This article is not written to help you build a computer at home, but rather to prevent you from running into a retailer that doesn't offer optimal gaming computers.
Why do our PC builds often differ from other gaming computer vendors' offers? As PC gamers, we know that the most important component in a gaming computer should be the graphics card. For this reason, we design builds with the most powerful graphics card in a given price range and assemble the other components so that they do not degrade its performance at the total price of the computer. A large percentage of sellers probably have no idea about the more accurate performance of graphics cards or, worse, they consciously try to sell a "gaming" computer with less gaming performance than the customer usually imagines from the offer.
What is their reason for this? A powerful graphics card is a very expensive component compared to other components, which, in addition, with its increasing performance, requires a more powerful and expensive power supply. The average customer usually does not read its real performance from the name of the graphics card, and therefore it is more commercially advantageous to offer cheaper processors with many cores and high frequencies or powerful Intel I5 and I7 processors, along with many GB of RAM and a large hard drive, where the customer can assess the values and capacities in a layman's opinion - a higher number is simply better.
The processor performance does not differ so much between individual models and can be used in practice in the same way as the performance of different graphics cards.
Recently, interested parties have been hit by unoptally tuned assemblies and should stick to these advice:
1. Focus primarily on the performance of the graphics card and a specific model from a specific manufacturer, which may differ in both performance and operating characteristics (noise).
2. If you have a more limited budget, it is always more profitable to invest in components that must be changed than in those that can be added gradually. You can buy an SSD disk, a larger HDD, more RAM or, at worst, a better processor cooler at any time later and you do not have to invest in them right away at the expense of a more powerful graphics card, processor or a more equipped motherboard.
3. when comparing PC assembly prices, you need to compare the same or qualitatively comparable components
How to choose/design/build a gaming PC/s
Computer price:
The price levels of honest sets can be simply characterized roughly as follows:
set up to approx. 10.000 CZK – cannot be considered a true gaming computer.
set up to 14.000 CZK – you will play all the games, but you cannot expect high and often not even medium settings for demanding games.
set approx. 15.000 CZK – you play everything at least on medium and sometimes on high settings.
set approx. 20.000 CZK - Playing most games in high sometimes even maximum settings.
set approx. 25.000 CZK – playing games always at high and often maximum settings.
set approx. 30.000 CZK – for playing all the most demanding games at maximum settings.
set from about 40.000 CZK - To play all the most demanding games in maximum settings and high resolutions, IS perspective in the future.
processor
More cores – always more performance?……..NOT exactly!!!!! This is especially true for 6 to 8 core AMD processors vs 4 core Intel processors, which are usually more powerful despite the smaller number of cores.
They have more threads per core and thus provide higher performance where there is no software support for 4 or more cores. Intel processors are on average more powerful (mainly for the I5 and I7 models), but not always clearly more advantageous. Given the price, an AMD processor is also sufficient for playing games in cheaper segments, for example, we could recommend the 4-core AMD RYZEN 3 1200 for the cheaper segment, which is cheaper than the 2-core Intel I3. In modern games and in the future, its 2 cores (albeit multi-threaded) may be limiting. For more expensive processors, we recommend Intel I5 processors and if you want the maximum, then I7. A good option is the slightly cheaper AMD RYZEN 5 processors with 4 and 6 cores and the same number of threads. Our favorite for mid-range builds is the AMDRYZEN 5 1600. In practice, the difference between AMD and Intel processors is that game programs that allow you to use more cores and threads of the processor, AMD is advantageous there, and on the other hand, if the extra cores are not used, the Intel processor is more powerful. Intels generally have better performance per processor core.
Advantages of Intel processors – more balanced performance and performance per core, higher clocking limits.
Advantages of AMD processors – cheaper and when using all cores they will be more powerful (which is not a rule) than the competition from Intel, the ability to overclock all models, mostly cheaper motherboards with the same equipment.
Motherboard: There's no need to go for the most expensive motherboard, but if you're tempted by the cheapest, you'll have to consider some limitations. You may only be able to support lower speeds for components, and the board will have fewer slots for RAM, drives, and additional components.
Furthermore, you may not be able to connect 5.1 speakers digitally or you will have a shortage of USB ports. Support for SATA3 and USB 3.0, fast M.2 SSDs or new processors will also be useful in the future. There are also minor differences in individual chipset versions and board classes (improved clocking options), but apart from the most powerful builds or planning higher clocking, a mid-range board will suffice. We can divide this roughly so that the board should cost about 10% (+- a hundred crowns) of the total amount for the entire build. It is not necessary to have a board equipped with everything, but with the rising price of other components, the computer should be equipped with an appropriate motherboard. The basic equipment of today's boards also includes an integrated network and sound card. We can recommend boards from GIGABYTE, ASUS, MSI.
