The Simple No Stress Guide to Picking PC Parts

The Simple No Stress Guide to Picking PC Parts For gamers, achieving smooth gameplay is the ultimate goal, transforming chaotic action into a fluid and immersive experience. This seamless performance, where every movement and reaction is rendered without stutter or delay, is primarily determined by a high and stable frame rate. It’s the difference between winning and losing in competitive matches and between simply watching a story and becoming completely absorbed within it. Understanding how your hardware affects this fluidity is the first step toward building a system that delivers it, which is precisely why tools like our FPS calculator are essential for planning a upgrade that guarantees buttery-smooth performance.

Step 1: Define Your Purpose

Before picking parts, you need to figure out what you’re building the PC for. That’s really important because it helps you understand where most of your money should go. Usually, you’ve got three main reasons:

• Gaming
• Editing or heavy tasks
• Basic stuff like doing homework, watching YouTube, and using simple programs.

Step 2: Slice Your Budget Like a Pizza

Once you’ve decided what you want your PC to do, your next step is to split your budget between all the parts. First, you need to know the eight essential parts that make a PC actually work:

1. Processor (CPU): The brain of your computer.
2. Graphics Card (GPU): The artist.
3. Motherboard: Holds all the parts together.
4. RAM: Helps your PC remember things while you’re working.
5. Power Supply (PSU): Takes energy from the outlet and distributes it.
6. Storage: Keeps all your files, games, and folders.
7. Case: The box that holds all your parts.
8. Fans / Cooling: Keeps everything from overheating.

Now, you need to break down your budget by percentage. Here’s a simple chart showing the percentage range you can spend on each part from a total budget (e.g., $1,000):

• Processor (CPU): 20-25% ($200-$250)
• Graphics Card (GPU): 30-40% ($300-$400)
• Motherboard: 10-15% ($100-$150)
• RAM: 10% (~$100)
• Power Supply (PSU): 5-10% ($50-$100)
• Storage: 10-15% ($100-$150)
• Case: 3-5% ($30-$50)
• Cooling: 3-5% ($30-$50)

These aren’t fixed numbers. If you want to upgrade one part, you can save money on another. But this breakdown is a great starting point for planning.

A crucial warning: Do not try to save money on the power supply. A bad PSU can mess up your whole build; if it fails, it could fry your other components.

Step 3: Choosing Your Parts in Sync

The more money you have, the more options you get, making it harder to figure out which components match well.

The Heart of the Build: CPU & GPU

• For a Work PC: Put more of your budget into the processor. Many professional programs don’t rely on the graphics card for pretty visuals; the CPU handles the calculations and brain work.
• For a Gaming PC: Most of your budget should go to the graphics card. The GPU makes the game look nice based on information from the CPU.

They need to work together in harmony. A weak CPU will hold back a powerful GPU, and vice versa.

How to Check for a Balanced Combo:
Check game or benchmark tests for your chosen GPU and CPU. The GPU should be running at close to 100% usage, which means they are balanced. You can also use an online bottleneck calculator. Choose your CPU, GPU, and target resolution, and it will show a bottleneck percentage. If it’s over 5%, they aren’t a perfect match, but don’t rely on this number too much—some games use more CPU, others more GPU.

Understanding Processors (CPU)

There are two main companies: AMD and Intel.

AMD Ryzen CPUs are divided into tiers: Ryzen 3, 5, 7, and 9. The higher the number, the better. They also have a generation number (e.g., 5000-series, 7000-series). A higher generation is better. Sometimes a lower-tier CPU from a newer generation can beat a higher-tier CPU from an older generation.

• Letter Indexes:
  • X: Can be overclocked.
  • G: Has integrated graphics (weak, but allows the PC to run without a separate GPU).
  • X3D: High-end CPU with top-tier specs.
  • (No letter): Standard CPU.

Intel Core CPUs also use tiers: i3, i5, i7, and i9. They are currently on the 14th generation.

• Letter Indexes:
  • K: Unlocked for overclocking.
  • F: No built-in integrated graphics.
  • KF: Unlocked for overclocking but has no integrated graphics.
  • T: Power-efficient, lower-performance version.
  • (No letter): Standard CPU (usually includes integrated graphics).

Understanding Graphics Cards (GPU)

GPUs are one of the easiest parts to pick. To figure out which is more powerful, just check gaming benchmarks. The three companies (Nvidia, AMD, Intel) all work similarly. Nvidia has the 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 series, where the first number is the generation (e.g., an RTX 4070 is roughly equal to an RTX 3080).

Choosing the Motherboard

Once you’ve picked your CPU and GPU, choose a motherboard that fits your overall budget.

1. Filter by Socket Type: The socket is the part on the motherboard where the CPU is installed. Check your CPU’s specs for its socket type (e.g., AMD uses AM4/AM5, Intel uses LGA 1700/1851).
2. Choose the Chipset: The chipset determines the motherboard’s capabilities (overclocking, ports, support). You don’t need to go super deep, but know the basics:
   • AMD: A-series (budget, basic), B-series (mid-range, good for most), X-series (premium, for high-end builds).
   • Intel: H-series (budget, avoid for gaming), B-series (mid-range), Z-series (premium, for overclocking).

Also, check your motherboard’s limits, like the maximum amount and speed of RAM it supports.

Choosing RAM

Set aside about 10% of your total budget for RAM.

• Capacity: 16 GB is the absolute minimum for gaming today.
• Configuration: Always buy two sticks (e.g., 2x8GB) instead of one (1x16GB) to activate dual-channel mode for better performance.
• Speed: The higher the frequency (MHz), the better.
• Timing: Marked as CL followed by numbers; lower numbers are better, but don’t stress too much about it.

