The right build does not follow from a budget, but from the monitor you have and the games you play.
It is the question nobody asks in a shop, and yet it determines everything. A high-end graphics card behind a 1080p 60 Hz monitor wastes half its price: it renders frames the monitor will never show. Conversely, a 1440p 144 Hz monitor calls for a machine many so-called gaming builds cannot keep up with.
Three parameters define how much power is actually needed:
If you plan to change monitor, say so: better to size the machine for the monitor to come than for the current one.
The most frequent flaw in builds sold online: an impressive graphics card paired with a processor that holds it back, or with a power supply that is too tight. The machine costs a lot and does not deliver what it should. A balanced build, with components that match each other, gives better real performance than a more expensive unbalanced one.
The power supply. It is the component most sacrificed in pre-assembled machines, and the most dangerous to skimp on: an underrated supply causes shutdowns under load and can damage the rest. We always allow headroom.
Cooling and noise. A machine that overheats throttles itself, loses frames per second and ages faster. Properly thought-out airflow costs little and is felt immediately, quietness included - something gamers underestimate until they have lived with a noisy machine.
Storage. A fast NVMe SSD changes loading times very visibly. Current games take up a lot of space: better to allow plenty from the start.
Memory. Enough of it and at the right speed, which affects some games more than people think.
A question we address straight. The secondhand market sometimes buys a step up in performance for the same budget, particularly on graphics cards. It also carries real risks: unknown wear, no warranty, hardware that has run continuously.
We can build a mixed configuration - new for the power supply, motherboard and storage, checked secondhand for the graphics card - and we will tell you what that means for the warranty. See also secondhand hardware.
An assembled machine, tested under load, with Windows and the drivers installed, the basic settings done and temperatures checked under real load - not just a start-up. You get the detailed list of components and their warranties.
We also check the monitor is set up correctly, its refresh rate in particular: a 144 Hz monitor left at 60 Hz by default is something we come across regularly, and it cancels out part of the investment.
Before proposing a whole machine, we look at what the existing one can do. On many builds, changing the graphics card, adding memory or moving to an SSD is enough to buy two or three more years, for far less than a replacement. We will tell you if that is the case.
A build intended for gaming suits video editing, photo work, 3D modelling or development very well - the computing needs are the same. The reverse is not true: an office machine does not play games.
If your machine has to do both, say so. It changes a few decisions: more memory, a second drive to keep projects apart from games, and sometimes a graphics card whose professional drivers are better supported.
A gaming machine works far harder than an office one. Dusting out and checking temperatures deserve a visit every two or three years - that is what prevents the gradual slowdowns many people put down to age. See overheating and noise and desktop computer repair.
It depends entirely on the monitor and the games in mind. We draw up two or three builds at different levels, explaining what each step up actually brings.
There is a risk: unknown wear and no warranty. On a tight budget it remains a good lever, provided the rest of the machine is new.
That is the whole point of custom building. We allow headroom on the power supply and leave memory slots free so upgrades stay simple.
We put stability and quietness ahead of a few percent of performance. On request, we apply moderate settings verified under load.
Can't find your question? It may be in our full FAQ.
Everything worth knowing before you hand over your equipment.
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What the households and businesses we work with have to say.
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Describe your problem: we reply with an initial assessment.
Tell us your monitor and your games: the rest follows.
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