Building your own computer has long been a right of passage in the PC gaming world and it certainly has many benefits doing so. Choosing your own components and parts usually makes the whole ordeal a lot cheaper, giving you the chance to get inexpensive options which do the same job as prebuilds. For a lot of people, though, this process can be very daunting. Even using a company to help you, choosing the best parts for your money can be hard. So, to help you out, this post will be going through all of the parts inside your new gaming battlestation, and how you should choose them.
Read also: How Much Does it Cost to Build a Gaming PC (Quick and Easy Guide)
The Processor
There hasn’t been a better time to buy a processor in many years. With AMD’s new Ryzen and Thread Ripper lineups and Intel’s new generation of products and release of their extreme range, competition is in the air. But, when a budget is on the brain, who wins out? In this case, you’d probably be looking at a Ryzen 3 or a Core i3 as your key options. Looking at some benchmarks, it’s easy to see that the Ryzen 3’s quad core setup outperforms most of the i3s in Intel’s lineup. With the Ryzen 3 1200 sitting at around $150 (US) and the i3 7350k at over $200, it’s not a hard choice. Especially considering that every Ryzen processor can be overclocked, provided you have the right chipset for it.
The Graphics Card
Unfortunately, the time hasn’t quite come that AMD can beat all of their rivals. The graphics card space is largely dominated by Nvidia, nowadays. Thankfully, though, their offering of cards is easy to understand. In most budget machines, a GeForce 1050ti could be the best option for you. This card is extremely low-priced while promising to give you a great experience in most modern titles. If you’re willing to a wait a little bit longer, though, AMD could have some very promising options for you very soon.
The Motherboard
Once it comes to choosing your motherboard, there are only a couple of considerations you need to have. First, you need to choose one which matches the socket of your processor. This should be nice and easy, as it will tell you in the CPU’s specifications. Along with this, you’ll also need to consider whether or not you’ll be overclocking in the future. You can only overclock on Ryzen if you have the B350 or X370 chipset on your board.
RAM And Storage
Most modern gaming computers will have a minimum of 8GB of RAM. For people who want to use their machine for heavy workloads like video rendering or 3D modeling, 16GB might be more appropriate. Ryzen loves to have fast memory, so it’s best to go for the highest speed your motherboard and budget can handle. Along with this, you’ll also need some storage. It’s worth having solid state drives for at least your operating system. This will ensure speedy boot times. Of course, though, you’ll also need a traditional hard drive to store your other files and applications.
The Case and Peripherals
Now, you can start to think about the way the computer looks. When you choose your case, you need to be thinking about parts which are going inside. There are different sized motherboards out there, and different cases to match them. When buying a computer case, choosing one with included fans will save you from having to buy them separately. The only peripheral you need to be worried about is the monitor you use. Cheap and budget options can often impact the quality of your gaming experience, making it pointless having a beefy computer. Always make sure you read reviews for the monitors you buy, only choosing ones which excel.
Getting The Job Done
A lot of people are put off from this sort of job because it seems very complex. But, in reality, you can build your own gaming PC with the help of a few videos online. Along with this, there are loads of companies out there which allow you to choose the parts for a PC, and they’ll put it together for you. A service like this enables you to save money on your computer, while also having the best possible cable management they can achieve. Whichever route you choose, you will have a huge impact on your gaming battlestation.
Hopefully, this post will give you a good idea of the best parts on the market to choose for your budget gaming rig. Not a lot of people learn about the parts in their computer. For example, many people would just use the mouse that comes with their computer rather than check out a guide to wireless gaming mouses by Gear Hungry. But, exploring this subject can be very rewarding. There’s no better way to prove to yourself that you’re good with computers.
Yes, I agree with the right of passage comment! My son is about to get there and for his birthday this summer, he’s going to be building his first computer. It ought to be quite an experience for him. I think that I’ll give him this post to check out so that he can get a better understanding of what and how this will all work. Thanks for a great post at the perfect time!
Thank for good advice. As i experience build a gaming PC. I would recommend to choose a good motherboard. It help you a lot when you want to update any spear-part in the future.