My god it’s just so beautiful, I could cry!
Hey everyone! And welcome to DIY in 5, the show where we break down technology
into easily digestible bits for the everyday user.
I’m Trisha Hershberger and today, we’ll be talking all things storage and graphics.
This is part of our quest to equip you with all the know-how you need to build your own PC.
If you wanna check out our other videos covering things like motherboards, CPUs, cooling options and RAM,
be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss a beat.
Whether it’s movies, video games, programs or photos - whatever your favorite indulgence may be,
you’ll want to make sure you’ve got enough storage - aka a big enough hard drive,
so you’re not scrambling for an external just to get game save data.
What is this a console?!
I kid, but not really.
This is your build and no one knows what you’ll be using it for better than you.
When it comes to storage, there are two main types to consider - HDD and SSD.
An HDD, or hard disk drive, is the more traditional type of data storage.
It uses one or more magnetic spinning disks to read and write information.
It’s tried and true and comes at a fairly reasonable price point.
You can get 1TB of HDD storage for as low as $50!
Then there are SSDs, or solid-state drives, which read and write data using microchips.
Because there are no moving parts in SSDs, they are quieter, faster, use less energy
and have a longer lifespan than their hard drive counterparts.
This technology is much newer but also more expensive,
although they've come down quite a bit in price over the years.
Then there are SSHDs, solid-state HYBRID drives, for those who want the best of both worlds.
SSHDs offer a small SSD cache for frequently used data and a mechanical drive for the rest.
I personally like to have both in a build.
You can use an SSD as your main drive, install your programs and OS on the SSD,
and use an HDD for your file storage.
Speed at a price that won’t kill ya, but still has tons of storage.
Now onto the part most people drool over - the graphics card or GPU.
Who doesn’t want impressive graphics when they boot up their PC?
After all, THAT is one of the main ways your power and performance
translate directly to user experience. Let’s break it down.
Integrated GPU vs Dedicated GPU:
Integrated graphics are already on your CPU or motherboard.
They use less power AND there are rarely any driver or compatibility issues.
This is the simpler and more cost-effective way to go.
Dedicated graphics on the other hand offer more powerful, killer performance
and more variety of ports for that multi-monitor setup,
but you’ll be spending a lot more money for that eye candy.
Plus you’ll need a compatible slot in your motherboard and PSU and cooling
(cough, next episode, cough) that can handle it.
How do you decide which one you need?
Let’s talk gaming.
Most older and low-demand indie games don’t need a dedicated GPU.
but if you play more modern or top tier games
or you dabble in the world of VR via the Oculus or Vive, then you’ll want to go dedicated.
Another reason you might want a dedicated GPU is for photo or video editing or 3D art rendering.
While you could have a reasonable experience using integrated graphics
there’ll be a noticeable difference if you get a dedicated graphics card.
Same with any CAD or computer-aided design programs for architecture, structural engineering, etc.
If you don’t feel like you need a dedicated graphics card, that’s ok!
GPUs tend to get a lot of attention, but they aren’t for everyone.
And you might be able to use the money you save in this category
for another component that better suits your needs.
If you do decide to go for gold with the dedicated graphics,
the two top contenders in the GPU market are NVIDIA and AMD,
although there are plenty of other great options out there.
Between AMD and NVIDIA, the pricing is relatively the same
and there are die-hard fans of both that will argue which is better.
Some games will even perform better on one game over another.
A great example was Witcher 3,
which was specifically made to work with NVIDIA’s Hairworks for super realistic hair movement.
NVIDIA offers great performance
and has its own suite of software like HairWorks, PhysX to enhance in-game physics,
G-Sync to eliminate screen tearing,
and ShadowPlay which will record the previous 20 minutes of gameplay at all times.
so you can share any epic moments without needing to predict the future before it happens.
AMD has its own recording and optimization software - AMD Gaming Evolved,
and offers a bit more user choice in terms of what software and drivers to install.
To GPU or not to GPU: that is the question... or is it to SSD or HDD?
We’ve covered a lot today.
If this video helped and you learned some stuff today, give it a like and a share!
If you’ve got a particular storage or GPU tip to share, please leave it in the comments.
Next episode, we’ll be talking all things power and cooling and then we are so very, very close.
My name’s Trisha Hershberger and I’ll see you next time with more DIYin5!