Valorant is currently one of the hottest FPS games online. According to Active Player, the game has an average monthly 15 million players. And this number will grow as the game brings more additional content. When it comes to its PC requirements, its developer, Riot Games, made sure that the game is designed so that many players can play the game even when using a low-specs unit.
What is Valorant?
Valorant is a competitive 5v5 tactical FPS gunplay where gamers choose an agent with unique abilities to defeat opponents. The game was launched on June 2, 2020, for gaming PCs. And by the time it reached its first anniversary, the game had 14 million active monthly players. According to its developer, Riot, the game will also be coming to mobile platforms in the future.
In Valorant, players get into a competitive stage with 13 rounds to attack and defend their side using their chosen agent’s unique gunplay and tactical abilities. Players will have one life per round, so they have to think faster than their opponent if they wish to survive the game. You can choose to play across Valorant’s Competitive and Unranked modes. You can also choose to play quick-match games such as Deathmatch and Spike Rush.
How to Build a Gaming PC for Valorant
Here are tips on how you can build a gaming PC for Valorant:
1 – Check Valorant’s PC requirements.
Before you buy any hardware components for your PC build, you need to search the PC requirements for Valorant first. While you can run Valorant even on a low-spec gaming PC. You definitely would want to spend a little bit of cash on the hardware if you want to enjoy its gaming experience. Riot Games, its developer, released three system requirements for Valorant: (1) minimum (30 FPS), (2) recommended (60 FPS), and (3) high-end (144+ FPS).
Check the specs below for each system requirement:
Minimum PC Requirements (30 FPS)
- Operating System: Windows 7 64-bit
- CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 or the AMD Athlon 200GE
- GPU: Intel HD 4000 / AMD R5 200
- VRAM: 1 GB
- RAM: 4 GB
- Storage: 20 GB
Recommended PC Requirements (60 FPS)
- Operating System: Windows 10 64-bit
- CPU: Intel Core i3-4150 / AMD Ryzen 3 1200
- GPU: Nvidia GT 730 / AMD R7 240
- VRAM: 1 GB
- RAM: 4 GB
- Storage: 20 GB
High-End PC Requirements (144+ FPS)
- Operating System: Windows 10 64-bit
- CPU: Intel Core i5 – 9400F / AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
- GPU: Nvidia GTX 1050 Ti / AMD R7 370
- VRAM: 1 GB
- RAM: 4 GB
- Storage: 20 GB
When buying a hardware component, following the recommended PC requirements is best. But if possible, go for the high-end specifications.
2 – Use the right CPU for the game.
If you can’t afford the high-end specs, you can settle for an Intel Core 2 Duo E-8400 or AMD Athlon 200GE. However, this isn’t a smart choice if you want to use your PC for other games. So if you can add more budget to your CPU, we definitely recommend that you buy an AMD Ryzen 3 1200, which is around $100 to $110, or an Intel Core i3-4150, which can cost you about $117 to $125.
If you want a high-end CPU and you’re planning to build a PC that you can use for a long time, then opt for the Intel Core i5 – 9400F or AMD Ryzen 5 2600X. The Intel Core i5 – 9400F costs $160, while the AMD Ryzen 5 2600X costs around $280.
3 – Install the recommended graphics card.
Graphics cards play a crucial role in improving the game’s experience. So if you’re going to ask me, I will definitely recommend that you invest in your gaming PC’s GPU. So when building a unit for Valorant, it’s either you go with the Nvidia GT 730 / AMD R7 240 or the Nvidia GTX 1050 Ti / AMD R7 370. While the latter may cost a lot, you can make a significant investment if you have the money to buy it.
However, installing the Nvidia GT 730 / AMD R7 240 will do as well. The Nvidia GT 730 can cost you around $50 to $60. While the AMD R7 240 costs around $95 to $100.
4 – Follow the RAM requirements.
A good gaming PC build has 16GB RAM. While you just need 4GB RAM to run the game, 16GB RAM will ensure that you will not experience any lag during gaming. But if you can afford 24GB RAM for your build, then that’s the best choice. The higher the RAM, the better your gaming PC can run games simultaneously and your background apps/programs.
5 – Use the correct type of hard drive for your PC build.
The game’s latest update requires a 20GB storage of your hard disk space. But similar to other online FPS games, Valorant will release more updates, increasing the hard disk space requirement in the future. Considering this, you might want to use a 1TB SSD or 1TB HDD as your primary storage disk.
Most gamers prefer to build a combination of an SSD and HDD for larger storage space for their games. But if you need to choose between the two, we recommend that you try an SSD to improve the loading process of your unit. However, an HDD is great for storing essential files for a long time. You can also install an SSD for your gaming PC and buy an external HDD for extra storage space.
6 – Choose a compatible motherboard.
Last but most importantly, you need to buy a motherboard compatible with all the hardware components you want for your PC build. Any disparity between your hardware components and your motherboard can cause problems to your gaming PC. So make sure to check with the motherboard manufacturer to know which type of CPU, GPU, and RAM will work best for its design.