Gaming PCs typically have more powerful hardware than regular PCs. This extra power can be helpful for certain tasks such as gaming or video editing but is a gaming PC also good for programming?
Is A Gaming PC Good For Programming?
The resources a PC needs to play demanding games (RAM, CPU, and GPU) are very similar to the resources it needs to be able to run demanding programming software and compile programs, so a good gaming PC will also be a good PC for Programming – and the more higher-end it is, the more demanding the applications and programs you’ll be able to run on it.
The minimum requirements for a PC to be able to play games and for a PC to be able to run programming software like Eclipse, NetBeans, and Visual Studio are practically the same (at least a Core i5, or AMD Ryzen 5 processor and 8GB RAM).
To run Eclipse on your PC – a popular application for compiling C and C++ programs – the minimum you would need is 30GB of free disk space to install the software and at least an Intel Core i5-3570 CPU to run basic programs on Eclipse.
And to install and run Microsoft’s Visual Studio, your PC would need a minimum of 8GB RAM and a Core i5, or AMD Ryzen 5 processor (for non-professional use).
The above specifications are the very minimum requirements and you may find your PC getting bogged down by certain AAA games or demanding programming applications.
If possible, aim for at least an Intel Core i7 or AMD Ryzen 7 processor, with at least 16GB of RAM for running the latest games or demanding software.
As long as you are doing basic programming, the programs you are writing will be primarily executed using your computer’s CPU and RAM memory resources and any good gaming PC will have more than enough resources to handle it.
However, if you’re trying to do more intensive programming like coding and testing locally on a 3D game engine, running multiple virtual machines, or using an SQL database, then even a high-end gaming PC may not be powerful enough.
But if you are a university student and mostly programming in languages like HTML/CSS, JavaScript, PHP, C#, and C++ programs, any mid-range gaming PC should do fine.
You also have to consider how much multitasking you’ll be doing.
It’s unlikely that you’re going to be programming and not have a load of browser tabs open at the same time, audio playing in the background, or an HD Netflix movie playing on one half of your screen as you are compiling code on the other half.
This type of multitasking puts a lot of extra demand on resources and it may be worth considering a gaming PC with higher specs if you’ll be doing a lot of it.
Related Article: Why Gaming PCs Are Good For Office Work
What Gaming PC Specifications Do I Need For Gaming And Programming?
A Gaming PC that will be able to play new AAA titles and take on demanding programming tasks will need at least an Intel 10th or 11th generation or AMD 4th or 5th generation processor.
And for graphics, your PC will need at least an RTX 2070, RTX 2080Ti, RTX 3060, or something comparable, like the RX 6600 or TX 6900.
For memory, you’ll need at least 16GB (32GB if possible), not less than that. And at least 1.5 to 2TB of storage.
if budget isn’t too much of an issue, the CyberPowerPC Infinity X109 Gaming PC is a solid choice.
It’s a great machine for 1440p gaming, packs in loads of power for programming, and comes with an Intel Core i9 processor, an RTX 3070, 16GB DDR4 RAM, and a 500GB WD SN550 plus 2TB Seagate Harddrive.
And if you’re a bit more constrained by budget, the Acer Predator Orion 3000 is about as affordable as decent gaming PCs get.
It comes with an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660, a 10th-gen Intel Core i5, 12GB RAM, and a 512GB SSD for storage.
Other than performance hardware, you’ll also need a large screen for compiling code and multitasking.
You’ll also want a screen that’s easy on the eyes for long hours of coding.
The ASUS Eye Care Monitor or the ViewSonic VX2457-MHDergonomic is good if you have sensitive eyes.
An ergonomic keyboard and mouse will also be important for your wrist and hand health.
It might also be worth looking at a mouse that has a fast scrolling function for quickly scrolling down through long pages of code.
In conclusion, a Gaming PC may not be a bad choice for a programming machine, depending on your budget and what type of software you’ll be working with.
And given that gaming PCs have all the right hardware to play the latest games, they should also have more than enough power to take on most coding tasks.
