Gaming PC Buyers Guide
How to choose a gaming PC
Unlike consoles which are available in just a handful of different models, PCs are available in a huge variety of configurations. This is both a strength, in that you have a lot of choice over how much you can spend but has a weakness because so many choices can seem overwhelming. This guide quickly and concisely highlights the main things you need to consider when buying a gaming PC, broken down into three easy steps.
A TRUSTED BRAND PC PERFORMANCE USER EXPERIENCEScan 3XS Gaming PCs
There are dozens of brands of PC available in the market, and it’s an important decision to get right to make sure you receive a professionally assembled system, built from high quality branded components, it’s competitively priced, and is provided with excellent customer service in case anything does go wrong.
Key Features
3XS Systems has been designing and building PCs for more than 20 years, so we have a huge amount of experience in building highly reliable systems that deliver the most performance for your budget. Here are the key reasons to buy a 3XS Gaming PC.
Next-day delivery
3XS Gaming PCs are pre-built and tested in our factory to be delivered next-day.
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3 years warranty
3XS Gaming PCs include a three-year warranty, so if anything goes faulty we’ll repair or replace it.
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30 Day return Policy
If you’re not totally satisfied with your 3XS Gaming PC you can return it up to 30 days after delivery.
FIND OUT MOREQuality Components
3XS Systems gaming PCs are built using high-quality branded components from market leading brands.
PC Performance
The most important component in a gaming PC is the graphics card or GPU. This is because the graphics card determines what resolution and quality settings your PC will be able to play games at, with higher performance enabling you ramp up both settings for a better gaming experience. The graphics card is also the most expensive component in a gaming PC, so has the biggest impact on the total system price.
For this reason we categorise our gaming PCs by which graphics card they have and for each category give a broad indication of the cards abilities using the simple ratings of High-End, Mid-Range and Entry-Level.
The frontrunner in graphics cards is NVIDIA, and so you’ll see most 3XS gaming PCs featuring one of these GeForce cards. The GeForce range spans a huge variety of price points and is divided into two product groups, GeForce RTX and GeForce GTX, each with their own set of features and benefits.
NVIDIA GeForce RTX Graphics Cards
The most powerful and advanced NVIDIA gaming graphics cards belong to the GeForce RTX 30-series, although you’ll still see some PCs with less powerful previous generation RTX 20-series graphics cards listed on our website. The GeForce RTX range comprises close to a dozen models spanning all the way from Mid-Range GPUs costing hundreds of pounds all the way up to High-End GPUs that cost over a thousand pounds.
GeForce RTX 30-series GPUs support the latest Microsoft DirectX 12 Ultimate standard, which enables stunning DXR ray tracing, plus many proprietary NVIDIA technologies to improve your gaming experience such as Reflex, Broadcast, RTX IO and Omniverse Machinima.
NVIDIA GeForce GTX Graphics Cards
The other range of NVIDIA GTX graphics cards are not as powerful or capable as GeForce RTX graphics cards. For instance, GTX cards do not support DXR ray tracing and the AI-accelerated features of the RTX cards and some of the other features from DirectX 12 Ultimate. That said, GeForce GTX graphics cards are excellent value for money thanks to their competitive pricing.
NVIDIA GeForce Graphics Card Summary
The table below rates the performance out of 10 for the GeForce RTX and GTX graphics cards, while also highlighting which cards support ray tracing, VR and recommends the optimum resolution for gaming.
| RTX 3090 | RTX 3080 Ti | RTX 3080 | RTX 3070 Ti | RTX 3070 | RTX 3060 Ti | RTX 3060 | GTX 1660 Ti | GTX 1660 SUPER | GTX 1650 SUPER | GTX 1650 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gaming | 10 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Ray Tracing | Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
| VR Ready | Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
| Optimum Resolution | 8K/4K/UW-QHD | 8K/4K/UW-QHD | 4K/UW-QHD | 1440p | 1440p | 1080p | 1080p | 1080p | 1080p | 1080p | 1080p |
If you want to learn more about NVIDIA graphics cards you can read our NVIDIA GEFORCE CARD BUYERS GUIDE.
