My Gaming PC Journey: How Building a PC Built Me

A lot of teens strive to own a PC for gaming at some point in their lives. Most decide to leave console gaming behind and move on to a platform that allows WAY better performance, greater access to games, and a powerful machine for other work. I will be sharing my journey of building, maintaining, and owning a gaming PC for those who may want to build one some day.

In the year 2020, after playing games on my Xbox One for 5 years at this point, I decided it was time for an upgrade. I felt stuck. I wasn't able to play PC games like Valorant with my friends. In competitive games like Fortnite, I was limited by the 60 FPS cap making it harder to fight opponents on more powerful systems which could run FPS in the triple digits. In graphically intense games like Forza Horizon 4, I wasn't able to enjoy the game's full potential in graphics. Not to mention, I would be limited to 30 FPS making the experience less enjoyable. So, I started researching gaming computers.

After weeks of researching PC vs Console reviews, PC builds, and the different parts and components, I realized that it wasn't going to be cheap nor easy. However, these were things I accepted, there was only one major obstacle I had to face: convincing my parents. So, for the next couple days I secretly worked on a PowerPoint presentation. I detailed every benefit I would gain as result of investing in a gaming computer build. I ensured to emphasize how useful it would be for "schoolwork". I also explained how building was better than buying a prebuilt computer as most prebuild companies upcharge the price for labor while using the cheapest parts possible. After presenting and days of negotiating (combining 2 years worth of Christmas and birthday presents, keeping my grades up, in change of selling my Xbox on Ebay, etc.) I was able to convince them.

Here are the parts I ordered and assembled:

• PC Case (MUSETEX Phantom Black ATX)

• Storage (970 EVO SSD 500GB)

• Motherboard (MSI Z390-A Pro)

• CPU (Intel i7 9700K)

• CPU Cooler (Cooler Master ML120L Liquid Cooler)

• RAM (Corsair Vengeance 16GB)

• Power Supply (Corsair CX 650 Watt)

PC build in progress

Some may notice that I am missing a GPU, and the truth is, 2020-2021 was a bad time to buy GPUs. Due to the pandemic and chip shortages, GPUs were out of stock everywhere. On top of that were the many scalpers that used AI to mass purchase GPUs every time they restocked, reselling them for triple the price. So at the time, I relied on the CPU's integrated graphics card (common in newer CPUs, though not as powerful as dedicated GPUs). But, one of the best parts about owning a built computer is that you have the ability to upgrade its parts whenever desired. Over the years I upgraded my PC to fit my needs.

Parts added:

• RTX 3060 12GB GPU

• 5 TB Hard Drive (slower but cheaper than an SSD)

• 8GB Ram (for a total of 24GB of RAM)

• 2nd Monitor

RTX 3060 GPU being installed

I was finally able to run games to their fullest potential. I was getting 200-300 FPS on Fortnite, 60 FPS on Forza Horizon 5 with max graphics, and 400 FPS on Minecraft. With these high FPS ranges, it's important to ensure you also have a monitor that can display high frame rates in the form of refresh rate. My monitor was 165Hz meaning it refreshes pixels 165 times per second. I was happy, but I thirsted for more...

My PC's hardware might have been completed, but I still had its software to tweak. I spent many more weeks perfecting my Windows, NVIDIA, and motherboard settings through overclocking and optimal settings. I searched guides online and dug myself deeper and deeper into computer tweaking rabbit holes. I did things like enable OC Genie and XMP mode in my motherboard BIOS (firmware embedded into a computer motherboard). There was a lot of trial and error, a lot of crashing, and a lot of research. I squeezed every increase in performance I could out of my computer. It scratched and itch I didn't know I had in my brain about reaching true perfection in performance, latency, and graphics.

MSI BIOS

After years, my gaming phase started to slow down and I started using my PC for schoolwork and other hobbies. The great thing about having a powerful computer like this was the productivity and potential it gave you. I could multitask seamlessly between different applications. I could run powerful software like After Effects, Blender, Photoshop, Visual Studio, Unity, and Unreal Engine. Because of my computer, I was able to discover my love for video editing and VFX. My PC also helped me deepen my interest in technology pushing me to stay up to date with the latest trends. In my experience, having a powerful gaming computer is worth it as it can teach you what goes on in computer hardware and software and help you appreciate the true power modern technology holds.