Building your own custom gaming PC can be an exciting and rewarding project. Having a PC tailored specifically for gaming allows you to get the most out of your games with smooth performance and high fidelity graphics. However, choosing compatible components and finding the best deals can also be a daunting task, especially for first-time PC builders. This is where PCPartPicker comes in where you can build ultimate gaming pc with pcpartpicker.
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PCPartPicker is an online platform that aims to make building your own gaming PC as easy as possible. With PCPartPicker, you can plan out your entire build from start to finish, ensuring that all of your chosen parts work together flawlessly. Read on to learn how to leverage PCPartPicker to choose the right components for your dream gaming PC within your budget.
Set Your Budget
The first step is deciding how much you are able to reasonably spend on your new machine. Building a capable gaming PC typically starts at around $800 to $900.
Here is a rough breakdown of budget tiers for a gaming PC and the type of performance you can expect:
| Budget | Performance |
| $800 – $900 | Smooth 1080p gaming at medium settings |
| $1000 – $1200 | High FPS 1080p gaming at high settings |
| $1500+ | 1440p gaming, VR readiness, future proof |
Keep in mind that you will also need peripherals like a monitor, keyboard, mouse, and speakers or headset, which can add a few hundred dollars on top of the cost of the PC components themselves.
Choose Your CPU
The Central Processing Unit (CPU) essentially acts as the “brain” of your computer, so choosing one that meets both your performance needs and budget is crucial.
For gaming PCs, Intel and AMD currently manufacture the best desktop processors. Some of the most popular CPU choices include:
- Intel Core i5/i7 – Great for gaming and daily use
- AMD Ryzen 5/7 – Excellent price-to-performance ratio
- AMD Threadripper – High core counts for heavily multi-threaded workloads
On PCPartPicker, you can filter processords by brand, number of cores, integrated graphics vs. no iGPU, and more. Pay attention to the socket type as this will determine what motherboards your CPU is compatible with.
Select a Compatible Motherboard
Your motherboard serves as the backbone of your PC, allowing all of your components to communicate with each other.
For your CPU, choose a motherboard with the corresponding socket type. You’ll also want to consider:
- Chipset – Chipsets like X570 or B550 offer more features and bandwidth for future upgrades.
- Form factor – Larger ATX size boards offer more expansion room vs. micro ATX.
- RAM slots – Number of slots and maximum supported memory speed/capacity.
- PCIe slots – Number of PCIe lanes for your graphics card and NVMe SSDs.
Use PCPartPicker’s filters to find motherboards matching the specifications you need. It will also flag any compatibility issues with your currently selected CPU.
Install High-Performance RAM
When buying RAM, focus mainly on capacity and speed:
- 16GB is the current sweet spot for gaming PCs
- 8GB for budget builds, 32GB+ for extreme multitasking
- For Intel, target DDR4-3000MHz+ memory
- For AMD Ryzen, get DDR4-3600MHz memory or better
Also pay attention to RAM clearance in relation to any large CPU coolers you may have chosen. PCPartPicker will warn you if there may be any physical clearance issues.
Choose Fast Storage
For your operating system/applications and your game library, having fast storage is hugely beneficial. Using solely Hard Disk Drives (HDDs) will lead to extremely long loading times.
Instead, the best setup is:
- 500GB – 1TB solid state drive (SSD) for your OS and apps
- 1TB – 4TB HDD for mass storage of files/media
- M.2 NVMe SSD (PCIe 3.0 or 4.0) for your most played games
On your selected PCPartPicker parts list page, click “Comments” to check if others have reported issues with the storage components working properly in their builds.
Graphics Card for Your Resolution
The graphics card (GPU) handles rendering all of your games’ beautiful graphics and is perhaps most directly tied to gaming performance.
Consider what resolution and graphics settings you want to play at, as more demanding games may require more powerful cards:
| GPU Tier | Performance Target |
| 1080p, Medium/High | GTX 1650 Super, RTX 2060 |
| 1080p/1440p, High FPS | RTX 3060 Ti, RX 6700 XT |
| 4K, Max Settings, High FPS | RTX 3080, RX 6800 XT |
Matching your card appropriately to your monitor’s native resolution is key – there is no benefit in buying an expensive GPU if your monitor can’t display higher than 1080p, for example.
Don’t Skimp On the Power Supply
Choosing a Power Supply Unit (PSU) with enough wattage and stability for all your components is vital – an unstable or underpowered PSU can cause crashes or even fry your entire system. For most single GPU builds, aim for an 80+ Bronze or 80+ Gold certified PSU with at least 550W to 650W. Use online PSU calculators to determine exactly how much wattage buffer you need.
And as always, use PCPartPicker to check that the PSU you select has the necessary PCIe power connectors and is compatible with your chosen motherboard form factor.
Bring It All Together
As you select each component for your PCPartPicker build, stay mindful of compatibility across your CPU, motherboard, RAM, GPU, case dimensions, and power requirements. The system will warn you of potential issues to troubleshoot.
Once your parts list is finalized with all desired components, PCPartPicker lets you order everything from a single trusted retailer, have it shipped directly to your door, and get busy building your gaming command center!
By using PCPartPicker to plan out and buy a tailor-made list of components for your needs and budget, you are guaranteed to end up with a high-performing gaming PC that does exactly what you need it to – and with no buyer’s remorse or wasted money either. So what are you waiting for? Start building your next epic gaming rig today!