Hey there Eggheads, Juan Carlos Bagnell here to talk to you about building a gaming PC.
It’s a topic that’s close to our hearts at Newegg, and it’s also one that is constantly
evolving with new hardware releases every single year shaking things up. Information that might
have been true a year or two ago might not be as relevant today.
On our very own channel, we have several different generations of PC building guides, and some
of the earlier ones spend time talking about things like CD-ROM drives.
In this video we’re going to take a look at some of the big decisions you need to make
when deciding on parts for a gaming PC in 2020.
And we also want to let you know that if you’re looking to configure a build of your own,
you can now do that right on Newegg, using our new PC Builder tool.
We’ll have more information on that at the end of this video - and check out the link
in the description below to head on over to try it out.
Your first big choice when it comes to a gaming PC is often what CPU brand to go with, and
here in 2020 that choice is more difficult than it has been in a long time.
But that’s not a bad thing!
For most of the past decade, the standard wisdom when it came to gaming CPUs was that
you could usually get an AMD processor for a lower price - but your performance would
be lower, too.
That made Intel a really popular choice for gamers, since even though you might pay a
little bit more, it was usually worth it for the better gaming experience.
With the latest generation of CPUs from both AMD and Intel, performance gaps have been
narrowed, erased, and sometimes even flip-flopped, depending on what you are going to do with
your rig.
And while you can still pick up some fantastic budget CPU options from AMD, they also have
higher-end processors that stand toe to toe with the best Intel can bring to the table.
One interesting thing that has happened with CPUs over the past couple of years is that
they’ve gotten better and better, but games haven’t really gotten that much more demanding,
CPU-wise.
Sure, you’ll still see much better results with a more modern and more powerful processor
in your system, but unless you have some really extreme gaming needs, you probably don’t
need to be breaking the bank on your CPU purchase - and you can save those dollars to put elsewhere
in your build.
Starting at the budget level, good recommendations right now include the Intel Core i5-9400F
and the i7-9700K.
Those will cost around $200 and $400 respectively, and should do a rock solid job
running your PC games - though if you mostly play CPU-demanding titles, you should go with
that i7.
From AMD at around this same budget level, it’s hard to go wrong with the Ryzen 7 3700X,
for eight cores and 16 threads of power, all for under $300.
It can go head to head with the pricier i7-9700K, and while the Intel option will often give
you slightly better performance in games, the Ryzen will come out ahead if you’re
doing a lot that will benefit from multithreading, like streaming or video rendering.
Of course if you’re the kind of person who just needs to have the best of the best, both
Intel and AMD have higher-priced, higher-performance options to consider.
From Intel, you have a couple of options that have been branded “the world’s fastest
gaming processor”, including the i9-9900K and the brand new 10th generation i9-10900K.
If you want the very best for gaming and you aren’t planning on running other applications at
the same time that might slow you down, then these options, which will cost you north of
$500 a piece, are the way to go - though it’s important to note that as of this video being
released, stock on that 10th gen CPU is very limited, and can be hard to find.
On the AMD side, the Ryzen 9 3900X is going to cost you just over $400, for gaming performance
that’s very close to on-par with the i9 9900K.
The Ryzen is going to come in a little slower in certain gaming situations - this will be
most notable when you’re pushing for the absolute max frame rates possible and you
aren’t caring about game resolution - but it’s going to be faster than the Intel offering
in, once again, multi-threaded situations like streaming and video editing.
Moving on...
Choosing a motherboard is worthy of a full video all its own - and fortunately we have
one just like that for you to watch.
You can check that out if you’re really starting from scratch on this subject.
For this video, let’s just cover the basics.
If you’ve started by picking out your CPU, then you’ll need to pick up a motherboard
that’s compatible.
Google will be your friend here, for a list of compatible motherboard sockets and chipsets,
or if you’re using a tool like the Newegg PC builder, it’ll be handled automatically.
As a general recommendation, there are older and newer motherboard generations that
support your CPU choice, going with the newer option will mean you get more features and
possibly even better performance.
But this is also a place where you can save some money, if you are willing to compromise
a bit and go with a previous generation board.
When choosing a motherboard specifically for gaming, you’ll find that most of the major
manufacturers make it clear which options are designed with gamers in mind.
From ASUS you have things like the ROG or the TUF gaming line, while MSI has the Gaming
Carbon and Gaming Edge.
The right motherboard for you depends on your needs, but for most gaming builds, you’re
going to be looking to spend between $150 and $500 for your motherboard.
You can usually go a little under $150 if you’re okay with a few modest compromises,
but if you find yourself looking at a motherboard that’s more than $500, you should know that
it’s probably made for extreme overclocking and watercooling builds.
If options like the MSI Godlike or Aorus Xtreme boards are right for you, that’s awesome
- but you’re probably doing a build that’s going to be for more than just regular gaming.
The last major decision you’ll need to make when it comes to gaming PC components is your
GPU.
And while AMD has caught up to Intel on the CPU side, the high-end gaming GPU landscape
isn’t quite as competitive - just yet.
