Let’s face it, the cost of living is steadily rising and we are all looking for ways to save money; if you are desperate to upgrade your gaming PC but don’t want to pay the retail price of a state-of-the-art desktop PC, we show you how to build your own gaming PC.
Essential components that you need to buy;
- CPU – This is the heart of the computer and the top-rated CPU Ryzen 5 is great value for money and is super-fast. Other notable CPUs include the Intel corei7, which you can find at the online computer parts store. You need to acquire some paste to seat the CPU; check out YouTube videos re: seating a CPU into the sink.
- Mainboard – Also known as a motherboard, this is a large circuit board into which all of the core components are fitted. Asus are one of the top manufacturers and it is important that all components are compatible with your choice of mainboard; join a gamer social media group and you can ask people tech questions.
- Solid State Drives – HDD are old hat, as they are much slower than SSD; you should buy two SSDs, one for the operating system (drive C) and one for data storage (drive D). A minimum of 500Gb is required for C drive. If you want a rest from gaming, oldie entertainment awaits.
- Graphics Card – An essential component also called a VGA card, which processes the data that goes to the screen. The top brands are NVIDIA Geoforce and AMD and if you want the most powerful graphics card, be prepared to pay a lot of money! Something mid-range is fine unless you need super-fast response.
- RAM Chips – You will need a minimum of 8Gb of Random Access Memory, while 16Gb or even 32Gb are possible. DDR4 RAM is now the norm, while DDR5 is faster (check for mainboard compatibility before buying RAM chips).
- Power Supply – Every computer needs a power supply, which converts mains voltage into a level the computer can safely use. Outputs range from550W to 1500W. If you are unsure about which unit is right for you, tell the store staff your specs and they can point you in the right direction. Click here for the Thai PEA website.
- Sound Card – A lot of mainboards have sound-on-board, which means you don’t need an external soundcard, however, if you want studio quality sound, get a Creative Soundblaster card.
- Case – Of course, you need a case to house everything, preferably one with multiple cooling fans, which quickly dissipates heat, keeping the machine at a cooler temperature.
How to Assemble
You’re probably thinking about a spaghetti mountain of wires and reams of instruction pages; fear not, assembling computer parts is a breeze – each connection is unique so you can’t make a mistake – you start by placing all the components on a large table. You should know what each component does and regarding the order of assembly, the mainboard is firmly screwed into the case and components are added one by one. Screwdrivers and cable ties are required for computer building.
Once everything is hooked up and you switch on the computer, you are ready for OS installation; Windows 10 Pro version is recommended.
Don’t forget the peripherals; keyboard, mouse, monitor, audio speakers etc.
