In this article we will guide you to your ideal gaming PC, whether you are looking for an affordable entry-level game for an occasional game, are a fanatic Fortnite fan or are looking for the thickest box for gaming. We tell you what to look out for and give you clear advice on how to get to a real gaming PC.
Before we dive into the specs and components, it's important to think carefully about what you really want to achieve. A gaming PC for a few hundred euros is possible, but a really high-end system can cost you thousands of euros. An entry-level gaming PC is usually more than enough for today's most popular games. For example, Fortnite or Minecraft wouldn't have been so popular if you couldn't play it on a simple computer. However, if you want to play the big titles from the big publishers, think of EA's Battlefield V, Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed Odyssey or Activision's Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, you'll want to dig a little deeper. Want to game at resolutions higher than Full HD (1920 × 1080)? Then a suitable gaming PC will be expensive.
Entry, mid-range or high-end
Computers are complex and the possibilities with the many thousands of components on the market are endless. In this article, we break that down into three clear groups: entry-level, mid-range, and high-end gaming PCs. Entry-level components for systems are primarily intended for popular, lighter games (in addition to Fortnite, these are, for example, League of Legends and the WarGames games). With an entry-level gaming PC you will be able to play practically any game, but heavier games will only work with a lower image quality.
For the mid-range, we focus on gamers who want to display all modern games with high settings, or who want to play games at very high frame rates, for example for competitive online gaming with fast game monitors. In the recommendations for high-end PCs, we focus on the group of people who not only want to be able to play everything at higher resolutions (27-inch screens with 2560 × 1440p, 34-inch ultrawides with 3440 × 1440p or 4K screens), but basically want to be able to do everything imaginable with their PC.
Build it yourself or buy it ready-made?
Building your own is not scary and the internet is full of PC building manuals. On the other hand, you can also have the system assembled for a few tens at almost every webshop that sells components. Convenience serves people. You can also apply the knowledge you gain here to large system builders or when you purchase a ready-made A-brand system in a physical store. Unfortunately, with such PCs we often see that older parts are used or that crucial parts are cut back. In our view, nothing beats good information, so that you can build or have a truly new system built.
video card
The video card is without a doubt the most crucial part of your gaming PC. He largely determines how smoothly games run and how well they come out. With only two manufacturers (Nvidia and AMD) at the base of every modern video card, choosing the right one isn't that difficult: buy one as soon as your budget allows.
Entry
For the entry-level PC, the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (4 GB) and the AMD Radeon RX 570 (4 GB) compete against each other. Both cost between 150 and 200 euros. The Nvidia chip is more economical, but the AMD Radeon RX 570 offers considerably better performance at its price point. FreeSync is also a strong argument in favor of AMD, because of this heavier games come out better on a FreeSync screen. Nvidia's counterpart G-Sync is equally capable, but we practically only see that in luxurious, expensive screens. This makes the AMD RX 570 convincingly our recommendation in the entry-level segment. We advise against saving money with a cheaper RX 560 or GTX 1030 or 1050: you sacrifice a lot of performance with that.
mid range
For a mid-range PC, we look at the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB) or the AMD Radeon RX 580 (8 GB), for sale from around 250 euros. Both cards are excellent for playing heavier or very fast games in Full HD. There is really no better choice. Both have their strengths: they are roughly equally fast, Nvidia is slightly more economical, which is nice in more compact housings, AMD again has FreeSync as an advantage. Our advice is to look for a nice offer, such as an extra competitive price or some free games with your purchase. Is a GTX 1070 or RX 590 within your budget? Then take that upgrade with you.
High end
The high-end segment is dominated by Nvidia. An occasional offer from the AMD Radeon Vega might be interesting, but it's the GeForce cards that dominate this segment. Get the best chip your budget allows: An RTX 2070 is a nice card for 1440p gaming, but it's the RTX 2080 and extremely expensive RTX 2080 Ti that offer the best performance if you're willing to spend the money. Tip: If you can still get a GTX 1080 Ti, feel free to do so: that's almost an RTX 2080 performance for a lot less money.
Our advice
Entry: AMD Radeon RX 570 (4GB)
mid range: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 (6GB), AMD Radeon RX 580 (8GB)
High end: Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070, 2080, 2080 Ti
Processor
The processor is the engine of the typical computer and often determines what it is capable of. With a gaming PC, the emphasis is primarily on the video card, but a bad processor can certainly kill the performance. Finding the right balance is what we are going to do here, because we usually prefer to spend extra budget on the video card than on the processor.
