CD Projekt Red’s Cyberpunk 2077 could be the Crysis of the early 2020s, demanding more from PCs than ever before. It looks stunning for it, but if you want to play it at its best, you better have a powerful PC to run it.
Fortunately, Cyberpunk 2077 is equipped with incredibly deep graphical options, letting you customize your neon-noir future to look as good as your hardware will allow. That means that even mid-range PCs can make it look decent enough – certainly better than the last-generation console versions.
If you’re not sure if your system is up to the task, or want to know just how good you can make Cyberpunk 2077 look if you upgrade, here’s a look at what PC specs are needed to run Cyberpunk 2077 at all detail settings and resolutions.
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The Bare Minimum
If your PC is showing its age, or you’re deciding what to buy to make sure you can boot the game without worrying about ray tracing or 4K resolution, then the minimum requirements are what you want to target.
For 1080p resolution, all settings on low, and ray tracing disabled, you’ll need to meet the following:
- CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K, AMD FX-8310 or better
- RAM: 8GB
- Graphics: Nvidia GTX 780, AMD Radeon RX 470 or better
- VRAM: 3GB
- Storage: 70GB
This will give you between 30 and 40 FPS on average in most areas of the game. It won’t look like the next-generation graphical powerhouse that Cyberpunk 2077 is, but it’ll still look pretty good.
And perhaps more importantly at this hardware level, it’ll be a mostly smooth gameplay experience. If you’re going to put up with a game not looking its best, it needs to at least run smoothly and be stutter-free. By matching these specifications, you’ll be able to play the game just fine.
If you don’t mind lowering the resolution again to 720p, you might be able to get away with a slightly weaker GPU. The same rings true if you set the dynamic resolution setting to dip as low as 70%, but ultimately you will still need a dedicated GPU.
Cyberpunk 2077 barely scrapes past 20 FPS on recent generation integrated graphics, and though Intel’s Tiger Lake CPUs with Xe graphics show some promise, at the time of writing the game won’t even launch on those chips without a dedicated graphics card to back them up.
The required install size is 70GB whether you’re playing the game at minimum specs or the very highest, but it’s important to note that this is the only tier where you can get away with using a hard drive or SSD without a DRAM cache. Anything above the absolute minimum demands an SSD for a smooth experience.
The 1080p Sweet Spot
If you have a 1080p display then being able to turn up all the settings to high and still enjoy decent frame rates is a good target to aim for. It’ll provide a smooth, and gorgeous Cyberpunk 2077 experience while working within the confines of most of your existing hardware.
To hit this kind of resolution and detail demands, you’ll need a much more modern GPU and more RAM, but your CPU doesn’t have to be anything crazy powerful.
- CPU: Intel Core i7-4790, AMD Ryzen 3 3200G or better.
- RAM: 12GB
- Graphics: Nvidia GTX 1060 6GB, 1660 Super, or AMD Radeon RX 590.
- VRAM: 6GB
- Storage: 70 GB SSD
The above specifications will give you a great-looking game at between 30 and 40 FPS in all but the most demanding areas of Night City. You still won’t be able to turn ray tracing on, but CD Projekt Red did a great job of making its baked lighting look excellent.
Considering how overzealous Cyberpunk’s ray tracing can be in some areas (like exiting darkened tunnels) this may be the best way to experience the game if you can’t hit the very highest specs.
One of the best bits of these recommended specifications for 1080p gaming is that since the demands are met by relatively old hardware, you can meet them with a very affordable new gaming PC.
If you’ve been looking to upgrade from a PC that falls behind these demands, a new gaming PC like the Chillblast Fusion Reaver is an awesome buy.
For under £1,000 it absolutely blows everything these specs demand out of the water.
It takes the GPU forward 2 entire generations, housing an RTX 3050 which will easily let you play at 1080p with settings on high.
With 16GB of high-speed memory, an Intel Core i3-12100F (with higher clocks and 50% more cores than the recommended CPUs) and 500GB of SSD space, it is all the machine you need to play Cyberpunk 2077 at 1080p with everything maxed out.
1440p and Ultra Graphics
There’s nothing quite like absolutely maxing out the settings in a new AAA game. If you want to switch Cyberpunk’s general settings to Ultra and not think any further about it, you’ll need a reasonably powerful PC.
You’ll be able to game with everything but ray tracing maxed out and at 1440p resolution with a PC that doesn’t break the bank.
- CPU: Intel Core i7-4790, AMD Ryzen 3 3200G or better
- RAM: 12GB
- Graphics: Nvidia RTX 2060, AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT or better
- VRAM: 6GB
- Storage: 70GB SSD
The only caveat with this setup is that it will keep you around 30-40 FPS in most areas. For those who like a smoother gaming experience, it might be worth tinkering with the settings to get higher FPS, or pushing for a slightly more capable graphics card.
As RTX 2000-series GPUs are hard to come by now, your best bet is to instead opt for a much more powerful new-generation graphics card like the RTX 3060 Ti. Although those aren’t easy to find at fair prices either, Chillblast has excellent stock levels of custom gaming PCs that use this most exciting of next-generation GPU.
The Chillblast Akula Gaming PC is an absolute steal at this performance level. It comes with an AMD Ryzen 5 5600X and an RTX 3060 Ti, which will give you excellent frame rates at 1440p with everything maxed out.
Better yet, you could even flirt with some of the entry level ray tracing options, especially if you take advantage of Nvidia’s DLSS settings to help reduce GPU overhead.
4K and Everything But Ray Tracing
If you’re not fussed about ray tracing and the huge performance impact it can have on your game of Cyberpunk (even if it is pretty) then you could aim for 4K gaming instead. You’ll still need to meet some quite stringent specifications, though.
