build guide Archives - Logical Increments Blog

Building an Insane Gaming PC with the i9-12900KS

The i9-12900KS is now among us, and it computes its way across the land like a fearsome giant. Until the next generation of chips releases in the (not-too-distant) future, this is the best CPU for gaming that is available.

It is also a CPU with a massive power draw and large thermal requirements . . . but fear not! If you are considering the route offered by this beefy component, you don’t have to walk the path alone. In this article, we’ll be taking a look at how to build an absurdly powerful top-tier gaming system with the 12900KS—all while maintaining system balance and even room for upgrades (many years down the line, when an “upgrade” might once again become possible for this system in a really noteworthy way).

Building a PC for Microsoft Flight Simulator

The release of the new Microsoft Flight Simulator brings one of the best examples of Microsoft’s Azure cloud streaming applied to a game to date. Yet with all that graphical beauty as far as your eyes can see, do you need a monster rig to play it at 1080p?

Let’s take a look!

Building a PC with the RX 5500 XT

Nvidia got the ball rolling in 2019 on having way too many graphics card options in and around the midrange, and now AMD is getting in on that fun with the RX 5500 XT. Let’s take a look at this GPU from AMD!

What Logical Increments Tier do you Need to run the Most Popular Games on Steam?

(Information on Steam’s most consistent top games were gathered for this article from Steam Charts)

Logical Increments has a continuously updated tier list, showing how much it will cost to build a system with a specific performance goal in mind. Ranging from the basic ‘Destitute’ system to the crazy ‘Monstrous’ system, it gives readers an idea of what they can achieve, what their upgrade paths are, and provides easy build lists to ensure a balanced system with high-quality parts.

Using that list, we can cross-reference with the most popular games currently being played on Steam (in terms of consistently high player counts), and fit each game with a Logical Increments tier. In fact, I’ve matched each of the 15 games in this article with 2 LI tiers each: one for 60+ FPS at 1080p, and one for 60+ FPS at 4K.

As I compiled this information, I had two basic criteria that a system had to fulfill to fit into a specific category:

Over 90% of the time, it had to run at 60 frames per second or above at each desired resolution.
It had to achieve at least very high graphical settings (not necessarily maximum for every setting).

Now, let’s see what kind of PC it takes to run Steam’s top games!

Building a PC with the GTX 1650 Super

Being the latest in the ever-expanding line of GPUs from NVIDIA, here comes the GTX 1650 Super! The GTX 1650 Super sits in a very specific spot in an already stacked line-up. So, where does it fit into all of this? And what would it look like to build a balanced 1080p gaming system with it?

How Many CPU Cores Do You Need?

Whether you’re building a new computer or just upgrading your current one, the CPU (central processing unit)—being the ‘brain’ of the computer—is an important component to get right.

But, with all the improvements and advancements in recent years on both the hardware and software sides, how many CPU cores do you need?

Building a PC with the AMD Ryzen 5 3600

Today we’re looking at a power-efficient build with the shiny new AMD Ryzen 5 3600. Settle in as we take a look at what a low-power-draw midrange gaming PC build looks like with this CPU!

Building a Budget Mini ITX PC

Mini ITX PCs are famous among builders for being deceptively difficult and expensive to create. The unassuming, small stature of such builds may make them look like smaller projects than mid towers or full towers to newcomers—but the tight spaces in the cases, the higher temperatures of such close quarters, and the specialty parts they sometimes require can balloon the challenge and the cost.

In this article, we take a look at putting together a tiny build for a modest price: building a capable Mini ITX small form factor computer for about $390, similar in price and performance to a larger low-end PC.

Building a PC for Indie Gaming

One of the best parts of the indie gaming scene is that it’s full of great games that are often less demanding (performance-wise) than AAA titles. This allows gamers on a tight budget to still have an awesome experience without endless budgeting and saving up beforehand.

In this guide, we look at what it takes to build a PC for playing popular indie games!

Building a PC with the i5-9400

With Intel fleshing out their 9th-generation range, now comes the i5-9400. So we take a look at what it takes to build a balanced PC with this $185 CPU!

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