A gaming computer is a type of computer specifically designed to handle and deliver high-performance gaming experiences. These computers are equipped with powerful processors, ample random-access memory (RAM), high-capacity storage, and dedicated graphics cards to support resource-intensive games. They often feature advanced cooling systems to prevent overheating during extended gaming sessions. Gaming computers offer higher frame rates, smoother gameplay, and superior graphics compared to regular computers. They are optimized to handle the demanding requirements of modern games, ensuring immersive and lag-free gaming experiences.
Absolutely, you can use a gaming computer for any task you'd normally use a regular PC for. In fact, the advanced specs of a gaming PC make it ideal for tasks that require lots of processing power, like video editing, graphic design, and three-dimensional (3D) modeling.
The key difference lies in the hardware. Gaming computers are equipped with high-end components, such as powerful central processing units (CPUs), top-notch graphics cards, and faster, larger amounts of random-access memory (RAM). These components ensure smooth gameplay and high frame rates in graphically intensive games.
A graphics card is responsible for rendering the images you see on your screen. A powerful graphics card can deliver high-resolution images and handle complex three-dimensional (3D) graphics quickly and smoothly. This results in a more immersive and visually pleasing gaming experience for you.
The processor, or central processing unit (CPU), is like the brain of your gaming computer. It carries out the instructions of a computer program, allowing the game to run. A more powerful processor can handle more tasks simultaneously, which can lead to smoother gameplay and less lag.
RAM temporarily stores data that the processor can access quickly. The more RAM your gaming computer has, the more data it can store for quick access, which can significantly improve game load times and overall performance.
While you can use any monitor with a gaming computer, certain monitors can enhance your gaming experience. Monitors with high refresh rates and low response times can provide smoother, lag-free visuals. Additionally, some gaming monitors support G-Sync or FreeSync technologies to reduce screen tearing.
Yes, building your own gaming computer can be a rewarding project. It allows you to customize your personal computer (PC) to suit your specific gaming needs and preferences. However, it requires some technical knowledge and research to ensure compatibility between components.
When buying a gaming computer, consider the types of games you want to play and the performance level you expect. Key components to consider include the processor, graphics card, and random-access memory (RAM). Also consider the computer's upgradeability, as this could extend its lifespan as your gaming needs evolve.
Yes, you can use VR with a gaming computer. However, not all gaming computers are VR-ready. VR requires a lot of processing power, so you'll need a particularly powerful central processing unit (CPU) and graphics card. You'll also need enough universal serial bus (USB) ports to connect the VR headset and sensors.
An SSD can significantly improve your gaming experience by reducing game load times. Unlike traditional hard drives, SSDs have no moving parts and thus can access data much faster. While an SSD won't increase the frame rate, it will make games run smoother and load faster.
Absolutely, with a powerful enough processor and a good internet connection, you can stream your gameplay live to platforms like Twitch or YouTube. Just keep in mind that streaming can be demanding on your system, so you might need a more powerful gaming computer to maintain smooth gameplay while streaming.
When it comes to keyboards, many gamers prefer mechanical keyboards due to their tactile feedback and quick response times. For mice, options with adjustable dots per inch (DPI) settings allow for precision control. Both should ideally have ergonomic designs to ensure comfort during long gaming sessions.
Having multiple monitors allows you to have a broader field of view in games that support it, which can enhance immersion and give you an advantage by letting you see more of the game world at once. It's also useful for multitasking, like having a game guide open on one screen while playing on another.
There are several ways to improve the performance of your gaming computer. Regularly updating your drivers ensures that your hardware can work to its full potential. Adjusting game settings can also enhance performance; lowering the resolution or disabling certain effects can increase frame rates. Defragmenting your hard drive (if you're not using an SSD) can help too, as can closing any unnecessary background apps while gaming.
While the exact amount can depend on the games you want to play, 16 gigabytes (GB) is generally considered a good amount of RAM for a gaming computer. This provides plenty of memory for modern games, as well as multitasking with other applications. If you're playing particularly demanding games, or if you're doing other memory-intensive tasks like video editing, you might benefit from 32GB or more.
While gaming computers and workstations can have similar levels of power, they're optimized for different types of tasks. Gaming computers prioritize the graphics processing unit (GPU) for rendering game graphics, while workstations often have more powerful central processing units (CPUs) for tasks like three-dimensional (3D) modeling and data processing.
