PC Gaming: It’s Time to Level Up.
The world of PC gaming has been around for some time, with the healthy competition between gaming systems, the growing popularity of MMOs and indie games, and the convenience of powerful computers—it’s hard to pass up a PC as the perfect platform for playing. PC gamers are often obsessively loyal to their chosen gaming platform, as many games simply don’t make it to consoles, and the controls and graphics of PC games can far exceed those found on consoles.
Just from perusing the shelves of your local gaming store, it’s plainly evident that the PC has some great game titles to offer. Classics like Counter Strike: Global Offensive, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, and the ever-popular Overwatch, are all better experienced on the PC. It’s no surprise then, that millions of gamers around the world flock to their PCs to get their gaming fix. And while the draw of powerful PCs have been slowly eroding the total number of console gamers, the big question remains—just what do you need to get into PC gaming?
In this blog post, we’ll be exploring all the necessary components that make up a great gaming PC. We’ll discuss the basics of setting up a gaming PC, and the various types of hardware that you’ll need to consider before getting started. Read on to learn how to take your gaming to the next level.
First things first: the basics. Setting up a PC for gaming isn’t too difficult—but it is essential that you understand the basics of how to go about it. The main components needed for a PC build are the case, motherboard, processor, RAM, graphics card, and storage.
The case is the first piece of the puzzle, as it houses all the components of the PC. There are much more stylish cases out there now, with RGB lighting effects and support for custom watercooling setups, but the two core types are ATX (or full tower) and MicroATX (mid tower) cases. ATX cases offer more options when it comes to adding components, while MicroATX cases are lighter and more compact, making them the choice for most gamers.
Next comes the motherboard—this is where every component of the PC connects together. They’re available in various sizes and shapes, and each type caters to different types of hardware. The most important thing to consider is the socket type, as this will determine the compatible processor and RAM. Make sure to check the available features too, as they will dictate what extra components you can add. Most gaming motherboards feature at least two SLI or CrossFire compatible PCI slots, so the extra graphics card slots are always a nice touch.
Next, you’ll need to choose a processor—one of the most important components of a gaming PC setup. The main things you need to consider here are the number of cores, the clock speed of the processor, and the amount of RAM that’s supported. Generally, the more cores a processor has, the better it will be for multitasking tasks such as streaming. The more clock speed, the better the processor will be for playing games at higher graphical settings.
RAM stands for Random Access Memory, and it is crucial for any gaming PC setup. RAM is used by the computer to store data and instructions, so the amount of RAM you have will determine how much processing work can be done at once. The most common type of RAM is DDR3 and DDR4, with DDR4 providing the most performance out of the two. Most gaming PCs will have 8GB of RAM as a minimum, but higher-end PCs can have up to 16GB if you’re a serious gamer.
You’ll also need to pick out a graphics card to power your gaming experience. The graphics card is the most important component of a gaming PC, as it is responsible for generating the visuals that appear on your screen. Graphics cards come in three main types—integrated, discrete, and dedicated. Integrated graphics cards are usually found on lower-end computers and are rarely used for gaming, while discrete and dedicated cards are designed specifically for gaming. The higher the tier of graphics card, the more powerful the GPU will be.
Finally, you’ll need to choose your storage. This is important because it determines how much of your games can be installed and kept on the PC. Generally, gamers should opt for large hard disk drives (HDD) that feature at least 1TB of storage space. Solid state drives (SSD) are also available, which offer a cost-effective solution for larger game libraries, offering up to 4TB of space.
So, that’s all there is to know about building a great gaming PC—just make sure to carefully consider the components you’ll need to get the best gaming experience possible. With the right setup, you’ll be able to enjoy all the latest games, at the highest settings, with enough power to run whatever game you want.
Now you know the basics, let’s dig a bit deeper and look at the more advanced side of PC gaming.
While there are plenty of great games out there that can be played with a basic PC setup, there’s no denying that the more powerful hardware you have, the better your gaming experience will be. High-end gaming PCs are capable of running the latest games in high-definition graphics and with maximum frame rates. But to truly maximize your gaming performance, you’ll need to look at even more powerful hardware components.
One of the most important components of a gaming PC is the power supply unit. This is essentially the device that supplies the power to all other components. Without a good power supply, your PC won’t be able to handle the power drawn from the graphics card, so it’s important that you get one with a enough wattage to meet your needs. A higher wattage power supply will also give you more options for overclocking and tweaking your PC for better performance.
Overclocking is the process of increasing the power of certain components of your PC beyond their base speeds. This can be used to boost the performance level of a PC and can be quite effective for gaming. Depending on the components you choose, overclocking can be safely done to increase the clock speed of your processor, or the memory speed of your RAM.
Finally, cooling should never be overlooked. Keeping your PC cool is essential to make sure your system runs optimally. To help keep components cool, there’s a range of fans and liquid cooling solutions available. In terms of the latter, you can opt for an all-in-one, self-contained liquid cooling solution, or you can build your own custom watercooling setup if you’re feeling adventurous.
When it comes to PC gaming, there’s a huge range of options to choose from. But, if you’re serious about taking your gaming experience to the next level, you’ll need to make sure you choose the appropriate hardware and make sure all components are compatible with one another. And with the knowledge from this blog post, you should now be well equipped to take your gaming to the next level. It’s time to level up.