Building the Best Gaming PC NJ, NYC Area:
Hello, fellow gaming enthusiasts! If you’re from the New Jersey, NYC metro area (or even if you’re not), We at Dangineers Gaming PCs have got something special for you. We’re a homegrown NJ-based business that crafts custom gaming PCs and also has a line of handpicked prebuilt models that we research, select and build ourselves to provide you with the ultimate gaming experience. We are going to walk you through the essential of picking and building a gaming PC. So, grab your favorite snack and buckle up as we dive into the world of building a gaming PC with some pro-tips and advice along the way.
1. The Perfect Gaming PC
Building the ultimate gaming PC is an art, and we’re here to paint you a pretty picture of what it takes. From choosing the right components to ensuring you’ve got the best cooling system, we’re going to cover it all. With our expert tips and tricks, you’ll be able to create a gaming beast that’ll will crush the competition.
1.1 Choosing the right components
CPU: The brain of your gaming PC. Go for a balance between performance and price. We recommend at least a quad-core processor for most games, but if you’re looking to play the latest AAA titles, you might want to consider a 6 or 8-core option.
GPU: The engine and heart of your gaming experience. Over the years this component has now become the most important part in your gaming PC. It shoulders all the complex calculations needed to render the highly detailed images required on AAA gaming titles.
Don’t skimp on this one, it will be the most expensive part of your gaming PC, and the most directly related to gaming performance! Aim for a card that supports DirectX 12 and has at least 8 GB of VRAM. For the best experience, consider an NVIDIA or AMD GPU with ray tracing capabilities to handle great lighting effects.
Motherboards: The foundation and spine of your computer. Everything will connect to this. It is crucial since it will determine which components you can use and what features your system will have. Consider the following factors:
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Form factor: Match the motherboard’s size (ATX, Micro-ATX, Mini-ITX) to your chosen case.
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Chipset: Ensure compatibility with your CPU by selecting a motherboard with the appropriate chipset.
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RAM support: Check the maximum RAM capacity and speed supported by the motherboard.
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Expansion slots: Make sure there are enough PCIe slots for your GPU and any additional expansion cards (such as sound cards or Wi-Fi adapters). At Dangineers Gaming PCs we always select motherboards that have Wi-Fi standard. Its a simple thing that shouldn’t be compromised on.
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Storage options: Look for motherboards with multiple m.2 slots and SATA ports to accommodate your storage drives.
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Connectivity: Examine the available USB, audio, and network ports to ensure compatibility with your peripherals and devices.
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Overclocking support: If you plan on overclocking your CPU, choose a motherboard with robust power delivery and overclocking features.
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Aesthetics: If you’re building a gaming PC that reflects your style, consider motherboards with built-in face plates and heat-sinks that are visually appealing to you.
RAM: Short-term memory that allows you to multitask with multiple programs and tabs
of your internet browser open at the same time. This also ensures smooth gameplay with enough memory to handle your premium games. We recommend at least 16 GB of DDR4 RAM for modern gaming PCs, but 32 GB will give you more future-proofing. DDR5 is the latest architecture which offers blazing fast clock speeds in excess of 6000 MHz.
Storage: Use SSDs for fast load times, and HDDs (if you must) for storing all those game files. We prefer and highly recommend using the latest NVME SSDs in the m.2 form factor. These are up to 30x faster than your old HDD and up to 7x faster than a SATA
SSD. This means faster boot times, faster file transfers, and reduced load times for games and applications. They are also completely silent, have no moving parts, and are much more energy efficient. Spending a few extra bucks here is well worth it. Many enthusiasts are reusing their old HDDs but they are obsolete and its better to ditch the Atari and get a PS5 or Xbox!
PSU: Power up your rig with a reliable and efficient power supply. Look for a PSU with an 80 PLUS Gold certification or higher (platinum etc.), as these are more efficient and produce less heat. Fully modular power supply’s are also much more plug-and-play and you spend less time managing and cleaning up the spaghetti mess that often results from non-modular units. Aim for a unit with at least a couple extra hundred watts to support those GPU and CPU upgrades you will make in a few years.
