Armored Core 6 system requirements: Intel Arc A770 recommended for ray tracing

Bandai Namco just shared new Armored Core 6 system requirements, and the publisher recommends using an Intel Arc GPU for ray tracing. While we’ll need to run some benchmarks for ourselves to see how the Alchemist GPU fairs running FromSoftware’s mech romp, I’m pleased to see developers acknowledge the Alchemist GPUs existence.

It’s worth noting that while you’ll be able to enable Armored Core 6 ray tracing using your gaming PC, it’s only available in the garage area. That’s the place where you’ll be putting together your mech, so you won’t necessarily need the best graphics card throughout the entire experience. That said, the only difference between the new ray tracing recommendations and standard PC specs is with the GPU side of things, so let’s go over the other parts you’ll need to run Armored Core 6 first.

If you’re not too fussed about trying to boost fps, you’ll be pleased to know that Armored Core 6 minimum PC requirements include a healthy collection of older processors. Namely, Bandai Namco says you’ll be able to fire up your mecha using either an Intel Core i7-4790K,  Intel Core i5-8400, AMD Ryzen 7 1800X, or AMD Ryzen 5 2600. For context the Core i7-4790K is a chip that arrived way back in 2014, meaning the game probably isn’t fussed about using the best CPU for gaming.

Recommended specs don’t really ramp things up on the processor front either, as the developers list, as the newest chip suggested (the 10th gen i5-10400) arrived in 2020. I’m hesitant to say any old CPU will do, but if your rig has anything remotely new at its core, you should be good to go.

As for RAM, you’ll apparently need 12GB regardless of settings, and that could be an issue for you big robot fans out there armed with an older gaming laptop. Typically, PC specs set the minimum memory bar at 8GB, but it looks like the wind is changing in terms of standard specs. Simply put, it doesn’t matter if you’re aiming for just the menu screen or that aforementioned garage area drenched in ray traced lighting, you’ll probably want to just make the jump to 16GB.

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I promised I’d circle back to Armored Core 6 graphics cards, so let’s make sense of the official suggestions. At the very least, you’ll need a 4GB card like the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 or AMD Radeon RX 480 to actually board your bot, and those GPUs are getting pretty long in the tooth. Of course, ray tracing changes that guidance slightly, as the latest specs shared to Twitter advise using either an RTX 2060 or RX 6600. A pretty significant jump considering it relates to just fancy lighting shenanigans, but it goes to show how demanding the settings can be.

Things start to get a bit more interesting on the recommended GPU side of things, as that is where you’ll find Intel’s graphics cards. You’ll apparently be able to meet recommended specs using an Intel Arc A750, one of the blue team’s cheapest models, but you’re going to have to upgrade to an Arc A770 with 16GB RAM to make the ray tracing cut. Additional card suggestions include the GTX 1060 and RX 590, but again, the devs swap out both for the RTX 2070 and RX 6650 when the rendering technique is involved.

Will Armored Core 6 make your gaming PC sweat?

I wouldn’t say Armored Core 6 is necessarily a demanding PC game, but ray tracing will probably put your graphics card to work. However, the fact an Arc GPU is included in both sets of system requirements is a promising sign, as even Intel’s flagship model is considered entry level in 2023. In other words, you won’t need a ridiculously expensive card like the RTX 4090 to run Armored Core 6, and most newish GPUs should be up to the task.

That’s not to say you’ll reach the same frame rates using the $300 Arc A770 compared to other new gen cards, and even last-gen cards like the RTX 3070 may pack more of a punch. Nevertheless, it’s still nice to see Intel included in the PC specs conversation, as too many system requirements tables are dominated by AMD and Nvidia cards.

Side note, but if you’re looking to read more about Intel’s GPUs, you might want to swing by our Intel Arc A770 review, as we’ve fully tested Acer’s take on the card. We've also got a collection of parts below that'll help you make the upgrades you need to run Armored Core 6, just to save you any hardware hassle.

Looking for a futuristic rig? Check out the best Alienware gaming PCs for high spec pre-builds. Alternatively, check out the best gaming laptops for portable options with punchy innards.