The Newbie’s Guide To Buying Gaming PCs

Although owning a gaming PC can largely be considered a luxury purchase, it is becoming increasingly common these days. More so, even gaming laptops have risen in popularity among gamers. As people’s standard of living and their corresponding spending power continually grow, PC prices have conversely fallen and become more affordable, even now we can find many cheap internet options. It’s reached a point where building your own custom PC isn’t as worth it as before; instead, nowadays you can purchase a fully-furnished PC straight from the get-go. In spite of all these seemingly favorable conditions surrounding the value of gaming PCs, there are still a few considerations to account for. 

1. When is The Right Time?

Truth be told, there’s never really a specific timeframe that’s the best to purchase a gaming PC. Although PCs sell for a significant price range of $700 to $3000, they are a worthwhile investment. PCs can be expensive as a private vehicle, but it’s also durable and hardy, capable of lasting a decade if well-maintained and upgraded. 

Especially given this current worldwide pandemic, everyone is pretty much cooped up within their four walls in view of self-isolation. Naturally, this has thrown a curveball at the world’s economy with many major PC component manufacturers in China being badly affected by the declining economy with their PC shipments falling by eight percent so far in this first half of 2020. However, there have been contradicting reports from other manufacturers like AMD and Intel claiming that prices have remained stable. In general, this suggests that while the pandemic has had adverse effects on the global economy, the gaming industry has been relatively stable with slight fluctuations depending on the gaming products or components.

Although possessing quality specs like 4K resolution and an excellent mouse-and-keyboard shooter accuracy are all great reasons to invest in a good gaming PC, gaming is more than just a solitary, confined activity. Instead, it’s arguable that the social aspect of gaming with friends within a community is more heartwarming and rewarding. The endless assortment of multiplayer games like MMORPGs like Maplestory, competitive FPS battle royales like Fortnite, and MOBAs like Call of Duty Mobile are just several of the categories that comprise the vast online gaming communities. 

Moreover, massive group-chatting platforms and community pages as found on Discord and Steam are laidback and welcoming environments to kindle connections and foster friendships with equally passionate peers. For example, Discord’s channel function facilitates passive socializing where anyone can enter or leave a channel (“chatroom”) at any point in time, given that it’s open to the public. Additionally, game-specific streaming platforms like Twitch have amassed an incredible following over the years too, thus connecting even more fans and streamers or content creators together in real-time interaction. You’ll never have to feel alone while gaming ever again.

2. The Benefits of Gaming PCs

Let’s address the elephant in the room: if you’re the type of gamer who’d prefer to spend countless hours locked in the comfort of your bedroom with Mountain Dew and Doritos as you play Fortnite for eight hours straight, all the power to you. That’s a lifestyle commonly portrayed by gamers in mass media and it is a stereotype for a reason. There are so many good game titles out there catering specifically for solo gameplay such as Assassin’s Creed or Skyrim. Indeed, they offer cinematic storytelling on epic proportions that suck you into their world. Moreover, the indie developer scene is also incredibly lively with many independent creators taking on the challenge of creating their own beloved game through pure hard work and talent. These indie games eventually get published on game-distributing sites like Itchi.io and GameJolt. However, apart from solo gaming, there’s definitely much more that gaming PCs have to offer.

Tying back to the social aspect of gaming, community building has enlivened the gaming scene immensely over the past decade. Barriers to entry are significantly lower with games becoming less exclusive and more digestible to new players. Through effective media marketing and newbie-friendly game mechanics, massive battle royale games like Fortnite and Overwatch are definitely among the recent top key players in the gaming industry. Game companies successfully pique newcomers’ interests with their free-to-play feature, flashy gimmicks, and addicting gameplay style, eventually luring them into the fanbase. This perpetuates a self-fulfilling cycle of increasing sales to newbies and incentivizing their stay with irresistible in-game items to level up their character and gear thereby resulting in huge profit margins for these companies. Moreover, there are also console-adaptable controllers for PCs which enable you to play local co-op with your friends in case you miss console gaming.

At the end of the day when you’re all tuckered out from gaming marathons, these PCs also double up as ridiculous entertainment systems — enabling you to stream your favorite Netflix films or just blast some chill tunes to vibe out to. There’s really nothing a gaming PC can’t do.

3. Buy or DIY?

Now the golden question that’s lingering on everyone’s mind: Should I buy a pre-assembled one or custom-build one? Although custom-builds statistically tend to be cheaper and allow more room for creativity like inserting LED lights into your CPU, it can inadvertently get complicated if insufficient research has been conducted. In fact, if you run into any struggles during the assembly, you’re both your own builder and tech support. And sometimes, encountering glitchy components or defective parts aren’t your fault, thereby wasting a lot of time on your end in order to resolve it. 

Thus, there’s no shame in purchasing a pre-built PC in all honesty. There are two types of people: either you’d rather reach the end goal or you’d rather enjoy the journey. It really just depends on your preference. 

4. So Buy What?

Currently, pre-built PCs are generally aligned with PC component prices on the market. Furthermore, you’ll be more than spoilt for choice with the selection of tricked-out rigs that gamers could only dream off back in the early 2010s. Nowadays, you can easily find gaming PCs with respectable specs for less than $1000, a big far cry from dated prices. 

You might also want to consider between a gaming laptop or PC. Depending on your lifestyle, you’ll need to discern if you’re committing to a gaming setup or you’d prefer mobility and accessibility. If you’re a more serious gamer in for the long haul, you’ll get more mileage out of a PC setup but if you’re more of a casual bloke, opt for a gaming laptop. 

Once you’ve decided which is more suitable for you, you can then consider any complementary peripherals relevant to your gaming needs such as headsets, keyboards, mouse, chairs, and even mousepads to truly solidify that gaming experience. 

Final Words

All in all, gaming is both an individual and communal activity. It’s so versatile in accommodating to everybody’s preference for entertainment, it’s near impossible not to love gaming in the 21st century. There’s something for everyone. All it takes is a little tutorial here and there to kickstart your (possibly) lifelong journey in clocking in-game hours.