Budget and Order Dates

A little talk about the budget. I usually put aside a budget of about 300,000 yen to 400,000 yen per year regarding PC and high-tech related items. Last year was hardly a PC upgrade year. I used most of the budget in buying HP Home Server, iphone Touch, Playstation3 and Wireless setup. But this year I am setting aside about 700,000 to 800,000 yen to a top of the line kick-ass PC. Because of this, once this project is done, I will sit low for about 3 years without any upgrades....well expect the VGA cards. This is the only part I usually try to keep current every year.

Half of my project, I will need to order in the US via PC-Performance site. I have to use PayPal services so it will have to be payed with the next visa card statement. As much as possible, I am trying to buy my high-end HW PC parts locally (in Japan). This way I can use my summer Bonus for payment but mostly I can get local support from the shop if I get a DOA or issues with the HW. If I buy them abroad, I have to add extra shipping costs and a risk factor of failed parts. If I get a failed part this way, I have to spend more shipping cost to send it back, etc. and etc. It is not the FUN part of the project. But I have to except this risk. You may ask, why not just get a different maker or similar part in Japan. I have a specific theme and need the exact colors to meet it. More on that later.

Anyway, the order date for the custom rig is April 16th.