We spend a lot of time thinking and writing about monitors on this site. Along with core components like the GPU and the CPU, a monitor is one of the single most impactful pieces of technology for how you interact with your PC and your gaming experience. No matter how powerful the parts or expensive […]
Best Custom PC Builder Websites for 2021 – Compared
With the current focus on pre-built or custom-built PCs, including here at PremiumBuilds where we’ve written about the reasons to build yourself or to buy a prebuilt rig, many buyers are asking the first question when choosing a pre-built PC: who should I have build it? Part of the reason you are letting a professional […]
Prebuilt vs Custom Gaming PC: Which is Best for You?
All hobbies have their major sticking points. Sometimes it’s about brand loyalty, sometimes it’s about styling (spaces vs tabs!), and sometimes it comes down to the purists fighting the rest of the world on ‘best practice’. Like any hobby that has more than one person doing it, the PC gaming world has their own debate: […]
5 Best External GPUs (eGPUs) for 2021
As mobile technology has continued to progress, laptops have caught up in many areas to their desktop counterparts. SSDs have shrunk in size, CPUs have become more power efficient, and batteries have improved capacity and efficiency. But there remains one major component that simply cannot perform as well within the thermally and space-constraints of a […]
How to Build a Mechanical Keyboard (Part 1): Choosing Your Components
While building a PC is by far the most popular ‘DIY’ activity for gaming, there is another crafty adventure that is becoming more and more popular: keyboard building. Mechanical keyboards have been around for decades, in fact mechanical keyboards (or keyboards with a PCB and individual ‘switches’ to create electrical contacts to be read by […]
Best Prebuilt Gaming PCs under $800
While $500 might get you into the world of PC gaming, pickings are slim and you are likely not able to find the most recent components. Those PC’s will still provide an experience that rivals or beats most consoles (or at least last-gen consoles), but won’t get you the performance you read about online. But […]
Best Prebuilt Gaming PCs under $500
Today we are going to look at gaming on a budget, and by budget, we mean a budget. Not everyone is in a position or comfortable to go for a flashy gaming build, but still want to get into the world of gaming or at least dip a toe into the gaming world before diving […]
6 Best 240mm AIO Liquid Coolers for 2021
Choosing a 240mm AIO is becoming harder and harder, but that’s because of how many great options have been produced in recent years. As liquid cooling has become popular due to the aesthetics of a small block on the CPU vs the big air coolers, more and more companies are putting strong options into the […]
8 Best 120mm Case Fans for 2021 Builds
For many PC builders, a large part of the conversation on components centers around cooling solutions. Whether it is CPU Coolers, GPU Coolers, custom water loops, thermal paste or airflow-focused PC cases, enthusiasts want to get the most out of their components. And to get the most out of your components, you need to keep […]
8 Best Graphics Cards for Ryzen 9 3900X & 3950X Builds
So if you’ve decided on a beastly high-end CPU from AMD, either the 3900X or 3950X, and are excited about that massive core/thread count and putting it to use. Now the question is, which GPU should you pair it with? And the answer depends completely on you, your needs, and what you are planning on […]
5 Best Budget B450 Motherboards for Ryzen Zen 2
Despite the inclusion of features like PCIe 4.0 with the latest X570 chipsets for the AM4 socket, many builders are still choosing astonishingly strong value motherboards based on the B450 chipset. X570 is great for those looking for the newest tech, but even the least expensive X570 is difficult to call a ‘budget’ board as […]
Intel Core i5 vs i7: Which is better for gaming in 2021?
One of the most common questions when buying a CPU is whether or not stepping up one level in the stack will give appreciable returns. Especially for Intel, where the emphasis is on single-core speed rather than high core/thread counts, buyers are often unsure if upgrading from an i5 to an i7 for the extra […]
4 Best Gaming Monitors under $200
No matter which components you have, or how powerful they might be, the end result will be displayed on your monitor, making it one of the most important parts of your gaming experience. In the past, fast response times for gaming were extremely expensive, meaning a high-end monitor would cost as much as the GPU […]
5 Best Thermal Pastes for CPU & GPUs in 2021
Thermal paste is a hot topic in building communities, and is an important piece of the entire apparatus that is the cooling solution for the CPU and GPU. Thermal paste is necessary in both cases as the intermediary between the heatsink of our cooler and the die of our CPU/GPU because while metal on metal […]
Best Motherboard Brands Compared – ASRock vs Asus, MSI, Gigabyte
In this guide, we’re going to continue with our high-level reviews like we did with five major GPU manufacturers and talk generally about the major motherboard manufacturers putting products into the market today. We won’t cover every single one, such as BIOSTAR that still produces a few motherboards, but the market is overwhelmingly controlled by […]
5 Best Pre-built Gaming PCs under $1000
At PremiumBuilds, we often focus on individual components for those looking to build a PC themselves. And while the building community is strong and growing, many users do not want to have to deal with individual components and prefer buying a fully built machine. Or, for those looking to gift a new rig to a […]
Graphics Card Manufacturer Comparison: Which Brand is Best?
