How to build a gaming PC: Everything You need to know

A gaming PC is an investment, but it will make your life so much easier. This article will give you the information that you need to build a gaming PC. I'll walk through what components are needed and provide links to purchase them on InnoTech Reviews. You'll also learn how to assemble all of these parts together into one glorious machine!

Building a PC can be a daunting task. The first time that you do it, you will probably have to ask for help from someone as there are so many tiny parts and cables running everywhere. I assembled my first gaming computer five years ago and was surprised at how simple the process is. It only took me about two hours because I had never done it before. The whole process should take between three to six hours depending on your experience level.

If you're ready to build a DIY gaming PC, this article is for you! There are tons of online videos out there for those who would like to watch their computer being built but here's one that I recommend: How To Build A Computer - YouTube . It's about an hour long and besides a few minor computer part mistakes, it's a great video for beginners. I highly recommend watching this video if you're new to PC building. It won't be too long before you're well equipped enough to take on your own gaming PC build! Let's get started!

The Essentials:

CPU

Price: $159.99 (+$40 if buying other components)

What it does: The CPU takes care of all processing tasks while rendering games and other multimedia applications. This is the most important component in your machine so it should be beefy enough to last several years without bottlenecking your other components. An i7 or Ryzen processor will produce better results than an i5 since they have four cores and eight threads which means that they handle multitasking better and can produce more consistent results.

CPU Cooler

Price: $49.99 (+$20 if buying other components)

What it does: The CPU produces a lot of heat so you'll need to cool it down with a good air or liquid cooler. An air cooler is much cheaper than an all-in-one liquid cooling solution but they aren't as efficient. I recommend at least having a Hyper 212 Evo which is currently under $30 on Amazon and will keep your computer running nice and cold even during those intense gaming sessions! 

Motherboard

Price: $59.99 (optional)

What it does: A motherboard holds the essential components for your PC such as the RAM and CPU. It also provides ports for your hard-drive, mouse and keyboard. Not all motherboards are created equal so you'll want to shop around and do some research before choosing one that will best suit all of your needs. If you're only building a basic gaming PC than any motherboard will work just fine!

RAM

Price: $199 (optional)

What it does: RAM is expensive right now because the price of RAM has nearly tripled since last year. Fortunately prices fell back down recently so you should be able to find RAM under $200 if you keep an eye out for sales on Amazon and Newegg. Currently there is no standard when it comes to putting together a computer for games, but there are some minimum requirements that you should follow. For example, most games that are coming out in 2018 recommend having a minimum of 8GB of RAM and that's what I would recommend as well if you're building a gaming PC now. There will be more games coming out later this year and next year so it's smart to purchase more than the required amount so you can upgrade as necessary with little hassle. If there is one component that you should over-buy on, it's the memory!

Hard Drive

Price: $22 (optional)

What it does: A hard drive stores all of your data such as music, movies and photos which means that you'll want to buy an ample amount of storage for your computer. You don't need SSD speeds since they are much more expensive but I recommend sticking with at least 250GB of storage space. It's also good to keep an eye out for sales on Amazon and Newegg since they occasionally offer some pretty good deals on hard drives!

Conclusion:

At the end of the day, you should have enough information to pick out all of the essential components for your computer, but if you want a more detailed explanation on each component then feel free to contact us.