Choosing your gaming computer processor or CPU

We will build a Intel or AMD gaming computer for all of the three market segments on both platforms. Two low-range, one AMD and one Intel. Two mid-range, one AMD and one Intel. Two high-range, one AMD and one Intel for a total of six gaming computers. Take a look to the table below to know which processor we will be using for all of our Intel and AMD gaming computers.

	Intel	AMD
low-range gaming computer	Intel Core 2 Duo E7500 processor	AMD Athlon II X4 630 processor
mid-range gaming computer	Intel Core 2 Quad Q8300 processor	AMD Phenom II X4 940 Black Edition processor
high-range gaming computer	Intel Core 2 Quad Q8300 processor	AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition processor

If you're interested in any of the Intel or AMD processors we mentioned above for your new gaming computers or to perform an upgrade you can click on any of the links below to get them at very good prices on some online stores.

How to build a gaming computer: newbie tutorial

Introduction

Welcome to our tutorial. Our goal in this tutorial is to give recommendations for the three gaming computers main market segments. Those are: low-range, mid-range and high-range. We will give advise about which piece of hardware you should choose to build a gaming computer in any of those segments. We will also establish a budget for any of those segments and will do our best not to exceed it. You will then choose which budget adjusts to you better and buy the hardware accordingly. We will also post some videos about how to install your recently acquired hardware so you can build your gaming computer or upgrade it in no time. Now let's go to the next step which is choosing your gaming computer processor or CPU.

Understanding gaming PC monitor

The monitor is responsible to display the images that the video card will send to it. The quality of the image relies mostly in the video card and monitor. A monitor with a small size and resolution will provide better 3D performance at the cost of a smaller screen. A monitor with a big size and resolution will provide lower 3D performance but the screen will be bigger, is just a matter of tastes. That’s given that we are using the same video card with both monitors set at their native resolution. The most common monitor types in present days are LCD monitors. LCD require less space than CRT monitors and consume less power. They were so welcome by customers that CRT monitors ceased production. Common brands are: Acer, Samsung, LG, NEC, ViewSonic and AOC. Features to look on them are as follows.

Features to look for when choosing a monitor for your a gaming PC

1) screen size – the bigger the size the bigger the picture but a more powerful video card and CPU will be needed to get desirable 3D performance. Popular monitor sizes are 17”, 18.5”, 19”, 20”, 22” and 24”. A 17” standard monitor will suffice for our gaming PC but if you want a bigger picture you are free to pick the size that you like.

2) native resolution – this is the biggest resolution the monitor can display. The bigger the resolution the better the picture but more powerful components will be needed to get desirable 3D performance. The resolution of the 17” monitor that we intend to pick has a native resolution of 1280X1024.

3) aspect ratio – this is the proportion between width and height. Standard monitors have a 4:3 aspect ratio while widescreen monitors typically have a 16:9 aspect ratio. The 17” monitor that we intent to choose has a standard aspect ratio.

4) response time – this is the speed at which the monitor changes the colors of the pixels and it is measured in milliseconds. The lower the better. Common response times are 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 milliseconds. We should pick a monitor with a low response time.

5) brightness – this is the luminosity over a specified area and is often measured in nits. The better the brightness the better the picture. We should pick a monitor with a high brightness.

6) contrast ratio – this is the contrast between the brightest and the darkest points of an image. The higher the contrast ratio, the better the range of shades the monitor can display. We should choose one with a high contrast ratio.

7) viewing angle – this is the angle at which the screen can be viewed without loosing too much image quality. The higher the number the better so we should pick one with a high viewing angle.

8) connection type – the most common are D-Sub which transfers analog signals of lower quality and are affordable and DVI which transfers high quality digital signals and are more expensive. We should pick a monitor with a DVI connector to get the best image possible.

That’s pretty much everything important concerning our monitor. This tutorial is almost done. We managed to pick all the basic hardware for our gaming PC. Now is time to choose the Operating System.

Understanding gaming PC computer case

The main function of the computer case is to hold most of the hardware together in our gaming PC. It also determines the type and number of hardware that we can install in our system. Because is one of the pieces of hardware we are going to look at every day we use our gaming PC, (along with the keyboard mouse and monitor), we should be happy with its appearance. Common brands are: APEVIA, Rosewill, Cooler Master, Antec and Thermaltake. The vast amount of computer cases available with different layouts and design makes the decision of selecting it a hard one so we decided to give you some tips about what to look at when choosing one.

