This is the third entry in our monthly preview of the best PC gaming components for Destiny 2. The second entry is available here, and the first entry is available here.
Again, the original is on Medium. It may look better on mobile there, but the text has been copied and formatted for here.
Welcome back, Guardians and aspiring Guardians! This is our last rodeo before getting some real framerate data. As a result, we’ll try to keep things brief.
What’s new for August?
- Xbox One X comparison
- Checking up on our updates from May
- Recommendations for 1080p builds that can hit a consistent 60 fps
- Recommendations for a 1080p build that can average 144 fps (buckle up)
- Recommendations for 1440p builds that can hit a consistent 60 fps
- Recommendations for a 4k60 build that averages 60 fps
- Current Monitor Recommendations
TL;DR
1. Graphics cards are still stupid expensive Mainstream graphics cards are in extreme shortage, driving up prices to nearly double their normal retail price. For anyone in the market right now, we put together a guide for what the best cards are and what price you should be paying. To that end, we're adding a column to our reports to indicate what a normal price would be for these components.
2. Console Pricing as of August 2017:
| Console |
Subscription Length |
Price |
| Xbox One and Xbox Live |
12 month |
$290 |
| PlayStation4 and PlayStation+ |
12 month |
$275 |
| PlayStation4 Pro and PlayStation+ |
12 month |
$445 |
| Xbox One X and Xbox Live |
12 month |
$539 |
3. Destiny 2 is going to run well on very modest specs, but even the cheapest machine will be ~$550 (compared with Xbox One’s $293 or PS4’s $275).
4. Destiny 2’s beta will be extremely difficult to get framerate data for as they are restricting 3rd party apps to prevent cheating. We are still determining how best to gather this before the official launch.
5. Based on the specs Bungie listed, we expect this to run similarly to Battlefield 1. If you’re looking for a new rig, check out the benchmarks for that first.
6. AMD is launching new high-end graphics cards on August 14, called Vega. The initial response has been underwhelming, but they have a chance to disrupt some of the higher end builds (1080p144 and 1080p144). We will update when we know more.
7. We’re using data from GamersNexus with their blessing. They are awesome and if you want to go deep into performance analysis, they are a great resource.
Bungie's Hardware Specs & Analysis
Old news at this point, but Bungie gave us an idea of what kind of systems should be able to play the Destiny 2 beta (starts 8/28 early access, 8/29–8/31 for everyone). Here’s a snapshot of their hardware recommendations.
Analysis
That minimum spec is a great thing for gamers. This is going to run well on much older hardware. How well is a question for the beta . Given the specs are remarkably similar to Battlefield 1’s recommendations, it is safe to say this will run more like an FPS than an Open World game (like a GTA). In that case, we assume minimum specs are for 1080p30 and recommended specs are for 1080p60. Bungie confirmed the event machines are for 4k60, and the 1080 Ti is essentially the only card that consistently delivers 4k60.
Starting with the CPUs, recommending an old Core i5–2400 with the brand new Ryzen 5 1600X is bizarre but gives growing evidence that Destiny 2 will still very much depend on single-threaded processor performance. This is what’s holding the consoles back, and it looks like it’s holding back AMD’s older, multi-core parts (the FX-edition and APUs). It may scale well to other cores, but there is a minimum threshold the system has to be able to deliver to get to 60 fps.
Our beloved Pentium G4560 gets a shoutout as the minimum spec. That’s a dual core processor with two really beefy threads. In Battlefield 1, it delivers in excess of 60 fps and could potentially do the same in Destiny 2 (even if they are pinning it to a 30 fps target out of caution).
As for the GPUs, this is really standard fare for shooters.A GTX 1060 gets you 1080p60, a GTX 1080 Ti gets you 4k gaming, and a GTX 1050 is fully playable. We assume AMD’s rival parts will slot in well here, with an RX 570 performing admirably at 1080p60 and an RX 560 serving well at 1080p30.
Given these data points, we think Battlefield 1 will be a good substitute right now for how D2 will play; however, with the beta so close, it’s still worth waiting.
