Unpacking Dreams: Finally Opening the Gift of a Lifetime

For the past three years, I’ve held onto an incredible gift—an entire desktop PC that remained unopened due to a series of personal circumstances. This journey began with a kind person inspired by my humble setup in Syria, who decided to donate their old computer to me. Along with the PC, they included thoughtful extras like thermal paste and additional fans and even covered shipping costs. Additionally, another generous individual contributed a 1030 graphics card and an old SSD. Just two weeks ago, I received a fantastic upgrade in the form of a 3070 graphics card.

However, my situation made it impossible to access this treasure. After leaving Syria, the PC remained carefully stored in a box at a friend’s place while I faced challenges with my living conditions. I had limited space, financial constraints, and no electricity to power it up. For three long years, I held onto the hope of finally unboxing this gift one day—today, that dream became a reality.

Now, with plans to purchase a used monitor and a power cable, I’m eager to see if the build has endured years of storage and dust accumulation. I’m optimistic that it will power on.

Here are the specs of this generous gift:

• CPU: Intel Core i7-3960X or Intel Core i7-3930K
• CPU Cooler: Water cooling system
• GPU: Nvidia 3070
• RAM: Eight sticks of RAM, with some being DDR3-1600 CL11
• Motherboard: Asus P9X79 WS
• SSD: Two 240GB drives

I fully acknowledge that while this setup is dated, the beauty of a desktop is its upgradability. I’m ready to enhance its components once my finances allow. Even though it may have its limitations, it is undoubtedly a leap forward from my former MX130 laptop GPU.

As for the other CPU that came with it, I’ve been informed that it was quite an investment at launch. If you’re knowledgeable about its current value, I’d appreciate any tips on whether platforms like eBay are viable for selling it.

With the computer finally coming together, I’m considering launching a Twitch or YouTube channel dedicated to playing nostalgia-inducing games that I missed out on due to my lack of a dedicated graphics card.

This process has felt much like upgrading a bare-bones vehicle for a race. After