Features to look for when choosing a computer case for your a gaming PC

1) motherboard compatibility – there are two main motherboard factors, ATX and BTX. ATX was developed about 15 years ago while BTX was developed more recently. The most common and affordable of the two is ATX so we are going to choose a computer case with support for that factor for our gaming PC.

2) case types – there are two main computer case types, desktop and tower. Tower cases have more space than desktop cases making them a better choice for our gaming PC. There are three types of tower cases: full, mid and mini. Mid tower computer cases provide the best combination of features, functionality and affordability so we should pick one of those.

3) drive bays – there are two main kinds of drive bays internal and external. There’s also two main sizes of drive bays: 3.5” and 5.25”. Internal 3.5” drive bays are often used to install hard drives. External 5.25” drive bays are commonly used to install optical drives and card readers. Floppy disk drives are commonly installed on 3.5” external drive bays. Just pick a computer case with enough drive bays to accommodate all the hardware you plan to install at present and in the future.

4) expansion slots – just pick one with enough expansion slots for the present and future.

5) cooling – cooling is very important in a gaming machine because they usually run hotter than the average PC, specially when you overclock hardware (we don’t encourage our users to do that). Pick a computer case with enough places to put the cooling fans your gaming PC will need.

6) front ports – there are some computer cases with USB, speaker and microphone ports in the front. Pick one of those since this makes some tasks easier.

7) power supply – the power supply that comes with most computer cases usually don’t meet the power demand of the average gaming PC so is better to choose a computer case without one and get our own power supply.

8) side panel – this feature makes the computer case look so cool so pick one with this feature if that’s important to you. Usually they also come with colored led lights which make the computer case look even better. This also help to keep our gaming PC cooler with the availability of an air duct.

9) side air duct – this helps to keep the gaming PC cooler so we should pick a computer case with one or more.

10) material – the better the material the better the durability of the computer case. The most common materials are steel and aluminum with aluminum being more expensive. Steel is affordable so we should pick one in this material.

11) fans – they keep the gaming PC cool se we should have some placed in crucial places. Common sizes are 80mm, 90mm and 120mm (mm stands for millimeters).

That’s pretty much the most important features to look at when choosing a computer case for our gaming PC. Now let’s choose a keyboard and mouse combo.

Understanding gaming PC card reader

A card reader has no impact in 3D performance but since the use of digital cameras is becoming more common every day and they are so affordable, we decided to add a card reader to our gaming PC. There’s no need to give much details about this piece of hardware. Common brands of this piece of hardware are: Syba, Transcend, Vantec and IOGEAR. The features to look at are as follows.

Features to look for when choosing a card reader for your a gaming PC

1) installation type – internal is the most affordable so we should choose a card reader with this installation type.

2) all in one – this provides compatibility with most card types available so we should choose a card reader with this feature because we never know what kind of card we will need.

3) interface - USB is the most affordable so we should choose a card reader with this interface.

Now is time to choose the next piece of hardware for our gaming PC which is the computer case.

Understanding gaming PC video card

This piece of hardware along with the CPU, motherboard and RAM is one of the main responsible for the 3D performance in your gaming computer. It plays the most significant role among the other hardware in your gaming computer in terms of 3D performance so you should make enough room in your budget to choose a quality video card for your gaming computer. Its function is basically to display the video output sent to it by the CPU with the help of other hardware like the monitor in your gaming computer. This is the piece of hardware responsible for the cool graphics that we usually see in the latest 3D games. There are two main video card GPU manufacturers ATI and nVidia. There’s also a lot of video card manufacturers like EVGA, XFX, ASUS, Gigabyte, MSI, Sparkle and Zotac which uses the nVidia GPU; Powercolor, Sapphire, Visiontek and Diamond which uses the ATI GPU. Asus, MSI, Gigabyte and XFX often use both GPU. Hardware like the video card is so common that there are so many computer hardware retailers in the market with both types of GPU available. Since this piece of hardware is so crucial in 3D performance we will tell you which features to look for so you can choose a video card for your gaming computer.

