Buying advice: What do you need for a gaming PC?

Gaming PCs are characterised by more than enough power for current games, plenty of memory, quiet operation with optimal cooling and, of course, a chic gaming design including RGB lighting. In bestware's PC configurator, you can put together the ideal gaming PC online and configure it yourself.

In the following buying guide, we show you what you should look out for if you are planning to buy a new gaming PC. It is important that the components are well matched and deliver exactly the performance you need for your favourite games. You should also consider that, in addition to the gaming computer itself, you also need the right accessories. gaming monitors, a gaming keyboard and gaming mouse, and a gaming headset complete your setup.

Windows 11 is certainly the most widely used operating system among gamers. But Linux is also becoming more and more popular for gaming on gamer PCs. Valve has done a lot of work recently with the Steam client and the current Proton API, so that Linux gaming is also becoming interesting for standard users.

Buying a gamer PC: It all depends on the latest hardware

Basically, you should make sure to use only the latest components when building a gaming PC. At bestware, you can be sure that we offer the latest hardware as soon as it is available. Current NVIDIA GeForce RTX as well as AMD Radeon RX graphics cards offer you plenty of 3D performance for your games and guarantee you high FPS (frames per second). For example, a GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, a GeForce RTX 3070 or AMD's RX 6600 XT and RX 6700 XT offer a very good price-performance ratio.

This also applies to processors such as the AMD Ryzen 5, AMD Ryzen 7 and AMD Ryzen 9 as well as Intel Core i5, Intel Core i7 and Intel Core i9. This means you are well equipped in terms of performance for all current games.

How much performance you really need depends above all on the resolution in which you play. Below we give you some recommendations on which graphics cards you should choose for 1080p (Full HD), 1440p (WQHD), for gaming in 4K (UHD) or for VR games. We also give you tips on how much RAM a current gaming PC needs, how big and how fast your SSD should be, which CPU cooler is right for you and how much RAM you need for gaming.

We will show you in detail below which configurations make your gaming PC the optimal overall package.

What to look for when buying a gaming PC? Basic question: graphics card

The most important component of any PC for gamers is a powerful graphics card with modern features. The performance level 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, the more pixels the graphics card has to calculate. While you can choose a graphics card with a particularly good price-performance ratio for a Full HD monitor, a 4K monitor or even a high-resolution VR headset often requires an expensive high-end model - at least in AAA games.

Ray tracing: killer feature for modern gaming PCs

Ray tracing provides an incredibly realistic graphics quality with physically correctly calculated light sources, such as real-looking shadows and impressive reflections on the surfaces of objects. The feature is already supported by many games and more are being added every month. There is no doubt: ray tracing is the future.

Among the titles that already take advantage of ultra-realistic graphics are Battlefield 5, CoD Modern Warfare, Cyberpunk 2077, Minecraft or Hogwarts Legacy. If ray tracing in games is an important topic for you, the top models from AMD and NVIDIA offer you a significantly higher ray tracing performance than the respective mid-range graphics cards: they have a higher number of integrated, dedicated ray tracing units.

Basically, all AMD graphics cards from the AMD RX 6000 and AMD RX 7000 series support ray tracing. At NVIDIA, this not only applies to the latest GeForce RTX 40 graphics cards, but already to the previous generations GeForce RTX 30 and GeForce RTX 20. However, the newer graphics cards are significantly faster in this respect. NVIDIA calls the dedicated ray tracing units RT cores, AMD calls them ray accelerators.

Since ray tracing requires a lot of graphics power, both manufacturers offer solutions that reduce the graphics load without our eyes noticing a deterioration in the display quality - at least in the ideal case. NVIDIA uses Deep Learning Super Sampling 2.0 (DLSS 2.0) or Deep Learning Super Sampling 3.0 (DLSS 3.0) for this purpose. DLSS 3.0 has significantly more features than DLSS 2.0, but is only available for GeForce RTX 40 series graphics cards. AMD uses AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution 2.0 (FSR 2.0) and AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution 3.0 (FSR 3.0).

With both, the graphics card calculates the images in a lower resolution than the one used, then the image is upscaled to the target resolution using AI technology. NVIDIA is currently ahead in both ray tracing performance and upscaling quality.

