How to build a gaming PC 💻🎮

Are you buying your first gaming PC? 🚀 Here are some tips for building a good gaming PC.

If you're thinking about getting your first gaming PC, you probably have a lot of questions: should I buy a preconfigured PC or should I build one from scratch? 🤔 Which processor should I choose? What is the most important component for better gaming performance? In this buying guide, we'll give you a series of tips so you can build your first gaming PC and get it right, getting the best possible performance-price ratio. 💡

Consoles may be the most popular gaming platform, but as you know, there are many advantages to playing on PC. We're not just talking about the versatility (since we can use them for a multitude of things besides gaming), but also because of the "exclusive" PC games that aren't on consoles, such as League of Legends or the new one Valorant, as well as an extensive catalogue of strategy games and MOBAs. 🕹️

So, let's see what factors you should take into account when choosing your first gaming PC and get it right without spending too much money. 💸

How to Build a Gaming PC – Should You Buy a PC in Parts or a Pre-Built One? 🎮💻

The easiest option when buying a gaming PC is to go to any physical store and buy one that is already pre-built. This means that we don't have to assemble it ourselves. However, these computers usually have more marketing and exterior design than anything else, leaving the internal components in the background and bringing with them quite negative surprises. 😕

These OEM machines often come with questionable quality power supplies, use standard heatsinks, do not take advantage of dual-channel RAM, and ultimately do not deliver the expected performance, both in terms of temperature and noise as well as raw performance. For this reason, in general, and with a few exceptions, we never recommend buying an OEM PC for gaming. 🛑

As we mentioned, the only situation where we would suggest this is for someone who doesn't want to spend almost anything and chooses a pre-built PC with just the hardware to get by. Also, it is crucial that the buyer handles the warranty directly with the manufacturer and not with the store, something incredibly important. If not, it will always be more advisable to have a PC assembled in parts by a specialized store. 🛠️👍

🖥️ Build your own custom PC

The advantages of assembling a PC in parts are that You choose each component. If you are worried about assembly, don't worry: on our website we offer several manuals so you can do it yourself. 🛠️ In addition, most online stores provide excellent quality assembly services so you don't have to worry about anything and with a full guarantee. 🔧

You may pay a little more 💸, but the quality and warranty you get are completely worth it. 💯

🎮 The most important elements of a gaming PC

We are not talking about just any PC, but one specially designed for gaming. Therefore, we must carefully consider the importance of the hardware pieces we are going to assemble. Sometimes, it may be necessary to save a little on some components in order to invest in better quality ones. ⚙️

In a gaming PC, the most crucial elements are, in this order: graphic card, processor, RAM memory and storage. 💻

He processor is the brain of the team and is essential for all types of games. On the other hand, the graphic card determines the quality and resolution of the games we want to play. 🖥️

In addition, the amount and speed of the RAM influences the performance of the games, and of course, having a fast storage It is vital to speed up the loading of games. 🚀

The processor can be Intel or AMD. Don't miss our post about Intel and AMD CPU Equivalents: The 2022 Guide. AMD processors are usually cheaper and offer a better quality/price ratio. 🛠️

As for the graph, it can be AMD or NVIDIAAMD graphics cards usually offer a better price/performance ratio. However, NVIDIA's cards are currently the standouts for their pure performance. 🎮

For the RAM memory, 8GB will be enough for most cases. But if you want to play big and your budget allows it, don't hesitate to opt for 16GB of RAM. 🚀

Regarding the storage, there's no question about it: buy an SSD. It doesn't matter if you're on a tight budget and you're happy with a SATA 3 SSD, as they are now very cheap and offer incredible performance compared to a classic mechanical hard drive. 💾

💻 How to build a gaming PC – How to know if a component is good or not? 🤔

Now you have a pretty good idea of what you want based on your budget, but how do you know if a component is good or not? Both graphics cards and processors can have confusing names. You may not be sure if an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 is better than an AMD Radeon RX 560, for example. 🖥️

For this reason, we recommend that you take a few minutes to look at our post. NVIDIA vs AMD Graphics Card Comparison 2022 📊, where you will find reviews of graphics cards and processors that fit your budget. This way you can make an informed decision and choose the best for your gaming PC. 🎮

