Everything You Need to Know About Building a Custom Gaming PC with Corsair

Anyone that plays video games at a somewhat-serious level knows the importance of having your own custom gaming PC. If you're someone who likes the occasional game of Madden, or simply likes to play games every once in a while, obviously a gaming computer might be a bit excessive.

If you're the type of gamer that finds themselves playing World of Warcraft for 15 hours straight while peeing in an empty Mountain Dew Bottle though, or totally unable to get off of Fortnite by sunrise during the regular work week, then you may want to take your gaming to the next level. This, obviously, can be done through several enhancements to your own gaming computer, but your best bet is probably starting from scratch with a computer that fits all your own personal specs.

While, yes, there are plenty of gaming computers that will, in all likelihood, provide you with everything you need and more, there is nothing more interpersonal for gamers than their own digital baby. There are plenty of ways to customize your own gaming PC, but first, there are obviously some things you're going to want to know beforehand. Luckily, companies like Corsair make the customization process super easy, especially for novices. Plus, you're talking (well, not actually talking, but you get the point) to a pretty computer-savvy guy, so I'll help guide you through the perils of building your own computer for the first time.

Trust me, it's not as scary as it sounds.

The Basics

So for starters, you have to get in the mindset that you don't actually have to be Elon Musk to build a gaming computer. You can literally be a 15-year-old freshman in high school and still manage it, so long as you know exactly what you want.

Be warned though—there are plenty of things that can go wrong, so we'd advise you to be super diligent and utilize every ounce of patience you have throughout your body.

So after you get into the right state of mind, let's start with some of the basics. If you're going through Corsair (which I highly recommend), there are certain things you have to to acquire before really getting into the nitty gritty of customization.

Basically there are three main components of building a computer—the motherboard, the processor, and a graphics card (or two). These are, essentially, the backbone of a great gaming PC, so you're going to have to be pretty diligent about your research. In the interim, I'll give you a solid base of knowledge to work off of.

Processor

For the processor (otherwise known as simply the CPU), there are a few options. Basically, there are two types of CPUs that most common PCs use today—two- (dual-) and four- (quad-) core CPUs. However, there has been an influx of six- and eight-core CPUs on the market recently, so if you want to spend the extra dough, these CPUs could potentially help your gaming experience.

Here are some of the most popular processors out there today, according to PC Mag. You may or may not already recognize some of the names.

1. Intel Core i9-9900K
2. Intel Core i7-9700K
3. Intel Core i7-8700K
4. Intel Core i5-8400
5. AMD Ryzen 5 2600X

Of the five listed and by far the fastest, from a gaming standpoint, is the Intel Core i9-9900K. It's a little pricey, but if you're looking for a gaming computer with a lot of horsepower, you're probably going to want to go with the premiere CPU on the gaming market today.

Motherboard

Whether you've heard about a motherboard during one of Ridley Scott's Alien movies, or just through casual conversation with one of your gamer buddies, it's pretty apparent how integral a good motherboard is when it comes to building a high-octane gaming computer. It essentially acts as the nervous system for a computer's makeup, as most of your PC's other components will plug into the system's motherboard.

Again, here are the five of the most popular motherboards for gaming computers in 2018:

1. Gigabyte X470 Aorus Gaming 7 WiFi
2. Gigabyte X299 Aorus Gaming 7
3. Asus Prime Z370-A
4. Gigabyte AX370 Aorus Gaming 5
5. MSI B250M Gaming Pro

Finding the right motherboard can take some time, as there are plenty of options available for your choosing. Depending on your price range and general gaming needs though, I'd go with one of these five.

Graphics Card

Finally, we have the graphics card, or video card, which is especially important for a gaming system. Unlike a regular desktop, whose backbone remains the motherboard and processor, the graphics card is basically the heart and soul of any great gaming PC.

Here are five of the best Graphic Cards, or GPUs, according to PC Gamer:

1. Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti
2. Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080
3. Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Ti
4. Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070
5. Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 Ti

If you're looking for something super-high end, you'll probably want to go with either the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti or the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080, which are the two fastest GPUs in 2018. If, however, you're looking for something a bit more cost-effective that is still high quality, the other three options are certainly worth a look.