User Experience
Once you’ve decided which graphics card is right you’re ready to move onto the final decision, what sort of overall user experience is provided at different price points. We want to give customers as much choice as possible when shopping for a gaming PC so have designed four distinct ranges each with their own look and feel and price point.
Key Features
The table below summarises the principle characteristics of each of the four ranges of PC.
| 3XS FLUID | 3XS VENGEANCE | 3XS GAMER | SCAN GAMER | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EXPERIENCE | ULTIMATE | BEST | BETTER | GOOD |
| PRICE POINT | ££££ | £££ | ££ | £ |
| COOLING | WATER-COOLED | PREMIUM HYDRO-COOLER | HYDRO-COOLER | AIR-COOLED |
| NOISE | VERY LOW | LOW | LOW | MEDIUM |
| WARRANTY | 3 YEARS | 3 YEARS | 3 YEARS | 2 YEARS |
Continue reading to find out more about the four ranges of 3XS Gaming PCs.
3XS Fluid Gaming PCs
Fluid Gaming PCs are the ultimate gaming PCs, featuring state-of-the-art water-cooling for the processor and graphics card(s) and premium components. Fluid Gaming PCs provide the ultimate user experience, with custom fan profiles, finely tuned overclocks and tempered glass cases. The Fluid range includes standard Vengeance systems and individually named systems with a bespoke design for extra stand-out.
Key Features
WATER-COOLING
The ultimate cooling system for a gaming PC.
PREMIUM COMPONENTS
Built from the finest components for a refined gaming experience.
OVERCLOCKED
The CPU and graphics card tuned for maximum performance.
RGB LIGHTING
AURA programmable RGB lighting illuminates your PC.
3 YEAR WARRANTY
If anything goes faulty we’ll repair or replace it.
3XS Vengeance Gaming PCs
Vengeance Gaming PCs are premium gaming PCs, featuring best-in-class components that are overclocked for maximum performance and quiet hydrocooling for the processor. Vengeance PCs are available in two styles, the standard models which are built in aluminium cases with a side window and RGB lighting, and the iCUE models which are built in glass cases and have even more RGB lighting for a more distinctive look.
HYDRO-COOLING
Quiet and stylish cooling for your gaming PC.
PREMIUM COMPONENTS
Built from the finest components for a refined gaming experience.
OVERCLOCKED
The CPU and graphics card tuned for maximum performance.
RGB LIGHTING
AURA programmable RGB lighting illuminates your PC.
3 YEAR WARRANTY
If anything goes faulty we’ll repair or replace it.
3XS Gamer Gaming PCs
3XS Gamer PCs are competitively priced gaming PCs, featuring high quality components such as a hydrocooler for the processor. 3XS Gamer PCs are available in two styles, the standard models which are built in aluminium cases with a side window and RGB lighting, and the iCUE models which are built in glass cases and have even more RGB lighting for a more distinctive look.
HYDRO-COOLING
Quiet and stylish cooling for your gaming PC.
PREMIUM COMPONENTS
Built from the finest components for a refined gaming experience.
RGB LIGHTING
AURA programmable RGB lighting illuminates your PC.
3 YEAR WARRANTY
If anything goes faulty we’ll repair or replace it.
Scan Gamer Gaming PCs
Scan Gamer PCs provide a cost-effective entry in the world of PC gaming. These gaming PCs are built using branded components and have a two year warranty.
AIR-COOLING
Quiet and stylish cooling for your gaming PC.
PREMIUM COMPONENTS
Built from the finest components for a refined gaming experience.
RGB LIGHTING
AURA programmable RGB lighting illuminates your PC.
2 YEAR WARRANTY
If anything goes faulty we’ll repair or replace it.
Custom Gaming PCs
If you can’t find the perfect PC from among our range of pre-built systems we also offer a custom build service where you pick the components and we’ll build your perfect PC.
Visit our PC configurator to find out more.
The best gaming PCs
There you have it, everything you need to know when choosing a new gaming PC. We hope you've found this buyer’s guide helpful. Don't hesitate to contact one of our friendly advisors for more advice if you still have questions on how to select the perfect PC.