Good tools make good craftsmen.” The proverb also applies to video games: the right gaming PC makes the right gamer! To enjoy smooth and immersive sessions while maximizing your budget, building your own gaming PC is an adventure worth attempting. But how do you go about choosing components? Here’s our guide.
The 4 questions to ask yourself before getting started
Building your gaming PC offers great freedom, but to avoid making a mistake with the configuration, it is essential to identify your needs precisely.
What types of video games do I plan to play?
The choice is vast in the world of PC video games. Retro gaming, which consists of playing the titles of our childhood by emulating old consoles, is accessible with any computer, given the low resources that these old games require. On the other hand, AAA games, big productions like Call of Duty with the richest graphics and the most extensive universes, require the strongest configurations for optimal rendering. Some popular online games, such as Fortnite, Minecraft, Roblox, or League of Legends, can be satisfied with a mid-range configuration.
How many video games will I store on my PC?
Are you more of a game freak or collector? If you’re addicted to a limited number of games, it won’t be worth investing in a large capacity hard drive; 500 GB to 2 TB will do the trick. If, on the other hand, you plan to play several AAA games, each of which can be from 100 to over 250 GB, it’s better to line up the TBs! For retro gaming use, however, a small hard drive of a few dozen GB will be more than enough!
Will I need mobility?
Do you have your gaming desk at home or do you play on the go? For the most nomadic gamers, it will be more interesting to go for a portable gaming PC , which does not leave the leisure of setting it up alone. If on the other hand your gaming sessions have a fixed place like your bedroom or your office, you have all the time of your life to set up your fixed gaming PC in order to personalize it!
What budget am I willing to set aside?
Hardcore gamers know it: a gaming PC is more expensive than investing in a home console. But there is a difference between a League of Legends player, a Call of Duty-type FPS fan, and a virtual reality enthusiast. The former can consider building their PC with a budget of 1,000 euros or less, the latter should consider a budget of 1,500 euros, and the third should push the bar to 2,000 euros or more for an immersive experience.
The 8 essential components for building a gaming PC
The processor
The processor (CPU), a central component of a computer’s hardware, is responsible for the speed at which tasks are executed. Its importance is therefore crucial when it comes to PC gaming! It’s best to choose a multi-core processor to benefit from the best responsiveness. The entry-level (AMD Ryzen 3, Intel Core i3) will quickly show its limitations with resource-intensive games. The high-end (AMD Ryzen 7, Intel Core i7), with 8 cores or more, will guarantee against slowdowns, but the mid-range (AMD Ryzen 5, Intel Core i5) can provide satisfaction without strangling your budget. Premium processors (AMD Ryzen 9, Intel Core i9) are reserved for the most demanding gamers… and the wealthiest.
The graphics card
Also called the GPU, it is even more important than the processor because it is the component specifically responsible for computing operations related to image display. While most CPUs have an integrated graphics card, a gaming PC cannot do without a dedicated graphics card for a more fluid and immersive experience.
For 1080p (Full HD) gaming, a GeForce RTX XX60 or Radeon RX X600 graphics card will be fast enough to guarantee high performance. For 1440p (2K) gaming, the higher range (GeForce RTX XX70 or Radeon RX X700) will provide access to more power as well as technologies that improve the player experience (DLSS, ray-tracing). In terms of Ultra HD (2160p, 4K), triple-A and VR games will require a high-end graphics card, supercharged in terms of processing units, frequency, and video memory. This is the playground of the monsters in the GPU segment (GeForce RTX XX80 or XX90, Radeon RX X800 or X900).
Memory
We also talk about random access memory or RAM. It comes in the form of a RAM stick, to be connected to the motherboard. This storage device is used to store temporary data, those used at the moment by the processor to execute a program. The advantage of random access memory compared to memory stored on the hard drive is the speed of data access for the processor; it’s about ten times faster! The stakes are high when it comes to PC Gaming.
