©LOGICALINCREMENTS.©
BUILDS.GG^ ©PRODUCTCHARTPC BUILDING
SIMULATOR
What if you could put together a PC
component list, practice building it, and
see it in action, without ever having to
leave your desk? That’s what you get with
PC Building Simulator.
This game enables you to put
everything together and see how it all
looks, letting you decide whether thefinal product is something you would
be happy with. The game contains fully
licensed real-world components from
over 30 different brands, including
Nvidia, AMD, Corsair, Gigabyte, and MSI,
so you know you’re getting accurate
representations of the components
you’re thinking of buying.
Not only that, but it’s a helpful way to
learn how to fit the components together
into place without risking breaking
anything. If something doesn’t fit or
could be tricky to mount correctly, you’llquickly find out by trying it first in PC
Building Simulator.
One element of the game we really like
is its integrated benchmarking system.
Once you’ve virtually put everything
together, you can benchmark your new
rig using 3DMark to see how it performs,
then jump into the BIOS and overclock it
if necessary. That’s a great way to avoid
buyer’s remorse when you find out your
build is less performant that you’d hoped.
You may think this is all well and
good, but it’s not much of a game. Well,LOGICAL INCREMENTS
http://www.logicalincrements.comSorted by increasing budget brackets
from “Destitute” to “Monstrous,” Logical
Increments puts together complete
builds for you with recommended
parts for each price range. While PC
Part Picker somewhat shies away from
outright recommendations, and leaves
tips up to its users, Logical Increments
shows you which parts represent the
best quality and bang for your buck,
and which parts they’re best matched
with. It’s a quick way to find the ideal
build for your budget.
Not only that, but it has guides
for standalone components such as
monitors, mice, and keyboards, as
well as graphics cards rankings and
recommended CPU coolers from each
of the major brands.
There are also guides organized
along use cases: “Building a PC for VR
Gaming,” for example, or “Building a PC
for Video Editing.” These give example
builds and go into depth on what you
need to look out for when picking
components for your needs. It’s an
impressively in-depth resource if you
have a goal in mind.
And if you’re into gaming, you’re in
luck here, too. Logical Increments has
put together build guides and parts
lists for each of a series of popular
games. Each one considers budget and
monitor resolution, ranking builds
from “Unplayable” to “Buttery Smooth.”BUILDS.GG
http://www.builds.ggBuilds.gg is similar to PC Part Picker,
but with more of an emphasis on the
community. So, if you want to get
inspiration and see what fellow PC
builders are up to, you should head
to Builds.gg and join in. Like PCPP,
you can create your own build and
view others here, but there are also
monthly contests and a section on
popular builders, where you can
follow their work. And while PC Part
Picker is great for newcomers who
want to make sure that everything in
their build is compatible, Builds.gg is
aimed more at enthusiasts who love
the PC community and want to get
involved in it.
You’ll notice that immediately when
you first visit the Builds.gg homepage.
User builds are featured prominently,
enabling you to dive straight in to see
what other people have been working
on. This is not only a great way to
see how your build might look in
its finished form, but the comments
provide lots of useful feedback and
tips to builders, and are an excellent
place to pick up ideas.
We also really like the “Popular
Builders” section, which highlights
users who have been recognized by the
community. You’ll find some familiar
names in here, such as JayzTwoCents
and Linus Tech Tips, and plenty of
inspiring builds.PRODUCT CHART
http://www.productchart.comLord knows comparing two PC
components can be a frustrating affair.
Even the simplest of comparisons
can require flicking back and forth
between spec sheets, which are often
inadequately detailed or missing
altogether. It’s enough to make you
want to tear your hair out.
Product Chart is a great answer to
that problem. It’s a brilliant visual
way to choose a new component,
with sections for monitors and solid-
state drives, plus other categories
such as laptops and tablets. Choose a
component, and you’re greeted with
a chart with products plotted across
it. On the monitor page, for instance,
“Price” is plotted along the bottom,
while “Screen size” is running up the
vertical axis.
You specify your needs and the
chart narrows down your options,
quickly giving you a way to compare
the products on offer. It also shows
you what the products look like (you
don’t want to spend all day staring
at an ugly monitor, after all), lists
their prices, and lets you highlight
or dismiss particular products. It’s
perfect if you find yourself having
information overload when trying to
pick components.
Comparing components can seem
daunting, but Product Chart makes it
easy, thanks to its visual approach.PC-building assistants
32 MAXIMUMPC OCT 2019 maximumpc.com