The perfect gaming computer at the right price: How to find the parts

It can be difficult to find a computer that meets all your gaming needs. Gaming technology is constantly improving and systems can go from state-of-the-art to obsolete in a couple of years. Buying a computer presents a hassle as well. So many components determine the quality of a gaming system, how do you decide which computer to purchase without comparing every piece of hardware?
The answer is simple — decide your computer’s components for yourself and build your own gaming rig.
Building a computer is much simpler than it sounds. You need only to find the ideal components for your rig and assemble them.
Shopping for computer parts might seem intimidating, but it can be worth it. More than that, buying your own parts individually can help you save money.
The internal components you will need for your computer are a motherboard, CPU processor, hard drive, memory, graphics card and sound card. You will also need a case, monitor, keyboard, mouse and speakers.
You will want your motherboard and case to be compatible. Some motherboards are reduced in size to fit smaller cases. Once you’ve chosen a motherboard, you will want to choose the right CPU chip. For gaming purposes, you want to decide what your priorities are. Do you intend to overclock? Do you want to be able to play the most graphically advanced games for years to come, or just run your current library at decent speeds? Either way, multi-core processors are the way to go.
When choosing a hard drive, don’t skimp on space. Purchase at least 400 GB of space. You might also want to invest in a smaller SSD drive to use as a boot drive, while keeping most of your data on a separate hard drive.
If you are “future-proofing” your computer, you might want to go with a fast quad-core CPU. Dual-core processors, however, can handle most games at a significantly reduced price. A computer with a 3.2 GHz Dual-Core processor, for example, can run most games at advanced graphics settings with a good graphics card.
Selecting your graphics card can also be tricky at first. Remember one thing - graphics card companies release new products every year at high prices. That reduces the prices of their previous lines, which are still capable of running games. Older cards, such as the later cards in Nvidia’s 8 and 9 series, are capable of running most games and can be found at very affordable prices. For future proofing purposes, shell out a bit more money, research the latest lines of graphics cards and buy last year’s releases. They will last you quite a long time.
Choosing RAM is less tricky. Again, if you wish to overclock, make sure you choose a brand designed to do so. Otherwise, peruse customer reviews and find a reliable brand that fits your budget. You will want at least 4 GB of RAM to ensure a quality gaming experience. The more the better.
Sound cards are not a major point of concern, for the most part. Anything that fits your motherboard can work, unless you are going for a home theater experience. This is up to you. If you wish to cut costs, an inexpensive sound card can cost about $30 and give you all the sound you’ll need.
Avoid expensive cases. A good, spacious case shouldn’t cost more than $100.
All told, a quality gaming rig should not cost you more than $1,200 to $1,400. Because individual parts are cheaper when purchased separately, building your own rig will cost you less. You will also get the satisfaction of running all the latest games on your computer and admiring your own handiwork. It’s a win-win situation