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Buying a gamer PC: It all come down to the latest hardware

When building a gaming PC, it is important to use the latest components. At bestware, you can rest assured that we offer the latest hardware as soon as it becomes available, including for XMG gaming PCs and SCHENKER desktop PCs. Current NVIDIA GeForce RTX and AMD Radeon RX graphics cards provide plenty of 3D performance for your games and guarantee high FPS (frames per second).

The same applies to processors such as the AMD Ryzen 5, AMD Ryzen 7 and AMD Ryzen 9, as well as the Intel Core Ultra 5, Intel Core Ultra 7 and Intel Core Ultra 9. This means you will have more than enough performance for all current games.

The amount of performance you need depends primarily on the resolution at which you play. Further down in this guide, we provide recommendations on which graphics cards to choose for 1080p (Full HD), 1440p (WQHD) and 4K (UHD) gaming, as well as for VR games. We also provide tips on how much RAM a current gaming PC needs, how large and fast your SSD should be, which CPU cooler is right for you, and how much RAM you need for gaming.

What to look for when buying a gaming PC? The graphics card makes all the difference!

For gamers, the most important component of any PC is a powerful graphics card with modern features. The level of performance you need depends on the following factors:

The higher the monitor resolution, the more GPU power is required

The higher the resolution of your monitor or gaming monitor is, the more pixels the graphics card has to handle. While it is possible to choose a graphics card with a good price-performance ratio for a Full HD monitor, a 4K monitor or a high-resolution VR headset will often require an expensive, high-end model — at least for AAA games.

Which graphics card should you choose for your gaming PC?

At bestware, you can configure your gaming PC with a variety of graphics cards. Below is a brief overview of how the graphics cards can be classified in terms of performance. Please note that if you want to play games with the maximum real-time ray tracing settings, you will need a more powerful graphics card, even at a lower display resolution. In some games, you will also need to use NVIDIA's DLSS or AMD's FSR.

The following overview only includes current GPUs, listing the graphics cards in ascending order of performance — from entry-level GPUs to unrestricted high-performance recommendations. If you also want to play with ray tracing, the requirements are higher than those in the list, and 12–16 GB of VRAM are mandatory.

In this case, it is sometimes worth considering a GPU from the next higher performance tier. For example, 4K gaming with ray tracing is only fully recommended with NVIDIA graphics cards from the GeForce RTX 5080 onwards, while the current top model from AMD, the Radeon 9070 XT, is ideal for WQHD resolution with ray tracing.

For high-quality gaming settings, we recommend the fastest models for the following resolution levels.

How much GPU memory does a gaming graphics card need?

Modern AAA game titles such as Cyberpunk 2077 and Hogwarts Legacy require a significant amount of graphics memory (VRAM) depending on the selected graphics settings and display resolution. On a 4K monitor with the highest texture quality and ray tracing enabled, the VRAM requirement for these types of game can quickly exceed 10–16 GB.

Ideally, the high-resolution textures of your games should fit completely into the VRAM to prevent reloading jerks. More graphics memory provides greater future-proofing, and with 12–16 GB being the norm for current graphics cards, you are already well equipped. The 32 GB of a GeForce RTX 5090 is only necessary for virtual reality gaming and similar exceptional use cases.

If you only play at Full HD resolution and can manage without the highest quality settings, even 8 GB of VRAM may still be sufficient. As a general rule, the higher the texture, display and graphics quality settings you select, the more graphics memory current games will occupy.

Ray tracing: killer feature for modern gaming PCs

Ray tracing provides incredibly realistic graphics, with accurately calculated light sources producing effects such as realistic shadows and impressive reflections on object surfaces. This feature is already supported by many games, with more being added every month. There is no doubt that ray tracing is the future.

Games that already take advantage of these ultra-realistic technology include Battlefield 5, CoD Modern Warfare, Cyberpunk 2077, Minecraft and Hogwarts Legacy. If ray tracing is an important gaming feature for you, the top models from AMD and NVIDIA offer significantly higher ray tracing performance than their mid-range counterparts thanks to their greater number of integrated, dedicated ray tracing units.

