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Gaming PCs Buying Guide
The latest PC games are impressive feats of programming, and you'll need an equally impressive machine to play them. If you own a mid-range computer that's a few years old and you want to play the newest, most graphically intensive games, you might want to think about upgrading your current system or getting an entirely new one. If you own a gaming console, then the games produced for that console will work on the system, as they are produced to be uniform so that all versions of a console run the games equally well. PC games have always listed minimum requirements, but to get the most out of your gaming experience you'll want something that can run the game on higher settings. For games you can look forward to in the near future, also check out our guide to upcoming games.
Gaming PC Manufacturers
If you want one of the major PC manufacturers to build a gaming system for you, you'll want to order it with specific parts. Keep in mind also that of any type of consumer computing system, gaming computers
The models mentioned below for each manufacturer are what each company considers their gaming line, but great gaming computers
For many years the flagship gaming PC manufacturer was Alienware
Acer
Listed below are the major gaming computer manufacturers, their different brands, and their computer models. Models in each category are listed in order of that manufacturer's least to most powerful gaming-caliber system.
- All desktops are standard tower-based PCs with the exception of those marked (SFF), which are small form factor PCs. These don't take up much space and are perfect for a home theater or hooking up to a large screen TV, but still have plenty of horsepower and are more-than-capable gaming machines.
- For laptops, the markers also represent sizing: (UP) indicates an ultraportable-class computer, (TL) is a thin-and-light, (M) is midsize, also called 'mainstream,' and (DR) denotes desktop replacement.
| Manufacturer | Brand | Desktop Gaming Models | Laptop Gaming Models |
| Acer | Acer | Aspire AX1300 | Ferrari 1200 |
| Gateway | LX Series | P Series FX | |
| ASUSTeK | Asus | N/A | Lamborghini VX3 |
| Dell | Dell | XPS 630 | Studio XPS 16 |
| Alienware | ALX X-58 | M15x | |
| Falcon Northwest | Falcon Northwest | FragBox | FragBook TLX2 |
| Hewlett-Packard | HP | Pavilion Elite e9105z | Pavilion dv6t |
| VoodooPC | Firebird | N/A | |
| Lenovo | Lenovo | IdeaCentre K220 | IdeaPad Y730 |
| Puget Systems | Puget | Echo II (SFF), Gaming | M515i |
| Sager Midern | Sager | N/A | NP8662 |
| Velocity Micro | Velocity Micro | Edge Z5 | NoteMagix M15 Ultra |
| WidowPC | WidowPC | Red Blizzard | Wolf Spider (TL), Recluse (TL), Fury (M), Fang (M), Scorpion (M), Strike (DR), Ghost (DR) |
Building or Upgrading a Gaming Rig
You can save some money and get the system perfectly customized to your desires by building it yourself or upgrading the parts in your current system. On top of that, building or upgrading a computer isn't as difficult as you might think, and it can actually be a lot of fun as a day--or weekend--long project. The downsides are that you won't have a warranty on the entire system that you can use with a manufacturer's tech support if something eventually goes wrong, though you will have warranties on all the individual parts; as long as you can isolate what the problem is, you can get a replacement from that part's manufacturer as long as it's under warranty.
The most difficult thing about building your own PC is finding the parts for cheap. You avoid the nasty shipping and labor costs that manufacturers tack onto the price of their systems, but they also save by ordering parts in bulk. You won't get bulk discounts for ordering one part, but fortunately ShopWiki will help you find the best deals on all the components you'll need. You can learn more about building a computer in our guide, but here's a rundown of the parts that are most important to a gaming PC. Also remember: laptop parts and desktop parts are NOT interchangeable! If you're building a laptop, you'll need parts designed for laptops, and the same holds true for desktop PCs.
