An Ideal Gaming PC: What Should You Look For?

Selecting a new gaming PC can be a daunting task. Even some gaming pros may get confused with the lots of options available in the market. On the internet, you will find lots of posts describing how a perfect gaming computer should be. However, the first and most important thing is to know what you are looking for. Thus, we have prepared a guide that will you in choosing the best gaming PC for you.

How Much A Good Gaming PC Cost?

Every player has different demands, the upper limit is open, and sometimes you can get hold of a suitable model for little money. Pro players who play high-end games may need significantly more computing power. Good computers can be bought for as little as £600 (if/when stock is readily available). But the cheaper the PC, the more compromises the gamer has to deal with. Thus, it is important to invest in hardware as you may need a powerful system in the future. Nonetheless, you need to consider your needs before buying.

Important Components of The Gaming PC

The Processor

The CPU is like the heart of the computer. Nothing works without it. Intel and AMD are the two only consumer options. Some people have a preference on the brand, but you should look at reviews and recommendations to find the best option for you budget, or in the current climate, whatever is in stock.

On the lower end of the spectrum are the Intel Core i3 Socket 1200 Comet Lake processors, which start at around £80 for the i3 10100F. The 2^nd gen AMD Ryzen 5 2600 is still a good gaming CPU for about £120. Unfortunately, due to the growing popularity of AMD, the current generation Ryzen 5 5600X is hard to get hold of, but it should be under £300.

Whether you play games at the best betting sites or play a high-end video game, your experience should be at par.

The Graphics Card – If you can find one

The current options for a GPU are very limited due to shortages, this had led Nvidia to reintroduce the GeForce GTX 1650 for around £200, but this is only good for light gaming.

The Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 should cost $330/£300/€330 but there is no stock anywhere, and if you do find someone selling one, it will have a huge markup on it.

It is an unfortunate situation because the RTX 3080 and the subsequent lower models should have been one of the greatest GPU launches in years, offering a significant performance advantage over the previous generation while also lowering the price considerably.

Hard Disk and RAM

While graphics cards and processors are developing at breakneck speed and produce new generations every year, the hard drive and RAM are usually constant for years. When it comes to memory, the motto is that a lot helps a lot. It should be at least 8 GB RAM DDR4.

RAM is quite cheap nowadays, so there is no need to limit yourself to the 8GB minimum recommendation. You can pick up 16GB of Corsair  Vengeance LPX running at 3200MHz for less than £90.

When it comes to hard disks, SDD should be your first choice, or ideally an NVMe M.2 drive. A 500GB Sabrent Rocket or WD Black will cost less than £65.

Old fashioned spinning disks are still a good option as a storage drive, for example, if you have a lot of movies or pictures to store. A 2TB Toshiba P300 is less than £45 or the 4TB model is less than £75.

Bottom line

In theory, it should be easier than ever to build an affordable gaming PC, but stock supply issues means it has never been harder. Sourcing a GPU is your main concern, this will affect people planning to build anything from a budget gaming PC to a dream PC.

The recommendation has always been to avoid pre-built machines, however many of the companies offering this service have better access to stock. Based on the current issues with GPU scalping and increased prices at retailers, it can work out considerably cheaper to go for a pre-build at the moment with a much faster delivery time.