Entry
For an entry-level gaming PC, we're looking directly at the AMD Ryzen 5 2600. Six-core multi-threading (6 cores, 12 threads) isn't really an entry-level processor anymore, but at $170 it's an excellent buy. An Intel Core i3-8100 would actually be enough for the objective, but with its four cores and four threads it is so much more limited in performance that we don't think it's worth the two bucks savings. An additional advantage: with the aforementioned AMD processor, you also immediately have the performance in house if you want to stream Fortnite or occasionally render a video for YouTube. Although we recommend our mid-range AMD processor advice if you want to stream fanatically.
mid range
Intel is also having a hard time for the mid-range PC. The Intel Core i5-9600K would be perfect, but 300 euros for a processor with six cores and six threads is a lot. The AMD Ryzen 7 2700X with eight cores and 16 threads is only slightly more expensive, and the Ryzen 7 2700 is cheaper and can be manually ramped up to the same level. Purely for gaming, the Core i5 is nice, but if you want to use your PC a little more widely, we would seriously look at the Ryzen 7 series.
High end
In the high-end segment, AMD is having a hard time again. The Ryzen 7 2700X would look equally good in a high-end gaming PC, but the real ultimate gaming performance lies with Intel. The Intel Core i7-9700K (8 core, 8 thread) is so fast per core that this is ideal for most games. This makes it the ultimate pure game processor. If you also do a lot of creative things with your computer, consider the Intel Core i9-9900K: the ultimate (yet expensive) consumer processor of the moment.
Note that Intel has been struggling to keep prices in check lately: paying 200 euros more for an i7-9700K over a Ryzen 7 2700X goes a long way. If that is still the case when you have your gaming PC built, feel free to choose the AMD Ryzen 7 2700X, also for your high-end gaming PC.
Our advice
Entry: AMD Ryzen 5 2600
mid range: AMD Ryzen 7 2700(X), Intel Core i5-9600K
High end: AMD Ryzen 7 2700X, Intel Core i7-9700K
Motherboard
Two things are important in a motherboard: ensuring that it can handle your processor and that it meets the requirements in terms of connections. For example, if you have many USB devices or speakers with an optical input, you must ensure that your motherboard has the connections for this. If you don't have a network cable with your computer, a model with good WiFi is handy. Because there are too many wishes to discuss, we recommend that you inquire if in doubt.
Entry
With the AMD Ryzen 5 2600 of the entry-level gaming PC, we take the Gigabyte Aorus B450 PRO (110 euros): a solid middle class with enough connections for most purposes. If you want WiFi, the slightly more expensive and slightly more luxurious-looking MSI B450 Gaming Pro Carbon AC (140 euros) is a good choice.
mid range
If you go for the AMD Ryzen 7 2700X in a mid-range or even high-end system, we recommend a slightly sturdier motherboard. The ASUS Prime X470-PRO (175 euros) or the difficult to obtain MSI X470 Gaming Pro Carbon (if available for 180 euros) are excellent complete options. They have excellent sound quality and more connections than most people can use. If you want WiFi, the Gigabyte Aorus X470 Gaming 5 WiFi (200 euros) scores highly.
High end
If you're going for the Intel Core i5-9600K or i7-9700K, you'll need a Z390 motherboard. Practically any model around 200 euros is sufficient. A positive outlier is the Gigabyte Z390 Aorus Pro (200 euros), which offers a lot of value at that price point with its exceptionally strong power supply. Do you want to link many different RGB parts together? Then we look at ASUS, because it has the RGB sync software by far the best for each other.
Our advice
Entry (AMD Ryzen 5): Gigabyte B450 PRO, MSI B450 Gaming Pro Carbon AC (WiFi)
Mid range (AMD Ryzen 7): Asus Prime X470-Pro
Mid range (Intel Core i5): Gigabyte Z390 Aorus Pro
High end (AMD Ryzen 7): Asus Prime X470-Pro
High end (Intel Core i7): Gigabyte Z390 Aorus Pro
Random access memory
From entry-level to high-end gaming PCs, 16GB of memory is ideal; games that need more we haven't discovered yet. If you're really short on cash, you can use 8 GB of memory for your entry-level PC, but saving a few bucks is hard to recommend for an all-round gaming PC. AMD processors generally benefit from somewhat faster memory (a 3200MHz kit is preferred). The Corsair Vengeance LPX CMK16GX4M2B3200C16 is widely used by us and is compatible with both Intel and AMD and also competitively priced.
