While current-gen gaming consoles pack hardware comparable to a mid-level gaming PC, plenty of aspects still set the PC apart. The endless customization, the vast library of games, and the ability to upgrade your hardware are all part of the appeal — but they can also be intimidating to a PC gaming novice.
We promise it’s not as complicated as it seems! The basics of switching from PC to console aren’t hard to master, and once you’re in, you’ll be amazed by the depth and flexibility of the PC experience. Let’s jump in with five tips to make your console-to-PC experience a smooth and enjoyable one.
1. A prebuilt PC is a great way to get started.
Building your own PC really isn’t as hard as it might seem, but it can also be an unnecessary barrier to entering the world of PC gaming. If you’d rather just dive in, buying a prebuilt gaming PC is a great option. You’ll be able to choose from PCs with a wide range of hardware options, from basic rigs for casual gaming to high-powered gaming PCs with beastly graphics cards.
What’s more, once you have your prebuilt, you’ll be able to customize and upgrade it as much as you like. (Note that gaming laptops, although great for portability, don’t offer the same customization options.) If you’re new to PC hardware and want to start slow, working on your own prebuilt can be a great way to ease yourself in.
2. Invest in the right parts of your PC.
Speaking of hardware, another secret of PC gaming is knowing which parts matter most for game performance. These are the most critical components to look at when you evaluate a PC build:
- Graphics Card: This is the heart of your gaming PC’s graphics performance, where gamers spend the most. However, if you’re just getting into PC gaming, plenty of older and more affordable graphics cards will still give you great performance on most games.
- CPU: For gaming, the central processing unit (CPU) is second to GPU in importance, but it’s still crucial. Take a look at some of the top gaming CPUs. Remember that you’ll want one with a decently fast clock speed, plus at least six cores. Remember that you’ll also need to make sure your CPU is compatible with your motherboard, which is why a lot of people buy the two together.
- RAM: Any competent modern gaming PC will offer at least 16GB RAM, which is enough for solid performance on the vast majority of games. 32GB will give you awesome performance if you’ve got the cash, but it’s definitely not a requirement.
3. Don’t hesitate to use a gamepad (but don’t write off the mouse and keyboard).
Not ready to give up your controllers for the mouse and keyboard lifestyle? In many cases, you don’t have to! Controller-style gamepads are widely available for PC, and if you already have Xbox One/Series X/Series S controllers, remember that they work as plug-and-play PC controllers. Most of today’s biggest PC games offer gamepad support, and it’s even the preferred control solution for some titles like Elden Ring.
That said, it’s worth trying out the mouse and keyboard, even if you think you’ll always be Team Controller. You’ll need to get comfortable with it if you want to explore classic PC genres like MOBAs and real-time strategy due to the number of control functions that the mouse and keyboard provide. Then, of course, there are first-person shooters. Most are still playable with a controller, but once you’ve mastered the precise aiming capabilities of a mouse, you might never go back!
4. Spend some time tinkering with game settings.
Tweaking a PC game’s in-game settings is often the key to making it run more smoothly on your hardware. If you’d like to improve your game’s performance, here are some settings to try adjusting:
- Visual Effects: Rendering those juicy visual effects (such as shadows and reflections) will work your GPU hard. If your performance is suffering, try turning options like shadows, bloom, reflections, and ambient occlusion down or off.
- Anti-Aliasing: This technology increases graphics quality by smoothing out pixelated edges, but it can also slow down your frame rate. Turning AA down or choosing a different type of anti-aliasing is another common choice for improving performance.
- V-Sync: This technology is intended to prevent screen tearing but can also give your game input lag. If your controls feel slow, try turning V-Sync off, and consider getting a fast-refresh gaming monitor with an adaptive sync technology like AMD FreeSync or NVIDIA G-Sync.
5. Explore the fascinating world of mods and indie games.
For a lot of PC gamers, the best part of the platform is the huge communities of independent creators who come together to create mods and independently released games. Mods can give you pleasant conveniences and solve common annoyances of various games, or they can apply transformative changes to games that give you a whole new experience.
Indie games, meanwhile, are a rapidly-expanding market that includes an incredible variety of innovative titles in all genres. While some of the most popular indie titles are available on consoles, there’s no comparison with the sheer size and depth of the PC’s independent games library. Spend some time exploring — you might be surprised at just how sophisticated indies have gotten!
Naturally, downloading software from other people on the internet always requires some caution to avoid malware. First and most importantly, only get your mods and games from trustworthy and vetted sources like the Steam store or Nexus Mods. Second, make sure you’re using high-quality security software and keeping it updated. Windows Defender is a good start (and free), but other anti-malware options can give you even better protection.
We could go on, but we think you’d probably rather be gaming! Get in there and try out some PC games — it’s a deep platform with an amazing amount to offer all kinds of gamers.