People who say PCs are expensive fail to see things from the right perspective. Take a random object from your living room. How much did it cost? Now, try to split the cost with the number of hours you’ve actively used or enjoyed. Do the same for your gaming PC; you’ll see that it’s far less expensive than anything else in your household. With that in mind, you might be due a well-justified upgrade. Here are the top five essentials you should focus on.

Storage solution

Not everyone with a PC setup is a gamer. Some people use their PC for streaming movies, browsing social media (although all of it is optimized for browsers), and more. If you’re a casual user, nothing would improve better than switching from HDD to SSD. If the system is installed on an SSD (as it usually is), the difference between issuing a command and a system response is incredible. Anyone who was a gamer in the 90s and early 2000s knows that feeling of turning the computer on and then going somewhere for 10 minutes until everything boots up. Then, there are some subtle quality-of-life improvements, like the fact that it’s much lighter and a lot quieter while working than your regular SSD. While these may seem subtle, they do make a difference. At the same time, as a gamer, you stand to benefit even more. Imagine not having to deal with too long loading screens and renders anymore. If you have both SSD and HDD, we highly advise that you keep the game that you play the most (and the one that’s the most resource-intensive) on your SSD.

Your monitor

When buying a monitor (your main gaming monitor), you need to start by examining your GPU. What are you looking for? To clarify this question, what resolution do you want to play in? Do you want to game in Full HD, 2K, or 4K? Depending on this, and if your GPU can handle it, you should select your monitor. One of the great ideas is for you to get an ultrawide monitor. This way, you get more working space and, while gaming, gives you a more immersive experience. Just keep in mind that the games that you play are optimized for 21:9 ratio resolutions. Most new games and reboots are, but it might be problematic for retro gaming. Curved screens further add to the immersion. Namely, the curvature is supposed to be the same shape as your retina, which would enhance your depth perception. Of course, a main gaming monitor is not the only one in the setup. You can have a side monitor or two. This can help you follow a guide while playing a game or not have to minimize a window to check the new message.

Performance components

For starters, you need to check the generation and manufacturer of your motherboard to see the potential for upgrade that you have available. Then, you can either look for the best computer bundles or make a custom gaming PC. When choosing a GPU, you might want to buy something along the lines of:

• RTX 4090
• RTX 4080
• RX 7900XTX

However, for many people, 4K gaming is both too expensive and excessive. So, they might instead want to go for 2K gaming. Here, an RTX 4070 or RX 6750 XT are your best options. Remember, while this is the most expensive part of the computer, it’s not the only thing you need. In other words, you need other parts to catch up. Keep in mind that the cost of GPUs has gone up since the crypto started rising (mostly due to mining racks). The choice of CPU is just as important, especially for complex games with so many processes working in the background and with no (or few) loading screens. Ideally, you should go for either a Ryzen 9 7950X3D or i9-13900K. These give you the best overall performance but are quite expensive. In 2023, having 8GB RAM is a bare minimum, while 16GB or 32GB would be better. However, just looking at the memory is not good enough. You must also look at the manufacturer and the generation of RAM in question.

Peripherals

Your mouse and keyboard are more important for your overall experience than you think. The keyboard/mouse and touch sensitivity may determine your effectiveness in competitive multiplayer games, but this is just one side. Ideally, you want to go for something that feels right. No, people don’t buy mechanical keyboards because they’re more effective. They do it because they “feel right.” Headphones are a must-have set in any gamer’s arsenal, but they go far beyond that. You cannot be a proper audiophile without quality headphones. This is why it’s so important that you get that one right. Now, you must first do your budget since quality headphones won’t be cheap. While this is technically not a part of your gaming PC, choosing the right ergonomic chair is everything. The number of hours you spend behind the computer mandates you to take this more seriously.

Cooling and power

High performance requires a lot of power and incredible cooling capabilities. Many people underestimate the PSU wattage, which is a critical mistake that can lead to some horrible outcomes. Now, the best way to approach this is to find a power supply calculator and get a number for your setup. Here, you’ll have to consider your motherboard, CPT, GPT, RAM, SSDs, HDDs, and optical drives (yes, many still use those). Once you get the final wattage, you’ll know exactly what you need. Again, the power supply’s quality and manufacturer make all the difference. As far as the cooler goes, make sure that you take socket compatibility, use case scenario, case seize, fan speeds, heat pipes, radiator sizes, and even noise into consideration. This step is often underestimated but is more complex than people assume.

Wrap up

Ultimately, it all comes down to two things – the intended use of your gaming PC and your budget. Sure, some components are fairly expensive, but the depreciation of your computer is really not that bad, which means that you can even resell it for a decent amount. In other words, it’s an all-around good investment.