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How old were you when you built your first?

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How old were you when you built your first computer?

  • 10 and under

    Votes: 58 5.2%

  • 11-14

    Votes: 341 30.3%

  • 15-19

    Votes: 461 41.0%

  • 20-29

    Votes: 180 16.0%

  • 30-39

    Votes: 46 4.1%

  • 40-49

    Votes: 19 1.7%

  • 50-59

    Votes: 17 1.5%

  • 60-69

    Votes: 2 0.2%

  • 70 and over

    Votes: 1 0.1%
  • Total voters
    1,125
I was 13 and helping a family friend. He had a computer business and the year was 1994. The computer was an Intel P54C (later named the Pentium) at 75 Mhz. It had 32 mb ram and 128 mb hdd.

I still remember him showing me each piece, explaining what itwas and what it did. How to install it. Good times.
 
I bought the PC Gamer Holiday 2005 issue. It had a "how to build the ultimate gaming computer" article, and I was hooked. I talked to a friend of mine to see what he had in his system (we were 15 at the time), and I scoured every PC Gamer magazine I had for hardware reviews and suggestions. I built the rig a little later in 2006, with an AMD 64 x2 3800, 4gb of RAM (HUGE at the time), and an NVidia GeForce 8600GT. It couldn't play F.E.A.R or Company of Heroes at max settings, but it was my baby. I called her Charlize. :cry:
 
16 2011 in the fall got a REALLY good deal

A 2500k, xfx 6870, 8gb 1600 vengeance, V3 gaming case, 600 watt psu (modxstream),1 Tb 7200 rpm HDD, chemo DVD drive.

This was my first computer that i built for a friend for 633 dollars its been doing he very good since then and i started a PC business since then.

One of the biggest problems that i ran in to was that on the rear I/O shield those stupid pins that got in the way i tryed to bend them back now i know that your supposed to push inwards not outwards.
 
I waaaaaaaaaaas. 13.

A cheap "entry" build that then evolved.

Started with a X3 720, M4A785TD-V EVO, 4GB RAM, 4650, 500W Mushkin... then got a 5770 and a 600W OCZ... then got a Crosshair III Formula... then got a soundcard and a OP-AMP... then got CPU water... then got GPU water... then sold the 5770 with the water and got a 470 with the water (for almost the same price, because the 470 block was "damaged", copper was dirty, nothing that lemon juice couldn't fix)... then Sandy marvel... then 16GB for my father's video editing... then... then...

I think the only thing I keep from my first build are the S-ATA cables? xD

That was the first whole build I did by myself. I also built some stuff before that with "junk" (that for me where treasures). Socket A stuff, but nothing good that let me explore in that overclocking marvel.
 
it was about 1994, i was about 19 and built a 486 dx4-100. i built it with my friend and i didn't have a clue what i was doing but i feel in love with learning. it was a LOT harder back then!!!!!
 
I built my first computer when I was 41, in 1997. I had a few store bought computers before that, but only 1 windows machine. I got interested in building by upgrading the first windows box I had, which was a Packard Bell 486 DX2-66. After I maxed everything out in it, I decided I could build a better machine than the offerings on the market in 1997. I had a couple of friends that helped me out and didn't mess anything up. :D
 
I built my first computer in the summer of 2011 at the age of 18. It was more of a budget build. Specs are in my sig.
 
Actually just semi-finished my first build today after 5-6 months of gathering parts. Just waiting on a hard drive to arrive in the mail and I'll boot her up and see if she runs. Turn 20 in a couple days.
CM HAF932
AMD 965 BE
Noctua NH-D14 Cooler
GigaByte 990 MB
8GB GSkill Sniper RAM
IceQ 6950 2GB VC
Corsair TX750w PS
Waiting on 450GB Velociraptor
 
i just built my rig for the 1st time, the one in my sig

but i was lucky and got a free computer upgrade about 5 years ago so there was no reason to upgrade early then before now.

So i built my 1st rig at 18
 
My first build was when I was 23 or 24. I did some research and built a rig to overclock and game with. Athlon 2500+ Barton Mobile on an Abit NF7 with dual channel 512MB of OCZ RAM and a 9800Pro. I had a lot of fun with that build and eventually traded it for a car.....
 
I built my first computer at the age of 20-21. I can't remember which exactly or what the specs were but it had an AMD processor and ran Windows 95. I still remember DOS and Win 3.1 too. The very first computer my family had though was an Apple IIe. Loved that green text. :) The latest computer build is in my sig.
 
As it happens I was 16 and worked for Atari building Atari 400s and 800s.
 
The first that I built on my own is the one in my sig. I was 21 when I built it, which was almost a year ago.
 
21 because I just built my first comp 2 months ago. :D

I did lightly upgrade my old computers in my teens though, but had never done a complete build from the ground-up until now.
 
16/17. Received the money as a birthday present, but I had the stuff ordered before my birthday. Got it after. :p.
 
13, it was a birthday present, however I had some help from my older brother.

Good ol' P4 still working to this day :D
 
14 at the time, I had been reading some reviews on cutting edge 3dfx cards and ended up buying a Voodoo 3 3500agp, a Pentium 3 600b katmai slot1 and an Intel Vc820 board with rimm memory, 128gb worth of pc800 goodness!
No one had a rig like that in Argentina at the time. Bought all the parts at Miami while visiting my uncle there...that and some games like NFS high stakes, Blood 2 the chosen and the first Tom Clancy Rainbow six games plus expansions.
Lasted me some good years worth of playtime with maxed graphics till Geforce took over and less and les games supported Glide. Wish I till had it u.u
Before that I helped my dad build and repair several rigs and asked him to get me a Voodoo 2 12mb pci card when that was like a 7970 now xD
 
I was maybe 29, in late 2003. I got a motherboard cpu combo deal from frys and went from there. ecs motherboard, with only 2 sata ports, athlon64 3200, 200gb maxtor, 2x 512ddr, agp 9200ati card, xp. Shortly after the build I raid o a pair of 37 gb raptors.
 
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