How much graphics memory does a gaming graphics card need?

Modern AAA game titles such as Cyberpunk 2077 use between 6 and 10 GB of graphics memory (VRAM). VR gaming can require significantly more graphics card memory due to the high-resolution textures.

The high-resolution textures of your games should ideally fit completely into the VRAM, which prevents reloading jerks. In case of doubt, more graphics memory means more future-proofing, but with the predominantly 8 to 16 GB of current graphics cards you are already well equipped. The 24 GB of a GeForce RTX 4090 can only be used in exceptional cases and virtual reality gaming.

If you only play in Full HD resolution anyway and can do without high quality settings, 6 GB of graphics memory can be sufficient for entry-level gaming. The rule of thumb is: the higher the selected texture quality, the more graphics memory current games occupy.

Which graphics card should you choose for your gaming PC?

At bestware you can assemble your gaming PC with different graphics cards. Here you will find a brief overview of how you can classify the graphics cards in terms of performance. Please note: If you want to gamble with maximum real-time ray tracing settings, you will need a faster graphics card even for a lower resolution and in some games you will not be able to avoid using NVIDIA's DLSS or AMD's FSR.

Graphics cards such as the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650, GTX 1650 Ti, GTX 1660 or GTX 1660 Ti should be avoided; they are technologically outdated. If you want to use ray tracing, you should configure one of the faster graphics cards for the respective resolution:

What is the best processor for gaming PCs?

Even with a current AMD Ryzen 5 processor or an Intel Core i5 CPU, you get decent gaming performance at an excellent price-performance ratio. These include the following models, which are fully sufficient for all current games. Note: The "K" in the name of the Intel CPU and the “X” in the name of the AMD CPU indicates the possibility of overclocking.

• AMD Ryzen 5 7600 (6 cores, 12 threads)
• AMD Ryzen 5 7600X (6 cores, 12 threads)
• Intel Core i5-13400 (6 performance and 4 efficiency cores, 16 threads)
• Intel Core i5-13600K (6 performance and 8 efficiency cores, 16 threads)

If you want to plan some buffer for the future or stream and play at the same time, you should buy a gaming PC from bestware that has a current AMD Ryzen 7 or Intel Core i7 CPU:

• AMD Ryzen 7 7700 (8 cores, 16 threads)
• AMD Ryzen 7 7700X (8 cores, 16 threads)
• Intel Core i7-13700 (8 performance and 8 efficiency cores, 24 threads)
• Intel Core i7-13700K (8 performance and 8 efficiency cores, 24 threads)

AMD Ryzen 9 or Intel Core i9 offer you unlimited gaming performance - more CPU power is not possible in current desktop PCs for gamers. A special feature of AMD are the X3D CPUs. These processors have a large 3D V-cache, which has a particularly positive effect in terms of gaming performance:

• AMD Ryzen 9 7900 (12 cores, 24 threads)
• AMD Ryzen 9 7900X (12 cores, 24 threads)
• AMD Ryzen 9 7900X3D (12 cores, 24 threads)
• AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (16 cores, 32 threads)
• Intel Core i9-13900 (8 performance and 16 efficiency cores, 24 threads)
• Intel Core i9-13900K (8 performance and 16 efficiency cores, 24 threads)
• Intel Core i9-13900KS (8 performance and 16 efficiency cores, 24 threads)

SSD ensures blazingly fast loading times in the gaming PC

Compared to conventional, mechanical hard disks, solid state disks (SSDs) operate silently and significantly faster. Here, there is no read/write arm that has to glide over several magnetic disks inside in search of data. Instead, the SSD works similarly to a USB stick or an SD memory card: a controller silently accesses flash memory cells.

The fastest mechanical hard drives achieve read and write speeds of between 250 and 300 MB/s under optimal conditions. In addition, they are much slower than an SSD in terms of access times.

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

For example, you can load game saves much faster and reload content in the game in less time when switching from one region to the next. Even starting the PC or operating system and working feel much faster with an SSD: When you switch on the computer, you are in Windows in a few seconds and clicked programmes open immediately.