Choosing the Power Supply (PSU)

The PSU is the heart of your PC. A good one will ensure your system runs for years without problems.

1. Calculate Wattage: Use an online PSU calculator. Enter your CPU, GPU, and RAM, and it will tell you how many watts your system needs. Add an extra 100-200 watts for safety.
2. Check the Rating: Look for a reputable brand and an 80 Plus rating of at least Bronze (Silver, Gold, or Platinum are even better). This rating indicates efficiency.
3. Don’t Cheap Out: This is not the component to save money on.

Choosing Storage

Get the biggest size you can afford.

• SSD vs. HDD: Always choose an SSD over an HDD if your budget allows. SSDs are drastically faster.
• SSD Types: NVMe SSDs are much faster than SATA SSDs. If your motherboard supports NVMe, go for it.

Choosing a CPU Cooler

You have two options: air coolers (cheaper, can be noisier) and liquid coolers (more efficient, often quieter).

• How to Choose: Check your CPU’s TDP (Thermal Design Power), which tells you how much heat it produces. Your cooler needs to be rated for a TDP higher than that.

Choosing the Case

Allocate about 3-5% of your total budget for your case. Pick one you like the look of, but ensure your components fit inside it.

• Check Sizes: Match the motherboard size (Mini-ITX, MicroATX, ATX) to a compatible case. Also, check the maximum GPU length and CPU cooler height.
• PSU Placement: Try to get a case where the PSU is installed at the bottom, as it pulls in cooler air than top-mounted PSU designs.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q1: What exactly is a bottleneck, and how can I prevent it in my PC build?

A: A bottleneck occurs when one component in your system limits the performance of another. Imagine a narrow section in a wide highway—it slows down all the traffic. In a PC, if you pair a powerful GPU (like an RTX 4070) with a very old, weak CPU, the CPU won’t be able to process game instructions fast enough to keep the GPU fed. As a result, your GPU won’t be used to its full potential, and your FPS will be lower than it should be.

How to prevent it: The key is balance. Research how components pair together before you buy. Our EasyFPS Calculator is specifically designed to help you model different combinations of CPUs and GPUs to identify potential bottlenecks before you spend any money, helping you create a well-balanced system.

Q2: I have a high refresh rate monitor (e.g., 144Hz), but my games don’t feel smooth. What’s wrong?

A: There are two common reasons for this:

1. Your monitor isn’t set to its highest refresh rate in Windows. This is a very common oversight. Right-click your desktop, go to Display Settings > Advanced Display Settings, and select your monitor’s highest refresh rate (e.g., 144Hz or 240Hz) from the dropdown menu.
2. Your PC isn’t producing enough FPS. A 144Hz monitor can display up to 144 FPS, but your PC still needs to be powerful enough to generate those frames. If your game is only running at 70 FPS, your monitor’s high refresh rate capability is being wasted. You need to lower your in-game graphics settings or upgrade your components to increase your FPS.

Q3: Is 16GB of RAM still enough for gaming in 2024?

A: For most gamers, 16GB is still the sweet spot and is enough to run the vast majority of games without issue. However, 16GB is now considered the minimum requirement for many new, demanding titles. If you are a multitasker (e.g., streaming, having a browser with many tabs open, or running Discord in the background) or play very complex simulation games, upgrading to 32GB can prevent stutters and provide a smoother overall experience. For dedicated gaming on a budget, 16GB remains a solid choice.

Q4: Why is the Power Supply Unit (PSU) so important? Can’t I just buy a cheap one?

A: The PSU is the heart of your PC. A cheap, low-quality PSU is one of the biggest risks you can take with your build. Here’s why:

• Reliability: A bad PSU can fail unpredictably and, in a worst-case scenario, can send a power surge through your system, potentially frying your expensive CPU, GPU, and motherboard.
• Stability: Low-quality PSUs often provide unstable power, which can lead to system crashes, blue screens, and random reboots, especially under load like during gaming.
  Always choose a PSU from a reputable brand with at least an 80 Plus Bronze efficiency rating. It’s not a component to cheap out on.

Q5: What’s the real-world difference between an SSD and an HDD?

A: The difference is night and day and is the single most noticeable upgrade you can make to any PC.

• HDD (Hard Disk Drive): An older technology using spinning platters. It is very slow. Boot times, game load times, and level loading can feel painfully long.
• SSD (Solid State Drive): Has no moving parts and uses flash memory. It is dramatically faster. With an SSD, your PC will boot in seconds, and games will load levels and textures almost instantly. For a modern PC, an SSD is essential; an HDD should only be considered for bulk storage of media files if you’re on a tight budget.

Q6: How does the EasyFPS Calculator work, and how accurate is it?

A: Our EasyFPS Calculator uses a vast database of real-world gaming benchmarks and performance data for thousands of hardware combinations. When you select your components, our algorithm compares them against this data to provide a highly accurate estimate of the performance you can expect in various games and at different resolutions.

While no online calculator can promise 100% accuracy due to variables like specific game optimization, background processes, and driver versions, our tool provides an incredibly reliable benchmark. It is perfect for comparing the relative performance between different components and making an informed decision about which upgrade will give you the best boost in FPS for your budget.

Conclusion: Your PC is a Living Organism

The most important mindset is to treat your PC like a living organism. Every part plays a vital role, just like organs in a body. Once you understand that, everything starts to make sense really quickly. This guide is designed to help you pick your parts on your own without feeling lost or needing to ask someone else for help.