Building A Gaming PC For Beginners. Creating a Rig You Love

Introduction

Having a gaming PC is truly one of the best things you can do if you want to upgrade your gaming experience. While it is a viable option to purchase a pre-built PC there are extreme benefits to building one yourself. One aspect being you get WAY more customization out of your build. This is good for people with a certain playing experience in mind. This is also good for those who are looking for a specific aesthetic for their build. Whatever you reasoning this article will help you with the basic to building a gaming PC.

This post contains affiliate links. If you decide to purchase a product through one of these links, I may receive monetary compensation. This will in no way alter the opinions that I share on this website as they are all mine unless otherwise stated. Please see my full blog disclosure for more information regarding this matter here.

Before you go into the nitty gritty of building a PC there a few things that you will need to consider:

• What’s your budget?
• What will you be using this pc for?
• How important is aesthetic to you?

Budget

Let’s start with the first question. Your budget is an important thing to consider when building a PC. PC builds can range from $700 to over $3,000. Take into consideration what your goals are and how much money you are willing to put down on a PC before buying PC parts.

Goals

Speaking of goals let’s move on to PC use. What are your goals for this pc? Will you be solely using it to play PC games, or for remote work? What kind of games do you want to play? If you are using it for work, what kind of work do you do? Do you do a lot of video editing? Will you be streaming, or will you be using it for activities such as coding? Are you going to be doing schoolwork on it? These are some questions you need to consider as it will influence the general makeup of your build.

Aesthetic

Finally, let’s talk about aesthetics. We all want those beautiful gaming setups that we see on Pinterest that have flashy lights and sleek looks. Those things are cool and that aspect is important to the build. However, what you need to consider is how mandatory this will be as it will affect your parts list and your budget.

Parts List

Now that you’ve considered the important questions, let’s get down to what you need in the computer. The basic parts that every build needs are as follows:

• Processor (CPU)
• Motherboard
• Ram (Memory)
• Video Card (GPU)
• Power Supply (PSU)
• Storage
• Fans
• Case
• Operating System

Each one of these parts is important and what really matters is whether they are all compatible together. When you’re building your PC it’s a good idea to use a resource to verify the compatibility of your parts. There’s several that you could use but the most popular one is PC Part Picker. You can plug all your individual parts into a saved parts list to know if they work well together.

While this is a good way to check compatibility, these websites can make mistakes from time to time. It’s important to do extensive research on the parts you are looking at to see whether they will be compatible. Checking product reviews and looking at developer websites is a good play to check for compatibility.

Processor (CPU)

Let’s start with your processor or as it is sometimes referred to as your Central Processing Unit (CPU). This little silver square is what will make sense of all the data in your computer. You will need this to orient to your motherboard as it will be organizing all the information that will be thrown at your PC. It will then take this information and distribute it throughout the rest of the PC through the power of the motherboard.

Motherboard

The next part that you will need to focus on is your motherboard. This is the central part of your computer as it generates information and power to all your computer’s other parts. This is the means through which the CPU will be sending out information. The motherboard is the main piece of the computer that makes sure all the other parts are communicating. This piece makes sure everything is working in tandem and keeps your parts working in a cohesive manner.

Basically, it’s the “mother” that makes sure everything is getting along. Motherboards come in three sizes which are ATX (the biggest), micro (which is mid), and mini is the smallest. Make sure you keep an eye on the size as the wrong size may not fit in your case. You will want to pay special attention to the CPU and the motherboard as those work as a team in the build. Make sure these two parts works well together when you are deciding on what to buy because if these two can’t get along none of the other parts will be able to either.

It’s also worth noting that while you’re shopping around sometimes companies will sell CPUs and motherboards in a set guaranteeing that they will work together. This deal is often cheaper and can be a good option if you find a pair that you like.

RAM

RAM or the memory of the board does exactly what it sounds like. The RAM (or Random Access Memory) deals with immediate tasks on your computer such as web surfing. This part is typically easier to decide on and work with. Just make sure that the number of gigabytes (GB) matches the number of gigabytes to run your graphics card.

If you need to check this the title of the graphics card on most retailers will state how many gigs it takes to run a graphics card (such as 12 GB). Usually, two sticks are a good idea and the more RAM you have the better it will be for you, especially if you are planning on gaming with your PC. A good rule of thumb when it comes to memory is, when in doubt more is usually better.

Video Card (GPU)

By far the most expensive part of the PC is the Graphics card. This will probably be the one part you research the hardest. Quality graphics cards or GPUs (Graphics Processing Unit) can cost the same as a laptop and what you plan to do with your computer will affect what GPU you buy.

