With this in mind, we’ve created a tutorial that can help you find all the best PC components in order to build the best PC you could muster. We can set you on the right path to finding the best PC components, as having a good idea of what kind of computer you want to build can seriously help. Knowing how to build a PC is only half the struggle. The process of choosing your PC components, like the best processor , graphics card , motherboard, RAM, storage, power supply and PC case all makes up for the other half, and it can be intimidating – but all it really takes is a bit of planning and research.





The budget

Forget what anyone tells you, every build should start with two key things. A budget, and ambition. The budget is obvious, how much cash are you willing to drop on your shiny new rig. And ambition? Well that’s finding out exactly what you want to do with your brand new machine. Crazy as this might sound, the dollar value of a system with a budget of 700 bucks, is far higher than the value in a system with a budget of 4,000 simoleons. The lower the budget, the more you’ll have to stretch every buck to acquire multiple PC components. However, seasonal sales like Black Friday and Cyber Monday can make budgets easier to work with. As far as ambition goes, keep it locked to a single purpose. Are you going to build the best gaming PC or a more inconspicuous home theater PC? Do you want to edit video in 4K? All of these will require different sets of PC components to maximize performance and savings. Even though most PCs should be able to handle pretty much anything, it’s better to focus on the PC components you actually need. Because, with the best PCs , like everything, you don’t want them to be a jack of all trades and a master of none.





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From there, it’s a matter of picking the right part for your budget. AMD Athlon as well as Intel Pentium and Celeron are affordable and best suited for basic computing tasks, media playback and simple lifestyle applications. Meanwhile, Intel Core and AMD Ryzen serve the widest gamut of users looking to build anything from a cheap HTPC to an enthusiast gaming PC. Lastly on the high-end tier, there are the Intel Core X and AMD Ryzen Threadripper for more intense workloads like video production, 3D modeling and streaming gamers.





Intel’s Core i5 series of CPUs has traditionally been the go-to chip for gamers. This is because most mainstream games (outside of the odd strategy title) are more graphically intensive than CPU intensive, so you don’t need the most baller silicon. So, for the most bang for the buck, the i5 was and still is ideal. The i5-8400 is the perfect chip for those on a budget, as it’ll keep pace with last gen’s top-end Core i7-7700K in most computational tasks.





And of course, because AMD is finally back in action, we absolutely recommend the AMD Ryzen 5 2600X as well. Both Intel’s i5-8400 and AMD’s Ryzen 5 2600X pack a phenomenal punch when it comes to gaming. Intel slightly edges out on in-game frame rates single-core performance, while AMD swings back in computational tasks, and more demanding workloads.





The mother of all boards

No good CPU goes without a good motherboard . Depending on what chip you choose, you’ll be locked into a selection of mobos with a variety of different chipsets available to you. But the first question we’ll help you answer is, what size motherboard is right for you? From there your choice of processor will also determine, which motherboard will work with your system. This includes ensuring the CPU sockets lineup as well as having the right chipset. For example, Intel Coffee Lake and Kaby Lake chips technically plop down on the same LGA1151, but the former requires a 300-series chipset while the latter was launched with the 200-series chipset. Similarly, Ryzen and Ryzen 2nd Generation both share the same AM4 socket, but the latest AMD chips see the most benefit from the latest X470 platform.





Depending on the size of your chassis and if you’ve gone with an Intel processor, this ASRock Fatal1ty Z370 Gaming K6 (for ATX), Asus Z370-G (for Micro-ATX), or Asus ROG Strix Z370-I Gaming (Mini-ITX) all fit the bill perfect for a modern Intel-powered PC.









For our AMD builders, we’d recommend the Aorus X470 Gaming 7 Wi-Fi for an ATX build, the MSI B350M Mortar (a real fine budget board), for Micro-ATX rigs, and the ASUS ROG Strix X470-I Gaming for the mini-ITX lovers out there. Ultimately, whether you go with our suggestions or not, it’s always worth remembering that your choice of motherboard will ultimately dictate your feature-set, memory and storage, your case, and how well your chip will overclock (if you invest in an unlocked part).









Graphics cards

Finishing out the trinity of every PC builds’ main components, graphics cards determines what your desktop will be able to visually render. While PCs can get away with just integrated graphics for simple tasks and even 4K streaming, creating your own media and gaming box requires the discrete graphical power that only an dedicated GPU can offer. If your aim is to game at 1080p, the GeForce GTX 1060 3GB is your man. It’s the best bang-for-the-buck card out there is, capable of easily hitting 60fps in most, if not all AAA titles at 1080p. It won’t let you down for at least the next 3 years. If you really do need the extra VRAM for memory intensive games (here’s looking at you Witcher 3), then simply pump up for the 6GB variant instead.





Memory

(random-access memory) is practically the lifeblood of any PC and you’ll need an ample amount of it for a healthy running machine. Similar to your short term memory, RAM holds bursts of information for a limited time to quickly complete tasks, so literally all of your data will pass through this component of your PC. Memory or RAM





The Corsair Vengeance LED, HyperX Fury, and G.Skill Rampage V are all memory kits of choice that mix together a blend of affordability, speed and reliability. 16GB (2x8GB) of dual channel DDR4 running at 3200 MHz is ideal for gaming at 1080p for now, and should future-proof you for the next 3 to 4 years at least. It’s worth noting in regard to speed, that Intel CPUs typically doesn’t benefit from faster memory in day-to-day tasks, however Ryzen can see anywhere from a 10-15% performance increase, purely from utilizing faster memory. Ultimately anything close to or above 2,500MHz is golden – though you’ll find some modern RAM approaching close to 5,000MHz.





CPU coolers

You’re going to need a decent CPU cooler to chill either the Ryzen or the Intel chip of your choosing. CPU coolers split into two main types: air-coolers and liquid-coolers. Air coolers as you might have guessed use air to push heat through an array of heat pipes and fins called a heatsink. These types of CPU coolers are generally affordable and easy to install, but can sometimes interfere with the installation of memory with tall heat spreaders or oversized graphics cards. Liquid-coolers on the other hand are a bit more complicated as they use a closed loop of coolant to keep processors chilled. These are often more efficient and can keep your CPU running at lower temperatures than an air cooler. The only downside is these liquid-cooling units can be more expensive and intimidating to install at first.











