Your guide to building the best gaming PC money can buy

If the processor is the heart of your PC, the graphics card is its eyes. You literally won’t have a display without it. It’s also the main factor for running the latest games on the highest settings at a reasonable frame rate. 

But just like the processor, you have to pick a side. Will you go with Nvidia or AMD? Nvidia cards are generally stronger than AMDs, but they offer the most bang for your buck. If budget is not an issue, I highly suggest getting Nvidia.

Nvidia was the first to come out with RTX (real-time raytracing) cards, and they’ve only improved ever since. But AMD has caught up and can offer 4K gaming with a decent frame rate. 

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Another deciding factor will be software. If you want to record and save clips that just happened at the press of a button, Nvidia ShadowPlay is your best friend. You’ll have to download third-party software if you go for AMD. Personally, that’s a deal breaker for me, so I use an Nvidia card.

Most of the latest cards, like Nvidia’s 4000 series and AMD’s Radeon RX 7000 series, are a bit overkill for even the most demanding games. But all in all, I’d recommend the Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti. It excels at 4K gaming and has great thermals. Thankfully, its price has dropped significantly over the past year. If you want AMD, though, the Radeon RX is its equivalent, minus all the software. It is a fair bit cheaper but still offers great value.

The motherboard is like the nervous system of your PC. It’s the part that keeps everything connected and powered. But what you should really think about is the right CPU socket. AMD and Intel processors can only fit in compatible motherboards, so make sure you get the right one!

Next would be its size. If you’re out to build a full tower, then go ahead and get an ATX motherboard. You’ll have the benefit of more NVMe SSD and PCIe slots (depending on the brand).

If Wi-Fi is a must-have, you’ll have to shell out a bit more cash. But you’ll want to hook your PC with a LAN cable for the best network speeds anyway.

The best motherboards for Intel and AMD processors are the Gigabyte Z690 Aorus Elite and the X670 Aorus Elite AX. While they’re on the pricier side for motherboards, having a better chipset guarantees your gaming rig will be future-proof.

Your need for RAM entirely depends on what you want to do. Will you only have one application open at a time? Then 16 GB is a great start. But if you plan on having a lot of Chrome tabs open while playing the latest Call of Duty game, you’ll want to up it to 32 GB.

But don’t bother going up to 64 or even 128 GB of RAM. It’s like putting on more wheels to a car, you only need four, and having eight won’t make it any faster.

I recommend the G.Skill Trident Z DDR4 16 GB (dual). It sits at a comfortable price point. If you want some RGB or a specific colour, you can pick it up for no added cost.

This is where you’ll be storing all of your heavy games. And if you’re getting a gaming PC, you’ll want a minimum of two terabytes. Make sure to get an NVMe SSD for maximum efficiency! These have the fastest read/write speeds, meaning you’ll spend a lot less time loading screens.

The best NVMe SSD without being overkill would be the two-terabyte Samsung 980 PRO.

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Now, there’s a saying in the PC building community to never ever skimp on your power supply. You want something reliable and robust. If you choose to save a few bucks here, you risk blowing up your entire PC. And I’m not even joking. Your PC can literally explode if you have a bad PSU.

Taking into account the kind of gear we have listed here, you’d want at least 900 watts. But if you plan on upgrading in the future, I’d say 1000 watts to be safe. The Seasonic Prime GX Gold is a perfect PSU for all the hardware you’re packing. It’s fully modular as well, so you have increased flexibility.

The cooler is another crucial component of your PC. With how much power your processor draws from the power supply, you’ll need a reliable source to keep everything running at a comfortable temperature. Keep in mind that your temperatures can only go as low as your room.

Now you just have to decide if you want a fan or water cooling. The fan is usually the most reliable since there’s no risk of leaking, but the common complaint is that it’s usually loud. If noise is a dealbreaker for you, then an all-in-one (AIO) cooler is your best bet.

Whatever you want to go for, here are my recommendations for both. 

For fan cooling, the Noctua NH-D15 is fairly quiet and keeps your temperatures at a cool sub-60 degrees.

For AIOs, the NZXT Kraken Z73 is silent and can keep your temperature even lower than a fan cooler. While it looks cooler, it also displays your current temp in real-time and has RGB colour.

The case is something totally up to your preference. If you plan on theming your PC with a specific colour, there are plenty of options. Just make sure you choose something that actually fits all of your parts and has good airflow.

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