Starting a journey to build your own gaming PC is an exciting yet expensive adventure. While the market is already full of gaming laptops and pre-built gaming PCs, nothing beats the satisfaction of building it yourself.
However, PC-build tutorials on YouTube could potentially hurt your wallet in the long run. Hence, it is imperative to immerse yourself in research to make a budget-friendly gaming PC build that you and other people can enjoy.
Whether you are a casual gamer or aiming to stream your games on the internet, here is a simple guide that will help you decide your gaming PC's performance and budget.
Define Your Budget
The first and probably the most important step is to define your budget. Be honest with your limitations as this will serve as the foundation of all the steps. You can set a range if you cannot decide on it like $1000 minimum up to $1,500 maximum.
Without a definitive budget, you will just be lured into the depths of choices when looking for the component. Determining your budget will ensure that you will not overspend or give yourself a financial headache in the long run.
Be Specific on Your Purpose
The gaming collection online is a vast library. Obviously, you only play certain types of games so you can start by listing the system requirements for them. This will help you determine the level of performance that you will need from your components.
Aside from gaming, you might also be interested in doing other activities like video editing and productivity apps. Hence, it is important to also take these activities as part of your purpose.
Research Performance Requirements
Once you settle the previous steps, you should conduct in-depth research for the requirements that you have listed. Each component has their own pros and cons, depending on their purpose.
You should look for a compatible processor, motherboard, graphics card, and power supply. In addition, you should equip yourself with knowledge of RAM and other storage varying from 256GB or 1TB.
Prioritize Airflow
When using a gaming laptop it is often required to put a space and enough ventilation near it, which goes the same for PCs. You should pick a case that provides good airflow for your components. Various brands offer budget-friendly cases and perform well.
You should also invest in an aftermarket cooler for better thermal performance. If the PC runs at a cool temperature, it will perform better. While the assembling part could get tricky, some services can assemble your components for you.
Benchmark and Test
After assembling and installing the latest drivers and operating systems, it is time to run benchmarking tools and stress tests. These tests will ensure that the system is stable and performs according to its description.
Overall, a budget-friendly gaming PC is achievable by conducting enough research and knowing where to get the cheapest price for each component. Some brands offer big discounts during shopping holidays, so you can check them out during these times.
Related Article : 5 Budget-Friendly Audio Peripherals That Offer Premium Sound