There are different RAM technologies: RAM, SDRAM, DDR… The latter has become the standard, with evolutions from generation to generation. DDR6 RAM, for example, benefits from ten times more bandwidth than DDR4 technology! To play in 1080p, 8 GB of RAM can do the trick. But demanding gamers will make the effort to push to 16 GB of RAM, and the fastest configurations will go beyond 32 GB for premium gaming comfort.
The motherboard
It is presented as the backbone of the gaming PC. The motherboard contains the socket (AMD or Intel), the element on which the processor is attached, the connectors for the RAM sticks, the PCI Express ports for connecting the graphics card, and the SATA ports dedicated to the hard drive. Each of these elements has its characteristics (number of ports, compatibility, format/version) that will determine the data transfer or processing speed.
The choice of motherboard format also depends on the size of the PC case: mini ITX or micro ATX for smaller cases, E-ATX for larger ones. The ATX format is the most common and corresponds to standard cases. Furthermore, some motherboards are more tolerant of overclocking and can even accommodate two graphics cards.
The hard drive
We’re talking about mass storage here. The hard drive contains both applications and stored data. When it comes to gaming PCs, the hard drive’s capacity will determine the number of games that can be stored on the computer, ranging from one to several hundred GB for AAA games (more than 300 GB for Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, for example). Beyond the data volume—1 TB minimum for a self-respecting gamer—the hard drive segment is divided between two technologies: mechanical hard drives (HDDs) and flash memory hard drives (SSDs). The former have physical components—magnetic disks—unlike the latter, which rely on electronic components. The latter offers better read speeds, which is a decisive advantage for a gaming PC!
Another advantage of SSDs is their improved resistance to shocks, which can damage the mechanical components of a traditional hard drive. For the same capacity, however, the price of an SSD is higher than an HDD, which should be factored into a gaming PC budget.
The PC case
This is the box that contains all the components of a desktop PC! As explained for motherboards, there are different formats of PC cases (mini ITX and micro ATX for the small ones, ATX for the medium size, and E-ATX for the largest). Beyond the aesthetic aspect (RGB lighting, transparent wall, noble materials like aluminum or wood, designer shapes), the choice of the case of a Gaming PC must facilitate its opening via for example the presence of a hinge system, and also and above all optimize the ventilation of the components it contains to avoid overheating.
Gaming PCs typically require an ATX or E-ATX format to accommodate larger components (fans, graphics cards, etc.). ATX format allows for greater motherboard compatibility, while E-ATX is suitable for more complex configurations!
The cooling system
With components producing heat at full capacity, especially when using overclocking to boost the performance of your gaming PC, cooling is a sensitive issue! It’s both the guarantee of maintaining your computer’s performance over long sessions and also of extending the lifespan of the components. There are two technologies in PC cooling: air cooler (air cooling and water cooling (liquid cooling. The latter, with its thermal fluids of different colors, is the most effective solution for gaming PCs… but also the most expensive. The heat sink, therefore, remains relevant for its value for money, its durability, and its ease of installation.
Food
The PSU (Power Supply Unit) provides the power to the computer to function, and it is important to choose the right power supply to avoid slowdowns in a Gaming PC. First of all, it is essential to choose the power supply adapted to the format of the motherboard and the PC case, and therefore to favor an ATX power supply (150×86 mm) over an SFX power supply (125 x 63.5 mm). The power in watts must also be sufficient compared to the power needs of the machine (processor, graphics card, etc.). For the most demanding Gaming PCs, a power higher than 750 or even 1000 watts is required.
In what order should you buy your gaming PC components?
A gamer will build their Gaming PC around the graphics card, the most important component for use-oriented towards video games! He will then have to select the most coherent processor according to the GPU to avoid the bottleneck, the phenomenon which occurs when one component slows down the performance of another. Next comes the RAM, with again a capacity adapted to the power of the CPU-GPU couple, then the hard drive, and finally the ventilation system adapted to the heat dissipation of the configuration. The choice of the motherboard will result from the compatibility needs of all these components, with the appropriate connectivity. It is then time to choose the PC case capable of containing these elements, and the power supply corresponding to the chosen format.
