Entering the world of gaming can require lots of research…but you’re here to play. So we did the work for you and compiled our findings on what you need to know about your next gaming PC.

What kind of gamer are you?

Generally, the level of power you need for a fluid gaming experience is dependent on what types of game you play. We’ll explore varying needs for the following gamers: 2D Strategy, Survival Crafting, Competitive, and Open World Exploration. Keep in mind that if you plan to play at 1440p or 4K, this will increase your graphics needs.

2D Strategy

While 2D games (RPG, RTS, Roguelike) don’t require as much graphics power as their 3D counterparts, some like Risk of Rain Returns rely on your computer’s ability to make quick calculations. For this, we recommend a modern graphics card like the AMD Radeon RX 7600 or NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 — especially if you’ll want to try out a more demanding game down the line.

Games with more NPCs or enemies on-screen at a time put more demand on your system. Same goes for the CPU, which in part is responsible for communicating on-screen changes to the GPU; a slow CPU reduces the GPU’s potential to process images. Make sure your CPU is at least an Intel i5 or AMD Ryzen 5, though i7 and Ryzen 7 ensure the best performance deeper into your game.

Survival Crafting

Games like Minecraft and No Man’s Sky use procedural generation to create their worlds, a process with many layers to randomize an environment in a way that still meets expectations of realism. While their landscapes can seem bright and colorful, much of the heavy lifting involves the CPU, both in procedural generation and in processing multiple in-game characters and creatures. Equipping an i7 or Ryzen 7 CPU will help with keeping these games immersive, while 16GB RAM and an RX 7700 XT or NVIDIA 4060 Ti GPU are recommended for fast-loading chunks and vivid visuals.

Competitive Multiplayer

The biggest advantage you can have in the competitive scene is a fast internet connection. Equally important is a fast Wifi 6E card or Gigabit Ethernet connection so that your computer can take advantage of the fast internet speeds you may be getting from your service provider. These speeds determine who the servers say pressed their button first; when you’re playing with the best, this could mean the difference between a win or loss for you.

What components you use here also depends on what game you’re playing. Overwatch 2 has far more graphics demand than CS:GO, for example. However, the goal here is to achieve the highest framerate possible. Smoother movement and animations make it easier to see a player’s actions at any given moment, giving you more time to react. The RX 7700 XT or NVIDIA 4070 ensure consistent high framerates in the trenches.

An argument can be made that better detail (resolution) can improve your gameplay. For this, the NVIDIA 4070 Ti provides the extra cores needed to render these additional pixels smoothly.

Open World Exploration

You don’t just want to explore, you want to experience every ray of light, every fuzz on a squirrel’s tail, every foaming ocean wave in all its beauty. For you, heroic wanderer seeking bedazzlement, your expectations of glory mean a minimum of 60 fps at 4K resolution. Well, a glorious experience requires a glorious computer, one with at least an RX 7900 XT GPU. Upgrading to a 7900 XTX or NVIDIA RTX 4080 only adds to the immersion.

While 16GB RAM is the current memory standard for large AAA games, a few games released this year that require 32GB RAM for gamers to enjoy playing the way they were meant to be played. If you’re after the biggest blockbuster games of the year, you’ll be set with 32GB RAM going forward.

Graphics: AMD or NVIDIA?

Simply put, AMD is known for better price per performance, while NVIDIA tends to edge out AMD in terms of performance. With more market share in spaces like gaming and AI, more software is optimized for NVIDIA graphics — though AMD is a viable competitor.

If budget is a concern, go with AMD. You’ll get similar performance and can use the extra budget to upgrade in other areas. However, if you can afford the best of the best, NVIDIA is a solid choice.

Are drivers hard to install on a System76?

We’ll take care of that. AMD drivers are already included in the Linux kernel (which Pop!_OS uses), and we preinstall the NVIDIA driver as well. If you want to try Pop!_OS, you can download the latest version with this driver installed and test it out for yourself!

Storage: Look for NVMe

NVMe storage is by far the fastest at reading and writing data. In-game, this means faster startups, loads, and saves. If your computer has room for multiple drives, we recommend an NVMe SSD for your OS drive alongside an HDD for storing games that you’re not actively playing.

Gaming PC Recommendations

While this research can feel like a rite of passage for some, it can also be an inconvenience. Luckily, we’ve made deliberate configuration choices in our gaming PCs to give you enough (but not too much!) power for today and years to come.

New or Casual Gamer

Thelio Spark Empowered was created with gaming in mind. This desktop is for people who may not need to play the largest games at the highest resolutions or maximum graphics settings, but want satisfactory, affordable performance.

Pro or Immersed Gamer

Thelio Mira is the gaming PC for people who play lots of games, visually stunning games, challenging games, rage quit games, other games to blow off steam — in the best graphics their systems can muster at the highest internet speeds.