Features to look for when choosing a video card for your a gaming computer

1) GPU – GPU stands for Graphics Processing Unit and is no other thing than a processor specialized in processing video instructions. It does a better job processing video data than the CPU and that’s the main reason why the GPU is used for that purpose. The main factors that determine the performance of a GPU are: number of stream processors, number of pixel shaders, manufacturing process, shaders speed and core speed.

a) stream processors – they are responsible for the video data. Each GPU series have a given number of stream processors. Usually the more the better but that isn’t always right because advances in technology sometimes allow a newer GPU with less stream processors to perform equally if not better than an older GPU with more stream processors. There’s sometimes enhanced versions of the same series of GPU with more stream processors and in that case the GPU with more stream processors will perform better. An example of that is the Geforce GTX 260 from nVidia which comes in two versions, one with 192 stream processors and the other one with 216. Obviously the one with 216 stream processors perform better than the other one.

b) pixel shaders – they are responsible to render some special effects like waves in crystalline water and shinning things. The rule for quantity that applies for stream processors also apply here.

c) manufacturing process – this is similar to the CPU manufacturing process. The lower the number the higher he clock speed the GPU can reach. The lower the number the less the power consumption and heat. Common architectures are 65 nm, 55 nm and 40 nm.

d) core speed – the faster the better. Present GPU architectures allow to clock the core to speeds never reached before. There are some versions of video cards with the GPU clocked at higher speeds than the standard video card. Those cards are also faster than a card from the same series of GPU at standard clock speeds.

e) shaders speed – as the core speed the faster the better.

2) memory – just as the system memory or RAM, the memory in a video card is responsible to store data temporarily. The features that determine its performance are as follows: size, speed, type and interface.

a) memory size – the more the better. Common sizes are 256 MB, 384, 512 MB, 640, 768 MB, 896 MB, 1 GB and 2 GB. When similar video cards are compared, the one with more memory should perform better.

b) memory speed – the fastest the better. Memory’s speed is usually determined by its type. Common types are DDR2, DDR3 and DDR5 with DDR2 being the slowest and DDR5 the fastest.

c) memory interface – the higher the better. Common interfaces are 64 bits, 128 bits, 256 bits, 320 bits, 384 bits and 448 bits.

3) video card interface – common interfaces are PCI, AGP and PCIe. PCI stands for Peripheral Component Interconnect and is the older/slower. AGP stands for Accelerated Graphics Port and it is between the other two in terms of performance. PCIe stands for Peripheral Component Interconnect Express and is the newest/fastest of all three.

4) ports – just look for whatever port you need in your gaming computer. Common port types are: DVI, D-Sub, TV out and HDMI. A D-Sub port transfers analog signals of lower quality while and DVI port transfers high quality digital signals. This feature doesn’t affect 3D performance.

5) SLI or Crossfire – as we said before, this feature lets you install two or more video cards in the motherboard to improve 3D performance. The motherboard must have at least two PCIe slots and at least two similar video cards with support for this feature must be installed to enable it. SLI is nVidia’s technology while Crossfire is ATI’s. It depends on your budget if you choose a motherboard with SLI or Crossfire support.

Those are the most important features to look for when choosing a video card for your gaming computer. Now is time to lean how to choose one of the most underrated gaming computer piece of hardware which is the power supply or PSU. Keep reading for important information about why this piece of hardware is usually underrated and why choosing the right one is more important than the common user usually think.

Understanding gaming PC RAM or system memory

We already know how to choose our CPU and motherboard so it’s time to choose the next piece of hardware which is our RAM or system memory for our gaming computer. RAM stands for random access memory and is responsible for storing data temporarily. Every time the CPU runs an instruction the RAM or system memory stores the input and output (results) temporarily and then send it to the other hardware. Think of it as a intermediary between the CPU and the other hardware, temporary because data stored in the system memory is lost once the computer is shot down. Our gaming computer performance depends on the size and speed of the system memory. Too few will result in bad performance, but we never have too much system memory. System memory is one of the key pieces of hardware in terms of 3D performance along with the CPU, motherboard and video card. Since it’s role in it is less significant than hardware like the CPU and video card we are allowed to choose affordable and slower system memory over expensive and faster system memory without much of an impact in 3D performance. Some common brands are G. Skill, Crucial, Kingston, GeIL, Corsair, Viking and OCZ. Below we will explain the most important features to look for in our gaming computer system memory.

Features to look for when choosing the RAM for your a gaming computer

1) socket type – the RAM socket type is very important because a module with the wrong socket type will not fit in our motherboard’s memory slots. There are different types of RAM like SDRAM, DDR, DDR2 and DDR3. DDR stands for Double Data Rate and is capable to deliver two instructions per cycle over one for the SDRAM. We should choose our modules according to the sockets available in our motherboard.

2) size – it is measured in MB (megabytes) and GB (gigabytes). There are different sizes like 256 MB, 512 MB, 1 GB and 2 GB. Since we want at least 4 GB of RAM in our gaming computer we should choose at least two 2 GB memory modules.

3) speed – speed is measured in MHZ. Speeds cover from 66 to 133 MHZ for SDRAM, 266 to 400 MHZ for DDR, 533 to 1200 MHZ for DDR2 and up to 2200 MHZ for DDR3. The faster the RAM the better the 3D performance, but faster modules are considerably more expensive than slower modules at present time so we should stick to affordable ones.

Those are the most important features when choosing our RAM/system memory. Since the improvement in performance from this hardware is not so significant when installing the faster modules we should stick to affordable but yet fast modules. Memory modules between 800 and 1200 MHZ should be okay. Now is time to choose our video card which is the most crucial piece of hardware in a gaming computer in terms of 3D performance.

Understanding gaming PC motherboard

Now that we know how to choose our CPU is time to choose the motherboard for our computer. The main function of the motherboard is to put all of the hardware together and establish communication between them and the CPU. Choosing the wrong motherboard will prevent the other hardware from performing at their full capabilities so we should choose it wisely. The motherboard also determines the upgrade-ability of our gaming computer so we should choose one with room for improvement. There are some reliable brands of this piece of hardware including Asus, Asrock, Biostar, Gigabyte, MSI, Intel, EVGA, and XFX with a wide selection of products for every budget. Is important to choose a motherboard with the best combination of reliability, features and price so we have enough room in our budget for a good CPU and video card for our gaming computer. Is a bit difficult for users with limited knowledge to do that so we will explain the most important features to take into account when choosing this piece of hardware.

Features to look for when choosing a motherboard for your a gaming computer

1) chipset – the chipset determines which features the motherboard will support. The CPU and memory support, integrated video and audio, expansion slots and ports, all of this is determined by the chipset. It is divided into north bridge and south bridge. The north bridge controls the communication between the CPU, south bridge, system memory, AGP or PCIe slot the and integrated video while the south bridge controls the communication between the CPU and everything else. The most popular manufacturers are: Intel, VIA, SIS, nVidia and ATI. Our chipset should support the CPU, RAM and video slot type we intent to use in our gaming computer.

2) socket type support – as we mentioned earlier we must choose a motherboard with support for our CPU’s socket type and brand.

3) RAM or system memory support – this is one of the key piece of hardware in terms of 3D performance. There are different slot types like DDR, DDR2 and DDR3, sizes like 512 MB, 1 GB and 2 GB, and speeds like 400 MHZ, 1200 MHZ and 2200 MHZ. DDR is the older/slowest type while DDR3 is the newer/fastest type (more information about RAM later so keep reading).

4) graphics support – this is controlled by the Northbridge. There are some fast onboard graphics cards available but none of them are capable of running the most demanding video games so we should focus on the graphics slot which should be PCIe. There are three main graphics slot types PCI, AGP and PCI express (PCIe) with PCI being the older/slowest and PCIe the newer/fastest. Since the video card is a key piece of hardware in terms of 3D performance and it will be installed in the graphics slot our motherboard should have at least one PCIe X16 slot which is the one used by the latest video cards.

5) SLI or Crossfire – this feature lets you install two or more video cards on our gaming computer to improve 3D performance. The motherboard must have at least two PCIe slots and at least two similar video cards with support for this feature must be installed to enable it. SLI is nVidia’s technology while Crossfire is ATI’s. It depends on your budget if you choose a motherboard with SLI or Crossfire support.

