As we say, 2021 and 2022 have been continuous years in which we have seen major advances in what hardware is necessary to play video games. Yes, there is an element that has come this year, the raytracing, which can make a difference when choosing hardware since it is impossible for the ”old” GPUs to play games with raytracing.
By old, we refer to GTX Pascal graphics, such as the GTX 1080 or GTX 1080 Ti, that, until now, were the best to play. The raytracing changes the rules of the game since it is a technique that consumes a lot of resources but that gives great visual results.
At the moment, there are very few raytracing exponents, and they do not work quite well, but it seems that it will be necessary to have a GPU capable of executing this technology in order to play in the best possible way in 2022. The DDR5 RAM and GDDR6 are here; HDR monitors arrive with high resolutions and, most importantly, the PCIe 4.0 standard. In this gaming guide, we’ll discuss what your PC needs to run high-performance games in 2022.
Gaming Guide: What is expected for 2022
Now, given this, what do we expect for PC in 2022? We refer to GPU and CPU rather than RAM, which is no longer “so necessary” to play. It is clear that in 2022 we will see new graphics cards and processors, but should we ”fear” the power of these components and that what we buy now is outdated?
If we attend to the rumors, leaks, and logical data, AMD will show its Ryzen 3000, some processors that are expected to increase the frequencies while being more efficient and with better turbos than the current Ryzen 2000. For its part, Intel will also launch new processors of the ninth generation.
The processors have been parked these last generations and, except for some games, are not so important to play in a solvent way. Yes, they still have their importance, but we can continue playing with an Intel from a few generations ago in ultra and without suffering too much. The reason is that the games are programmed for consoles and later, they are scaled to the PC (except titles that are exclusive for PC, of course).
Not only is the console processor not as powerful as a PC from several generations ago, but the processors of the new generations of PCs are expected to be based on the first or second-generation Ryzen.
If we talk about Intel, the 9th Gen Intel chips came out in 2018-2019, 10th Gen in 2019-2020, and 11th Gen in 2020-2021. Intel officially announced 12th Gen Intel Core CPUs on October 27, 2021. Intel officially announced 12th Gen Intel Core mobile CPUs and non-K series desktop CPUs on January 4, 2022. These latest versions of processors are insanely faster than what we saw in the previous generations of processors.
The delicate thing is on the roof of the GPU. And, PS4 and Xbox One have shown that, without a next-generation GPU, mid-low range in the year of release, have ”required” computers have higher hardware. This is so due to the amount of memory of the consoles, and much is dedicated to the GPU since the optimization was for them.
Now consoles such as Xbox One X and PS4 Pro have the most powerful GPUs and the new generation of systems that knock on doors. We will need good graphics to move the games with ease. We still do not talk about an RTX 2080 Ti, something that we only need if we want to play at a maximum of 4K, with raytracing, and with a high fps rate.
That said, and in summary, we will need the PC to play in good condition throughout 2022. And for a few more years, is not too far from what we would need now, since we still have one year of generation of consoles, at least, and games have evolved into services, so if you just want to play Fortnite or Overwatch, you will not have to spend a lot of money. Of course, if you want to enjoy titles like Anthem, things will change.
PC with just enough to play in 2022
We started with what a PC will need to play in 2022 in a solvent way with a recommendation that could well be worth it today. And, we are going to identify three profiles of players. Assuming that you already have a console and this is the first PC that you are going to buy, or that you have a PC, but it is so old that it can not even with Portal (by the way, we remind you of the 10 best games for an old PC), let’s go with the base components that you will need for a PC in 2022.
Let’s start with the easy, RAM. With 4 GB, unfortunately, we are not going anywhere, this year or next. We should start with 8 GB. This should be the minimum RAM of any PC to play and, in fact, even a high-end with 8 GB of RAM would have no problems with the most demanding games. Although now we will get into that topic.
A basic PC in 2022 should have 8 GB of RAM, but what about the processor? Yes, we could continue to recommend a Core 2 Duo, which is what some current games ask for the minimum, but if we want to play at 1080py with a good rate of frames and assets, we need something more.
There are certain models of i3 that have been famous in the past, as well as some Pentium G, for their good performance in games, but to ensure a minimum quality and durability, we would opt for one of the eighth generation i3. The Intel Core i3-8350K is a stealing processor.
It has four cores and operates at a frequency of 4 GHz, which can scratch some extra thanks to its ability to overclock. Of the processors, ”basic” is the best that we can find below 200 euros, and will not remain ”small” for a long time.
