Budgeting a Custom Gaming PC Build

When shopping for a custom gaming PC it can be easy to become overwhelmed and think that a custom gaming computer will be extremely expensive. When you’re learning about the components that will go into your computer you (if you’re anything like me) will often compare similar graphics cards, RAM, motherboards etc. and as you’re comparing more and more parts, you convince yourself that you need the most expensive, high performance, option. 

It’s easy to get carried away when configuring a custom gaming build, like those here: http://www.avadirect.com/mini-custom-gaming-pcs. When I’m putting together a computer on somewhere like PCPartsPicker or Newegg I often end up dreaming about the best computer I could possibly build instead of realistically putting together a configuration I could actually afford. There is definitely a difference between window shopping and actually preparing a computer that you intend to purchase.

For one, consider what you’ll use the computer for. Specifically, which games will you play? Consider that some of your favorite games may be a little older. I mean, who doesn’t love to fire up Portal every now and then? However, you should also consider that this computer will also need to play new games that are released several years into its lifespan. And just because you’re into simulations and strategy games like Cities: Skylines and Kerbal Space Program, that doesn’t mean that you won’t be playing the new Star Wars: Battlefront, Fallout 4 or Half Life 3!

When choosing parts for your custom gaming computer it’s easy to convince yourself that you need the highest performance parts available. However, this isn’t always true. Consider the processor. Sure, the Intel i7 is the top of the line (well, except the Xeon processors which are for servers and workstations), but do you really need it? Most often the answer is no. If you’re playing graphics intensive games like first-person-shooters, your computer will need lots of graphics processing performance, but not so much general processing. For these games, even if you have multiple GTX 980s, an i5 will be just fine. If you’re playing simulations games like Kerbal Space Program, then your computer will need more processing power, and less graphics performance. However, if your computer is able to output a frame rate that is higher than the refresh rate of your display, this doesn’t matter. Additional processing power will make your computer output higher FPS, but your monitor won’t be able to display the additional frames and you won’t see any benefit.

So it doesn’t always make sense to get the highest performance components. Myself, I prefer to get an Intel i5 (a K version so that it is easy to overclock) and the best graphics card I can afford.