6) onboard audio – since this is not a key feature in terms of 3D performance we have no preference for it. The latest motherboards are including quality 5.1 audio so we can end up with a cool feature for just a few bucks more.

7) IDE and SATA device ports – here we connect our hard disks and optical drives. There are two main affordable interfaces which are IDE and SATA. IDE is the older/slowest and SATA the newer/fastest. IDE devices are becoming more expensive and uncommon due to decrease in demand so our motherboard should have enough SATA ports for our new hardware. If you have some older IDE devices that you can’t afford to get rid off, you should choose a motherboard with at least one IDE port or get an IDE to SATA adapter. Not a key feature in terms of 3D performance.

8) expansion slots – the most common are PCI and PCIe X1. We should choose a motherboard with enough expansion slots according to the hardware we plan to install in our gaming computer. Not a key feature in terms of 3D performance.

9) form factor – this will determine the kind of power supply and computer case that we can choose. The most common are BTX, ATX and micro ATX. ATX was developed almost fifteen years ago while BTX was developed recently. Not a key feature in terms of 3D performance.

10) features like Raid, LAN ports, IEEE 1394 ports, USB ports, PS/2 ports and Legacy ports doesn’t have an impact in 3D performance. Since the availability of those features depend entirely of the configuration you want to have, is up to you if the motherboard you choose has them or not.

Those are the most important features to take into consideration when choosing our gaming computer motherboard. Keep reading so you can learn how to choose your RAM or system memory.

Understanding gaming PC processor / CPU

This component along with the motherboard, memory and video card is responsible for the performance in 3D games and applications in your gaming computer. CPU stands for Central Processor Unit and is responsible to process the machine code necessary to load the operating system, and then run the instructions the OS sends to it in your computer. Is one of the most important components in any computer because it controls all the other components in the computer. There are two main brands competing in this industry, Intel and AMD. We should choose this component carefully and always think about keeping enough room in our budget to choose a good video card because a combination of a high performance video card and a middle range CPU is always better than a combination of a high end CPU and a middle range video card in a gaming computer. Both brands have a wide selection of models suitable for every budget. Intel has the Intel Celeron processor, Intel Celeron Dual-Core, Intel Pentium processor, Intel Pentium Dual-Core, Intel Pentium Core 2 Duo processor, Intel Pentium Core 2 Quad processor, Intel i5 and Intel i7 CPU's while AMD has the AMD Athlon, AMD Athlon 64, AMD Athlon 64 X2, AMD Athlon II X2, AMD Athlon II X3, AMD Athlon II X4 processor, AMD Opteron, AMD Sempron, AMD Sempron LE, AMD Phenom X3, AMD Phenom X4 processor, AMD Phenom II X2, AMD Phenom II X3 and AMD Phenom II X4 processor CPU's. Not all of them are suited for a gaming computer because they all have different features. Keep reading because we are about to explain those features and give advise about which ones will improve your gaming experience in the best possible way.

Features to look when choosing a gaming CPU

1) brand - is important to know which brand is your CPU so you can choose the right motherboard. An Intel CPU doesn't fit into a AMD motherboard and vice versa so take this into account when choosing your CPU.

2) socket type - even if you have a motherboard manufactured to work with a given brand of CPU it’ll not fit into the motherboard if it's socket type is different. Intel has the 478, 775, 1156 and 1366 socket types while AMD has the AM2, AM2+, AM3 and F socket types. You should buy a CPU and motherboard with the same socket type.

3) Clock speed/Operating Frequency - the speed determine the number of instructions a CPU can perform per cycle. Obviously the faster the speed the better the performance of 3D games and applications. It is measured in MHZ and GHZ with GHZ being the more common in the present. Clock speed perform in a different way in both brands, AMD CPU’s have a tendency to achieve similar performance as Intel CPU’s at lower clock speeds. For example: a AMD CPU clocked at 1.73 GHZ has a similar performance as a Intel CPU clocked at 2.1 GHZ. We definitely want a CPU with a high clock speed on our gaming machine.

4) FSB (front side bus) – is the speed at which the CPU communicate with the other components and it carries data between them. i7 and i5 CPU’s now use QPI (Quick Path Interconnect) instead of the FSB. The higher the FSB the better the performance so we should pick a CPU with a large FSB.

