Underrated PC features you'll miss if you don't have them

We're all too familiar with useless PC features that are just marketing, from AI-powered overclocking and military-grade durability on motherboards to "Game Mode" on SSDs. However, some features that appear optional and inconsequential at first can make their presence felt when you realize you need them. You might have skipped an SSD with DRAM or a CPU with integrated graphics, thinking those features aren't strictly necessary, but an unexpected situation might make you regret your choice.

5 A vertical GPU mount on the case

It eliminates a lot of the hassle

Vertically mounted GPUs can draw sharp reactions from many users in the community, but it's mostly harmless if you avoid the mistakes related to vertically mounting your GPU. Switching from the conventional horizontal orientation can give your PC an instant makeover, especially if your GPU has a great front side that you'd like to show off. While universal vertical mounts are compatible with most cases, you might still go through some hassle to properly install one.

A great solution is to buy a case that comes with a vertical mount of its own. This way, you know you won't face any compatibility problems when you eventually decide to mount your graphics card vertically. Cases like the HYTE Y60 and HYTE Y40 are built around vertical GPU mounts, and can work well for all but the most high-end graphics cards. The issue with the latter is that your card could be sitting flush against the case, leading to higher temps than you'd be comfortable with.

4 Easy installation of the CPU cooler

Why isn't every cooler easy to install?

Let's face it: most CPU coolers are a pain to install or remove. Often, you need to replace the stock backplate, use a convoluted installation method, or sacrifice sufficient IHS contact. While this might not seem like a big deal to experienced builders, even they would appreciate a cooler that's easy to work with. Many Noctua coolers feature a simplified mounting mechanism that reduces the headache of properly securing the cooler to the motherboard.

With some research, you can easily find a CPU cooler for your socket that doesn't require backplate gymnastics during the installation. During the initial build, users sometimes need to remove the cooler to fix the paste application or mounting pressure, so a cooler with a tool-less installation mechanism can be a godsend.

3 DRAM cache on the SSD

To DRAM or not to DRAM

DRAM cache helps SSDs perform faster in certain scenarios. It's a dedicated chip that stores a mapping table for the SSD, helping the drive keep track of the data on the NAND flash. DRAM stores frequently accessed data for quick access, and can dramatically improve speeds in applications like Adobe Premiere Pro or during game streaming. While DRAM doesn't generally improve gaming performance, titles with procedural generation or similar write-heavy operations can certainly benefit from it.

For a gaming-only system, you might decide to go with a DRAM-less SSD that uses the host memory to achieve the same results. However, those who run other heavy applications on their PC, paying slightly more for a DRAM SSD can pay dividends throughout the drive's lifetime.

2 Pre-installed M.2 heatsinks on the motherboard

Manufacturers should stop cheaping out

Not every SSD needs a heatsink, but it sure looks better with one. Today, most lower-mid-range motherboards come with pre-installed heatsinks, but there are still many popular boards that provide just one of them or skip them entirely. Even if you don't have a high-end Gen5 drive yet, an SSD heatsink gives your SSD the best chance of performing at its maximum potential. Your Gen4 SSD might be throttling its performance, while you might be blissfully unaware of it.

Providing SSD heatsinks for all the M.2 ports on a motherboard doesn't cost the manufacturer much, but it still feels like a luxury on mainstream motherboards. It's one of the only motherboard features you should care about, and should frankly be the bare minimum these days. Most SSDs aren't designed to be good-looking, so heatsinks are a great way to bring some visual uniformity to your rig.

1 Integrated graphics on the CPU

Worth the small premium

Integrated graphics are something you don't find important until your GPU becomes faulty. Even if you're diagnosing a minor issue with your graphics card, having an alternate GPU to fall back on is an underrated luxury. Recently, I was trying to flash a new vBIOS on an old, faulty RTX 2070 Super. While my ideal course of action was to remove my RTX 3080 and plug in the RTX 2070 Super in its place, the lack of an iGPU on my Ryzen 7 5700X meant that I couldn't do that.

I had to install my RTX 3080 alongside the RTX 2070 Super, which needed extra legwork to remove the PCIe slot covers and route the power cables. Not only that, I also found that my boot SSD was no longer being detected. I checked in the BIOS, and sure as day, only my SATA SSD was detected by the BIOS. So, I had to install a new copy of Windows 11 on the SATA SSD, boot from it, and flash the new BIOS. A CPU with integrated graphics can eliminate all such hurdles when you're trying to diagnose GPU-related problems.

Sometimes, it's worth shelling out for nice-to-have features

While you shouldn't waste money on features you'll never use, it's worth spending on a CPU with integrated graphics or an SSD with DRAM. These features might seem unimportant, but the upside is worth the small premium you might have to pay. Similarly, a motherboard with pre-installed heatsinks or a CPU cooler with tool-less installation can make your life easier.