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How a Gaming Computer Works Inside
Follow a single frame through a gaming PC, from the processor and memory to the graphics card and screen, to see how each part does its job and cooperates.
How Games Run
Inside the Machine
What each part of a gaming computer does while you play.
How PC Cooling Works
Learn how heat builds up inside a PC, how heat sinks, heat pipes and fans carry it away, and why overheated parts slow themselves down to protect themselves.
Power Supplies Explained
Find out what a PC power supply does, how it converts wall power for each component, what wattage and efficiency ratings mean, and why it affects stability.
Refresh Rate Versus Frame Rate
Learn the difference between a display's refresh rate and a game's frame rate, how the two interact, and why a mismatch can cause tearing, judder or wasted effort.
Storage Drives and Load Times
Compare how hard drives and solid state drives deliver game data, why loading screens exist, and what else besides the drive affects how long you wait.
Video Memory Explained
Learn what video memory is, what a graphics card keeps in it, why textures and higher resolutions need it, and what happens when a game runs out of space.
What a CPU Does While You Play
See what game work lands on the processor, from logic and physics to preparing graphics instructions, and what cores, threads and clock speed actually mean.
What RAM Does for Games
Understand how RAM works as a game's short-term workspace, what it holds, why running out causes stutter, and how much capacity and speed typically matter.
Related topics
More in how games run
Gaming Vocabulary Terms, slang, acronyms and mechanics explained. Performance and Lag Frame rate, resolution, GPUs and why games feel smooth or not. Hardware and Upgrades Parts, upkeep, upgrades and controllers. Online Play and Networking How games talk over a network and why connections feel the way they do.