How To Choose a Best gaming PC in 2025
Before buying a gaming PC, ask yourself a few important questions:
– For what purposes am I buying it? What games do I plan to play?
– What budget can I set aside for its purchase?
– What screen resolution will I be playing at?
If you’re going to play undemanding games like Overwatch, Rainbow Six Siege, or Fortnite, you won’t need a powerful PC, even at maximum settings. But for demanding games like Cyberpunk 2077, Metro Exodus, Call of Duty Modern Warfare, and upcoming AAA titles from 2024–2025 (e.g. Starfield, The Elder Scrolls VI, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora), you’ll need a powerful build with a good graphics card. Below, you’ll see a table with FPS rates for various games and graphics cards to help you figure out how powerful a graphics card you need. If you want to stream or work with content, you’ll need a powerful processor and plenty of RAM.
Video Card
The graphics card is the most important component in a gaming computer. It has the greatest impact on how many frames per second (FPS) your PC can produce and how smooth and high-quality the gameplay will be. Other PC components, such as the processor and power supply, are selected based on the graphics card’s power.
How many FPS do you need?
The more the better, the smoother the gaming process will be, and you will see more details. The minimum required for comfortable gaming is 60 FPS. However, FPS is limited by the monitor refresh rate. If the monitor refresh rate is 60 Hz, you will only see 60 frames, even if the video card gives 200 FPS. To get more than 60 FPS on the monitor, you need a monitor with a refresh rate of 120, 144, 165 Hz or higher.
Screen resolution and video card selection
The higher the resolution, the more powerful the video card must be to get acceptable FPS:
1920×1080 (FHD): from RTX 3050 to RTX 4060
2560×1440 (2K, QHD): RTX 4060 / RTX 4060 Ti and above
3840×2160 (4К): RTX 4070 – RTX 5090
In 2025, special attention should be paid to new ray tracing technologies (Ray Tracing) and DLSS 3.5/4.0 (Deep Learning Super Sampling) technology, which significantly improve graphics quality and performance. For example, RTX 5000 series graphics cards support a more advanced DLSS 4 Multi Frame Generation algorithm and a new version of Reflex 2 technology. These technologies are especially relevant for modern AAA games, where graphics are becoming increasingly realistic.
Average FPS in popular games
To gauge the differences between graphics cards and decide which one you need, check out the average FPS in the following games: Borderlands 3, Far Cry 6, Flight Simulator, Forza Horizon 5, Horizon Zero Dawn, Red Dead Redemption 2, Total War Warhammer 3, and Watch Dogs Legion.
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CPU
The processor is the second most important component. It is responsible for computing tasks and content creation. The processor performance depends on the number of cores, threads and architecture. With each generation, the architecture and efficiency improve, so we recommend buying the latest generation processors.
Choosing a processor
At the moment, the current line of 14th generation Intel Core processors starts with the Core i3-14100F model with 4 cores and 8 threads, and ends with the Core i9-14900K processor with 24 cores and 32 threads. The Core i3 processor is designed for entry-level gaming builds, but sometimes it may not be enough. Intel Core i9 will be excessive for games, we recommend paying attention to the Core i5 and Core i7 – they have more balanced performance. The suffix “K” in the name of the Intel processor means that it has an unlocked multiplier and can be overclocked by increasing the clock frequency. And the suffix “F” means that it does not have an integrated video core, which you will not need, because a gaming computer always has a discrete video card, and you can save money. Therefore, it makes sense to choose a PC with such a processor.
In late 2024, Intel introduced the Core Ultra series of processors based on the Arrow Lake architecture. The lineup starts with the Core Ultra 5 245K, which has 6 cores and 8 threads, and tops out with the Core Ultra 9 285K, which has 8 high-performance cores and 16 energy-efficient cores.
