Gaming PCs

Pick the PC around the monitor, not the other way round

It is the shortest way to avoid overpaying. On a 1080p screen a top-tier card never gets to show itself: frames run into the CPU and the refresh rate first. At 1440p and 144 Hz, or at 4K, the picture changes completely and the card really does decide the outcome.

So a build conversation starts with two questions. What monitor is already on your desk, and what do you play. Esports titles and heavy single-player games ask for a different balance.

What smoothness is actually made of

• Graphics card. The main part for image quality. Memory size matters for high textures and for 1440p upwards.
• Processor. Keeps frame times stable where there are many objects and physics. A weak CPU causes dips even behind a strong card.
• System memory. Thirty-two gigabytes is the comfortable norm now; sixteen is enough right up until you open a browser next to the game.
• Storage. NVMe cuts load times and removes texture pop-in.
• Cooling and case. A quiet machine is not a luxury: a card with proper airflow holds its clocks longer.

Room to grow

Build it so that in two years the card can be replaced without replacing everything else. That means a power supply with headroom, a platform that will still get new processors, and a case a larger card physically fits into.

Send us your monitor model and the games you play. We will suggest a build where the money went into frames rather than into numbers on the box.