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Plasma Gun

[UPDATED] The DOOM System Upgrade Thread

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As we prepare for the May 13 launch of DOOM, some of us will need to upgrade our PCs in order to be able to play the game.

This thread, inspired by another recent thread on these boards, exists for a single purpose: to help users get their PCs ready for DOOM.

If you have any questions about whether your current system will run DOOM, what the best way is to get your system ready for DOOM while spending the minimum amount of money, or help to pick out parts/buy a pre-built system to run DOOM, consider this your thread.

I am ready and willing to help anybody with questions and I hope the other PC savvy folks on these boards help out too.

For reference, here are the DOOM closed Alpha system requirements to help you get started:

Minimum System Requirements

64-bit Windows 7/Windows 8.1
Intel Core i5 @ 3.3 GHz or better / AMD FX-8350 @ 4.0 GHz or better
8 GB RAM
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 (2GB VRAM) / AMD Radeon HD 7870 (2GB VRAM)
6GB HDD space
Steam account
High speed internet connection

Recommended System Requirements

64-bit Windows 7/Windows 8.1
Intel Core i7 @ 3.4GHz or better / AMD FX-8350 @ 4.0GHz or better
8GB RAM
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 (3GB or more VRAM) / AMD Radeon R9 280 (3GB or more VRAM)
6GB HDD space
Steam account
High speed internet connection


UPDATE 5/23

With the game now out, and with many sites having run performance tests, I have decided to update this with a several frequently asked questions.

What is the minimum GPU to buy today to get a good experience with DOOM?"

According to tests from PC Gamer (http://www.pcgamer.com/heres-how-your-graphics-card-performs-in-doom/), a GeForce GTX 950 can run the game at 1920x1080 at Ultra settings at an average of 48.4 frames per second. At "Medium" settings it averages north of 60fps!

So if you are looking for the absolute cheapest modern add-in board for your desktop PC to run DOOM, then I recommend snagging a GeForce GTX 950. If you know that you have a robust power supply (i.e. one with 1x6 pin connector), then you can pick any GTX 950.

However, if you are unsure of the quality of your power supply or know that it's on the weak side (if you have a pre-built, non-gaming oriented PC, it's probably on the weak side), then I recommend snagging a GTX 950 that does not require an additional power connector. Here's one that I found on Newegg:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814126090&cm_re=GTX_950-2G-_-14-126-090-_-Product


What CPU do I need?

As it turns out, Doom runs really well even on relatively weak CPUs. Ask me if you're unsure about your CPU, but if you are looking to buy the bare minimum to play the game, an Intel Celeron G4400 for $65 (here: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819117625&cm_re=intel_pentium_skylake-_-19-117-625-_-Product) should do it.

You'll need to pair this with a motherboard, here's a cheap one that'll work with that CPU ($56): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128873&cm_re=h110-_-13-128-873-_-Product

How much RAM do I need?

Minimum requirement is 8GB and RAM is cheap, so just make sure you have 8GB.

I want to run DOOM maxed out, what graphics card should I have?

GeForce GTX 970 or Radeon R9 390 should be able to "rip and tear" this game to shreds at 1080p 60Hz, Ultra settings assuming a reasonable CPU.

At 2560x1440, I would recommend a GeForce GTX 1070 or, if you're willing to spend the extra cash, the GTX 1080. Both the NVIDIA GTX 980 Ti and Radeon Fury X should also be able to max this game out at 2560x1440 so if you already have one of these, great. If not, don't touch them because the 1070 will be out by June 10, offer about the same performance as both of these, but be much cheaper at around $379 MSRP. Just wait for the 1070 to come out.

AMD also has new stuff coming out, but it's not announced. Once AMD announces I will update this post.

Wait, you didn't answer my question! Jerk!

Just ask me in the thread. I check for new replies frequently :) If a question has broad enough appeal, I will add my answer to this FAQ.

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Well it'll be a hefty download, unless retail copies come with all or most of the data on disk (unlikely), but after that you'll only need the internet connection for MP.

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*looks at specs. sees laptop's own specs. notices laptop will die if it tried playing new doom*

WELL, my laptop has no chance playing it! It has:
-6GB of RAM
-AMD Quad Core, A8-4500M (2.80 GHz)
-AMD Radeon HD 7640G w/512MB Graphics System Memory
-And other shit.

If i had access to alpha, i'll cry in a corner that my PC can't play it for shit.
Seems like its a new PS4 console for me (don't have one. may get it for Doom4).

Honestly what's cheaper? Dropping a $350 on a PS4, or getting a new PC, with probably higher prices?

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Potatoguy said:

*looks at specs. sees laptop's own specs. notices laptop will die if it tried playing new doom*

WELL, my laptop has no chance playing it! It has:
-6GB of RAM
-AMD Quad Core, A8-4500M (2.80 GHz)
-AMD Radeon HD 7640G w/512MB Graphics System Memory
-And other shit.

