If you’ve ever wanted to build a custom gaming PC but the thought of plugging a CPU and GPU into the right motherboard and then putting it all in a case like some sort of high-tech Lego set sounds a bit overwhelming — read on. Gaming pro Rukari Austin says that building your own PC gaming rig is easier than you think, especially with GameStop’s killer selection of PC gear available in stores and online. You can also get a hands-on feel for different components at GameStop’s new PC Gaming section at select store locations, so you can see how everything plays together and get the gear combo that nails what you’re going for.
But don’t take it from us. Rukari has been deep in the gaming scene since the first Halo launch and, in addition to being a Senior Community Manager for GameStop, he builds his own PC rigs. Here’s some pro advice from Rukari to help you get started building your own dream machine.
Start With a Winning CPU and GPU Combo
Your processor and GPU combination is what’s going to give you the best visual fidelity and target frame rate for your build, Rukari says, but some CPU and GPU combos have more punch than others. “Check out GameStop and other online benchmarking tools to make sure the CPUs, GPUs, and other components you’re liking are going to perform together like you want them to,” he said.
Plug It Into the Right Motherboard
Say you’re looking at pairing the Ryzen 9 5900X and GeForce RTX 3080 — you’re obviously going to need a motherboard with the proper sockets for that ridiculously powerful combo, right? In addition to hitting up GameStop to figure out what motherboards will work with which CPUs and GPUs, Rukari also recommends that you do your due diligence and read lots of product reviews, especially if you’re picky about performance specs. For example, Rukari opts for motherboards that have the RGB lighting specs he wants. “One deciding factor for me when pairing my GPUs and motherboards is the RGB factor because I’m totally in that phase right now,” he said.
Think About How Your Monitor Plays Into Frames Per Second
You may not need to add a spanking new monitor into the budget for your build, but Rukari does suggest that you asses how your new build will perform with your old screen. “Having played both 4K and 1440 and leaning against my budget, I’m often times happy playing on 1440 and getting something like 140 or 150 frames per second from my CPU rather than playing on 4K at 100 frames per second,” he said.
Get Touchy-Feely at a GameStop PC Gaming
Rukari recently had a chance to check out one of GameStop’s new PC Gaming sections and get his hands on some of today’s hottest PC gear and custom builds. “It was so cool to see examples of what can be created,” he said. “To see a 3080, 3070, and 3060, and have every single other thing you’d ever need for PC building all in one place was phenomenal.”
Even if there’s not a PC Gaming near you yet, Rukari brings it home by saying that building your first gaming PC begins with compiling a list of parts that perform the way you want them to, reading the reviews, watching a YouTube tutorial or two, and then just diving in. “Sure, you want a processor, GPU, motherboard, memory, and SSD or MMD hard drive, but the rest is about doing it,” he said. So, how would Rukari design his dream rig for gaming?
Meet Rukari’s Latest Beast
Rukari calls his latest and greatest build his “workhorse that cannot be stopped or topped.” It rocks an AMD 5950X so Rukari can overclock and a GeForce RTX 3090 he scored at a GameStop Pro Access event. Sixty-four gigs of RAM tackle Rukari’s heavy load of streams, captures, and edits. For storage, the motherboard has two different NVMe slots, one with 500G for the OS and the second is a Samsung 2TB 980 Pro NVMe drive.
Check out GameStop’s extensive selection of PC gaming components and get started on your own master build today.