Roll up your sleeves and dive in!
This post originally published in May 2015. It was last updated and expanded July 2017. Be sure to visit IGN Tech for all the latest comprehensive hands-on reviews and best-of roundups. Note that if you click on one of these links to buy the product, IGN may get a share of the sale. For more, read our Terms of Use.
With powerhouse PC games like Wolfenstein 2, Destiny 2 and Middle-Earth: Shadow of War just around the corner and GPU tech advancing faster than ever, the time is right to jump in and build a PC. A PC isn’t a must-have to enjoy these games, but you get some benefits unavailable on consoles, like deeply discounted sales on stores like Steam and GoG.com, deeper mod support, fast loading times, and prettier graphics at higher framerates.
If the idea of putting together a Computer intimidates you, don’t worry: it’s never been easier. Gone are the days of fiddling with jumpers and remembering to correctly hard drives to master and slave. Honestly the most complicated thing you’ll do is read a diagram to attach some wires to the motherboard, and even that’s gotten easier on some motherboards. Just about everything else is as simple as plugging in parts (carefully) and fastening some screws.
Sure, you could instead buy a pre-built system off the shelf or from a boutique vendor, but when it’s this simple, why not enjoy the sense of satisfaction that comes from assembling a rig yourself? You have complete control over what hardware ends up in it this way: You can construct a cute little cube that tucks away in your entertainment center; you can place a hulking behemoth by your desk; you can spend a bit more than a console for good performance; you can shell out as much as you would for a used car to make games look better and play smoother than they can anywhere else. What you ultimately settle on will be unique to you and your situation.
What to Buy
The most basic parts you’ll need are as follows:
- Central Processing Unit (CPU) (This is the “brain” that tells your system what to do.)
- CPU Cooler (This keeps your CPU from overheating.)
- Motherboard (This is the circuit board that relays all the commands between the parts—like the hub of a wheel that all the spokes connect to.)
- Random-Access Memory (RAM) (Your computer uses this form of super-fast memory to hold the data it’s currently working on—like a game’s textures.)
- Video Card (The graphics processor inside this crunches polygons and tells your monitor what to display.)
- Solid State Drive (SSD) and/or Hard Disk Drive (HDD) (You store data—such as games, applications, documents, and other files—here for retrieval.)
- Case (This houses all the parts and keeps dust out.)
- Power Supply Unit (This provides power to the machine.)
You may want to add on:
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In terms of where to buy the parts, that depends on where you’re located. Within the United States, there are regional brick-and-mortar stores like Fry’s, Micro Center, and Central Computer that you can visit. (There’s even Best Buy, too.) They vary in their part selection, though, with Best Buy generally considered to have the most limited selection.
If you choose to shop online, you’ll have almost limitless options. The two main places to shop are Newegg and Amazon; which is better for you depends on your circumstances and which site has better sales going at the time.
If you want to keep everything straight (and also have an easy way to do price shopping), hit up PCPartPicker to create a list for your rig. The site will let you share your spec sheet, too.
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