| Component | Basic | Designer | Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPU | AMD – Ryzen 5 8500G/8600G Intel – i3-12100/i5-12400 | AMD – Ryzen 5 7600/7600X Intel – i5-13500/i5-12600K/i5-13400 | AMD – 7700X/7800*/7900*/7950* Intel – i7-13700*/i9-12900*/i9-13900* |
| Geekbench 6 CPU Score | Single Core – 2200+ Multi Core – 7000+ | Single Core – 2250+ Multi Core – 10500+ | Single Core – 2500+ Multi Core – 15000+ |
| SSD | WD SN850X/Samsung 990 PRO – 1TB | WD SN850X/Samsung 990 PRO – 1TB/2TB | WD SN850X/Samsung 990 PRO – 1TB/2TB |
| RAM | 16 GB DDR4/5 | 16/32 GB DDR5 | 32 GB DDR5 |
| GPU | Integrated | RTX 3050 (Only if GPU based application) | RTX 4060 onwards |
| Power Supply | 450/500W (5 Year Warranty) | 650W (5 Year Warranty) | 850W+ (5 Year Warranty) – Reputed Brands |
| Motherboard Slots | 2 RAM Slots Space for an NVME M.2 SSD | 2/4 RAM Slots Space for 2 NVME M.2 SSD | 4 RAM Slots Space for 3 NVME M.2 SSD |
| Chipset | Intel – B660+, B760+ | AMD – B650 Intel – B660+, B760+ | AMD – B650/X670 Intel – B660+, B760+ |
| Video Output | HDMI + DP/VGA/DVI | HDMI + DP | HDMI + DP |
| USB Ports | 10Gbps port -1 (Front or Back) | 10Gbps port – 2 (1 Front + 1 Back) | 10Gbps ports – 2 (1 Front + 1 Back) 20Gbps port – 1 (Front or Back) |
| Ethernet | 1000 Mbps / 2500 Mbps | 1000 Mbps/ 2500 Mbps /10 Gbps | 2500 Mbps / 10 Gbps |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 5/6E (if required) | Wi-Fi 6E (if required) | Wi-Fi 6E |
Explanation
Components are constantly being released into the market. This is to help you understand the role of the component and choose them wisely.
Market rates are very volatile so an understanding of the component can help you take informed decision.
CPU
- It provides the main compute to the system.
- It is often the most expensive component of the build.
- Comparison between different models can be found on Geekbench.
- Single core performance matters a lot to enhance performance of most of the applications.
- Now a days most PCs are equipped with over 4 cores. Hence multi core performance is unusually high. It only need to be considered for highly scalable applications.
- Recommended model numbers are highlighted in the table, although any CPU which meets the score requirements can be chosen.
SSD
- It is the component which stores your data.
- Traditional Hard Disk Drives (HDD) were used, which are being replaced by SSD.
- SSD provide very high speed data throughput than HDD.
- There are many types of SSD, the fastest among them is NVME SSD.
- The speeds are:
- HDD – 30-150 MB/s
- Sata SSD – 500MB/s
- NVME SSD – 1600 MB/s to 7500MB/s
- A popular software to test the speed of SSD is Crystal Disk Mark.
- It is recommended to replace any PCs which are running on HDDs with the SSD it can support.
RAM
- It stores data while it is being processed or used.
- It is a volatile storage, i.e, data is lost if the PC shuts down incorrectly (like power cut).
- 16GB is recommended for most appications.
- A motherboard usually supports 2 or 4 sticks of RAM, so its advised to not fill all of them when the PC is purchased, so that more RAM can be added later, if required.
- Same type (model number) of RAM is best suited to match, in case of unavailability, one can choose RAM which is of same speed (in MHz) and latency (in CL).
- A RAM stick can support multiple speeds and have different latencies at each speed.
- DDR5 ram is getting popular and DDR4 is being phased out.
- RAM usually last long, i.e., do not fail usually and can be reused in other system as per need.
GPU
- It is responsible for our display screen and other graphical computations.
- Many CPUs have integrated graphics which is sufficient for usual office work.
- Designing and rendering applications can require discrete GPU depending on the work being performed.
- Always choose GPU by considering the compute requirements as it can be one of the most expensive components.
- Nvidia graphics card are preferred for business needs as they support a wide variety of software.
- Do not buy a GPU below GTX 1050 as they are too old and lack driver support.
Power Supply
- It converts AC to various DC voltages required by the computer.
- It is recommended to use a power supply at a maximum of 80% of the rated load. (i.e., if components can draw 400W use a 500W PSU)
- 80+ rating is the power supply’s efficiency rating.
- It is often the component which fails first and can damage other components when it fails.
- Purchase a PSU which has a minimum of 5 years of warranty from a reputed brand.
- Most brands make all kinds of PSU, hence properly choosing the power requirement and its warranty matters the most.
Motherboard
- Different CPUs require different sockets.
- There are various chipsets for each kind of socket.
- The chipset must be able to support the CPU (might require BIOS update)
- It connects all the components together.
- It has the display, USB, SATA, and other ports.
- Header Pins are used to connect the front panel ports.
- It comes in various sizes (like ATX, mini-ATX, etc)
- BIOS can be reset by removing the CMOS battery for a few minutes.
Case
- It must be sufficiently large to hold all the components.
- It must have options to mount fans for good air flow.
- Magnetically attached filters at intake prevents dust from entering and helps in easy cleaning.
- Its front panel ports must be easily assessable.
USB
| USB Version | Speed | Alternate Names | Connector Types | Uses |
| 2.0 | 480 Mbps | Hi-Speed | Micro, Mini, Type A, Type B, Type C | Keyboard, Mouse, etc. |
| 3.0 3.1 Gen 1 3.2 Gen 1 | 5 Gbps | SuperSpeed USB | Micro, Type A, Type B, Type C | Data transfer to external HDD, Pen Drive New Printers and webcams, other peripherals. Charging Low power devices |
| 3.1 Gen 2 3.2 Gen 2 3.2 Gen 2×1 | 10 Gbps | SuperSpeed+ USB 10 Gbps | Type A, Type C | USB Hub, external SSD |
| 3.2 Gen 2×2 | 20 Gbps | SuperSpeed+ USB 20 Gbps | Type C | USB Hub, external SSD |
| 4 | 40 Gbps | Type C | USB Hub, Display | |
| 4 v2.0 | 80 Gbps | Type C |
Peripherals
To check suggestions for various peripherals you can refer the pages mentioned below for each peripheral.