If you’re looking to push gaming resolutions to the max, then an NVIDIA card is likely
the right choice for you.
The RTX 2080 Ti is a pricey GPU that’ll cost you at least $1000 right now, but it
also produces incredible results.
4K gaming, virtual reality, and ray-tracing - the 2080 Ti can really do it all when it
comes to gaming, so if you have the cash, it’s a compelling choice.
Stepping down a little bit in terms of cost, you’ll find the RTX 2070 Super and 2080
Super cards, coming in at between $500 and $1000 dollars, depending on which particular
option you go with.
For almost anything high-end gaming, these cards will knock it out of the park - and
you’ll be all set to take advantage of the continuing improvements to NVIDIA’s real-time
ray tracing features and enhancements like DLSS 2.0, the company’s AI-powered upscaling
algorithm.
So where does AMD enter the mix?
Well, if your gaming aspirations are a little more modest, and you’re fine with 1080 or
1440p resolutions, without ray-tracing bells and whistles, then AMD’s Radeon RX 5600
XT and RX 5700 are appealing options that can save you money compared to their NVIDIA
counterparts.
These cards are going to be several hundred dollars cheaper than those higher-end NVIDIA
options we just mentioned, and around the same price or a little bit cheaper than comparable
NVIDIA options, like the 2060 and the 1660 Super.
Okay, so we have our CPU, motherboard, and GPU figured out - now we’re on to some quicker
decisions to make for our gaming PC.
When it comes to RAM, you’re probably going to want to go with 16GBs of RAM - maybe 32 if you
want some future-proofing built in.
You definitely don’t want to go any lower than 8 gigs for gaming, and 64 and above can be overkill
In 2020 you should be going with DDR4 RAM, but when it comes to the actual specific RAM
model you pick up, you’ll want to pay attention to what works best with your motherboard and
CPU.
That will determine the maximum RAM speed you can actually take advantage of, so don’t
waste money paying for RAM that could go faster than your motherboard will actually support.
A lot of what makes different RAM different really comes down to the style you’re looking for.
RGB lighting and elaborate heat spreaders are mostly just a cosmetic choice, for gaming
builds.
If you’re just looking for an easy answer to the RAM question, then start with 16GBs
of RAM in a two-stick configuration, from a big name like Corsair or G.Skill.
Match up your speed with what the rest of your system supports, and you should be good to go.
Now, how about storage?
Well if you’ve been in the PC building game for a while, you probably remember how SSDs
gradually replaced traditional hard drives in terms of the storage option of choice.
Well in 2020, we’re basically in the midst of another, similar transition - one in which
NVMe-based SSD M.2 drives that work via the PCIe interface are replacing those older SATA SSDs.
The prices of these super tiny NVMe drives have come down so much in the past couple
of years that there’s not a strong argument to be made to get anything else, provided
your motherboard supports them.
For most gamers, it’s going to be a slam dunk to go with a 1 TB M.2 drive as your primary
storage option.
And if you need even more space than that, then a SATA SSD can be a fine choice as a secondary drive.
One of the final decisions you need to make to complete your gaming PC build is your case,
and that’s a choice that’s going to be driven largely by your personal style.
There are some functionality differences between cases, to be sure, and you need to pay attention
to size constraints too.
If you’ve picked up a particularly bulky motherboard and GPU, then getting a case with
a little more space inside, or even fully removable side panels, can help with building
and cable management.
And we haven’t even touched on the subject of form factor yet.
If you’re thinking about a gaming PC build that needs to fit in a compact space, then
you might need to go back and reconsider your motherboard.
A Micro-ATX or Mini-ITX system can be the right choice if you’re looking for something
that needs to go in a living room entertainment center, for example, but you’re going to
have to make some compromises in terms of connectivity and features - and your case
options are going to be limited by that smaller form factor, as well.
A power supply is a good thing to choose last, because the right option for you will depend
on the total wattage required by the other components in your system.
This is where using a tool like the Newegg PC Builder can really come in handy - because as
you add components to your build, you can see the total wattage required.
Pick up a power supply with plenty of headroom above and beyond what your build currently requires,
just to be safe, and to be ready for future upgrades.
Then look for a PSU with an 80-Plus rating, which means it’ll deliver at least 80% efficiency
at turning the AC power from your wall socket into the DC power that your system’s components
require.
Higher ratings - like 80-Plus Gold or Platinum - indicate even greater efficiency, which
can save you money on power in the long run.
Phew. You got all that?
It’s a lot, we know - and this video didn’t even dive too deeply into some of the discussion
that can be had about building a gaming PC.
If you’ve got tips or opinions - and I’ll bet you do! - go ahead and drop them in the
comments below this video.
And if you’re looking for a tool to make putting together your next PC build easier,
check the description box below for a link to the Newegg PC Builder.
With this new tool you can walk through your build step by step, adding components and
only seeing components that are compatible with what you have already selected.
You can keep an eye on the price and total wattage as you assemble the right build to
meet your needs, knowing that the Newegg PC builder will take care of the compatibility questions.
For Newegg Studios I'm Juan Carlos Bagnell. Happy building, and we’ll see you next time!