🎮 In addition to this, to understand if a hardware component will work well in the games you want to play, you can always look for reference points in the reviews. In general, when a review of a graphics card is done, it is always tested in games, and there you will be able to see the FPS that is capable of generating. 🚀

🤔 In addition to this, talking in terms of good or bad is not really accurate. Nowadays, it is difficult to find a poor quality PC product or component. It is more accurate to talk about performances. Usually, price is an easy segmentation to understand what yields more and what yields less; it is not 100% reliable, but it is indicative. 💡

🔍 Similarly, the selection process requires information that we must look for to understand whether it is really worth it or not. 📈

🎮 Other components to consider for an ideal gaming PC 🎮

Before choosing specific hardware, it's essential to ask yourself what your goals are. Wanting a gaming PC for your child to play Fortnite is not the same as looking for a machine to enjoy the latest triple-A games in 4K resolution. 🎯 This directly affects the budget you will need. 💰

For example, if your goal is to play Fortnite in 1080p, a gaming PC of around 500 to 700 euros will probably be enough. 💻✨ However, if you want to experience The Witcher 3 in 4K with everything turned up to the max, you'll have to invest at least three times as much. 🚀

For this reason, the first piece of advice is that before continuing, you have your goals and your budget well defined 💡💸. It is important that you know that you will not be able to play at 4K resolution and with everything to the maximum if you have a 500 euro gaming PC 🎮💻.

Do you want a pre-built PC but not OEM? 🤔

You may not want to go through the hassle of buying your PC in parts, and prefer to have it assembled directly in the store. You may also be wary of OEM PCs sold by some manufacturers, as sometimes their components do not have the quality and performance one would expect. 🛑

If this is your case, you can always turn to online stores that offer a wide catalog of PCs in parts already assembled by them. This way, you get the best of a PC in parts but without the disadvantages of OEM equipment. 💻✨

Larger stores also build their PCs from components, give them their own name, sell them with a warranty, and also include coverage for the assembly. This is a very convenient option if you don't want a PC from a manufacturer in OEM mode. 🛒🔧

How to Choose a Gaming PC Final Tips🎮

Bigger is not always better: You don't need a huge tower to have a system with high-end components. Buy a large tower only if you like the way it looks and want plenty of room for future upgrades. 🖥️

Get an SSD if possible: This will make your computer much faster than if it used a traditional HDD, and it has no moving parts. Look for at least a 256GB boot SSD, ideally accompanied by a larger secondary SSD or a good hard drive for storage. 🚀

You can't go wrong with Intel or AMD: As long as you choose a current-gen chip, both companies offer comparable overall performance. Intel CPUs tend to perform slightly better when running games at lower resolutions (1080p and below), while AMD's Ryzen processors typically handle tasks like video editing better, thanks to their extra cores and threads. 🧠

Don't buy more RAM than you need: 8GB is fine in a pinch, but 16GB is ideal for most users. Serious game streamers and those working with high-end media creation with large files will want more, but will have to pay a lot for options that go up to 64 or even 128GB. 💾

Don't buy a gaming rig with multiple cards unless necessary: If you're a serious gamer, get a system with the best single graphics card you can afford. Many games don't perform significantly better with two or more cards in Crossfire or SLI, and some perform worse, forcing you to disable an expensive piece of hardware to get the best possible experience. Because of these complications, you should consider a multi-card PC only if you're looking for performance beyond what can be achieved with the best high-end consumer graphics card. 🎮🖌️

The power source is important: Does the PSU offer enough power to cover the hardware inside? (In most cases, the answer is yes, but there are some exceptions, particularly if you plan on overclocking a CPU.) Also, note whether the PSU will offer enough power for future upgrades to GPUs and other components. ⚡

Cabinet size and expansion options vary dramatically between our selections. 🔧

Ports matter: Beyond the connections needed to hook up your monitor(s), you'll want plenty of USB ports for connecting other peripherals and external storage. Front-facing ports are especially useful for flash drives, card readers, and other frequently used devices. For added future-proofing, look for a system with both USB 3.1 Gen 2 and USB-C ports. 🔌