Recommended Hardware For A Modern PC
If you own a PC, you’ll know that it needs to be upgraded from time to time. Or, you might also be thinking of building your first PC. The question in both of these cases is; what hardware is actually needed, and what is unnecessary? It can be a difficult question to answer, especially given the vast array of hardware being offered by manufacturers.
The fact of the matter is that you’ll need very different hardware, depending on what you want the PC for. If you’re planning to simply use a word processor, check email, try your hand at online dating and otherwise just let a flashy screensaver run, the requirements will be minimal. But if you want to enjoy the latest and greatest games those requirements naturally go up drastically.
CPUs
Intel release a dazzling amount of CPUs, and are constantly bringing out a newer, better model. From i3 now up to i9, you would think that the demand for better CPUs was overwhelming. But that isn’t true at all. A fast CPU isn’t as necessary as Intel would have you believe. In fact, a low to midrange CPU will be just fine for nearly everything, including gaming.
Still, even though the i3 is considered to be outdated, low power CPUs are mostly fine for word processes, internet browsing, real money bingo sites, and checking emails. If you are bound to be annoyed by little delays, however, you may want to kick it up to an i5.
If you’re into gaming, you can also still get away with an i5 for the most part. Don’t let Intel tell you that an i9 is required for gaming, because it isn’t. You won’t go wrong with an i7, though, if you demand to play in 4K resolution with all the setting turned to Ultra. An i9 is largely still unnecessary though, even if you do like ultra-settings.
GPUs
The GPU, or graphics processing unit, is what will really separate one PC from another. Again, if you are looking for a work station, you absolutely don’t need a powerful GPU at all. The lowest range graphics card is more than capable of displaying Facebook, Microsoft Word or Excel. In most cases the on-board display, which comes standard with a motherboard, will do the trick. If you use work software that demands a little oomph, then stick to something like a budget 1050.
You probably already know, but for gaming the GPU requirements shoot up to the stratosphere. But it also helps to determine what your expectations are. Midrange graphics cards are still great for gaming, as long as you’re looking to play in 1080p, and not 4K. A GTX 1060 6GB still pulls its weight, and will get great performance on most modern games.
RAM
The last major piece to consider is RAM. Many insist that more RAM is better, when this isn’t true in many cases. 6GB will do fine for work computers. 8GB will even do for gaming in most cases, though 16GB is better, to be safe. 32GB is almost entirely unnecessary, no matter what you’ve been told.