Powerful Gaming PC by Ashley Jones

With hashtags like #PCMasterRace on popular social media sites trending, PC gaming is not just for a few hardcore gamers. More and more gamers are playing their favorite games on personal computers (PCs). Gaming purists will wax ecstatic about playing games only on PCs. We will leave that debate for another time. Here we will give you some ideas to consider for building a worthy gaming computer. Most important is the graphics card. However, the motherboard, RAM, and processor are also important and can be major bottlenecks in performance if not considered accordingly. Of course there are a lot of components to consider to squeeze every advantageous edge out of your gaming experience. But now let us examine the main components of a solid gaming computer.

1. Motherboard:

The motherboard is the foundation of solid gaming PC. It is where the following components will connect. RAM capacity, CPU compatibility, overclocking, cooling, access, modularity are important factors to consider. ASUS is a bellwether in the computer industry and their motherboards put them on the map. Their Maximus IX Hero is a great midrange motherboard with capable overclocking ability. Check out their Maximus IX Formula to configure a monster performing gaming rig.

2. CPU:

The central processing unit (CPU) is responsible for most calculations. It is referred to as the brain of a computer. You will hear things like GHz, cores, cache, threads, etc being thrown around when describing CPUs. The Intel Core i7-8700K has six-cores, 12-thread processor with a 3.7 GHz base clock. It is a solid gaming CPU for most modern games as most games only use around four-cores.

3. RAM:

Random Access Memory (RAM) is where the game will be loaded for quick access for reading and writing game content. The important things to look for are capacity and frequency, where 2400MHz 8GB DDR4 RAM will handle most games easily. But if you also do video editing, streaming, or other memory intensive tasks, you should look at getting at least 16GB of RAM for your gaming computer.

4. SSD (Solid State Drive):

A Solid State Drive (SSD) is more durable and long lasting compared to a traditional spinning Hard Disk Drive (HDD) with more moving parts prone to wearing out. These moving parts are also speed bottlenecks. Having an SSD, you will benefit with faster game load times and also reduction in something called “hitching” or pauses that are seen in games running on HDD, which are not fast enough to keep up with the games demands.

5. Premium Graphics Card

The graphics card is what separates a gaming PC from other PCs. It is the most important component in your gaming PC build. You can have the fastest and best in class motherboard, CPU, RAM, and SSD, but if you have a mediocre graphics card, you will have a terrible gaming experience. Nvidia is leading the way in graphics card technology providing overall performance, efficiency, and value. The Titan Xp is the fastest in the current Nvidia line-up; however the Nvidia GTX 1080 Ti is the best overall graphics card for the money.

Overall, make sure to select a motherboard that is compatible with the CPU, RAM, SSD, and graphics card that you choose. Price comparing is good to find the best price, but remember to also compare product reviews and information.

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