007 First Light is Surprisingly Friendly to Older Rigs
If you are a James Bond fan still gaming on an aging PC, there is good news. The newly revealed system requirements for 007 First Light show that you will not need a monster rig to play, especially if you are happy to turn down some of the visual settings.
The game targets 1080p at both 30 and 60 frames per second with relatively modest hardware by modern standards. That gives PC gamers a fair amount of flexibility to choose between prettier graphics and smoother performance, depending on the power of their system.
Like many classic PC gamers who used to drop every setting to low just to squeeze out a few extra frames, you might find yourself making similar trade offs here. But that is part of the charm of PC gaming: tuning your setup to get the experience you want.
Minimum and Recommended Specs Explained
The developers have shared two main target configurations. One is for 1080p at 30 frames per second and the other for 1080p at 60 frames per second.
Minimum requirements for 1080p at 30 FPS
- Processor: Intel Core i5 9500K or AMD Ryzen 5 3500
- Graphics card: Nvidia GTX 1660, AMD RX 5700, or an equivalent Intel discrete GPU
- RAM: 16 GB system memory
- Video RAM: 8 GB on the graphics card
- Storage: 80 GB free space
- Operating system: Windows 10 or 11, 64 bit
This minimum setup is quite manageable for many mid range systems from the last few years. The CPU requirements are reasonable and the graphics cards listed are older mainstream models.
The main catch is the 8 GB of VRAM. That rules out some popular older GPUs like the RTX 2060 which only has 6 GB. If your card falls into that category, you might still run the game, but you would likely have to cut back texture quality or accept performance issues.
Recommended requirements for 1080p at 60 FPS
- Processor: Intel Core i5 13500 or AMD Ryzen 5 7600
- Graphics card: Nvidia RTX 3060 Ti, AMD RX 6700 XT, or an equivalent Intel discrete GPU
- RAM: 32 GB system memory
- Video RAM: 12 GB on the graphics card
- Storage: 80 GB free space
- Operating system: Windows 10 or 11, 64 bit
The recommended spec is quite a bit steeper, especially with the memory requirements. Asking for 32 GB of RAM and 12 GB of VRAM just for 1080p at 60 frames per second raises some eyebrows.
It is also a little strange that the listed Nvidia reference card, the RTX 3060 Ti, actually only has 8 GB of VRAM. That mismatch makes it unclear how strictly the 12 GB VRAM requirement will be enforced or how well tested these recommendations are on real hardware.
Performance, VRAM Concerns, and Upscaling Tech
Beyond the raw specs, there are a few technical details worth noting if you care about performance and image quality.
First, there is currently no published spec for 4K gameplay. If you are aiming for 1440p or 4K, you will likely need significantly stronger hardware than the recommended 1080p setup, especially if you want to stick close to or above 60 frames per second.
However, players with modern Nvidia GPUs will be able to lean on advanced upscaling technologies. 007 First Light supports DLSS 4 with Multi Frame Generation. That means the game can render fewer native frames and then use AI to generate additional frames and upscale the image to your target resolution.
For many players this is the key to getting higher frame rates without sacrificing too much visual quality. If your GPU is somewhat below the recommended spec but still supports DLSS, you may still get a very playable experience at 1080p and possibly even higher resolutions.
The game uses IO Interactive’s Glacier engine, which has powered the modern Hitman series. While the developer says the engine has been significantly advanced for this project, the Hitman games have never been known for exceptional raw performance. They are often demanding, particularly when lots of effects and detailed environments are on screen.
For 007 First Light the team is focusing hard on next generation smoke, cloud, and particle effects. These effects are usually very sensitive to resolution and can be heavy on both the GPU and VRAM. This likely explains the high VRAM numbers and also why the developers seem prepared to rely heavily on upscaling and frame generation.
Realistically, if you want frame rates much higher than 60 or you want to run above 1080p, you will probably need to use DLSS or another upscaling option. Native 4K with every effect cranked up will almost certainly demand top end modern hardware.
The game is set to launch on May 27 after a previous delay and will be available on both Steam and the Epic Games Store. If you are considering a pre purchase, now you have a much clearer idea of whether your current rig is ready for duty or if it is time to start thinking about a GPU or RAM upgrade.
For many players with mid range systems, the outlook is positive. You may not get every visual bell and whistle, but you should be able to enjoy the new Bond experience with some smart tweaking of settings and a little help from modern upscaling tech.
Original article and image: https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/007-first-light-reveals-some-pretty-forgiving-pc-system-requirements-with-a-couple-caveats/
