30th Birthday

gonzo127

aileth wrote: »

I really really like that suggestion!!!!!!

well just a warning - dependant on which graphics card he has (as it will depend on how much of a upgrade a new card would be) but the current 'average gamer' card of choice is the nVidia GTX 660 which currently costs around £170 - so not a cheap present. however your budget can be adjusted based on his current graphics card

if you find out what he has already got then look on this http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107-7.html

this 'teirs' the different cards into simular performance levels - a good upgrade is usualy taken as something that is a minimum of 2 teirs above the current card, of course more teirs is a bigger jump, but less than 2 teirs tends not to see much of a performance jump and therefore tends to be seen as a waste of money,

so you can use this to work out if your budget will be enough for a upgrade, by finding out what card is currently 2 teirs above and then checking somewhere like ebuyer at the cost of that card

aileth

gonzo127 wrote: »

well just a warning - dependant on which graphics card he has (as it will depend on how much of a upgrade a new card would be) but the current 'average gamer' card of choice is the nVidia GTX 660 which currently costs around £170 - so not a cheap present. however your budget can be adjusted based on his current graphics card

if you find out what he has already got then look on this http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107-7.html

this 'teirs' the different cards into simular performance levels - a good upgrade is usualy taken as something that is a minimum of 2 teirs above the current card, of course more teirs is a bigger jump, but less than 2 teirs tends not to see much of a performance jump and therefore tends to be seen as a waste of money,

so you can use this to work out if your budget will be enough for a upgrade

Well I know his card is a good 7-8 years old now, but it was the creme de la creme when he bought it. He complains a lot about something to do with direct X 11, that his card can't do it and also it's missing a lot of the new pixel shaders. He can still play most games on fairly high but struggles with the fancier games!

gonzo127

well this is where it could get technical,

so can i just ask what sort of budget are you looking at as if the system is 7-8 years old this could mean the power supply might not be good enough for a current top end graphics card, which might then have to be considered

i am just thinking that if you are thinking of doing this then i can try and help cover most possibilities so it doesnt come as a shock (as i said earlier not always the cheapest present)

aileth

gonzo127 wrote: »

well this is where it could get technical,

so can i just ask what sort of budget are you looking at as if the system is 7-8 years old this could mean the power supply might not be good enough for a current top end graphics card, which might then have to be considered

i am just thinking that if you are thinking of doing this then i can try and help cover most possibilities so it doesnt come as a shock (as i said earlier not always the cheapest present)

Hmm max £150 I'd say, he has got a fairly new power supply as his old one broke!

gonzo127

oki doki, well if hes got a recent (last couple of years) power supply then you should be fine, and £150 is a decent budget for a new graphics card and i know if i got that i would be very happy (and i have just spotted the GTX660 mentioned earlier has dropped to below £150 - my wife might not be happy with you now i have spotted that as i feel a upgrade coming on......)

chatterup

You can take him shopping and casually ask him what he likes and observe what he seems to be interested in. Then, get him what he seems to like.

Sezzagirl

Your husband sounds so very much like mine! ;)I always used to struggle to work out what to buy him and often felt I was only buying things for the sake of it!

There is something though that has solved all my problem! :jA couple of years ago he got into Geocaching and now there's always something I can get him


If you haven't heard of it, Geocaching is a global "treasure" hunt that uses GPS technology to locate hidden things - Could be something like a little sandwich box or film canister - and you then record that you've found it - a better explanation here - http://www.geocaching.com/

Reading your comments about your husband, I think this is something that might interest him too - if he like computers and techy stuff but also enjoys a walk sometimes. I wonder if he is like my husband - much better at going for a walk with a purpose than walking for the sake of it!

If you wanted to buy him a Big gift for his 30th, you could buy him a GPS unit and then I promise you, there will always be something he wants for a present especially if he gets into setting and hiding caches as well as finding them

Sorry if this doesn't sound very clear - it's a bit difficult to explain! It is a really good hobby for all the family - especially as I get to go out with him if I want but he also likes to go off on his own sometimes too!

aileth

Sezzagirl wrote: »

Your husband sounds so very much like mine! ;)I always used to struggle to work out what to buy him and often felt I was only buying things for the sake of it!

There is something though that has solved all my problem! :jA couple of years ago he got into Geocaching and now there's always something I can get him


If you haven't heard of it, Geocaching is a global "treasure" hunt that uses GPS technology to locate hidden things - Could be something like a little sandwich box or film canister - and you then record that you've found it - a better explanation here - http://www.geocaching.com/

Reading your comments about your husband, I think this is something that might interest him too - if he like computers and techy stuff but also enjoys a walk sometimes. I wonder if he is like my husband - much better at going for a walk with a purpose than walking for the sake of it!

If you wanted to buy him a Big gift for his 30th, you could buy him a GPS unit and then I promise you, there will always be something he wants for a present especially if he gets into setting and hiding caches as well as finding them

Sorry if this doesn't sound very clear - it's a bit difficult to explain! It is a really good hobby for all the family - especially as I get to go out with him if I want but he also likes to go off on his own sometimes too!

That actually looks like tonnes of fun! Think I might try it instead :rotfl:

Sezzagirl

Aileth - it is something that you can do together - it is even something my teenage sons enjoy doing with their parents and those activities seem few and far between now!

Hubby spends ages solving puzzles too as to get some of the locations, you have to solve a code or puzzle or investigate some obscure picture puzzle!

Definately something for everyone! Even the dog enjoys it! I always say I go along for a nice walk and a tea shop! ;-)

Kynthia

I struggle to buy for my hubbie too, although he isn't into computers. Things I got him or we've done together are:

• Tickets to watch Derren Brown or Book of Mormon (from the makers of South Park).
• Chocolate making for two.
• Hot stone massage.
• Football tops, including retro ones. He particularly liked the one his team wore during the match that made him a fan in 1985.
• Watch.
• Cycle tops.
• Ipad.