Several factors can affect how a game performs, and your PC’s specs are one of them. The minimum requirements you need for your PC depend on:
- The type of PC you have. Though an ordinary PC will do, a gaming PC helps run games faster and smoother. This is because it has hardware built specifically for gaming. Gaming PCs have high-speed processors and powerful graphics cards.
Another distinguishing factor is whether you have a Mac or a Windows PC. It is no secret that Macs have better displays and more powerful processors than Windows PCs. Nevertheless, Windows PCs are compatible with a large variety of games and cost less than Macs. Also, Windows PCs can easily be upgraded compared to their Mac counterparts.
- The games you intend to play. As mentioned, different games have certain requirements needed to play without a hitch. The recommended game requirements are the specifications needed to give you the ultimate gaming experience. Nonetheless, each game comes with minimum PC requirements needed for your game to play. These specs just allow your game to play, but they may make a game lag in the process. Any recommended requirements can be found on the game’s website.
- The type of gamer you are. How much you play determines the requirements you need for gaming. If you game more as a hobby and only when you feel like it, you may not necessarily need a PC with exceptional specs. The minimum specs will do just fine. Mainstream gamers-those who spend a lot of time playing and are invested in games but do not play professionally- may benefit from higher specs. Professional gamers require PCs with intensive hardware specs.
PC Specs Needed for Gaming
Different PCs have their own specs. However, when it comes to gaming, the most important specs are the CPU, GPU, display, storage, and RAM.
CPU
The CPU or central processing unit is usually referred to as the brain of a computer. A CPU offers the instructions a computer needs to perform all its tasks. Simply put, the stronger your CPU, the faster it thinks and acts, and the better it performs.
The CPU affects many gaming components, including frame rates, streaming, graphics, and refresh rates. Many gaming PCs have multiple cores that act like mini processors. These multiple cores enable the CPU to work on various tasks at the same time. A highly intensive game can cause a CPU bottleneck if the CPU can’t handle it.
For PC gaming, you can get away with an intel core i5 for a normal game and an Intel i7 for a game that requires a powerful processor.
GPU
The graphic processing unit (GPU) is used in graphics and video rendering, which are important in games. The GPU and CPU work together to enhance the gaming experience. A fast CPU is useless if the GPU isn’t powerful enough.
If you are an entry-level gamer, the Nvidia GTX 1650 or AMD RX570 will do if you are playing a game at 1080p. Games with 1440p and higher require high-end GPUs such as Nvidia’s 3060 Ti/RTX 3080 or AMD’s 6800 XT.
Display
A computer’s display is how videos or images are viewed. Gaming performance is enhanced by requiring a high-resolution pixel-dense display. For gaming, most PCs can easily get away with 1920×1080 resolution. You will be able to see clear visuals as you play a game. However, the future of gaming is 3840 x 2160 or 4K.
RAM
Random access memory or RAM is the hardware where data, the OS, and application programs are stored so they can be accessed quickly and easily by the CPU. It is the computer’s main memory.
Any data needed when playing a game is stored in the RAM. When you finish playing your game, the RAM replaces that data with the next data your processor needs. If your RAM is not enough, your computer may slow down because the processor is not able to complete the tasks you have asked it to.
8GB RAM is the minimum requirement for a game to run on a PC. However, for better performance, 16GB is best.
Storage
Most games require a lot of space. Luckily many PCs nowadays come with at least 500GB of storage space. The best PCs have solid-state drives that store data using flash memory, which is faster. This is because data is written, stored, and transferred silently.
A 500 or 512GB drive is enough for your PC to run smoothly and for games to perform and be stored.
Conclusion
No matter what PC you have, there are still some minimum requirements your PC should have if you do not want your games to lag. You can find both the minimum requirements and game requirements on the game’s website. Choosing a PC with the right requirements for gaming will help avoid PC bottlenecking. You can find a budget-friendly PC that will enable you to play the games you want comfortably.
