Why GPUs are Essential for Gaming PCs
To truly optimize your gaming experience, you need a processor that is specifically designed for parallel processing, rather than sequential processing. This is where GPUs come in. Unlike traditional processors, which focus on one task at a time, GPUs have the ability to handle thousands or even millions of tasks simultaneously.
When you play a game, your GPU is responsible for rendering every element of the game, from rocks and trees to characters and enemies. It has to process all of these elements simultaneously and combine them into a cohesive, three-dimensional environment for you to explore.
Why Investing in a High-Quality Graphics Card is Worth It
Graphics cards are among the most sought-after components for gaming PCs, and their prices can often be higher than the manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP). While cheaper options may be tempting, it’s better to allocate a significant portion of your budget towards a high-quality graphics card.
By investing in a high-end graphics card, you ensure its longevity and ability to handle future games and graphical demands. It’s like buying a durable pair of shoes that will last for years, compared to a cheaper pair that will fall apart after a few months. While cheap graphics cards may seem cost-effective initially, they can limit the performance and lifespan of your gaming PC.
However, if you’re building a regular home-office PC, a cheap graphics card from the past couple of years should suffice.
Suggested Nvidia GeForce Hardware
Nvidia’s latest generation of graphics cards is the GeForce RTX 40-series. However, due to their extremely high price, they are not included in this list. Instead, the recommended Nvidia graphics cards are from the 30-series, which offer excellent performance and value.
- MSI GeForce RTX 2060: This card strikes a good balance between power and price, making it suitable for medium-end gaming or office tasks like video editing.
- Asus ROG Strix RTX 3060: This graphics card is perfect for 1080p and 1440p gaming, offering impressive performance.
- Zotac GeForce RTX 3080: Despite being under $1,000, this graphics card is one of the top performers and can handle 4K gaming with ray-tracing.
Suggested AMD Radeon Hardware
The latest generation of AMD Radeon graphics cards is the 7000-series. These cards offer top-end performance and are a great choice if you’re looking for previous-generation models at a discounted price.
- PowerColor Red Devil AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX: This graphics card is an absolute monster, providing incredibly powerful and quick performance. It can handle the latest games at their highest settings in 4K resolution.
- Sapphire Pulse AMD Radeon RX 6600: The RX 6600 is a solid choice for 1080p gaming on an AMD chip.
- PowerColor Red Dragon AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT: If you’re looking for a powerful GPU at a discount, the previous-generation RX 6800 XT is highly recommended. It can handle any game, including Cyberpunk 2077, at full 4K resolution.
The Importance of Storage in a PC
Storage is like a walk-in closet for your PC—it holds all of your files, games, movies, documents, and photos. While you can always add more storage later, having sufficient storage is essential for a smooth computing experience.
Suggested Storage Hardware
- Samsung 980 Pro M.2 SSD: This M.2 drive offers quick, durable, and compact storage solutions. It can be easily paired with any other internal SSD and boasts impressive read and write speeds of around 6,980 MB/s and 4,876 MB/s, respectively.
- Samsung 970 Evo M.2 SSD: The Evo line is a more affordable option that still provides reliable performance. With read speeds of around 3,500 MB/s and write speeds of 3,300 MB/s, this M.2 drive is suitable for gaming purposes.
- Corsair MP600 M.2 SSD: This drive comes with a built-in heat sink to prevent overheating during data transfers. It offers read speeds of 4,950 MB/s and write speeds of 4,250 MB/s.
- WD Blue 1-TB Internal SSD: While this Western Digital model is reasonably quick and provides ample storage space, it is more suitable as a secondary storage drive rather than the primary drive for gaming or operating systems.
Memory (RAM)
Photograph: G.Skill