2023 Cost Consideration for a Great Gaming PC

Intel

However, Intel’s chips are famous for being power-hungry and runs hot in many systems. Unless you have a budget for coolers, the stock cooler from Intel would not do much in cooling the heat in your gaming space. Furthermore, the more demanding the game is (I’m looking at you, Cyberpunk 2077), the hotter your PC will be in general due to the increase in physics calculations that taxes your CPU. If you’re a fan of open-world and strategy games in general, then you will most likely need to set aside some budget for a proper cooler and not just rely on Intel’s stock cooler.

AMD

If heat is the issue, then look no further than AMD! It is common knowledge that AMD chips are more power-efficient than Intel ones, hence making them easier to cool and less power-hungry. While it is true that Intel’s chips can deliver better gaming performances in general, AMD’s chips are nothing to scoff at. One of the more popular AMD chips, the AMD Ryzen 7 7700, is a worthy opponent to pin against the Intel i5 13600k. With 8 cores, the base clock speed for this chip sits at 3.8 GHz. While you might think that that number is significantly lower than Intel’s chip, the AMD chip is also a SGD $100 lesser than the former. Furthermore, it is definitely enough to run most modern games.

Which one to get?

Both the Intel and AMD chips mentioned are very value-for-money. It depends on what priorities you have as a gamer. Do you want a more power-efficient chip, but with lower clock speed, or a more powerful chip that is more power-hungry? For most people, I would recommend getting the AMD chip as first of all, there really aren’t that many games that will not run well with this chip. Furthermore, it is a hundred dollars cheaper than the Intel chip. This savings can be used for better purposes further down the line as you build your PC.

2. Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) (Brain 2 of your gaming PC)

Next, we look at the GPUs. This component is significantly important in your gaming PC build because it is the one that handles the graphics of the game. Pretty much any AAA games (Red Dead Redemption 2, Cyberpunk 2007 etc.) these days require intense workload from the GPU to process the graphics for our enjoyment, so we recommend you look into the GPU that fits your gaming needs.

There are 3 main companies that produce GPUs: Nvidia, AMD and Intel. Intel was the last to join the party here, but its GPUs can still be considered, because some of them can be quite cost-friendly. Depending on the CPU that you choose, the ideal GPU can be different.

Nvidia

For the highest gaming performance for your gaming PC, more people would go for Intel CPU over AMD CPU, for the reasons we stated in Section 1. Now, it is rare to see people match an Intel CPU with an AMD GPU, although there is nothing wrong with that combination.

The more popular combination however, would be an Intel CPU with an Nvidia GPU. Nvidia has released tons of GPUs all this while, and each series line caters to all kinds of budgets that consumers have. However, as each line gets released, the prices become higher and higher. So, is it necessary for you to own the latest Nvidia RTX 4090 to play games? We certainly don’t think so! Most games, even the graphically demanding ones like Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, can run pretty comfortably with a mid-tier option like the Nvidia RTX 4060 or RTX 4070, so it is definitely not a must for you to spend a lot of money to make sure that you can run all the popular games.

AMD

Intel CPUs paired with AMD GPUs is also an option that some gamers go for. AMD GPUs are known for their increase in frame rates, as compared to Nvidia GPUs, but you will then lose the option of ray-tracing. Ray-tracing is the ability to enhance the graphics of a game through modelling light transport to produce a more vibrant and visually-pleasing environment in games.

Many games these days allow gamers to take advantage of their ray-tracing capabilities instilled within them by the developers, hence the demand for ray-tracing cards is on the rise. (Fun fact: RTX in Nvidia GPUs stands for Ray Tracing Texel eXtreme) So again, it depends on the type of gaming experience that you are looking for. Are you looking to play games with a faster frame rate or to enjoy the enhanced graphics in a game? Most players who play shooter games will most likely opt for the first option, while those who enjoy playing open-world simulator games might opt for the latter.

Here are some of the popular AMD GPUs sold by Volta PC below. You can check out our website for more options.

Intel

While Intel is new to the market for GPUs, the current GPUs that they sell can give some well-known Nvidia GPUs a run for their money. Take the Intel Arc A750 for example (shown below).

3. Motherboard

Next, we have the motherboard. This is an important component as it keeps not only your CPU, but also your RAM sticks, storage memory, and CPU cooler. Most motherboards these days come with the IO shield attached, so you don’t have to attach it yourself. The IO shield is full of ports for your usage. For gamers, most peripherals tend to be wired for low latency, so the IO shield is where you’ll look to plug up all your peripherals such as mouse, keyboard, headphones, external storage devices. (who knows, some games could take up massive amounts of storage, I’m looking at you Genshin Impact)

This is how a typical motherboard looks like.

Certain motherboards only fit certain CPUs, so it is very important to check before purchasing that the motherboard you picked is compatible with your CPU of choice. For example, the MSI B650 (above) is only compatible with Ryzen 7 series processors, so if you were planning on getting an Intel CPU, you will need to be looking for another motherboard.

Motherboards tend to be around the same price normally, and the MSI B650 is one of the more value-worth ones at close to SGD $300. You can check out our recent article on motherboards to find out more.

4. Random Access Memory (RAM) sticks

RAM sticks are essential for a good overall PC experience these days, but not so much for gaming itself. However, we know that many gamers, like myself, like to refer to web pages when playing a game to make sure that you are doing the right thing. In games like Stardew Valley, where knowing what items each villager likes is essential in winning their favour and gifts, pulling up the wiki page while the game is running in the background is a common sight.