What to Look For in the PC Beta
Bungie detailed all the gameplay available during the beta, including a new PvP map. In an effort to prevent cheating, they are also deliberately shutting down 3rd party apps that inject code. Unfortunately, cheating in PC gaming is a time-honored tradition, and many recent releases have suffered from developers doing nothing (yes, DICE, I’m still bitter about the aimbots in Battlefield).
Bungie taking this into account early is praiseworthy but also introduces difficulties. OBS and XSplit won’t work for streaming in full-screen mode, but NVIDIA ShadowPlay and AMD ReLive will.
Without FRAPs or similar tools, gathering framerate data for yourself is difficult if not impossible. We reached out to Bungie for clarification if there will be a console and in-game framerate data, but it is doubtful that would be available in a beta. FCAT analysis should still be viable, but it requires a several thousand dollar rig we don’t have and most gamers aren’t either. I’m not sure how much time bigger media groups will spend analyzing the data, but we will keep an eye out and do our best to integrate into our tools.
August Recommendations Update
The graphics card market remains very expensive, in some cases $100 over MSRP. This is due to the surge in cryptocurrency prices. It is unclear if or when supply will be able to get prices back to the intended retail pricepoints, but for that reason, you would be well-served to wait until closer to the launch of the game in October for prices to stabilize. For our purposes, we’ll list current cost and the MSRP cost.
This is a build based around the minimum spec Destiny provides. As you can see based on its performance in other games, we anticipate framerates above 1080p30. Cost-wise, the consoles both beat it out handily at less than $300 each, so PC remains an expensive way to play Destiny 2.
The G4560 is arguably the best performance per dollar processor on the market, but to get the most out of it, it is worth investing in a B250 motherboard that enables you to step up to 2400 MHz RAM. We could save some money (~$20) there, but the performance boost is really worth it.
Performance Prediction:
1080p 30 fps at High Settings
| Component |
Name |
Amazon |
NewEgg |
MSRP |
| CPU |
Intel Pentium G4560 |
$81 |
$86 |
$64 |
| GPU |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 |
$110 |
$110 |
$110 |
| Memory |
8 GB DDR4 2400 MHz |
$70 |
N/A |
N/A |
| Motherboard |
ASRock B250M-HDV MicroATX |
$86 |
$60 |
$60 |
| Storage |
Western Digital Caviar Green 500GB 7200 rpm |
$27 |
N/A |
$27 |
| Power Supply |
EVGA 430 W1 |
$35 |
$35 |
$30 |
| Chassis |
Xion Performance mATX |
$33 |
$70 |
$33 |
|
Lowest Hardware Cost |
$416 |
|
$394 |
| OS |
Windows 10 Home 64 bit |
$110 |
$100 |
N/A |
| Input |
Cooler Master Devastator II |
$25 |
$20 |
N/A |
|
System Cost |
$536 |
|
$514 |
If you take a jump from the 1050 to 1050 Ti, you’re within range of 60 fps. Yes, our own predictor says you’re going to be just under 60 fps, but that’s measured at an Ultra settings. By dialing back to Medium or maybe even High, you could expect a 60 fps average.
Meanwhile, we left the CPU as their minimum spec. It seems weird that the minimum CPU would be able to do 60 fps, but given that the G4560 put up 100+ fps in Battlefield 1, we would be shocked if it were the bottleneck here.
| Component |
Name |
Amazon |
NewEgg |
MSRP |
| CPU |
Intel Pentium G4560 |
$81 |
$86 |
$64 |
| GPU |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti |
$149 |
$155 |
$140 |
| Memory |
8 GB DDR4 2400 MHz |
$70 |
N/A |
N/A |
| Motherboard |
ASRock B250M-HDV MicroATX |
$86 |
$60 |
$60 |
| Storage |
Western Digital Caviar Green 500GB 7200 rpm |
$27 |
N/A |
$27 |
| Power Supply |
EVGA 430 W1 |
$35 |
$35 |
$30 |
| Chassis |
Xion Performance mATX |
$33 |
$70 |
$33 |
|
Lowest Hardware Cost |
$455 |
|
$424 |
| OS |
Windows 10 Home 64 bit |
$110 |
$100 |
N/A |
| Input |
Cooler Master Devastator II |
$25 |
$20 |
N/A |
|
System Cost |
$575 |
|
$544 |
| Platform |
Price |
| Xbox One X |
$543 |
| Build MSRP |
$658 |
| Current Build Price |
$729 |
Again, Microsoft is really delivering a lot of horsepower with the Xbox One . This build delivers similar performance but at $100 markup. We first detailed this build last month, following the announcement of the Xbox One X. We have changed the AMD Radeon RX 580 for a GTX 1060. The RX 580 supply is gone thanks to cryptocurrencies, and the GTX 1060 performs admirably in its place. Expect framerates above 30 fps at 4K.
