Actor and former NFL player Terry Crews brings celebrity muscle to PC gaming

Terry Crews has joined the PC gaming club, as he gleefully proclaims in a Facebook video showcasing a list of parts he purchased as he prepares to build a system from scratch for the first time.

If the name isn't familiar to you, the face probably is. Crews is a former linebacker in the NFL, having been drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in 1991 and finishing his football career with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1996. He also had stints playing for the San Diego Chargers and Washington Redskins, along with the Rhein Fire, a football team in NFL Europe. After retiring from pro football, Crews began acting, scoring roles in White Chicks, Friday After Next, Training Day, The Longest Yard, The Expendables 3, and various other flicks. More recently you might have seen him in one of several Old Spice commercials and the TV show Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

Crews is also a dad, and that's part of what drew him to build a gaming PC, which will replace an iMac that sits on his desk.

"I have decided to join the legion of the PC gaming community and I'm going to build my own PC," Crew says near the beginning of his 12-minute video. He goes on to explain that "this is something I enjoy doing with my son," noting that his kid is a "big time gamer" and that this is something that brings them closer together.

Crews says he got hooked to PC gaming during a Battlefield 1 session with Jamie Foxx, Snoop Dogg, and other celebrities. Now with the help of someone named "Pony Lion," he's ready to build a system.

As a celebrity figure who's obviously in great shape, Crews used the opportunity to dispel any negative stereotypes that might be associated with video games.

"Sometimes it's good to get addicted to good stuff!," Crew says. "My thing is, there's nothing wrong with gaming, there's nothing wrong with video games and all that stuff. I make sure I stay physical also, but it's a fun world."

Crews might be new to building PCs, but his selection of components is pretty sound. Here's what he went with:

  • NZXT Phantom 820 case
  • Intel Core i7-6800K CPU
  • Asus X99 Sabertooth motherboard
  • Corsair H100i V2 CPU cooler
  • 32GB Corsair Dominator Platinum
  • 2TB Samsung 850 Pro SSD
  • Asus Xonar Essence STX soundcard
  • Asus Blu-ray drive
  • EVGA Supernova 1000W P2 power supply
  • Razer DeathAdder Chroma mouse
  • Audio Technica PDG1 headphones
  • Corsair K70 Lux RGB mechanical keyboard
  • Acer Predator X34 curved monitor

There are a few things to note. First, Crews says he purchased all of these items with this money, they weren't sponsored for a shout out. And secondly, you'll notice there's no graphics card. He doesn't mention one in the video, but according to a one of his comments on the Facebook post, Crews picked up a GeForce GTX 1080.

Crews also bought an HTC Vive headset for VR gaming, which his setup is obviously well equipped to handle. But the neatest thing is just hear his excitement over building his own system and diving in the deep end of PC gaming. Check it out:

Paul Lilly

Paul has been playing PC games and raking his knuckles on computer hardware since the Commodore 64. He does not have any tattoos, but thinks it would be cool to get one that reads LOAD"*",8,1. In his off time, he rides motorcycles and wrestles alligators (only one of those is true).