<p>One of my lifelong dreams is to buy a beefy gaming computer for college (as a congratulatory gift for myself), since I could never afford one as a child. I am planning on spending around $2500 and building one myself, but I have one major concern-will it even fit/be practical in a dorm room? I was originally going to buy an alienware laptop, but I figured that I could get a much higher end gaming machine for a lot less cash (and I can upgrade w/ a desktop). So should I spend the extra cash to save the space? (I really don't want to though). I already have an awesome netbook that I can throw in my backpack and bring anywhere, so portability isn't an issue. For anyone who knows anything about gaming computers, a full-tower case is the ONLY option, as you need as much room as possible for large graphics cards and to maximize airflow; but it is ridiculously huge and typically weighs 50-70 lbs! I am almost sure it won't fit on the desk, so will I have space to put it on the floor? As for the loudness/bright screen issue, I am planning on rooming w/ my friend who is also a gaming enthusiast so I know he won't mind the bright screen and/or loudness of the fans (He'll probably buy a gaming rig as well lol). Ah I can just see it now...running Crysis @ 1920x1200 8xAA, full specs and averaging 50 fps! A feat i've dreamed of achieving since the game came out lol. </p>
<p>PS: how is the internet connection in the dorms for online gaming? Does it lag a lot? And do the rooms have ethernet connections or do I have to buy a wireless adapter?</p>
<p>You don’t have to buy one because as soon as you step on campus, you’re given a gaming pc. It’s a water cooled system, running an intel i7 processor clocked at 4.2 GHz, 16 gb of ram, and an intel 9800 GT clocked to 4Gb.</p>
<p>You are also handed a Samsung Syncmaster T220 monitor, a steelseries 7g keyboard, a razer deathadder mouse, and a sennheiser pc 166 headset. School officials estimate that Crysis could be played at 994 fps exactly on these computers, so there’s no worries about lag here. Also, each dorm gets an individual t3 internet line, but if you have a roommate, then you get an additional t3 line, one for each gamer. </p>
<p>Computer gaming is very important here at sb, because heaven forbid, we wouldn’t want anyone actually going outside.</p>
<p>My roommate had a loud gaming desktop and he played all day/night long. He dropped out.</p>
<p>But if you insist, the tower will likely fit somewhere under the desk and LAN connections are available but you must bring your own ethernet cables (maybe a router/switch if the room only has one port).</p>
<p>LAWL Mancini very funny…it’s not like i’m going to spend all my time playing the damn thing…I mean we’re at the beach for heaven’s sake! How many college kids would kill to go to school at a resort location like SB? I just want one so I have something to do when i’m bored and at night (I usually stay up late), plus it’s kind of a one time expense since I can always upgrade when the newer games become more demanding. Plus I got a bunch of extra cash since I don’t need a laptop or car (my parents won’t let me bring a car).</p>
<p>Bah. Don’t let anyone tell you what you should and shouldn’t do. Do whatever the hell you want.</p>
<p>As for the desktop gaming computer, I know several people that have those and they don’t seem to mind. They are the type to sit in their dorms and game all day though. I have other gamer friends who bought gaming laptops and the portability really is a huge plus. But if you don’t think you’ll mind a desktop, then it’ll be fine. A cheap netbook for school stuff might be nice though (now that I think about it, all my desktop friends have a cheap, portable computer to go along with it).</p>
<p>The internet…is alright. I don’t game, so I wouldn’t know. It does tend to drop every once in a while (every other week or so?), but only temporarily.</p>
<p>its a ton of money for something that yo shouldnt even have time for. bring an xbox if you MUST play games, but i guarantee you wont, or shouldnt, have time for it.</p>
<p>I think people can figure out on their own what they do and don’t have time for. I know I couldn’t manage to game anymore, but I know plenty of people who play video games and still manage good GPAs and social lives.</p>
