Gaming PCs

The graphics card sets the ceiling

In a machine built for games, the graphics card does most of the work, and it is the component that decides what settings and resolution are realistic. Spending elsewhere while economising here produces a computer that is well balanced on paper and disappointing in practice.

The corollary is that the processor does not need to be the largest available. Past a certain point a faster processor stops changing what you see, because the graphics card is the part that is busy. Money moved from the processor to the card is usually money better spent.

Resolution decides the budget

Before choosing parts, decide what screen the machine will drive. A card that is generous for 1080p is ordinary at 1440p and stretched at 4K, because the work rises sharply with pixel count. Buying a card without deciding the resolution is how people end up disappointed by a component that is objectively capable.

We will not quote frame rates. They depend on the game, its settings, the patch, the driver and the screen, and any specific number we printed here would be wrong for most readers. What we can do is explain which card class suits which resolution, and let you match it to the games you actually play.

• 1080p: the least demanding, and where a modest card goes furthest
• 1440p: the common middle ground, and a real step up in card requirement
• 4K: demanding, and worth confirming your games and screen justify it

Cooling and power are not optional extras

A fast graphics card produces heat and draws power in bursts. A case with poor airflow will let the card heat up until it slows itself down, and an undersized power supply can cause shutdowns under load that look like a software fault and waste a great deal of time.

These are the two places where a mass-market gaming machine is most often thin, because neither shows up on a specification comparison. In a specified build they are chosen for the parts they have to support.