In this guide, we’re going to take a step back from specific components and talk generally about some of the major GPU manufacturers putting products into the market today. We won’t cover every single one, especially as some are pretty regionally specific (like GALAX), but we will look at some of the pros and cons […]
Best Motherboards for Ryzen 9 3950X Builds
The 3950x has landed from AMD, and it takes Ryzen Zen2 to its peak. With a massive 16 core / 32 thread design and advertised boost speeds up to 4.7GHz, the 3950x is a beast of a mainstream processor that challenges HEDT processors in terms of pure core count and computing performance. Early tests show […]
Best CPU Coolers for Ryzen 9 3950X
The flagship Ryzen 3000 processor has finally been released, and boy is it a beast. The Ryzen 9 3950x, the top of the line Zen2 processor that was promised as the peak of the 7nm AMD implementation but released months after the rest of the lineup, has finally hit shelves. And it is making waves! […]
4 Best Lightest Gaming Mice for 2020
One of the current trends in peripherals is the movement towards lighter and lighter gaming mice. For a long time, gamers were content with mid-weight mice, and were more focused on the quality of the sensor, cabling, and switches within the mouse than the overall weight. But now, as sensor technology has reached a point […]
Best RGB CPU Coolers for 2021 (Air, Liquid, Budget Options)
Keeping your components cool is a concern for any builder as it impacts performance and longevity of many of the parts of a PC. Different style coolers at different budgets provide different levels of cooling performance, and depending on the power/heat output of a rig and any plans for overclocking, different types of coolers may […]
$2300 Enthusiast i9-9900KS Gaming PC Build
While gaming has become more and more accessible as manufacturers expand their product lines to include offerings at almost any price point, the enthusiast build still represents the near top-of-the-line components and holds a special place in the market segment. Enthusiasts are the ones that are serious about PC building, the ones writing reviews and […]
Best ‘Smallest’ Micro-ATX Cases
For anyone that knows the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, the micro-ATX (mATX) form factor makes a lot of sense. Sometimes, your case and motherboard are just a bit too big, with so many extra features you’ll never need but will take up valuable space on your desk or in your room. And […]
6 Best White PC Cases for White-themed Builds (ITX/mATX/ATX)
Components dictate the power of your rig, but the case you choose will define the overall size and look of your PC. While most gamers would agree that a PC is before anything a tool to provide a great experience, many users also want to enjoy how their PC looks and to showcase it on […]
5 Best Low Profile Mechanical Keyboards
We’ve covered a few different types of switches within our different articles, from specialized gaming speed switches to more traditional red/black linear switches. And if you’ve read any of them, you’ll remember that there are three main types of switches (linear, tactile, and clicky) that have different types of feedback sensations: linear are smooth with […]
Best Budget Ryzen Gaming PC Build (1080p 60FPS+ Console Killer)
Not all of us are able to invest $2250 into a PC, so a build like the Intel Enthusiast build we just wrote about isn’t very feasible. However, to be able to enjoy PC gaming, you don’t need over two grand! With the advancement of technology, gaming at a very enjoyable 1080p 60+FPS is accessible […]
5 Best 1080p 240Hz Gaming Monitors for 2021
If you are a reader of the site, you might be familiar with our ‘standards of gaming’: Gold for 1440p 144hz, Silver for 1080p 144hz, and Bronze for 1080p 60hz. We like this description because it gives a pretty clear understanding of the most common gaming standards today, and the approximate cost/power needed for each […]
Best Graphics Cards for 1440p 60Hz Gaming
After 1080p 240hz, our other more ‘niche’ standard for gaming is 1440p 60hz. Whereas 1080p 144hz is a happy medium for everyone, 1440p 144hz requires serious power for such a high resolution and refresh rate, and 1080p 60hz is our classic budget objective, 1440p 60hz is more like 1080p 240hz in that it is a […]
Rumor Mill: NVIDIA RTX 2080 Ti Super?
Nvidia loves its Super cards, and the newest leaks show hint Team Green may be finalizing its refresh by extending the Super boost to the 1660, and if rumors are right, the 2080 Ti. Nvidia has dominated the high-end gaming GPU market for years, even as AMD has made big progress in the mid-tier and […]
6 Best 140mm Case Fans for 2021
When reading enthusiasts talk about PC building, much of the conversation revolves around cooling solutions. Whether it is CPU Coolers, GPU Coolers, custom water loops, or airflow, enthusiasts want to get the most out of their components. And to get the most out of your components, you need to keep them cool. Aside from the […]
6 Best Entry-level Graphics Cards for 2021
The enthusiast market for PC components might get a lot of attention, leading to plenty of articles on 1440p 144hz or 1080p 144hz gaming, but many gamers rely on less expensive systems. And while 1440p 144hz certainly has advantages in terms of smoothness and resolution, there are some great entry-level GPUs that will ensure 1080p […]
AMD Radeon RX 5500: What we know so far..
