Building Your Own Machine: Hardware Guide

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This section contains a more in-depth look at gaming PC hardware and specifications, with recommendations that span across a variety of games and genres. The requirements of a specific game supersede the advice presented here, but for those interested in how the different components in a computer impact game performance this information will be very helpful.

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The two main factors in game performance are the CPU (central processing unit, often referred to simply as the processor) and GPU (graphics processing unit, which is the main chip on a video card). The processor is responsible for keeping track of what is going on in a game, the computer / non player character AI, input from the player, and the like. The video card handles displaying the game and calculations involving lighting, shading, special effects, etc.

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Because of the way those two parts of a computer split up the work of running games you need to have a good balance between the CPU and GPU. There are some games that are more sensitive to CPU performance, often strategy or simulation games, while others have less going on behind the scenes and more are heavier on graphics and effects. First person shooter games tend to fall into that second category and so rely more heavily on the video card than the processor.

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Memory and storage systems in a computer also play a role in game performance, though not as much complexity is involved in the selection of those components. What follows is a general overview of what hardware is important for gaming and related applications.

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Of course, make sure you've got adequate space in your selected computer case - as graphics cards can sometimes be the biggest obstacle with their sheer length. Considering you've probably not thought much about cable management just yet, you've got those power wires to negotiate round too. Some cases are simply too compact to accommodate the latest cards, and you may have to opt for a slower, low profile card. Having said that - there's an amazing deal on a low profile 6GB model of the nVidia GTX 1060 which can be found here.

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Processor (CPU)

When it comes to CPUs there are two main specifications that define the capability of a CPU:

• The frequency directly affects how many operations a single CPU core can complete in a second (how fast it is).

• The number of cores is how many physical cores there are within a CPU (how many operations it can run simultaneously).

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The vast majority of games use four cores or less and many games these days still use just one or two cores. Most games are much more dependent on frequency, or clock speed, since that impacts how many calculations each core can handle per second. Dedicated gaming systems, then, are usually best off with a quad-core CPU at the highest possible clock speed. Intel's Core i5 and i7 processors are ideal in this regard, with a range of models available to fit different budgets.

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Running additional software while gaming adds to the workload that the processor has to deal with, so folks who are recording or streaming gameplay with CPU based solutions like OBS Or XSplit may want additional cores to handle those tasks without impacting game performance. Our high end machines are equipped with Core i9 processors that have higher core counts, while still maintaining good clock speeds, making them ideal for this type of workload.

 

 

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Video Card (GPU)

Having a powerful video card is critical for game performance as it directly impacts the frame rate experienced when playing and the level of quality settings that can be used while maintaining a smooth experience. The level of video card needed depends heavily on a few factors:

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• The graphical complexity of games themselves. More realistic looking graphics - usually achieved by having more polygons in 3D models within the game and more detailed textures - give the video card more work to do. The number of things being displayed on-screen at a time also affects this.

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• Having a higher number of more complex models being displayed takes up more of the video card's memory buffer as well, impacting how much VRAM is needed. And finally, cranking up the quality settings within a game to have more realistic shadows or reflections, or to smooth out jagged edges of objects, further increases the workload of the video card.

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• As you increase resolution, a given video card will be able to pump out fewer and fewer frames per second, as it has to fill more pixels in each frame. 30fps is generally considered the minimum acceptable frame rate for gaming, before things start getting too choppy, although many people prefer to keep the frames per second up closer to 60fps or even more.

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• The refresh rate of the monitor. Most monitors run at 60Hz, so a video card capable of pushing out more than 60 frames per second at the desired resolution and quality settings would be overkill. Some monitors can run at 75, 100, 120, 144, or even 165Hz - and to take advantage of such high refresh rates a more powerful card would be required to match the 165fps required for smoothness.

[On the flip side of this, a relatively new monitor technology called nVidia G-SYNC which actually helps reduce the workload of the video card while keeping games looking good. Instead of the video card needing to pump out enough frames per second to keep up with the monitor's refresh rate, G-SYNC matches the monitor's refresh rate to what the video card is outputting in real time. If only 30 frames are being calculated by the video card per second then the monitor will only refresh at 30Hz. If that drops for a moment and only 20 frames are output? Then the monitor adjusts to match. By keeping the refresh rate in sync with the video card even low frame rates can still look and feel smooth.]

