Basics of a Gaming Rig

Most people make a mistake between a gaming rig and a workstation. You see, there is a huge difference between them. A workstation is made, keeping in mind that it’ll be used for completely professional reasons such as encoding, running simulations, muxing and such. This kind of workload does not require a gamer specific system configuration, but instead a very powerful processor and RAM, coupled with an extremely fast (Raided) HDD or according to popular demands, a Solid State Drive (SSD). But a gaming rig doesn’t require such a powerful processor and RAM environment. What is of utmost importance is that a perfect balance is created between all the components that make up a system. One should not out power the other in an evident way. We should always remember that no matter what and where, balance is the key to build something stupendous.

A gaming rig is mainly built up of 7 things:-

The Processor . The Storage Drive. The Motherboard. The RAM Module. The Graphics Card.  The Power Supply Unit.

In today’s time, we see that money buys power. But luckily, that is not the case when it comes to our gaming rig. You see, the most important component is the processor, for any computer.  The processor requires to be the most stable part as it will be the coordinating part of the entire system. So, no matter how powerful all the other parts are, if your processor is not good enough, then none of your other parts will be used to their full potential.

intel_vs_amd

With the 2 giants, AMD and Intel fighting on the world stage to dominate, with AMD supplying the new age APUs and Intel still perfecting their CPU processors, we have many an options to choose from. To the unexercised eye, the ones with better reviews often tend to be the better of the lot. But surprisingly it isn’t always the case. For example, if you are searching for an all integrated processor, then AMDs all-in-one APUs are much more purposeful than Intel’s simple processors. But if one wants to go for the pure optimized power in a processor, then one goes for Intel’s processors. Although if one would be searching for raw power for converting videos, using powerful softwares like: AutoCad, Photoshop, Maya, etc… then again, one should look at AMDs CPU processors. The supposedly have much more raw power than Intel’s optimized ones.
But for our needs, it will be beneficial to us to stay put with Intel’s extremely well optimized, powerful and budget friendly processors that have a very efficient architecture, making heat dissipation easier and hence, better allover performance.

rog-graphics-card-wallpaper_398014703

We now come to the graphic cards. You see, money will buy you many types of graphic cards. But it doesn’t mean that the most expensive will be the most beneficial for your system. For example, if you have a 3rd generation i3 processor, then there is no practical use to have a GeForce Titan. Simply because of the fact that the processor will not be able to use even 50% of the card’s power before it maxes itself out. This is why I have been dwelling on the same subject of balancing the system that is to be built. With both AMD and NVidia battling it out on the center stage to bring out the most powerful  (in all aspects) graphics card, one has to say that they have been doing a pretty good job of it. With the likes of the AMD’s HD 7000 series and now the R series, and with NVidia’s 600 series, 700 series and the Titanium versions of some of its products, we the consumers have a huge arsenal to pick our favorite from. Given our current requirement for almost all games included, the best amongst all comes out to be the GTX 690. For a price tag of Rs.26,000 it is the most powerful card in its price range and will guarantee to work for another 3 years at a minimum. It has a very sleek design, a powerful structure, high on efficiency and high on heat dissipation, making it one of the most desirable cards out there in today’s market. This card not only makes  gaming at full HD look like a child’s play, it is also much optimized for Intel processors, making it put its 100% out there without making a lot of excuses. Although, using a core i3 would be stupid. Like, literally stupid. If you cannot but a core i5 processor and even then go for a card like the GTX 690, then that person has surely lost it. First, we go for the processor and then the Card. Always. That is how, we create the balance.

