Avoid these top 10 mistakes when setting up your gaming PC to ensure optimal performance and longevity. Research, cooling, maintenance, and more tips here!
Configuring a PC from parts is not about choosing the parts needed for a system and buying them, it is about going beyond what many people think. For example, PcComponentes created an incompatibility configurator so that those who don’t have much idea know that the parts chosen are not compatible or there are certain problems in the configuration. Here, we are going to go step by step so that you don’t fail.
Mistakes in your gaming PC setup that you should not make.
Let’s go over the mistakes you shouldn’t make when buying a PC in parts.
Power supply
We start with the source, that component that many people do not give importance to and cut budgets on. Here we can mess things up for several reasons.
Your PC needs more power rating
Make sure your power supply has the power needed for the GPU (especially) and the rest of the components .
If I don’t have enough power supply, will my PC boot? Yes, because in IDLE or rest the components don’t need 800 W; the problem will come when you play, and here the CPU or GPU won’t go to 100%. This translates into FPS drops or the GPU simply not going to 100%.
Be careful with the font size
This incompatibility arises from the power supply and the PC case, especially when the case is not very large and the power supply cabinet is not as long or as wide as the power supply you have chosen.
Electricity bill
In the long run, your PC will consume much more if you use 80 Plus Bronze or, directly, White . The 80 Plus Gold or Platinum certifications make the power supplies more expensive, and there is a reason: the electricity bill will be lower and you can end up spending 100-150 euros less per year on electricity (at least in Spain).
PCI and ATX
Not that it’s that important, but if you’re going to configure a high-end next-gen NVIDIA GPU, keep in mind the famous 12VHPWR connector (let’s see if they change it), ATX 3.0 and PCI 5.0 as technologies.
Motherboard case: USB connections
This is one of the most common errors in PC configuration and it has to do with the PC case and the motherboard. In addition to having rear outputs or connections, the motherboard has front USB outputs to connect those pins to the PC case.
In this way, we can connect pendrives or any peripheral to the USB ports on the box. The incompatibility comes when the front USB ports can output several connectors or connectors of a certain technology (USB 3.2, for example), while the box has USB 3.0 at most.
Is this a serious problem? Not that much, and it won’t make your PC stop working, but since this is a future purchase, make sure you find a case that is compatible with the front ports provided by the motherboard.
Graphics card length
Another of the most common faults in a PC made of parts: the GPU does not fit in the case because it is too long. Here you should pay attention to 2 points:
- Case spec sheet. It will describe the maximum support (in mm) of the GPU length .
- GPU Specs Not all GPUs are the same size, so check how long it is before you buy.
Keep in mind that assemblers have thousands of models and they are not all the same in size.
Heatsink height and thermal performance
Along with the GPU, there is the height of the cooler. Unless it is a low profile cooler , all are tower coolers and since 90% of people’s PCs are vertical towers, the problem is on the left panel of the case.
- Same as GPU:
- Check the maximum supported height of the heatsink in the box.
- Check the height of the heatsink (normally it does not exceed 16 cm, which is already large).
Here I’m going to go further, talking about the weight of the heatsink and the thermal performance.
Beware of mini-ITX or SFF
NVIDIA has launched its SFF program and it seems to be all good, but in the end it is still mini-ITX. Why should you be wary? Here are the reasons:
- SFX PSU in many cases – it’s more expensive and it’s hard to get to 850W cost effectively.
- GPU 300mm or less: not a problem in low ranges; in high ranges it is almost impossible.
- Heatsink or AIO kit: If you opt for a 1-2 fan AIO kit, the case should be well ventilated, given what we have seen.
- If you are going to use a 2.5″ HDD or SSD, check that the PC case has bays.
For rigs with an RX 7800 XT or RTX 4070 or below, it’s not a bad idea to build something like this; for anything more, I don’t see it so clearly.
What monitor are you going to use? What resolution are you going to play at?
We finish with the monitor, the King peripheral that seems to be in the background when we start a PC configuration and that is where the errors come from (here I include myself).
If you’re not going to upgrade your monitor anytime soon, I don’t recommend building a PC that’s more powerful than the hertz and resolution your monitor can handle. Quick examples:
- Building a PC with a 4070 and a good Ryzen, but your monitor is 1080p or 1440p but with 60 Hz.
- Build a normal PC, but have a 4K monitor at 144 Hz or 2K and 165 Hz.
- Ultrawide, especially WQHD (3440 x 1440): be careful because you need a good beast and the 1080p aspect ratio doesn’t look good here.
The monitor is a big part of the experience, so:
- Keep in mind the resolution and gaming expectations you have.
- Hertz or refresh rate is key and your PC must maintain a stable FPS to enjoy a smooth experience.
Unless you’re going for a very high-end RTX XX80 or RX, I wouldn’t consider 4K, or 2K at more than 165 Hz if you’re going to play games with graphics. That’s why I say that it’s one of the mistakes in PC configuration not to take this peripheral into account.
We hope this tutorial has been helpful to you, and if you have any questions, we would love for you to leave them in writing below so we can help you.