- Computer case
. This will determine the size and aesthetics of your new PC (if you want a small form factor, and then you'll need a case that can accommodate those as well. - Motherboard
. All of your other parts will need to interface correctly with the motherboard, so choose wisely. The different connections on the motherboard will dictate the connections you'll need for every other component. If you want to use SLI - RAM
. Short for Random Access Memory, this is often simply referred to as memory and it represents your computer's ability to run simultaneous streams of information. The more RAM you have, the more processes your computer can run at once. There are limits to the RAM that you can use based on your operating system, so check that out before you choose your version of Windows; you don't waste that extra RAM. RAM is measured not just in quantity but in interface (DDR, DDR2, and DDR3) and in memory speed (measured in MHz). DDR3 is generally preferred over DDR2, and DDR is not often found anymore and in clock speed, the faster the memory, the better. RAM is one of the most crucial aspects of a gaming computer, as games are very intensive on memory because of all the processing they must perform. - Processor
. The main muscle behind a computer is the processor, the two main brands of which are Intel. The speed from each processing core will be merged into your overall computing power, but it's not as simple as adding together each processing core's clock speed. For example, a 3.0 GHz dual-core processor - Graphics Card
. The crown jewel of a gaming PC is its graphics card. Graphics cards, in order to provide the best performance, carry their own processing cores and memory. This does not, in any way whatsoever, mean that you can substitute a better graphics card for system memory or the processor. You'll need them all to perform in your games and other activities. You can get multiple graphics cards if your motherboard supports it, and this will provide better performance. Compare the benchmarks of different arrangements of graphics cards before you commit to one--this is a crucial part of your gaming PC. Some cards may have high specs and lots of power, but if they've been designed for use in a scientific context (like for engineers or physicists who need to compute large equations) then they may not be designed to do gaming-type calculations quickly. ATI's Radeon - Sound Card
. Sound is an important part of your gaming, so if you have a good set of surround sound speakers you'll want to use, then make sure your sound card can output in surround sound. - Hard Drive
. Your case might be able to support multiple drives for storage. You'll want something that runs quickly and has lots of storage space. Hard disk drives (HDDs) are less expensive and have more overall storage than solid state drives (SSDs), which are flash based, but SSDs don't fragment data like hard drives do, and they have faster access to data. They also don't slow down over time like hard drives do, and they use less power and are quieter. If a solid state drive isn't out of your price range and you can afford one large enough for your tastes, then go for it. If not, there's no shame in getting a spacious hard drive for all your storage needs. - Optical Drive(s)
. It may sound silly compared to other parts, but don't forget to install a fast drive. Drives that play and burn CDs and DVDs - Power Supply
. Something needs to be supplying the juice to your PC, right? You'll hook up your components to the power supply. Choose a supply that has the features you want. First off, you'll need to add up the wattage of all the parts in your system and buy a power supply that has MORE THAN that much juice. This isn't just for upgrades later on: in case there's a temporary spike in power usage, such as when starting up a game at first, you want to have plenty of power to spare so that your computer stays healthy and crash-free. - Operating System. Choose which version of Windows you're going to want: some would recommend the old standby, Windows XP
, while others might recommend the advanced features in the different versions of Windows Vista.
Competent Components and Potent Parts
These components will provide great value for your gaming desktop if you want power on a budget, or get you all the get-up-and-go it needs to power through the latest and greatest games on the highest settings--if you can spare no expense.
| COMPONENT | VALUE PICK | MIDRANGE PICK | PREMIUM PICK |
| Case |
It's very inexpensive, is built very sturdily, and has lots of space for fans and ventilation, so it stays very cool. It can also be assembled without tools. |
SG03B Black Mini Tower The mini tower is a compact unit made entirely of sturdy aluminum, and the mid tower is cool, quiet, and stylish. |
A big bold-looking case with a pop-open front panel that conceals the drive bays, it has lots of space for all the components you could ever want. |
| Motherboard |
It's inexpensive, well-designed, and feature-filled, and it performs beautifully. The only drawback is that it doesn't support multiple graphics cards. |
It's a solid gaming motherboard with cleverly designed cooling pipes, and it supports two graphics cards in an SLI configuration. |
Gaming performance is outstanding and it's loaded with features including locking bundled cables and SLI support, but it won't come cheap. |
| Processor |
