A gaming PC is designed the opposite way to how it gets bought on impulse: first the games you want to run and at what resolution, then the graphics card that carries them, and only then everything else — which exists so it never bottlenecks the graphics card.
The graphics card is the most expensive item and it commands the rest: it dictates the power supply, the space and the airflow the case must provide. That is why the quote starts there, not from a pretty case.
Free configuration: tell us your games, your screen and your budget, and you get the proposed machine in writing — nothing is ordered until you approve it.
The right platform is the one that stays upgradeable. A socket the maker keeps supporting means changing the processor in a few years without changing motherboard and memory. AMD has committed to socket AM5 support through 2029, and states that all AM5 motherboards are compatible with all AM5 processors; current desktop platforms, AMD and Intel alike, use DDR5 memory only — DDR4 from an old PC cannot come along, and it does not even fit: the module notch is different.
The power supply is not an accessory. High-power graphics cards use the 12V-2x6 connector, which in Intel's ATX specification replaces the officially deprecated 12VHPWR and carries up to 600 W on a single cable. A native 12V-2x6 unit, sized with headroom over the card's real draw, avoids adapters and strained cables — one of the items we never cut corners on.
Airflow is part of the design. Before ordering we check that the graphics card actually fits the chosen case — length, thickness, cable room — and that the airflow is laid out: intake at the front, exhaust at the rear and top. The wrong case turns a fast machine into a loud one.
Memory and storage without choke points: two identical DDR5 modules for dual channel, an NVMe M.2 SSD for system and games. M.2 form factors are not interchangeable (2280 and 2230 are different parts): motherboard slots are checked before buying, not after.
Updated August 2026: for a new build we start from socket AM5 (B850 or X870 chipsets) or Intel's LGA1851 platform, both DDR5-only; ATX 3.x power supplies with a native 12V-2x6 connector. Sizing examples — which card for which screen — change every season: we propose them in the quote, current as of that day.
| Graphics card | the biggest item: chosen on the games and resolution you actually play |
|---|---|
| Platform | socket and chipset decide future upgrades and supported memory |
| Power supply | sized with headroom; native 12V-2x6 on high-power cards |
| Case and airflow | card clearance and airflow layout verified before ordering |
| Memory and SSD | two identical modules in dual channel; NVMe in the right M.2 size |
| Assembly and testing | clean cabling, updates, extended load testing |
The factors that genuinely move the cost of a custom build. These are not our rules: they follow platform standards and how manufacturers supply parts — and they are settled together, before anything is ordered.
ElectrONIK Lab is an independent workshop: it is not an authorised service centre and is not affiliated with the manufacturers. The trademarks named here belong to their respective owners and are used only to identify the devices we work on. Your statutory consumer rights towards whoever carries out the repair are unaffected.
Free diagnostics, a clear quote and the part chosen by you.