XP2500 that I OCed the heck out of. Used an Alpha PAL8045 with a high speed delta to keep it nice and cool. As for video card, I ran a bunch of them in mine. Started with a GF 4 Ti 4200, then a 9500 pro, next a 9800 pro, then a X1950, and lastly a 3850.

 

[kram182]

I don't really do 'retro' systems - I just hold onto my previous builds and use them for HTPC/alt-server/testing OSs/play around things that I can't take offline for/to do with my main rig or main server (unless then rolling out to 'production')

But my 'now' previous build (currently HTPC) has native HW/driver support for Windows XP - and I might hold onto it when my 'now' main build gets replaced and becomes my 'then' previous' build - even though no real use for it as I already have an XP VM if I need it for anything

 

[SeymourGore]

I don't hold on previous builds very often either - most of my old hardware gets recycled down to my son's. Though I've kept my 3080 as an emergency GPU in case my 9070 XT dies (with the way pricing is).

I can't say I've felt very excited for PC building lately, but I'm sure when (or if?) pricing comes down again, I'll be right back into it. If anything, I've been more excited about the software side of things - playing with Linux has been a good time (my 'everyday/general use' computer is now Linux).

The one tickle I'm starting to feel, is the thought of building a local LLM for home automation/offline tasks, etc. I've been lurking about the AI section here and I'm finding some of the use case scenarios for it enticing. I'm thinking it'll still be a ways off, and probably not until after we move into our next house (est move is next year), but a LLM build is definitely on my radar.

 

[Hash_Immutable_1337x]

Good to see this thread potentially take off and have other ideas flowing in

 

[pendragon1]

i did some "CAD" work and made my case "dual chamber"...

Spoiler

[/spoiler}

 

[Mega6]

I make computing fun again by smashing computers and selling the parts. /s