HTML BuilderThese are the parts that you can't cut corners on, or components that you shouldn't try to skimp. You can always go higher in performance or capacity, but not lower. Doing so would either affect how you experience the speed or how you perceive smoothness. This is especially true when comparing parts available "now" versus "parts back then".
In most of my recommendations, these parts will never change, due to their "value versus performance" index that I'm using. you can expect for me to have picked what I think is the best or highest available performing part for the price that I picked.
This is the computer board that everything plugs into. It's the backbone of the whole PC. Some support CPU overclocking, some don't. For a budget builder, overclocking can squeeze more performance than advertised out of the box (with a risk).
For newcomers, we'll assume that we are not overclocking at all, and just go purely by "out-of-the-box" performance as our reference point.
This supplies power to all the parts plugged in. The name is self-explanatory. The more capacity this has, the more power it can supply to parts that need it. Each part, including peripherals and extras, uses electricity.
You need to calculate the power consumption of each piece that plugs into your PC for the total amount and get a PSU that can handle that amount. Typically, it's better to add an extra 20-30% for additional headroom, as the PSU does wear out over time. You do not want to be running 90-100% capacity, as that will actually cause faster deterioration on this component. (ie. If PC uses 350W, get a 650W+ PSU).
Nowadays, this is required. No excuses. You install your OS (Operating System) and store your data on it (storage drive), and hopefully if it has enough room, you can install your most demanding games before you have to move on to another drive.
If the OS (like Windows) is slow, then your whole PC is going to be slow. SSDs help your overall PC be quicker, and that means even if your game is installed on another drive, it still brings benefits.
It is possible to pair an SSD with an HDD for more storage space, so go with a combination that fits your budget, but don't skip out on this part!
This is also your storage drive, not memory. You store things on here for long term, like music, videos, documents. This should be here to complement your SSD with providing more space to store things on. Hence "storage" drive.
Most people would argue that you should just skip this and go buy a bigger SSD, but that can be expensive. Hard Drives are very cheap, and pairing an SSHD (Solid State Hybrid Drive) with your main SSD can greatly boost gaming while saving money, and not sacrificing too much on speed/quickness.
This is memory, not storage; the part that briefly holds on to what the computer is thinking about while its working on things in the background. These days modern RAM is fast enough that you can't really tell the difference between other current-gen RAM kits unless you're really trying. However, you still need decently fast RAM, and if you're using an APU or iGPUs (integrated graphics) like I mentioned earlier, faster does matter. Thankfully, it's relatively cheap so you can get more capacity and still get higher speed without hurting your budget.
This is where you can throw all of your money at the screen to hopefully get the highest performance in games. These are the things that either get you a higher FPS (Frames Per Second), or lets you turn up the 'bells and whistles' to make a game appear the most graphically vibrant or 'beautiful' to the eye. Since things like FPS (how smooth/fast your game runs) or Graphical Fidelity (the things that look good) are subjective, and some gamers are okay with turning down some things in order to boost other things.
This is the brain of the computer. The more cores or threads it has, the more it can do at the same time, which could be pretty useful when you consider that while you're gaming, you're probably going to be running multiple apps like Discord, a few Chrome tabs, music, and/or streaming/recording. The faster (clock speed) and more capable (cores/threads) your CPU is, the better it will be at doing all these things at once.
This often tends to be the component that people want to last them the longest without having to swap it out. Therefore, it should be a reliable and strong pick.
This is the part that is responsible for what you see on the screen, how good it looks, and how smooth or fast it's being shown there. If this is slow, or isn't strong/fast enough to generate enough pictures per second (frames per second) to the monitor, you're going to have a bad time or feel disappointed in your overall experience.
Out of all the parts on this list, unless you are on a very strict budget, this is the part of the PC that you should flex your money on the most!
This one is totally optional, depending on which route you pick for your budget build. AMD has a hybrid-type chip that combines the aspects of both a CPU and a GPU into one chip.
For a Budget-Builder, this could be a miracle for someone who doesn't have enough money to buy a GPU outright, but still needs a PC that can do something. For many, this is the best temporary solution to get the job done.
Note: This is not exactly the same as Intel CPUs that come with Intel HD Graphics. The IGPs (Integrated Graphics Processor) that come included with Intel CPUs are usually "enough to get by", but typically not enough to get the job done. In most cases, AMD outshines Intel in this department.
When all is spent and money is low after picking the best internal parts that matter, these parts are the ones that we cut corners on. But it doesn't have to look like you picked the cheapest possible thing, or the worst performing pieces. With the right know-how, it you can even get something that helps your computer look aesthetic or clean, and not like you picked it off the shelf of a 'returned' section from Best Buy.
It holds all of your parts together inside. The Motherboard is mounted first, then everything else connects to that in some way. This is the thing that everyone will see first, and what you have to look at every day. If this is ugly, you'll probably feel a bit down no matter how good the inside is. Some people don't care about this, but I do. This means that on any lists I have put together, I will not recommend something that looks like a junk part. I will pick something nice for you.
Like I may have said somewhere on this site, we can't have you gaming on a potato.
I think this one is pretty simple - the more fans you have, the better the airflow in the case, meaning that any heat that builds up will be blown away (no pun intended), and that means the parts will run better and reduce risk of failure. Though it is a pretty important component, it is technically possible to run a PC without any additional fans (not a smart idea, but possible), and since the recommended CPUs always come with their own fans and heat-sinks (a piece of metal that helps disperse heat from the processor), this could be considered an peripheral or a piece you can afford to cut corners on. Thankfully, most CPUs nowadays (especially from the AMD side) come with pretty decent coolers, so it's not a problem.
