by People who use computers for work, Internet browsing, or video streaming typically need to upgrade their computers every five years or so. However, five years are an eternity already for gamers – pros and amateurs alike. A lot of things can change in five years and without the necessary upgrades, you can end up enjoying a sub-par experience playing a game – or not be able to play it at all.
RAM
The cheapest and quickest way to upgrade a gaming computer is to throw in as much RAM as you can. This will probably work well enough to keep you happy – but only for as long as you do not go beyond 2GB. Anything over than that and you will have to upgrade other parts as well.
Processor
After the memory card comes the processor. If you’re old enough to remember what a dual-core processor is then you’re definitely old enough as well to know that dual-cores no longer do for today’s latest slew of games. Quad-cores are all right, but if it has been some time since your last upgrade then it makes better sense if you go for a full upgrade with an eight-core processor.
3D Gaming
Something you should seriously consider nowadays when upgrading a gaming computer is whether you want your PC to be capable of rendering 3D gaming effects. Obviously, this would mean a huge investment since high-quality 3D gaming glasses don’t come cheap. But it also means being one of the first to enjoy 3D gaming, which definitely means a lot to most gamers. It’s very likely that 3D gaming would become the norm for the future but it’s too early to say when exactly that’s likely to happen. For now, you just need to choose whether you want an upgrade for present-day improvement or you’d like to go all the way and get your PC ready for the future in gaming.
Benchmarking
Upgrades are always a matter of mixing and matching so it’s always a good idea to benchmark the standards for today’s gaming PC. You can find out more about what makes up other gamers’ PCs by joining in forums dedicated to PC gamers. Don’t be shy to ask questions. Most gamers love to talk about their PCs and what they’ve done to improve it.
Brands
Brands don’t always make a difference. Brands are just a matter of having a different label or packaging for products like toothpaste or even denim jeans. Brands matter, however, when it comes to products like food or – in this case – hardware parts for your computer. The difference is almost always subtle so it’s something you should either ask a pro or research more about.
Compatibility
Just think of it as building your own sport team. Even if you have all the best players, that doesn’t necessarily mean you have the best team. It’s the same when upgrading your PC. You need to make sure that all your parts are compatible with each other and that together they can fully enhance your gaming experience.
