How to build gaming computer

Remove the power supply retaining bracket. Attach the bracket to the power supply, slide the power supply into the case until it is flush with the case. The most important part of selecting a power supply is to confirm that it provides the energy your rig needs to run. You may need to adjust your system cooling or internal airflow. A gaming mouse, keyboard, and headset add to your game by increasing the precision of your gaming dexterity with ergonomic designs.

Gaming peripherals are one of the many reasons why so many gamers prefer to play on a PC. Find out more about PC gaming vs. Hopefully, everything should turn on. If everything worked correctly, a screen will appear where you can enter the system BIOS.

If you have a disc or flash drive with an OS, put it into the appropriate drive, boot up, and install the OS. Congratulations, you learned how to build your own gaming PC! What may have seemed daunting at first — building a gaming PC— is actually so easy, even kids can do it.

Get in your game, try out your new rig, and start climbing those leaderboards. Find a product Part no. Your search did not match any active Crucial part numbers or configuration IDs. Find articles and site content Enter keywords. How to Build a Gaming PC. Performance and costs are directly related. How to build a gaming PC on a budget. The more RAM you have--paired with a good-quality processor--the faster your PC can perform its various functions.

Cooling system: The cooling system is used to protect the CPU from overheating. OS: OS stands for operating system. Most gaming PCs will utilize Windows it's what we suggest--though some people may want to install Linux. We've included a breakdown of our recommended PC build alongside a much more affordable gaming PC build. This should give you an idea of the vast price range you can expect when starting to build your first PC. More expensive PC builds will absolutely rock your bank account, but they're more likely to be future-proofed--you won't need to upgrade the PC's components for quite some time, and when you do, you likely won't need to upgrade more than your graphics card.

The cheaper PCs can still provide an excellent experience at a much more affordable price, but you may need to upgrade it more often if you want to keep up with new releases. Either way, you're sure to have a fantastic gaming experience, as long as you keep your expectations in check with your budget. Keep in mind that many a PC build these days lacks an optical drive since actual disk usage is rare nowadays , but you always add one later if you need one.

Assembling the motherboard outside of the case will make your whole experience much easier to deal with. Our general rule of thumb is to install as many parts as possible before screwing it into your case. An important thing to note before starting on your motherboard is that you should refer to its manual as often as possible, as your specific motherboard may suggest specific ways or places to install your components.

Also, keep in mind that certain parts will require some force when plugging them in, while others simply just need to be placed into their respective spots. Please pay close attention to the following instructions before installing your components. The first thing you'll want to do is make sure you're assembling your PC on a flat surface. Don't build it on a carpet--the mixture of static electricity and your PC's parts is a dangerous combination and could cause damage to your components.

It's unlikely to happen, but we still suggest touching your metal case from time to time to help ground yourself and avoid this from happening. Instead, build your rig in a room with hardwood or laminate floors like a dining room or kitchen--we even went the extra mile and took our socks off. Take your motherboard out of its packaging and then place it on a flat surface. You can lay it directly on your table, but we personally placed it on top of its box to avoid scratching our desk.

At this point, you're ready to start. Your motherboard's CPU socket will be protected by a piece of plastic, which you'll be able to remove when you open the tray. All you need to do is gently push down on the tray's metal arm and pull it out. Once it's free of the tray, lift it up to open the socket and the protective plastic will fall out. Be sure to keep this plastic piece in case of any issues with your motherboard, as you'll need to reinsert it before sending it back to the manufacturer.

Your CPU should have some small half-circle indents in its board. Once you've figured out how to place your CPU into its socket, do so gently. Do not apply pressure directly on the CPU--simply close the tray and make sure the metal arm is locked into its original position, which may require a bit of force.

Your motherboard may have protective thermal guards on your M. Once you've taken any guards off the motherboard, you can slot in your M. These require a little bit of force to slot into their respective slots, but don't push too hard--they should slide in quite easily. Once the M. At this point, you take the respective screw that is often included with your motherboard , push each M. At this point, you can take the thermal guard and place it on top of each M.

This is another step where you'll want to reference your motherboard's manual, which should be able to tell you which order to place the RAM in. If you have four slots and only two sticks of RAM, then you should make sure the two sticks are spaced apart in either the first and third slot or second and fourth--your motherboard manual can advise you here.

First off, be sure to flip down the plastic clips on both sides of each slot you plan on using. Inserting the RAM requires more force, but make sure you start small and then ramp up your pressure gradually. When you hear a click, your RAM is in its slot. This should cause the plastic clips to flip up, gripping your RAM. If you notice your clips haven't flipped up, then your RAM may not be seated properly.

Consider Cable Management II. The Build 1. Open Up Your Case 2. Install Additional Case Fans 3. Install Your Power Supply 4.

Install Your CPU 5. Install Your RAM 6. Install Your M. Install Standoffs Install Your Motherboard Install Storage Devices Front Panel Connector Install Your Graphics Card PowerOn Your Build. Search Search the site Budget Gaming PCs. Best Gaming CPUs. Best Gaming PCs. Best Gaming GPUs. Best Gaming Motherboards. Best PC Cases. Best CPU Coolers.

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Samsung Gaming Monitors. HP Gaming PCs. Acer Predator Monitors. MSI Gaming Monitors. Best Gaming Chairs. Best Gaming Desks. Graphics card, or GPU: Arguably the most important component in a gaming rig, the GPU graphics processing unit renders images from your PC and puts them on your monitor. More powerful GPUs facilitate better in-game graphics and settings. The CPU routes instructions from one system in your computer to another.

The better the processor, the faster it can transmit information for both software and hardware functions. Motherboard: The motherboard is where all the hardware in your computer lives. The most important thing about a motherboard is its compatibility with the parts you choose, but motherboards can also have integrated graphics cards, Wi-Fi systems and more. To oversimplify things considerably, RAM is where your computer stores information it needs to access right away.

The more RAM you have, the more efficiently your computer can process lots of information — helpful for productivity; essential for games. Bigger drives mean more storage space, which means more room for files, games, media and so forth. Power supply: Possibly the least interesting and most vital piece of the PC puzzle, the power supply is exactly what it sounds like: It gets electricity from an outlet to individual systems in your computer.

Case: Your computer case is, for the most part, an aesthetic choice, although some models include fans for additional cooling. Anything else, such as additional cooling systems or secondary hard drives, are nice to have, but not strictly necessary. These are the parts you need to go from a pile of hardware to a functioning PC. Like any creative project, the hardest part about building a PC is getting started. There are literally thousands of possible components; where do you even start?

Do you pick a GPU and build around it? Find a case you like and see what will fit inside? What kind of PC do you want to build? Do you want a productivity machine that can play some games on the side? A more versatile alternative to the next-gen consoles? A high-priced powerhouse to last the ages? Personally, I need to build a new machine because my current gaming rig is 10 years old.

I also need something that will be at least as powerful as the PS5 and Xbox Series X , in case I need to compare games across platforms.