Performance Prediction:
2160p (4k) 30 fps at Ultra Settings
| Component |
Name |
Amazon |
NewEgg |
MSRP |
| CPU |
Intel Pentium G4560 |
$81 |
$86 |
$64 |
| GPU |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 |
$280 |
$289 |
$225 |
| Memory |
8 GB DDR4 2400 MHz |
$72 |
N/A |
N/A |
| Motherboard |
ASRock B250M-HDV MicroATX |
$86 |
$60 |
$60 |
| Storage |
Western Digital Caviar Green 500GB 7200 rpm |
$27 |
N/A |
$27 |
| Power Supply |
EVGA 600 B1 |
$56 |
$69 |
N/A |
| Chassis |
Xion Performance mATX |
$33 |
$70 |
$33 |
|
Lowest Hardware Cost |
$609 |
|
$537 |
| OS |
Windows 10 Home 64 bit |
$110 |
$100 |
N/A |
| Input |
Cooler Master Devastator II |
$25 |
$20 |
$N/A |
|
System Cost |
$729 |
|
$657 |
Here, we dropped Bungie’s recommended specs into a build. Our performance predictor shows this to be a 1080p60 system, which would make sense for the developer’s “recommended” setting.
We actually don’t recommend this system, as the Core i5–7400 has been overshadowed by AMD’s offerings, but we wanted to show what Bungie's exact specs look like.
The GTX 1060 is still selling above its nominal price at $260 compared to MSRP of $225, but it’s still a far better deal at the moment than any RX 480 or 580. We also upgraded from the 500 GB HDD to an 500 GB SSD.
Performance Prediction:
1080p 60 fps at High/Ultra settings
| Component |
Name |
Amazon |
NewEgg |
MSRP |
| CPU |
Intel Core i5-7400 |
$185 |
$190 |
$185 |
| GPU |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 |
$280 |
$289 |
$225 |
| Memory |
8 GB DDR4 2400 MHz |
$72 |
N/A |
N/A |
| Motherboard |
ASRock B250M-HDV MicroATX |
$86 |
$60 |
$60 |
| Storage |
500 GB 2.5" SSD |
$150 |
$150 |
$150 |
| Power Supply |
Corsair CX Series 450 W 80+ Bronze |
$59 |
$60 |
$60 |
| Chassis |
Fractal Design Core 1000 USB 3.0 |
$49 |
$46 |
$46 |
|
Lowest Hardware Cost |
$852 |
|
$798 |
| OS |
Windows 10 Home 64 bit |
$110 |
$100 |
N/A |
| Input |
Cooler Master Devastator II |
$25 |
$20 |
N/A |
|
System Cost |
$972 |
|
$918 |
If Bungie’s recommending a Core i5–7400, the Ryzen 5 1500X outperforms it at the same price, and it can be overclocked to provide even more performance. We juiced the memory here up to 3000 MHz, driving framerates further up, and we moved to a slightly better designed chassis. This is what we recommend to our friends looking to get into Destiny 2.
