How Much Should You Spend on a Gaming Pc?
Gaming PCs come in a broad range of price points. If you are building your own model, the overall price depends on the quality and cost of the components in which you have invested. However, being expensive does not mean that you will get a guaranteed worthwhile unit.
Other than this, the amount you spend on your unit depends on your intention behind using your system. A PC can be used for multiple things, including work, gaming, research, browsing, etc. If you want to invest in your computer, you should define the purpose behind its use clearly.
Other than the purpose of use, another significant factor that dictates the price of a system is the specs that it holds. From functionality to quickness and featuring of the latest and innovative technology, each and every spec ultimately adds to the total price of the system.
By comparing a PC with a console, you will get the idea that a PC can come more expensive. However, this expense will be worth it as the durability and many other pluses of a gaming PC outshine the consoles.
So, in a market full of options and with a heart full of expectations, one can get confused while spending on a gaming PC. Therefore, we are here to solve it all for you.
Why is Budget Important?
The amount that you invest in the building of your gaming PC will largely dictate your approach to a category of components that you are about to use and, consequently, the functionality and performance of your system. Your PC construction budget is often divided into three categories: Economical, Medium-ranged, and High-End.
A budget-oriented gaming PC used to cost you around $450 or $500 a few years ago. However, with the rising costs, extra expenditure is hard to avoid these days.
Use of your system:
As described earlier, the purpose for which you will use your PC largely dictates its price point. If you are a gamer who cannot compromise on the gaming experience, or if you are a workaholic who’s hunting for a workstation, your intent to use the unit will decide the cost you will have to spend.
Gaming PC:
If you want to play games with commendable frame rates, you will have to focus on the crucial components of your gaming PC as well. Many older cards can still achieve extremely decent frame rates even without some of the new software and architecture found on newer GPUs since many contemporary games are fairly well optimized.
Work-Oriented PC:
More powerful components are required for users who wish to do some video editing, probably some rendering, and potentially even some CAD work.
Applications for video editing, such as Premiere Pro, will happily use the most powerful CPUs, GPUs, and memory. Here is where high-end components will really make a difference because they dramatically reduce render and playback times.
The components needed for workstations will constantly vary, and what you need will ultimately rely on the type of job you anticipate doing.
Nevertheless, for projects intended to serve as workstations, we advise spending at least $1000, which falls into the mid-range and, more likely, the high-end construction price ranges. Particularly affordable systems sometimes have limited upgradeability, which might be disastrous for a workstation setup.
Categorization of Expenses on Gaming PCs:
As described earlier, the PC that you are about to invest in might fall from budget-friendly to high-end class. Here is a quick sneak peek at each domain that you can find in the market.
Budget-friendly PCs:
You may anticipate using an Intel Core i3 or AMD Ryzen 3 CPU for low-cost construction. These CPU options are quite powerful, especially when combined with Intel’s newest 12th Gen range. The major goal when choosing a CPU is to avoid putting your GPU at a bottleneck while keeping the cost as cheap as feasible.
This strategy will make you avoid much cost, especially for the other components in your system. We’d advise spending from $600 – $800 for a reliable 1080p-focused gaming PC setup within this price range.
Medium-Ranged PCs:
Most of us desire a reliable mid-range gaming PC that can run virtually any game at high settings or better at 1080p 60 frames per second. But what does that mid-range construction actually look like, how much will it cost, and will it be able to fulfill our expectations.
The Ryzen 5 processor or i5 can serve as ideal systems that you should be looking for when it comes to a Mid-Range system. Moreover, an i7 or even a Ryzen 7 can prove as worthwhile upgrades for individuals wishing to use their gaming setup for other activities. These extra activities can include video editing or rendering as well.
With a budget between $1,000 and $2,000, you can afford a lot of extras like Wi-Fi in your build, an integrated IO shield, USB Type-C, lots of fans, and RGB on certain components.
High-End Ranged PCs:
A dedicated specialized gaming PC is absolutely worthwhile if you play video games frequently. You will need to spend more money in order to obtain more if you are the type of person who demands the finest performance in all circumstances or who wants to overclock their computer to the absolute maximum.
We would suggest spending more than $2000 if you want to go for the high-end range of PCs. Customers may push their builds and achieve the finest performance at this upper end. Here, you have the luxury of not having to make as many concessions throughout the part selection process in order to obtain top-tier features.
These projects will likely have the most features, the greatest cooling, and the most aesthetic appeal. Depending on what you intend to accomplish with your setup, purchasing a high-end system might not be essential.
The Bottom Line:
With all the information we have provided you in the above section, we hope that you will now be able to spend more wisely on your new gaming PC. Moreover, if your pocket is not allowing you to spend such hefty amounts immediately, you can choose a budget-friendly PC and upgrade it slowly over time.
