GENERAL
Are my parts compatible?
Making sure that all of the parts in a PC are compatible can be very challenging! We recommend speaking with one of our in-store experts or our tech support team to confirm compatibility if you are unsure, but we do have a PC builder with a built-in compatibility check! As long as we stock the parts, you can add them to your list here, and it will only allow you to select parts that will work together! [PC BUILDER]
PROCESSOR / CPU
What is the difference between AMD and Intel?
The differences between the two brands will mostly come down to the differences in the specs on whichever CPUs you may be deciding between. There are some feature differences, such as the X3D models from AMD, but whether or not you will benefit from those will depend on your use case. I will go into more detail on spec differences below!
What clock speed should my processor have?
Typically, the base clock speed will be stated using GHz in the name of the processor, such as:
- Intel Core i7-14700K Raptor Lake-S Refresh 3.4GHz Twenty-Core LGA 1700 Boxed Processor
- AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D Granite Ridge AM5 4.70GHz 8-Core Boxed Processor
The base clock speed is not indicative of how fast the processor will run in practice. For that, we will need to take a look at the specs and confirm the Turbo/Boost clock speed, as that will tell us the peak that it can run at! The higher the GHz listed, the faster the processor cores will be. To see a general idea of the speeds needed for different tasks, please take a look at this list! These are just generalizations and not a hard and fast rule.
- Around 2.0GHz - 3.5GHz is sufficient for general use and internet browsing
- 3.5GHz or higher is recommended for gaming
- 4.0GHz or higher is typically recommended for professional use, though this will depend on the use case, as more cores may be more important
What about core count?
The core count will typically be listed in the name of the processor; see examples in the previous question. The core count will determine the number of tasks a CPU can perform at any given time; the higher the number of cores, the more tasks it can do. For some general guidelines on how many core counts you may need, please take a look at this list!
- 2-4 Cores will generally be sufficient for general use and internet browsing
- 4-8 cores is generally recommended for gaming; most games will only take advantage of a single core or a lower number of cores, so single-thread clock speed will be the most impactful spec
- For professional applications, it will mostly depend on what kind of programs are being used, though 6+ is a good place to start. I would recommend speaking with our in-store experts for more advice if you are not sure!
What does the X3D on AMD processors mean?
The X3D processors from AMD come with an expanded L3 cache, allowing the processor to access more memory locally! This means that the processor will need to access the RAM less often, leading to faster overall performance. This will mostly be felt during gaming and tends to have much less of an impact in other tasks.
RAM
Which DDR Generation do I need?
This would be dependent on the motherboard being used; it is recommended to check the motherboard's manual or website to confirm. If your motherboard's socket type is not listed below, please refer to the manual.
- All AM5, Intel LGA 1851, or Intel LGA 1700 socket motherboards work with DDR5
- All AM4 socket motherboards work with DDR4
How much RAM do I need?
The amount of RAM needed will depend on the use case of the device. Please refer to the list below for more information on what category your machine would fall into!
- 8 GB would be the lowest amount recommended for older operating systems, such as Windows 10 or earlier
- 16 GB for general use and internet browsing on a Windows 11 machine for the smoothest experience. 8 GB can work, but you may run into some sluggishness
- 32-64 GB for gaming to achieve the best experience. 16 GB would be sufficient, but in more intense games, you may run into frame drops and freezing
- 32gb+ would be recommended for a professional application; this will be very subjective based on the tasks being performed. I would recommend speaking with our in-store experts for more advice!
How many sticks of RAM should I use?
This will mostly depend on the number of RAM slots available on the motherboard. It is generally better to run 2 sticks of RAM in dual channel if you have the option, as it will allow the PC to spread the load more evenly, leading to better performance. If you have 4 RAM/DIMM slots available on the motherboard, then you can run 2 sets of dual-channel RAM to get an even higher RAM capacity!
IMPORTANT: Please be aware that DDR5 motherboards may run into issues at higher than base speeds when running 4 sticks of RAM. This could cause crashing and blue screens in some cases.
What speed should my RAM be?
RAM speed is very complicated to determine whether or not it is something you should be concerned about. Here are the most common DDR generations and what their typical speeds will look like:
- DDR4 will most commonly be 3200MHz, but can be as low as 2133MHz or as high as 3600MHz
- DDR5 will most commonly be 6000MHz, but can be as low as 4800MHz or as high as 8800MHz or more. Around 6000MHz will perform best in most builds for stability reasons.
