I'm building my first desktop and would like to stay around €1,200, with a maximum of about €1,300 if the upgrade is worthwhile. I live in the Netherlands and already have a monitor, mouse, and keyboard, so the budget is only for the computer itself. I mainly want to play games at 1080p and improve my content creation and video-editing workflow. My current Dell laptop struggles badly, with constant lag and timeline freezes. There are so many processors, graphics cards, and motherboards available that I'm unsure which parts are compatible or offer the best value. Would a self-built PC make sense at this budget, and what kind of setup should I aim for?
2 Answers
Since your monitor and peripherals are already covered, €1,200–€1,300 should be enough for a strong 1080p gaming system with capable editing performance. The ideal parts will depend on whether gaming or video editing is the priority, along with the software you use and the type of footage you edit. List your main games, desired FPS, editing applications, and any audio or other creative work before locking in a build.
A parts-planning tool such as PCPartPicker can help check compatibility and compare prices from Dutch retailers. Before choosing hardware, decide which games you want to play and what frame rate you’re targeting, since that will determine how much of the budget should go toward the graphics card. Also remember to include the case, power supply, storage, memory, and operating-system costs.
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