At bestware you can configure your desktop gaming PC with one or more SSDs. Make sure to choose a sufficiently large drive of at least 500 GB to 1 TB, because even one installation of Call of Duty Modern Warfare can take up almost 200 GB! With regard to the speed of the M.2 SSDs, you should note:

• 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 really reads and writes depends on the model you choose, the controller, the SLC cache and DRAM cache, and the memory cells

How much RAM does a gaming PC need?

For current games and otherwise normal PC use without restrictions, you should configure a gaming PC with 16 GB or 32 GB DDR4 or DDR5 memory on bestware. Gamers do not benefit from 64 GB and more; such RAM sizes are especially important for creative professionals who want to keep even high-resolution photos, images or videos in the RAM for the fastest possible access during editing.

If you want to squeeze a few more FPS out of your games, you should choose the fastest possible RAM - such as DDR5-5600 or DDR5-4800 with a clock frequency of 5600 MHz or 4800 MHz. The older DDR4 RAM is currently still somewhat cheaper than DDR5. If you have a limited budget, you can also choose DDR4-3200.

If you configure your gaming computer at bestware, you will find special pre-selected DDR5 and DDR4 memory modules in the configurator of the online shop that perfectly fit your new gaming system.

How many watts should the power supply unit have for a gaming PC?

When buying a PC for gamers, you should always make sure you have a sufficiently powerful and, above all, high-quality power supply unit. The power supply is the key component for a stable, trouble-free gaming PC. That's why we offer you optimally processed Seasonic power supplies in various performance classes in the bestware PC configurator. These are also characterised by high efficiency in accordance with 80 PLUS Gold and 80 PLUS Platinum.

How much power a gaming PC consumes depends on the components installed in it. High-end CPUs and high-end graphics cards can be quite power-hungry:

• For gaming PCs with an entry-level graphics card (NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, AMD Radeon RX 6600 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 3070, AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT), we recommend a power supply with an output of 650 watts or more.
• For gaming PCs with high-end graphics cards (NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti, RTX4080), 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 4090 and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX, you should plan for an 1000-watt power supply.

The optimal gaming PC is characterised by first-class cooling

In order for you to be able to call up the performance of your desktop PC permanently, strong cooling of the components is required. This is especially true for high-end gaming PCs: if the graphics card or the processor get too warm, they clock down and deliver less than the performance you paid for. Many off-the-shelf PCs in particular suffer from the problem of inadequately dimensioned cooling.

At bestware, you can therefore choose yourself which ventilation options and cooling systems you want to configure. All gaming PCs that you can assemble and buy from us already have high-quality fans and CPU coolers in the basic equipment.

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

Finally, you should pay special attention to the CPU cooling. This is especially true when it comes to choosing a processor cooler for a powerful twelve-core or sixteen-core CPU. A high-quality CPU air cooler such as the be quiet! DarkRock 4 already delivers a lot of performance, allows moderate CPU overclocking and, above all, is durable and not susceptible to faults.

If, on the other hand, absolute top performance is required, there is no way around a high-performance compact water cooling system (AIO water cooling). Here, the size of the radiator determines the performance, among other things. Models with 240 mm, 280 mm and 360 mm radiators are common. They can dissipate even more waste heat than an air cooler and work quietly and with superior performance reserves even in overclocked gaming systems.

Buy cheap gaming PCs for all performance requirements at bestware

Bestware offers you the best of both worlds when buying a gaming PC: the free configurability of a self-built gaming computer and the maximum compatibility of all selectable components. All components that you find in the PC configurator have been tested for smooth interaction. So you can choose components from components from the price-performance range you are aiming for and can rely on the intensive preliminary tests of all possible combinations.

Since we only offer high-quality components, you can be sure that your gaming PC will last a very long time. Experienced technicians will assemble your dream PC for you and we will optionally deliver it to your home with a freshly pre-installed Windows - without bloatware and with the latest updates and drivers.

If you wish, we can also upgrade your new gaming computer for you with a high-quality gaming look and feel. Accurate cable management is one of the free basics of every gaming PC purchased from us. In addition, you can choose modding options such as sleeved cables, additional RGB fans or RGB strips, which are particularly effective in cases with windows made of tempered glass.

Customisable or addressable ARGB lighting also allows you to synchronise all the lighting elements installed in the computer with each other and adjust the colour to your liking. There are several systems to choose from, such as ASUS Aura or Corsair iCUE.