Video games have been a hugely popular pastime since the 1970s and they continue to grow in popularity as more devices and technology developments appear. One style of gaming that continues to become more and more popular is PC gaming. To play video games on a PC without lag or other issues, you should have a proper gaming setup.
An average gaming setup usually costs anywhere from $1,000 to $1,500, and a PC that runs high-end games at a high frame rate will cost about $3,000. The price of a gaming setup comes from the total price of the computer, monitor, keyboard, headset, mouse, desk, and chair.
While knowing the amount it will cost you to purchase a gaming setup is helpful, it is also important to know what supplies to get to make an ideal gaming setup at home. Keep reading to find out what you will need to create the best gaming setup for your needs.
PC Gaming: The Basics
Before we talk about the specific pieces of a gaming setup that you should look for, you need to become familiar with how a good setup works, and what all of the parts are for. An ideal gaming setup has at least 7 major components that will give you a great gaming experience without being over the top. These components, as mentioned before, are a computer, monitor, keyboard, mouse, headset, controller, desk, and chair.
- The first thing you need when creating your gaming setup is a computer. Without a computer, you can’t do anything, so it is the most important part of the setup. While you can buy a computer pre-built, many people choose to build their own because of how much cheaper it is. On top of a cheaper price, it is not too difficult to figure out with the right tutorials. There’s also a higher level of customization available to you.
- The next part of a gaming setup is the monitor. If you have a computer but no monitor, then you won’t be able to see any graphics, and that will make you pretty terrible at gaming! A good monitor with proper refresh rates and a high pixel count will make your gaming experience much more enjoyable.
- To play most video games, you at least need to have a keyboard and a mouse. Without a keyboard and mouse, the PC will be incredibly difficult to use. When it comes to these parts of your setup, the keyboard and mouse do not have to be crazy fancy. They should just send accurate signals to your computer so there is no lag.
- In addition to a mouse and keyboard, you should have at least one controller and a headset, especially if you play multiplayer games online. A controller will allow you to play games for other consoles, like an Xbox or PlayStation, on your PC and the controls will stay the same. A headset will make it easier to hear and talk to other players during online games.
- Finally, you need to have a desk to put all of this equipment on and a chair so you can be comfortable while gaming. A desk is important in keeping your equipment off the floor, elevating your monitor, and making it easier to use the keyboard and mouse. A good chair is practically essential as it will help prevent back pain from sitting for hours on end.
Now that you understand the importance of each piece of equipment in a gaming setup, we can cover the specifics of each one. This includes what details to look out for and what options you have. From the computer to a little mouse, there are a lot of details to be aware of. 
Picking a Computer
As mentioned before, a computer is the most important part of a gaming setup. This is the piece of equipment that will run any games that you want to play. Without it, you can’t do anything with the rest of the equipment. You have two major options when deciding where to get your computer: you can purchase a pre-built one, or you can build it yourself.
Pre-Built
The first option you have for your gaming PC is to buy a pre-built one. There are benefits to going this route and there are also downfalls. One pro of buying pre-built is that you don’t have to spend a bunch of time researching parts, learning how to build it, waiting for parts to ship, and troubleshooting little details. On the flip side, buying a PC is generally more expensive than building one yourself. The PC can cost over $1,000 by itself if you buy it pre-built and that doesn’t include any repairs that you need down the line.
Build it Yourself
The other option for a gaming PC is to build it yourself, but like buying a PC, there are pros and cons that are important to consider. A major benefit of building your own PC is that it will cost significantly less money to do so. While a pre-built one costs about $1,000 or more, building your own PC typically costs $500 to $900 depending on the costs of the parts you get. Unfortunately, building your own PC takes a significant amount of time, research, and care to pull off. While anyone can learn, it still takes time to fully understand how it works so you can fix it if there is ever a problem.
When you build a computer, there are a lot of different parts that you can purchase, but it is a huge benefit to be able to decide what your RAM, space, and any other aspects are going to be. While it is up to each person to decide what specific parts they want to use, a personally built computer will have exactly what you need.
