Minimum & Recommended System Requirements for FFXIV

Let's ensure your PC is up to the task for those looking to get into a beautifully crafted open-world MMORPG. Square Enix’s Final Fantasy XIV is one of the most graphically enhanced MMOs that can run on various PCs supporting older or the newest hardware. 

Below are the average components that run FFXIV at minimum or recommended settings: 

Minimum Specs:

• OS: Windows 8.1 64-bit, Windows 10 64-bit, Windows 11 64-bit
• CPU: Intel Core-i5 @ 2.4GHz or higher
• Memory: 4GB or higher (Dual Channel Preferred)
• Space available on SSD/Hard Drive: 80GB
• Graphics Card: NVIDIA Geforce GTX 750 or higher/AMD Radeon R7 260X or higher
• Screen resolution: 1280x720

Recommended Specs:

• OS: Windows 8.1 64-bit, Windows 10 64-bit, Windows 11 64-bit
• CPU: Intel Core-i7 @ 3GHz or higher
• Memory: 8GB or higher (Dual Channel Preferred)
• Space available on SSD/Hard Drive: 80GB
• Graphics Card: NVIDIA Geforce GTX 970 or higher/AMD Radeon RX 480 or higher
• Screen resolution: 1920x1080

Do You Need a Good PC to Play FFXIV?

If your PC has a dedicated graphics card and CPU from the last decade, it runs FFXIV. Older hardware like the GTX 600 series (released in 2012) and Intel’s 3000 series CPUs (Released in late 2011) can run FFXIV without issue if the hardware performs nominally. 

Is FFXIV GPU or CPU Intensive?

FFXIV uses a combination of the CPU and GPU. While frame rate is tied directly to the GPU, the CPU is responsible for picking up the slack when it comes to delivering a seamless gaming experience. More on that in a bit. 

What Graphics Card is Good for FFXIV 

Besides most GPUs from the last decade, a decent starting GPU for FFXIV in 2022 is the 1660 super. In comparison, the significantly older GTX 16 series platform refines everything from the GTX 10 series released in 2015. This means higher VRAM in lower-end cards and more detailed performance for less.

The overall best card for FFXIV is by far the RTX 30 series cards; able to handle the game’s graphics near the highest setting, depending on the display resolution.

Is FFXIV a CPU Heavy Game?

FFXIV is a multicore-dependent game due to how the game engines utilize the hardware. While most games use one CPU core for all game processes and pass them to the GPU for rendering, FFXIV uses multicore scheduling for the render process. This means while one core is at 100% utilization, others cores are at 20%-40% loading scheduling render times for the GPU.

While CPUs can achieve gaming on as little as four cores, the most significant being between four to six cores for the best CPU performance for games like FFXIV.

Square Enix’s Endwalker Benchmark Tool

Last year, Square Enix updated its utility benchmark prior to the release of the 2021 Endwalker expansion for those looking to keep up with the current graphics updates required for FFXIV and the ability to score any combination of hardware for projected performance. 

Let's look at the scoring in detail:

Source: SQUARE ENIX

For most components, aiming for a standard performance is ideal and reflected overall in the scoring of multiple scenes. I found this video comparing the different settings in the FFXIVs internal graphics menu. 

Credit: Santiago Santiago

He uses an Intel i3-10100F for scoring and highlights the difference between fairly high, standard, and slightly low performance. Using the settings to engineer a bottleneck shows precisely how the game can be prone to depending on the CPU or GPU and the types of demands associated with both components. 

Getting a PC to Play FFXIV

Entry Level-Apex Silver 

If you're looking to play final fantasy, Apex Gaming PCs has you covered. If you're looking to play final fantasy, look no further than Apex Build 19421. This PC offers a great middle-of-the-road option between a minimum and recommended specs for under $1,000. 

Mid-end- Apex Alpha

If you want to add more of a budget to your potential system, an excellent model to check out is our Apex Alpha with its available CPUs and GPUs, including the latest Intel 12th series and RTX 30 series. Before upgrading this configuration, this PC will be able to hit “standard” to “fairly high” in Square Enix’s benchmark tool for a practical gaming experience. 

High-end- Apex Xtreme

For wanting some of the highest scoring PCs in the Endwalker benchmark, look no further than our Apex Xtreme or our Custom Build section. They offer the highest-performing parts on the market. With customization and performance at the forefront of design, there are no better PCs to handle games.   

Conclusion

No matter what range of PC you are getting and its intended workloads, Apex Gaming PCs have you back with our wide range of PCs that will be able to meet the system requirements for Final Fantasy XIV. If you have any questions regarding our PCs and conditions, contact our support team at support@apexgamingpc.com or ask our online chat service available on our site. Whatever your needs for Final Fantasy XIV, we hope to fulfill them at Apex!

Written by William Wilson

Photo Credits: Dylan Lam 

Header Photo Credit: SQAURE ENIX

Edited: 4/3/2023