My top 5 tips for building your first gaming PC

Right before the pandemic began, I rushed to go out of my way and buy a gaming PC. There were rumors of a lockdown imminent, and I thought to myself “It’s now or never.” Thankfully I was able to purchase and build everything right before the world decided to fully close down.

However, since I was in a rush, I wasn’t able to properly prepare for this. Building a PC can be daunting, so I’ll be sharing the top five tips I wish I knew before going ahead with this endeavor. Note though that I won’t be sharing specific parts and components to purchase, but more of a guide to make the experience smoother and less frightening. 

Step 1: Make sure you have ample space for your build

Quite simple I know, but I highly suggest searching for a decent area to place your setup at home. There are ITX cases that can be quite space-saving, but as much as possible, we want to have various options at our disposal. 

Apart from a robust table, you also have to make sure that the space is comfortable and it won’t be intrusive to the other members of your household. 

Step 2: Do your research on PC hardware

Listen, you don’t need to be an expert in PC building. But it won’t hurt to have a basic understanding of the various components of computers. It may sound a bit tedious, but learning these will definitely help you in the long run. 

There are so many ways to research this. You will find tons of guides online that you can read about. But if you’re more of a visual learner like myself, then YouTube is your best friend. 

Step 3: Prepare a budget

For me, steps three and four will be your North Stars in terms of the build. These steps will guide you in choosing your components. Of course, the more disposable income you have, the more options there are to choose from. But if you have a limited amount of money to spend, then create a budget and stick to it. The next step will then dictate how you will prioritize your spending. 

Step 4: Know what games you intend to run on your PC

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Having an idea of the titles you wish to play will greatly affect how you choose your parts. For example, there are games that rely more on your processor (CPU) than your graphics card (GPU) and vice versa. So do your research on your favorite titles, then from there you can decide what to splash your cash on. 

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Step 5: Create your parts list and check for compatibility 

Now that you’ve done your research on the different components of a gaming PC, and have an idea of what parts to get, it’s time to create your list and check for compatibility. There are so many examples of builds online. The various options for the different parts can also be a bit intimidating. 

I would highly recommend using websites such as https://pcpartpicker.com/ to help with your selection. They allow you to virtually build your PC and will inform you if there are any compatibility issues. They also provide pricing details of your intended parts, albeit not from the Philippine market. 

Final thoughts

Building your first gaming PC with no knowledge whatsoever is definitely an impossible task (not unless you have someone else to guide you, of course). But in my opinion, the best thing to do is to view it as a long term investment.

Any type of investment will require your time and patience to learn and research more. This is your hard-earned cash we’re talking about here. And just like any other big-money purchase, you have to be prepared and knowledgeable enough to spend your income wisely.