Gaming vs Knowledge/Studies and how to balance? [Graphics card opinion]

[ACidBaseD]

I'm 17 years old and currently in First Year Computer Engineering.
I really like gaming and computers both.
I know basics of C++ , Data structures , OOPS and have ordered "Head First Java" and "SCJP" both by Kathy Sierra to learn Java.

I have my whole pc built [i5 Haswell 4570 + 8Gb ram ] but haven't bought a GPU yet.

I have two options in front of me:

1. Get the AMD R9-280X and play because this is my age to play? and learn less about computers?
2. Get GTX 660 or 650ti boost 2gb and play little and learn more about computers.

In both the above options i'll be studying what my college teaches but they will go at a very slow pace and teach very few topics which will still leave me hungry for more knowledge about computers.

Computers and games both are my passion and i enjoy both but obviously gaming is more fun

What to do ? Any help is appreciated. You can create a 3rd option also and help me

 

[gameranand]

Get the first one and make a balance between Gaming and Studies.
I mean 2-3 hours of gaming is OK to make a balance.

 

[sam_738844]

Bro, i have spent my college days long back and there one thing I must t tell you about the life that lies ahead of you. Back then there were fewer games, there was barely anything called gaming rig, it was Geforce 5200 and doom3 days back then, but it did not mean gaming and having fun was absent, and neither was success in academics. There is one big point of truth what you must understand is, "at some point of time in your life you must struggle to achieve something which you have never had wanted that badly before" ....

that one time, may be between semesters, may be for a subject, may be just for scoring pass marks, or may be for becoming topper, or...may be just to see your future with some 780ti/R9-290X rig from your own money, you will have to struggle,
without thinking of anything else, no deviations, no disruptions...just do whatever it takes, at that point of time, you think really is crucial to get to the next level. Just get to it, get it done, study hard achieve that goal...after that, you're the king.... you can play games 24X7 365 days, if you're confident enough that you would be able to make it out, it doesn't matter how u manage time, balance is state of mind, its not real, what real is confidence. You get it either by talent, or by toil, if u know that u can finish ur syllabus within 15 days and score with flying colors, game as much as u want, if you're not, work hard, get that confi and then game hard.

after all this, when you know when to go into turbo mode in urself, it will gradually go into you're gene, this computer thing, i mean it will grow like a plant in you and everything will seem connected, then if this recipe works properly, you'll grow such an incredible amount of interest in Computer Science that Games and Programming will be right and left hand for you. You will feel no difference but you will be able to make some

 

[ACidBaseD]

Bro, i have spent my college days long back and there one thing I must t tell you about the life that lies ahead of you. Back then there were fewer games, there was barely anything called gaming rig, it was Geforce 5200 and doom3 days back then, but it did not mean gaming and having fun was absent, and neither was success in academics. There is one big point of truth what you must understand is, "at some point of time in your life you must struggle to achieve something which you have never had wanted that badly before" ....

that one time, may be between semesters, may be for a subject, may be just for scoring pass marks, or may be for becoming topper, or...may be just to see your future with some 780ti/R9-290X rig from your own money, you will have to struggle,
without thinking of anything else, no deviations, no disruptions...just do whatever it takes, at that point of time, you think really is crucial to get to the next level. Just get to it, get it done, study hard achieve that goal...after that, you're the king.... you can play games 24X7 365 days, if you're confident enough that you would be able to make it out, it doesn't matter how u manage time, balance is state of mind, its not real, what real is confidence. You get it either by talent, or by toil, if u know that u can finish ur syllabus within 15 days and score with flying colors, game as much as u want, if you're not, work hard, get that confi and then game hard.

after all this, when you know when to go into turbo mode in urself, it will gradually go into you're gene, this computer thing, i mean it will grow like a plant in you and everything will seem connected, then if this recipe works properly, you'll grow such an incredible amount of interest in Computer Science that Games and Programming will be right and left hand for you. You will feel no difference but you will be able to make some

WOW very well written. [But i think you got a bit confused about academics vs extra knowledge]
Academics has never been a problem for me [ got 95% in 10th , 90% in 12th and only studied for 1 month each ] I want to go beyond academics , i want to learn everything about computers [stuff like for example making codes hack proof , make them efficient and super fast (reducing execution time from 1ms to 0.001ms?) , making my own blazing fast operating system? ] All these things against gaming. I'm very addicted to playing , i started playing Dota when i was around 11 or 12 years old [and i still play it].

Also what should i do now according to you? Should i get the R9-280X and keep a balance like Anand said ?

