Which standard do I need?
Version numbers matter: an "ATX 3.0" power supply isn't the newest any more, and a Gen 5 SSD is wasted in a Gen 4 slot. Here's what each one means, who needs it, and what it costs in our store.
Power supplies: ATX 2.x, 3.0 and 3.1
The ATX version tells you how well a power supply copes with modern graphics cards, which draw short bursts of power far above their rating.
- ATX 2.x
- Older design. Fine with graphics cards that use 8-pin plugs. Newer high-end cards need an adapter.
- ATX 3.0 · PCIe 5.0
- Built to ride out power spikes from modern cards. Adds the 16-pin 12VHPWR cable.
- ATX 3.1 · PCIe 5.1latest
- Current standard. Uses the safer 12V-2x6 plug, which won't deliver full power unless it's pushed fully home.
For an RTX 5070 Ti, RX 9070 XT or anything faster, choose ATX 3.1 with a native 12V-2x6 cable. For cards with 8-pin plugs, a good ATX 3.0 or even 2.x Gold unit is fine and often cheaper. Some shops still sell ATX 3.0 units as "latest", so check the version on the badge.
Cheapest available, prices checked 23 Oct 2026
- 850 W ATX 3.1from ₹7,150
- 850 W ATX 3.0from ₹9,145
- 850 W older ATX 2.xfrom ₹5,450
Graphics card power plugs: 8-pin, 12VHPWR and 12V-2x6
Bigger cards use one 16-pin plug instead of several 8-pin ones.
- 8-pin (PCIe)
- Up to 150 W per plug. Most cards up to about 300 W use two or three of these.
- 12VHPWR (16-pin)
- One plug for up to 600 W. The first version, from 2022.
- 12V-2x6 (16-pin)latest
- Same shape, safer design: short sense pins cut power if the plug isn't fully seated. Fits 12VHPWR sockets.
Push 16-pin plugs in until they're fully seated, and don't bend the cable sharply right at the plug.
SSDs: NVMe Gen 3, Gen 4 and Gen 5
The generation is the speed of the link between the SSD and the motherboard.
- SATA SSD
- Up to about 550 MB/s. Good for a second drive.
- NVMe Gen 3
- Up to about 3,500 MB/s. Plenty for games and everyday use.
- NVMe Gen 4
- Up to about 7,500 MB/s. The best value for most builds today.
- NVMe Gen 5latest
- 10,000–14,900 MB/s. Helps with very large video and data files. Runs hot and needs a heatsink and a Gen 5 slot.
Games load almost as fast on Gen 3 as on Gen 5, so for gaming Gen 4 is the sweet spot. A Gen 5 drive only runs at full speed in a Gen 5 M.2 slot (check the motherboard's "M.2 Gen" badge).
Cheapest available, prices checked 23 Oct 2026
- 1 TB NVMe Gen 3from ₹13,999
- 1 TB NVMe Gen 4from ₹13,375
- 1 TB NVMe Gen 5from ₹19,220
- 2 TB NVMe Gen 4from ₹24,519
- 2 TB NVMe Gen 5from ₹39,000
Graphics slot: PCIe 3.0, 4.0 and 5.0
Each PCIe generation doubles the bandwidth between the graphics card and the rest of the PC.
- PCIe 3.0
- Older boards. Fine for most cards that use all 16 lanes.
- PCIe 4.0
- Today's mainstream. No real gaming difference from 5.0 yet.
- PCIe 5.0latest
- Newest boards and RTX 50 cards. Ready for future cards.
Watch out for cards that use only 8 lanes (for example RTX 5060, RTX 5060 Ti, RTX 4060 Ti, RX 7600): on an older PCIe 3.0 board they lose some speed. On PCIe 4.0 or 5.0 boards they're fine.
Cheapest available, prices checked 23 Oct 2026
- Motherboard with PCIe 5.0 graphics slotfrom ₹7,699
- Motherboard with PCIe 4.0 graphics slotfrom ₹4,400
Memory: DDR4 and DDR5
The processor and motherboard decide which one you need. They're not interchangeable.
- DDR4
- AM4 (Ryzen 5000) and some Intel 12th–14th gen boards. Cheaper, still fine for budget builds.
- DDR5latest
- Required for AM5 (Ryzen 7000/9000) and Intel Core Ultra. Faster, and 6000 MT/s is the sweet spot for Ryzen.
XMP (Intel) and EXPO (AMD) are one-click settings in the BIOS that run memory at its rated speed. Without them it runs slower. Intel 12th–14th gen boards come in DDR4 or DDR5 versions, and the builder checks they match.
Cheapest available, prices checked 23 Oct 2026
- 16 GB DDR4 kitfrom ₹10,899
- 16 GB DDR5 kitfrom ₹20,999
- 32 GB DDR4 kitfrom ₹24,544
- 32 GB DDR5 kitfrom ₹39,554
Wi-Fi 6, 6E and 7
Newer Wi-Fi is faster and copes better with busy networks, but only with a router of the same standard.
- Wi-Fi 6
- 2.4 and 5 GHz. Enough for most home broadband.
- Wi-Fi 6E
- Adds the less crowded 6 GHz band.
- Wi-Fi 7latest
- Wider channels and several bands at once for lower lag.
If your router is Wi-Fi 5 or 6, a Wi-Fi 7 board won't be faster today. A wired connection (2.5 Gb LAN on most new boards) is still the best for gaming.
Cheapest available, prices checked 23 Oct 2026
- Motherboard with Wi-Fi 6from ₹10,639
- Motherboard with Wi-Fi 6Efrom ₹7,589
- Motherboard with Wi-Fi 7from ₹13,039
Monitor ports and HDR
The port decides the highest resolution and refresh rate you can actually run.
- HDMI 2.0
- 4K at 60 Hz. Fine for office and 1080p gaming.
- HDMI 2.1
- 4K at 120–144 Hz. Needed for PS5 and Xbox at 120 Hz.
- DisplayPort 1.4
- 1440p at 240 Hz or 4K at 144 Hz with compression.
- DisplayPort 2.1latest
- 4K at 240 Hz and beyond, with RTX 50 and RX 7000/9000 cards.
"HDR10" on a monitor only means it accepts an HDR signal. For HDR that looks different, look for DisplayHDR 600 or higher, or an OLED (DisplayHDR True Black).
Still unsure? Ask us and we'll suggest the right part for your build.