For the longest time I would always play video games on various consoles and handhelds but never a PC. Growing up the family would use the PC for email, homework, browsing and various other mundane tasks. Since it was a computer my parents bought it was in no shape to be a gaming PC. Even in college, consoles were my preferred choice for gaming because it was easy and cheaper. We all know that high fidelity gaming is always found on your most powerful and beefy computers. There’s soo much to love about playing video games on PC but the main barrier for most is the cost. Recently the laptop I use for work died. I used this excuse to buy myself a mid-range gaming PC. I looked up reviews, and took suggestions from friends and colleagues. Here are my top tips I have found so far for PC gaming!
The Budget
What is that you want to use your computer for? You will have to decide if you need a laptop because of travel or a PC at home. Some of the best gaming laptops are expensive because of they’re made with mobility in mind. You will always get more value with a desktop computer than a gaming laptop for the same price. Setting a reasonable budget is also a key factor in making your decision.
Here is a list created by PCMag.com with their top choices and reviews.
Optimization Tools
You need to make sure your drivers are up to date before attempting once your computer is up and running. Gaming consoles automatically update themselves but PC’s rely on updates to specific hardware; not often but every couple of months you should check. There are programs that can do this process for you just make sure you don’t download a weird one because untrusted sources are filled with malware. The last thing you need is malicious malware ruining your transition from console gaming to PC.
Video games on consoles are optimized but it’s a different story on PC. Most games have a hardware detection option in the settings but they aren’t always the best because they don’t take into account your PC’s unique specs. Intel and AMD both have dedicated programs for optimizing the latest games called NVidia GeForce Exp, AMD Gaming Evolved, and Razor Cortex. However, if the game your playing isn’t listed then it will be up to you to change video and performance settings to your liking.
Make Use Of Tech Lying Around
Several games on Steam are playing better on a controller or offer controller options. If you’re coming from a console, you already have controllers that can sync with your PC and there’s no need to buy a new one. Although the Xbox One Elite Controller is an amazing controller if you have the money for it! You can also save money by using an older HD TV laying around as a monitor for now until and then spring for a better one when you are able.
Practice with Shooters/Change Mouse settings
Playing FPS games on PC is a different experience that may take some getting used to. Having a good mouse and changing your pointer settings are good starting points. Depending if you use your wrist or arm to move the mouse, you might need to buy a bigger mouse pad which is inexpensive. I bought this mouse pad on Amazon and I’m happy with the purchase, or you can always go for a wider one.
I would highly recommend that you start off with single player FPS games like Call of Duty or Borderlands before tackling multiplayer. At this stage of your transition, It’s all about getting comfortable and adjusting your mouse sensitivity settings to something that you can work with. Keep playing until you find the right adjustments that suit your pointer needs; you can create your own custom inputs via Key Binding.
Well, those are my tips from my experiences starting off with a brand new gaming PC. Do you have advice that we could add to this column? Let’s us know in the comments below. CultureOfGaming,com is your source for great editorials, reviews, and podcasts
