We are fully aware that everyone is finding it a little more difficult to get by these days. Everything seems to be getting more expensive and there is less money in our pocket at the end of the month. But if you are a gamer you will also know that better equipment can make a big difference.
Unless you are about to make the leap to the pro ranks of gaming, we would not recommend spending a load of money. But having a checklist of what you can do to up your game (quite literally) can be useful too. Think of it as a gaming wish list! In fact, many of the upgrades you can adopt for your PC will work if you are checking the sportsbook sites for your round robin betting or researching your next hard-hitting blog piece, as well as to improve your gaming experience.
Here are some things to think about if you want to upgrade your PC gaming equipment.
Boost Your RAM
You will probably be fine with about 16GB of RAM for gaming. But it does depend on what kind of games you are playing and what else you use your PC for. The RAM is essentially the short-term memory of your computer and having more of it will improve the responsiveness of the machine.
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More RAM means faster loading times and improved frame rates. With games becoming more complex, boosting the RAM will help your PC keep up with the tasks you need to complete to play your game. The extra RAM modules just slot into your motherboard – and they don’t actually cost that much.
Cool Your Engine
We have all been there. Entering the sixth hour of a gaming marathon and feeling the heat coming off of the PC. It is a surefire clue that your computer is beginning to overheat. It could be seen as your computer telling you that you should really take a break and go outside once in a while. But you don’t have to do anything quite as drastic!
PCs will cope better than laptops, as all the components are packed in closer together in the smaller machines. But you should still think about upgrading your cooling system to improve your gaming experience. By upgrading in this department you will also extend the life of your PC and avoid having to turn the volume to drown out the sounds of your computer dealing with the heat.
Graphic Difference
This may sound like an obvious element of better gaming. But upgrading your graphics card, or GPU, will increase your ability to cope with more complex games. In fact, this is probably the most important element here. You will get a better graphics performance, faster frames and be able to keep up with advances in games.
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A boosted GPU will help with the colors and blacks in the game’s make-up and you should be looking at a frames per second rate of around 60. There are graphics cards that will go well beyond that rate, but you will need to check that your motherboard will be able to cope with the boost the new graphics card provides.
Beam Down the Motherboard
Speaking of which. This is likely to be the most expensive of all the upgrades we are taking a look at here. For that reason, it is probably a good idea to see if you can improve the performance – and your gaming experience – any other way first. But this is also the best upgrade you can make.
If you are replacing your processor, you may also need to replace your motherboard at the same time. You will obviously notice a jump in response times and overall working – but this is a big step to make. It might even be a better idea to just buy a new PC altogether – depending on your budget, of course.
HDD to SSD
If you’ve ever gotten frustrated waiting for your game to load, then switching from a hard disk drive (HDD) to a solid state drive (SSD) will definitely put a smile on your face. You could upgrade your HDD for one with a higher spin rate to increase loading speeds. But an SSD could be a better – and relatively cheap – alternative.
With no moving parts, SSDs will always work faster than HDDs. Loading times will decrease and you will also experience quicker level loading times. It is all about the storage needed though – and higher spec SSDs are more expensive than the equivalent HDDs.
Monitor Upgrade
Now that we have gone through the upgrade checklist for PCs, we need to think about related technology. The main one is the monitor you use to game. If you don’t have a modern monitor, you won’t be able to actually see how all the other upgrades we have mentioned have improved your experience.
A specialist gaming monitor is obviously the best move here, as the connectivity is ideal and the refresh rate is at a requisite level. Every type of game will look and play better with a gaming monitor. So this should probably be one of the first things you look to change when you are upping your gaming game.
Don’t Forget the Peripherals
Spending money on your PC and monitor is the best way to upgrade your gaming experience. But for an overall boost, you should also be thinking about the extras. New keyboards, mice, headsets, and even what chair you use can all make a lot of difference.
As with nearly every aspect of a home computer set-up, you can get a gaming version of nearly every extra or peripheral. Gaming keyboards and mice are more responsive, while some immersive headsets will help you with the game, as well as being more focused for the chat between you and your gaming friends.
Getting a good chair is not quite as frivolous as you might think. If you are in for a long gaming session you need to be as comfortable as possible and there are gaming chairs, specifically designed for this activity.
It should be said though, that even after making any of these upgrades, it will still be down to you to practice and become a better gamer.