Do you prefer a little more bling? The Corsair Vengeance RGB PRO CMW16GX4M2C3200C16 also works on Intel and AMD, and comes with a lot of RGB lighting and good software. When in doubt, you can always rely on the QVL: the list of memory kits that have been tested for compatibility by the motherboard manufacturer.
Our advice
All three: Corsair Vengeance LPX CMK16GX4M2B3200C16, Corsair Vengeance RGB PRO (RGB)
Storage
Actually, an SSD in a PC in 2019 should not be missing. It won't make your games run faster, but your entire PC feels nice and smooth and games do start faster. If you really want to pay attention to the pennies, then a 1TB hard drive such as the WD Blue 1TB is fine for about four bucks. Your games will run just as well, but the PC will feel slower and will make more noise.
We would therefore buy at least a 1TB SSD (about 150 euros). Then your game PC starts up smoothly, it also feels nice and fast during daily use and your games also start very quickly. And with 1TB, you've got plenty of room for Windows, a hefty photo collection, and a dozen AAA games—perfect for entry-level, mid-range, and high-end gaming PCs alike. As a high-end buyer, do you not want to be too tight? Then buy two 1TB SSDs, which will usually cost you a lot less than one 2TB SSD.
Our advice
Entry: Crucial MX 500 1TB (Budget Alternative: WD Blue 1TB HDD)
Mid range: Samsung 860 EVO 1TB
High end: Samsung 860 EVO 1TB (2x)
Nutrition
A bad power supply is disastrous for the lifespan of all parts in your computer, so we always recommend purchasing a real A-quality power supply. But how do you determine what a good diet is? Unfortunately, there is no one-sided answer to this, but in any case do not focus on the maximum power, that says nothing about the quality.
Entry
For our entry-level gaming PC, we're going for the Cooler Master MWE Bronze 450, a recently released model that offers reasonable quality at a lower price than most direct competitors. It's also fairly economical, and 450 watts is plenty for the Ryzen 5 and Radeon RX 570 combo.
mid range
For our mid-range model, we sit a little higher: the Corsair RM550x and the Seasonic Focus Plus Gold 550 build on slightly better components, are more economical, and come with a much longer warranty: 10 and 12 years respectively.
High end
For our high-end system we keep the same models as for mid-range. However, are you going for an AMD Radeon Vega 64 or an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Ti, RTX 2080 or RTX 2080 Ti? Then we would grab the 650watt variants for some extra space for some overclocking or many extra components. Are you going to overclock extremely with a high-end CPU and RTX 2080 Ti? Then make it a 750-watt version.
Our advice
Entry: Cooler Master MWE Bronze 450
Mid range: Corsair RM550x (2018), Seasonic Focus Plus Gold 550
High end: Corsair RM650x (2018), Seasonic Focus Plus Gold 650
Housing
There is no arguing about taste, although we no longer find the really cheap cases interesting. Partly due to the state of the dollar, partly due to the fact that there are really excellent cases on the market between 60 and 80 euros.
Entry
At 59 euros, the Phanteks P300 (available in three colors) is our budget winner: compact, chic, equipped with glass and pleasant to build. If you absolutely have to save a tenner, the Cooler Master MasterBox Lite 5 should be considered.
mid range
The middle class is dominated by the NZXT H500, which costs approximately 75 euros. It has a slightly neater finish, cools a bit better and comes with an extra fan. We can actually say that this also forms an excellent basis for a high-end gaming PC, rather put extra budget in the video card. Would you rather have a housing that you cannot see into? Then the Fractal Design Meshify C (80 euros) is our favorite.
High end
Are you going for a real high-end and do you want something more luxurious? At around 130 euros, we find the extremely impressive NZXT H700. Considerably heavier quality, four fans and also available in several colours. Can it be even more expensive? Then take a look at the Cooler Master SL600M. Excellent cooling, beautiful aluminum finish, built-in fan controller and the USB ports light up when your hand comes close. Pricey, but something special.
Our advice
Entry: Cooler Master MasterBox Lite 5, Phanteks Eclipse P300
mid range: NZXT H500, Fractal Design Meshify C
High end: NZXT H700, Cooler Master SL600M
Cooling
A solid processor quickly benefits from a separately purchased processor cooler. It keeps your system cooler, quieter and gives you room to overclock. Are you really tight? Then keep the supplied cooler of your AMD Ryzen 5 2600 on. It satisfies and your game performance is not affected. Do you have a little budget to spare? Then pick up a Gelid Phantom Black or a Cooler Master Hyper 212 Black Edition. More powerful, not expensive at about three bucks and they still look sleek too.
