Parts that understand each other
A processor and a graphics card that are badly matched get in each other's way — one waits on the other, and you pay for power you'll never use.
7 YEARS BUILDING PCs
Every part is there
for a reason.
I've spent seven years building computers. In that time I learned that what separates a good PC from a bad one isn't how much you spent — it's what you spent it on.
I give you the guide so you can build it yourself, or I build your exact parts list. You choose how much you want to do.
See how I work
QUALITY
Quality isn't the most expensive part.
It's parts that get along with each other, a machine that holds up, and a computer that still does the job three years from now. All of that is decided before you buy, not after.
The power supply is not where you save
It feeds everything else. A cheap supply that fails can take the motherboard and the graphics card down with it.
Heat and noise count
A PC that runs hot throttles itself to stay safe. And one that sounds like a jet engine is one you stop using within a month.
Tidy cables aren't decoration
They're airflow. A clean build runs cooler, and cooler means faster and longer-lived.
EXPERIENCE
Seven years. Fifteen machines. No shortcuts.
I didn't learn this on a course. I learned by building: my own machines first, making expensive mistakes, and then other people's, already knowing where every trap is.
I've built machines at every budget, from barely-enough to no-ceiling. The one in the photo is one of them, the day the parts arrived.
7
years building PCs
15+
machines built and tested
VALUE FOR MONEY
Your money, where it actually shows.
The same budget can build two very different computers. The difference is knowing which part gives you your money back and which one just takes it.
Worth spending on
- The graphics card. It decides how your games look and how they run.
- The power supply. It protects everything else and you don't replace it every year.
- Fast storage. It's what makes everything open instantly.
Almost never worth it
- RGB lighting. It looks good, but it won't give you a single extra frame.
- A high-end motherboard. If you won't use what it adds, that's money asleep.
- Extra RAM. More than you actually use does absolutely nothing for you.
That's exactly what I do when I build your plan: push your budget toward the places you'll feel it.
WHAT A MISTAKE COSTS
Getting this wrong isn't embarrassing. It's expensive.
A processor you have to buy a second time because it can't keep up with your graphics card is a few hundred dollars, again. A cheap power supply that fails can take the motherboard and the graphics card down with it, and now you're into four figures. And the operating system, the thermal paste and the monitor cable — the ones nobody counts — show up on exactly the day you want to turn it on.
None of those mistakes happen while you build. They happen earlier, on the shopping list, and every one of them is avoidable if you know about it in advance. I paid for two of them with my own money.
The custom plan costs $25. Buying the same part twice costs a lot more.
WHY IT'S WORTH IT
What you're buying isn't a box.
It's opening the game you've wanted to play for years and seeing it the way it's meant to look. It's the machine turning on and being ready, instead of you waiting on it.
It's the same device serving you for games at night and work or school in the morning. A well-built PC isn't a luxury — it's a tool you'll use every day for years.
Both photos are my own computer. This is what everything else is for.
“THAT'S ALL FREE ONLINE”
It is. That's exactly the problem.
I'm not going to tell you I know secrets. There's too much information, it contradicts itself, and it was written for someone who isn't you. What you're paying for isn't the facts — it's someone putting them against your budget, your country and the parts you already own.
| YouTube | Reddit & forums | PCPartPicker | A store's sales rep | My plan | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Built for your exact budget | maybe | you build it | |||
| Counts the parts you already own | maybe | maybe | |||
| Prices verified the day you get it | automated | their store's | |||
| Tells you why that part and not another | sometimes | sometimes | |||
| Nobody pays them to name a brand | sometimes | affiliates | |||
| You keep it in writing | |||||
| A person answers your questions after | maybe |
Swipe the table →
MY COMMITMENT
What I promise you.
I tell you the truth even when it costs me the sale
If your budget doesn't reach what you want, I say so straight and explain what it does reach, or how much is missing.
