How we build a quality gaming PC without blowing the budget
A surprising number of people walk into a major retailer, rely on the advice of the salesperson and walk out with an overpriced system that may not even play the latest games smoothly despite being marketed as a gaming PC. This is the cost of convenience without having done proper research.
Buyers can save hundreds (potentially thousands) of dollars by understanding key components of a computer system and how to effectively mix and match new and used parts to give best bang for buck. In this article we will outline three things to look out for in building a Price Performance PC.
Graphics Card:
For gaming performance, the discrete graphics card is the most important component to consider.
Importantly, neither bigger model numbers nor more recent release dates necessarily translate to better performance. For example, the 4gb Geforce GTX 1650 was released April 2019. At the time of writing it cost around $250 at a retailer brand new.
The 6gb GTX 1060 was launched July 2016 3 years earlier. It cost around $200 on the used market at the time of writing. Yet observe the performance differential:
The older GTX 1060 with the smaller model number and lower price tag outperforms the GTX 1650 by 30 – 40%.
Adding to the confusion, prices in the graphics card aftermarket do fluctuate drastically with extraordinary demand during mining booms when graphics cards are used in mining rigs or where silicon shortages are prevalent.
These fluctuations can cause distortions in the market. For example, the casual PC builder may not be aware that distributors have released a new generation of graphics cards at a loss leader price point. Retailers may be offloading excess stock in order to restock at the new price point. When this ‘fire sale’ occurs a new graphics card may present better value than an aftermarket graphics card.
For this reason new generation RX 6000 series and RTX 3000 series graphics cards can present better value than older generation graphics cards being offloaded by miners selling at inflated prices in their attempt to recover their capital outlay.
All this can be quite confusing for the casual PC builder. Don’t stress. We have done the market research for you to determine which graphics cards present the best bang for your buck.
CPU
It is important to understand how far we have come in cpu technology and how we have progressed through different generations of cpu.
The casual PC builder may not be aware that an 8th generation i5 or the comparable Ryzen 5 2600 can have more cores and higher boost clock than a 7th generation i7 depending on whether the cpu is the x or k version.
In fact a 12th generation i3 is a better price performance proposition than a 4th generation i7.
This of course depends on price. Again we have done the market research and determined which cpu will provide you best value for your dollar.
DDR4 memory and motherboards have dropped in price considerably to the point where it’s really time to ditch your old DDR3 rig. Generally DDR3-1333 had a peak transfer rate of 10667 MB/s. DDR4-2666 has a peak transfer rate of 21300 MB/s. In addition DDR3 memory modules that have been travelling at XMP speeds for many years may be worn out and close to end of life.
At the time of writing DDR5 memory and motherboards still carry a hefty new release price premium which did not make them a good value proposition.
SSD vs hard drive
For decades the hard drive has been the performance bottleneck of both desktops and laptops. The hard drive with its moving platters takes ages to load Windows and large programs. It can also be noisy, grinding its way through data. The hard drive is also heavy and inefficient in terms of power consumption.
A 7200rpm hard disk transfers data at only 150mb/s. Whereas even the cheapest Western Digital Green SSD transfers at around 500mb/s.
In previous years SSDs were very costly and it was difficult to justify expenditure on large capacity SSDs. There was a period in which Solid State Hybrid drives such as Seagate’s Firecuda were used. These drives combined what was essentially a 7200rpm hard disk together with a smaller component of flash memory. System builders also attempted to replicate this hybrid effect by combining a smaller e.g. 120gb SSD on which the Operating System is installed together with a larger 1tb hard disk for additional storage.
Today SSD prices have plummeted. A 1tb SSD costs only around $150. In addition, cloud storage has limited the need for local storage. There is no longer any excuse for not swapping out the older hard drive for a lighter, faster, more power-efficient SSD.
Conclusion:
We would suggest that a PC providing the best price performance comprises of:
- Graphics card prices fluctuate on a weekly basis. Let us do the research to build you a PC that provides the best graphics performance for your dollar.
- You will get more performance and reliability from a DDR4 system with an 8th generation intel cpu or AMD Ryzen cpu.
- A solid state drive on which the Operating system is installed
- A tempered glass case with maximum air flow
- A reputable brand power supply that meets wattage requirements as calculated at https://au.msi.com/power-supply-calculator or similar power calculators.
Why not give us a call or message us so we can discuss the right PC build for you that will meet your budget and requirements.
