To say my gaming setup is outdated is an understatement. My build is filled withold PC components, some of which are almost a decade old. Meanwhile, the general appearance of my rig betrays the truth that it has been updated and expanded over time with mostly second-hand accessories and components.
But given a chance to start my setup from scratch, what would I do differently? Given the right budget and what I've learned over the years, there's a lot I would change.
You wouldn't believe these 7 PC building blunders I've made in the past
These PC building mistakes from my past almost became PC breaking blunders
7 Matching dual monitors
My current mismatch comes with drawbacks
While there are many ultrawide monitors available on the market, there arereasons I prefer a dual monitor setup over an ultrawide screen. My current setup is less than optimal though, as it includes two mismatched screens — a 27-inch Dell display and a 23-inch Samsung display.
The result of these mismatched displays is not only that I'm a little embarrassed when people share pictures of their well-designed gaming rigs. The differing hardware makes adjusting brightness and warmth inconvenient, with each display having different input methods and levels of brightness at the minimum setting. I also have to prop up my secondary screen on a table mount so that it lines up better with my primary monitor and doesn't cause neck pain.
If I were to start again, I'd get two matching displays so that the display sizes and footprint would be the same. I'd also invest in some monitor mounts to free up extra space on my desk. I could enjoy the benefits of having identical screens that don't require ad-hoc adjustments to try to get them to match up.
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Monitor spec sheets are full of buzzwords and other filler, but these are the things you should pay attention to.
6 A mechanical gaming keyboard
I've seen the (literal) light
Over the years, how much I play PC games has varied. I was most concerned with using a keyboard that had the necessary productivity features I needed, and I didn't see the need for a gaming keyboard or a mechanical keyboard.
But there have been some great releases over the years that have changed my mind. I reviewed a mechanical gaming keyboard from Razer in 2024, and ever since, I've missed the tactile feel of mechanical switches and the aesthetic appeal of per-key RGB.
I would also likely opt for a 75% or TKL keyboard over a 100% layout. I never thought I'd be one to have strong keyboard preferences, but newer models have firmly changed my mind.
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Mechanical keyboards differ greatly in both form and function, but skipping these 6 features should be illegal
5 No HDD recycling
I really shouldn't be hoarding so many drives
Remember when I mentioned that my PC build includes second-hand parts? It also includes some recycled HDDs that I had from older builds. With the increased affordability of large capacity SSDs, these older drives aren't really necessary anymore. I wouldn't even necessarily want torepurpose the old storage drives for a NAS because of their age.
Right now, these hard drives serve as archival storage rather than anything I currently use. The only utility they provide me is the peace of mind that if I suddenly need a file from over a decade ago, I can still find it.
If I were to start my build from scratch, I wouldn't incorporate old HDDs and would only carry over two of my SSDs. I'd probablyturn the old HDDs into external storage so that if I ever really need to go back to them, I still have that option.
6 ways to optimize HDDs and make them last longer
Here's how to make those spinning platters last as long as possible
4 An AMD Radeon GPU
The value proposition seems better
My current PC still runs on a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060, and it has served me well over the years. But if I were to start a new PC build today, I'd probablyswitch to an AMD GPU instead of a NVIDIA GPU due to a number of reasons.
Firstly, AMD is no longer a newcomer in the GPU space after acquiring ATI — the company has had many years to prove its mettle in the graphics space. The recent generations of GPUs from the company, in particular, compare favorably to NVIDIA's offerings when it comes to value for money.
I'd wait for more reviews before deciding exactly which model to purchase from the latest generation. But the new series pricing is pretty appealing, especially living in a region where technology costs more than in the US due to import taxes.
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3 Including a full-featured motherboard
No more dongles
I'll admit that even though the motherboard plays an important role in your PC build, I often didn't pay much attention to my motherboard's specs and features over the years. I would usually check that it supported my components, but I didn't take future-proofing into account.
From the lack of an RGB header to support my PC case's RGB lighting to the lack of support for wireless technologies like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, I'm itching to replace my motherboard with something better.
Most of the shortfalls of my current motherboard can be addressed with dongles and additional accessories, but these take up the limited ports I have available. In the meantime, I've used a USB dock to give me a few more ports to work with. But if I were to start my build again, I would get a motherboard that has these features already.
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It's always tempting to save money by skipping the flagship motherboards but you might be losing out on features by doing so.
2 Opting for a modular power supply
Simpler cable management
As I learn more on my PC building journey, cable management continues to rear its head as one of the things I'm concerned about. It overwhelms and intimidates me since I need an organized system to figure out which cables go where.
This isn't helped by the fact that my case includes a glass side, meaning that I have to fit all my cables into one side of the case and feed them through small gaps. I enjoy the aesthetics of this but not the practical implications.
One of thebenefits of using a modular power supply is the easier cable management that comes with it. It would also make it easier to swap out my PSU in the future. I'd also future-proof my build by using a PSU with a higher rating so that it's easier to upgrade components without worrying about my build being underpowered.
5 signs it might finally be time to upgrade your PSU
It's time to bid goodbye, once your old PSU is no longer enough to meet the demands of modern hardware
1 I'd be more involved from the start
No more outsourcing
The reason I say that I'm still on my PC building journey is because previous builds were dictated by the parts others had available, and much of the assembly was done with the help of a partner or friend. This means that while I have a general understanding of PC components, my practical application of this knowledge is woefully lacking.
Relying on the advice of people I assumed knew better than me also resulted in me doing some "side-grades" rather than upgrades. Allowing someone else to handle my CPU ended up with it being bricked. My worst fear about what I could potentially do wrong by handling my components happened anyway.
The experience has spurred me on to develop a more in-depth understanding of PC building so that I won't be upsold or misinformed about components again — or end up with an unusable CPU as I struggle to comprehend what happened.
The 5 most difficult parts of building a gaming PC (and how to make them easier)
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I've learned from my current build
While I'm still wading into PC building, my knowledge is much more well-rounded than even just a year ago. Some of the lessons I've learned were expensive, but I plan to at least use this knowledge. I won't be able to start my build from scratch anytime soon, but when it comes to an upgrade, I plan to use everything I've learned from my current build.
