Things To Consider Before Buying A Gaming PC

For a lot of people, buying a new gaming PC is both rewarding and challenging. Simply put, with so many choices available in the market, one often ends up wondering what they should be going for, and this is where the confusion becomes the central issue that most people face.

If you are new to this, we are going to help you with the things you should consider before buying a gaming PC.

This might seem elementary at best, but if you have been trying to get your hands on something and often end up in confusion, then this post is for you because we are here to guide you as to what you need to do, to begin with.

So, let’s not waste time and start having a look, shall we?

What Matters Most When Buying A Gaming PC?

For veteran PC gamers, we do not need to think twice about what needs to be done when buying a gaming PC because we are well aware of that.

However, the same cannot be said about newcomers since they find themselves in a rut when it comes to making a decision. Well, we are here to help you with just that.

#1- Find your PC gaming goals

The first thing that you should be looking into when buying a gaming PC is the PC gaming goals or, simply put, what you wish to achieve with that PC, in the first place.

I do understand that this is a question that most people don’t even think about, but it actually makes life a lot easier.

You just have to be sure that you know what games you will be playing on the PC and what tasks you will be undertaking on the PC.

Based on these, you will be able to allocate the right budget to your computer and get all the parts you want without any confusion coming the way. It is complicated but gets the job done.

#2- Custom vs Prebuild Gaming PC

Moving further, I would highly suggest that when you are thinking about getting your own gaming PC, you go through the process of deciding between custom and prebuilt gaming PC.

Yes, it is an important thing to look into because without this information, you might not be able to buy the right type of PC you want, and there will be unnecessary confusion coming your way, and we all want to avoid that in the first place.

You would be surprised to know that things like this can be difficult one, and there is no definitive answer, so it all comes down to your preference.

#3- Processor/CPU

Whenever you are buying a gaming PC, it is really, really important to decide the processor you are going to go with. I often miss the time when any good quad-core processor was good enough, but things have changed a lot.

However, here is a simple tip that will help you. If you are looking for a processor that will exclusively be used for gaming, then an Intel Core i5 or an AMD Ryzen 5 series processor will get the job done.

If you have some more intensive tasks, then you can go for a Core i7 or Ryzen 7. Last but not least, if you need a lot of processing power, then going for the Core i9 or the Ryzen 9 is the way to go.

This should help you decide.

#4- Which Case is Right for You?

Choosing the right case is another thing that we believe is very, very important whenever you are deciding about the PC that you are building or buying, for that matter.

For starters, you do not want to get a case that is too small for the components you are using or going to use in case you decide to upgrade.

Another thing there is that you always make sure that you don’t choose form over function because we really don’t want to get our hands on a case that has really poor airflow or other aspects that make it a pain.

#5- How much RAM is good for gaming?

There was a time when 8 gigs were more than enough for almost all your gaming needs, but things changed after some time.

Nowadays, 16 gigs is considered better and, in many cases, optimal for gaming. But we have been seeing a trend where games are now listing 32 gigs as recommended RAM.

Whether or not that will become a norm is still not clear, but it would still be better if you are going for 32 gigs of RAM just to be on the safe side going forward.

#6- Storage

Storage is another thing that has become very, very important going forward. There was a time when we would consider 500 GB more than enough, but these days, 500 GB is enough for a couple of games because of install sizes are becoming massive in every aspect, and that, clearly, is not something that we want.

The best thing that one can do is buy a high-speed SSD and keep it as a boot drive, and for some games, too. 1TB usually works best, and add a high-capacity HDD for mass storage. However, if you have money to spend, you can just go to all NVMe storage and never look back.

#7- Graphics Card

This is perhaps the most important part that you can look at in terms of the buying or building a gaming PC. You would need a graphics card that is more than enough in terms of the performance and resolution you are aiming for.

This is definitely something that you need to look into because, without this, you cannot really have a problem with it.

With the graphics card, I’d suggest you consider the resolution you are aiming at, as well as the games you are playing, and whether or not you are going to need the GPU for some other tasks. This is not something that you can just ignore, so it is better to look into it.

#8- Motherboard

Moving on, we also have to look into the motherboard, which might not be as important as some of the other components since it does not directly affect the performance but still is important.

You have to be sure that if you are using a standard-sized case if you are using an ATX motherboard. Furthermore, the motherboard you are buying should have all the right slots that you need for proper usage.

Last but not the least, if you are buying a CPU with K or X suffix, be sure that you are getting a motherboard that can truly allow you to overclock the processor, even if you don’t have any plans of doing so.

#9- Important Ports

I never thought this would be important to me, but I have been in a situation where the number of USB ports I have on the back has all been used up. This seems like a small thing, but every other device is now running on USB.

Even if you have a wireless device, it will need a USB connector for the receiver or the charging cable. Therefore, it is better to be sure that the motherboard you are buying has ample USB ports, so you do not end up getting stuck.

#10- Cooling Solutions

Another thing that you should be looking into is the cooling solution. When it comes to providing enough cooling for your computer, you have a number of options to choose from.

You can either go for something like custom-loop cooling, or something like air cooling, or all-in-one liquid cooling, for that matter.

These are important, to say the least. You can look into the right type of cooling for yourself and decide accordingly.

It should not be that difficult, to be honest. Just be sure that whatever cooling you are going with, you are doing it after checking the compatibility.

#11- Determine your budget

This ideally is checked beforehand, but perhaps the most important aspect of buying a gaming PC is checking the budget because without having an understanding on the budget, you can easily end up buying something that simply is not good enough.

So I’d suggest you sit down, start looking at where you can spend the money and where you can avoid it, and then make a decision.

This will help you picking up the right component, and that, too, with ease. It can be confusing, but you will need time to look into this.

Is 64GB RAM overkill for gaming?

Honestly? Yes. Some gamers claim that even 16GB is enough, but we have reached a point where 32 GB will be needed for most systems, given how demanding games are slowly becoming.

But 64GB is still a bit far. If you have tasks that require that much RAM, then go for it. But for just gaming, you would be more than okay with 32, or even 16 gigs of RAM.

Is a $500 gaming PC worth it?

If you think that a $500 PC is going to get all your tasks done without running into issues, then yes, it definitely is enough, and you will not run into any performance hiccups, either.

For example, for this budget, you could get your hands on a home theater PC or a NAS for storage, or even an entry-level gaming PC. The point is that it can work really well, and that too, without any hiccups coming in the way.

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