It is not the hardware in your rig, but the software in your heart that makes you a member of PCMR. To each is own in due time sir. I too suffered this blight going through High School...but then as I was graduating, I convinced my parents to let me build a PC for 500 US for College instead of getting a laptop. With what I learned doing that, and conversing with friends on PC builds. My hunger for PC part knowledge was set loose(I read TechPowerup, Tomshardware, Anandtech, (watch) LinusTechTips, and more to know about whats happening in PC hardware. I got an internship at my University, despite not having the required GPA 3.0, after I told the Division head, just because I can't get B's in Chemistry, doesn't mean I can't take your PC apart, tell you what each piece does and put it back together again(this was an IT internship with the College's IT group). He told me if I got a B in his intro to IT course, he would write me an override request for applying for the internship. From there I got to roll out new desktops and laptops for a summer(unpaid) with 9 other interns and learn helpdesk. At the end of it, I was hired on as a paid part-time IT worker for the college. Working and going to school in the same building allowed me to avoid being over burdened with College loan debt(I still wound up with like 15k, but it gave me experience, it also helps my Girlfriend at the time was letting me live with her(who I met in WoW)). I graduated at the start of the downturn in the economy in 2009, but still landed a job because of that internship/job in College. I still work for that same company today, and my girlfriend is now my Wife(of 5 years(--yowza I fucked that one up..), and is now 20 weeks pregnant). If you want better hardware, you better hunker down and start making yourself better each day. Most of what I do, ironically I learned from PC building, it all took root there. I owe my livelihood to it. TLDR; You want good hardware, start using what you learn with PC building to build yourself a career.