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When possible, a single video card is the ideal way to go. This holds true as long as you can get the performance you want with a single card, which is completely viable through at least 4K resolution at 60Hz. By keeping to a single video card you cut down on heat, noise and power consumption, and you also leave room to add a second video card later on as an upgrade. Hence why we tend stick to one GPU per machine unless you ask otherwise.

If you want to have multiple high-res screens running in surround view, or to be future-proofed for even higher resolutions and refresh rates, then dual video cards in SLI is supported on our high end machine.

 

Looking beyond traditional monitors, virtual reality headsets also require very high performance video cards. Such headsets have to display two different frames, one for each eye, and need to do so at high refresh rates in order to feel smooth and avoid causing discomfort for the user. NVIDIA has added special features to their GeForce GTX line, starting with the 1000-series, to help with performance in VR games.

Anything from the GTX 970 or 1060 on up will provide a playable experience on first generation VR headsets.

If you want to future-proof your system for higher resolution head-mounted displays, or max-out quality settings, a faster card is even better.

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Ray tracing is a type of processing that a graphics card can handle to improve how lighting in games are displayed. This is a feature that has only been primarily available on new nVidia RTX cards, however, they are now slowly being enabled on recent GTX cards.

Only a few game titles actually make use of this feature.

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One final note: when selecting a video card, take into account the number and type of outputs it has. For a single monitor this probably won't matter as most cards support all the major video standards: DVI, HDMI, and DisplayPort. However, if you plan to run multiple monitors or a monitor plus VR headset then it is important to make sure that the number of each output from the card lines up with the inputs available on the displays you wish to use. DVI is also on the decline, and VGA is almost ancient now, so if you have an older monitor which requires one of those connections then double-check your video card selection to see if you will need an adapter to go with it, otherwise you may face a delay between building the machine and actually getting to use it. We would be happy to assist in either case.

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Memory (RAM)

RAM is basically memory that holds information about programs you're using. It's volatile, which means it only holds this data whist it's being powered.

 

Memory requirements for games vary dramatically, but most fall in the 8-16GB range. Newer games are starting to push further though, and many gamers will be running other software in the background too: voice chat clients, streaming and/or recording software, web browsers displaying game guides, cheats or walkthroughs - etc.

 

Due to this we would recommend a minimum of 16GB RAM for most gaming systems to have plenty of space for applications and a measure of future-proofing.

Game developers, CAD workers, and content creators will benefit with even more RAM than this.

 

 

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Storage (Solid State and Hard Drives)

With the slowly declining costs of solid-state drives we strongly recommend using a SSD for the primary drive that will host your operating system and games (as well as any other software you use). There are two options depending on your motherboard configuration. You could use an M.2 NVMe drive, or a normal SATA SSD. An M.2 is usually quicker, but a fraction more expensive.

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The high speed of SSDs allows your system to boot up, launch games, and even load new maps or levels many times faster than a traditional mechanical hard drive. Google Chrome typically opens instantaneously with an SSD, the only real slow-down would be your internet connection establishing a connection to your homepage. This is just one example though, and you will see that the improvements are system-wide.

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The main question then, becomes capacity.

As with RAM, different games need wildly different amounts of space to be installed: from less than 1GB to expected sizes of 100GB or more for next-generation games such as Grand Theft Auto V. If you obtain your games from Steam, it should tell you the digital size of the game before you buy it, so you can plan any upgrades ahead of time.

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To avoid running out of space frequently we recommend a minimum capacity of 500GB for the primary drive. We would also recommend that the OS is installed on an SSD.

A reliable SSD of this size may seem costly but if you are willing to store your game data, install your programs and documents on a secondary drive then this is the way to go as the benefits are massive.

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Further storage, either for more games or data like music or video libraries, can also be added - either when the system is built or later on.

Just be sure your case can accommodate for these additional drives, and that your motherboard has enough SATA ports.

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If you use a laptop and you want to upgrade - you should be able to migrate your data to an SSD and proceed as normal - and if your laptop has two HDD bays, you can use your SSD alongside your already fitted HDD.