From the popularity of eSports tournaments to Henry Cavill building a PC, to Barry White’s My First My Last My Everything, PC gaming has become a lot more fashionable as a subject. When you consider how YouTube and Twitch allow gamers to play games live, it’s not surprising that gaming has become a lot more mainstream. However, if you’re just getting started and Henry Cavill has given you the PC-building itch, what are the most important components when building your own gaming PC?
The CPU and cooler
One option could be the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X with the EK-AIO 240 D-RGB cooler. This is one of the best CPUs on the market; however, if you are wanting to experiment with overclocking, then it has been known to run hot. Combined with the CPU cooler, this should help keep temperatures down, so they don’t affect the performance when you game. Alternatively, if Intel is what you’re looking for, then you should consider the Intel Core i5-11600K with the Arctic Freeze34 Esports Duo. This CPU has six cores and twelve threads, offering a huge amount of potential, especially helping you to have a smooth gaming experience. Whereas the AMD CPU can run hot, this Intel CPU stays nice and cool, and the Arctic Freezer34 eSports Duo makes sure that the airflow remains nice and chilly.
The Motherboard
If you want to build your own PC, the ASRock X570 Taichi comes highly recommended. This middle-of-the-road board has onboard graphics, support for Ryzen processors, and RGB, so if you are getting started with PC gaming, it will do everything you need (and possibly more). If you’re looking at Intel processors, then the MSI Mag Z590 Torpedo Gaming motherboard could be what you need, and by working with 11th gen Intel processors with a wide variety of connectors, this is perfect for gaming.
The GPU
This is the component that you may be challenged to find, especially with a worldwide shortage combined with an increase in cryptocurrency mining. However, if you were to get lucky and find a GPU available, then the best one to buy is the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080. If you are wanting to play for a team and take part in any online gaming tournaments, such as in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive or DOTA2, then you need to make sure you have a GPU that will keep up. You can read more about the tournaments to make sure you’re aware of current trends before you go investing in a new GPU. However, if you are unable to find a new GPU for sale, then some of the older models available on the second-hand market will work just as well, such as the GeForce RTX 2070 Super, which is an excellent mid-range GPU.
Before you buy any items, check that they are all compatible using a PC part picker, which ensures that all your parts will work together, as this will save a lot of hassle further down the line. However, by building your own gaming PC, you will be able to create a computer that does exactly what you need it to.