Games really push today's PCs, so we look at what even the most modest gamer needs to have in their system
Games have always been a great benchmark of home computing power. Although the mighty CG mainframes we read about or powerful servers with multiple CPUs may take the cake in terms of pure mathematical muscle or rendering capability, when it comes home PCs, it's videogames that often push the platform. Indeed, the advance in PC power in general may have never come as far as it has without gaming pushing the envelope. Thanks in part to this entertainment hobby, we're graced with powerful video cards, masses of RAM and much better audio quality, so much so that many believe the home PC is the ultimate gaming platform. Indeed, in terms of technology, that really can't be denied.
Of course, while a console gamer can simply pick up the latest model and play games out of the box with ease, PC owners are met with more of a quandary. There's far more to buying a gaming PC than a console, and if you intend to build your own PC, this only compounds the problem, because you have to source all the components yourself.
This situation means PC gamers are faced with a more complicated set of considerations when buying games. Every time a new game is released, you'll have to double-check the specification required to make sure your PC can handle it. And if you plan to upgrade, you have to consider what you'll need, what will deliver the best performance and what could last the longest before needing to be replaced in future. This makes owning a PC a constant puzzle and a device that demands regular upkeep if it's going to stay relevant.
Add to this the gaming market, which never stands still. Developers are always coming up with better technologies to improve games and the code that drives them. This often means requirements for PCs need to be increased to handle it. It's a fast-moving world, and it can be a very expensive one too. It's no wonder so many people prefer consoles to PCs, but for those that stick with the PC, a well-built machine can always beat a console hands down.
We're going to look at the current state of gaming specifications, with the aim of finding out what kind of hardware anyone building a new PC or upgrading an old one needs right now to play the latest games. This will also help if you're simply going to buy a pre-built model, as you'll know what to look for.
Gaming Demands
We should begin with a general look at some of the basics you'll need to consider for gaming if you're looking to get into gaming on PC for the first time or you want to upgrade your non-gaming system. This is more about the foundation of a system: what it needs and how best to prepare it for the eventual need for upgrades.
The first basic requirement is a good case. Although smaller cases and small-form-factor systems can host perfectly serviceable gaming machines, they're really not all that ideal for dedicated gamers. They're not as flexible in terms of housing larger, more powerful hardware, and they're not the best when it comes to cooling - both essential considerations here.
Larger cases offer the best capacity for upgrades, both present and future, and you can equip better cooling and gain far better airflow. They're the most future-proof option, and you can get good, larger-sized cases for a decent price. If you're serious about gaming, this is the recommended option.
Sitting inside this needs to be a good motherboard, also with plenty of room for expansion and memory. Again, smaller boards can handle gaming, but it's really best to stick with full-sized ATX boards. As with the case, these offer a greater degree of flexibility when upgrading, and they're usually far more able to handle full-sized GPUs, including multiple cards in SLI/CrossFire.
Look for boards that have a good, intelligent layout. Avoid boards that are configured in a way that cramps the components, and always keep connectivity in mind. Ensure a motherboard has ample USB ports (ideally USB 3.0 at least) and plenty of hard disk connections. For gaming, you'll really want to avoid on-board video, so don't worry about this. In fact, it's usually best to avoid boards with on-board hardware like this, although it can be quite hard to find boards that omit video kit these days. On-board audio isn't as bad, and many gamers make use of it. The integrated audio hardware on motherboards has improved over time to the point it's perfectly suitable, but there's still a camp that prefers separate, dedicated hardware.
Obviously, at this stage you'll want to also pick your CPU, since this will also determine the motherboard you get. Many users these days stick with Intel chips, because they're often considered the best, but don't rule out AMD CPUs, because they can be powerful too. For gaming, though, most system specifications will focus on Intel models, and it's often much easier to get the most from a game if you choose this, especially if you're relatively new to gaming and not as well versed in troubleshooting. Which's best between the two makes it a question that's argued about on forums across the globe.