 

[sam_738844]

like i said its all about interest, you still can make performance tuned codes and derive your own encryption after your gaming....also part of that kind of growing up takes significant amount of time it will stupid for me to assume that you will do it in 3 years of college life...think about your age..its the grooming age...you're whole lifetime is left to game and code and do mixture of both....right now what important is identifying what you are good at, not in a first name basis but skill-wise, if that learning habit is in you, some games wont be able to stop you for long...


there is another part of life where you have to be happy, which is very important, back in our days, we learnt to be happy with "chai sutta friends" and entry level gaming and all, we had fewer options, that never means that these days one has to be sacrificing pleasure for the sake of seriousness, if one has the resources, he can very well go for whatever makes him happy, it can be a r9-280x, it can be a short story book by o Henry...anything, just he should be mature enough to realize that being happy with all these does not overwhelm his necessity of acquiring the very knowledge which...will...help him stay "happy" in future too. Happiness is affordable, blindness is not.

lastly, no book, no person is perfect enough to tell you how you'll manage your own f**ing time ...we all can suggest, but implying the same is whole lot bigger than that and trust me never works.

 

[ACidBaseD]

like i said its all about interest, you still can make performance tuned codes and derive your own encryption after your gaming....also part of that kind of growing up takes significant amount of time it will stupid for me to assume that you will do it in 3 years of college life...think about your age..its the grooming age...you're whole lifetime is left to game and code and do mixture of both....right now what important is identifying what you are good at, not in a first name basis but skill-wise, if that learning habit is in you, some games wont be able to stop you for long...


there is another part of life where you have to be happy, which is very important, back in our days, we learnt to be happy with "chai sutta friends" and entry level gaming and all, we had fewer options, that never means that these days one has to be sacrificing pleasure for the sake of seriousness, if one has the resources, he can very well go for whatever makes him happy, it can be a r9-280x, it can be a short story book by o Henry...anything, just he should be mature enough to realize that being happy with all these does not overwhelm his necessity of acquiring the very knowledge which...will...help him stay "happy" in future too. Happiness is affordable, blindness is not.

lastly, no book, no person is perfect enough to tell you how you'll manage your own f**ing time ...we all can suggest, but implying the same is whole lot bigger than that and trust me never works.

Again some high level gyan there [thanks ] [ You should start a blog , your writing skills are legendary .. when i read it , it feels awesome idk why?]

Well getting an R9-280X isn't happiness for me.Rather playing games is what makes me happy [Good graphics is just an added benefit to lure me more to gaming] Learning more about computers is Happiness [that's something i will retain unlike the games i play which are momentary..] Having a huge steam library and not pirating games is happiness for me [and for the developers too ]

Yesterday from around 7pm-9/10pm i was playing then I studied a bit of java then again from around 1am-3:30am i was playing then from 3:30-5am was studying basics of computers [like interpreters errors compilers etc] then again from 5-7 i played then till now doing tp on forums and learning [totaly ignoring my boring first sem subjects and assignments ] [also yeah i am awake from 2days idk why?]

 

[thegrinreaper]

He he....oh,the naive freshers..The first thing we are told is to forget our ranks.
In my college NIT Nagpur, good rankers have. History of failure.
My friend with aieee rank 4000 and 95% in 12th
Is now failing plenty of subjects.
College life is not as easy as u think.
Also remember, your 1st sem is very important. It helps set a reference for future semesters.

When it comes to gaming, avoid DotA, Fifa and CS or Mmos. Prefer single player or online coop multi players. This will allow you to try much more games.
For good balance, you could start modding or designing hats for your game.
Syrim, tf-2, fallout have massive modding communities And very helpful tools for starting off.
Try buying your own domain if possible and designing your website. You could use it as your gaming blog.

I hope this helped. couldn't write more since I am using my cellphone.

Happy gaming

 

[bssunilreddy]

I started my PC gaming in 2000 when I was still in my 1st degree and I play only in the evenings when I have time till midnight until I graduated in 2006. After getting a job I used to play only during week days and now I am playing when new games release only.Playing games must not be life but a part of the life as one gets too addicted to playing them ignoring ones duties when one is in home or office or any other duty. So there are friends who play 4-6 hours daily and still get good marks in their degrees. Its all about planning and discipline.

For your age 4 hours of gaming is enough (7pm-11pm) and about the GPU I recommend Zotac GTX650Ti Boost for 12,500.

 

[ACidBaseD]

He he....oh,the naive freshers..The first thing we are told is to forget our ranks.
In my college NIT Nagpur, good rankers have. History of failure.
My friend with aieee rank 4000 and 95% in 12th
Is now failing plenty of subjects.
College life is not as easy as u think.
Also remember, your 1st sem is very important. It helps set a reference for future semesters.

When it comes to gaming, avoid DotA, Fifa and CS or Mmos. Prefer single player or online coop multi players. This will allow you to try much more games.
For good balance, you could start modding or designing hats for your game.
Syrim, tf-2, fallout have massive modding communities And very helpful tools for starting off.
Try buying your own domain if possible and designing your website. You could use it as your gaming blog.

