Starfield is one of the most anticipated games of 2023, promising a vast and immersive sci-fi RPG experience from the creators of The Elder Scrolls and Fallout. The game will also support ray tracing, a cutting-edge graphics technology that simulates realistic lighting, shadows, and reflections. However, to enjoy Starfield at its full potential, you will need a powerful PC that can handle 4K resolution, 60 frames per second (FPS), and ray tracing effects. In this article, we will show you how to build such a PC, with the best components and settings for Starfield.
What are the system requirements for Starfield?
Before we start building our PC, we need to know the minimum and recommended system requirements for Starfield. According to Bethesda, these are the official specs for the game:
Minimum
- OS: Windows 10 version 21H1 (10.0.19043)
- Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 2600X, Intel Core i7-6800K
- Memory: 16 GB RAM
- Graphics: AMD Radeon RX 5700, NVIDIA GeForce 1070 Ti
- DirectX: Version 12
- Storage: 125 GB available space
- Additional Notes: SSD Required (Solid-state Drive)
Recommended
- OS: Windows 10/11 with updates
- Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 3600X, Intel i5-10600K
- Memory: 16 GB RAM
- Graphics: AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080
- DirectX: Version 12
- Network: Broadband Internet connection
- Storage: 125 GB available space
- Additional Notes: SSD Required (Solid-state Drive)
As you can see, Starfield is a demanding game that requires a lot of CPU power, memory, and storage space. However, the most important component for our PC build is the graphics card, as it will determine how well we can run the game at 4K resolution with ray tracing enabled. The recommended graphics cards for Starfield are the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080, both of which support ray tracing and can handle 4K gaming. However, these cards may not be enough to achieve a smooth and consistent 60 FPS performance at ultra settings. For that, we will need something more powerful.
What is the best graphics card for Starfield?
The best graphics card for Starfield is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090, the flagship model of the RTX 40 series. This card is an absolute beast that can run any game at 4K resolution with ray tracing enabled and high FPS. The RTX 4090 features a massive 24 GB of GDDR6X memory, a boost clock of up to 2.1 GHz, and a whopping 10,752 CUDA cores. It also supports DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), a technology that uses artificial intelligence to upscale lower-resolution images to higher-resolution ones, improving performance and image quality.
The RTX 4090 is not only the best graphics card for Starfield, but also for any other game that supports ray tracing, such as Cyberpunk 2077, Control, and Metro Exodus. However, this card comes at a high cost, but it is often sold out or overpriced due to high demand and low supply. If you can find one at a reasonable price, it is definitely worth it for the ultimate gaming experience.
If you cannot afford or find an RTX 4090, there are other alternatives that can still run Starfield at 4K with ray tracing enabled. The next best option is the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX, the top-end model of the RX 7000 series. This card features a massive 32 GB of GDDR6 memory, a boost clock of up to 2.5 GHz, and a whopping 15,360 stream processors. It also supports FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), a technology that uses spatial upscaling to improve performance and image quality.
The RX 7900 XTX is slightly cheaper than the RTX 4090, but it is also hard to find or overpriced due to high demand and low supply. If you can find one at a reasonable price, it is also worth it for a great gaming experience.
Other alternatives include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 and the AMD Radeon RX
7800 XT, both of which are slightly less powerful than the RTX 4090 and the RX 7900 XTX, but still capable of running Starfield at 4K with ray tracing enabled. These cards have an MSRP of $1,199 and $649, respectively, but they are also hard to find or overpriced due to high demand and low supply. If you can find one at a reasonable price, they are also good options for a decent gaming experience.
What are the other components for our PC build?
Now that we have chosen our graphics card, we need to select the other components for our PC build. These include the CPU, the motherboard, the memory, the storage, the power supply, the case, and the cooling system. Here are our recommendations for each component:
CPU: For our CPU, we will go with the AMD Ryzen 5 3600X, the same processor that Bethesda recommends for Starfield. This CPU features 6 cores and 12 threads, a base clock of 3.8 GHz and a boost clock of 4.4 GHz, and 32 MB of L3 cache. It also comes with a Wraith Spire cooler, which is adequate for cooling this CPU. The Ryzen 5 3600X is a great CPU for gaming and productivity, and it has an MSRP of $249, but it is often on sale for less.
Motherboard: For our motherboard, we will go with the MSI B550-A Pro, a reliable and affordable motherboard that supports the Ryzen 5 3600X and the RX 7900 XTX. This motherboard features an AM4 socket, a B550 chipset, 4 DDR4 memory slots, 2 PCIe 4.0 x16 slots, 2 PCIe 3.0 x1 slots, 6 SATA ports, 2 M.2 slots, a Realtek ALC892 audio codec, a Realtek RTL8111H LAN controller, and plenty of USB ports. It also has a solid VRM (voltage regulator module) design that can handle overclocking and high-end components. The MSI B550-A Pro has an MSRP of $139, but it is often on sale for less.
Memory: For our memory, we will go with the Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory, a fast and reliable memory kit that works well with the Ryzen 5 3600X and the MSI B550-A Pro. This memory kit features two 8 GB modules of DDR4-3200 memory with a CAS latency of 16 and a voltage of 1.35V. It also has a low-profile design that fits in most cases and does not interfere with most coolers. The Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB has an MSRP of $79 11, but it is often on sale for less.
