The ideal is to try to make the computer as balanced as possible at the hardware level.
Although building a PC on your own is not difficult, the first time you may have doubts, even some fear in case you break something. However, it is quite difficult for this to happen if you take your time, after all, The rush is not good counselors. As for the components, There are certain things to keep in mind if you plan to buy a gaming PCeither by parts to assemble it on your own or pre-assembled.
If there is something good about setting up your own gaming PC, it is that you can choose the components, unlike the pre-assembled computers sold by brands such as Acer, HP, Dell, MSI, among others. In some cases you can make small changes to the hardware before you buy it, but it’s usually very little.
Things to consider when choosing components
We’ll see now what to look for when choosing the parts for a gaming PC. In the end, what we are looking for is to have a team that is as balanced as possible. In fact, as an example, it doesn’t make much sense to buy a high-end graphics card to play at 1080p and 60 frames per second in ultra quality.
RAM
If you have an APU in mind, such as an AMD Ryzen 7 5700G, It is very important that the frequency of the RAM is as high as possible.. Think that an APU uses part of the system RAM as video memory. Dedicated graphics cards usually carry GDDR6, and it is much faster than DDR4 and DDR5 memory.
On the other hand, you have to check if your motherboard is Dual Channel or Quad Channel. If it is Dual Channel you have to put two RAM memory modules to increase performance and take advantage of said technology.
Processor
If you have decided to buy an Intel processor and you don’t plan to overclockthen you don’t need to pay more for a CPU with the suffix K. For example, an Intel Core i7-12700K allows you to modify its frequency to take it a little further to the limit. Then we find the Intel Core i7-12700 which, unlike the first, is not unlocked.
With so many suffixes it is not uncommon for more than one to get confused. Why do I say this? There are also the processors ending with the suffix KF. These processors are unlocked and do not have integrated graphicsso you will have to use a dedicated graphics card.
Graphic card
We come to what is perhaps the most important component of a PC that is designed for video games, the graphics card. Choosing the right model is not always easy and buying the most powerful model is not always a good decision, and not only because of the price. Here you have to take into account the native resolution of your monitor and also if you plan to change it in the short or medium term.
If you play at 1080p and 60 fps, you don’t need to buy an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 or AMD Radeon 6800 XT, an RTX 3060 or AMD Radeon RX 6600 is enough, although if you want to take care of your health, an RTX 3060 Ti / AMD Radeon RX is enough 6600 XT to go a little more in terms of power. To play at 1440p, it is best to buy at least an RTX 3070 or AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT. For 4K you have to go high end/enthusiast.
Power supply
The power supply is a very important component, so it is not highly recommended to buy the first model you see. In the end, it is what supplies the necessary energy to the equipment. Here you have to take into account the type of certification and the watts. Said certification tells us the level of efficiency that it can have depending on the load level.
Below you can see the levels of certification that currently exist, ordered from lowest to highest:
- 80plus
- 80 Plus Bronze
- 80 Plus Silver
- 80 Plus Gold
- 80 Plus Platinum
- 80 PlusTitanium
The level of certification directly affects the price. So an 80 Plus Platinum certified PSU will typically be more expensive than an 80 Plus Bronze at the same wattage. It’s very important buy a source that is somewhat left over in terms of powerespecially if over time you plan to buy a graphics card that consumes a lot.
SSD
We could say that hard drives are a thing of the past, although here I have to make a point. They are still a totally valid option if you need a lot of storage space. However, for equal storage space, a hard drive is much cheaper. However, an SSD is much faster, not as fragile, and consumes less power.
It is worth, and much, to buy an SSD to install the operating system, the programs that you usually use and the games. The difference is abysmal, not only when loading the operating system, but also when opening any program. Also, in those games where they have implemented the API DirectStorage you will notice a big changefor good, in loading times.
Not all SSDs are created equal, with those that connect to a SATA port being the slowest and also the cheapest. They are 2.5 inches in size and typically have speeds of up to 560 Mbps read and 530 Mbps read. Then there are M.2 SSDs that have a SATA or PCIe (NVMe) logical bus. Here we find the M.2 2230, 2242, 2260, 2280 and 22110. Numbering corresponds to unit size. For example, the M.2 2280 model measures 22 x 80 millimeters. This is something to keep in mind, so I recommend you take a look at the motherboard manual to see what models it supports.
At the time of writing the fastest SSDs are those that make use of the PCIe 4.0 bus. There are models that have a reading speed of up to 7500 Mbps. Almost nothing! However, they are also more expensive. Indeed, to a board that has PCIe 3.0 you can connect a PCIe 4.0 SSDbut as is logical, performance will not be the same.
Cash register
When looking for a case / tower to mount a computer it is normal to look first at the design. Well, there are priorities here. The most important thing is to pay attention to ventilation. That air can enter through the front is very important to create an air current that helps keep the temperature at bay. If you buy a box that is poorly ventilated, hot air will accumulate inside and this must be avoided at all costs.
If you plan to put a large liquid cooling kit, especially 3 fans, you have to take into account the size of the box. Also, it is important that the box has enough space to put a few fansboth on the front and on the top.
cooling / fan
Liquid cooling kit (AIO), custom liquid cooling or air cooling (fan plus heatsink), these are the three options you have when it comes to cooling the processor. Here I would dare to say that it is better to buy a good fan plus heatsink rather than a cheaper liquid cooling kit. Without going any further, a very interesting option would be the Noctua NH-D15S. His performance is very good.
If for whatever reason you prefer a liquid cooling kit (AIO), then I advise you to have at least two fans, so the radiator will be 240 millimeters. Now, here it depends a lot on the size of the box. If you have a Mini ITX in mind, this option is ruled out and perhaps your thing is to opt for an air cooling kit, but one that is of quality.
Well, broadly speaking, this would be what you have to take into account. Depending on the equipment you want to assemble, you do not need to spend a large sum of money. Above all, if more than anything you are going to play indie titles and install retro platform emulators.
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