How to Build a Custom PC for Game Development

Building a custom PC for Game Development

You are making a new game. However, you need to get a new game development workstation in order to keep up with the demand from the software that you are going to be using to make this game of yours. You aren’t sure exactly what you are going to need in this system to run everything that you want to properly. Today, I’ll be going over the minimum specs and our recommendations for specs in your workstation PC. I’ll be looking at Unity and Unreal Engine, but basically all the other engines that you could use out there are going to perform similarly.

Minimum System Requirements for Unity and Unreal Engine

First, let’s go over the minimum specs that the companies have for their software.

• Unity requires an x64 processor (or CPU) with SSE2 support and a graphics card (or GPU) that supports at least DirectX 10 (or DX10) for Unity 6. They don’t specify a minimum amount of memory (or RAM) in their spec sheet.
• Unreal Engine needs a quad-core CPU, at least 8 GB of RAM, and a GPU that can support at least DX11 (though they recommend one that supports DX12).

The good news is that pretty much all newer parts are going to be able to handle these requirements and run the software. However, if you want to run the software well or under intense loads, then we have some suggestions for your workstation PC.

Suggested Minimum Build for Game Development

• CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 9600X or Intel equivalent
• RAM: 8 GB
• GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Ti

Recommended Specs for Game Development

While the minimum specs will allow you to run the software, they won’t provide great performance when working on your game. For a smoother experience, we recommend upgrading your specs significantly. So, what are the recommended specs? We would recommend at least a 16 core CPU, though depending on what you are doing, you might want to go with even more. We would recommend going with at least 64 GB of RAM, as a lot of the time the software that you are going to be using can take up a lot of that (like Unreal Engine) and you can have multiple programs running at the same time that can also take a lot of this up. You might want to look at going up to even 128 GB of RAM for smoother playback. For the GPU, you could go with a 4070 Ti Super. The 4090 has gone what is called “End of Life” now, which means it is no longer being manufactured, so you will have a hard time trying to get one for your game development PC. You could wait to see what the new 50 series cards are going to look like and get one of those if you are willing to wait for them. You will certainly not need any professional level GPU for this. One thing to keep in mind is that most software that you are going to be using is going to be using the CPU more than the GPU, though some programs might require a better GPU.

Recommended PC Specs for Game Development

We’ve built recommended configurations for Unreal Engine Development Workstations, and a Unity Development workstation. If you’d like to pick all the components yourself, be sure to make sure they follow the specifications below for decent performance.

High-Performance Options Game Development Options

If you’re working on a more graphically intense For the best possible performance, you may want to consider even more powerful hardware:

• CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 9950X or Intel equivalent, or an AMD Ryzen Threadripper for maximum core count and performance
• GPU: NVIDIA RTX 4070 Super (or wait for the 50 series cards)
• RAM: Minimum 64 GB, but 128 GB for optimal performance
• Storage: m.2 NVMe SSDs with ample space to accommodate large project files

Final Thoughts

Now you know what you need for your next Unreal Engine PC or Unity Workstation. If you plan to use additional software, you may need to adjust some components, but these recommendations should handle most workloads. If you need more assistance, feel free to reach out to our highly trained sales team that can help you build a configuration.

Or, you can use our Workstation Instabuilder! Instabuilder will give you a recommended workstation built for the software that you use and select.