Because manufacturers produce their devices in bulk, making personal computers that satisfy each user’s taste is impossible. You know the specifications you want your computer to have and the kind of games you want to run on it. If you are determined enough and have a substantial amount of money, you can build your desired gaming PC from scratch.
The cost of building a gaming PC varies according to the kind of specs you want the PC to have and the games you want to play. If you want a good gaming PC on a budget, you may spend between $700 and $800. For the mid-range prices, be prepared to spend between $1500 and $2000, and the high-end budget is about $3000 and above.
This article will discuss all the critical components you’ll need to build your gaming PC, along with the budget, mid-range, and high-end prices.
Central Processing Unit (CPU)
As the brain of the gaming system, the CPU manages and executes processes and commands. Since your CPU controls all the calculations and the processes that make your games run, you cannot compromise on quality.
For a budget build, your goal is to find the cheapest processors with enough quality to avoid creating a bottleneck with your GPU. Intel and AMD are recommended as they produce the best processors. Some CPUs come with integrated GPUs, but we advise that you should go for CPUs without iGPUs since you will still spend a lot of money on a high-quality GPU anyway.
Intel’s Core i5 processor should be powerful enough to run your games on a budget, and they only cost between $150 to $160. You might also consider AMD Ryzen 5 at the cost of $200 if you’re looking for a processor with great overclocking potential and gaming performance at a slightly higher price. For high-end gaming, Intel’s Core i9 processor goes for $560.
Graphics Processing Unit (GPU)
The GPU is widely regarded as the most essential component of a gaming PC, which explains why it takes a huge chunk of your budget. The GPU renders your monitor’s graphics, videos, and animations, so investing in a good gaming GPU is critical.
We recommend the NVIDIA GeForce series as we believe they are the best in the market. NVIDIA GeForce 3050 is great for a budget-build gaming PC and costs $330. NVIDIA GeForce 3060 is for mid-range builders and goes for $570. NVIDIA GeForce 3080 is excellent for high-end gaming, costing about $1050.
Motherboard
While building your gaming PC, ensure your motherboard is compatible with your CPU. Since the motherboard is the primary circuit board where you connect critical components of your gaming PC, you must consider it when choosing or buying other components.
Its CPU socket must be compatible with your processor, and it should have the required number of RAM slots to house your RAM. We recommend buying a motherboard that supports future expansion and upgrades. Depending on your budget, you might spend between $130 and $290.
Random Access Memory (RAM)
Your RAM ensures that you have a smooth gaming experience. The more RAM your gaming PC has, the more programs it can run at a fast rate.
The minimum amount of RAM you should have on your gaming system is 8GB. Most times, 8GB of RAM is only sufficient for a handful of games. Therefore, we recommend 16GB of RAM so that you can ensure optimum gaming performance. You’ll spend about $35 on 8GB of RAM and $70 on 16GB of RAM.
Hard Disk Drive (HDD) / Solid State Drive (SSD)
While HDDs and SSDs are both used for storing data, they differ in performance, speed, and cost. SSDs are faster and more durable than their counterpart, but they cost significantly more. For best performance, choose SSD over HDD. If you can’t afford a high-capacity SSD, you can buy a 500GB SSD for $50 or $60, plus a 2TB HDD for $50.
Power Supply Unit (PSU)
Gaming PCs usually consume a lot of power, so you should look for a PSU that can supply more than enough wattage. It is also essential to plan for any future upgrade in your gaming PC that might increase your power supply requirement. Generally, it would be best if you don’t get anything less than a 500W power supply.
We recommend getting a 600-700 watts PSU as this will be higher than you need and will also accommodate future upgrades that increase the wattage of your gaming PC. You can estimate your power supply requirement using an online PSU calculator. Your budget should be between $100 to $150, depending on your PSU wattage.
PC Case
In building a good PC, performance is always considered over aesthetics. A PC case has little to do with your PC’s performance and everything to do with its aesthetics which is why most people save costs when choosing a suitable PC case.
Unless you plan to show off your PC case, you can buy an affordable PC case that comfortably houses your PC components and offers good airflow. You can spend as low as $50 for a budget build and as high as $200 for high-end PC cases.
Peripherals
The peripherals include the monitor, keyboard, mouse, and speaker/headset. If you broke the bank to purchase a high-quality GPU, you’d need a good gaming monitor to display your graphics. Depending on the size, resolution, and refresh rate, a monitor can cost between $100 to $1000.
If you’ve bought or built a gaming PC, you probably already have a gaming keyboard, headset, and mouse. However, if you don’t have them, you will be looking to spend between $50 and $400.
CPU Cooler
Your gaming PC will undoubtedly produce a lot of heat due to its high performance for long periods. To keep the PC from overheating, you need a CPU cooler. Air coolers cost between $45 and $100, while liquid coolers can cost as much as $200.
The Verdict
The components we recommended and the prices we provided in the article will give you an idea of how much you should budget if you’re planning to build a gaming PC. Ultimately, your preference may differ from what we suggested, but by reading the article, you can have a guide that tells you how much you need to build a gaming PC.
