The Best PC Hardware for Performance and Reliability
When it comes to building a powerful and reliable PC, selecting the right hardware is key. Whether you’re a gamer, enthusiast or just looking to upgrade your workstation, choosing the right components can make all the difference when it comes to speed, reliability and performance. But what hardware should you be looking for? In this blog, we’ll take a look at some of the best components for building a PC that really packs a punch.
The Chipset
The chipset of a PC is essential for its performance. This is the main circuit board or ‘motherboard’, which is responsible for connecting the various components of the PC and ensures that they all work together. A quality chipset will make a massive difference to your system, so it’s worth investing in a good one. Popular models to consider are Intel’s Z170 Express family, as well as B150 and H170 chipsets from the Haswell Refresh range.
The Processor
The processor is the ‘brain’ of the PC, so it’s definitely worth investing in a top-of-the-line model. For gaming and enthusiast builds, Intel’s Kaby Lake range of 6th generation processors are a great choice. The 8-core Intel Core i7-7700K is one of the most powerful CPUs on the market and offers a great balance of performance, overclocking capability and price. For budget-minded shoppers, the Intel Core i5-7400 is an excellent budget-performance chip.
The Graphics Card
The graphics card is one of the key components of any gaming or enthusiast PC build. For gamers, the powerful AMD Radeon RX 480 is a great choice, especially when coupled with a complimentary FreeSync monitor, which help eliminate ‘tearing’ during gaming action. On the Nvidia side, the GTX 1080 series offers performance-hungry enthusiasts some amazing performance power. If you’re on a budget, however, the GTX 1070 and 1060-series GPUs are great models to consider.
The RAM
Your PC’s RAM (Random Access Memory) stores both programs and data that’s being used in the PC’s system in order to keep it up and running. This is why RAM plays such a crucial role in PC performance. Many of the latest builds come with DDR4 RAM – it’s the latest and most powerful type of RAM available. If you’re building a gaming rig, 8GB will do, but the more memory you have, the better for performance.
The Storage Drive
The storage drive in a PC allows you to store games, software, music, photos and other content you may have. For most users, a fast and reliable solid state drive (SSD) is the best option. These offer much faster read and write speeds than traditional hard disk drives (HDDs) and are important if you’re looking to boot up and load programs quickly. Recent innovations have seen the emergence of NVMe-based M.2 drives, which offer even faster performance.
The Power Supply
The power supply is an essential part of your PC’s hardware and is responsible for providing power to your various components. It’s important to get a quality power supply which offers stable and reliable performance and comes with plenty of wattage to cover your system requirements. High-end gaming builds in particular will require more powerful supplies. Look for models with 80+ certification for efficiency.
The Case
The PC case provides the physical structure for your components and can also act as a host for input and output ports such as those for USB and audio. Cases range from basic to extravagant, so you’ll be able to find one which fits your needs and aesthetic requirements. Additionally, ensure that the case meets your size requirements and has enough drive bays and fans to accommodate your components.
Conclusion
Building a powerful and reliable PC isn’t easy, but with some careful selection of quality components, you’ll be able to have a system which might last you years and perform to a high standard. Start by selecting a good chipset, followed by a processor, graphics card, RAM and storage drive. Make sure to select a quality power supply, and find a case which meets your size and aesthetic requirements. With the right hardware, you could be enjoying smooth, high-performance computing in no time.
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