What do I need to play PC games?

It's not really that complicated

Chances are, you've seen places offering "gaming computers", heard people talk about their fancy "rigs", or simply had a lot of strange numbers thrown at you when you looked at computers at a store or in an advertisement. If you're not familiar with computers yourself, this can be overwhelming or even paralyzing.

But when you come right down to it, you just need a computer that has at least 4 GB of RAM and runs Microsoft Windows. Most of the computers that are available in stores today have a lot more RAM than this, and many even come with accessories like "game ready" graphics cards, so finding a good system is actually pretty easy.

That's the simple answer, anyway. There are other things to think about when choosing a computer, but those tend to be optional or are best left to personal preference.

The rest of this page goes into more detail about choosing a computer for gaming, though keep in mind that this is mainly my opinion based on my own experiences over the years.

A more detailed answer

Three things will determine how well a computer runs software: the amount of RAM available, the speed of its processor, and whether or not it has a dedicated graphics card.

The need for RAM is pretty simple. Computers use RAM to temporarily store data. The more RAM there is, the more they can "think" about at any given time. Thus, more RAM is usually a good thing, as it means larger and more detailed environments in games, as well as more complex games overall. 4 GB of RAM is the minimum for gaming, in my opinion. 8 GB or more is even better.

The processor is the part of the computer that executes instructions. In other words, it "processes" the code that makes software work. Processor speed is usually listed in either MegaHertz (MHz) or GigaHertz (GHz), with 1 GHz being equal to 1,000 MHz. Today, most software expects the processor to be capable of at least 2 GHz. Faster is definitely better.

Processors may also have multiple "cores". Each "core" acts like a separate processor, allowing several programs to run simultainiously. Some programs can boost their performance by spreading their workload over multiple cores, but this technique isn't always used. Since it's a toss up whether or not this will help, focus on speed over the number of cores.

Lastly, graphic cards are special components that handle graphical processing. The idea behind them is that the computer can pass the difficult or complicated graphical processing over to the graphic card, saving its own processing abilities for other work. By splitting up the work like this, computers can handle better graphics without sacrificing performance.

Unlike processors or RAM, graphic cards are optional and rarely sold as part of the computer itself. If you're not sure if you want one, try going without and see how your favorite games handle. Without a graphic card, you may need to lower a game's video quality, but a large number of games will still run properly.

Why Windows?

Microsoft Windows is one of the three most popular operating systems in the world today, and it's also the operating system of choice for computer games. But why is that?

There are a few reasons, but the simplest one is that nearly four out of five computers are going to be running some edition of Windows. By primarily offering their software for Windows, a developer can save themselves a lot of trouble.

However, there has been a trend in recent years for developers to start porting their software to other systems, especially Linux. Linux has proven to be a popular and powerful operating system in its own right, but that power comes at price: it's not terribly friendly to beginner users, and getting it set up can be more than the average person wants to deal with.

A Warning About Windows S

Windows S is a special edition of Windows that is often sold at a discount. This trick to this version of Windows is that it can only run software that's available in the Windows Store. This works for businesses and most schools, but it'll quickly get in the way of using the system for gaming.

Switching out of S mode isn't that difficult, but it may be easier to simply avoid this version of Windows.

What type of computer is best?

Computers come in all shapes and sizes. The three most common variants are desktop PCs, laptops, and all-in-ones. While each type of computer has its own strengths and weaknesses, they can all be used for gaming.

For example, laptops are designed to be lightweight computers that you can carry around and use anywhere. That can be quite useful, but there are trade offs. Some laptops can't handle larger resolutions, and many of them have issues with venting the heat produced by heavy computations. It often comes up through the keyboard, which can make using the system uncomfortable.

On the other hand, desktops can't be moved about and take up a lot of room with their tower, monitor, wires and other accessories. But, unlike laptops, you can easily open their case and upgrade, replace, or even add new hardware (such as a graphics card). This customization allows you to build up their capabilities over time or change things if something didn't work out. Ventilation is also less of an issue, as there's a lot more room for airflow within the case and you can also install cooling systems if you feel they are needed.

Lastly, all-in-one units are a special breed of desktop computers. They combine the computer itself with the monitor. These can be useful if you need the extra space, but unlike a proper desktop machine, there's no way to customize their hardware. Effectively, these are a weird mix of laptop and desktop design choices, but they do make for a pretty good gaming machine.

If you're undecided, I'd suggest getting a desktop computer or an all-in-one. I'd also recommend buying from a store rather than online - it can be important to see how the screen looks and hear what the speakers sound like before you buy the actual system.

On the subject of input devices

In computer parlance, an "input device" is any piece of equipment that takes input of some kind from the user and lets the computer know about it. This can mean a keyboard, mouse, trackpad, joystick, or touch screen. There's quite a selection of options out there, so I'll include my $0.02 on them before ending this page.

On keyboards...

It might sound weird, but "gaming" keyboards are a thing. Aside from some brightly colored lights, the main difference between a gaming keyboard and a normal keyboard is the number of keypresses they can register at a time. This makes it seem like the gaming keyboard reacts to player input faster than usual.

Do you need a gaming keyboard to play games?

No, a regular keyboard will do just fine. That said, it certainly can't hurt to try one if you want to spend the money.

On game controllers...

I've used a great many brands and designs of gamepads, joysticks, flightsticks, and so on over the years, and honestly, I'd say that the only really important thing is that they're comfortable. Brands don't matter as much as you'd think, so get one that fits in your hands comfortably. But still get one - while many games play fine with a keyboard and mouse, sometimes there's no substitute for a good controller!

On trackpads...

Trackpads are the laptop world's answer to a portable mouse. They work fairly well for the basic mouse's functions, but they are no comparison to a real mouse when playing games. If you're going to play games on a laptop, use an actual mouse and disable the trackpad.

Wired or wireless?

I've never really had issues with lag, dropped signals, or other issues with a wireless mouse or keyboard. The main issue for me lies with the power supply: wired devices don't need to be recharged or have their batteries replaced, as they get their power from the USB port they're plugged into.