Graphic cards have had a bit of a rocky history within the last few years due to crypto mining and the pandemic. As such make sure you’re getting your money’s worth as prices in this area can become conflated and you can end up spending more than the graphics card is worth. Also, be sure that when you buy a graphics card that it will fit in your case. Some graphics cards are bigger than others and certain cases can not accommodate this. You don’t want to spend hours deciding on a case for your VERY expensive graphics card to have it not fit inside.

The types of games you will want to play will also affect what GPU you want. This will just depend on your specific tastes, but you will want a more powerful graphics card if you’re running games like Baldur’s Gate 3. Whereas lower resolution games such as Stardew Valley do not require a higher magnitude when it comes to your gaming experience.

Power Supply (PSU)

The power supply is another PC component that is self-explanatory. The power supply or PSU (Power Supply Unit) is the part that will be giving the whole of your PC, well, power. How you decide on what power supply to buy will depend on how much power, or watts, each component of your build puts out.

Each component should have the power output in the specifications. However, if you’re plugging all your parts into a part comparison website like PC Part Picker, it should tell you whether your power supply can handle the amount of juice that your pc will be putting out. A good rule of thumb is to have about 50 –100 extra watts between your PC output and what your PSU can handle.

For example, if your PC’s wattage is around 500 than you should get a power supply that will give you around 550 to 650 watts. However, if you want to upgrade later it’s a good idea to buy a PSU with more wattage.

Storage

The next component you will want to pay attention to is storage. Regardless of what you’re doing on your PC you will want ample amounts of storage to be able to hold things like games, files, homework, videos, pictures, etc. It’s a good idea to have two forms of storage such as a gum stick drive (a Solid State Drive or SSD card that resembles a stick of gum) and an SSD card as.

The first reason being that you can add more storage but also if something happens to one you have the other. How much storage you need will also depend on what you will need the storage for. If you’re using your PC for web browsing and basic tasks, then it’s a good idea to get at least 1 terabyte of storage. If you’re going to be doing activities like gaming or video editing, go even higher to 2 TBs. Do your research and make sure that you buy enough space for what you want to keep on your computer.

Fans

Despite all the amazing things that your different parts can do there is one thing that they can’t do on their own that is super important which is cooling themselves down. That amount of power that these parts create tends to heat up your PC and if it gets too hot it will shut down. That’s why you need to have fans built into your rig to keep them from overheating.

Depending on how powerful your PC is and what kind of case you buy this may not be a problem for you. If you’re running a lower power rig with fans already built into the PC, then you may not have any issues with overheating. For more powerful PCs you will need to buy extra fans even if your case does have built-in ones.

There are two types of fans: air cooling and liquid cooling. Air cooling fans utilize air to prevent overheating in your rig and tend to be cheaper. They’re also easier to install, which makes them a good fit for beginners who are building their first PC. Liquid cooling fans operate using liquid to keep the PC cooled. These fans are often more expensive and can be difficult to install.

However, they do a better job of cooling your PC, often take up less space than air cooling fans, and capacity for more aesthetic features. They also tend to be quieter when they are inside your computer. This is a nice plus as air cooling fans can emit a noise when blowing air into your case. Regardless of what you choose to make sure that your preferred cooling method adequately cools down your rig and does not take up too much space.

Case

By far the most fun part of the PC building process is deciding on the case. The case is where all your lovingly picked parts will reside as you destroy twelve-year-olds on Fornite. While there are a few things that you should keep in mind while choosing a case it really comes down to room for parts, aesthetics, and cooling. There are three sizes for PC cases which are full tower (EATX), mid tower (ATX), and micro ATX. There’s also a size under micro but this one is not as popular with newer builders.

Most people will choose either the mid-tier ATX or the Full tier EATX. Cooling is also important as is the number of fans and room in between parts for airflow. Make sure you have enough space in between parts so that your fans can adequately produce air flow through your case. Lastly, make sure that you purchase a case that you like. While budget is important to keep in mind this is YOUR case so strive to include a case that you find aesthetically pleasing if you are able.

Operating System

The final part of your PC should be your operating system. This is basically the system that your computer will use to complete your on-screen tasks. The most popular one is Windows which can be found on various websites such as Kinguin and Humble Bundle.

Conclusion

All in all, building a PC is a rewarding experience that can bring your computer experience to the next level. Be vigilant in understanding your components and whether they will be helpful in achieving the goal you’ve set for your computer. While the amount of information can be overwhelming there are plenty of resources out there to help. Stick with and use those resources to your advantage, and most importantly don’t forget to have fun!

Need some help choosing peripherals such as screens, keyboards, and other accessories? Try looking over my peripherals guide to help you build the aesthetic PC of your dreams here. Enjoy the building experience and create something AMAZING.