Pro-Tip & Often Neglected: Invest in a good surge protector! Don’t reuse that crusty old one from the 80s. Why would you spend thousands on a Gaming PC and skimp on a good surge protector, or worse yet, forget one completely. Look for one that offers between 2,000-3,000 joules of surge protection. You may laugh that I had to mention this, but so many people forget this and then one stormy day have their gaming investment shocked! For the extra paranoid folks out there you can even invest in a battery backup that will allow you to close the PC down and save everything before shutting down in the event of a power failure.
1.2 Cooling solutions
Keeping your gaming PC cool is essential for maintaining performance and longevity. There are two primary methods to keep your components from overheating:
Air cooling (Fans): Budget-friendly and effective. Just make sure your fans aren’t louder than your game! Invest in high-quality case fans and an aftermarket CPU cooler to enhance airflow and cooling efficiency.
Liquid cooling: Just like a car, liquid coolant soaks up all the heat produced from the CPU and/or GPU and directs it to a radiator where a fan cools off the hot liquid only to return and repeat the process. It’s a sleek and efficient way to keep your gaming PC cool under pressure. Liquid cooling systems use a combination of a pump, tubing, and a radiator to circulate coolant around your components. While they can be more expensive the latest all-in-one (AIO) are extremely easy to install, and they offer superior cooling performance and a quieter gaming experience.
If you are aiming at the mid to high-end gaming PC, opt for liquid cooling. Many of the latest generation high-end CPUs operate at a much higher base temperature than in years past. Liquid cooling is becoming more and more necessary as gaming PCs get more beefy! If you are going for a budget build then fan cooling is all you need. It just has a little extra background noise since the fans need to operate at higher speeds than the ones cooling the radiator on its liquid counterpart.
Section 2: The Aesthetics – Get Creative and Make it Yours!
Now that we’ve got the technical stuff out of the way, let’s talk about making your gaming PC a true reflection of your personality. After all, what’s the point of having a powerful rig if it doesn’t look the part?
2.1 Custom cases & Decoration
Your case is the canvas for your gaming PC masterpiece. Choose from various designs, colors, and materials to make your build stand out. Some popular case styles include:
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Minimalist: Sleek and understated, minimalist cases let your components do the talking.
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Industrial: Featuring exposed metal and rivets, industrial cases give your PC a rugged, powerful look.
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Futuristic: With angular lines and LED accents, futuristic cases make your gaming PC look like it’s straight out of a sci-fi movie. I’ve seen some very cool Star-Wars themed PCs out there.
Don’t be afraid to get creative with decals, stickers, or even custom paint jobs. Your case is an opportunity to express yourself and show off your unique style.
Here are some cooler themed PCs I have run across on the internet:
Credit to Xenoryzen7 on reddit @ PCMasterRace
https://www.reddit.com/r/pcmasterrace/comments/jvubyi/hybrid_green_wood_nature_pc_case_mod/
Credit to Kellz1 on reddit @ Battlestations
Plug for Dangineers Gaming PCs 🙂
https://www.dangineerscomputers.com/product-page/kanchenjungaPictured is a ultra-high end AMD white build with a full gaming setup including funko pop and chibi vinyl action figures 🙂 #gamingpc #gamingsetup #gaming
2.2 RGB lighting
Add some flair to your gaming PC with customizable RGB lighting. From your case fans to your RAM, many components now come with built-in RGB options. Here’s how to make the most of your lighting setup:
Choose a color scheme that complements your case design and other components.
Sync your lighting across components using compatible software, like ASUS Aura Sync, MSI Mystic Light, or Gigabyte RGB Fusion.
Create custom lighting profiles for different activities, such as gaming, working, or watching movies. You can even choose a lighting scheme that changes based on the color of your CPU or GPU to give you real time feedback on your system and notice any abnormalities.
Section 3: Optimize Your Gaming Experience
You’ve got your custom gaming PC, and it looks fantastic. Now, it’s time to make sure you’re getting the best performance possible. This step is as necessary as buying the right components. If they aren’t calibrated right, you are wasting a lot of performance.