<p>ajdavidson07: Well i’m probably gunna bring my PS3 for the hell of it, but like I said earlier: this is the first time in my life where I will have some serious money (I never had more than a $500 bundle of cash at a time growing up lol), so I need to use it to buy myself a gift before I don’t see that kind of money anymore! I realize that I will spend most of my time studying (especially since I want to go to a top grad school for astrophysics), but if I don’t get it now, then I may not get a toy like that for a very long time, and I’ve already been waiting a long time to get a high end gaming machine. After I finishing Computer Maintenance and Repair last year I now know how to build computers from just parts and have been looking forward to this project ever since. I do appreciate your cautions though as I need views from both sides of the spectrum in order to make an informed decision.</p>
<p>WCF: Yes I realize that potential outcome, but I don’t play WoW or anything that could take over your life lol…just a few games of MW2 and GTA to relax. The main reason I want to build such a beast computer is the fact that I mainly play games for the graphics; that’s why i’m so interested in Crysis. Probably since I got my N64 10 years ago I have always been looking forward to the day that a true “photo-realistic” game would be unveiled. That is something a PC would get waaay before a console.</p>
<p>I’m sorry dude but this whole idea just sounds very homo. You’re going to UCSB… And planning on bringing a PS3 and gaming computer… What exactly did you think you were going to be doing at SB again? Ya not that. L8</p>
<p>The OP is not asking for advice on whether or not to bring his computer, so I’m not sure why people keep insisting that he conform to their kind of lifestyle. The fact of the matter is that many people do bring computers and consoles to college, and plenty of people have Rock Band nights (that may or may not involve alcohol) for example.</p>
<p>"but I have one major concern-will it even fit/be practical in a dorm room?</p>
<p>He is asking about the practicality of having a high end gaming rig in his dorm. ‘Practicality’ is subjective, meaning there is no definite answer, thus, we can only give advice and tell him what we think is the right answer.</p>
<p>The fact that there is no solid answer to his ‘practicality’ question is evident by everyone providing different responsed to his question. These answers are elicited by personal beliefs by the posters, which is derived by many things including “their kind of lifestyle.”</p>
<p>It seemed to me like he was asking about the logistics of fitting a large sized desktop in a dorm room, not about time management related to computer gaming. With all the things that I’ve seen girls have in their room, if he’s a guy I’m sure he’ll have space :D</p>
<p>but again man, its a really bad idea. liek everyone else has said, your time will be much better used than being distracted by a giant computer with great graphics and fun games. </p>
<p>my friends went to ucsb… i never see them on facebook, or anything… i know its because they get too busy, they do much more productive things with their free time, and its a non necessity. sorry to preach, but if i got stuck with a roommate that was in his room all the time with a giant computer, with fans going and **** to keep it cool, and lights, flashing…ugh i would hate my roommate.</p>
<p>id say invest in something that you can use everyday at school, if you HAVE to spend the money. like, a whole new wardrobe, a nicer laptop for school, a nice bike (i just bought a really nice road bike for commuting around campus), or a long board…idk man i could just think of a hundred better ways to spend that money IMO. at least think twice about it; its your time and money, do what you want but at least weigh the pros cons</p>
<p>He said he’s rooming with a friend who is also a gamer so I doubt that will be a matter of contention. I don’t agree with rooming with someone that you know your first year either, but since the OP didn’t ask about that I’m keeping those opinions to myself :)</p>
<p>haha, its CC. opinions run high. but if we can convince this guy to do something that will probably make him more successful socially and academically in college, why wouldnt we say something?</p>
<p>I’d say stick the money in the bank til after the first few weeks you’ve been there to gauge the functionality aspect (I don’t think you’ll be blowing through $2500 in 2 weeks), if you feel that you would be able to fit it, then go for it. If not, then you have 2.5k sitting there waiting to be spent.
You have to consider that while it may have been a long-time dream to own such a set-up, it may just be the end of the year anxiety or the prospect of using it all summer that is pushing you to want this RIGHT NOW. Like I said, wait through the first few weeks, because by then, you might have a more realistic version of how your life on campus will be (i.e. you spend a lot o time studying, outdoors, no room for it, you get stuck in a triple with someone who hates bright flashing lights and noise, etc.)</p>