How to Customize with Corsair

So now that you have your "Big Three" picked out, what's next?

Well, that's where Corsair comes in.

Corsair offers serious gamers and casual PC users alike a fully customizable array of add-ons for your console. What separates Corsair from some of the other generic PC companies, is it caters to its loyal group of gamers. Most of their customizables aren't designed just to make your computer look pretty—they're for performance.

Corsair is perhaps most renowned for their PC-cooling technology, but that's not all they offer. Memory, storage, protection, and basically any accessory you could ever dream of is available through Corsair's website. Let's take a look at some of them though so you can determine which ones belong on your dream machine.

So you technically "built" your computer, but now it just looks like the innards of a robot are just chilling on your desk. Well, that's because you need something to encase it in, AKA, the computer's tower (you know, the thing that makes it look like an actual computer).

Corsair has plenty of different cases at your disposal. Some are sheer aesthetic, while others have some pretty cool features like adjustable fan speed and lighting control.

When it comes to Corsair's computer casing, you're simply getting a much sleeker, new-age design that will make your computer look even more powerful than it actually is (Yes, that is actually possible). My personal favorite is their Obsidian Series 1000D Super-Tower Case, which contains enough room for a ton of high-tech customizables. The adjustable fan control and smart lighting can easily house two systems, making this particular case the best for uber-powerful machines. Its lustrous tempered glass design also makes for a great looking PC, overall.

Gaming computers, unsurprisingly, need a lot of horsepower to get up and running, especially if your end game is to play for hours upon hours without much interruption. Powering your machine is obviously super important, so getting something like this 1,600 Watt AX1600i Digital ATX Power Supply will only further enhance your gaming experience. This particular power supply is the most stable available, with a 94 percent efficiency rate. Despite its high-power output, it's relatively silent, making it perfect for late night gaming and incredibly effective for those of you still living in mom's basement.

With all of these high-powered features in your newly-built computer, there are sure to be some overheating concerns. While a lot of Corsair's towers have their own internal fans, you can't go wrong with some additional cooling systems when you're dealing with a powerful gaming computer. If your'e optimizing your PC with all of the best internal features out there, I think Corsair's Hydro Series H150i PRO RGB 360mm Liquid CPU Cooler is your best bet at keeping that sucker at bay. The all-in-one liquid CPU cooler is built with a 360mm radiator, which makes it super-low noise. So if you're into playing some high-intensity games that you cannot bare to be distracted from, getting a low-noise liquid-cooler like this one might be the way to go.

Memory is another huge factor when it comes to building your own custom gaming computer. Luckily, Corsair also has this covered, with a variety of memory kits that are superior to most standard hard drives you'll get on the market—especially if you're a hardcore gamer who essentially requires it. The VENGEANCE® LPX Memory Kit is a particularly good option for gamers that play a ton of different games at once. It contains 32GB of RAM, and is specifically designed for overclocking, or in other words, setting your CPU and memory to run at speeds higher than their official speed grade. Made out of pure aluminum, this model is particular adept at both heat dissipation and overall heat management, making it yet another viable course of action for properly cooling your computer.

Storage sort of goes hand in hand with memory, but it's certainly worth taking a look at if you're either playing multiple games at once, or your computer basically serves as a hub for everything you do on a daily basis. In particular, Corsair's Neutron Series provides some pretty hefty storage units. The Neutron NX500 NVMe PCIe AIC SSD in particular makes gaming five times faster than most typical SATA SSDs. Thanks to the state-of-the-art heatsink technology, that high-speed is sustainable for elongated periods of time, making it the ideal option for professional gamers, or any array of tech geeks for that matter.

Add-Ons

Now that you've gotten through the nitty gritty, now let's get into the, uhh, nitty nitty gritty?

There are a bunch of other cool accessories you can get through Corsair, like internal fans, mice, headsets, and customized gaming keyboards. If you're looking more into the comfort spectrum of gaming, they also make some pretty sweet gaming chairs for your own marathon video game sessions.

Keep in mind, there are also plenty of blogs on Corsair's website to help facilitate this process even further—especially once you're more familiar with everything that goes into building a computer.

Hopefully, that is the case after reading literally everything you need to know about building a super cool, highly effective gaming computer, so go on and start building the computer YOU want today.