PC Hardware Handbook: Sixth Edition

Build, Upgrade, and Understand Your Gaming PC 💻

Putting together a gaming PC can feel like a test with no single right answer. This sixth edition of the PC Hardware Handbook, from the team behind PC Gamer, is a 132-page guide to the components, choices, and upgrades that shape a modern build. It starts with the language of PC hardware, then moves into real build projects, component deep dives, and reviews of gear that matters right now.

Whether you are replacing one part or planning a full rig, the issue is organised around practical decisions: what each component does, where money makes the biggest difference, and how to match parts sensibly.

Start With the Fundamentals ⚙️

A jargon buster opens the guide by explaining terms used by manufacturers, retailers, and builders. From there, a step-by-step build guide walks through assembling a PC, while a one-manufacturer MSI build examines whether keeping components within a single brand is a smart approach. The $999 gaming PC feature shows how far a fixed budget can stretch and what kind of system it produces.

The hardware stories add context beyond the bench. A feature on AMD traces how the company returned from the brink and now challenges Intel and Nvidia in key areas, giving readers a wider view of the market behind the specs.

Hardware Reviews and Buying Advice 🧠

The reviews section puts current components and peripherals under the spotlight. CPUs, graphics cards, and solid state drives are compared for different budgets, while a premium Asus ROG Maximus motherboard, power supplies, wireless gaming headsets, budget cases, OLED gaming monitors, ergonomic keyboards, and gaming laptops all receive focused attention.

A buyer’s guide then brings the advice together across three price ranges. Rather than treating every part in isolation, it helps readers see how processors, graphics cards, storage, cooling, and peripherals interact in a complete build.

Who Will Get the Most From It?

New builders can use the opening explainers and build guide as a structured introduction. More experienced PC gamers may gravitate toward the component reviews, motherboard breakdown, graphics options explainer, and buyer’s guide. Anyone upgrading ahead of new games will find useful context for deciding where to spend next.

A Practical Snapshot of PC Hardware in 2024

Because it combines education, hands-on builds, and buying advice, this edition works as both a learning resource and a reference point. The content stays grounded in the realities of assembling and upgrading a gaming PC, with enough detail to inform decisions without losing sight of the bigger build.

For readers who want a clearer view of what goes into a gaming PC, and where the money goes, the PC Hardware Handbook: Sixth Edition offers a focused, practical place to start.