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00:00Hey guys, I'm Tom from Tech Chap and this is gonna be an incredible year for building or grading your gaming PC
00:05And we've got all new CPUs and GPUs from both AMD and NVIDIA
00:10Although so far we've mainly got the higher-end flagship models
00:13That's as well as next-gen PCIe 5 SSD storage and DDR5 RAM
00:18As well as all new monitors that are bigger and faster and better than ever
00:21It's all very exciting, but it could also be very expensive
00:24In fact, we've just built these two pretty beastly rigs for the studio
00:28One is all AMD based with the latest Ryzen chips and Radeon graphics
00:32And one is Intel and NVIDIA based
00:34And while I am very happy with them and I'll link to the parts used below
00:37Putting them together reminded me just how tricky it can be
00:40Especially when it comes to choosing what parts you need without totally going over your budget
00:45So I thought I'd share some pretty high-level tips about building a great gaming PC
00:49And if you've got any tips and experiences yourself
00:51Then also share them in the comments below
00:52And the best bit is I'm giving away a PC
00:55But not just any PC
00:57I've teamed up with AMD and Scan.co.uk to give away a gaming rig worth over £3,000
01:03Stay tuned to find out how you can win
01:05Although I should say it is a UK only competition
01:08I know, I know, I blame Brexit
01:10Number one, and possibly the most costly mistake you could make
01:13Is buying the wrong graphics card
01:16The right GPU is one that has the power you need for the games you play
01:19At the resolution you play them at
01:21And one that's not bottlenecked by the rest of your system
01:23And also one that hits your budget
01:25Now as I'm filming this in late January 2023
01:28We pretty much only have the high-end and flagship graphics cards from both AMD and Nvidia
01:32Which is all well and good and they offer some very impressive performance
01:35Especially gen on gen
01:36But they're also very expensive
01:38And really only meant for high refresh 1440p, 4K and even 8K setups
01:43But if you do go top-end
01:45Remember that your CPU and your RAM also need to be able to keep up
01:48Although a mid-range CPU from the last couple of years with 16GB of RAM should be fine
01:53So right now is a bit of an awkward time
01:55If you are going to buy a mid-range PC or upgrade your card
01:58Because these are just too expensive and overkill for the vast majority of us
02:01So if you can, I would wait a couple of months
02:03You can of course still buy last-gen cards
02:05But generally they're not offering the best value
02:07And considering you're going to probably hold on to your card for two, three, four, five years
02:11Of course in tech you can always wait just a few more months for the next best thing
02:14But right now I would wait
02:16Okay number two, and similar theme really
02:18Don't go overboard with your CPU, your processor
02:21Honestly for gaming any new or recent i5 or R5 from Intel or AMD CPU will be absolutely fine for gaming
02:29And also there are loads of new more affordable CPUs on their way
02:32The only caveat is if you do plan to use your PC for video editing, workstation, tasks
02:37Or game streaming perhaps with OBS
02:40All that stuff will utilize the CPU
02:41And so it's probably worth going for a higher-end i7
02:44Or at least a more recent generation version chip from either Intel or AMD
02:48If you are investing for the long term then AMD actually may be a better choice
02:51As they do tend to support their sockets for longer than Intel does
02:55Meaning you can probably drop in a new CPU in three to four years
02:58Without maybe changing the motherboard
03:00In fact last-gen Ryzen 5000 series CPUs like the 5600 and the 5800X3D
03:07Are fantastic gaming CPUs and are cheaper than ever
03:09And as they use the AM4 socket they make a great upgrade
03:12If you're on an older first or second gen Ryzen motherboard
03:15Tip number three
03:16And if you already have an AMD CPU
03:18And maybe you're on the fence between going for an NVIDIA or AMD GPU
03:21Then consider the AMD Advantage
03:24Which sounds like something you get with a new credit card
03:26But it's where the two work together intelligently to share resources
03:29For example you get Smart Access Memory or SAM
03:32Which allows Ryzen CPUs full access to the Radeon's fast VRAM memory
03:36Which then helps boost the CPU when it needs it
03:38And there's also Smart Shift
03:40Which allows the system to shift power between the CPU and the GPU
03:43Depending on what it needs most
03:44The performance uptick can vary between the app and the game you're playing
03:47But sometimes it can be in the order of 5, 10, 15 percent
03:51But it is one medium level advantage of going full AMD
03:54As opposed to Intel and NVIDIA or AMD and NVIDIA
03:58Tip number four
03:59And let's go back to GPUs
04:00Because it's not all about raw performance
04:03AI upscaling via the likes of DLSS 2 and 3 on NVIDIA cards
04:07And also FSR and FSR 2 on Radeons
04:10Can boost frame rates even on low and mid-range cards
04:13To more than playable levels or even high refresh at 1080 or 1440
04:16And it's the best way to get playable frames with ray tracing
04:19Especially if you want to play at 4k
04:21Now because it is a form of upscaling
04:23Image quality can take a hit at the more extreme settings
