For years I've contemplated giving PC gaming a go. The one thing I didn't want to do was spend a fortune on a pre-built machine. In fact, one of my main interests in having a gaming PC was the satisfaction of actually researching, purchasing, assembling, wiring and setting-up the computer myself. Well, my friends, that's exactly what I did.
Over the long Labor Day weekend, I decided to forgo the usual drinking and eating (ok I did some of that too) and spend some serious time getting this project off the ground. Being a complete and total newbie to PC gaming, I knew extensive research would be required. That ended up being an understatement. Without getting too detailed, believe me, there's a ton to consider.
After lots of research, decisions and rethinking of those decisions, I finalized my parts list and placed an order:
Processor - Intel Core 2 Duo E8600 Wolfdale CPU @ 3.33ghz
Motherboard - ASUS Rampage Formula X48 Mobo
Graphics Card - VisionTek Radeon HD 4870x2
RAM - 4gb Corsair Dominator 1066 DDR2 RAM (2x2gb)
Power Supply - Corsair HX 1000w Modular PSU
Hard Drive - Western Digital 500gb HDD
Optical Drive - LiteOn 20x DVD+/-RW
Case - Thermaltake Armor+ VH6000BWS case (black)
Operating System - Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit
Fans - 3x Thermaltake fans
Monitor - Acer 24" 1920x1200 2ms display
Keyboard - Saitek Eclipse backlit keyboard (blue backlight)
Mouse - Microsoft Habu gaming mouse with blue LED accents (2000dpi)
Mouse Pad - Razer Destructor professional gaming mat
Games - Crysis Special Edition, The Elder Scrolls IV Oblivion Collector's Edition, Mass Effect, BioShock, Two Worlds Collector's Edition, Stalker: Shadow of Chernobyl (free with Mobo)
Approximate total for all of that - Just shy of $3,000
After an agonizing week and a half of shipping time, I was finally ready to assemble this bad boy. I'll admit that I was a bit intimidated to assemble and wire all of this up. After calming my nerves and notoriously shaky hands (there goes my career as a surgeon) , I began. Flash forward roughly two days, and I finally had my new PC assembled and wired.
Unfortunately I was in for a bad surprise. Upon powering up my PC, everything came on for about 1 second before shutting off! Long story short, after lots of trial and error troubleshooting (keep in mind I'm a newb), I found out the problem - my HDD was DOA (this was a SeaGate HDD), causing the whole system to shut down.
After a huge sigh of relief and wiping of my sweaty brow, I hauled my ass down to Circuit City and purchased a new one. Relieved to have solved this issue, I carried the very heavy case into my computer room, hooked it up, and inserted my OS disc. Much to my shock and horror, I had one last hurdle to climb - Windows Vista failed to install!
"****!", I thought, and not to myself, but aloud. Very aloud.
Without getting too technical, I'll spare the details and say that I finally resolved the issue and got Vista running.
I'll tell you, hearing your first self-built PC power up and running makes you feel good. Seeing all of the pretty blue lights emitting out of the clear side panel, hearing the hum of the fans, knowing the power inside, filled me with excitement, and most importantly, the feeling of satisfaction that came from building it from scratch.
So, how is it, you ask? Freakin' A, it's awesome. I'll admit that being a console player for over 20 years did not prepare me for the task of gaming on a PC. Switching from a controller to a keyboard and mouse was a difficult task. Not so much the mouse, but the keyboard has proven difficult. After a few days, though, I've shown remarkable improvement. I still fumble a bit with my keyboard hand in situations that require quick movements, but I'm getting there. As for the mouse, I love the precision of it. I had no clue just how much analog sticks hold you back.
I just wanted to say a few words about Crysis. I hear a lot of bashing of this game, and now that I've had the chance to spend some quality time with it, I cannot for the life of me understand why. Crysis is, in my opinion, an amazing shooter. When one devotes the time to learning the way the game is meant to be played, it's an incredible experience. You can really play how you want to play, and damn is it satisfying.
I've personally adopted the predator styIe. I lie in wait in the lush foliage, watching each and every movement of my enemies. I scour the vast amount of land in all directions looking for the best origin of attack. I usually like to lure a few enemies to me by causing some noise. As they approach, I apply the cloaking power to my suit. It's quite a joy to be standing right in front of my enemies unseen, watching as they desperately try to locate me. When they get close enough, it's equally satisfying to apply the maximum strength power to my suit, grab them, and throw their soon-to-be lifeless bodies right back where they came from, causing quite a stir back at their camp.
Oh what a game.
In other words, aside from the absolutely mind-blowing graphics, which are so far and above anything you've ever seen in a game, Crysis is also one hell of a game.
As for my PS3, 360, and Wii, I'm in no way abandoning them. However, the addition of a very powerful gaming PC has changed things around a bit. Originally, Fall standouts Fallout 3 and Far Cry 2, were destined for my PS3, but have since turned into PC pre-orders. Not only will the PC iterations look and play better, but they'll be cheaper, too. Funny how that works out. The premier version is the cheapest.
I'm not complaining.
In addition to the changing status of upcoming games, so too does the status of some of my currently played console games. Oblivion, specifically, will no longer be touched on my consoles. Oblivion on the PC is so, so much better, and with the game-changing mods available on the PC version, there's no turning back.
Before closing, I wanted to thank GameSpot user Elann2008, who provided me with invaluable tips and information that really helped make this possible. Thanks buddy. Much respect. 
That about raps this blog up, my first one in nearly half a year. Yeah, I've neglected my blogging duties for some time, but hopefully that is a thing of the past. Perhaps I'll put up a proper BUI soon, detailing what I'm currently playing and the game purchases I've made in the last half year.
Hope you all are doing well, and I look forward to your comments and blogs.
- Daniel