Game development computer
Game development computer
I'm searching for a PC that can support video game development. I'm not very familiar with the technical details except that my current machine isn't up to the task. I was informed on the Unreal Engine Discord that 8 cores, 64 RAM, and 12 VRAM are typical minimum requirements for handling the software well. I understand it would also require a high-end graphics card since you'd need to test your creations. However, my budget is very tight—I've been spending the past year on courses instead of buying hardware. Can anyone help me assemble a suitable setup so I can start saving, or offer me a deal if you have a machine that meets these needs?
Approximate Purchase Date:
As soon as money becomes available. I earn around a couple hundred a month, so I'll likely need to save for a few months.
Budget Range:
Under 1000$, preferably. I might need a loan from someone else.
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Creating video games, software includes: Unreal Engine, GAS, Blender, possibly others later.
Are you buying a monitor:
No
Parts to Upgrade:
Essentially everything. My current laptop doesn't allow for additional hardware.
Do you need an operating system:
No
Location:
Bay City, Michigan, U.S.A.
Parts Preferences:
None, as long as it functions
Overclocking:
No
Multiple GPUs:
No
Your Monitor Resolution: I mainly use my TV but would upgrade to 1920x1080.
And most importantly, why are you upgrading?
My VRAM usage in Unreal Engine crashes after a short while, and it overheats even with fans.
The specifications and $1000 price tag don’t always match up well without exploring the used market and being very budget-conscious. Particularly if you’re looking for peripherals, it’s wise to check what you already own. Do you have a mouse, keyboard, and speakers or headphones? Even a basic 1080p monitor can cost around $100. The 64GB of memory and an 8-core CPU are significant expenses. You can get by with fewer components, depending on your project needs.
My preferred setup is an Intel Arrow Lake system. Although it only offers 6 'real cores,' it provides 8 E cores that are useful for compiling. A more affordable option would be the 12700K, though it’s starting to feel outdated now (that’s what I’m using).
A few options
AMD:
PCPartPicker Part List
CPU:
AMD Ryzen 7 7700X 4.5 GHz 8-Core Processor
($248.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler:
Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler
($34.90 @ Amazon)
Motherboard:
Gigabyte B850 GAMING WIFI6 ATX AM5 Motherboard
($159.99 @ Newegg)
Memory:
Corsair Vengeance 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6400 CL36 Memory
($84.99 @ Newegg)
Storage:
Crucial P3 Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive
($61.95 @ iBUYPOWER)
Video Card:
PowerColor Reaper Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB Video Card
($379.98 @ Newegg)
Case:
Montech AIR 903 MAX ATX Mid Tower Case
($75.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply:
Montech CENTURY II 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply
($89.90 @ Newegg)
Total:
$1136.69
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by
PCPartPicker
2025-08-27 13:48 EDT-0400
Intel:
PCPartPicker Part List
CPU:
Intel Core i5-14600K 3.5 GHz 14-Core Processor
($149.99 @ B&H)
CPU Cooler:
Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler
($34.90 @ Amazon)
Motherboard:
Gigabyte Z790 EAGLE AX ATX LGA1700 Motherboard
($155.00 @ Amazon)
Memory:
Corsair Vengeance 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6400 CL36 Memory
($84.99 @ Newegg)
Storage:
Crucial P3 Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive
($61.95 @ iBUYPOWER)
Video Card:
PowerColor Reaper Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB Video Card
($379.98 @ Newegg)
Case:
Montech AIR 903 MAX ATX Mid Tower Case
($75.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply:
Montech CENTURY II 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply
($89.90 @ Newegg)
Total:
$1032.70
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by
PCPartPicker
2025-08-27 13:44 EDT-0400
Cheaper, but should work ok
AMD:
PCPartPicker Part List
CPU:
AMD Ryzen 7 7700X 4.5 GHz 8-Core Processor
($248.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler:
Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler
($34.90 @ Amazon)
Motherboard:
Gigabyte B850 GAMING WIFI6 ATX AM5 Motherboard
($159.99 @ Newegg)
Memory:
Corsair Vengeance 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6400 CL36 Memory
($84.99 @ Newegg)
Storage:
Crucial P3 Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive
($61.95 @ iBUYPOWER)
Video Card:
ASRock Challenger OC Arc B580 12 GB Video Card
($269.98 @ Newegg)
Case:
Montech AIR 903 MAX ATX Mid Tower Case
($75.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply:
Montech CENTURY II 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply
($89.90 @ Newegg)
Total:
$1026.69
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by
PCPartPicker
2025-08-27 13:51 EDT-0400
Intel:
PCPartPicker Part List
CPU:
Intel Core i5-14600K 3.5 GHz 14-Core Processor
($149.99 @ B&H)
CPU Cooler:
Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler
($34.90 @ Amazon)
Motherboard:
Gigabyte Z790 EAGLE AX ATX LGA1700 Motherboard
($152.00 @ Amazon)
Memory:
Corsair Vengeance 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6400 CL36 Memory
($84.99 @ Newegg)
Storage:
Crucial P3 Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive
($61.95 @ iBUYPOWER)
Video Card:
ASRock Challenger OC Arc B580 12 GB Video Card
($269.98 @ Newegg)
Case:
Montech AIR 903 MAX ATX Mid Tower Case
($75.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply:
Montech CENTURY II 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply
($89.90 @ Newegg)
Total:
$919.70
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by
PCPartPicker
2025-08-27 13:52 EDT-0400
Even cheaper, half the storage, cheaper motherboard, case, cpu cooler, psu:
PCPartPicker Part List
CPU:
Intel Core i5-14600K 3.5 GHz 14-Core Processor
($149.99 @ B&H)
CPU Cooler:
Thermalright Burst Assassin 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler
($18.89 @ Amazon)
Motherboard:
ASRock B760M PG Riptide Wifi Micro ATX LGA1700 Motherboard
($119.99 @ Amazon)
Memory:
Corsair Vengeance 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6400 CL36 Memory
($84.99 @ Newegg)
Storage:
Crucial P3 500 GB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive
($39.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card:
ASRock Challenger OC Arc B580 12 GB Video Card
($269.98 @ Newegg)
Case:
GameMax F45 ATX Mid Tower Case
($55.97 @ Newegg)
Power Supply:
Corsair CX650M (2021) 650 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply
($74.98 @ Amazon)
Total:
$814.78
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by
PCPartPicker
2025-08-27 14:02 EDT-0400
CPU Review with these CPU's compared:
https://www.techpowerup.com/review/amd-r...3d/27.html
GPU Review with these GPU's:
ASUS Radeon RX 9060 XT Prime OC 16 GB Review
The AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT launches at a highly competitive $350 MSRP, which is much lower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB, yet the card offers similar performance. Thanks to the dual BIOS feature, noise levels of the ASUS Prime are incredible: whisper quiet!
www.techpowerup.com
I think most of these configurations can be adjusted—boost memory capacity and opt for a quicker GPU. The 1000-1600 range is essentially the difference between entry-level and mid-range setups these days. (Now that mid-range remains quite impressive, the premium end still costs much more.)
My previous setup uses a 265K and 9070 XT, and adding a 2TB SSD would work well.
Something similar looks like this:
PCPartPicker Part List
CPU:
AMD Ryzen 7 7700X 4.5 GHz 8-Core Processor
($264.41 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler:
Thermalright RK120 SE 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler
($27.59 @ Amazon)
Motherboard:
ASRock X870 Pro-A WiFi ATX AM5 Motherboard
($199.99 @ Newegg)
Memory:
G.Skill Ripjaws S5 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-6000 CL36 Memory
($159.99 @ Newegg)
Storage:
Western Digital WD_BLACK SN7100 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME SSD
($119.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card:
ASRock Steel Legend Dark Radeon RX 9070 XT 16 GB Video Card
($699.99 @ Newegg)
Case:
Montech X3 Mesh ATX Mid Tower Case
($69.98 @ Amazon)
Power Supply:
Montech CENTURY II 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply
($89.90 @ Amazon)
Overall cost comes to about $1631.84
Includes shipping, taxes, and any available discounts
This was generated by PCPartPicker
Date: 2025-09-08 10:31 EDT-0400
I will say that a "DEV" computer and an "TEST" computer should not be the same. Why? If you go ultra high-end on the DEV computer and you test on it, you run the risk of developing something that isn't playable by the average user. For example, you get a 5070 for the "DEV" computer. But the most common GPU on stream right now is a 4060 and the 1650 is just 1% less common. You can EASILY run the risk of making something that won't run on that 1650 card.
The recommendations for AMD or Intel video cards could have the same situation. So a development box and a test box should NOT be the same physical host, IMO.
I will also say, as a retired software developer, the most critical part is your storage and backup infrastructure. A proper software version control system (GIT for example) with sufficient storage and BACKUP storage to ensure your development doesn't get wiped out.
Alternative options include a 64GB PC priced at $1139, an RTX 5060 with 8GB for $300, a RTX 4070 with 12GB for $542, and a 5070 with 32GB RAM for $1500.