Real prices, from today, with a link
No ranges, no estimates. The exact model, what it costs today, and where to buy it.
I don't upsell you
If a cheaper part does the same job for what you actually need, that's the one that goes on your list.
You're talking to me, same day
There's no bot and no support team. You write, I answer — before and after you buy.
IF SOMETHING GOES WRONG
What I guarantee in writing.
Compatibility, or your money back
If the parts I put on your plan aren't compatible with each other, you get all $25 back. That one is entirely on me, so it's the least I can promise you.
One round of revisions, always included
If the list isn't right for you, tell me what to change and I send the corrected version. That's part of the price, not an extra.
I don't guarantee you'll love the list — that's what the revision round is for. I guarantee it works.
WHO THIS ISN'T FOR
Some people I can't help, and I'd rather say so.
- If your list is already locked in and you just want someone to approve it. That isn't worth $25 — any forum will do it free.
- If you want the cheapest possible computer and nothing else matters. I'm no use there: my job is making your money go further, not spending the least.
- If you need someone to physically build it for you. Assembly is Mexico-only; the guide and the plan work wherever you are.
- If you expect me to endorse what you've already decided to buy. If I think something else suits you better, I'm going to say so.
HOW I CAN HELP
Two ways, depending on how much you want to do yourself.
I'LL DO IT MYSELF
The guide
Build Your Gaming PC, without the mistakes I did make. 26 pages, PDF.
$17.99 USD
- What every number on a part means
- Step-by-step assembly
- OS install and setup
- Builds by budget and a glossary
TELL ME YOUR BUDGET, I'LL THINK IT THROUGH
The custom plan
Your exact parts list, within 72 hours. One round of revisions included.
$25 USD
- The exact model of every part
- Today's prices and where to buy
- Why that part and not another
- What to upgrade first later on
I also build and ship complete PCs, but that service is available in Mexico only. See it in Spanish →
FREQUENTLY ASKED
What people ask me most.
How long does the plan take?
72 hours maximum from when you answer the questions. Usually sooner.
Are the prices exact?
They're the real prices from the day I build your plan, with a direct link. Hardware pricing moves, so if you wait weeks to buy, expect some drift. That's why every plan also includes an alternative for each part.
What if I don't like the list?
One round of revisions is included. Tell me what you want different — cheaper, a different brand, a specific look — and I send the corrected version.
What's the minimum budget?
From around $650 USD you can build something that plays current games decently. Below that I'll be honest and tell you to wait or buy used, and I'll explain how.
Do you build the PC too?
Not outside Mexico. Assembly is a separate service and it's available in Mexico only.
Where do the prices come from?
US retailers that ship domestically — mainly Newegg and Amazon. If you're somewhere else, message me before buying and we'll sort it out.
ABOUT US
How this started.
Carlos Córdova
Founder of RigLabHQ
On my first computer I bought a processor with integrated graphics. The graphics card would come later, once I saved up.
Months later I bought the card and my power supply couldn't feed it. And by then the processor had already fallen behind that card. I ended up buying a processor and a power supply again — the same two parts, twice.
It wasn't that I ran out of money. What I didn't have was someone to tell me how to think about the whole machine from day one. RigLabHQ exists to be that person for someone else.
I don't sell parts. No store and no brand pays me. If I recommend something it's because it's right for you, not because someone paid me to say it.
MISSION
To stop building your first PC from feeling like a leap in the dark. To turn the complicated into clear decisions, so anyone can own a computer that genuinely serves them without overpaying for not knowing.
VISION
That asking for help building a PC becomes as normal and as trustworthy as asking a good mechanic for a recommendation.
VALUES
Honesty before the sale
I'd rather lose a sale than have you buy something that doesn't serve you.
Clarity
If I can't explain it in plain language, I won't recommend it.
Making your money go further
Every dollar pushed toward where you'll actually feel it.
I'm still here afterward
The relationship doesn't end when you pay.