Intel Core 2 Duo The dual core processors are solid offerings from both Intel and AMD, and the prices on this type of processor have hit pretty low in recent years. | Intel Core 2 Quad Core For a little more than the price of the dual cores you can get quad core processing power--if your motherboard supports it. | Intel Core i7 The Core i7 is the best of the best, but it'll set you back. The Extreme Edition is staggeringly powerful, but the price tag is equally jaw-dropping. |
| Graphics Card |
Though markedly less expensive than most gaming-caliber cards, the nVidia chipset-based 9800 GTX+ is one of the most powerful single cards around. |
A step up into a higher class, the nVidia-based GTX 285 is top of the line as far as single cards go, and you can always link two of them via SLI. |
This ATI-chipset arrangement of two CrossFire-linked graphics cards offers the absolute best performance you can find if you're able to afford it. |
| Sound Card |
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio A good, relatively basic sound card (as far as gaming cards go) that won't break the bank but produces stellar audio up to full surround sound in 7.1 channels. |
A high-level 7.1-channel card, the Auzentech will give your surround sound speaker system outstanding realism and depth of sound. | Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Champion Series If you're a true audiophile and have an expensive surround setup, this card is the cream of the crop. |
| Hard/Solid State Drive |
This 7200 RPM hard drive comes in very spacious sizes and performs extremely well for an inexpensive drive, with quick data transfer for games. | Western Digital VelociRaptor VR150 With a rotational speed of 10,000 RPM, this hard disk has the fastest transfer rate for gaming among HDDs. It's also the most expensive. |
Intel X25-M Gaming transfer rates on SSDs blow HDDs out of the water, often as much as 15 times as fast. This model, up to 160GB in size, is the fastest. |
| Optical Drive |
Sony 18x DVDRW+/- Internal Drive You can get this drive, which plays and burns DVDs and CDs, for next to nothing and have the reliability and assurance of the Sony brand. Great for the basics. |
HP 22X DVD Burner with Lightscribe This high-speed drive burns CDs and DVDs and features Lightscribe, which allows you to "print" images to the outside of your discs for a professional look. |
This ultra-powerful drive can play and burn CDs, DVDs, and Blu-Ray discs with Lightscribe imaging. Future-proof your computer in style. |
| Power Supply |
A reliable 500W power supply that's fairly inexpensive. If you need more power, opt for something with higher wattage. |
For many single graphics card configurations 750W should be enough, and this is a sturdy power supply with plenty of juice. |
The most demanding systems will require more expensive power supplies like this one, which provides 1000W. |
| Operating System |
Windows XP may not be as shiny and aesthetically pleasing as Vista or Windows 7, but it's still stable for gaming and can be had for very little money. |
Windows Vista had some kinks, but they've been mostly worked out and it's now a solid gaming platform, supporting larger amounts of system memory. |
The best of the best operating systems, Windows 7 Ultimate has everything you could want from your OS, as a gaming machine or otherwise. |
Choosing a Display
All that video processing power will go to waste if you don't have a good monitor or large-screen display. 1080p monitors and TVs will be able to accept your high-resolution inputs so your games look fantastic, but they may be unnecessarily pricey if you're looking for a fairly small display. Either way, you'll want to output your picture to a display with a high contrast ratio and good black levels so your pictures look crisp and sharp. If you want to hook up your gaming PC to a TV, check out our guides to LCD and Plasma TVs.
These are some of the best computer monitors around for gaming.
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This height-adjustable 23-inch monitor is high resolution at 2048x1152 and loaded with features like a customizable on-screen display, webcam, 360-degree screen rotation, and lots of ports: VGA, DVI, HDMI and five USB. It performs fantastically and is very inexpensive for a display this size. |
The Acer G24 comes in a unique orange finish and is designed specifically for gamers to get the most out of their games. A 24-inch panel with HDMI support, the G24's picture is smooth so game interaction flows nicely and the colors are vibrant so games are always crisp, clear, and looking their best. |
A 22-inch model, this Samsung is notable not just for its clean picture and great movie and gaming performance but also for its rare 120Hz mode, which not only makes your games look smoother than ever, but is also compatible with stereoscopic 3D, meaning that compatible games can be rendered in 3D. |
This high-end 24-inch LCD is a great value as well. It has superb performance for all types of computing tasks, whether you're looking for a computer that can handle everyday work or look crisp and vibrant in playing games or watching DVDs or Blu-Ray discs. It also has no shortage of connections. |
The Gateway XHD3000 is a mammoth 30-inch LCD with a built-in speaker bar along the bottom. Its maximum resolution is a jaw-dropping 2560x1600, one of the highest seen on any display, and its performance and color are admirable. It will, however, set you back quite a few bucks. |
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