All new AMD graphics cards (AMD Radeon RX 9000 series) and NVIDIA GPUs (NVIDIA GeForce RTX 50 series) support ray tracing, as do previous generations of GPUs, although the latest models are faster. NVIDIA performs slightly better than AMD when it comes to ray tracing in PC gaming. NVIDIA refers to the dedicated ray tracing units as RT cores, while AMD calls them ray accelerators.

NVIDIA DLSS and AMD FSR boost frame rates

Modern graphics cards feature smart solutions that go beyond the pure raw 3D performance of the chip, which is ideal for applications requiring high graphics performance and high FPS — including GPU-hungry AAA games, even without ray tracing support. Ideally, these solutions ensure a higher FPS rate by generating and inserting additional frames or rendering individual frames at a lower resolution using the GPU and then upscaling them with AI rather than rendering them completely via the GPU.

NVIDIA's current solution is called Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS 4) with Multi Frame Generation, while AMD uses FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR 4). Although these approaches differ in their methods, both aim to enable smoother gaming by providing more frames per second (FPS) while maintaining high graphics quality. AI is also used in the process. Compared to older approaches such as FSR3 and FSR2, as well as DLSS3 and DLSS2, the newer approaches are clearly superior.

What is the best processor for gaming PCs?

Even with an AMD Ryzen 5 or Intel Core Ultra 5 processor, you can enjoy decent gaming performance at an excellent price. The following models are fully sufficient for all current games.

Please note that the 'K' in the name of an Intel CPU and the 'X' in the name of an AMD CPU indicate that they can be overclocked. Additionally, AMD's X3D CPUs offer a special 3D V-cache that improves performance, particularly for gaming.

• AMD Ryzen 5 9600X (6 cores, 12 threads)
• Intel Core Ultra 5 225 (6 performance and efficiency cores, 10 threads)
• Intel Core Ultra 5 245K (6 performance and 8 efficiency cores, 20 threads)

If you want extra performance for the future, or if you stream and play games at the same time, you should buy a gaming PC from bestware featuring an AMD Ryzen 7 or Intel Core Ultra 7 processor:

• AMD Ryzen 7 9700X (8 cores, 16 threads)
• AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D (8 cores, 16 threads)
• Intel Core Ultra 7 265 (8 performance and 12 efficiency cores, 20 threads)
• Intel Core Ultra 7 265K (8 performance and 12 efficiency cores, 20 threads)

The AMD Ryzen 9 and Intel Core Ultra 9 processors offer unlimited gaming performance. There are no more powerful CPUs available in “desktop PC for gamers:

• AMD Ryzen 9 9900X (12 cores, 24 threads)
• AMD Ryzen 9 9950X (16 cores, 32 threads)
• AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D (16 cores, 32 threads)
• Intel Core Ultra 9 285 (8 performance and 16 efficiency cores, 24 threads)
• Intel Core Ultra 9 285K (8 performance- and 16 efficiency cores, 24 threads)

Tip: Even CPUs from the previous generation, such as the Intel Core i7-14700K, Intel Core i9-14900K, AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D and AMD Ryzen 9 7900X3D, still offer excellent gaming performance.

SSD ensures blazingly fast loading times in the gaming PC

Compared to conventional mechanical hard disks, solid state disks (SSDs) are silent and much faster. There is no read/write arm gliding over magnetic disks in search of data, as there is with conventional hard disks. Instead, an SSD works similarly to a USB stick or an SD memory card: a controller silently accesses flash memory cells

The fastest mechanical hard drives can achieve read and write speeds of between 250 and 300 MB/s under optimal conditions. They are also much slower than SSDs in terms of access times.

When buying a gaming PC from bestware, make sure you choose an M.2 SSD with a PCI Express connection as the primary drive.

This allows you to load game saves and reload content in the game much faster when switching from one region to the next. Starting the PC or operating system and working with it also feels much faster with an SSD: When you switch on the computer, you are in Windows within a few seconds, and programmes open immediately.

