Overspending
I'm a minimalist person. When it comes to looks, features, and other factors of a product, I always go for the performance and take into consideration the price. It took me a lot of time to change my old mobile phone to a smartphone, the prices of the smartphones were very high compared to what it gives you back. But when the necessity of remote work including emails, instant messaging, etc.. I had to make the change and I paid a fair price.
A lot of people think this is lame, and you just have to go with the flow of technological improvements. Well, I am. And technology is not what you think about. Technology is inexpensive, but when it falls into the hands of big capitalist companies, it turns to a cash cow.
Building my PC
When I want to buy something, I have to write down what are my needs first. I will show you what I need the PC for and then will tell you where I run those!
My PC contains the following:
- E-Mail Server.
- Personal Cloud Server. (Storage for Pictures and Videos)
- Website.
- Media Server. (Movies and TV shows)
- IoT Backend Server. (Controlling smart devices)
- Books Server. (I have 3000+ Books to read remotely on my e-reader)
- Desktop apps for daily usage.
- Run platformer games.
So, that's what I need from my PC. Nothing more.
My computer specs:
- 8 GB RAM.
- Intel(R) Core(TM) i3-2120 CPU @ 3.30GHz
- Intel Corporation 2nd Generation Core Processor Family Integrated Graphics Controller (Built-in GPU).
- 256 SSD for OS + Multiple internal and external HDDs.
- 350 PSU
That's more than enough! Everything runs smoothly!
I found out that all PC Buildings are overrated! Even for gamers, most of the games can run on PCs for less than $700 in total. I got my PC for $200 !!
What do we learn?
When you want to buy something, don't look at the brands and names. Don't look at what others are buying. Just write down your needs and check if what you are going to buy will give you those needs. If Yes, buy that, and don't go for products that give you things you don't need.
The money you save on such stuff can be used in other products you need.
You can buy a PC, Mobile Phone, Gadgets, Upgrade old stuff, for the same price of one product.
Traps some of us falls in
- The looks of some products make it sexy to own.
- We think we must go to the best so we can use those products for years to come.
- Friends suggestions.
- Culture.
Remember that whatever you buy will decay and you will need upgrades even if you buy the best. No one knows what happens. For example, The USB-C is now an important input on PCs. And if you bought the best PC 3 years ago, there is no such input to it.
Buy what has the job done.
What if you had the best DVD drive on your "Best" old Desktop? and you paid a lot for it? Now it's obsolete and no one cares about it.
Change your mentality to gain more products for less price. Save money. And save your mind from abusive companies!