For some of you, Paul is a familiar face. For others, Paul is just another ordinary guy who likes building computers: a geek. Paul is part of the Newegg TV team which has garnered more than 114,000 subscribers and 27 million video views. Because he is so visible on YouTube, we decided to ask Paul a few questions so everyone can get to know him better.
1. How did you get started in building computers?
My first computer as far as I can remember was actually my dad’s Commodore 64, an old favorite if you spent any time with computers in the 80s. The first time I actually did any work with PC hardware was on our Hewlett Packard Vectra 486DX in the early 90s (I think I was about 13) – all we could manage at that point was a simple RAM upgrade. I finally got my own PC in 1999: a system I built out from a barebones I picked up at Fry’s (*gasp!* …in fairness though, Newegg did not exist yet). It sported a 450MHz AMD K6-2 processor and a beige case with a lovely turquoise plastic drive bay cover.
2. What is your current build? What is your dream build?
CPU/Cooler – Intel Core i7 3770K @ 4.4GHz / Thermaltake Frio
MB – ASUS Sabertooth Z77
RAM – Corsair 16GB (4x4GB) low-profile black DDR3 1600
VGA – ASUS NVIDIA GTX 580 DirectCUII
Case – Corsair Graphite 600T (gray/black)
PSU – Enermax Platimax 1200W
SSD – Kingston HyperX 240GB
HDDs – 1x WD Enterprise 500GB, 1x WD Caviar Green 2TB, 1x WD Elements 1TB external
I’m really happy with my current build. Of course, there’s always faster hardware – I wouldn’t mind a socket 2011 system with a 3930K or 3960X of course, but it’s a bit out of my price range, and I don’t do enough computer-intensive work at home to really make that a legitimate investment. My wife might get mad, unless maybe I gave my current system to her…
3. How do you know so much about computers?
I think it started in high school. After working on a few projects on our home computer I decided it would be a necessity for me to always have one. I gravitated towards DIY projects growing up, and I figured out that building a PC yourself could save a few hundred dollars a lot of the time. From there I just picked up info wherever I could – I went to college to study film, and I was always glad I had a powerful enough system in my dorm or apartment to not have to spend hours in the video editing lab. My #1 source of PC knowledge over the years has been Maximum PC magazine, and more recently I find myself browsing all over the internet to scrape together info on new or soon-to-be-released PC hardware.
4. What are your favorite games?
I am a confessed WoW player, but fortunately I spend less time playing these days than I used to. It’s not my fault though – A girl I like a lot introduced me to the game. I ended up marrying her. =D
Other PC games I’ve played, in no particular order: Quake II, Starcraft, Starcraft II, the Civilization series, Diablo II, Diablo III, Battlefield 2, Battlefield 3, Counter Strike: Source…
Also some console games I’ve enjoyed: Grand Theft Auto 3/Vice City/San Andreas/4, Final Fantasy 1/7/10, Hot Shots Golf, Tiger Woods Golf… this list goes on but I am running out of space!
5. What’s your favorite thing about working for Newegg?
I’ve somehow always managed to get myself into a position at Newegg that deals hands-on with PC hardware. I did RMA Inspections for Customer Service back in 2005/06 (I got pretty good at fixing bent CPU pins), and after a stint as a Systems Analyst I found myself in Web Management/Marketing working with our hardware forums. After volunteering to do “a few videos” for our YouTube channel, my focus shifted towards video production. I really enjoy being able to try out the newest hardware as it is released. Now I get to make videos and build computers – it’s awesome! =D