At Bestware, you can configure your desktop gaming PC with one or more solid-state drives (SSDs). Make sure you choose a drive with enough storage space for gaming — at least 1 TB — since installing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare alone can use up almost 200 GB! When it comes to the speed of M.2 SSDs, bear the following in mind:

• M.2 SSDs with PCI Express 4.0 can achieve a theoretical maximum speed of up to 7000 MB/s during data transfer.
• M.2 SSDs with PCI Express 5.0 can achieve a theoretical maximum speed of up to 14000 MB/s during data transfer.
• How fast your SSD actually reads and writes depends on the model you choose, the controller, the SLC and DRAM caches, the memory cells, and the SSD cooling.

How much RAM does a gaming PC need?

To enjoy the latest games without any limitations, configure a gaming PC with 32 GB of DDR5 memory from bestware. Gamers won’t benefit from 64 GB or more; such RAM capacities are primarily important for creative professionals who want to access high-resolution photos, images or videos quickly during editing. 16 GB, on the other hand, is almost too little for some games.

To squeeze a few more FPS out of your games, choose the fastest RAM possible, such as DDR5-5600 or DDR5-6000.

What wattage should a power supply for a gaming PC be?

If you're buying a PC for gaming, it's essential to ensure that you have a sufficiently powerful and high-quality power supply unit. The power supply is the key component for ensuring your gaming PC runs stable and smoothly. That's why the bestware PC configurator offers high-quality power supplies from Seasonic, Corsair and Asus in various performance classes. These are characterised by high efficiency in accordance with the 80 PLUS Gold, Platinum and Titanium standards.

The amount of power consumed by a gaming PC depends on the installed components. High-end CPUs and graphics cards can be quite power-hungry. The following recommendations are only rough guidelines — the exact wattage required also depends on your CPU, the amount of RAM, and the number of SSDs or fans installed in your PC chassis:

• For gaming PCs with an entry-level graphics card (NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Ti, AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT), we recommend a power supply with an output of 550 watts or more.
• For gaming PCs with mid-range graphics cards (NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070, AMD Radeon RX 9070), we recommend a power supply with an output of 650 watts or more.
• For gaming PCs with high-end graphics cards (NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti, AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT), we recommend a power supply with an output of 750 watts or more.
• For the current, absolute top models such as the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 or RTX 5090 or AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX and the most powerful CPUs currently available, you should go at least for an 1000-watt power supply.

The ideal gaming PC is characterised by first-class cooling options

To be able to permanently access the full performance of your desktop PC, the components require efficient cooling. This is particularly important for high-end gaming PCs: if the graphics card or processor overheat, they clock down and deliver less than the performance you paid for. Many off-the-shelf PCs suffer from inadequately sized cooling systems. The cooling design is often much more sophisticated with custom PC builders like XMG.

At bestware, you can therefore choose the PC fan options and cooling systems you want. All of the gaming PCs that you can customise and purchase from us come with high-quality fans and CPU coolers as standard.

Which case should you choose for a gaming PC? Firstly, consider how much space you have available for your computer. Large big towers offer more space for additional fans than much more compact midi or mATX towers. If you install additional 120 mm or 140 mm fans in the case, this will not only ensure better component temperatures. The additional ventilation can also make your gaming PC very quiet, even under full load.

Finally, pay special attention to CPU cooling. This is particularly important when choosing a processor cooler for a powerful twelve- or sixteen-core CPU. A high-quality CPU air cooler, such as the Noctua NH-U12A, delivers excellent performance, enables moderate CPU overclocking and is both long-lasting and reliable

However, if absolute top performance is required, a high-performance compact water cooling system (AIO water cooling) is essential. The size of the radiator is one of the factors that determine the performance. Models with 240 mm, 280 mm and 360 mm radiators are common. These can dissipate more excess heat than an air cooler, and operate quietly with superior performance reserves, even when used for overclocked gaming systems.