Whichever CPU you choose, you'll want to invest in a good-quality heatsink. All pre-built PCs come with one, and some separate CPU purchases do too. However, for serious gaming, stock coolers are rarely suitable, unless you purchase a system designed for gaming, such as the popular Alienware range. Most of the time, you'll need to pick a better cooler, and it's very important you do so, because heat management is paramount when putting your PC through its paces. It'll generate a lot of heat, which needs to be controlled. You'll also want to make sure your case has plenty of mounts for fans and that your motherboard and power supply can power them.
If you plan to overclock your system, you'll have an even bigger reason to spend more money on a better cooler than gaming alone, so allocate enough of your funds to cater for this important component.
RAM is going to be something you'll probably upgrade eventually, regardless of your initial setup, and the amount you can install will depend on your motherboard and its overall capacity. The actual amount of RAM you'll need will vary from game to game, but a good starting point would be at least 8GB.
A hugely important purchase for gaming is a good graphics card. This is likely going to be the most expensive piece of hardware you’ll purchase for your system, but the extra cost will often be worth it. You can get by with older cards, but if you can spare the cash, try to go for a more up-to-date model. It'll not only run current games better, but it'll also ensure your PC remains capable for a lot longer, saving you money in the long run. That said, don't feel you need to buy the latest, most expensive cards. Last gen is usually perfectly fine and a lot cheaper.
An audio card, as we mentioned with the motherboard spec, isn't essential, but many do prefer to have the better quality and connectivity a dedicated card offers. Most motherboards will support basic speaker sets and have decent audio quality, but audio cards will usually have far greater capacities for large speaker setups and will often deliver much more in the way of audio features. They also put less of a drain on your system, because they're self-contained systems and don't need to leech off your main memory, as on-board audio will.
Storage is essential regardless of your PC use, but because games are often large in size and require fast data transfer speeds for the best performance, hard disks are another area where it pays to spend a little extra. Go for a large volume size, at least 1TB minimum. Standard platter or 'spinner' hard disks are fine, but for the best performance, SSD volumes could be advantageous. The price difference here is very steep, so if you need to save money, don't worry about skipping SSD for now.
That covers the basics, areas that you need to consider, but what about the actual specification? To get a better idea of this, let's take a look at some of the most recent games released and the specs required.
Analysis
As you can see from our short cross-section of games and VR, there's a variety of specifications stated, but even in this flux of numbers and models, there are some universal points worth noting.
The CPU that's listed is often specified as an Intel Core i3 or equivalent. This is, indeed, the basic requirement to get a game to run, but in our experience, this won't yield great results. Even a mid-range Core i5, while offering better performance, isn't really advisable. We'd always recommend you go for an i7. These may cost more than the alternatives, but the CPU is supremely important and the cost is justified if you’re looking for the best gaming performance. At a push, however, a decent i5, such as the 3570, will also do.
The GPU is one of the harder choices to make, and there are just so many available. A key feature is the overall speed of the card and the RAM. As demonstrated by the titles here, a common requirement is a 2GB VRAM card, which should be your minimum target. Sticking with the more up-to-date card ranges is also advisable, as this prolongs the life of your current system. Whether you choose Nvidia or AMD is all down to your preference and possibly choice of motherboard. Nvidia is perhaps the most popular at the moment, but Radeon cards are also great, easily able to compete in general gaming.
System RAM is simple, and you should go for at least 8GB. If you can afford it, go for 16GB, because extra RAM is always welcome. Most of the games we've looked at here require 8GB, so don't go below this, or you'll probably run into performance problems with many titles. RAM is fairly cheap now, so upping your cap isn't all that expensive.
Your OS isn't likely going to be a problem if you're buying a new PC, but if you're upgrading and still have an older OS, you'll need to evolve your OS, like it or not. New games just don't support older versions of Windows, so holding onto your old version will only cause problems. Go for at least Windows 7 if you want to retain the older Windows feel, but for the best performance, it would be best to go for Window 8.1 or later. It's a shame, but that upgrade is no longer optional if you want to play today's games.
Disk space requirements vary greatly from game to game. Some games need as little as 10GB, many need around 40 to 50GB, and some larger titles can take 100GB or more. With even a less demanding game like No Man's Sky requiring 10GB, it's easy to see why you'll need ample storage. If you plan to play larger, ever-growing games like MMOs and titles like Star Citizen that eat up 100GB, you can quickly see why at least a 1TB drive is required. A mere handful of installed games can quickly eat away a modest drive, so think big to save you any potential storage hassle.