5) Cache – a cache is a little memory, faster than system memory, located inside the processor core and its purpose it to store the most frequently used instructions so the CPU doesn’t have to access the RAM so frequently. The result of this is an improvement in performance. There are different levels of caches, L1, L2 and L3 caches with L1 cache being the smallest and L3 cache being the biggest. Not all processors have L3 cache. Obviously the largest the cache the better so we should have a CPU with a large cache in our gaming computer.

6) Manufacturing process/Process type – is the width of the wiring that connects the components inside the processor. Present processors use 90 nm, 65 nm and 45 nm manufacturing process. The smaller the value the higher the clock speeds. The smallest the value the lowest the power consumption and heat production. We should get a CPU with a 45nm architecture.

7) Single-Core/Multi-Core – when the costs of manufacturing processors with higher clock speeds became too expensive, both Intel and AMD decided to put more than one core inside the same processor. That gave birth to the first multi-core processors. Actually there are processors with up to four cores and CPU’s with up to eight cores are being developed. Having more than one core improves performance specially when running more than one application at the same time because more instructions are being executed per cycle. Not always the performance improvement is linear because not all applications and 3D games are optimized to work with more than one core. Multi-Core processors also come handy when you encode movies and use 3D rendering software. We definitely should get a multi-core CPU for our gaming computer.

8) 64 bit support – older operating systems and CPU’s were designed to work with no more than 4GB of RAM/System Memory, this is commonly called a 32 bit operating system and CPU. Today’s operating systems and CPU’s comes with 64 bit support which allows the operating system and CPU’s to work with more than 4GB of RAM. Maybe you’re asking yourself why do I need more than 4GB of RAM? Well, today’s games use a lot of RAM like 1GB and sometimes more so you’ll need enough RAM to run them. Another reason is that modern operating systems are designed to work with at least 2GB of RAM leaving not enough space to run other applications if you don't have enough of it. Also we should build our machine thinking about the future and believe me when I tell you that at least 4GB of RAM will come very handy when we try to run those resource hungry 3D games and applications in our computer. We should choose a CPU with 64 bit support.

9) Hyper-Threading/Hyper-Transport – these technologies enables multi-threaded applications to run in a single core CPU. Hyper-Threading is an Intel technology while Hyper-Transport is an AMD technology. This is a single-core CPU technology so multi-core CPU’s don’t need it.

10) Retail vs OEM – retail CPU’s come with a cooling fan/heatsink and a three year warranty while OEM CPU’s come with no fan or heatsink and a one year warranty. We should choose a retail CPU.

That’s pretty much the most important features you should take into consideration when choosing a CPU for your gaming computer. We tried to explain this in a manner simple enough so readers without an extensive technical knowledge can understand it and be able to make their own CPU’s choices as wisely as possible. Now that we know how to choose our CPU is time to learn how to choose our next component which is the motherboard. Keep reading so you can benefit from our simple but descriptive explanations.

Understanding gaming PC hardware

Introduction

Computer video games are like many other technological advances, they are evolving and getting better as the hardware quality is improving. There have been a lot of progress since the first 3D video cards, games and hardware were introduced about 15 years ago. Computer video games became more and more complex and hardware demanding since those days. Present games like Assassin's Creed, Call Of Duty, Left 4 Dead, Crysis among many other games took advantage from that progress and brought a lot of enthusiasts to the computer games industry due to their amazing 3d graphics, environments and gameplay. Today the computer video games industry is better than ever with lots of games released every year and many more games in progress. However you need a powerful computer to run the latest games efficiently and that computer is considerably expensive.

Fortunately you can save some money by building your own gaming computer if you choose your hardware wisely. This website's purpose is to give advise about the hardware you should choose according to your budget and instruct you about how to install your new high performance hardware so you can build your gaming computer the safest and efficient way possible and be able to play your games at their full potential. You'll be surprised when you find out that this task is easier than you thought and will be very satisfied when you see those amazing games graphics running without lags in your widescreen monitor for an amount lower than the usual cost. Well... enough for the introduction for now. Let's get to the next step which is choosing the best Processor/CPU your budget can get (we’ll try to explain everything in the simplest way possible so the newbie can benefit from this tutorial. If you don’t understand something we encourage you to contact us so we can help you ASAP).