If i had access to alpha, i'll cry in a corner that my PC can't play it for shit.
Seems like its a new PS4 console for me (don't have one. may get it for Doom4).

Honestly what's cheaper? Dropping a $350 on a PS4, or getting a new PC, with probably higher prices?


If you're cool with the console, it will be the cheaper option. However, if you want to play it on PC, it'll probably run you about $700-$800 to do a from-scratch build (assuming you don't have keyboard, mouse, monitor, or a copy of Windows).

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In order to help people, here is the absolute cheapest system I could come up with that I have confidence will play DOOM well at good settings:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-6100 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor ($130.98 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock H110M-DGS Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($52.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($53.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 960 2GB Superclocked Video Card ($173.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($57.88 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit) ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Asus VX238H 23.0" Monitor ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Keyboard: Rosewill RK-201 Wired Standard Keyboard ($7.99 @ Newegg)
Mouse: Logitech B100 Wired Optical Mouse ($17.69 @ Newegg)
Total: $765.46
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-02-07 01:24 EST-0500

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I think I need to do some upgrading on my PC :( Advice on where my money is best spent would be much appreciated!

CPU: 3,10 gigahertz Intel Core i5-2400
Board: ASRock H67M
RAM: 8GB dual channel DDR3@667MHz
SSD: Intel X25-M 80GB
HDD: 1TB raid-0 (2x Western Digital WD5000AAKS)
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti BOOST (1GB memory)
Optical: Liteon iHOS104 blu-ray
Monitor: DELL U2311H
OS: Windows 10 Pro x64

It's served me pretty well for many years now, but then again, I've never really put it to the test with any heavy, modern games.

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You could certainly use more video ram, otherwise you should be ok!

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Chris Hansen said:

I think I need to do some upgrading on my PC :( Advice on where my money is best spent would be much appreciated!

CPU: 3,10 gigahertz Intel Core i5-2400
Board: ASRock H67M
RAM: 8GB dual channel DDR3@667MHz
SSD: Intel X25-M 80GB
HDD: 1TB raid-0 (2x Western Digital WD5000AAKS)
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti BOOST (1GB memory)
Optical: Liteon iHOS104 blu-ray
Monitor: DELL U2311H
OS: Windows 10 Pro x64

It's served me pretty well for many years now, but then again, I've never really put it to the test with any heavy, modern games.


I think that with a new CPU and a new GPU you should be good to go. See if you can pick up a used Core i7 2600 from eBay, they go for around $160 and would drop right into your current motherboard. That coupled with a GTX 970 would be an awesome gaming PC for relatively cheap.

EDIT; my bad, the i5-2400 is a quad core, no need to upgrade it then.

Get a new a GPU and you're golden. Just make sure your power supply can handle it...if you could let us know what supply you have that'd be great.

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FWIW I'll be playing this at 1080p with an i5 4460, GTX970, and 8GB DDR3. I'll let you all know how it runs at various detail levels if you'd like.

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It seems like a lot of people will go for GTX 970. I'm tempted to say 'screw it' and get 980 to have something a bit more stable for more demanding games. Not sure yet. It's awesome we're just 3 months away but from an upgrade standpoint, it kind of sucks - nothing's going to change in that time in terms of hardware.

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Touchdown said:

I'm tempted to say 'screw it' and get 980 to have something a bit more stable for more demanding games.

I have a 980, and I anticipate it being a solid card for 1080p gaming for another 2-3 years. The 970 is also a fine card though, even considering the 3.5GB debacle.

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Thanks for the advice Plasma Gun and Use3D! It's nice to hear that even though my hardware isn't top of the line, it wont ruin me in terms of upgrades if I want to play the new Doom :) Excellent news on this gray and boring Sunday!

EDIT: Forgot to check the PSU. Be right back!

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DoomUK said:

I have a 980, and I anticipate it being a solid card for 1080p gaming for another 2-3 years. The 970 is also a fine card though, even considering the 3.5GB debacle.


Yeah, I'm kind of concerned 970 will run out of juice sooner than I'd like. But the damn 980 is expensive, especially Ti. :/ I'm already looking at ~$1500 investment here, all things considered.

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Touchdown said:

Yeah, I'm kind of concerned 970 will run out of juice sooner than I'd like. But the damn 980 is expensive, especially Ti. :/ I'm already looking at ~$1500 investment here, all things considered.

The way I see it, if you're using more than 3.5GB of VRAM then you're probably pushing the card beyond what it's comfortable doing anyway, and you're going to see framerate drops regardless*. The 980 is a little bit faster in general, and I don't regret buying it. I think the 980Ti really shines at higher resolutions than 1080p, though if you have an extra $200 to blow on your GPU, then by all means go for it.

