Building a Gaming PC for Indie Game Development 

The Motherboard: ASRock Z890 Pro RS WiFi ATX Motherboard

The ASRock Z890 Pro RS WiFi ATX Motherboard is the perfect foundation for your indie game dev PC. Featuring an LGA 1851 socket, it is compatible with the latest Intel Core Ultra CPUs and has support for DDR5 RAM up to 8666MHz, PCIe 5.0, and Thunderbolt 4, for all the high-speed connections and data transfer you need. As an ATX motherboard, there are plenty of ports for storage and RAM, so you can upgrade or expand these solutions as needed. 

The CPU: Intel Core Ultra 5 245K CPU

The Unreal Engine 5 specs call for a quad core 2.5GHz CPU, and the Intel Core Ultra 5 245K more than qualifies, with fourteen cores (6P + 8E), fourteen threads, and a base clock speed of 4.6GHz. The hybrid core architecture is intelligently managed by Intel Thread Director, ensuring the best core is always on the job. What’s more, this processor has a dedicated NPU which is designed to handle AI workloads, taking the strain off your CPU and GPU.  

Graphics: ASUS GeForce RTX 4070 Super Dual EVO OC 12GB GDDR6X GPU

Once again, we have gone a little higher than the recommended 8GB VRAM graphics card, with the ASUS GeForce RTX 4070 Super Dual EVO OC GPU. This sports 12GB GDDR6X video memory, paired with all the innovations that came with Ada Lovelace architecture. As such, the RTX 4070 is more than capable of building your indie game (and playing the latest AAAs when you need some down time!). 

Memory: TeamGroup Xtreem 32GB DDR5 7600MHz Dual-Channel RAM

For complex processes, you need high-capacity RAM to keep operations efficient, latency low, and everything running smoothly. We’ve opted for the recommended 32GB in a dual-channel configuration here, but there is nothing stopping you from going for 64GB or even higher and potentially even in quad-channel – the ASRock motherboard supports that. This TeamGroup Xtreem 32GB RAM kit utilises the DDR5 memory standard, for improved bandwidth and performance, at frequencies up to 76000MHz. 

Storage: Samsung 990 Evo 1TB M.2 NVMe SSD

The Samsung 990 Evo SSD provides both ample storage and low latency. The 1TB capacity will be more than enough for your applications, files, and even a few cheeky games (for inspiration, naturally). Plus, with read and write speeds of 5000MB/s and 4200MB/s, respectively, your creative process won’t be hampered by slow loading screens and long data transfer times. Keep the productivity going! 

The PSU: Seasonic Focus GX-850 ATX 3.1 80 PLUS Gold Modular PSU

Making sure your PC is properly powered is imperative. You need to ensure you have the right wattage and that you’re using a power supply with a high-efficiency rating. 80 PLUS Gold is the efficiency rating, providing reliable performance while remaining accessibly priced. As for wattage, you can use a PSU calculator to help work out what you need. I already did the legwork for you, and our calculator recommended a PSU between 700W and 1000W. 

As such, we’ve gone for the Seasonic Focus GX-850 Modular PSU here. The 850W will provide more than enough headroom while the ATX 3.1 standard means this PSU is ready to handle the demands of the RTX 4070 Super. Plus, as it’s modular, you only need to plug in the cables you need, to keep your indie development PC looking sleek and clutter free. 

Cooling: TRYX PANORAMA 280mm AIO and ROTA PRO 140mm PWM Fans

While you and your PC work hard on creating the next viral indie game, you need a cooling system that will keep up. Using the TRYX PANORAMA 280mm AIO (pictured) and a collection of ROTA PRO 140mm PWM fans, you can create a thermal solution that is effective and looks stunning too. Take advantage of adjustable fan and pump speeds, creating high static pressure and efficient heat transfer. The all-white aesthetic goes perfectly with the rest of the hardware, too, but it’s the PANORAMA’s AMOLED screen that cinched this decision for us. This AIO features a first-of-its-kind 3D L-shaped AMOLED display which can be used to display pre-made 3D content or your own unique designs. Perhaps a showcase of your indie game? 

The Case: HAVN HS420 Mid-Tower PC Case

In truth, it was a toss-up between the HAVN HS420 base and VGPU (pictured) editions – and there are no wrong answers here really. Both are optimised for airflow, have extensive support for hardware, and can accommodate all the components we’ve picked out here. It’s just if you wanted that spicy vertical GPU mount or not. So heck it, we’re linking both and if you want a detailed review of this PC case, you can check that out here! 

Whichever one you choose, you’ll have a phenomenal view of the interior thanks to the UniSheet glass. This tempered glass panel has been curved with industry leading techniques, to create minimal distortion for a truly panoramic display. 

BenQ 27″ PD2705Q Design and Productivity Monitor

• 27” IPS monitor optimised for design and productivity 
• 2560 x 1440 resolution with 60Hz refresh rate 
• SRGB 100% and HDR10 
• 1000:1 contrast ratio 
• Adjustable colour temperature 

Ducky One 3 Pro Nazca Line 60% Gaming Keyboard

• 60% mechanical gaming keyboard 
• Genuine Cherry MX2A Red Switches with linear feedback 
• 8000Hz polling rate 
• Quack Mechanics for optimised typing 
• Hot-swapping technology 

Razer Naga V2 HyperSpeed Wireless Gaming Mouse

• MMO gaming mouse with 19 programmable buttons 
• Razer HyperSpeed low latency wireless 
• Tactile cycling and free-spin modes on scroll wheel 
• Up to 250 hour battery life 
• 30K optical sensor