599901_v01_b

Then there is our RAM module. Here, the saying,”more is better”, actually holds true. But then again too much will be useless, as it won’t be used. The best one can go for now is an 8 GB module. But when buying the RAM, people often think whether or not they should buy 2 x 4 GB modules or a simple 8 GB module. Well, the answer is that the single 8 GB module will be much faster than the 2 x 4 GB ones. This is because the computer will  able to divide all the workload onto one single RAM module and not have to put it on 2 different modules to  process and then out it back together again before submitting it for the output. That being said, there are different kinds of RAM, more specifically, different speeds of different RAMs. That is considering the fact that we have all moved in with the DDR3 RAM Modules. The different speeds are mainly, 1333MHz and 1600MHz. One should remember never to mix the 2 different RAM sticks together as that will bring about major instability to your CPU and even damage your Motherboard. If it is for pure gaming needs, then one should always consider buying the 1600MHz Module as it is much faster than the traditional 1333MHz one.

ssds_primary-100037001-orig

We then have our Storage Drives. With today’s technology, and the oncoming of Solid State Drives and phasing out of HDDs, we are most certain that in the very near future, HDDs will be all phased out, even the Raid technology as SSDs will fill up the void. You see, the SSDs actually offer MUCH greater speeds. So in a way, it’s very beneficial to our gaming needs as well as our daily needs while using softwares and the likes.

With all the components in place, we then set out to find the motherboard that will support all our above suggestions and then along with that, be able to handle a few upgrades later on upon itself. In the quest to differentiate, motherboard companies are getting more aggressive about segmentation.

motherboard-wallpaper-desktop-4

Simply requesting a batch of enthusiast-oriented submissions between those price posts isn’t specific enough. Did we want overclocking-focused boards? Gaming-oriented? Is there really such a thing as a motherboard optimized for gaming? We’re certainly excited that the explosion of high-profile games is pushing the boundaries of product design, at the very least. Here’s exactly what we’re looking for, though:Motherboard_Toms HArdware

boards that support a couple of PCI Express graphics cards, high-end audio output, a high level of configurability, and enough stability to push a top overclock. However that combination of capabilities is classified, sure, gaming is in there. We just don’t like limiting our performance pursuits to a single type of task.

With all these figured out, we now need something to power our entire setup and not blow itself away into thin air if there is a fluctuation and of the sorts. compact-gaming-standard-ATX-power-supply For this, our PSUs are generally kept about 50-80 Watts higher in capacity than actually needed. Keeping this in mind, it is most sensible to go for a 650 Watt PSU given the rate at which we keep on upgrading our computer’s components. For this, there are a few producers who will promise you a good deal. Leading that line, as always, is Corsair. Then there are the likes of Seasonic, Coolermaster, XFX and the rest who don’t fall far behind.

With all this built, we now have what can be defined as a ‘Gaming Rig’.

maxresdefault
You see, not only will it be different according to the needs of every individual; it’ll also have that stamp of pride on it, which will shine on every time we start a game with all graphic settings at maximum.  With this, I’ll bring this post to an end. But remember: the basic is to maintain a balance. If that criterion is not met, then, may the force be with you.
Also, Happy Gaming!

2 thoughts on “Basics of a Gaming Rig”

  1. Hey,hey Kundu junior!
    Got linked to this article from a PC gamers group. Nicely done.

    However, if you were a bit more specific and accurate in assessing the order of priority of components in a computer ,it’d be good. AMD doesn’t have more brute power, it merely gives better value for money. Above a certain price range, an intel is the de facto choice. An i3 will be limited in computationally extensive games but not to 50%. 70-80% is the least that it can fall too. Also, a gtx970 is a much better proposition (both power consumption and performance wise) than a 690.

    Regarding RAM, 2x4gb will result in them being used in dual channel mode which is almost always faster. Furthermore, 1600mhz will only give marginal performance returns in decompressing rar and other computational tasks. The effect on gaming is pretty much non existent. A quick google search will get you the anandtech article that explores the issue in detail.

    To be not overtly critical, it was a nice article that needs some updating and fact checking. Keep at it,bro!

  2. Subhajeet Kundu

    Dipanjan da,
    Thanks very much for your input. I’ll be much more critical in my upcoming posts. 🙂
    Also, you mentioned that the GTX 970 is better performance wise. I’d beg to differ. The 690, being marginally costlier, yes granted that it takes a little bit more power, delivers much greater a performance when running any power hungry game in Full HD resolution. This can easily be backed by various benchmarks. So, given the price difference, the longitivity of the 690 is much more than the 970. That was also a factor in picking that specific card.
    And again, thanks for the valuable input. 🙂

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Scroll to Top