RAM memories:
In current games, there is no need to have 16GB of RAM in a PC in sets up to about 20.000,-. When playing the most modern games, even 8Gb is sufficient. Therefore, it is good to compare mainly the performance of other components. Even the basic 2133Mhz is fast enough. We recommend choosing faster 2400Mhz memory for a small additional fee (simply effective mainly with Intel processors thanks to the so-called XMP profiles), but you will practically not notice the difference and also check the support of faster memories on the motherboard. Where high frequencies are known is the case in combination with AMD RYZEN processors (mainly the more powerful ones), where we recommend 2666Mzh and faster memories. . The last value that you might have in mind is the latency of the memories (e.g. CL13, CL15). This is also relatively important and a smaller number is more powerful, i.e. e.g. CL13 is better than CL15 or CL16.
Grafic card: A gaming computer DOES NOT mean that there is any additional graphics card in the package. The biggest problem with some offers is the almost false information about the suitability of the package offered, such as "gaming". The graphics card is the basis of a gaming package and should usually be the most expensive component in a PC. Therefore, in the vast majority of offers, the computer is equipped with a weaker/cheaper graphics card and sellers rely on the ignorance of customers. So how do you know if the offered graphics card is suitable for your needs? For quick orientation, we have prepared a performance chart of gaming graphics cards for you, which you can find at the beginning of this article or you can look at online hardware magazines.
Nvidia graphics cards are better than ATI/AMD cards today?……IT'S NOT TRUE!!! This myth is a relic from a relatively long time ago, when ATi graphics cards suffered from poorly tuned drivers. Nowadays, of course, temporary driver glitches sometimes appear, but now both manufacturers have nothing to blame and occasional problems occur on both sides. In some price ranges, AMD/ATi Radeon is more advantageous, in other cases, both graphics cards are comparable and it is more a matter of brand preference. The differences may be in different versions of the same cards from different manufacturers (Gigabyte, Asus, MSI,… etc.), which differ mainly in the installed cooler and equipment.
Currently, graphics cards such as the Nvidia GTX 1050 and 1060 have very low power consumption, less heating and sometimes noise, but AMD's competitors (RX 570 and 580) at similar prices have slightly worse operating characteristics, but often at the highest resolutions their performance does not drop in the most demanding scenes and may have greater prospects for future demanding games.
It is up to everyone whether it prefers the operating characteristics or theoretical perceptually in performance.
How much RAM is required on a graphics card?...for the current time, the minimum is 2GB, the optimum is 3-4GB, for the future and for the most demanding games, 6-8GB.
Sound card: For most users, the integrated sound card on the motherboard is sufficient for sound on the computer. You just need to think about whether you will connect only stereo or 2.1 speakers or if you have or plan to have 5.1 (7.1) speakers. Some motherboards only have 3 audio outputs, to which you cannot connect 5.1 speakers.
There are also some differences in the integrated sound cards, and higher versions of chipsets usually have better integrated sound cards. However, it is not worth paying extra for a better board just for the sound card.
If you have a high-quality speaker system for listening to music, we recommend paying extra for an additional sound card, starting at around CZK 1000. The difference between cheap sound cards and integrated ones is very small.
Hard disk: Everyone can choose the capacity of the hard drive according to their needs, but 1000GB of space is usually enough for storing data and if you require more space, 2TB drives can be purchased at a decent price, but we would rather recommend purchasing another separate hard drive or external 1TB drive. It is good not to be dependent on just 1 HDD, imagine losing 2TB of data in the event of a failure. Although we can talk about smaller drives in this way, it also concerns the number and types of files. If you want a large drive to store many large files (e.g. movies in Blue ray quality), you can buy a 2TB HDD, but we do not recommend buying a large drive to gradually store small files over several years. For the system drive, we would definitely recommend models with 7200 rpm. Models with 5400 rpm can be useful as storage drives for PC or NAS systems. Their advantage is lower consumption and theoretically longer life under long-term load.
A separate chapter is SSD disks, which are not worth it in terms of capacity/price ratio, but you will notice the speed of the system (especially when starting up) at first glance. We recommend combining an SSD disk for the operating system and a classic HDD for data storage.
On the market you can also find a kind of hybrid between an SSD disk and a classic HDD. In this type of SSHD, which is actually a classic HDD, where a smaller quick-access storage space is additionally set up, where the most frequently launched files are stored and thus their loading is accelerated. This solution is not as powerful and fast as a classic SSD disk, but the difference from a classic HDD is noticeable.
Whether to pay extra for an SSD disk in addition to a classic HDD for acceleration, where its entire capacity is fast, or just a smaller amount to replace the HDD with a hybrid SSHD with less space for the most used files + classic HDD capacity, depends on the expectations, needs and financial capabilities of each user.
For some time now, we have been able to choose from SSD variants that plug directly into M.2 slots on the motherboard, where this connection has a higher theoretical transfer speed. The problem is a bit in their higher price, and the cheaper ones do not have a noticeably higher performance than classic SATA SSDs. On the other hand, with an M.2 SSD, you save yourself the hassle of connecting a power and data cable, it is just a card inserted into the motherboard, which of course must have a slot for M.2 drives.
Computer case: Computer cases basically only differ in appearance?….ERROR. The choice of a computer case is very underestimated, and it can end up with an unpleasant surprise. In the picture, a seemingly expensive-looking case may actually be a super cheap and shiny box with weak resonant plates and minimal cooling options, which will not fit a more powerful graphics card even later. Therefore, we advise the customer to choose not only by appearance, but also to take into account other important features of the PC case. Choose cases so that they cost approximately 5% or more of the price of the entire set.
