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Gaming Desktops Buying Guide
Check out the top 5 things you need to know when buying a new gaming PC with our helpful guide
Built with high performance in mind, gaming PCs are the cream of the computing crop. Whether you’re taking your first steps into the gaming world or upgrading an existing machine, we’ve outlined the key features you should be looking out for. Discover everything you need to know about awesome graphics cards, powerful processors and much more.
Key components
Processor
The processor is the real brains of the computing operation. This clever bit of kit will keep your hi-octane games running quickly, efficiently and smoothly.
Intel Processors
The Intel® Core™ i5
Own the battlefield with stunning graphics and silky-smooth refresh rates.
Intel® Core™ i7
Take your gaming to the next level with ultra-sharp graphics and silky-smooth refresh rates.
The Intel® Core™ i9
If you want the ultimate in powerful performance then Intel®'s i9 processor will be perfect for high end gaming and 4K video viewing.
Graphics
The graphics card is responsible for transmitting high-quality images to your display to bring your chosen game to life. Let’s look at which card is right for your needs:
Online games
Generally, the NVidia 16 series is the minimum requirement for gaming and will handle your less demanding online titles.
Mainstream games
The NVidia GeForce RTX 3050 or Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti will do the job. You’ll experience solid frame rates and all the cool effects your games throw at you.
Hardcore
If only the best will do, you need the NVidia GeForce RTX 3070 or the epic NVidia GeForce RTX 3080. Be blown away by superior graphics, whatever you play. Including those VR and 4K adventures. For a serious boost, keep an eye out for those machines that pack not one, but two graphics cards. Imagine the visuals!
RAM
Now that brains and beauty are checked off, you need to think about RAM to give your PC a bit of gaming power. Most games need a minimum of 8GB of RAM to run smoothly, but if you go for 16GB or even 32GB you’ll not only enjoy a seamless gaming experience, your PC will also be able to handle the top titles for years to come.
Storage
Acting as your computer’s long-term memory, your hard-drive stores and saves all your treasured files. There are two types available - an SSD (solid-state drive) is super-quick, slim and portable, making it the perfect solution for gaming and much more. If an SSD is out of your budget, then we recommend a hard drive with at least 1TB of storage, so you can save and load more of your favourite titles.
Design
Not only epic in performance, gaming PCs are designed to look the part too. A wide range of machines have cool external LED lights that illuminate the tower to get you in the gaming mood. Desktops come in a range of shapes and sizes, so it’s important to keep in mind the size of the desk you want your chosen PC to sit on. The specifications on our product pages are packed with useful information including the height, width and depth of each model.
- What can I upgrade on my PC?
If your PC just isn’t quite meeting your needs, you might want to upgrade the specs. The easiest things to improve are RAM capacity (e.g. changing it from 4GB to 8GB), the graphics card (by adding a dedicated graphics card), and storage (an additional hard drive or a new SSD).
- What to upgrade in my PC?
You don’t always have to purchase a new PC to get a better performing one. Instead, improving the RAM, SSD storage and graphics cards in your existing one will make a big difference. Whether you’re a keen gamer or you need your PC to run faster for work, you’ll benefit from increasing the amount of RAM. This will speed up your PCs functioning and help it to multitask programs with ease. On top of this, a bigger SSD will add more space and load programs faster too. And of course, popping in a dedicated graphics card will seriously improve the picture - handy for gamers and creatives.
- What is a gaming PC?
As you’ve probably guessed from the name, a gaming PC is built to run the most demanding games smoothly. This means that everything has a powerful spec from the processor to the amount of RAM included, as well as a bigger SSD for more storage and fast load times. On top of this, gaming PCs have a dedicated graphics card instead of an integrated one - these are much better and can handle really sophisticated visuals. Gaming PCs will also have a few extras included like RGB lighting and cooling technology (since gaming marathons are often played long into the night).
- How much are gaming PCs?
Like many things, the price of a gaming PC will vary depending on what spec it has. The processor, RAM, graphics card, storage and whether it has extra features like RGB lighting, or cooling technology all make a big difference to what you pay. You can pick a decent one up for as low as £519, but if you’re serious about gaming, then PCs can go up to £3,268 - at this price, you really are getting top tier kit. Why not explore our range of gaming desktops and check out the prices here?
- What makes a good gaming PC?
There are a few things to think about if you fancy a gaming PC. You should look for one with at least an Intel® Core™ i5 or AMD Ryzen 5 processor, alongside 8GB of RAM. A graphics card is also very important, and the two most common models are Nvidia GeForce® or AMD Radeon. You’ll also want enough storage for your games, so a 512GB or 1TB hard drive is a good option. But if you want things to load faster, you can get one with an SSD.
- What you need for a gaming PC?
As well as the computer itself, there are a few extra bits you might want to pick up. Gaming mice and keyboards have things like extra buttons and RGB lighting that you can customise. You might also like a gaming chair – they’re designed to keep you comfy for long sessions, and some even have built-in surround sound tech.
- What does GHz processing rate mean?
Processing speed is pretty important when it comes to your gaming desktop, since the faster it is, the more it can process at once. That means it’ll be able to handle complex games and high settings with ease – giving you a smooth ride. The clock speed is measured in GHz (gigahertz) which is the number of cycles your processor performs per second. The more cycles, the faster the processor.
- What does Hz refresh rate mean?
Hz is how monitors and TVs measure their refresh rates, and it tells you how quickly they can display images. A higher number means a faster refresh rate, giving you a smoother picture with less lag.