Now, we have reached a delicate point. What’s wrong with the GPU? The gamers change GPU more often than CPU because it is the piece that was obsolete before. In 2022, however, a very good PC to run any type of game can continue to carry a graph, such as a GTX 1060 6 GB or AMX RX 580. They are graphics that to play at 1.080py and 1.440p go great, with a good frame rate and good quality graphical parameters.
If you have thought of doing it with a basic PC, these two graphics will allow you, at the resolutions discussed, to play all the games of previous years in the best conditions, in addition to enjoying new titles, such as Devil May Cry 5, Anthem or Resident Evil 2. On the other hand, in addition to the games to come, if you jump to the PC you may want to play titles that are already available.
For example, the strategy is a genre that is owned by the PC and there are huge exponents, such as StarCraft II, which are made exclusively for these systems. There are also games, such as Overwatch or Fortnite, that although they are present in consoles are played differently on PC. And that’s not to mention the vast independent universe or games like League of Legends.
A computer with 8 GB of RAM, an i3-8350K, and a GTX 1060 or RX 580, can make you have plenty to enjoy for a long time at 1080p with good image quality and frames per second. We speak not of a team to go to the minimum, but of one that lasts a few years without problems.
One of the games that will mark the first bars of this year will be Devil May Cry 5, and we must take as an example the requirements of the Capcom game to see what we can expect next year. And is that not only is it a spectacular game, but one that must go to 60 frames per second and has a quality of textures and other graphics parameters that removes hiccups.
Capcom tells us that those recommended with a fourth-generation Intel Core i7, 8 GB of RAM, and a GTX 960. As we know, we should not pay too much attention to companies in this sense, since then, the requirements are somewhat higher than expected, and we should “inflate” something in the GPU section. For example, The GTX 960 is great graphics, but if you’re going to start getting into the world of the PC in 2022, it does not make any sense that you go with a GPU of those characteristics.
But if you want to go from the 1080p with everything in high/ultra, you should look at a GTX 1070. A few months ago, we would not have aimed so high, but the price of the GTX 1070 has dropped this last period drastically, placing well below 400 euros in many cases, and, really, it is a graph that will give you many joys in 2K resolution and, in addition, with all the parameters in high/ultra and a good rate of frames per second.
If you play with the different graphics parameters, you can get to play 4K, something that is not to be considered due to the price of compatible monitors. Now, if you go for a GTX 1070, it does not make much sense to opt for an i3, and here his thing would be to get an eighth-generation i5 with six cores. For example, the Intel Core i5-8600K is a six-core processor with a frequency of 3.6 GHz that can increase up to 4.30 GHz with Turbo Boost. It is a very capable processor for all kinds of tasks, and one of the best in order to build a gaming PC in 2022 if you do not want to go in the budget, of course.
And, if we start to dream about what a PC needs in 2022, we must go to what will be the most cutting-edge games of the year, at least of the known ones. We have already talked about raytracing, and if you want to make a PC that can with everything from here to a few generations, you have to ask yourself a question: are you going to need raytracing or not? This is crucial since a GTX 1080 Ti is still a great graphics card that can give you many joys during the next few years at a 4K resolution. However, if the raytracing catches your attention, you are bound to go for a card of the new batch of Nvidia.
Two of the most poignant games next year will be Anthem and Cyberpunk 2077, and it is not yet known if these two titles will have raytracing. For now, what we know is that CD Projekt RED (creators of Cyberpunk 2077) used a PC with an i7-8700K and a GTX 1080 Ti, as well as 32 GB of RAM, to move the game demo. These requirements are extremely high and, surely, when the game goes on sale does not ask for 32 GB of RAM to go to the maximum, neither a GTX 1080 Ti nor the last generation i7, but they are indicative of what we can expect in the next generation to run the games with a decent level of detail.
If you are going to build a gaming PC right now, the combination of: (although 16 GB of RAM is better than 32 GB) will give you a lot of games for a few years, but if you have the money, you can go for the RTX 2080 or 2080. With this, you can rest assured to play generations of games without the need to change components, but the initial outlay is tremendous, both for the GPU and for the more than that of the processor. If you want to make that disbursement now, you will have no problem, but maybe it’s worth waiting for the AMD Ryzen 3000 that will be shown in a few months, and that may be processors that will accompany you for years.
As you can see, the most complicated thing is to see what a PC needs in 2022 to play the most advanced games with everything activated, including raytracing. And the technology is not polished yet, and it is necessary that the developers apply it in a massive way to allow this rendering. Therefore, if you want to set up a PC today to play all the games that are coming, the smartest thing is to opt for a GTX 1080. Oh! Of course, it goes without saying that an SSD is fundamental for making your PC in 2022 even faster.