This is where RAM comes in. In short, it stores all the short-term memory that your gaming PC needs and allows you to access it at a moment’s notice. The more sticks you stick (pun intended) it into your motherboard, the more tolerant your gaming PC is of your 20 Chrome tabs running in the background as you game. Hence, we highly recommend for you to go for at least 16 GB for a good gaming PC. This is because most games and tabs today take up great amounts of short-term storage, so you don’t want to be in a situation where your PC takes ages to load information, thus causing you to lose out of loot.

Most RAM sticks cost around the same price, and price differences do not really change the quality that you get, so why not check out the ones we sell here at Volta PC?

If the above don’t fit your desires, we have more at our website. In general, you really can’t go wrong with picking RAM sticks.

5. Storage

Every good gaming PC requires storage to store your games and other files in. Hence, we recommend you think about spending a little more to get yourself enough storage for your gaming needs. There are 2 storage options: Solid State Drives (SSDs) and Hard Disk Drives (HDDs).

SSD

SSDs are typically more expensive than HDDs, but they are faster, quieter, smaller and generally more durable. Hence, it is certainly a worthwhile investment to own at least 1 SSD in your gaming PC. Should you store your games on the SSD, it will boot up a lot more faster than HDDs. The loading time will also be shorter. This is how an SSD looks like.

As you can see from above, there are tons of SSDs from Volta PC to suit your needs. I would personally recommend the Samsung Evo SSD option because it is quite a durable storage unit and very popular with consumers in general, not just gamers.

HDD

However, if your budget is now quite tight at this stage, it might be more worthwhile for you to look at HDDs as well. They make good storage options too and are cheaper than SSDs. Typically, for the same price, you can get a greater volume of HDD (2 TB for example) over SSD (1 TB or 500 GB for example).

This is how a HDD looks like.

In order to have a good gaming PC, most gamers will go with 1 of each. If you have a smaller budget, you can always opt for either just the SSD or the HDD. If you still have room to spend, then I would opt for 2 SSDs as there is a difference in loading speeds, and you can tell. It will make your gaming experience so much better.

6. Cooler

When you purchase your CPU, there will be a stock cooler that comes with it. However, some gamers prefer to purchase their own coolers as they generally work better than stock coolers. However, should your budget not allow it, it is perfectly fine to just stick with the stock coolers.

That being said, power-hungry chips like high-tier Intel and AMD chips tend to require better-grade coolers to properly cool them down, so you don’t feel like you’re playing games in a sauna. Luckily for you, Volta PC sells a range of coolers that are appropriately priced and are worth a look at.

Most coolers are reasonably cheap, so it wouldn’t be a huge stretch to your budget should you choose to get them. However, if the CPU that you chose is relatively power-efficient (like AMD chips), then stock coolers will work fine.

7. Power Supply Unit

This is the brain of your gaming PC build. It is of utmost importance that you do not splurge unnecessarily when it comes to buying power supply units (PSUs). This is because the price does not determine the quality of the unit, and most gaming PC builds do not require expensive PSUs to run. There are only a few things that you should note when choosing the right PSU for your PC.

Grade (Affects gaming PC performance)

The grade of your PSU is very important, and you must pick wisely. Sometimes, a PSU with a higher wattage but lower grade can cost more than a PSU with a lower wattage and higher grade, which is misleading for consumers. For example, between a 1200-watt, bronze grade PSU and an 800-watt, gold grade PSU, which do you choose? Some gamers might opt for the former, seeing as it is the more expensive option.

This is wrong. You should always take the grade into consideration first before the wattage. Why? This is because the grade determines the quality of the PSU, and thus the quality of your overall PC build. A general rule to follow is to always go for a certified gold-graded PSU instead of any other grades, for it is the highest grade.

This is how a gold grade PSU looks like.

These are just a few of the PSUs available at Volta PC.

For most PC builds, a 650-watt PSU will do just fine. However, if you are unsure, our friendly technicians at Volta PC can help advise you on what kind of PSU you would need for the kind of gaming PC build that you are going for!

8. Operating System (OS)

I’m sure that most of you are familiar with the operating systems in general. macOS, Windows and Linux are the most common ones. However, it is also known that macOS is not optimized for gaming performances, so most gamers still opt for Windows or Linux, as they support most, if not all, games in the market. Nothing much to it, just make sure that the copy that you pick up is legitimate and you’ll be good to go!

Of course, should you choose to build your custom gaming PC with Volta PC, we will ensure that a copy of Windows is downloaded into your PC build, thus saving you the hassle to figure it out yourself. Should you choose to purchase one of our pre-builts, a Windows copy will already be installed inside, so you don’t have to worry about it!

9. PC Case (Body of gaming PC)

Last, but definitely not the least, is the PC case. Please do not leave our store without it. (it’ll be very difficult for you to, our technicians are very observant) Please do not click off the websites as well, thinking that you’ve just completed your job for sourcing out PC parts to build your PC. Only very few gaming PCs in the world are built without a case, but it is generally advised for you to have a case to build in. It prevents the PC from becoming super dusty and rusty; since it would be exposed to the elements without a proper case. Luckily, should you choose to build your custom PC with Volta PC, we will definitely ensure that you get a PC case to go with your awesome build.

Depending on the size and requirements for your gaming PC, Volta PC has 3 beautiful, original cases to choose from: The Model V, Model T and Model A. They are sleek and beautiful, with a minimalistic finish. Best part of it, it is our original design, so you cannot get it anywhere else but from us. This will make your gaming PC one of a kind, topping off your already-awesome build.

If not, here are some of the other cases that you can consider.

Conclusion (Now, you have your very own gaming PC!)

PC gaming is a very popular hobby for most people these days. So much so that prices for certain components are shooting up. However, does this mean that you cannot have an affordable gaming PC of your own? We hope that this article has convinced you otherwise, and that it is entirely possible to own a gaming PC without needing a huge budget. Happy gaming!

Check out our recent articles for more on gaming PCs and the like.