Performance Prediction:
1080p 60 fps at High/Ultra Settings
| Component |
Name |
Amazon |
NewEgg |
Fair Price |
| CPU |
AMD Ryzen 5 1500X |
$189 |
$190 |
$190 |
| GPU |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 |
$280 |
$289 |
$225 |
| Memory |
8 GB DDR4 3000 MHz |
$84 |
N/A |
N/A |
| Motherboard |
ASRock B250M-HDV MicroATX |
$86 |
$60 |
$60 |
| Storage |
500 GB 2.5" SSD |
$150 |
$150 |
$150 |
| Power Supply |
EVGA 600 B1 Power Supply |
$56 |
$45 |
$45 |
| Chassis |
Corsair Carbide Series 200R Mid Tower Case |
$63 |
$70 |
$55 |
|
Lowest Hardware Cost |
$871 |
|
$809 |
| OS |
Windows 10 Home 64 bit |
$110 |
$100 |
N/A |
| Input |
Cooler Master Devastator II |
$25 |
$20 |
N/A |
|
System Cost |
$991 |
|
$929 |
144 fps has been championed by eSports competitors and shooter fans, as every frame counts. This is decidedly the high end, where gamers willing to invest more get picky about increased resolutions and/or framerates. 144 fps is the smoothest framerate available on most AAA games, and this build is intended to deliver it consistently. This is top of the line, and we only recently changed out the 1070 for a 1080 that’s available at $499 ahead of the launch of Vega 64 (AMD’s recently announced but unreleased graphics card lineup). The Core i7–7700K is necessary to get the framerate cap above 144.
Note this is the rare case where these parts are selling below MSRP! Definitely a good value.
We added a 144 Hz G-Sync monitor to the configurator for the type of monitor you’d need that isn’t included in the price listed here, as well as a Corsair H110i for a cooling solution as the Core i7–7700K does not come with one in the box.
Performance Prediction:
1080p 144 fps at Ultra settings
| Component |
Name |
Amazon |
NewEgg |
MSRP |
| CPU |
Intel Core i7-7700K |
$309 |
$340 |
$340 |
| Thermal Solution |
Corsair Hydro Series H100i v2 |
$110 |
$99 |
$101 |
| GPU |
NVIDIA GTX 1080 |
$500 |
$540 |
$540 |
| Memory |
Corsair Vengeance LPX 8GB (2x4GB) DDR4 3000MHz |
$84 |
$84 |
$84 |
| Motherboard |
GIGABYTE GA-Z270M-D3H |
$120 |
$122 |
$120 |
| Storage |
Western Digital Blue 500 GB 2.5" SATA SSD |
$150 |
$150 |
$150 |
| Power Supply |
EVGA 600 B1 Power Supply |
$47 |
$50 |
$47 |
| Chassis |
NZXT S340 Mid Tower Computer Case |
$70 |
$86 |
$60 |
|
Lowest Hardware Cost |
$1,390 |
|
$1,442 |
| OS |
Windows 10 Home 64 bit |
$110 |
$100 |
N/A |
| Input |
Cooler Master Devastator II |
$25 |
$20 |
N/A |
|
System Cost |
$1,510 |
|
$1,562 |
This is effectively unchanged from our previous recommendation. 1440p60 is a definitive step above 1080p, but the cost starts to rise quickly. Regardless, the 1500X and GTX 1070 are a great combo for powering 1440p. We’d recommend this for both traditional widescreen gaming as well as ultra-wide gaming, though stepping up to a GTX 1080 would likely provide a more consistent 60 fps.
Important Note: AMD announced a new line of high-end graphics cards, dubbed Vega, targeted at this segment launching August 14. The initial reports have been underwhelming, and they’re expected to see high-demand from cryptocurrency miners. However, we still advise patience and seeing those parts in action before making a huge investment here.
Performance Prediction:
1440p 90 fps at Ultra settings
| Component |
Name |
Amazon |
NewEgg |
MSRP |
| CPU |
AMD Ryzen 5 1500X |
$189 |
$190 |
$190 |
| GPU |
NVIDIA GTX 1070 |
$416 |
$450 |
$410 |
| Memory |
Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 3000MHz |
$148 |
$160 |
$127 |
| Motherboard |
ASRock AB350M Pro4 Micro ATX |
$107 |
$136 |
$110 |
| Storage |
Western Digital Blue 500 GB 2.5" SATA SSD |
$150 |
$150 |
$150 |
| Power Supply |
EVGA 600 B1 Power Supply |
$47 |
$50 |
$47 |
| Chassis |
NZXT S340 Mid Tower Computer Case |
$70 |
$86 |
$60 |
|
Lowest Hardware Cost |
$1,127 |
|
$1,094 |
| OS |
Windows 10 Home 64 bit |
$110 |
$100 |
N/A |
| Input |
Cooler Master Devastator II |
$25 |
$20 |
N/A |
|
System Cost |
$1,247 |
|
$1,214 |
This rig uses Bungie’s specs from their rigs that ran Destiny 2 at 4k at all of their events. The core elements are an Intel Core i7–7700K and a GTX 1080 Ti. From a platform view, you’re spending a minimum of $1,379 for the base components (CPU, GPU, memory, RAM). We kitted this one out with more memory, a higher-end motherboard, and a water cooled thermal solution to maximize performance.