If you’re used to gaming at 1080p, this kind of experience is night and day and can turn the game from a pretty one into the closest to lifelike gaming we’ve seen yet.
- CPU: Intel Core i7-4790, AMD Ryzen 5 3600 or better
- RAM: 16GB
- Graphics: Nvidia RTX 2080 Super or RTX 3070, AMD Radeon RX 6800 or better
- VRAM: 8GB
- Storage: 70GB SSD
You’ll still only be getting around 40 FPS with this kind of setup with standard Ultra settings, as Cyberpunk at 4K is an incredibly demanding experience. But if you don’t mind making very slight visual sacrifices, enabling DLSS in quality mode will net you a few extra frames which can make for a smoother experience.
Achieving more will require a more powerful GPU, even though there is plenty of headroom to upgrade your CPU with a system like this.
A more powerful chip like the Intel Core i5-12600K found in the Chillblast Chronos Gaming PC, would bring its own slight performance benefits, but it’s mostly the powerful RTX 3070 GPU that would be driving this 4K Cyberpunk experience.
If you’re not a DLSS fan and don’t mind waiting a little longer for it to arrive, a custom Chillblast gaming PC with an AMD Radeon RX 6800 would be even more capable.
The Ultimate 1080p Experience
If you have a powerful enough PC to run Cyberpunk 2077 at High settings and have an Nvidia RTX graphics card, then you do have another option for how to play.
These specs are almost the same as those for entry-level Cyberpunk 2077 ray tracing, so if you’re happy to drop your resolution to 1080p, you can make Night City light up with truly realistic real-time lighting.
- CPU: Intel Core i7-4790, AMD Ryzen 3 3200G or better
- RAM: 16GB
- Graphics: Nvidia RTX 2060 or better
- VRAM: 6GB
- Storage: 70GB SSD
The only difference between this and the 1440p Ultra tier is that it demands 16GB of RAM. If you have that though, then you’re in luck.
Set your resolution to 1080p and you can enable medium ray tracing as well as maxing out most settings. There might be a few you want to tweak to get the smoothest frame rate, but ultimately, an RTX 2060 is all you need to get a taste of Cyberpunk 2077 with ray tracing enabled.
Ray Tracing, 1440p and the Kitchen Sink
If details and ray tracing are what’s important to you, you can take your 4K-ready gaming PC and make Cyberpunk the most gorgeous-looking 1440p experience possible. At this level of hardware, you can run the game absolutely maxed out, including ray tracing, making the game look absolutely stunning.
- CPU: Intel Core i7-6700, AMD Ryzen 5 3600 or better
- RAM: 16GB
- Graphics: Nvidia RTX 3070 or better
- VRAM: 8GB
- Storage: 70GB SSD
The only difference between this system and the one rated for Cyberpunk 4K gameplay is that it has a more powerful processor. Fortunately, all Chillblast RTX 3070 gaming PCs feature high-powered, modern processors that easily outstrip the demands of these Intel sixth generation and AMD third-generation CPUs.
The Chillblast Quasar Gaming PC offers the best value, with a 14-core, Intel Core i5-13600K and the super-powered Nvidia RTX 3070 GPU inside its sleek, understated chassis.
4K Ultra Ray Tracing
If you want to leave no stone unturned when it comes to beautifying your Cyberpunk 2077 gaming experience, then you’ll need something quite special. Running the game at 4K resolution with all settings at ultra and ray tracing maxed out places an extreme demand on your gaming PC.
It’s the kind of experience that had gamers of 2007 asking “But can it run Crysis?”
- CPU: Intel Core i7-6700, AMD Ryzen 5 3600 or better
- RAM: 16GB
- Graphics: Nvidia RTX 3080 or better
- VRAM: 10GBGB
- Storage: 70GB SSD
Since the RTX 3080 eclipsed everything in any graphics generation that went before it, you really do need cutting edge hardware to make the dream of a 4K, ray-traced Cyberpunk game a reality. That said, you don’t need to have the fastest processor that money can buy, even if it does help a little.
The hardware specifications that CD Projekt Red recommend will net you a somewhat playable frame rate with these kinds of settings, but if you want something more comfortable, DLSS is a must. It can provide a huge boost, and depending on your acceptance of its unique visual artefacts, you can enjoy 40+ FPS in most areas of the game.
Chillblast PCs help push the envelope further with more powerful processors – that also helps with more CPU-bound games, like Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020) when you’re finished with Cyberpunk.
The official Williams Esports Ultimate PC is the most affordable RTX 3080 powered PC we offer at the time of writing, and it comes with a much more impressive Intel Core i7 12700K at its core.
Want Even More? There Are Things You Can Do
If you’re still not satisfied with playing Cyberpunk at the absolute highest settings possible, there are still some things you can do to improve your experience further. The newest generation of Nvidia GPUs are here with the RTX 4080 and 4090. And, with DLSS, it does make it possible to just about play the game at 8K on the 4080, though it’s not recommendable.
What it can do, is increase frame rates dramatically at 4K, especially when using DLSS. If you want a smooth 4K 60 FPS experience in Cyberpunk 2077, it’s the best card for the job.
You can find it in the Chillblast Sybaris Gaming PC, paired with an Intel Core i7-13700K CPU, for the ultimate modern-day gaming system.
Even if you don’t want to buy a top-tier gaming PC, there are other ways you can improve your system performance for better settings or frame rates in Cyberpunk. Overclocking is one area where you can gain a little edge, and Chillblast offers it as an optional extra (for free) with all of our gaming PCs. It doesn’t even invalidate your warranty.
If you want to have a stab at improving in-game performance yourself, you can look at the various setting tweak guides out there. Many of them can go a long way to boosting your frame rates without having a major impact on the look and feel of the game.
