I'm new to the world of PCs and I'm looking to get a desktop for school and gaming. I'm unsure whether I should build my own PC or buy one that's new or used. What should I consider when starting, and what parts will I need?
4 Answers
Let's start with your budget and the kind of gaming performance you want, like resolution and framerate. There are plenty of knowledgeable builders around who would love to help you with recommendations and explain the reasoning behind those choices.
Do you have some time to work on this? Building your own PC can be a fun challenge and usually saves you money compared to pre-built options. However, it does take time to figure out. By the way, where are you located? It can affect where and how you source your parts.
When you're picking a CPU, the main thing is to look at maximizing your frames per second (fps) within your budget. Generally, you'll want to focus on current or last-gen parts. For gaming, you typically want something with at least 6-8 cores—avoid going for just 4 cores. Right now, AMD is leading the race with their processors. I recommend checking out the 9000 series, especially the cheaper 9600x if you're on a budget. I often use various benchmark sites to compare, like Tom's Hardware and Tech Power Up, to find out what performs best for gaming. If you share your budget, we can help narrow it down more!
Most people find that building a PC is the better option. It can be a fun experience, and you have a ton of choices when it comes to parts. I suggest checking out PCPartPicker to help you plan your build. Also, it can be more budget-friendly, especially if you compare it to buying a pre-built system.
Thanks for the tip!
Definitely agree with you there, it usually ends up being cheaper.
U.S.