The first big decision — almost as important as naming your character in video games — is choosing the brand of your CPU: Are you going to be Team Intel or Team AMD?
Let’s start with the basics: A CPU is the brain of a PC — it handles everything from running your Windows to opening your browsers, and it achieves those tasks by communicating with different components in the PC.
The first step of evaluating a CPU is to recognize that the question to ask is not whether one is better than the other, but rather which one is right for your budget and use case. For example, having more cores and threads allows your CPU to interact with more applications simultaneously, while having a higher clock speed provides better gaming performance, especially if you overclock the CPU.¹
In short, choose AMD if:
On the flip side, choose Intel if:
RAM stands for Random Access Memory and is used for short term storage, meaning that it only stores necessary data as your programs run.² RAM is not for long term storage like your hard drive is. Once you terminate your programs, the space that they take up in RAM also becomes free.
Here’s an analogy to help you understand better:
Imagine that you only keep the things that you’re currently working on on your desk (I sure hope), within your arm’s reach. Once you’re done with the task, you put the books/notes back onto the shelf. The shelf allows you to store things for the long term and gives you more space, but takes longer to access than your desk does. In this case, your desk would be your RAM, and your bookshelf would be your hard drive.
In summary, the bigger your RAM is, the more programs you’d be able to run concurrently. Since RAM prices have dropped quite significantly over the years, I’d say that 16 GB RAM would be the sweet spot, and 32 GB would likely be an overkill for most people.
The graphics card is a fascinating topic of itself, and there’s no way I can explain everything about it in one short blog (nor do I have the knowledge to), so here’s a brief Q&A section on some basics that everyone should know about the GPU.
Q: Are graphics cards needed only for gaming?
A: False. Anything that needs to be rendered on your screen requires some type of graphics processor, whether it be integrated or dedicated.³
Q: How do I know if a GPU is good?
A: The easiest way is to search “[GPU name] benchmark” on YouTube. You’ll see a bunch of tests and comparisons.
Q: AMD or Nvidia?
A: Nvidia is definitely the gamer’s choice, but AMD has become quite competitive in the recent years because of its product’s lower price point. AMD CPUs also come with very decent integrated graphics processors, so light gamers might not even need a dedicated GPU!
A cool thing worth mentioning about Nvidia’s newer gen GPU, the RTX series, is the Turing Architecture. This design not only supports a more advanced memory model (GDDR6), but also has better core design for AI and Deep Learning work. In addition, it introduced Ray Tracing technology,
“a technique that simulates the lighting of a scene and its objects by rendering physically correct reflections, refractions, shadows, and indirect lighting,”
according to its architecture whitepaper. The images below demonstrates the effect:
Ray Tracing Comparison https://www.oshkotech.com/2019/12/16/i-want-to-game-with-rtx-on/Finally, while these graphics card companies are doing some truly innovative stuff that drives our technological progress, there’s also A LOT of marketing involved that creates an illusion of choice. For example, companies sometimes release new generations of GPU with minor performance improvements that are hardly noticeable even in side-by-side comparison. Thus, it’s important to do the research and know what you’re paying for!
This is where you store all your data and install your software. What you need to know is that there are HDDs (Hard Disk Drive) and SSDs (Solid State Drive), and SSDs are way faster than HDD.
Why are SSDs faster? Essentially, an HDD has a mechanical arm that reads data from a spinning disk, while an SSD has no moving parts — it manipulates the states of transistors to store data.
Besides the regular HDDs and SSDs, we now have an even faster storage option: the NVMe SSD, which provides better performance and is smaller. What a good time to be alive, eh?
HDD (Top), SSD (Center), NVMe SSD (Bottom) https://www.pcgamer.com/hdd-vs-ssd/Given that the order of performance is NVMe SSD > SSD > HDD, you can expect their prices to be in the same order. When you buy a desktop nowadays, you’d typically see a dual drive setup where there’d be a smaller SSD just to install your OS (Windows), and a larger HDD to use as your main storage.
Is NVMe worth it? I personally don’t think so. Even though its max data transfer speed is much faster than that of a regular SSD, it’s unlikely for most users to ever reach that level of need. On the other hand, I think SSDs are worth the premium because they are many orders of magnitude faster than HDDs, even for very basic use.
These are what hold all the components together (as the names suggest). Generally, you wouldn’t have to care about these parts when you buy a pre-built computer, since the differences are pretty minimal in most cases.
Currently there are three main types/sizes of Motherboards: