Maybe you’ve always wanted to be in on the masterrace of gaming, or you just thought it looked neat to construct your own rig. Whatever the case may be, there are several dozens of options for all kinds of budgets and work caseloads.
Throughout this article we’ll have sections on what exactly you should look for, depending on what you want to do. There are several options and we’ll try to go through most of them!
Light Gaming (500$ and lower)
So this is the place to start if you’re just trying to figure out some light gaming at 1080p resolution.
Three major things to be aware of in this category is the same three things to be aware of in the higher end stuff. What GPU is best, what CPU to pair and will I benefit from higher resolution Monitors.
Firstly, no. Go for refresh rate over resolution. Secondly, there is a bevy of great low end CPU’s for gaming light.
Our recommended configuration for great 1080p gaming: Intel i3 9100f, EVGA GTX 1650.
Mid-Range Gaming ($550 – $750)
Mid-range gaming is where it is at right, with the most options and amazing combinations to look after.
Mid-range is for people who want to experience resolutions like 1440p without sacrificing under 60fps. Or someone who just wants to push their 1080p gaming to the highest possible FPS.
Our recommended configuration:
AMD; Ryzen 3 3200g, GTX 1660 or Radeon RX 590.
Intel: i5 9400f, GTX 1660 or Radeon RX 590
Heavy Gaming ($750 – $1000)
This is where things get fun!
Want to push it to 4K? Beat the crap out of 1440p on Ultra settings? Blaze through benchmark tests? Well, luckily there’s three major options!
Some things to bear in mind when you get to a heavier gaming rig. Look for gold rated higher PSU options, consider double your RAM and invest in either liquid cooled radiators or faster fans.
Our Recommended Configurations:
AMD: Ryzen 5 3600x, GTX 1660 Super. Or, AMD Ryzen 5 3600x, Radeon RX 5700xt
Intel: i7 9700k, GTX 1660 Super. Or, Intel i7 9700k, RTX 2060.
Video Editing/Gaming ($600 – $1500)
This is probably the most versatile but oddest selection for newcomers.
Building a gaming rig is relatively easy, but finding the right components for video editing is a whole different ballpark. Luckily, if you build it for editing, I guarantee it can beat out most games.
What I meant when I said it’s a whole different ballpark is this; certain editing applications are better geared towards certain hardware. For example, I use Da Vinci Resolve, Affinity Photo and occasionally Abode CC. Da Vinci and Affinity render and run far better on Navi architecture then Nvidia’s sets. But, Adobe runs better on Nvidia.
What I’m saying is that before you look at our recommended combinations, look through your editing apps. Look up what benchmarks better for your applications.
Our Recommended Configurations:
AMD: Ryzen 5 3600x, RTX 2060 ti. Or, Ryzen 7 2700x, Radeon VEGA 64. Lastly, Ryzen 5 3600x, Radeon RX 5700 xt.
Intel: i7 9700k, RTX 2070. Or, i9 9900k, RTX 2070. Lastly, i9 9900k, Radeon RX 5700xt.
Pre Built PC’s ($400 – $2500)
So here’s the thing with pre-built or built to order PC’s. You are essentially gambling that whomever is constructing it or has constructed it, did so correctly.
Most places don’t do a lot of quality control unfortunately. And if you didn’t purchase any insurance on it, and it doesn’t work on primary boot up or at all? Well you are SOL my friend.
There are definitely some solid websites and companies that offer built to order PCs for just about every occasion. Honestly, it would just come to do one simple task; research and narrow down the list.
In conclusion, my dear friends
So that is pretty much it! We were going to take a minute to discuss laptops but I’ll make that short. If you want a gaming laptop go with Dell, Lenovo or HP. Need a laptop for content creation, go with MSI, Razer, Apple or Gigabyte. Everything past that point is personal preference and requirements.
I know we didn’t cover things like cases we recommend, RAM brands, liquid cooled VS fans etc. Honestly, most of that is either something that applies to every build or personal preference for looks.
So look into those combinations for CPUs and GPUs and get cracking! You have the free time, so build a PC and start a hobby!
