6 tips to ensure your new gaming PC doesn’t look boring

Building a new PC is always a joy, no matter what budget you have or what stage of life you’re in. Buying every component, grabbing the best deals, installing everything yourself, and finally turning the PC on — the entire journey never disappoints.

However, putting your PC together and feeling a tad let down by how it looks is always a risk. Maybe it doesn’t reflect what you had envisioned, or you never started with a clear idea about the aesthetics. If you’re about to build a gaming PC, you might want to remember some tips to ensure your build stands out instead of looking like every other PC out there.

6 Commit to a unifying color scheme

White-themed, all-black, or RGB bling

One of the biggest rules of thumb when creating a good-looking build is to pick a theme and stick to it. I know that optimizing for price will not always guarantee that your components adhere to a unifying theme, so you need to be okay with letting a few deals go. Once you have chosen the theme of your new build — all-white, all-black, dual tone, RGB fest, or something completely different — start exploring the components that fit the theme.

Compared to just a few years ago, the amount of choices regarding colors, designs, and form factors of components has grown considerably. It is now much easier to find a white PSU, matte black motherboard, or chrome CPU cooler. As I mentioned before, you might have to invest a few extra bucks per component to grab the right variant, but it’ll do wonders for the looks of your build.

Among all components, the motherboard, graphics card, and CPU cooler will occupy the biggest areas of your PC canvas. Aligning these three components to your chosen theme is crucial. Of course, you need to pick the right case too, but it doesn’t always have to be of the same color as the major components. Plus, if you would like to mount your graphics card vertically to show it off properly, pick one that truly makes your PC shine.

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5 Look beyond the popular cases

The curious case of picking the “best”

The PC case is more than just a container for your components. The design and color of the case matter a lot, but even the form factor can change the look and feel of your PC. Instead of finalizing your components first and selecting a case at the end, you could alternatively start with deciding the size and looks of your case. Mid-tower and full tower cases are the most common, so you could opt for a small form factor case, an offbeat one with a singular design, or something that uses natural materials to stand out.

You can find fish tank cases like Lian Li’s O11 Dynamic on most PCs. If you want to craft a build that showcases a unique design sense, skip the fish tanks in favor of something different, such as the Fractal Design North, Antec C8, or Corsair 2500X. Another option is to pick a case with a single striking color combined with black for the rest of the panels, such as the Vetroo K3. This type of case can work as a statement piece for your build and help you choose the rest of the components.

Many choose a case resembling a console tower, a minimalist glass installation, or a mechanical alien from space. There is something for every sensibility out there. If you’re committed to your design choice, you’ll surely find a case that perfectly suits you.

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4 Always sync your RGB components

RGB, when used well, can enhance your PC’s looks

If you are not one of those who absolutely despise RGB components, chances are that your PC has a few parts capable of emitting its own rainbows. The tricky thing with RGB is that simply leaving it on random will do no favors for the looks of your build. You need to sync your RGB components properly to result in a well-thought-out color scheme.

When you are investing a lot of time, effort, and money in crafting a unifying theme for your PC, don’t let dissonant RGB lighting spoil the fun. By syncing your RGB components together, you can not only make your PC look eye-catching but also match its internal color scheme with the external case.

Syncing RGB components doesn’t have to be complicated, either. Each manufacturer offers its own RGB program, but you needn’t use them if they’re cluttered and unintuitive. Universal RGB programs such as SignalRGB or OpenRGB work with almost all popular components, and eliminate the need to install multiple programs just to sync everything together.

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3 Use sleeved extensions

Make cables stand out, but in a good way

We have covered the case, components, and lighting, but what about the cables running from your power supply to each of your components? Most stock PSU cables are black, and unless you have an all-black theme, they are not the best choice. Fortunately, there are enough manufacturers offering custom sleeved cables in almost any color you want. White sleeved extensions for your all-white PC, or other brightly colored extensions for your dual tone build can make a world of difference to your PC’s aesthetics.

Also, you can even install RGB extensions to have even more opportunities for RGB customization. These RGB extensions aren’t that expensive, either, and you mostly need just two — a 24-pin cable extension and a VGA extension for the GPU. If you don’t have an RGB theme at all, you can still make use of sleeved extensions to add a flash of color to an otherwise monotone or understated build.

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2 Add some figurines and personal effects

Make your PC truly your own

No matter how much you try to choose a “different” theme, case, or visual style, many builders would have picked the same combination. Personalizing your PC isn’t complete without a few of your personal additions. I’m talking about figurines, small toys, keychains, and other collectibles that you can place inside your case to impart a sense of personality to your PC.

Even figurines and free collectibles might not always be completely unique to you, since they often belong to popular fandoms or pop culture properties. What you can do to further personalize your PC is create interesting or nifty pieces of your own. If you have a 3D printer, you can craft virtually anything you’d like to feature in the premium real estate inside your case.

A key point to remember when placing anything inside your case is to keep it away from areas that usually get hot during operation. Some examples are the top of the graphics card, PSU, or CPU cooler. Even if your figurine or collectible is free from fur or fabric, it can get damaged by components that reach temperatures of around 80-90°C. Moreover, don’t place anything where it can topple and fall on, say, a GPU fan or a CPU cooler fan.

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1 Don’t overlook cable management

A necessary evil

Finally, once you’ve picked the components you want and assembled your PC, it’s time for the step not everyone looks forward to — tidying up all the cables the best way you can. Cable management might seem like a minor part of the PC building process, but it can be the difference between a lazy build and a clean one. If you take the time it demands, cable management can instantly separate your PC from those that have a mess of cables stuffed behind the motherboard.

These days, almost every PC case comes with enough cable management features to enable you to do a decent job. Whether you need channels, grommets, a PSU shroud, or movable panels to route cables, your PC case likely has some or all of these features. It’s really a question of how good of a job of managing your cables you want to do, not of how fancy your case is.

A PC with carefully managed cables exudes an aura of quality, care, and finesse. It shows that the owner cares enough about the PC to ensure it doesn’t just look pretty from the front but also behind the scenes. If you want to go a step further, you can explore some newer motherboards, graphics cards, and cases that feature “reverse” connections — relocating connectors to the back of the motherboard, resulting in a cleaner setup.

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Crafting a PC worth looking at takes effort

It’s easy to simply pick the most popular components on the market and assemble a PC that looks “good” but the same as hundreds or thousands of others. If you want to have something that stands apart, you’ll have to finalize a theme, choose the right parts, sync everything visually, and add your personal flair to it.