Monitor
The next piece of equipment is the monitor. The monitor is very important for a good gaming experience. If you have a monitor with a lot of pixels that refreshes quickly, then you will enjoy gaming even more. When the colors and images are clear and precise, it makes it easier to respond to what is on the screen. When it comes to buying a good monitor, you should lookout for a couple of things.
The first important details to look out for in a monitor are features that make a monitor more smooth. This means find a monitor with at least a 120 Hz refresh rate. This makes the frame rate between 1080p – 1440p. It should also have no more than 3 milliseconds of response time. When it comes to sizing, a monitor screen should be no smaller than 24 inches, but you can always go bigger as long as it will fit on your desk!
Keyboard and Mouse
Now that you have a monitor that provides a beautiful image while gaming, you need a keyboard and mouse so you can start playing PC games. When it comes to each of these pieces of your setup, they can be on the cheaper end, but there are a few details that you should be aware of. 
Keyboard
When it comes to purchasing a keyboard for your gaming setup, you can buy a wireless keyboard or a wired keyboard. Whichever one you end up choosing, you want to make sure that the keyboard does not have any lag. Oftentimes, wired keyboards are cheaper and they have less lag because they are directly connected to the computer. A wired keyboard with a decent response rate costs around $40-$70 if you look in the right places. There are more expensive options, but for a starter setup, you don’t need anything fancy.
Mouse
For a gaming mouse, you should get something that is light and glides smoothly. Again, you can get a cheaper mouse but you also have some more expensive options. Like the keyboard, you have wired and wireless options. In addition to wired or not, you can choose between optical or laser sensors.
Generally, optical sensors are more common and they are just as sensitive as a lot of laser sensors anyway. Unlike the keyboard, you should probably invest in a wireless mouse as it will provide you with more movement while gaming without an extra wire to get in the way.
Headset and Controller
When it comes to PC gaming, there are a ton of online games available to play. Playing online games usually means that there are chats going on and you need a headset to be able to hear these chats and participate in them. While most PC games are available to play with just a keyboard and mouse, having a controller for whichever brand of console you use is very useful for a gaming setup.
Headset
While you can use earbuds or headphones and a mic to play online games, when you want to have the best audio experience, a headset is great. A headset keeps all of the audio and microphone needs in one place and it is also completely hands-free. When looking at gaming headsets, the main things to look out for are comfort and isolation.
You want your headset to be comfortable because you will wear it for long periods. The earpads should fit properly and sometimes they just need time to mold to the shape of your head. You also want isolation. When playing games with slight audio cues or chats where you need to hear what people say, isolation will help keep all of the necessary sound close to your ears.
Controller
While you have a keyboard that might seem like it’s all you need to play games on your PC, if you are an avid Xbox or PlayStation player, you will need to purchase a controller for that console. Having the console hooked up to your monitor or having your downloaded games available on your PC means that you will want to have a controller readily available.
When purchasing a controller, it is better to buy a wired one. It will be more comfortable to hold because wired controllers are lighter than Bluetooth ones. Wired controllers are cheaper than wireless ones anyway, so you can save a lot of money by choosing this option.
Desk and Chair
The final pieces of equipment that you need for a gaming setup are a desk and a chair. You need somewhere to put all of this new gaming equipment, and you need somewhere to sit when gaming. This seems pretty obvious, but many people don’t understand how much of a difference a good desk and chair can make in a gaming setup. A good desk and chair can make your gaming experience so much better.
Desk
When choosing a desk to put all of your gaming equipment on, there are just a few little details to keep in mind. You want a desk with enough space on it. You need to fit your monitor, keyboard, and computer on it with enough room to move your mouse freely.
You also really want your desk to be at the proper height. With a desk at a good height, your gaming experience will be more ergonomic and you will have less back pain from gaming for long hours. If you want to spend a little extra money, you can get a desk with a curve in it that will make it easier to reach your mouse, keyboard, and you will be able to move them to a different angle.
Chair
One of the most useful pieces of gaming equipment to reduce back pain is a good gaming chair. There are a lot of specific “gaming” chairs, but just getting an office chair with spinal support works great as well. When you do not have a good gaming chair, you might find that your neck, back, and hips are sore or even hurt. With a good chair, these problems can be greatly reduced so you can enjoy gaming even more. A good chair will help you be more comfortable while gaming so you can play for longer stretches.