Case
The computer case, often referred to as the chassis or tower, serves as the protective shell for all the internal components of your gaming PC. While it provides physical safeguarding, it's also essential for managing airflow to keep temperatures within the optimal range. Cases come in various sizes, designs, and materials, and some even feature RGB lighting and cable management systems to enhance aesthetics and organization.
Your choice of case not only determines the look of your gaming rig but also dictates the components that can be accommodated within.
Case Fans
Cooling fans are the unsung heroes of your gaming PC. They work diligently to maintain a suitable operating temperature for your components. These fans help circulate air within the case, dissipating the heat generated by critical components like the CPU, GPU, and power supply. In addition to the stock fans that come with cases and components, enthusiasts often add supplementary fans to optimize airflow for better cooling performance.
Central Processing Unit (CPU)
Often likened to the "brain" of the computer, the CPU is the workhorse that executes instructions and performs complex calculations for all tasks, including gaming. A powerful CPU can significantly impact gaming performance, particularly in titles that rely heavily on processing power, such as simulation games or video editing software.
Every processor boasts a specific number of cores, each tasked with managing different programs. The more cores your CPU boasts, the smoother your PC will juggle multiple tasks.
Motherboard
The Motherboard connects all of the parts of a computer together and allows you to plug mice keyboards and all other peripherals into your PC. The most common sizes from smallest to largest are Mini-ITX, Micro-ATX, ATX and Extended ITX. The size of a motherboard is important as it will affect your case choice as mentioned above. Different series of CPUs have certain motherboards that they’ll work with, our configurator will automatically hide any motherboards that don’t fit your chosen CPU.
Some motherboards will include built-in Wifi cards so if you are unable to connect via ethernet, which I would highly recommend if you are gaming online, you still have a way of connecting to the internet.
The motherboard is the central nervous system of your gaming PC. It's a complex circuit board that connects and facilitates communication between all the essential components. The CPU, RAM, GPU, and storage devices all plug into the motherboard. It also provides various ports, slots, and connectors for peripherals, such as USB devices, Ethernet cables, and audio equipment.
Graphics Card (GPU)
Often considered the most important and expensive part of any gaming PC a Graphics Card controls how your computer renders 3D models and lighting but not just in games. The faster the graphics card the higher amount of frames per second will be produced and the smoother your gaming experience will be. There are two main manufacturers of graphics cards, Nvidia and AMD. The newer Nvidia cards include a technology called Ray-tracing that makes the lighting in games much more realistic than cards from a few years ago did.
Power supply unit (PSU)
Power Supplies (PSU) are often under-appreciated as they power the entire computer. You need to look out for two main things for any PSU: the Wattage and the Efficiency certification. The Wattage limits which components will be able to be powered and run properly. The higher the wattage the better quality of components can be included in your build.
The Efficiency certification comes in different classifications, 80 PLUS Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum and Titanium. These classifications let you see how much of your power is being wasted any 80 PLUS certified PSU wastes at maximum 20%. The most commonly seen are Bronze (82-85% efficient), Silver (85-88% efficient) and Gold (87-90% efficient). If you can afford these higher tiers of PSU it’s highly recommended as you will be saving on your energy costs in the long run.
Random Access Memory (RAM)
RAM is used to manage all of the programs you currently have running. It is a type of memory slower than your CPU but faster than your main storage. RAM has two main specifications, the speed and the amount of storage. The speed is written in Mhz and the higher the number the faster the memory. The other part is storage and a larger amount helps with keeping multiple programs running smoothly. Common amounts of RAM are 16gb or 32gb.
For gaming nowadays the minimum recommended for alot of current titles is 16gb. If you’re looking to buy a PC to last better into the future the upgrade to 32gb is well worth it. RAM is one of the most easily upgraded parts of a PC going forwards so if your budget can’t afford a higher amount yet it can be easily increased in the future.
Another thing to consider is whether you will be streaming or doing any media related work on the PC as all of the programs focused on these tasks use large amounts of RAM. Again if these are going to be your focus then 32gb of RAM is recommended.
Storage
Storage drives are where your games, operating system, applications, and data reside. There are two primary types of storage devices:
Hard Disk Drive (HDD): HDDs provide substantial storage capacities at a lower cost per gigabyte but are comparatively slower than SSDs. They are often used for bulk storage of less frequently accessed data.
Solid-State Drive (SSD): SSDs offer lightning-fast data access speeds, significantly reducing game loading times and enhancing overall system responsiveness. They are a popular choice for gamers looking for speed and snappiness.
Non-Volatile Memory Express (NVMe): NVMe storage devices are significantly faster than their SATA counterparts. They leverage the PCIe (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express) interface, which is commonly used for connecting graphics cards and other high-speed components, to achieve lightning-fast data transfer rates. This results in quicker boot times, faster application loading, and improved overall
CPU Cooler
It’s always important to keep your brain cool and that’s the job of a CPU cooler. There are two main types of cooler, fan cooling and liquid cooling. Fan coolers are cheaper and generally take up less space inside your case but will be a lot louder than a liquid cooled solution.
Fan coolers work by pushing air over a cooling block to keep your CPUs temperatures down. A liquid cooler will cool the CPU by pushing liquid across the cooling block. These take up alot more space and require having liquid flowing inside your PC. These loops are completely sealed and pose almost no risk of leaking and ruining the computer. They are quieter than fan coolers yet come at a higher cost and can require maintenance.
The CPU cooler plays a pivotal role in preventing your processor from overheating during intensive tasks like gaming. It typically consists of a heatsink, which draws heat away from the CPU, and a fan (or fans) that assists in dissipating that heat. High-performance CPU coolers are crucial for maintaining stable temperatures, which can lead to better system longevity and gaming consistency.
