It’s different from your primary storage devices in that RAM resets when it doesn’t have power, which is why you still need larger storage drives for long term data storage.
It keeps data you use regularly easily accessible, so your PC doesn’t have to access a storage device every time you need to use that data. Random Access Memory (RAM) is essentially your PC’s short-term memory.
To learn more about what card will work best for your needs, check out our guide on how to choose a graphics card. If you’re looking for the best gaming experience, the GPU might be the priciest component you’ll buy, but you’re not going to want to skimp here, especially if you’re looking to get into gaming at higher resolutions and frame rates. If you want a cutting-edge experience, Nvidia’s RTX 3090 Ti is the current king of consumer facing GPUs, with the Radeon RX 6900 XT from AMD not far behind. Depending on how much you want to invest, you can go with something on the lower-end of modern GPUs, like the GeForce RTX 3050 from Nvidia, or the Radeon RX 6500 from AMD. The two biggest players in the world of graphics cards are AMD and Nvidia. Though many CPUs have integrated graphics, a GPU is absolutely required if you want to have a modern PC gaming experience. The GPU is essentially what allows your computer to do the complex graphics calculations that allow your PC games to look so good. The Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) will have the most impact on your gaming experience. Video Card/Graphics Processing Unit (GPU)
Features like CPU overclocking capabilities, lighting, and connectivity options are all factors to keep in mind when purchasing a motherboard.Ĭheck out this full breakdown on how to choose a motherboard for all the info you’ll need to make an informed decision. Not every CPU works with every motherboard, so you’ll want to make sure you get the right one. The type of motherboard you need will largely depend on what CPU you purchased and what features you’re interested in. As with anything in PC building, there are options galore, from simple motherboards at the lower-end of the price spectrum all the way up to feature-rich boards with all sorts of bells and whistles. The motherboard is essentially a large circuit board that connects all the components that make up your PC, and allows communication between all the different hardware.
If that isn’t enough oomph for you, then maybe a Core i9 is more your thing. Intel’s Core i designated CPUs are all solid choices, though you’ll probably want to consider a 12th Gen i5 or i7 if you’re looking to put together a serious gaming or streaming rig.
For AMD you’ll most likely be looking at a third generation Ryzen, or Threadripper if you want high-end. The two primary manufacturers in the consumer PC space are Intel and AMD, and even within those brands, there are plenty of choices. The CPU is probably the single most important component for any computer, and as you’d expect there are almost endless options at a variety of price ranges. If the CPU is the brain, the rest of the system is the body.
It’s what converts the instructions you provide into actions the computer can execute, and tells all the other parts of your build how to work together. The processor, or Central Processing Unit, is the brain of the PC.
We’ll mostly be focused on building a gaming PC here, but this guide should cover the basics for everything from a high-end work rig for professional applications to a simple media computer.Īnd if you’d rather buy a pre-built, rather than building your own, we have a guide for that too.Īlright, let’s get to it! What Do You Need to Build a PC? Processor (CPU) This guide is by no means meant to be exhaustive, it’s more a primer on what you’ll need to know to gather up the right parts, and start putting your dream build together. Picking the right components for the build you need can be a daunting process at first, but once you dive in, you’ll see that it’s not only surprisingly simple, it’s a heck of a lot of fun. Before you build a PC, you’re obviously going to need the right parts.