The Hobbyist System

Many of our employees at Questeq – including myself – are also considered “hobbyists” in terms of their home PC systems.  What does that mean?  Well, that means they generally maintain a top notch home computer for PC gaming.  Most PC buyers who use their computers for work and internet aren’t aware of what goes into a capable “gaming PC”.   This can lead to some problems when it comes to running the latest graphic or gaming app on your computer at home.   PC gaming systems are most akin to CAD Lab workstations.  There are some key differences though. Whereas most of the value in Cad systems has to do with a higher end video card in the system, hobbyist/gaming “rigs” take it a step further.  These are $1800 to 3000 units with a generous powers supply (such as 700 watt or better), fully ventilated large-chassis case, 8 to 16GB memory,  quad core processors, and top-notch video cards with 1GB or better Vram.  Many of our guys build their own home gaming rigs, but various made-to-order dealers make a great home gaming system such as www.alienware.com.  If you have ever thought of becoming a high-end PC gaming “tinkerer”, its probably best to start with a pre-built hobbyist system from Alienware or Falcon Northwest as your first machine, and then grow from their with your own additions to the chassis.  As time goes by and systems get faster (and upgrades get added to keep up with technology) you will get comfortable with swapping motherboards, processors and other peripherals.

– Scott Hemphill, Procurement Coordinator