The AMD Ryzen 9000 series of processors starts with the Ryzen 5 9600X with 6 cores and 12 threads and ends with the Ryzen 9 9950X with 16 cores and 32 threads. Ryzen 9 is overkill for gaming, so go with Ryzen 5 and Ryzen 7. The previous Ryzen 7000 series processors are still relevant. Ryzen processors have high performance in multi-threaded tasks. The “X” suffix means that this version of the processor is slightly faster than the one without the “X”.
We recommend reading our article with a selection of the best processors for gaming to understand which one is right for you.
We offer you a table with the results of testing several recent generations of processors in PassMark – it gives an idea of the computing performance of each processor. The higher the value, the more powerful it is.
RAM
The most modern type of RAM is DDR5, which replaced DDR4. DDR5 operates at a higher frequency, starting from 4800 MHz and higher, and provides a performance boost, although it is more expensive. For mid-range and higher-end computers, DDR5 is recommended, but DDR4 will be relevant for several more years and can also be a good choice.
Modern motherboards from Intel (B760 / H770 / Z790) and AMD (B650 / X670) have the ability to automatically overclock the RAM, so you can choose RAM with a frequency that the motherboard allows. However, the higher the frequency, the more expensive the memory, in fact, most users are satisfied with 3200 – 3600 MHz of the DDR4 type and 5200-6000 MHz of the DDR5 type.
The minimum amount of RAM for the current year is 16 GB. More and more modern games require more RAM, so we recommend installing 32 GB. Insufficient RAM will lead to freezes in games. DDR5 memory usually comes from 32 GB and above.
Storage: SSD and HDD
Nowadays, any computer, not just a gaming one, must have an SSD drive . Their price is not high now, and the benefit is very significant. Thanks to it, the operating system, programs, games, files located on it will load instantly. The minimum volume for a gaming computer is 240 – 256 GB, this is enough for the OS, programs and 1-5 games. The optimal volume depends on how many games you plan to install and whether you will store files on the SSD drive. We recommend a volume of 1000 GB.
There are two formats of SDD:
SATA is the most common format with a speed limit of 600 MB/s.
M.2 is a more modern format, in which the SSD drive is inserted into a slot on the motherboard and takes up less space. The speed is much higher than that of SATA drives and reaches 14,000 MB/s. Previously, such drives were more expensive than SATA, but now the prices are equal, so we recommend taking this format.
If you want to store important files on your computer (work projects, family archive, etc.), then you will need a hard disk (HDD). It is cheaper than SSD, but its operating speed is also significantly lower. The advantage compared to SSD is that you can restore files from the hard disk if they are lost. However, if you have cloud storage, or you do not store important files on your computer, you can do without an HDD drive.
Power supply, cooling and case
One of the main parameters of a power supply unit is its energy efficiency (efficiency). The higher the efficiency , the less heat it needs to dissipate and, accordingly, the less cooling it will require and the power supply unit will work quieter . There is an 80 PLUS certification program, according to which power supplies with an energy efficiency of at least 80% at a load of 20%, 50% and 100% comply with the standard. There are several certification levels: 80 Plus, 80 Plus Bronze, 80 Plus Silver, 80 Plus Gold, 80 Plus Platinum and 80 Plus Titanium. The higher the level, the higher the energy efficiency of the power supply unit.
The power of the power supply also affects the noise level. The greater the power reserve, the less load it receives and the less cooling it will require. In this case, the fan will work quieter, at low speeds.
Cooling also affects the noise level . The larger the fans, the fewer revolutions they make and the less noise they make. A reserve in the cooling system will allow you to overclock or upgrade your computer without replacing it. Cooling is selected depending on the processor; it should cool it effectively, even under full load.
The case is selected based on its appearance, size and ventilation system. The better the air flow, the less load and noise the fans make. The latest trend in gaming cases is a mesh on the front and top panel (and often on the side), which increases the air flow and reduces the temperature inside the case.
Pczone Gaming Computers
We hope that our guide to choosing a gaming computer has helped you. If you want to buy a Best Gaming PC with reliable components, professional assembly and a guarantee, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with our computer models. They are assembled individually for your order, have their own configurator with compatibility check and are delivered throughout Ireland.