That's the basics covered by the developer/publisher specs for a range of games. This is a good way to plan out your starting system and, depending on your budget, you could augment your PC with more powerful hardware, more RAM and so on.
The Cost
It's time to look at a very important part of your gaming PC build, and that's the cost. You may think a good gaming PC would cost well over £1,000, and that can be very true. Gaming PCs can cost a huge amount of money if you go for the very best kit around, but the truth is you don't actually need to spend that much. While the best possible PC is an obvious desire, you can run most games perfectly well with a more modest system, so don't think you need to only get the best and take out a second mortgage at the same time.
We've looked at a number of games and their requirements, as well as discussing some of the most important parts of a PC. Now we can get a rough idea of the price of the central components. We'll start with the CPU.
Focusing on the Intel side of things, we've advised it's best to stick with the Core i7 family, and although this is more expensive, the performance gains you'll get make it more than worth it. Most i7 chips, including the perfectly serviceable older models, for between £200 and £300, are fine. You may spend a little more if you wish, but these CPUs can run pretty much any game with the right setup and should serve you well until the latest generation drops in price. There's no need to get something like the Core i7 Extreme sixth-gen versions, which can cost around £1,600.
For the GPU, there's a lot more room for movement. It really depends on the mixture of GPU and RAM, as well as Nvidia or AMD. We found a decent, but not earth-shattering GeForce GTX 750Ti 2GB for £100 and a better GTX 970 for £240. For an AMD fix, how about the Radeon R9 390 with an impressive 8GB VRAM for £300? Perhaps one of the best modest options that should handle anything you like was a good deal on an Nvidia GTX 980 Ti 6GB for £380. It has less RAM than the AMD, but it's a popular, high-performance card with an excellent GPU.
Memory is one of the easiest components to buy, because it's so widely available and at relatively low cost. It's easy to find 8GB of decent-quality RAM for around £45, and even 16GB will only set you back around £65 is you shop wisely. RAM really is very cheap, so there's little reason to skimp on it.
Lastly, we come to storage. Again, this is a market filled with options, but there are more than two choices of drive here. As well as HDD and SSD, you could also go for a hybrid drive, which mixes both technologies into one. This can be a useful solution, since it offers a good mixture of the benefits offered by HDD and SSD and at a cheaper price than pure SSD.
A good example here would be the Seagate ST1000DX001 1TB hybrid or SSHD drive, which should cost around £70. That's a great deal for such a flexible unit, and it's a well-suited transition from HDD to SSD. If you'd rather stick to dedicated drives, though, you'll be looking to spend around £40 to £60 for a 1TB HDD unit and around £250 to £300 for a 1TB SSD. We found a Samsung Evo 1TB SSD for £260, for example. SSDs will always cost a lot more than HDD units, but the increase in performance can have a big impact on gaming. For even more flexibility, go for 2TB or multiple 1TB drives. Storage is easy to expand at a later date, so don't worry, as long as you have a good amount of space to play with from the off.
For your OS, we'll focus on Windows 8/8.1, which is a good middle ground between older versions of Windows and Windows 10. Here you can expect to spend between £50 and £90, depending on the version of the OS you get, such as OEM, Pro, standard retail box, etc. Just be sure to go for 64-bit, because 32-bit is all but useless for the latest games.
Additional Specs
That covers the kind of requirements you'll often see easily on games, but what about others, like the all-important motherboard? As we said earlier, the motherboard is all about flexibility and expansion, with a focus on good performance too, of course. A decent gaming motherboard can cost anything from £70 up to more grandiose prices. Again, don't feel like you need to break the bank here; just ensure you have a board that can handle the components and CPU you wish to use, and one that doesn't limit future upgrades.
Asus's Z170 Pro is a good, affordable example. This should cost around £120 and is a great gaming model. MSI's 970 AMD board is a good example for AMD fans, which offers a good amount of gaming muscle for only around £70. Another excellent Asus product is the Maximus VIII Hero, which we found for £190.