Included in the configurator but not the price listed is an LG 2160p monitor that’s under $300. 4K panels are getting very affordable, but the hardware to power them is still very high end.
Performance Prediction:
2160p 100 fps at Ultra settings
| Component |
Name |
Amazon |
NewEgg |
Fair Price |
| CPU |
Intel Core i7-7700K |
$309 |
$340 |
$340 |
| Thermal Solution |
Corsair Hydro Series H100i v2 |
$110 |
$99 |
$101 |
| GPU |
NVIDIA GTX 1080 Ti |
$709 |
$720 |
$720 |
| Memory |
Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 3000MHz |
$148 |
$160 |
$127 |
| Motherboard |
MSI Z270 Gaming Pro Carbon |
$165 |
$165 |
$165 |
| Storage |
Western Digital Blue 500 GB 2.5" SATA SSD |
$150 |
$150 |
$150 |
| Power Supply |
EVGA SuperNOVA 650 G2 |
$90 |
$105 |
$88 |
| Chassis |
NZXT H440 Mid Tower Computer Case |
$126 |
$110 |
$110 |
|
Lowest Hardware Cost |
$1,780 |
|
$1,801 |
| OS |
Windows 10 Home 64 bit |
$93 |
$100 |
$93 |
| Input |
Cooler Master Devastator II |
$25 |
$25 |
$25 |
|
System Cost |
$1,900 |
|
$1,921 |
Monitor Recommendations
We were asked for a few monitor recommendations. I will list our recommendations by resolution as well as FreeSync and G-SYNC model. I use a G-SYNC monitor and think it makes a huge difference if you have the budget.
1080p
| Price |
Name |
Size |
Max Refresh Rate |
Adaptive Refresh |
| $142 |
Asus VS238H-P |
23" |
60 |
None |
| $166 |
Asus VG245H |
24" |
75 |
FreeSync |
| $234 |
Asus VG248QE |
24" |
144 |
None |
| $399 |
Acer XB241H |
24" |
144 |
G-SYNC |
1440p
| Price |
Name |
Size |
Max Refresh Rate |
Adaptive Refresh |
| $380 |
Asus PB278Q |
27" |
60 |
None |
| $600 |
Asus MG279Q |
27" |
144 |
FreeSync |
| $630 |
Asus PG278QR |
27" |
165 |
G-SYNC |
| $405 |
Dell Gaming S2417DG |
24" |
165 |
G-SYNC |
2160p (4K)
| Price |
Name |
Size |
Max Refresh Rate |
Adaptive Refresh |
| $297 |
LG 24UD58-B |
24" |
60 |
FreeSync |
| $400 |
Asus PB287Q |
28" |
60 |
None |
| $880 |
Asus ROG Swift PG27AQ |
27" |
60 |
G-SYNC |
Wrapping Up
Again, we wanted to provide a snapshot of value. As a reminder, we do this by assuming every system is just a black box spitting out pixels. For a system to spit out 1080p60, it would have to deliver 1920 * 1080 * 60 pixels/second. The result of that is our y-axis, which we plot against price on the x-axis. Note that we took out display costs so it’s a pure look at hardware, and we are using our own performance predictions for what the average would be for the “consistent 60 fps” builds. I also guessed that the PS4 Pro would run at 2560144030, but we don’t have evidence one way or another yet.
We see the real value of the Xbox One X as a 4k30 machine versus what a native 4k60 machine costs, and the generally linear scaling of price and performance. Also take note that the Bungie recommended spec comes in ahead of even the Xbox One X — they’re aiming high on PC apparently.
Happy beta Guardians!
As per usual, I'm happy to answer any questions. Special thanks to u/etski for giving me some feedback on this. I'd also invite you to hit me up on Twitter or Facebook if that's more convenient. Most posts are either updates to our tool or some new analysis, but we're always down to just talk tech.
Submitted by AmdahlCube | #Specialdealer
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