Smooth Gaming Experience At Home
Gaming is an excellent means to escape the real world and immerse yourself in thrilling virtual adventures. And the joy that you experience makes you want to keep playing and playing more. But you must understand that the perfect gaming experience is only possible if you have the latest tech gear. As games keep developing, you realize that computers with lower specs can’t offer a smooth gaming experience.
They tend to freeze when the resources are high on demand. To avoid such inconveniences, consider these five tech essentials for a smooth gaming experience at home:
1. High-Speed Internet
For smooth online gaming, you need high-speed internet with minimal buffering. As games usually require swift reactions, a lag of just a couple of seconds is enough to make you lose a game. Also, it’s rather frustrating to have to pause every other minute in the middle of an engaging game. Slow internet dampens the spirit and makes you feel like quitting.
If you still use coaxial cable or mobile broadband internet, you’d want to shift to high-speed fiber internet. One of the most popular providers of fiber internet in the U.S. is AT&T. Their speeds can get up to 25 times faster than cable internet. Thus, you’ll be able to stream HD games seamlessly.
But perhaps you’re asking, ‘Why isn’t AT&T Fiber Internet in my area yet?’ So far, fiber internet coverage across the U.S. stands at 25%. This is mostly in the major metro areas. Most rural areas aren’t connected yet. Make a point of checking with the vendor on the status of your particular area of residence.
2. Gaming Monitor
Most gamers say that fine visuals are the most important part of their game setup, and you shouldn’t be any different. Therefore, you’d want to upgrade your monitor to one specially designed for gaming. A 32-inch screen should suffice. But you can still try the 21-inch if you’re tight on budget.
Also, ensure that the resolution is high enough, preferably 1440p or 4k. If these are out of your reach price-wise, you can try the 1080p monitors—the higher the pixel count of your monitor, the better the quality of the display.
For the refresh rate, go for 240Hz, which is fast enough for a smooth unfolding of the action. Understand that videos and games are ideally millions of still pictures displayed successively to give the illusion of motion.
So, the faster the pictures refresh, the smoother the action. The average work monitors have a 60Hz refresh rate, meaning that the images refresh 60 times per second. As such, a monitor with a 240Hz refresh rate is four times better than one with 60Hz.
3. Graphics Card
A high-spec gaming monitor does you no good unless you pair it with a first-rate graphics card. The graphics processing unit (GPU) acts as the bridge between the central processing unit (CPU) and the display unit.
When purchasing one, consider factors such as:
- Memory size: Aim for at least 4GB GPU RAM.
- Discrete vs. integrated: Discrete GPUs are the best for gaming as they have an independent RAM and are thus faster in rendering graphics. Integrated GPUs are more affordable but not very good for gaming.
- Form factor: Graphics cards for desktops are different from those used in laptops.
- Brand: The popular ones gained a huge following by virtue of their excellent performance, so you’re better off buying them than little-known brands.
- Compatibility: Make certain that the model you choose is compatible with your CPU, as it’s not given that any card fits into any computer.
4. Speakers/Headphones
Aside from visuals, home gaming becomes even more enjoyable with soundtracks. If it’s a car racing game, it’s thrilling to hear the screech of the tires around sharp corners and the squeals and squeaks of acceleration.
So, you need good-quality headphones for that, and that’s if you don’t want to disturb the peace of your home mates. But if you’re playing with friends, you’d like to purchase high-quality speakers.
To Conclude
Home gaming becomes more exciting with the appropriate gear and devices. The most important ones are the gaming CPU, monitor, headsets, graphics card, mouse, external hard disk, and keyboard.
Aside from these tech essentials, you need other gaming accessories, such as a reclining chair, console shelf, creative lighting, foot hammock, wall mounts, controller grips, and others. And if you’re playing online games, you can’t fail to have a high-speed internet connection.
If you put all these suggestions into consideration, you’re bound to have a smooth gaming experience. Just don’t overplay, as you might end up being anti-social and unhealthy. Be disciplined enough to get up from the gaming desk when your planned time elapses.