Mid-range and high-end
For both our mid-range and high-end gaming PCs, the Scythe Mugen 5 PCGH has been unbeaten for ages, especially in terms of price-performance ratio: for around 50 euros it can run a fat Ryzen 7 or Intel Core i5 and i7 in cool silence. Water cooling is certainly a nice alternative, the NZXT Kraken X62 looks beautiful and cools even better. The Corsair H-series RGB Platinum is a nice alternative and the Cooler Master ML240R shows that RGB water cooling can also be affordable (but a bit louder). That investment is purely for a more luxurious look.
Our advice
Entry: Stock cooler AMD, Gelid Phantom Black, Cooler Master Hyper 212 Black Edition
Mid range: Scythe Mugen 5 PCGH
High end: Scythe Mugen 5 PCGH, NZXT Kraken Series, Corsair RGB Platinum series
Monitor
Whichever gaming PC you buy, ultimately the last link largely determines your experience: the monitor. It therefore pays to coordinate game PC and monitor.
G-Sync or FreeSync?
G-Sync and FreeSync are Nvidia's and AMD's technologies respectively to not set the refresh rate of your screen, but to refresh the screen when the next frame of the game is generated. This makes for smoother playback, especially when your gaming PC starts to struggle. Then think of 40-55 fps in games. It pays to choose a FreeSync screen with your AMD video card, or a G-Sync screen with your Nvidia video card, although the extra price for G-Sync is sometimes a stumbling block.
Entry
For our entry-level gaming PC, the Iiyama G-Master G2530HSU is an excellent budget choice. For less than 140 euros we have a balanced screen that is slightly faster than the rest in its price range (75 Hz instead of 60 Hz) and offers FreeSync.
Mid range
The biggest problem with that Iiyama is that even faster gaming monitors have become much cheaper today. An AOC C24G1 with 144 Hz is already for sale for 169 euros. That's a smooth gaming screen plus a capable all-rounder at too attractive a price to pass up. We mention this as recommended for a mid-range PC, but if you have 30 euros left after purchasing your entry-level game PC, this upgrade is worth it.
High end
With the high-end system you can go two ways: slightly larger and 1440p, or extra wide. Do you want one size bigger, a higher resolution (WQHD), fast, solid and cheap? Then the AOC AG271QX is excellent for about 400 euros. You then miss the G-Sync for your high-end GPU from Nvidia, but the price is also there. The slightly better, even faster ASUS ROG Swift PG278QR of 165 Hz does have G-Sync, but is also a lot more expensive at 600 euros. We would rather recommend the slightly more luxurious ASUS ROG Swift PG279Q: solid, fast and equipped with G-Sync. And with a good IPS panel at the base, it can also be used for creative tasks such as photo or video editing: a beautiful luxury horse.
Prefer the width? We get that, because the gaming experience on an ultrawide monitor of 34 or 35 inches is fantastic. You will need a piggy bank for that, because a gaming ultrawide is not cheap and preferably you have at least a GeForce RTX 2080 as a video card. At 649 euros, the BenQ EX3501R, a 35-inch VA screen with 100 Hz, is an excellent and still relatively affordable option. The AOC AG352UGC6 with its 120 Hz and G-Sync panel, costing approximately 850 euros, recently won our ultrawide monitor test and is our advice if you are looking for a luxury ultrawide for gaming on your high-end gaming PC.
Our advice
Entry: Iiyama G-Master G2530HSU
mid range: AOC C24G1
High end (27 inch 1440p): AOC AG271QX, ASUS ROG Swift PG279Q
High-end (35 inches ultra-wide): BenQ 3501R, AOC 352UGC6
Conclusion
It is important to remember that the advice regarding entry-level, mid-range, and high-end are not hard rules. You can normally mix and match, depending on your own wishes. Do you also want to stream or record your games? Then grab a somewhat heavier processor and some extra storage. May your gaming PC be slightly more expensive than the mid-range option, but is the whole high-end list too much for you? Then feel free to combine things of both. Just make sure that you don't combine Intel motherboards with AMD processors or vice versa, then you have a very bad weekend ahead of you.
We have put down five ready-made advice for you in the table on the basis of the three broad lines: the low-budget entry-level, the balanced entry-level, the thoroughbred middle class, the chic all-rounder and the real game fanatic. Lists that you can use right away. And if you are still in doubt or would rather not get started with the screwdriver yourself: you can also take it to your favorite computer shop.
