How Much Does it Cost to Build a Gaming PC?

There are many incredible options available to video game enthusiasts these days. If you want to play your favorite AAA games, you can do so on consoles, handheld devices, or computers.

Even though consoles have come a long way in the past decade or two, they are still no match for the versatility of the PC. That is why people often gravitate towards building gaming PCs, as they can play their favorite games and do other tasks as well.

Say you are looking at a guide to streaming online, which would help you to stream the games you play for an audience. You would need a gaming PC to make this a seamless experience.

Below is a guide that explains the cost of building a gaming PC in 2022.

Understand Your Budget

Each person is unique, which means that a gaming PC build that works for you may not work for another person. The best way to build your ultimate gaming computer is to understand your budget.

Look at how you will be using the PC, how long you envision using the computer, and whether you will be buying other gaming devices in the meantime.

If you can get five or six years out of your computer, and then you only have to swap out a few parts to get better performance for a few more years, then you may not feel guilty about spending $1,000 or even $1,500 on a gaming PC.

Those within range of such a budget can read on to discover how best to allocate their funds. Anyone with less to spend on a computer should compromise on components like the case, power supply, motherboard, and even the CPU, but not on the graphics card.

Finding Value for Money

The best way to get value for money when building a gaming PC is to understand the components that will have the most substantial impact on performance.

Having a lovely case for your computer is not a problem. You can spend $300 on a case if it fits your budget. The problem is that if you only have a $1,000 to $1,500 budget, then you are using a sizable chunk on a purely aesthetic component.

Most budget gaming builds should not feature a case that costs more than $50 or $75. You can also get a quality power supply within that price range. Do ensure that your power supply has around twice as much maximum power as the energy your computer draws when on high load. So if your PC can do 200W on full power, then a minimum of a 400W power supply is necessary.

Other components where you can find value include the motherboard, as you can likely find one for between $100 to $150. Do not fall for marketing schemes that talk about gaming motherboards, as those are just ways to sell more expensive units.

The Holy Grail – Graphics Card

The majority of your budget for a gaming PC should be going on the one component that will make a massive impact on your performance.

Invest in a graphics card costing roughly $400 to $800, depending on your total budget. Ensure you are buying current or very recent generation cards, as those offer the best performance value and will be supported for some time to come. Or just wait for the next-gen offerings. At the moment, we’d recommend waiting. Both NVIDIA and AMD are slated to launch their next-gen RDNA 3 and Ada Lovelace GPUs later this year.

Think about the graphics card as the main component that brings everything together. Whether you are playing the latest games, such as FIFA or Call of Duty, or you want to stream poker for your audience, the graphics card is doing the bulk of the work.

CPU, RAM, and SDD – Spend Wisely

The final three components of your system to consider are the CPU, RAM, and solid-state drive. The SSD may not seem important, but other than the GPU, it has the most noticeable effect on your gaming experience. We recommend a PCIe Gen 3/4 M.2 SSD with a capacity of 1 TB. The Samsung EVO range or WD SN850 are excellent options.

Regarding the CPU, go for an option that fits your budget after spending on the other components. You can get by with a $150 to $200 CPU, whether it is Intel or AMD. Do ensure the motherboard and CPU are compatible. For a 60 Hz display, a hex-core i5-12400 or the Ryzen 5 5600X is sufficient. However, if you play a lot of FPS at high frame rates, then I’d recommend a Core i7-12700K.

Finally, get two RAM sticks of either 8GB each or 16GB each memory. Go for RAM that is high-speed, as it will give you an advantage with respect to frame rates on your games.

Build Your Dream PC

The goal of building a PC, as opposed to buying a pre-built model, is to cater the computer to your desires. Choose the components that will offer you the most value, pick an affordable case that matches your personal style, and enjoy the powerful computer you have built for many years to come.