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Almost all PC gamers know the problem: you finally have the money to treat yourself to new hardware, but you can’t see the forest for the trees. Not only are there many different components to consider, but there are also hundreds of types of each part. While there are pre-built gaming PCs that require less research, they are generally more expensive and less likely to meet your specific requirements.
The base
Although for many users figuring out computer parts starts with the processor, for gamers the basis lies with the video card. After all, this is the part that will have the most influence on the final frame rate. This will be the most expensive part in the computer for most people. For a nice gaming PC, the options start at the 200 Euro MSI GeForce GTX 1650 Super Ventus XS OC , but that can go up to 2000 euros for a big one MSI GeForce RTX 3090 Suprim X 24G . Which one suits you best depends on the requirements you set and of course your budget. That is why we have compiled the table below from which you can easily read which video card is most suitable for you. Here, dark green means at least 120FPS, light green at least 60FPS, and red means less than 60FPS. This applies to most new AAA games without ray tracing.
The computer
Of course you are not there with only a video card, you also have to build a PC around it. As an example, we have assembled a PC around the MSI RTX 3080 that will provide you with all comforts. From there, you can phase out what you don’t need, such as a cheaper processor if you’re not going to stream, or a smaller SSD if you’re installing fewer games. For the processor and motherboard, we choose the AMD Ryzen 9 5900X and the MSI MAG X570 Tomahawk WiFi. The Ryzen 9 5900X is currently the only right choice for those who want the highest performance without spending absurd amounts. Due to the combination of 12 cores and a boost frequency of 4.8 GHz, it is not only one of the best processors for gamers, but multitasking and streaming are absolutely no problem. The motherboard offers everything you need to keep the powerful processor under control. In addition, you get a lot of fast USB ports, 2.5Gbit LAN and WiFi 6 functionality is built in.
The processor is assisted by 32GB DDR4 RAM. If you are going to stream at high quality, that large amount of memory is not an unnecessary luxury, but the speed of 3600MHz is also important. Memory at an even higher frequency is available for a substantial additional cost, but does not yield much for gamers. A lower frequency is slightly cheaper, but then you will see your frameration drop. 3600MHz is therefore a nice sweet spot for gamers. The storage is provided by the Samsung 980 Pro. Because it uses the new PCIe 4.0 technology, it is one of the fastest available SSDs at the moment.
- Video Card : MSI GeForce RTX 3080 Gaming X Trio 10G
- Processor: AMD Ryzen 9 5900X
- Motherboard : MSI MAG X570 Tomahawk WiFi
- Memory : 32GB Corsair Vengeance LPX 3600MHz (dual channel )
- SSD : 1TB Samsung 980 Pro
- HDD : 4TB WD Blue
- Housing: be quiet! Pure Base 500DX
- Nutrition: Corsair RM850x
With this composition come you on a total amount of approximately 2350 euros. That is probably too much for most, but fortunately that price drops quickly if you set less stringent requirements. For example, if you are not going to stream the latest games in 4K, a cheaper processor, less memory and a smaller power supply will suffice. Also, not everyone will need an extra HDD and the motherboard can be a lot cheaper if you don’t use WiFi. Without these options, the total picture looks like this:
- Video Card : MSI GeForce RTX 3080 Gaming X Trio 10G
- Processor: AMD Ryzen 9 5600X
- Motherboard : MSI MAG B550 Tomahawk
- Memory : 16GB Corsair Vengeance LPX 3600MHz (dual channel)
- SSD : 1TB Samsung 970 EVO
- HDD : –
- Housing: be quiet! Pure Base 500DX
- Nutrition: Corsair RM750
The total price of this system is 1720 euros , already a lot cheaper than our previous line-up and more than enough for almost all gamers. If you don’t start streaming, you probably won’t even notice any difference from the more expensive system. The video card is still the same, the memory is just as fast and the processor will hardly be a bottleneck. With the AMD B550 chipset in the motherboard you can still overclock and you don’t have to compromise on features. You just miss WiFi functionality and get slightly fewer USB ports. Although 16GB of memory and a 1TB SSD may not be enough in the future, these are fortunately also the two parts that can be upgraded the easiest (and cheapest).
If you don’t game at 4K or you don’t need super high frame rates, that price will of course drop much further to around 750 euros for a basic game PC with an MSI GTX 1650 SUPER and AMD Ryzen 5 3600 Memory is not that expensive anymore, so it is wise to immediately opt for 16GB memory. Don’t buy one 16GB stick, but always buy a set of two 8GB sticks. The speed difference is huge in some applications, while there is usually no difference in price.
Conclusion
Building a computer doesn’t have to be complicated if you know where to start. Gamers would do well to choose a video card first and then the rest, so you can be sure that you get the highest FPS for the least money. Can’t figure it out? Then ask your questions in the comments.