Source: The more watts, the better?……NOT quite. For PC power supplies, we recommend focusing on the gross power requirement and then mainly the brand and experience with it. High power in watts at a low price may not be a good buy. An ideal example is the APPROX power supply with a seemingly beautiful 500-550W, which is half the price of other better quality power supplies with 400W, and such an extremely low price must of course be reflected in the quality. In our offers from about 10000, - we use proven SEASONIC, FORTRON and Corsair power supplies, with which we have many years of experience and have an above-standard warranty of 36 or even 60 months. In terms of power supplies, we basically recommend that it is not a good idea to buy the cheapest models with high wattage, but on the contrary, it is not necessary to buy a power supply that would be more expensive than a well-chosen motherboard. Mostly for the most powerful sets, you can choose powerful models with high efficiency of around 90% (maximized energy utilization and minimized residual heat) and removable cables for better organization inside the case. The information in the description of the graphics card requirements can roughly tell you how powerful the power supply should be. However, graphics card manufacturers usually specify a higher wattage than would be sufficient for higher-quality power supplies, for the sake of customers who buy the cheapest power supplies.
Cooling: Given that a poorly cooled assembly can have a significantly shortened lifespan, we recommend focusing on this very underestimated issue. First of all, we must draw attention to the cooling of the processor. In the basic configuration, we offer a cooler that is included in the package with the processor. It is enough for basic cooling, but it does not stand out in terms of silence or cooling performance. If you are not choosing computers under 10.000, - or you do not already have a cooler from an older PC at home, we recommend paying extra for a more powerful and quieter model (e.g. SilentiumPC Fera 3). We recommend a better cooler mainly for AMD processors (for 8-core processors, of course), which have slightly noisier basic coolers and have higher heating. For Intel, it is advisable to pay extra for models with an open clock multiplier (marked "K") or to minimize noise. In connection with the choice of a case, a "draft" should be created inside from front to back. This will be possible with fans that suck in cold air on one side and blow warm air out of the case on the other. For this, you need to focus on cases that allow proper front intake, which also cools the HDD. You can buy additional (usually 12cm) fans from us for 120,-/pc or later according to your own experience and requirements. If you are concerned about the noise of the assembly, you can choose from soundproof cases (e.g. Fractal design Define R5). However, keep in mind that maximum cooling does not go together with minimal noise. You need to focus on one side or the other, but the ideal is a compromise tuned slightly towards cooling or silence, according to the requirements of each customer and the conditions in which the computer is operated.
Monitor and accessories:
With today's monitor prices, we can usually think about sizes 22", 23", 24" and 27". In terms of price, 22" and 24" monitors are about 1000 CZK apart, which is not much and every user will certainly appreciate a larger screen. The most common resolution is 1920 x 1080 px (fullHD), which is today's standard for all the mentioned diagonals. The size of the monitor could be compared similarly to other accessories (keyboard, mouse, speakers, ...), if you don't know the best, even the worst will suffice. The quality of today's monitors in "popular" prices up to about 6000 CZK does not differ as much as the price difference would sometimes suggest, so you can safely focus on lower price ranges for home use and you will probably be satisfied. IPS and PLS panels have slightly better image quality properties. Classic older TN panels often have better response times. If you play fast online games, models with a refresh rate of 120 or 144Hz can also be beneficial (others have 60Hz or 75Hz), but such monitors are hard to find for under 6000,-. Graphics card manufacturers AMD and Nvidia have also developed technologies that monitor manufacturers incorporate into their models and, when compatible with the respective graphics card, this translates into smoother display. AMD's technology is called FreeSync, Nvidia's GSYNC. FreeSync monitors are available for around 3500,-, there are a lot more of them on the market and you won't get the cheapest GSYNC monitor for under 10000,-. You can notice different equipment and connection options for monitors. We would recommend choosing a model with at least a DVI digital connection and newer monitors with HDMI or DisplayPort. The HDMI connector can be useful for connecting other devices (game consoles, set-top boxes, etc.). Currently, it is becoming more affordable to connect 3 monitors to a computer and play or work in a resolution of 5760 x 1080px. Such a large display area naturally requires a fairly powerful graphics card for gaming, such as at least a Radeon RX580 8GB or Nvidia GTX 1060 6GB or better Nvidia GTX 1070 and 1080. You can also connect 3 monitors to cheaper graphics cards, but for more demanding games you will have to significantly reduce the image quality. Another specialty is wide and curved monitors in a resolution of 3440×1440, or cheaper 2560×1080, so a slightly narrower, but frameless option for connecting three monitors.
Accessories such as keyboards and mice can be chosen from a large number of models, according to your own needs and price options. Even for the less demanding, we recommend (especially for mice) choosing models from at least 400 CZK. Again, I don't know of any better ones, worse ones are enough, but a few hundred crowns can separate you from much better features, which you will certainly appreciate.
QUESTIONS about reports:
If you have selected several sets and don't know which one to buy, we will give you objective advice and point out the differences, even if they may not be presented in our store, and we will offer an alternative from us.