Buying a gaming PC: graphics card, processor and size

Read the model name

Makers sell one case in many versions with different parts. The model number tells you little, the rest of the name tells you more. Take the HP OMEN 35L GT16-1773nd: its name lists an AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D, 32 GB of DDR5 memory and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070. Another OMEN 35L can have a much lighter or heavier graphics card.

For every model, look at four things: the graphics card (and how much video memory it has), the processor, the memory and the SSD. If the name only gives a model code, check the description or the maker's site.

The graphics card and video memory

In most games the graphics card decides how many frames per second you get and at which resolution. With NVIDIA, within one generation, a higher number means a heavier card. An RTX 5080 is heavier than a 5070 Ti, which is heavier than a 5070, a 5060 Ti and a 5060.

Also check the video memory (VRAM). According to NVIDIA, the RTX 5060 Ti comes in an 8 GB and a 16 GB version, so the same name can mean two different cards. There are ready-built PCs with the RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB and with the RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB, for example. More video memory helps most at higher resolutions and with textures on the highest setting.

Examples from our range, from light to heavy:

• RTX 5060: for example the Acer Nitro 20 and the Lenovo LOQ Tower.
• RTX 5060 Ti and 5070: for example the Lenovo Legion T5 with RTX 5060 Ti, whose product name itself says 1080p to 1440p, and the HP OMEN 35L with RTX 5070.
• RTX 5070 Ti and 5080: for higher resolutions and many frames per second, for example the MSI MPG Infinite X3 AI and the MSI MEG Vision X AI.

For a screen to go with it, see our monitors.

The processor: what does X3D mean?

In most games the processor matters less than the graphics card. The exceptions are games with a lot of calculation, such as strategy and simulation games, and games where you want very high frame rates.

With AMD you often see processors with X3D in the name, such as the Ryzen 7 7800X3D and 9800X3D. They have extra cache memory that AMD calls 3D V-Cache, and AMD markets them as gaming processors. You find them in the HP OMEN 35L with 7800X3D and the OMEN 35L with 9800X3D, for example. With Intel, new PCs use the Core Ultra 5, 7 and 9.

How big is the case?

Gaming PCs vary a lot in size. With HP, the number in the name is the volume of the case in litres:

• Small: the HP OMEN 16L fits next to a screen on your desk. Smaller still is a mini PC such as the ASUS NUC with an RTX 5070.
• Medium: the HP OMEN 35L, the Lenovo Legion T5 and the Acer Orion 3000 are ordinary towers.
• Large: the HP OMEN 45L has room for large cooling and heavy parts.

A small case takes less space, but often has less room for a bigger graphics card or extra storage. Parts can also run warmer in a small case, so the fans spin faster.

Can you upgrade later?

If you want to fit a heavier graphics card in a few years, check three things: the wattage of the power supply, the room in the case and whether there are free slots for memory and a second SSD. Makers do not always put this in the name, so check the specifications on the maker's site. In many mini PCs you cannot replace the graphics card, so with a small PC look mostly at what is in it now.

Connect your screen to the graphics card

A gaming PC often has display outputs in two places: on the motherboard and on the graphics card. Plug your monitor into the graphics card's outputs, usually lower down at the back. Otherwise you get no picture, or the PC uses the processor's graphics chip and you get far fewer frames per second.