When it comes to gaming, PC performance falls behind the cutting edge very quickly. A brand-new game can really make it feel like your PC needs an upgrade, but it’s not always a new GPU that would make the biggest difference. Some less obvious upgrades can make an even bigger impact.
If you don’t have an SSD yet, get one
Make no mistake, if you have a really outdated GPU, then upgrading to a new one is definitely one of the biggest improvements you can make to your PC. But if you have a somewhat recent GPU already, there’s something else you should look at: an SSD. A lot of people have already made the move to SSDs, but if you aren’t one of them, this is definitely one of the best things you can do for your setup.
Credit: Patrick Campanale / How-To Geek
This is the top priority if your GPU is at least passable. You won’t know how great an SSD is compared to a hard drive until you’ve experienced it yourself. The speed of practically everything gets improved by an SSD. Boot times, game load times, launching apps, opening folders, it all gets a huge speed buff. Your PC will feel faster than it ever has before in almost every aspect. SSDs are fundamentally superior to actual physical storage. You don’t need the fastest SSD in the world, but you do need one.
This is why, if you already have a modern mid-range GPU but not an SSD, upgrading that GPU will not make as much of a difference making an SSD your primary storage drive. A new GPU will primarily only affect your gaming experience, but moving from a HDD to an SSD will overhaul your entire PC and feel much, much better. Hard drives do still have their uses as secondary storage devices, but seriously, if you haven’t made the switch to an SSD yet, do it as soon as possible.
This isn’t to say that all other forms of storage are useless. In fact, there are a lot of storage configurations that are more useful than one big SSD. But if you don’t have an SSD at all yet, getting one is the first move to make.
Storage capacity
2TB
Hardware Interface
PCIE x 4
Compatible Devices
Laptop, Motherboards
Brand
Western Digital
Upgrade your cooling system from passable to great
There’s a wide gap between decent and good, and an even wider gap between passable and great. Most PC users never even touch their cooling systems. They either stick with the default their device came with, or go for a fairly cheap, nondescript option that’s enough to get the job done, but no more. If you feel like your PC performance is subpar, especially when under a heavy workload, a cooling system upgrade might be more valuable than a new GPU.
Credit: Goran Damnjanovic / How-To Geek
A “passable” cooling system might not cause outright harm, but it can definitely hold you back. If the cooler can’t keep your PC cool enough under high loads, your performance could take a big hit due to thermal throttling. Stock air coolers can also be noisier than some aftermarket options you could secure for yourself. High CPU temps and loud fans are things that can make your PC much less fun to use.
Upgrading to something that both keeps your PC cool and does it quietly can make a huge difference for your overall experience, and such an upgrade doesn’t have to be expensive, either. Some cooling fans can get the job done for as little as $35, though it depends on how demanding your PC’s workload is. Even then, a mid-range AIO will be enough for all but the most absurd of rigs.
Get a monitor that can actually use all of your power
Maybe you have the best GPU on the market, or at least a really good one. Yet for some reason, your games just don’t look as good as you think they should. If the problem you have with your PC is how things look on it, despite your quality components, it’s probably the monitor that needs an upgrade before anything else. After all, what does it matter if you have a GPU that can generate 120 FPS at 4K resolution if your monitor can’t match that output?
Credit: Ismar Hrnjicevic / How-To Geek
A monitor that can actually make full use of your GPU’s power is an absolute must for serious gamers. There are many things to consider about an upgrade, too. You’ll want something with a high refresh rate, but you can’t ignore the panel, either. After all, there are so many aspects of your experience that are dependent on the monitor; HDR quality, sharpness, smooth frames, brightness, color volume, contrast, resolution, and a lot more.
All of this is to say, a monitor upgrade can have an enormous impact on how your PC feels to use, both in and out of gaming. You don’t necessarily have to jump to the most expensive monitor in the world, either. There are some very good mid-range options out there for about $200 that have both size and performance to offer. Of course, if you do pick something that can use the full breadth of your GPU’s performance, you’ll definitely notice a huge performance spike.
Credit: Acer
8/10
Brand
Acer
Screen Size
27-inch
Display Technology
LCD
HDR
HDR-400
Great peripherals can completely change your experience
While admittedly not as important as the other things on this list, your PC peripherals can have a big impact on how it feels to use your setup, both in and out of gaming. Even if you have an amazing GPU, how does it feel to use your PC with a cheap mouse or keyboard? Headphones with tinny, scratchy audio? A mic that makes your voice echo when you talk to your friends?
Credit: Tim Rattray / How-To Geek
These may seem like small inconveniences, but when they’re all taken into account together, they can really add up and bring down the quality of your experience. Likewise, if you have high-quality peripherals, they can really elevate your experience. Small chafing points are annoying, and the little things can make or break the whole thing.
Admittedly, your peripherals are definitely not as important as an SSD, or a great monitor. But if you’re running out of things to upgrade and still feel like your PC isn’t quite as great as you want it to be, it might be worth looking at the accessories you’re using with your PC.
Ultimately, there are a ton of things you can choose to upgrade for your PC. How much any of them matters really depends on what you do with your PC, and of course, if you have an old GPU, getting a newer one probably is the top priority. But new GPUs can be expensive, and if you want to improve performance without spending as much money, it’s worth it to consider all the things we talked about here today.