Storage: For our storage, we will go with the Samsung 980 Pro 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive, a blazing-fast and high-capacity SSD that can store Starfield and other games. This SSD features a M.2-2280 form factor, an NVME interface, and a PCIe 4.0 x4 connection. It has a sequential read speed of up to 7,000 MB/s and a sequential write speed of up to 5,000 MB/s. It also has a TBW (terabytes written) rating of 600 TB and a MTBF (mean time between failures) rating of 1.5 million hours. The Samsung 980 Pro 1 TB has an MSRP of $229, but it is often on sale for less.
Power Supply: For our power supply, we will go with the Corsair RMx (2021) 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply, a powerful and efficient power supply that can handle our PC build. This power supply features an ATX form factor, an 80+ Gold efficiency rating, and a fully modular design. It has a maximum output of 850 W and can deliver up to
70 A on the +12V rail. It also has a zero RPM fan mode that keeps it silent at low loads. The Corsair RMx (2021) 850 W has an MSRP of $144, but it is often on sale for less.
Case: For our case, we will go with the Lian Li Lancool II Mesh ATX Mid Tower Case, a spacious and well-ventilated case that can fit our PC build. This case features an ATX mid tower form factor, a mesh front panel, two tempered glass side panels, and three pre-installed fans (two in the front and one in the rear). It has seven expansion slots, four drive bays (two 3.5-inch and two 2.5-inch) and supports up to six fans or three radiators. It also has a flip shroud panel that allows easy access to the power supply and storage devices, a cable management bar that hides the cables behind the motherboard tray, and a magnetic dust filter that keeps the case clean. The Lian Li Lancool II Mesh has an MSRP of $106.99, but it is often on sale for less.
Cooling System: For our cooling system, we will go with the Corsair iCUE H150i Elite Capellix 75 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler, a powerful and efficient liquid cooler that can keep our CPU cool and quiet. This cooler features a 360 mm radiator, three 120 mm fans, and a pump head with 33 RGB LEDs. It also supports the Corsair iCUE software, which allows us to customize the lighting effects, fan speeds, pump speeds, and temperatures. The Corsair iCUE H150i Elite Capellix has an MSRP of $189, but it is often on sale for less.
These are the components that we have chosen for our PC build that can run Starfield at 4K 60 FPS with ray tracing enabled. The total cost of this PC build is around $3,500, which is quite expensive, but worth it for the ultimate gaming experience. Of course, you can always adjust or modify this PC build according to your budget, preferences, and availability of the components. You can also use some online tools such as [PCPartPicker] or [Logical Increments] to help you plan and optimize your PC build.
How to optimize Starfield for performance and quality?
After building our PC, we need to install Starfield and optimize it for performance and quality. Starfield is expected to have various settings and options that can affect how the game runs and looks on our PC. We need to find the best balance between performance and quality that suits our preferences and expectations. Here are some tips and steps for optimizing Starfield for performance and quality:
- Update your drivers: Before launching Starfield, make sure you have the latest drivers for your graphics card, CPU, motherboard, and other components. You can download the drivers from the official websites of your component manufacturers or use some tools such as [Driver Booster] or [Driver Easy] to automatically update your drivers.
- Adjust your resolution: The resolution is one of the most important factors that affect the performance and quality of Starfield. The higher the resolution, the sharper and clearer the image, but also the more demanding and taxing on your PC. We recommend you to use the native resolution of your monitor, which is usually 3840 x 2160 for 4K monitors. However, if you find that your PC cannot handle 4K resolution at 60 FPS with ray tracing enabled, you can lower the resolution to 2560 x 1440 or 1920 x 1080, which are still decent resolutions for gaming. You can also use DLSS or FSR to upscale lower-resolution images to higher-resolution ones, improving performance and image quality.
- Adjust your graphics settings: The graphics settings are another important factor that affect the performance and quality of Starfield. The graphics settings include various options such as texture quality, shadow quality, anti-aliasing, ambient occlusion, ray tracing, etc. The higher the graphics settings, the more realistic and immersive the game, but also the more demanding and taxing on your PC. We recommend you to use the ultra or high graphics settings for Starfield, as they will enable most of the features and effects that make the game look amazing. However, if you find that your PC cannot handle ultra or high graphics settings at 60 FPS with ray tracing enabled, you can lower some of the graphics settings to medium or low, which will still make the game look good. You can also use some tools such as [NVIDIA GeForce Experience] or [AMD Radeon Software] to automatically optimize your graphics settings for Starfield.
- Monitor your FPS: The FPS (frames per second) is a measure of how smoothly and fluidly the game runs on your PC. The higher the FPS, the better the gaming experience, but also the more demanding and taxing on your PC. We recommend you to aim for at least 60 FPS for Starfield, as it will provide a smooth and consistent gameplay. However, if you find that your PC cannot achieve 60 FPS at 4K resolution with ray tracing enabled and ultra or high graphics settings, you can lower some of the factors that affect the FPS, such as resolution, graphics settings, or ray tracing. You can also use some tools such as [MSI Afterburner] or [Fraps] to monitor your FPS while playing Starfield.
These are some of the tips and steps for optimizing Starfield for performance and quality. You can experiment with different combinations of factors and settings to find the best balance that suits your preferences and expectations. You can also check out some benchmarks and reviews of Starfield on various PC configurations to get an idea of how the game runs and looks on different PCs.
Conclusion
In this article, we have shown you how to build a PC that can run Starfield at 4K 60 FPS with ray tracing enabled. We have also shown you how to optimize Starfield for performance and quality. We hope you have enjoyed this article and learned something useful from it. If you have any questions or feedback, please feel free to leave a comment below. Thank you for reading and happy gaming!
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