04:26But if you go with balance or quality
04:28You can get a significant frame rate boost
04:30And in most cases image quality is the same
04:33Now I must say I am a big fan of AMD's new cards
04:36Particularly the 7900XTX
04:38I think that actually for just pure rasterized gaming performance
04:41Not including ray tracing and the likes
04:43This is probably the best value card you can buy right now as I'm filming it
04:47But one area that does kind of tempt me away from Team Red to Team Green
04:51Is just that DLSS performance
04:53Particularly DLSS 3
04:54And in terms of that upscaling and that boosted performance
04:57And also in the range of games that it's supported in
04:59NVIDIA definitely takes the win
05:01And particularly with these new 40 series cards
05:03Where we get frame generation
05:04Where the AI takes two frames and creates another one to insert between them
05:08And boost frame rates further
05:10Although this does increase latency
05:12And while NVIDIA Reflex can help to mitigate that
05:14Generally I wouldn't use frame gen in any sort of competitive or twitchy shooters
05:18And it is only available in a very small handful of games
05:21So it's kind of frustrating
05:22I want to go full AMD to get that AMD advantage
05:25And also it can be better value for money generally
05:27But then I want to go NVIDIA
05:28Because I think DLSS is a better technology
05:30At least more advanced and also better supported
05:33And there's also a ton of extras you get with NVIDIA
05:35Like their broadcast suite and their studio drivers
05:37And a whole bunch of sort of value-added stuff
05:40Number five
05:40And I know it's a dirty word
05:41I'm going to get told off for mentioning this
05:43But I still think pre-built PCs are absolutely worth considering
05:47Of course building your own has its own advantages
05:49And there's tons of satisfaction to get when it boots up for the first time
05:52If it boots up for the first time
05:53But it can take hours
05:54Things can go wrong
05:55You can cut your finger on the metal
05:57And you can completely destroy components if you're not careful
05:59And so one of the main benefits of buying a pre-built from a retailer
06:02Is you get a warranty for the whole system
06:04And also while components can be cheaper if you source them yourself
06:07And also you know exactly what you're going to get
06:09The problem is with graphics cards in particular
06:11Is that you can very rarely get them for MSRP prices
06:15Generally you always have to pay over the odds
06:16Actually buying a pre-built can end up being cheaper
06:19Of course this won't suit everyone
06:21Especially if you do like the build process or want full control
06:24But that's what PC Building Simulator 2 is for, right?
06:27Although joking apart
06:28That game is a great way of testing layouts with real life parts
06:31And it's a good refresher on the whole build process before you do it for real
06:35Okay just a quick mention of the competition in this video
06:37Where I get to give away a PC worth over £3,000
06:40As I've teamed up with AMD and Scan.co.uk
06:43To win this awesome Scan 3XS Vengeance XDX PC
06:47Worth almost three and a half grand
06:49Just make sure you've subscribed
06:50Given this video a thumbs up
06:51And also leave a comment below
06:53Telling me what the first game you would play on that new rig would be
06:55And why
06:56It is an insanely powerful PC
06:58With the latest Ryzen CPUs and Radeon GPUs
07:01Which of course also means we get that tasty AMD advantage as well
07:05And it's all been put together by Scan's 3XS Build Team
07:08And if you do want to check out Scan for yourself
07:09I'll leave a link in the description below
07:11And then one of you lucky stars will have a fancy new gaming PC
07:14Now as I say this is a UK competition only I'm afraid
07:16Although I am working on other giveaways soon which will be global
07:19But if you are in the UK, good luck!
07:22Tip number six
07:22And one thing I see a lot of people do
07:24Is paying way more than they need to for their motherboard
07:27And they have a million features that they never actually use
07:30So try to avoid overspending on your motherboard
07:33Now full-size ATX boards will give you more for your money
07:36Though if you want a more compact system
07:38Then you will have to pay a little bit more for a micro ATX
07:40Or even a smaller mini ITX board
07:42The next step is making sure your motherboard fits your CPU
07:45This is quite important
07:46AM5 for the latest Ryzen 7000 CPUs
07:49And LG 1700 for both 12th and 13th gen Intel
07:53And also all these get the latest PCIe 5 support
07:56Which means a faster interface with both the GPU and also your M.2 SSDs
08:01Importantly there are separate DDR4 and DDR5 based boards
08:05So make sure you choose one that suits the RAM you have or you're going to get
08:08As the latest DDR5 DIMMs won't fit DDR4 slots and vice versa
08:12Also if you plan to use an Ethernet port for internet
08:15Then go with the non-WiFi model
08:17And also while Thunderbolt is nice to have for large file transfers
08:20It's not essential
08:21And also AMD's lower tier B-series boards do allow overclocking
08:25Although perhaps not to quite the same extent
08:27Tip number seven
08:29And let's talk about RAM
08:30Because my friend over at PCcentric, Marcus Cole
08:33Recently made a video comparing DDR4 and DDR5 performance in games
