A Newbie's Guide to Building the Perfect Home PC-Gaming Setup

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Congratulations, gaming has finally caught you in its digital trap! And just like any other gamer, your journey has to start with choosing the right equipment. With so many promising options in the market, it can be a bit overwhelming to decide on what to purchase. It might seem daunting at first, but with this little guide and some patience, you'll be able to swag out your own gamer cave in no time.

To celebrate your newly discovered interest, we invite you to SM Malls Online and Cyberzone's Game Fest where everyone has a chance to score discounts on the latest gaming gadgets and accessories!


Prep your gaming station with the right basics


Any bona fide gamer would tell you that the right router can make or break your gaming experience—who wants to go all out on DotA with a flimsy little piece of hardware that won’t be able to handle your required bandwidth? If you’re looking for a WiFi router that can handle your gaming but won’t break the bank, TP-Link's Archer AX6000 Next-Gen Wi-Fi Router fits the bill. It doesn’t have the bells and whistles of the most high-end gaming router out there, but it’s sure to do the job well.

Pair it with the CrabTek Smart Wireless Socket, which you can conveniently control with your phone using the CrabTek Home App. It’s compatible with Google Assistant, Amazon’s Alexa, and Siri so you can command it to turn on and off verbally—how cool it that?

Score the TP-Link's Archer AX6000 Next-Gen Wi-Fi Router and the CrabTek Smart Wireless Socket this month at just P17,550 and P599, respectively, via the SM Malls Online app.


Trick out your computer for the best possible visuals


It’s considered the most important hardware for gaming for a reason—nothing puts a damper on things faster than video that skips or lags. Upgrade your PC with a graphics processing unit that can give you “perfectly smooth, high-detail 1080p gaming,” according to PC Gamer, which also touts the MSI RTX 3060 Gaming X as a “great example of what a mid-range card needs to be.” You can get it at P36,768—a pretty good drop from the original P45,000—if you purchase through the SM Malls Online app!


Make sure your gaming time won’t be cut short


Let’s face it: sometimes there’s no telling what could happen when you’re in the middle of an intense round of Apex Legends. We’ve all had to deal with a sudden power outage at the worst possible time, so a reliable PSU is an essential part of any gamer’s kit. Why not check out the Raidmax Thunder RGB RX-735AP-R 735 watts 80 Bronze, Semi-modular PSU, which you can get at just P3,200 from its original price of P3,850 via SM Malls Online?

While you’re at it, make sure your computer doesn’t overheat with a cooler that’s known for delivering when it comes to performance, aside from being great value: save yourself P550 when you use SM Malls Online to buy the Deepcool Castle 360EX AIO Liquid CPU Cooler, now at just P7,050 compared to its SRP of P7,600.


Invest in multipurpose accessories


When talking about building a home PC gaming setup, investing in multipurpose equipment will not only save you money but also space. Take Villman’s Vertux Extent Multi-Purpose Mouse Bungee with Headphone Stand and USB Hub, for example.

This 3-in-1 accessory has a mouse bungee to minimize mouse cable clutter, a headphone stand to keep your gaming headset in place, and a USB hub to make sure you never run out of ports again. Get this functional product from Villman at 20% off—from P995 to P795—via the SM Malls Online app!


Choose the right gaming microphone


A gaming microphone plays a major role in your overall setup. A lot of people don't pay enough attention to it, but it's just as important as any other gaming peripheral out there—especially if you plan on streaming your gaming sessions. With that in mind, you might want to choose a microphone that can stand on its own and can deliver crystal clear audio with little to no background noise, like the HyperX QuadCast S

It is a condenser microphone that has a built-in pop filter to minimize echoes and plosive sounds, an easy tap-to-mute feature, and an anti-vibration shock mount and stand. Shop yours at Villman for only P9,499 via the SM Malls Online app.


Determine your gaming personality


Do you like the competitive thrill of battling it out with other players in team-based multiplayer modes or do you prefer single-player games where there are no surprises and unnecessary interferences? Are you more of an all-rounder? Or do you enjoy playing a certain genre of games only? 

If you especially love graphically detailed action-packed games, we recommend investing in Asus TUF Gaming F15. It is powered by the 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7 CPU, a 90Wh battery, and the NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX—one of the world's best performing graphics cards that supports fast and fully saturated IPS-level displays. Save P2,000—the price drops from P57,995 to P55,995—when you purchase this gaming laptop at Silicon Valley via the SM Malls Online app.

Or if you prefer a slightly more affordable laptop with similar specifications, go for the Asus ROG Strix 15 from Villman. It is powered by the AMD Ryzen™ 9 5900HX Mobile Processor—which works like Intel but is relatively cheaper—a 90Wh battery, and the NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™. Get yours now for P54,888 via the SM Malls Online app.


Consider your budget carefully


How much money are you willing to set aside for your gaming setup? While many gamers always end up paying more than they originally intended, overlooking your budget can be a big mistake. For instance, instead of dropping your hard-earned money on a web camera—which only serves one purpose, by the way—consider getting a smartphone with good camera features.

The Xiaomi Mi 10T 5G has a triple camera setup: 64-megapixel main camera sensor, a 13-megapixel ultra-wide sensor, and a 5-megapixel macro sensor. For only P20,490, this flagship phone already supports 8K video recording at 30fps and 4K video recording at 60fps. Cop it now at Cellway via the SM Malls Online app! Not only would you get a good camera for streaming but also a gaming gadget for when you want to play while on the go.

Want more savings? You can purchase an e-voucher worth P5,000 for only P4,500 when you download the SM Malls Online app! Just look for the SMOGAMEFEST voucher on the home page and select a participating brand you want to shop from. This is valid for in-store or pickup transactions and may only be redeemed once per registered new user. 

For delivery orders worth P1,000 and above, you can use the promo code SMOCGF upon checking out to get a P200 discount on your purchase.