The Upgrades Never End
Starting Out
When I first got into tech, the journey felt like a ladder that kept climbing. At first it was just a laptop, then a PC, a VR headset, a home lab, a router, and all of the little things that go with them. If you’re on a tight budget—like me—you’ll begin with something that barely meets your basic needs. As you play around more, new demands surface and the urge to upgrade grows.
Why I Keep Updating
My main driver for upgrading is performance: when a game or a task starts to feel sluggish, it’s time to get better hardware. It’s not just about keeping up with the latest titles; it’s also about running side‑by‑side applications without constantly closing windows. For me, that means staying current so I can enjoy new games and multitask smoothly.
I’ve never let my main PC stay on the same specs for longer than a year. During the peak of my learning curve, I refreshed components every other month. Over the years I’ve been upgrading my GPU, CPU, and storage, especially when a game demands more power.
What’s Happening This Year
I’m planning several upgrades before the end of the year:
- More NVMe storage – to keep my primary drive fast.
- Two large HDDs – for bulk files that don’t need speed.
- Two high‑capacity SATA SSDs – so I can move games and apps without juggling which drive they’re on.
The need isn’t urgent yet, but having this setup will save me the hassle of constantly deciding where to install new titles.
Home Lab Progress
I’ve been thinking about a home lab for two years. This year I finally set up a laptop with TrueNAS and a fresh 2 TB NVMe drive. It should last me about six months before I need to upgrade again. Then I’ll move to a better system, add RAID for redundancy, and beef up my networking so everything runs smoothly.
VR: Past and Future
I’ve upgraded my VR gear over time but stopped at the Quest 2. The Quest 3 feels like the next logical step, or perhaps a new headset altogether if it comes out soon. I’m also looking into PC‑based VR upgrades to expand what I can do.
Final Thoughts
This hobby is amazing—rich with learning and experimentation, but it does come at a cost. Money, time, and sometimes mental strain are part of the equation. I’ve already spent several thousand dollars and will spend more, but that’s okay. It’s an investment in myself: fun, challenging, and rewarding.
If you’re thinking about diving into tech upgrades, remember that the journey never really ends. The key is to keep learning, stay flexible with your budget, and enjoy every step along the way.