Table of Contents

1 Why build your own gaming PC? 6

Bang for buck 8

Understanding your needs 10

The tools of the trade 13

2 Anatomy of a gaming PC 14

Understanding the basics 16

Research your build 19

Motherboards 22

Central Processing Unit (CPU) 25

System memory 29

Graphics cards 33

Power supply units (PSU), storage and cases 38

3 Build a gaming PC 42

Installing the CPU and RAM 48

Installing a CPU with dedicated cooler 50

Fitting the motherboard 52

Installing horizontally 54

Installing both hard drives 55

Cable routing 57

Installing the power supply 58

Cable management in smaller cases 60

Fit the system panel and memory 61

Installing a water cooler 62

Fitting a graphics card 64

4 The first start-up 66

Picking an operating system 69

Windows versus Linux 74

Installing the OS 76

What software? 78

Picking a browser 80

Antivirus and security 84

Steam and digital distribution 87

Social software, and the rest… 92

5 Accessories 94

Gaming mice 97

Gaming keyboards 99

Monitors 102

Headsets 105

Gaming controllers 108

Racing wheels 110

Joysticks 112

Ocuius Rift 114

NVIDIA SHIELD 117

6 Overclocking your gaming PC 120

Understanding overclocking 123

Overclocking your CPU 126

Overclocking your graphics card 130

Overclocking your memory 134

Benchmarking and testing 138

7 Maintenance and settings 142

Maintaining your hardware 144

Maintaining the software 146

Upgrading existing parts 150

In-game settings explained 153

8 Testing and fault-finding 156

Troubleshooting 158

Finding faulty hardware 161

Beep and error codes 165

Glossary 170

For More Information 171

For Further Reading 173

Index 174