*It doesn't excuse the way Nvidia mislead their customers, but this is a whole other topic for another time.

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Plasma Gun said:

Get a new a GPU and you're golden. Just make sure your power supply can handle it...if you could let us know what supply you have that'd be great.


Had to dismantle half of my PC to get the PSU. But that gave me the opportunity to also finally tidy up some wires. Anyway, this is my PSU.

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Plasma Gun said:

In order to help people, here is the absolute cheapest system I could come up with that I have confidence will play DOOM well at good settings:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-6100 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor ($130.98 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock H110M-DGS Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($52.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($53.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 960 2GB Superclocked Video Card ($173.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($57.88 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit) ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Asus VX238H 23.0" Monitor ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Keyboard: Rosewill RK-201 Wired Standard Keyboard ($7.99 @ Newegg)
Mouse: Logitech B100 Wired Optical Mouse ($17.69 @ Newegg)
Total: $765.46
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-02-07 01:24 EST-0500


I would swap out the cpu for a fast i5 or find a cheap i7 as the idtech engine relies on the cpu (well it has a good balance of gpu and cpu usage) so a duel core chip wont be enough for a good experience.

I would also knock that 960 on the head and go for a 970 gtx at least or look for a cheap 780 gtx.

Again, go for 16 gig as 8 gig doesn't really cut it for the latest games especially if your on windows 10.

Definitely don't get that hard disk, you want to go for a western digital black series. The blue series are designed for backup data. Id tech engine constantly streams data off the hard disk (something I noticed during the alpha) so a blue hd would degrade performance. Just for reference I have the alpha installed on a WD black 1 tb and noticed no loading issues or stutters but bare in mind doom creates a cache file which is on my ssd drive so the constant hd access I noted could be from that.

You would probably need a better wattage psu too with the upgraded specs.

That's what I think you would need for a good settings at 1080p.

I have been building pc for many years and in my experience it is best to save up a little extra and get components that are going to be reliable. Buying low spec pc parts leads to all kinds of problems especially when trying to play high end games like the new doom which is going to push low to medium spec pc to the limit.

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Chris Hansen said:

Had to dismantle half of my PC to get the PSU. But that gave me the opportunity to also finally tidy up some wires. Anyway, this is my PSU.

600W should be adequate for any single graphics card. Though if you're going with something high-end, you might want to play it safe and get a more powerful PSU. It doesn't need to be a 1000W+ monster, but more is better. Remember to get a *GOOD* PSU whenever you're buying one, regardless of the wattage.

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Here's mine:

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K
Motherboard: Asus Z87-A
Memory: G.SKILL Ripjaws X 16GB DDR3 1600MHz [F3-12800CL10D-16GBXL] (NEW from Xmas '15)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 960 4GB FTW ACX 2.0+ [04G-P4-3969-KR] (NEW from Xmas '15)
Boot SSD: Samsung 840 Pro Series 256GB 
Data HDD: 1TB Western Digital Caviar Black
Display: Samsung 23" P2350 LCD
OS: Windows 8.1 Pro 64-bit
PSU: Corsair AX750 Gold
UPS: APC BX1500G
Case: Cooler Master HAF-X
Mouse: Logitech MX-510 (the oldest component of my rig and still going strong!)
Keyboard: Saitek Eclipse II

CPU cooling: Noctua NH-D15 (NEW from Xmas '15)
GPU cooling: EVGA ACX 2.0+ (came with the video card)
Memory cooling: Stock
Thermal compound: Noctua NT-H1 (came with the CPU cooler)

(shamelessly copied and pasted from my handy dandy RIG SIG â„¢ text file)
I am confident this will run DOOM, since I did my homework on the video card. Sure, I may have to turn down the eye-candy, but that's kid stuff.

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Chris Hansen said:

Had to dismantle half of my PC to get the PSU. But that gave me the opportunity to also finally tidy up some wires. Anyway, this is my PSU.


OK, perfect. A GTX 970 will work just fine with this PSU!

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HavoX said:

Here's mine:

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K
Motherboard: Asus Z87-A
Memory: G.SKILL Ripjaws X 16GB DDR3 1600MHz [F3-12800CL10D-16GBXL] (NEW from Xmas '15)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 960 4GB FTW ACX 2.0+ [04G-P4-3969-KR] (NEW from Xmas '15)
Boot SSD: Samsung 840 Pro Series 256GB 
Data HDD: 1TB Western Digital Caviar Black
Display: Samsung 23" P2350 LCD
OS: Windows 8.1 Pro 64-bit
PSU: Corsair AX750 Gold
UPS: APC BX1500G
Case: Cooler Master HAF-X
Mouse: Logitech MX-510 (the oldest component of my rig and still going strong!)
Keyboard: Saitek Eclipse II

CPU cooling: Noctua NH-D15 (NEW from Xmas '15)
GPU cooling: EVGA ACX 2.0+ (came with the video card)
Memory cooling: Stock
Thermal compound: Noctua NT-H1 (came with the CPU cooler)

(shamelessly copied and pasted from my handy dandy RIG SIG â„¢ text file)
I am confident this will run DOOM, since I did my homework on the video card. Sure, I may have to turn down the eye-candy, but that's kid stuff.