STORAGE
What is an HDD?
An HDD is a Hard Disk Drive. These are the older style drives with a physical spinning platter that stores the data. The max speed of these drives is typically around 200mb per second.
What is an SSD?
An SSD is a Solid State Drive. These are the newest style of drive; they use NAND flash memory, which features no moving parts. They will also come in a few form factors:
- 2.5" SATA, these will connect the same way as an HDD would, but in a smaller size. Capped at a transfer rate of 6 GB per second
- M.2 drives connect to the motherboard directly rather than over a SATA cable and do not need to be powered independently. They will come in different sizes depending on the drive; 2280 is the most common off-the-shelf size. There are 2 types of these drives currently:
- M.2 SATA, these use the same interface as the 2.5" drives. This means they will have the same performance, but just have a different method of installation
- M.2 NVME, these will be much faster than the SATA M.2s, allowing the drive to work at speeds of up to 20 GB per second
What is the difference between an HDD and an SSD?
The biggest difference will be the speed and the cost. The best rule of thumb to follow is if you are looking to store a lot of data but do not need to access it very often, such as keeping old records that only need to be referred to on occasion, then use an HDD as it will be more cost-effective for a large amount of storage. Whereas if you are looking to boot Windows from the drive and you will be accessing data saved on it constantly, an SSD would be your best choice.
GRAPHICS CARD / GPU
Do I need a dedicated Graphics Card?
If you’re only doing light work that doesn’t require extra visual processing, the CPU’s integrated graphics will be sufficient. However, here are some example cases where a dedicated GPU is recommended
- Gaming
- Heavy visual processing, such as 3d modeling
- Video Editing
- Machine Learning and AI applications
How do I know if my graphics card will work with my display?
The easiest way to confirm this is by taking a look at the back of the display and seeing what options you have. Most displays will have at least an HDMI connection, and all modern GPUs will typically have at least one HDMI as well. You can see what ports a GPU would have by looking at the specs in the Ports & Connectors section!
MOTHERBOARD
Does the size of the motherboard matter?
The size of the motherboard typically doesn't affect the performance of the machine too much, outside of access to expansion slots and the ability to install more storage or RAM. I would recommend beginning by assessing how much space you'd like your PC to take up.
COOLING
What is the difference between an all-in-one liquid cooler and an air cooler?
The biggest difference will be how these coolers perform their job of cooling the processor.
- All-in-one, or AIO, coolers will work by using the processor to heat up liquid before bringing it to a radiator, where it will be cooled by fans, then cycling back to the CPU once it has cooled.
- Air coolers work in a similar but more direct way. They will have a heatsink, sometimes lying flat and other times in a tower, that will take the heat generated by the CPU and spread it out over the larger surface area of the heatsink to be cooled by an attached fan.
These two options tend to have similar performance and will mostly depend on the airflow options provided by the case. For more specifics on your case and the best choice for you, I would recommend working with our in-store experts!
POWER SUPPLY / PSU
What wattage should be power supply be for my PC?
The wattage of your PC will be dependent on all of those other components installed and their combined maximum load. It is recommended to overbudget the wattage by 50-100W. An easy way to find your estimated PSU requirements would be through one of these options!
- Our PC builder will give an estimated wattage on the right-hand side! [PC BUILDER]
- If you are using parts that we do not carry, try this calculator! [PSU CALCULATOR]
How do I know if I have the right amount of power cables?
The cables you will need for all PCs are going to be the CPU and the Motherboard. All power supplies should have those available. Here are some other cases where you may need additional cables:
- Graphics Card, GPUs will tend to need 1-3 power cables. This varies between models, and some will come with a newer 12VHPWR connection. This should only be on newer NVIDIA cards, and those cards should also come with an adapter to utilize 1-3 normal 6-pin PCIE cables.
- 3.5" HDD or 2.5" SSD, these will require a SATA power connection. Some PSUs will have a single cable with multiple connections that will work, but you will need at least 1 SATA connection if you have any SATA drives.
- Fan controllers, some fans will use a controller to sync up the fan speeds and RGB. These will sometimes need additional power and will typically use a SATA connection.