Building a gaming PC is a very rewarding experience and is one of the best ways to get the maximum performance out of gaming. Although gaming PCs can be used for multiple functions, your primary goal is to obviously game on it! Building a PC from scratch allows you to pick out the parts that works the best for your needs and goals. However, it can seem like a daunting task at first, so here’s how to build a custom gaming PC for beginners:
1. Identify Your Needs
Why are you looking to build a gaming PC? Is it specifically for gaming? Content creation? School work, content creation, and gaming? Just plain ol’ Netflix watching? You probably have an idea of what it is that you want out of your PC, and this can affect what parts you pick for the PC to work.
If you’re into buying a gaming PC, chances are you’re looking to play video games. Of course, this means that you need to make sure that you’re picking the parts that fit both your budget and your preferences for your gaming.
PCs can come be anywhere from budget to high-end, and the prices reflect that. Some gaming PCs are $500 and others are $5,000–obviously, a big difference. So, keep in mind that a higher-end PC will ultimately have better performance than a lower-end PC.
2. Pick Your CPU
The CPU is single-handedly the most important component of your gaming PC. It is essentially the brain of the computer and it performs very vital tasks to the functioning of the PC.
In regards to gaming, there are two giants in the CPU world: AMD and Intel. These both offer a large selection of CPUs at a varied range of price points.
Some of the best CPUs for gaming are:
2. Pick a Good Motherboard
The motherboard is an extremely important piece of the gaming PC. Without it, you literally can’t put the components together. It’s essentially the backbone of the PC. When you pick out a motherboard, you have to make sure that it is compatible with your selected CPU and has the necessary features to meet your needs.
You need to consider the following when selecting a motherboard:
- Is this made for my CPU? Intel and AMD CPUs need different motherboards, so don’t make a costly mistake here.
- How many RAM slots does this motherboard have and what type can I use? The more RAM slots, the better!
- What storage connectors are in this motherboard?
Here’s a great motherboard option for Intel:
Here’s a great motherboard option for AMD:
3. Pick Up Some RAM
RAM stands for Random Access Memory and it’s the short-term memory of your PC. RAM is what allows you to quickly access frequently used data. When you’re browsing, the chrome tabs you keep opening up–yeah, the more of those you open, the more strain you’re putting on your RAM.
When it comes to gaming, you should aim for a minimum of 16GB of RAM. 32GB and more is better if you can afford that, but it’s not going to be the end-all-be-all for your PC. Also, helpful tip: Ensure that you’re RAM is split over multiple sticks. For example, get two 8GB sticks of RAM instead of one 16GB stick. The more distributed the RAM is, the better the performance!
Here’s a good option for 16GB of RAM. Plus, this one has RGB for extra flair:
4. Pick Your GPU
The GPU is the Graphics Processing Unit and it’s responsible for rendering visuals in games. This is basically the thing that differentiates a regular PC from a gaming PC. Without a dedicated GPU for gaming, you cannot game. You can’t run Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II without a dedicated GPU (dGPU, as it’s often abbreviated).
GPUs can be expensive, so take a look at the different performance options each one provides and see what fits your budget and needs. The two biggest GPU companies are Nvidia and AMD, and both have excellent options.
Do make sure that your GPU is compatible with your CPU and that it can handle the games you want to play. Chances are, if you want to play all the new and fancy AAA releases every year, you’ll need a relatively decent GPU.
Here’s a good option:
5. You Need Storage!
In terms of storage, there are two types you need to know about: SSD and HDD. SSD is a solid-state drive and HDD is a hard disk drive. If you want a gaming PC, you absolutely need to have an SSD in there somewhere. Do not rely on HDD as your main storage unit, because hard disk drives are notorious for breaking very easily. This is because they are slower and have moving parts inside, while SSD’s do not.
Get at least 1TB of SSD in your PC, but the more storage you can fit in there, the better. If you want more storage and don’t want to break the bank, you can get an HDD but you should only use it for files that you don’t access much and not for your gaming!
6. Pick your Power Supply Unit
The Power Supply Unit or PSU is responsible for delivering power to all of the PC components. When you select a PSU, you need to make sure that it has enough power (watts) to support the components you’ve previously picked out. For a guideline, the minimum should be an 80 Plus certification. The more, the better. Too much is not good though! Do proper research and find a PSU that can power your PC.
7. Select a Cooling System
There are two ways you can cool your custom gaming PC: Water cooling or just standard fan cooling. Water cooling looks so much cooler but it’s a lot more expensive than regular fan cooling. Liquid cooling is also quieter, if that’s something important for you!
7. Pick a Case!
The case is where all of your components are stored in your PC. It’s also the main visual component of your PC. When you go to select a PC case, make sure that it has room for your components, good airflow, and the design that you want. Some PC cases look tacky, others are just plain insane, so just make sure that you’re picking one that you feel fits you the best.
Extras You’ll Need!
When you go to build your custom gaming PC, you need to make sure that you have the following:
- A clean, spacious location to build it
- A phillipshead screwdriver
- Thermal paste for the CPU
Without these things, you can’t actually construct the PC. And in case you were wondering about Windows… you can buy it, sure:
Why Not Just Go for a Prebuilt?
Good question! That’s because a prebuilt is already defined for you. There’s nothing custom about it and they’re typically not very good or well-built systems. You can customize them afterwards very much either. If you can, try to build the PC yourself or find a service that builds it for you. But make sure that you have a say in the components you want!
And that’s a wrap, folks! Hopefully this guide was able to make you feel a bit less queasy about how to build your own custom gaming PC!
Building a gaming PC can be a challenging but rewarding experience and it’s a lot more fun than you think. By carefully selecting the right components, you can create a system that meets your specific needs and preferences. While the process may seem intimidating, there are many resources available to help guide you through each step of the process.
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Zainah Yousef
Zainah Yousef is the author of The Fallen Age Saga and specializes in gaming, social media advice, and reviews. She's been writing all her life and she probably won't stop anytime soon.
