Use Quality Components To Build Gaming Pcs

By Andrew Johnson

So you've looked over gaming PCs and you're ready to build one of your own. With so many choices out there, and such different price ranges for equipment, you can feel a little lost in the computer hardware shuffle. Don't despair, because we've got a little help for you!

Don't give up, though. You just have to break system requirements down into what you really need to buy so that your machine performs the way you want it to. We've tracked some great gaming components at inexpensive prices, that will let you enjoy even the most graphically intensive games available today.

Let's start with the most important part of all gaming PCs: the CPU. You could spend hundreds of dollars on an Intel Core i7 965 or an AMD Sempron 140, but that won't offer you the game processing power you really need, even though they're two of the most powerful processors on the market. An economical choice is the Athlon II X4 620, which only costs around $100. For just a hundred bucks out of pocket you start with a great foundation for your new gaming system.

Choosing a video card can be confusing. Do you really need a GPU with 2 GB of video RAM? No, you don't. Most of those high-end cards are far too expensive anyway, and offer only a very slight difference in performance. You don't even need a 1 GB; as little as 896 MB will render even the toughest games beautifully. We've found two inexpensive options for you to choose from: the Nvidia GeForce GTS 250 and the AMD Radeon 5750. They'll cost about $130 or $160 respectively, and offer truly spectacular gaming support.

At this point, The system islikely to be the most expensive portion of gaming PCs. RAM prices are high right now, and it looks like they may stay that way. But you don't have crack open the piggy bank, either.

Your new gaming PC doesn't need the full 24 GB of system RAM that several newer computers support. In fact, that much RAM only offers a very slight increase in performance, and the massive cost doesn't make it worthwhile. You can purchase 4 GB of system RAM for much less and still enjoy hours of superb gaming. You will, however, have to invest in a 64-bit operating system like Windows XP x64 to utilize more 3. 5 GB of system RAM. Without a 64-bit OS, your system won't recognize the full spectrum of RAM available to it.

Another component that's become more available recent is the gaming network card. The trouble is that it doesn't really improve your connection. Your connection to online gaming will work just fine with the Ethernet chipset that comes standard with your computer. If you have problems with your disconnects while gaming, your money is better spent investing in a router than a new network card. - 31403

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