Note: More fans doesn't always equate to a better experience. Sometimes if you get too many fans, position them the wrong way, or get crappy fans, it can negatively impact your experience by being too loud, or rattling in the case. This isn't something people usually consider, but it often causes headaches. If you are going to get case fans, remember that quality fans and their Decibel (dB) rating helps a lot with how you perceive the whole PC experience.
If I could say anything about things that people forget about all the time, it is this. If you read the details about the GPU that I wrote, you'll have noted the bit about the GPU producing the results that we see on the screen. The Monitor, Headset, Keyboard, and Mouse, are all HIDs that we interact with when using a computer. It's an interface that we humans interact with, which directly affects our perception of how the PC is doing, or how it's performing. The gaming PC could be the best computer in the world, but if these things feel like or act like garbage, we will experience garbage.
Though it is subjective to pick whichever monitors, headsets, keyboards, or mice that you want, it is because it is subjective that if you don't consider getting quality components or pieces, it can directly impact how you feel about your computer, and force you to feel the need to replace or upgrade, without having considered that your monitor is just bad or your keyboard is poorly manufactured, or you can't hear well from your headset.
HIDs are almost as important as the internal components themselves!
In the previous section we talk about the importance of HIDs (Human Interface Devices). Specifically, I reiterate the significance of the impact on your experience that a monitor can have. If one's display is of a lower quality or performance, it can reduce the enjoyment you can experience, or even lower your perception of how well you think your computer is doing.
In laymen's terms / TLDR: if you have a crappy monitor, you will definitely feel like your computer is performing like a steaming trash potato.
It's absolutely shocking how little regards people give to their Gaming PC monitor, but spend thousands of dollars on a new 4K HDTV with HDR and a billion+ colors, just to watch a single bead of sweat roll down an athlete's face. Why aren't we treating our monitors in the same fashion? You want a gaming PC? Get the full gaming PC experience.
Fortunately, monitor technology has improved significantly in the last 5+ years. While other parts have been jumping leaps and bounds, monitor technology hasn't really changed until a little while ago, until Nvidia decided to spearhead the Adaptive and Variable Refresh Rate technologies found in most gaming monitors today. Sure, you could pick a monitor according to some of your preferences, like glossy vs. matte, or IPS vs TN panel, or QLED vs. OLED, etc.
But after having experienced G-Sync for the first time with my first 4K monitor, and now having moved on to Samsung QLED with Freesync, I can never go back. Gaming on any other monitor doesn't quite feel the same, or I immediately notice some stuttering when my frames are dipping due to how hard I'm pushing the settings. It's that important, because you see and mostly experience the game with your eyes.
This is an exclusive, proprietary technology from Nvidia. It uses a physical, custom-made chip for Nvidia cards only. Expensive, but has its pros over its cons.
Nvidia supports G-Sync via Freesync-compatible monitors (but not the other way around), so look for the more affordable options if you have an Nvidia GPU.
Be advised that using an Nvidia card with a Freesync monitor isn't always perfect, and you may have to leave your monitor settings at default.
This is based on a feature from open standards (VESA), and its spreading fast, due to its nature of being a free-to-use technology. Although it's slightly inferior due to being software based instead of dedicated hardware, it performs almost as well, and it's getting better with each improvement.
Not all Freesync monitors are equal, unlike Nvidia where they enforce the minimum refresh rate via chip. Pay attention to or try to find out the minimum refresh rate. The lower the better for the supported range: 30 or 40 FPS vs the common 48 FPS.
Traditionally (and even basic monitors today), displays have what is called a static refresh rate. Meaning that every time your GPU produces sets of images per second (60 FPS means 60 frames of pictures per second), your monitor can only receive those according to its refresh rate. If your monitor's Refresh Rate is 60Hz, then ideally it would be great if your graphics card can output 60FPS to that monitor.
Below is what happens when you try to either Enable or Disable V-Sync to fix either problem. Unfortunately, you will end up experiencing one or the other if you turn on or off V-Sync.
With Traditional V-Sync on, you'll notice that when the GPU tries to sync with the monitor, it either wants to go slower or faster than the pace that the monitor is forcing it to run. This causes stuttering as the GPU and monitor fall out of sync. (Will feel like massive lag).
When Traditional V-Sync is off, and the GPU runs unhinged from the monitor's static Refresh Rate, the GPU will try to produce frames faster than what the monitor can receive, and the top half starts to refresh faster than the bottom half of the screen. It will be jarring.
Enter Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) or Adaptive Refresh Rate technology. This means that instead of the GPU being forced to try and match the Monitor, the Monitor is now adjusting its own refresh rate to match what the GPU is doing. This means that the GPU is free to run at whatever speed it is comfortable with, or the FPS can even drop low due to something demanding in the game, and the monitor will adjust accordingly. If something blows up on the screen and the FPS drops to as low as 30, it can compensate.
Note: As mentioned earlier, not all Freesync and G-Sync displays are equal. Some can support as low as 20FPS, and some can only go as low as 40. make sure to try and research or look up a monitor's specifications and G-Sync or Freesync Range before purchase. The wider the range, the better.
HTML Builder