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5 things I learned from building a PC with an unlimited budget
5 things I learned from building a PC with an unlimited budget
The first step for many PC builders, regardless of skill level, is setting a budget. Knowing how much you're willing to spend is a good place to start, as it sets expectations for what parts you're able to select, and therefore how much can expect to get. But what if you started with no budget at all? Unlimited funds to select whichever parts you want? A few years ago, I did just that, and learned some valuable lessons by doing so.
More expensive doesn't always mean higher performance
Sometimes you're paying for bells and whistles that will go unheard
Not having any kind of budget in mind when starting your PC build might lead you to believe that you'll end up with uncompromising performance, and while that might be true, you don't need to sort your online shopping by highest price to achieve that. The highest-end components will often come with a ton of features that, while nice, don't meaningfully impact performance.
Motherboards are one of the better examples of this. When I was doing my budget-less build a few years back, I did just that—sorted the online storefront by highest price, found the first motherboard compatible, and bought it. While small things like quick-release mechanisms, cool LEDs and LCD screens, beefy cooling, and other included accessories are nice to have, they're just not worth the hefty price tag they come with. When looking at a board of the same chipset family that lacks these extra features, the price difference is quite vast. Even though I had no budget, I can recognize I paid way too much for features that I don't care for, and that's something I won't do again.
Value still matters
Even without a budget, you should still aim for the best fit
Aligning well with the previous point, just because you don't have a budget, doesn't mean you shouldn't put thought into what you're putting in your system. Value still matters, and every build should prioritize parts based on purpose. For example, an AMD Threadripper will likely be the most expensive CPU you can get your hands on, but if you're not doing work that requires that kind of horsepower, it's going to waste. It's a bit of an extreme example, but budget-less builders may be tempted to go "all-out" and, as a result, select a more expensive part that's built for a very specific purpose and end up with something worse than they otherwise could've had.
You don't need to go overboard on cooling
Buy for the appropriate level of overhead
Chances are, if you're building a gaming PC, you probably don't need to go crazy with the cooling. The highest performing gaming CPUs at the moment run cool enough to get away with a premium air cooler or an off-the-shelf AIO liquid cooler. Premium air coolers shouldn't cost you more than $200 at most, and a rudimentary AIO can be as good as the most expensive options these days. The more expensive liquid cooling options come down to fancy LED screens on the pump assembly. If that's worth it to you, then by all means, knock yourself out. Your temperatures will largely remain unchanged, as the manufacturing cost for the average AIO has come down significantly, leveling out the difference between the more expensive and budget options.
I should've bought more fast storage
One of my biggest regrets
When I was building my PC without a budget, I opted for a 1 TB SSD for my boot drive, and a 2 TB HDD for storage that didn't need rapid access. Coming from a system that had only a 256 GB SSD and a 1 TB HDD, this seemed like a pretty huge upgrade, but I could've used much more storage. If I were to do it all over again, I definitely would've opted for a larger SSD, ditching the HDD entirely. Maybe a secondary SATA SSD, but at the very least I should've gone with a 4TB+ NVMe boot drive.
Consider what non-component items are worth your while
A monitor or nice keyboard might go further
Your PC isn't just the sum of parts in the case, it also comes down to the peripherals you use to interface with it. While you might be able to push 4K at 60 FPS in your favorite games, it's useless if you're on a budget monitor. Grabbing a nice, color-accurate, high refresh rate panel could make a bigger difference than some of the components inside the box. Which keyboard and mouse you're using is also worthy of allocating some of your non-budget to. Audio upgrades, a nice controller, even an ergonomic chair—these things can last far beyond the usable lifespan of your PC, and are absolutely worth your consideration.
A budget is a good guideline
Even if you're willing to ball out and buy the most expensive option for all your core components, it's not a good idea to do so blindly. Even setting a soft budget can be better than no budget at all. Knowing your use case and buying the best part for that specifically is how you end up with the best experience possible. The creature comforts that come with more expensive motherboards and PC cases, for example, won't affect performance, but may enhance the building experience. It's all about what you expect your PC to be, so take stock of what that might look like before swiping your card.