I hope this helped. couldn't write more since I am using my cellphone.

Happy gaming

Actually i am less worried about academics and more about gaining knowledge

I play DotA + CS aswell as single player games [Recently bought the full Batman GOTY Series ] + Online Co-OP [recently bought borderlands 2 goty ] .. I also love TF-2 [But ping problems so dont play] and Yes I will be buying skyrim legendary edition when it's on sale

Also i'm not interested in web developing
Designing hats ? What skills do i need for it ?

I started my PC gaming in 2000 when I was still in my 1st degree and I play only in the evenings when I have time till midnight until I graduated in 2006. After getting a job I used to play only during week days and now I am playing when new games release only.Playing games must not be life but a part of the life as one gets too addicted to playing them ignoring ones duties when one is in home or office or any other duty. So there are friends who play 4-6 hours daily and still get good marks in their degrees. Its all about planning and discipline.

For your age 4 hours of gaming is enough (7pm-11pm) and about the GPU I recommend Zotac GTX650Ti Boost for 12,500.

4 hours is okay on weekdays but it's too less on holidays/weekends
Won't the 650ti boost become absolete when next-gen games arrive? [It's better to spend more smartly than less un-wisely?]
If i buy the 280X i'll proabably be settled for 4 years of gaming !!

 

[thegrinreaper]

Actually i am less worried about academics and more about gaining knowledge

I play DotA + CS aswell as single player games [Recently bought the full Batman GOTY Series ] + Online Co-OP [recently bought borderlands 2 goty ] .. I also love TF-2 [But ping problems so dont play] and Yes I will be buying skyrim legendary edition when it's on sale

Also i'm not interested in web developing
Designing hats ? What skills do i need for it ?

I think blender is the most popular tool for designing cosmetics ATM.

Don't ever play DOTA online...it is a recipe for destruction of time and life. (5 years exp. With the game here..really hard to let go)

BTW. Borderlands is really underrated..its the best single player fps shooter ever . Coop is even better.

You could start modding ROMs on xda developers by learning Smali ( probably).

There was this guy that is trying for a job at Bethesda. The only thing on his resume : creator of Faalskaar. Look that up.

 

[ACidBaseD]

Actually i am less worried about academics and more about gaining knowledge

I play DotA + CS aswell as single player games [Recently bought the full Batman GOTY Series ] + Online Co-OP [recently bought borderlands 2 goty ] .. I also love TF-2 [But ping problems so dont play] and Yes I will be buying skyrim legendary edition when it's on sale

Also i'm not interested in web developing
Designing hats ? What skills do i need for it ?

I think blender is the most popular tool for designing cosmetics ATM.

Don't ever play DOTA online...it is a recipe for destruction of time and life. (5 years exp. With the game here..really hard to let go)

BTW. Borderlands is really underrated..its the best single player fps shooter ever . Coop is even better.

You could start modding ROMs on xda developers by learning Smali ( probably).

There was this guy that is trying for a job at Bethesda. The only thing on his resume : creator of Faalskaar. Look that up.

Playing dota from the time there were only 2 indian rooms in ggc [almost 5 years here too ]

 

[flyingcow]

I've recently started playing CS and its very hard to let go already, most of the days my schedule is 7-1 college and tuition, 2-8 CS/using the computer, 8-10 studies with very less concentration...and 10-2/3 PC again, my ranks are going downhill I also installed dota 2 but after reading this thread it will be better if i stay away from it...i always try to do something productive on PC but end up playing CS..i have to study in tuition library because i fear that if i study at home ill want to play CS...and my social life only includes going out with friends to play co op games..
OP get the R9 270X IMO as you are good in your academics already..and keep awquiring more knowlegde tan gaming

 

[snap]

imo don't play addictive games like dota 2 and CS try other sp games

 

[ACidBaseD]

I have played DotA for 5 years . It's not addicting for me anymore
Even though i have started CS recently, this game comes naturally to me because i have mastered the Most toughest gun game in the world [Name is: GunZ: The Duel , currently discontinued only available on private servers.. best one which i play on : fgunz.net I have a total of 5000-6000 Hrs on record on this game ]

I have decided to go for 280X

 

[snap]

congrats when is the purchase planned

 

[ACidBaseD]

congrats when is the purchase planned

As soon as it hits the Indian market [My guess is by December]

 

[rajatGod512]

So , does anyone have any idea of how much its gonna cost (R9 280X) when it hits Indian market ?

 

[ACidBaseD]

So , does anyone have any idea of how much its gonna cost (R9 280X) when it hits Indian market ?

25,000 RS for the Asus Model i guess. They listed the price as 22,000 excluding tax: *www.asus.com/in/News/SibqWyvOgiJM4Wqt
22-23000 for Refrence