🖥️ Thinking of Building a PC in 2026?

Got a quote from a builder? Not sure what you want vs what you actually need? This guide is for you.

I love PCs — always have. As a result, I tend to stay fairly up to date with the tech. But I also know I’m a bit different to most people. Realistically, who cares what a CPU is, or what RAM actually does?

Most of the time, those questions don’t matter… until you’re about to spend real money on a new computer.

This guide is written to help everyday buyers understand what actually matters in 2026, avoid overspending, and make smart decisions whether you’re building new, buying pre-built, or picking up a bargain second-hand PC.

🧰 Case

The case houses all the components of your PC.

If looks don’t matter much to you, almost any case will do — as long as it fits your parts and has reasonable airflow.

Cases are sized based on the motherboard they support:

ATX
Micro-ATX
Mini-ITX

When shopping for a case, always check:

What motherboard sizes it supports
Maximum graphics card length
Cooling and airflow (more important than RGB lights)

💡 Typical price in Australia (2026): $70–$250+

🔌 Power Supply (PSU)

The power supply is one of the most important parts of your PC — and one of the easiest places to make a costly mistake.

There are three things to consider:

🔋 Power Output (Watts)

650W–750W is a great target for most modern builds
Gaming PCs with powerful GPUs may need more
Non-gaming PCs can often get away with less

⚡ Efficiency

Look for 80+ Gold or better
Higher efficiency = less wasted power and heat

🛡️ Quality

Stick to reputable brands
Cheap power supplies can fail and damage other components

💡 Typical price: $130–$230 for a good 750W Gold PSU

🧠 Motherboard

The motherboard connects everything together.

When choosing one, make sure it:

Fits your case
Supports your CPU socket (Intel and AMD are not interchangeable)
Supports your RAM type (DDR4 vs DDR5)
Has enough storage connections:
- At least 1–2 M.2 slots
- A couple of SATA ports

You don’t need the most expensive board unless you need specific features.

💡 Typical price: $150–$400+

🧠 CPU (Processor)

The CPU is the “brain” of the PC.

For most users in 2026:

Intel Core i5 / i7
AMD Ryzen 5 / Ryzen 7

As long as you’re in the mid-range or better, the CPU will not be the bottleneck for normal use or gaming.

📌 Always choose your CPU before your motherboard, and make sure they’re compatible.

💡 Typical price: $300–$500+

🧠 RAM (Memory)

RAM affects how smoothly your PC runs when multitasking.

You might get away with 8GB if:

You only browse the web
You do very light work
You don’t multitask much

In 2026, 16GB is strongly recommended.

💡 Typical price:

16GB: $75–$120
32GB: $120–$200

🎮 Graphics Card (GPU)

This is where things get expensive — and also where many people overspend.

If You Game

A dedicated GPU matters. Modern cards support:

High resolutions
High refresh rates
Ray tracing and upscaling tech

Things to check:

Physical size (some GPUs are very large)
Power requirements
PSU cable compatibility

💡 Mid-range GPUs in Australia (2026): $550–$1,000+

💼 If You DON’T Game (Very Important)

If you don’t game, you can safely skip a dedicated graphics card entirely.

Modern CPUs come with excellent integrated graphics, which handle:

Web browsing
Office / spreadsheets
Coding
Streaming video (even 4K)
Multiple monitors
Light photo or video work

Integrated graphics are perfect for:

Home PCs
Office PCs
Study PCs
Family computers

Skipping a GPU saves:
✔ Hundreds of dollars
✔ Power consumption
✔ Heat and noise

💾 Storage (SSD)

One of the biggest performance upgrades of the last decade.

Installing an SSD can make even an older PC feel brand new.

🖥️ Monitor

Larger, higher-resolution monitors are now very affordable.

A single 27–32 inch monitor can replace a dual-screen setup.

Did you know?

A 4K monitor has four times the pixels of a standard 1080p display
This lets you comfortably split the screen into multiple work areas

Great for productivity and a cleaner desk.

💡 Typical price: $250–$800+

⌨️ Keyboard & Mouse

These are personal preference, but spending a little more here really pays off in comfort.

Budget combos: ~$50
Better quality setups: $150+

A solid wireless keyboard and mouse combo is more than enough for most people.

💰 EXCELLENT VALUE OPTION: Ex-Corporate PCs

If you just want a solid, reliable PC and don’t care about gaming, this is one of the best options available in 2026.

Check:

eBay
Facebook Marketplace
Local refurbishers

Look for:

Dell OptiPlex
HP EliteDesk / ProDesk

These are ex-office machines that:
✔ Are built for reliability
✔ Are usually lightly used
✔ Are cheap for the performance
✔ Are easy to upgrade

Typical pricing (Australia):

$300–$600 for an i5 system
Add:
- $80–$150 for a new SSD
- $60–$120 to upgrade to 16GB RAM

➡️ You can end up with a very fast everyday PC for under $700.

🛠️ Simple Upgrade Formula

For ex-corporate PCs:

Upgrade to 16GB RAM
Install a new SSD
Fresh Windows install

Done.

🧠 Final Thoughts

Don’t overspend on parts you don’t need
Gaming PCs ≠ everyday PCs
Integrated graphics are excellent in 2026
SSD + RAM upgrades matter more than raw CPU power
Ex-corporate PCs are an underrated bargain

Hopefully this guide has helped clear things up and saved you some money.

If you’d like advice on a specific build, a Marketplace listing, or a quote you’ve been given, feel free to contact us below — happy to help.