3.1 Overclocking
There are some strong opinions on this topic, so read up and form your own opinion. But if you want our opinion: the CPU and GPU manufacturers painstakingly test their hardware to ensure it operates within safe limits. Pushing the system beyond those limits regularly will decrease the lifespan of your CPU and GPU. In our opinion, It would be better to just opt for a higher tier CPU and GPU for a few extra bucks and get that extra speed without reducing the longevity of a system you paid for! Another thought, why is ‘under-volting’ a thing now if overclocking is so great? Do you run your car engine at 6,000 rpm constantly? Enough ranting!
If you do decide to push your hardware to its limits, remember to monitor temperatures and stability to avoid damaging your components. Use software like MSI Afterburner for GPU overclocking and your motherboard’s built-in BIOS settings for CPU overclocking. Always remember to overclock gradually, and don’t forget to stress test your system to ensure it’s stable.
3.2 Unlocking your RAMs potential
The RAM you purchased will only perform at the base clock speed unless you change that setting. Id wager most people pay for RAM and never know or remember to unlock the full clock speed advertised by enabling it in the BIOS or UEFI by enabling (Xtreme Memory Profile) XMP.
Fine-tune your game settings for optimal performance and visuals. Use built-in optimization tools, like NVIDIA GeForce Experience, or AMD Adrenalin, or consult online guides for each game. Remember that every game is different, so experiment with settings to find the perfect balance between performance and graphics quality. Monitor your FPS and any screen tearing or glitching. The human eye can generally see up to 60 FPS with studies debating whether other aspects of vision can see in excess of that. What that means is all you are looking for is the highest graphics settings possible that are stable and provide 60 FPS consistently.
Your monitor should also have refresh rates to match the FPS of your system. Did you get a high-end 4k gaming PC but are still using an old 30hz monitor? Upgrade your monitor to match your system capability as closely as possible so you don’t leave untapped performance on the table. Having higher and higher FPS basically invests in future-proofing your system to make sure premium games in years to come will be handled with ease on your system without any hardware upgrades necessary.
3.4 Regular maintenanceHardware Maintenance: Keep your software up to date by regularly updating your operating system, graphics drivers, and game clients. Dust off your components regularly to maintain peak performance. Use a can of compressed air to remove dust from your case, fans, and heat sinks. Additionally, keep an eye on your system temperatures to ensure everything is running smoothly.
Software Maintenance: Most casual gamers and regular PC users computers feel ‘old’ because over the years they’ve added dozens of programs they forgot about with bloatware adding extra weight to that once-lean-mean PC. Monitor the number of processes you have running and if it gets too high its time to take your PC on a diet and start shedding those extra pounds (unused programs and processes). There are a bunch of great youtube videos out there by very knowledgeable enthusiasts on how to do this.
Check out Chris Titus Tech on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ChrisTitusTech for great advice on optimizing windows and getting rid of all the bloatware slowing your computer down. He also has a great tool which used to be free but now costs $10. https://christitus.com/windows-tool Its a small cost for the tremendous worth it brings. I personally pay for it for myself and think it’s worth every penny.
Pro-tip: There are many great free tools out there as well: Shutup10, Optimizer, Honecntl. These scripts will help you download free software much quicker, delete unused software, disable bloatware, and enable settings to keep your PC performing great.
There you have it, folks! We’ve covered the essential aspects of building and optimizing your gaming PC and shared some cool tips along the way.
Gaming PC NJ, NYC Area
At Dangineers Gaming PCs we’re here to help you create the gaming rig of your dreams. With our expert knowledge, top-quality components, and every PC being stress tested, we take all the stress out of building the perfect gaming PC for you.
So, what are you waiting for? Check out our product line, and let’s get started on your ultimate gaming machine. If you’re in New Jersey or the NYC metro area, we deliver locally (or even if you’re not we offer free shipping across the US). We can’t wait to see the incredible, fun, and powerful gaming PCs you create and stylize to become your own, and we’re always here to help you level up your game.
Happy gaming!