AMD is not done yet with their Navi releases, and this time they are pushing 7nm to ‘mainstream’ use with the announcement of the RX5500. This little brother to the RX5700 should compete directly with the GTX 16XX line, including the 1650/1660/1660 Ti (and the recently leaked 1660 Super) from Nvidia, and put AMD back […]
X299X vs X299 motherboards: What are the key differences?
For HEDT users out there, now is a great time to be alive. Threadripper 3000 is on the (near) horizon, and Intel just released Cascade Lake-X (CL-X) CPUs that may not be a revolution in terms of performance, but if early indicators are correct, may be a revolution in terms of pricing. HEDT stands for […]
5 Best WiFi 6 (802.11ax) Routers for 2019
WiFi 6 is upon us, and if you are a wireless user, you should be excited. WiFi 6 promises not only faster speeds (which most people cannot take advantage of without Gigabit fiber), but better reliability and more complete coverage in terms of range. WiFi is becoming more and more a part of our daily […]
Best Mechanical Keyboard Switches for Gaming
After all of our articles on keyboards, you might have realized that the single most important factor for typing sensation in any mechanical keyboard is the ‘switch’. The switch is the piece beneath the keycap that actually moves when pressed. Within the course of this movement, an internal leaf connects the two pins soldered into […]
4 Best PCIe Wireless Adapters for 2021
As the world moves wireless, tech lovers are eliminating cables wherever they can. New laptops often come without ethernet ports entirely and a minimum of USB ports, forcing users to rely on Bluetooth and WiFi for their connectivity needs. Fixed-tower desktop users, and gamers especially, have been often resistant to this change, preferring the speed […]
Best Graphics Cards for i5-9600K Gaming PC Builds
A lot of tech blogs or hardware reviews may be focusing on the new Ryzen products available to help you hit either the gold standard or silver standard of gaming, but this article will be your guide to a powerful gaming PC based on Team Blue’s reliable 9600K(F) and the best GPU’s to pair with […]
6 Best White Mechanical Keyboards (for Gaming, Typing & Coding)
If you read our article on the $1750 white gaming build, you might now have built yourself a beautiful, white-themed PC. And now, you’re thinking that you want your desk and peripherals to match to ensure that your entire battlestation falls into line with your clean-white aesthetic. Luckily, there exists a serious number of white […]
7 Best ATX Cases for your next Mid Tower Build
While SFF building seems to be on the rise, and micro-ATX has been available for years, there is still nothing anywhere near as popular as the standard ATX format for building your own PC. ATX motherboards are the easiest to find and have the best price-performance options of any size, and the ease of build […]
Best Tenkeyless (TKL) Mechanical Keyboards
If you read our article on the best 60% mechanical keyboards, you know that some people value compact designs and minimalism so much that they are willing to remove 40% of their keyboard and keep just the essentials. But while some people can function without arrow keys or an F-row, others might not be as […]
Best Graphics Cards for 1080p 144hz Gaming in 2021
If the new gold standard for gaming is 1440p 144hz, the new silver standard is 1080p 144hz. The buttery smoothness of 144hz with the still very high definition 1080p is not only terrific for modern gaming, it also very accessible. Unlike 1440p which requires some pretty powerful components that come at a price premium, 1080p […]
Best Wireless Gaming Mouse and Keyboard Combos for 2021
When asked about the most important part of a PC set-up, most people will point to the CPU or GPU because of their importance in dictating performance. Some people might say the motherboard, since it is the backbone of the entire system. But often we overlook the components more responsible for our enjoyment, the peripherals. […]
Best Power Supplies (PSUs) for Ryzen 5 3600 Builds in 2021
Congratulations! You’ve settled on the new CPU king of price-performance gaming capable of being paired with even the highest-end GPUs for great performance: the Ryzen 5 3600. You have chosen your motherboard (maybe with the help of our budget X570 article), you have your SSD picked out, and maybe your peripherals as well. But you […]
Ultimate $1750 White 1440p 144hz Gaming PC Build
While PC builders are almost always interested in price-performance more than anything else, many of us are equally interested in building an aesthetically-pleasing machine that can sit on our desk without being an eye-sore. Creating a ‘battlestation’ that is eye-catching and as exciting to look at as to use allows us to enjoy our hobbies […]
Best 1440p 144hz Monitors for 2020
If you read our article about the best graphics card for 1440p 144hz gaming and its popularity as the new gold standard for gaming, you are probably looking for the next necessary component to hitting that super high definition resolution and buttery-smooth refresh rate: the monitor. Having a powerful graphics card and CPU are great, […]
Best Quiet Mechanical Keyboards
When building a PC, everyone thinks of the processor and graphics card, but not everybody pays as much attention to the device we use every time we interact with our gaming rig or workstation: the keyboard. And because most of us do not have the luxury of a separate sound-proofed room dedicated to our battlestation, […]
Best Budget X570 Motherboards for Ryzen Zen 2 Builds
With the new Ryzen 3000 series processors, AMD and its partners introduced the X570 chipset with motherboards ranging from the super high-end water-cooled ASRock Aqua priced at a cool $1000, all the way to the entry-level ASUS X570 Prime-P coming in at around $170. Even the lower end motherboards are still quite expensive for a […]