08:37And the conclusion is it doesn't really have a meaningful impact
08:40Even tested with a top-end CPU and GPU
08:4316 gigs of DDR4 3600MHz RAM is totally fine
08:47And won't bottleneck your performance
08:49That said if you are going with a new AMD 7000 build or Intel 13th gen
08:53Then chances are your motherboard will support DDR5 anyway
08:56It is more expensive than DDR4 but nowhere near as pricey as it was
09:00I do still maintain that 16 gigs RAM is the sweet spot
09:03But if you are doing a ton of intense multitasking
09:05You've got OBS streams and Discord and your game running
09:08And a dozen Chrome tabs
09:09Then yes I would probably go for 32 gigs of RAM
09:12And also if you plan to use your beastly PC
09:14As a bit of a workstation as well
09:15And do some video editing or rendering
09:17But whatever you buy
09:18Make sure to enable XMP on Intel or DOCP for AM4 and AM5
09:23In your motherboard BIOS to get the full rated RAM speed
09:26Another mistake I see a lot is people buying these very fancy cases
09:30That look great but they're just big plastic sheets on the front and side
09:33There's really no ventilation
09:35Or like a tiny bit of an inlet on the side
09:37That annoys me no end
09:38And so case-wise anything with a mesh front
09:41And maybe two or three fans should get you plenty of airflow
09:44And if your case doesn't have one
09:45Then at least grab a rear exhaust fan
09:47And also anything beyond five or six fans
09:49Probably won't make much difference
09:51Now in my experience a good AIO liquid cooler
09:54Is the best option for most builds
09:56But you also can't go wrong with a big old air cooler
09:59Crucially though make sure you check reviews and spec sheets
10:01To make sure your cooler works well
10:03And is also rated for your CPU wattage
10:05Or more if you plan to overclock
10:07Which I think most of us do
10:08In either case though more fans and a bigger surface area
10:11Usually means better cooling
10:12Also one thing I have learned from bitter personal experience
10:15Is if you are going to build a mini or micro ATX PC
10:18And you're maybe going to go with a big air cooler
10:21Make sure it fits
10:22And also doesn't get in the way of the RAM
10:24And the VRM heatsinks on the motherboard
10:26I've been there and it's not fun
10:29Number nine we're almost there I promise
10:30And just a few little tips and tweaks
10:32To get the most out of your PC
10:33It's all pretty obvious stuff
10:34But update your drivers
10:36Overclock your CPU and your GPU
10:37Of course do that incrementally bit by bit
10:39And also it's worth following guides
10:41But it can be pretty straightforward to overclock
10:43And you can get a good 10-15% performance
10:45Sometimes out of your system
10:47And it's essentially free performance
10:49Just make sure you do it slowly gradually and safely
10:51And there are also cheaper upgrades
10:53That can make a big difference
10:54Not just having to buy a whole new graphics card
10:56For example an extra fan can mean less throttling
10:58Quieter system and potentially better overclocking
11:00And also adding a faster SSD
11:02Is one of the most cost effective upgrades
11:04Also as I'm sure you'll agree
11:05No PC is complete without some go faster RGB
11:08And one thing I have found from experience
11:10Is that going with just a single brand for fans
11:13And some of the other components
11:14Can make your RGB and lighting life
11:16A whole lot more straightforward
11:17I tend to use Corsair fans, AIOs
11:20And their bundled fan and RGB hub
11:22Mostly as I've had them for years with no problems
11:24And I think they look great
11:25Plus by connecting to a Corsair hub
11:27And from there a USB header
11:29You can control the lot as one
11:30Or individually via their iCUE software
11:33And finally number 10
11:35Don't be creepy
11:36And of course by that I mean
11:37Be careful of upgrade creep
11:39And that's where you're researching
11:40And speccing a new PC
11:41And you think oh if I just pay £30 more there
11:43For a slightly faster SSD
11:45Or I pay a little bit more there
11:46For a higher wattage PSU
11:48Or maybe I go for that level up GPU
11:50Managing your budget
11:51When you're getting excited
11:53And building a PC
11:54Is incredibly tough
11:55And it's easy to get carried away
11:56And pay way more than you need
11:58So I would say just plan a little bit
12:00Set your upgrade or build budget
12:01I'm sure this bound to be something you've forgotten
12:03But just watch a few build guides
12:05And you should be fine
12:05And remember you don't have to upgrade
12:07Everything all at once
12:08But what about you?
12:09Have you ever made any mistakes
12:11Building a PC?
12:12And also what would you have liked to have known
12:13Perhaps before starting on a build
12:15Share your tips and experiences
12:16In the comments below as well
12:17And also don't forget the competition
12:18If you live in the UK
12:19Just give me a thumbs up
12:20A subscribe
12:21And leave a comment on what game you'd love to play on it
12:23And you could win the chance of winning
12:24A brand new gaming PC
12:25Worth over £3,000
12:27Cursory of my friends over at scan.co.uk
12:29And also AMD
12:30Thank you so much for watching guys
12:31Stay tuned for a big monitor buying guide
12:33Which I've got coming very soon
12:34And I'll see you next time
12:35Right here on the Tech Chat