PC Gaming Components - They Are Not All Equal

Gaming components are all the same right? Memory is memory right? One NVIDIA graphic card is the same as all other NVIDIA cards right? One Intel i7 motherboard is the same as any other Intel i7 motherboard right? So totally wrong dude! No way, not even close, nada, zip, zero! It is the old adage, "you get what you pay for." And it is so very true with gaming components because they are not all equal in speed, quality or reliability. Let me explain.

Within the gaming components industry, certain manufacturers are known as tier 1 suppliers while others are known as tier 2 and 3 suppliers. Tier 2 and 3 companies produce inferior, lower quality, lower price and lower performance products. Some companies will buy and "remarket" a component under their own name. They will take a tier 2 product like a graphic card and add their value to it, like additional military class pieces and parts, to create a tier 1 product. And the reverse is true also. Some companies can take a great tier 1 product, add all kinds of features to it and destroy the functionality and speed of that component. Remarketing a product is very common in the gaming industry. So, if you see two ATI 5970 Radeon cards from 2 different remarketers/companies and one is much cheaper than the other, BEWARE. Chances are the cheaper one may have some significant faults. Same Radeon 5970 graphic card but not equal in quality or performance.

So, why is all of this important to the gamer? Very easy, when you buy a pre-configured gaming PC, the supplier probably has built it with a combination of tier 1, 2 and 3 components. That's why you see incredible price differences from different suppliers. These systems may be similar but very different in quality of components. Have you ever notice some suppliers will not tell you what memory they are using? Or what graphic card? Or what motherboard? Chances are extremely high they are using tier 3 components. That's where they can make a bigger profit by using a no name tier 3 components but charge you a tier 1 price and hope you don't notice or that you don't know anything about gaming PCs.

I am not saying profit is bad, they need it to stay in business, but gouging on price is a little questionable. Remember you want a finely tuned gaming PC to enjoy your gaming experience. If you build your own gaming PC, remember to do your homework and build it with tier 1 components. A great gaming PC must utilize good tier 1 components, all of which are working in sync with each other to take advantage of the other component's performance and features. The basic rule of physics in business, life and nature is that you or it are only as strong as your weakest link or in game speak "your system is only as fast as your slowest gaming component". To enjoy and compete well in a game, buy a gaming PC that utilizes tier one quality, high performance pieces and parts. Beware of the supplier who doesn't list the brand name of their gaming components. Don't walk away from these suppliers, RUN!