PC gaming feels out of reach for many because it requires quite a bit of technical knowledge to pick the parts and build the PC yourself. But everyone should experience that sensation, at least once. Computer Mania’s PCBuilder platform facilitates that. Now everyone from parents wanting to spoil their kid to beginner PC builders can virtually assemble their dream PC to suit a specific budget without worrying about compatibility between components.

For PC gamers without a blank cheque, finding the sweet spot between price and performance is essential. Computer Mania’s PCBuilder tool does just that.

Pick your title(s)

It always helps to start with knowing what you’re going to do with the PC. A gaming PC is going to have slightly different requirements than an office workstation or a machine used for graphic design. This particular PC building tool is aimed at gamers but, especially at the high-end, the PCs can handle any task you give them.

Step one with PCBuilder is choosing your titles. These are used to give you an indication of what kind of performance you can expect from your build. Unless you’re planning on only playing a single game, it’s a good idea to pick all of them. It’s also a good idea to have a target resolution in mind. The most popular resolution among gamers is still 1,920 x 1,080, according to the latest Steam survey. This resolution makes good frame rates cheaper and easier to achieve. 60fps is the basic ideal with 120fps being preferable. Anything higher is a bonus that adds to the overall smoothness of your gaming experience.

Next is to pick a budget. PC gaming usually isn’t cheap, but this tool offers suggestions at different price points. Don’t panic if you don’t see the price you had in mind. This is just a ballpark figure that you can change with some easy tweaks.

And there’s your PC. This is a starting point to build on. Virtually, of course. From here you can increase or decrease the price (on the right) to see similar builds at different price points. It’s easy to add items to your build like extra storage, accessories, or peripherals.

Let the platform do the worrying

You can also tweak your build. Here’s where you really get into the meat and potatoes of building a PC. PCBuilder presents this in an easily accessible way. It also handles aspects like total system power draw and component compatibility. If you’ve picked components that draw too much power, the platform will notify you that you’ve gone over your power supply’s capabilities.

Also on this page, over on the left, is a summary of your PC’s expected performance in the game of your choice, as well as a Time Spy score. Time Spy from 3DMark is one of the most widely used programs for benchmarking performance. As you make changes to your build these metrics update in real-time. This offers a simple way to tell if the shinier-looking graphics card is worth it. The higher the number, the better.

You’ll need to register an account as your last step. Then you can either create a quote or add your build to your cart and check out. Completed orders from Computer Mania are ready to ship within 72 hours. Then, all that’s left to do is make sure you clear space on your desk for your new PC.