If You Love Gaming or Streaming, Here's What You Need To Know To Build Your First PC

If you spend lots of time gaming, streaming, or making videos from a budget computer, upgrading your hardware is probably never far from your mind. Prebuilt computers are a quick way to solve your equipment problems, but they cost more than building your own PC, and because someone else has made all the decisions for you, prebuilt machines inevitably involve at least a little compromise. Picking out individual parts and putting them all together might sound intimidating if you’ve never done it before, but it’s easier than you think. Read on to learn how to configure and build your first PC.

Never Skimp on the Essentials

Essentially, computers all have the same parts: a central processing unit, a power supply, a motherboard, a hard drive, RAM, and supporting infrastructure, like fans and coolers. You’ll need all of these to get started, but for a gaming or video rendering build, a separate graphics card is mandatory. It’s a lot of equipment, but you don’t have to spend big in every department. Leave room in the budget for an upmarket standalone graphics card, a high-wattage power supply, and a motherboard with plenty of expansion slots so you can upgrade easily later. Spend less on both the RAM and the hard drive, since you can add extra storage later, and look for a mid range CPU; many games still don’t take advantage of true multi-core processing.

You’ll also want to add some quality peripherals to your shopping list if you don’t already have them, like a keyboard, mouse, and headset. Especially if you make videos, it’s also wise to invest in an uninterruptible power supply with a battery like Schneider Electric’s Back UPS to protect your files; power surges and voltage fluctuation can destroy the data on your hard drive if your computer is connected to a wall outlet, so a UPS ensures that your computer receives a steady power input regardless of conditions. Cooling is important for hardware performance, too, but you can either choose a case with included fans or purchase them separately.

Learn From The Experts

With a broad idea of your budget and needs, it’s tempting to jump online and start shopping immediately, but it’s also easy to get overwhelmed with the hundreds of different options that exist for every component. Fortunately, you don’t have to start from scratch when you’re building a parts list! The PC enthusiast community is active, engaged, and a great source of information. Try browsing a few suggested configurations as you plan your build. You don’t have to use every part that a particular guide highlights, but it’ll introduce you to manufacturers and parts that are generally well-regarded and offer good performance for the price range.

Once you’ve decided on the parts that are right for you, it’s a good time to start thinking about the actual process of building your PC. If the thought of connecting delicate, expensive electronics makes your palms sweaty, you’ll feel better once you watch a tutorial that shows you exactly how to put everything together.

Make It Your Own

After the parts list is settled, it’s time to pick a case! Part of the fun of building your own computer is that you get to decide how it should look. From flashy RGB lighting to sleek, futuristic cases, there are more options than ever to let you make your PC an aesthetically pleasing addition to whatever room it will occupy. As long as your case has good airflow and can accommodate both the hardware you’ve purchased and the constraints of the space where you plan to put it, any case you like will work. Add a splashy finishing touch with color-changing LED lights, which can cycle through a rainbow of brilliant colors or display just one steady hue to complement your room.

Not only is building your own PC a great way to get top-of-the-line hardware for less in a format that’s just right for you, it’s also a fun way to get more comfortable with the technology you use every day, and you’ll feel proud of having a new skill that lets you enjoy your hobbies (or side hustles) more.