Having a dedicated system for your hobbies is an exciting and enjoyable experience. Although fulfilling your hobbies and interests can be really expensive, there’s nothing wrong in treating yourself with something extra, as long as you can afford them. Gaming is one of the priciest hobbies to get into today. If you want to play different games using a computer with smooth performance, crisp graphics, and a premium feel, you might want to consider building a dedicated gaming computer.
To keep this short and sweet, here are the critical steps in assembling your gaming PC:
Narrow Down Your System Requirements
Before spending your money on any computer part, planning should always come first. Since you’ll be playing games on the computer, its specifications should run your desired games properly. Therefore, identify the system requirements of the games you’re planning to play.
To give you an idea of the recommended PC parts, which will be elaborated later, see the table below:
| Game | Recommended System Requirements | |
| RAM | Available Storage Space | |
| Cyberpunk 7077 | 12 GB | 70 GB |
| Minecraft | 8 GB | 4 GB |
| Fortnite | 8 GB | 16 GB |
| Valorant | 4 GB | 8 GB |
| Genshin Impact | 16 GB | 30 GB |
Will you only be gaming on the PC? If you’re planning to perform mundane to demanding tasks, it’s also crucial to factor in their requirements. For example, gaming needs better performance than office tasks such as typing and surfing the web, so you don’t have to worry about specifying requirements for these simple tasks.
Meanwhile, if you’ll install and run heavier programs for photo and video editing, coding and programming, and the like, you may need a more powerful computer that can perform past gaming.
Define Your Budget Range
How much are you willing to spend on your gaming computer? While professional gamers and gaming enthusiasts splurge on their device and setup, it doesn’t mean you also should, as your choice of parts and components will depend on your needs. The lower your budget, the more you’ll have to stretch it to meet your requirements.
Three PC budget levels were discussed below to identify how much you’ll spend on your computer accurately. Take note that they don’t include the peripherals yet. Generally, you’d want to get the best gaming PC build under 1,000, and anything above that may be overkill.
- Entry-Level: These computers range from USD$300 to USD$400. With this budget, you should already expect that your game options are limited, and you can only run eSports titles in low settings. If you’re planning to play high-definition, triple-A games, the entry-level won’t be your best choice.
- Mid-Level: To enjoy the newest and most hyped titles with higher graphic settings and higher frame rates, mid-level gaming PCs priced at USD$600 to USD$800 are perfect for their decent quality and price.
- High-End: As its name implies, high-end gaming PCs are extra powerful and are more expensive. With a budget of USD$800 to USD$1,000, your computer can run 4K graphics games, video rendering, and heavy streaming without lags.
Purchasing Prebuilt Unit vs. Building Your Own
Another issue that’s usually debated in the PC gaming community is purchasing a prebuilt computer or gathering the parts on your own. To find the right answer for your situation, it’s worth looking at each of their pros and cons.
Buying a ready-made computer is best for people who lack tech confidence. If you’re still a newbie in computer gaming and don’t prefer researching thoroughly, a prebuilt gaming PC may suit you better. Prebuilt PCs tend to be more expensive and lack room for customization.
On the other hand, assembling your own computer gives you the freedom and satisfaction of accomplishing the build on your own. You’re also more likely to get the best-value deals, but the entire process is time-consuming.
Assemble The Main Parts
For the technical part of building your gaming PC, you’ll have to look into the fundamental components of your system, namely the computer processing unit (CPU), graphics processing unit (GPU), random-access memory (RAM), and storage. Check out this guide on how to find the right components for you.
Also, if you’re assembling the pieces on your own, or planning to replace a prebuilt unit with a few parts, make sure that you have the following tools and equipment:
- Safety gloves
- Screwdriver
- Thermal paste
- Compressed air
- Containers for small parts
- Computer case
Get Your Peripherals
One’s gaming experience will never be complete without the right gaming peripherals. These items will enhance your gaming, especially if you have the right specs for your needs. Beware, as peripherals tend to pull gamers into a rabbit hole of non-stop spending.
To encourage you to pick up only the right one and limit your spending, here are essential peripherals that can contribute to your gaming experience:
- Monitor
- Mechanical keyboard
- Gaming mouse
- Headset or high-quality speakers
- Comfortable chair
Bottom Line
Enjoying your gaming experience means having a decent computer that can operate your favorite games and allow you to play with ease and comfort. If you’re looking into building your gaming PC in 2021, it’s important to be aware of your numerous build options, as building a computer has no one-size-fits-all approach. Hopefully, you’ll get to enjoy your PC build with the help of this discussion.