You should be all set. The GTX 960 is the equivalent to the GTX 770, which is well above the min spec and just a little (and I mean a little) under the recommended spec. I would be surprised if you did not have an enjoyable experience at 1080p, max details.

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Touchdown said:

It seems like a lot of people will go for GTX 970. I'm tempted to say 'screw it' and get 980 to have something a bit more stable for more demanding games. Not sure yet. It's awesome we're just 3 months away but from an upgrade standpoint, it kind of sucks - nothing's going to change in that time in terms of hardware.


The GTX 970, IMO, is the best value in NVIDIA's lineup. It offers near-980 performance but at a much lower price. The 980 is obviously faster, but perf/$ is certainly not as good. The 980 is about 11% faster than the 970, but the cheapest 980 I can find is about $470 (before rebate), while the cheapest 970 is $299 (before rebate), meaning the 980 is 57%(!) more expensive.

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Flesh420 said:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202187&RandomID=2832718457559620160207061351

In one month I will have this for Doom! That's my only needed upgrade atm.


The Fury is fast, but like the GTX 980 in NVIDIA's lineup, perf/$ falls off pretty hard compared to the AMD 390X.

I would recommend this instead if you want to go AMD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150727&cm_re=390x-_-14-150-727-_-Product

At 1920x1080, the Fury is only 7.6% faster than the 390X on average (see: and at 2560x1440 it's ~11.4% faster than the 390X.

But it costs $540 versus $350 and to boot the Fury has less VRAM (4GB vs 8GB).

I'd recommend getting the 390X and pocketing the difference and putting it towards your next GPU several years down the line :)

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Plasma Gun said:

You should be all set. The GTX 960 is the equivalent to the GTX 770, which is well above the min spec and just a little (and I mean a little) under the recommended spec. I would be surprised if you did not have an enjoyable experience at 1080p, max details.

Well, the EVGA GTX 960 FTW is factory overclocked...

BTW, I don't plan on playing at 1080p with max details because I don't really care about the eye-candy. I just want to play the damn game! :P

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Plasma Gun you are a SAINT among men.

Helped me quite a bit, as I was stressing over my CPU/GPU/MOBO.

GTX 750 TI
AMD A8-5500 APU (3.2ghz) - CPU
12 GB RAM
700 W Powersupply
MSI A75MA-E35 (FM2 socket)

So close, but so far lol. Thanks for putting together this thread, I'll be following it closely once I get started.

Thanks man.

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Potatoguy said:

Honestly what's cheaper? Dropping a $350 on a PS4, or getting a new PC, with probably higher prices?

If you do decide to get the PS4 I very strongly recommend getting the two year replacement plan as the disc trays are flaky; I'm on my third PS4, my wife is on her second. That way you just swap it out and only spend $60 on another replacement plan instead of buying a replacement outright (Sony won't fix 'em under warranty unless they're pristine clean, cheap bastards. Let me take the case off and I might be able to clean it properly assholes.)

Otherwise, yeah, Sony is the way to go this console generation unless you absolutely have to have Halo or Forza. Personally it's best to wait a little longer and save up for the gaming PC IMO. I didn't and I've been kicking myself ever since lol.

Hit me up if you get the PS4, we can stomp some COD kids together lol.

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Plasma Gun said:

The GTX 970, IMO, is the best value in NVIDIA's lineup. It offers near-980 performance but at a much lower price. The 980 is obviously faster, but perf/$ is certainly not as good. The 980 is about 11% faster than the 970, but the cheapest 980 I can find is about $470 (before rebate), while the cheapest 970 is $299 (before rebate), meaning the 980 is 57%(!) more expensive.


I didn't know the difference was that small. In that case there really is no reason to go for anything other than GTX 970. Interesting.

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Ironhound said:

Plasma Gun you are a SAINT among men.

Helped me quite a bit, as I was stressing over my CPU/GPU/MOBO.

GTX 750 TI
AMD A8-5500 APU (3.2ghz) - CPU
12 GB RAM
700 W Powersupply
MSI A75MA-E35 (FM2 socket)

So close, but so far lol. Thanks for putting together this thread, I'll be following it closely once I get started.

Thanks man.


Happy to help!

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Chris Hansen said:

Thanks for the advice Plasma Gun and Use3D!


No problem. I recently made some small upgrades to my ITX system I built in 2013, not that I was underspec, but I wanted to future proof it anyway an ensure I could run the game maxed out. I built an entirely new system For Doom3 so, it follows tradition. :)

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