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 keyboard and mouse

We will use our keyboard and mouse a lot when we are playing a game in our gaming PC and performing any other task so those hardware should be comfortable, durable, pleasing to the eye and should provide good usability. Fortunately there are some great and affordable keyboard and mouse combos with that description so we will not lack a good choice. Common keyboard and mouse brands are: Logitech, Microsoft, Kensington, Logisys and Labtec. Features to look at are as follows.

Features to look for when choosing a keyboard and mouse for your a gaming PC

1) extra keys – there are some special keys that let you perform some tasks like browsing the internet, see video and listen to music with ease. You should pick a keyboard with extra keys if that’s important to you.

2) ergonomics – bad typing practices and mouse button clicking is bad for your hands. Picking an ergonomic keyboard and mouse and using good typing practices will help to reduce their impact.

3) connectors – common connector types in a keyboard and mouse are USB and PS/2. Make sure that your motherboard has the same type of connector as your keyboard and mouse.

4) appearance – choose a keyboard and mouse compatible with the looks of other hardware available in your gaming PC like the computer case and monitor. They will look so cool and make you feel more comfortable when you use them.

5) three button mouse – this provides desirable extra functionality to the mouse. We should pick a three button mouse.

6) optical mouse – its design is more efficient than the ball one and they are affordable so we should pick an optical mouse.

7) wireless vs wired – wireless keyboards and mouse are battery eaters so we shouldn’t pick one of those for our gaming PC.

Those are the most important features to take into consideration when picking a keyboard and mouse so we can now choose our next piece of hardware which is the speaker 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 DVD burner

The DVD burner is one more of the pieces of hardware with no important impact in 3D performance so we should choose an affordable one for our gaming PC. There’s no need to give much details about the DVD burner because of that. We need it to install our 3D games and applications and also to run them so we definitely need a DVD burner in our gaming PC. A DVD-ROM is enough to install and run our 3D games and applications but since DVD burners are so affordable we decided to add one instead of a DVD-ROM to our gaming PC and add the ability to burn data on blank media. Popular DVD burner brands are Lite-On, LG, Sony and Pioneer. Feature to look in a DVD burner are as follows.

Features to look for when choosing a DVD burner for your a gaming PC

1) burning speed – the speed at which the DVD burner writes data to blank media. Common burning speeds are 8X, 16X, 20X, 22X and 24X. The higher the better so we should choose a DVD burner with a high burning speed.

2) media read/write compatibility – the most common media is CD, DVD+, DVD-, DVD-DL and DVD-RAM. We should choose a DVD burner compatible with all the media mentioned above.

3) interface – the most common are IDE and SATA. SATA is better and can be added for a few bucks so we should choose a DVD burner with that interface.

4) internal/external – internal ones are more affordable so we should choose an internal DVD burner.

5) lightscribe – this feature allows the drive to print a monochromatic image over the media using its internal laser for a few bucks more. You need special media for that. This feature will come handy if you like to label your media in a significant manner. We should get it for our gaming PC.

6) Disk at once, Burn-Proof and Book Type setting – those features are becoming standard so there’s not much point into mention them.

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

Understanding gaming PC hard drive

The function of the hard drive is to store and erase data permanently. Those tasks are performed by read/write heads in this piece of hardware. All 3D games, Operating System and applications data are stored in this piece of hardware. It can also store movies, music and documents. This piece of hardware has no important impact in 3D performance so there’s no point in choosing a fast and expensive one for our gaming PC. We should save that money for the more meaningful hardware like CPU, video card, motherboard, RAM and even the PSU. However the number of games and applications that we can install in our gaming PC depends on the capacity of this piece of hardware so we should choose one with large capacity. Popular brands of this hardware are Western Digital, Seagate and Maxtor. The specifications we should take into account when choosing this hardware are as follows.

Features to look for when choosing a hard drive  for your a gaming PC

1) form factor – the most common form factors are 3.5 inch, 2.5 inch and 1.0 inch. The 3.5 inch hard drive is usually used in desktop a PC, the 2.5 inch hard drive is usually used in notebooks while 1.0 inch hard drives are usually used in consumer electronics. Usually the smaller the more expensive so we should choose a 3.5 inch hard drive.

2) capacity – this is measured in Gigabytes. Common capacities are 160 GB, 250 GB, 320 GB, 500 GB, 640 GB, 750 GB and 1 TB which is 1000 GB. The larger the capacity the more 3D games and applications we can install on it so we should choose one with large capacity like 500 GB.

