Things to Consider Before Buying a Desktop Gaming PC
Moving into the world of PC gaming can be daunting at first. Unlike console systems, there aren’t just a seemingly infinite number of possible system specs but an enormous variety of manufacturers and system builders too. It’s enough to confuse anyone, but hardcore gamers know that the PC is the ultimate gaming platform because it alone offers the latest graphics and a depth of gameplay consoles simply can’t offer with their handheld controllers.
But in the constantly changing (and upgrading) world of the latest and greatest PC gaming technology new gamers aren’t the only ones who have to learn the lay of the land. Veteran gamers who are back in the market for a new gaming PC after a couple of years often find much has changed since they bought their last system. They too have to learn everything all over again. So what is the best way to navigate this treacherous landscape? For most good systems out there you can find a corresponding gaming PC review that can give you the lowdown on it. This is your best weapon in a ever-changing marketplace of new technology.
Larger review sites may not have reviews on specific builds, but will almost certainly offer write-ups on some of the most popular video cards, audio processors and other hardware components found in the pre-built systems you’re looking at. The online stores themselves often can supply some of the best shopping advice in the form of user reviews. Sites offering user reviews not only give you a chance to see which systems are the most popular but also whether or not the people who bought them were pleased with their purchase (and therefore a rough idea on what your chances of the same are).
A good gaming PC review should of course use benchmarks, even ones written by customers (if you are to find them helpful). Simply saying a gaming PC is fast or slow isn’t very informative. Knowing how many frames per second it was able to process on a specific piece of software or game is much more helpful. For games, it’s also important to know whether they tested with the video settings maxed out or not. Graphics capabilities are not the only detail to be concerned about in a gaming PC review, but they are the most important detail to look at. Still, excellent video capabilities with atrocious audio or a severe lack of hard drive space might be a deal-breaker so pay attention to the finer points as well.
Reviews are important tools because they allow you to benefit from other people’s research, knowledge and experience. This is an enormous time-saver, but of course it is always important to consider any review starting with the reviewer. If it is one unknown user, saying the opposite of what most other people are saying, take it with a grain of salt. The same goes for pro review sites if you’ve found yourself disagreeing with or confused by their conclusions in other reviews. Learning to judge which reviews to value and how much to value them is another skill altogether, but a valuable one that will last you forever.
Read the Evetech Intel Core i5 Overclocked Gaming PC review by Techsmart Magazine South Africa.