When looking for the case, it's easy to be swayed by looks. Although this might be important for some, it's nowhere near as vital as functionality, so ensure your case has ample room and good cooling potential.
The NZXT S340 Razer is a good-looking, if simplistic, case that offers great cooling and room for expansion for only £80, while the Corsair Carbide 400C really packs in the features and customisability on top of cooling for £90. A cheaper option, but one that's roomier than many alternatives, is the Phanteks Enthoo Pro. This has superb cooling, more than enough room for upgrades and looks simple but stylish. It should cost around £65.
And there you have it: a collection of possible components that can easily handle today's games and all without costing a fortune. As always, these are just a very small fraction of possibilities to give you a good start, so take this information and shop around. You'll likely find a very good deal to suit you.
Overclocking
A lot of PC gamers don't simply stick with their processor the way it is when they buy it. Instead, they overclock it in order to get more power out of it. This is a good trick to keep in mind when buying a CPU as you can theoretically buy a cheaper, lower speed chip and then overclock it to get a free boost that can approach the next model up. It's not guaranteed, of course, and the overall performance boost will depend on your system and how you overclock, but it's a possibility.
What's more, overclocking is now much easier, with tools that make it so easy, even a total PC beginner can do it with little hassle. Always keep in mind the golden rule of overclocking, though. That's to always overclock slowly and in controlled steps. Never ramp up your CPU or GPU's speed by large amounts right away. This can simply make the system unstable and push hardware too far. By going slowly and gradually overclocking, you can find settings that strike a perfect balance between speed, heat and stability.
Cooling
Cooling is a PC building task you simply cannot overlook, especially when gaming. We'd say that good cooling is right up there with the recommended specification of a game, although no game will list this.
Games can often push PC hardware to its limits, and this generates a whole lot of heat. Too much heat can cause system instability and even damage, so making sure a PC is as cool as possible is important. Therefore, it's best not to simply stick with the cooling options you have out of the box. As you'll be gaming, always buy improved cooling hardware, such as dual heatsink and fan CPU coolers and multiple case fans. Pay attention to good airflow when building a PC, and make sure there's a clear path from front to back that can carry cold air in and hot air out.
If you plan to heavily overclock a system, look into liquid cooling. This is more effective than air-cooling, and you can find kits that are easy to fit. They require more work, of course, but the results are not only a cool and stable system but a quiet one too.
Audiophiles
We've mentioned some users' love for dedicated audio cards. Sound cards were once an essential component of any PC, and without one the only sound you'd hear was that of the internal PC speaker beeping away.
With the advent of on-board audio cards, this requirement was removed, and even the most basic PC was able to produce serviceable audio. Today, these audio features are fine for most users, but they still pale in comparison to the quality of audio offered by an actual sound card. These can drive more powerful speakers, support full 3D surround sound with ease, and if you're a user who plans to do more than just listen to audio, they're an essential component. In terms of gaming, the surround sound and general boost in quality a good audio card can provide can greatly enhance your enjoyment, so if you can spare the cash, it may be worth investing in one.
If cash is short, however, spend it elsewhere, because discrete audio is no longer essential, and the audio provided by most motherboards is fine.
Power
Your system's power supply unit (PSU) is something you should think about. PC owners will often think nothing of this, sticking with whatever unit came with the PC or case, but with gaming hardware often needing more power, a good and strong enough PSU is very important - not to mention one with enough power connectors to supply juice to all the components you have installed.
In terms of wattage, the amount you'll need will depend on the components you install, but a decent general target to go for is around 700W. Some PSUs will have extra features, like special cooling systems, power surge protection and more efficient designs, but it's the overall power and connections that's most important.
Corsair's CP-9020061-UK is a fine example for around £70. This is a 750W unit with enhanced modular cooling and over-voltage protection. For a little more, another great example is EVGA's Supernova 750 unit. This is a heavy-duty model perfect for gaming, since it's designed for SLI/CrossFire systems. It'll cost around £100, with the more powerful 850W unit costing around £130. With an extra 100W to play with, this could be worth it.