3) RPM – RPM stands for Revolutions per minute. The higher the RPM the better the performance. Common RPM are: 5400, 7200, 10,000 and 15,000. The higher the RPM the more expensive the hard drive so we should choose an affordable one. A 7,200 RPM hard drive is affordable enough for our gaming PC.

4) cache – the cache in a hard drive works similar to the one in a CPU’s so we are not going to give too many details about it, refer to the CPU section for more details about how a cache works. Common cache sizes are 2 MB, 8 MB and 16 MB. The larger the cache the better the performance. Hard drives with 16 MB cache are affordable enough for our gaming PC.

5) interface – its function is to connect the hard drive to the motherboard. The most common and affordable interfaces are IDE and SATA. SATA interface devices have higher demand so they are more affordable. We should choose a SATA hard drive.

Now that we know the features to look at in our gaming PC hard drive we should choose our next piece of hardware which is the optical drive.

Understanding gaming PC power supply or PSU

Now is time to choose a power supply or PSU for our gaming PC. Most users don’t give this piece of hardware the importance that it deserves because the PSU don’t provide additional functionality to our gaming PC. Despite that, this piece of hardware is important because is the only  piece of hardware capable of damaging all the other PC components when it fails. This component’s function is to supply power to all the other hardware on our gaming PC. It also converts the power from the wall socket which is AC (alternate current) to DC (direct current) so all the other PC hardware are able to use it. An underpowered PSU can also damage and reduce the lifespan of the other hardware. The PC will also hang, reset and crash often. We can avoid that by choosing a
quality PSU capable of delivering all the power we need. We should think about the future so some additional wattage will come very handy. Some of the most popular brands are: Antec, Corsair, OCZ, and Enermax. Keep reading so you can learn which features you should keep in mind when choosing a PSU for your gaming PC.

Features to look for when choosing a power supply or PSU for your a gaming PC

1) maximum power – this will determine if the power supply is capable of feeding your system. This is usually measured in amps. One of the most important things is the amperage delivered by the 12V+ rail or rails which is the one that feed the video card and hardware like the hard disk and optical drives. Manufacturers often put the power in multiple rails to reduce manufacturing costs. In the case of power supplies with multiple rails, combined amperage is not always equal to the sum of the amperage from all rails. For example: two rails rated 18 amps each doesn’t equal 36 amps, maybe a little less like 32 amps. The average gaming PC needs about 35 amps from the 12V+ rail if you have a single video card and about 45 if you are using SLI or Crossfire. Another important feature is the continuous power capacity which is different from the peak power. Continuous power is the amount of power delivered at all times while peak power is the amount delivered for a short period of time like 15 seconds. We don’t want troubles associated with lack of power so we will choose a power supply with at least 45 continuous amps for our gaming PC (you can calculate the amount of power a rail can provide by multiplying the amperage for voltage, example: 34 amps V 12 Volts  = 408  Watts).

2) connectors – just make sure that you have all the connectors required for all the hardware you plan to install in your gaming PC. The most common type of connectors available are: four pin and eight pin processor connectors (eight pin connectors are used by the latest processors), 6 pins PCIe connectors (used to supply extra power to video cards), 24 or 20 + 4 pins connectors (used to supply power to the motherboard), 4 Pin Molex connectors (used to supply power to hard disks, optical drives, etc…) and SATA connectors (also used to supply power to hard disks, optical drives, etc…).

3) efficiency – the relation between the AC input and DC output. The loss percentage is presented in the form of heat. The higher the number the better.

4) overvoltage – the PSU will shut down if the output voltage is exceeded.

5) overload protection – the PSU will shutdown if the wattage is exceeded.

6) fans – this is to keep the PSU cool. The larger the better.

7) SLI or Crossfire support – we should choose a PSU capable of delivering enough power in the 12V+ rails if we plan to use this feature. We should also check the continuous power. Remember that this feature uses two video cards so we need enough power for them.

8) modular cabling – this feature allows the user to choose the cables he wants.

We should choose a power supply or PSU with at least 45 amps in the 12V+ rails just in case that we decide to add another video card in SLI or Crossfire mode and to make sure that our gaming PC never suffer from under power consequences.Those are the most important features to look at in a gaming PC power supply or PSU. Now is time to choose our next piece of hardware which is the hard drive.

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 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).