I can’t muster a witty title for this, so you’re getting a post on the subject as stated.

It’s time for me to upgrade my current, custom-built PC, and I am at a crossroads. The Nerd Syndicate always beats the “build it yourself” drum, and with the exception of one time, I have done this with every PC I have owned since owning PCs have been a thing, so it is not foreign to me.

However, at 50, I no longer have the patience to research parts and compatibility and sit around and wait for this supergroup to assemble itself in individual boxes at my door. I really don’t think I have the patience to put the pieces together, especially all of the tiny screws and little bitty connectors. I know I can’t hover over a table any longer, lest my back cause me issues for the next week. I also know that it’s probably much, much cheaper to buy components sourced from the lowest bidders online.

My usual approach in building a PC is to buy the best motherboard I can, maybe the second best processor I can, consider the bare minimum of RAM I think is appropriate, and then buy whatever video card I can afford with the money left over. Traditionally I’ve cannibalized my SSDs from my current PC, but this time my current PC is going to my daughter so I can’t really do that. Ideally, this plan would allow me to upgrade my CPU at some later point when the best-gen price drops to make way for bester-gen models, to add more RAM should I actually need it some day, and maybe upgrade the GPU for that one last shot at longevity in the future.

All this being said, I am considering buying a system from an online builder. The first reason is as stated above: I don’t think I have the interest in building another PC from scratch. The second reason is that a friend of mine has done the same within the past year, and he seems pleased with his decision. The third reason is that I can get a very good system in one box. The final reason is that — and I have to be honest here — this might be the last gaming PC I am able to actually use. If I stick with my usual upgrade cycle of 7-8 years, that means I’ll become “eligible” for another upgrade a bit shy of my 60th birthday, and while I’m not saying that there’s any kind of age-specific cut-off for PC upgrades, this is the way my mind works so it’s a concern to me. This is why I’ve been pulling out all the stops when looking at possible builds.

Still, though, I probably could get the same or similar system if I just sourced the parts myself. On one hand, I’m A-OK paying a premium for not having to deal with the grief of fiddling with hardware, but on the other hand there’s no down-side to saving money.