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These hardware upgrades ensure you avoid being CPU or GPU-bound in Borderlands 4 and get smooth gameplay at any resolution.
Borderlands 4 is notoriously hardware-intensive, requiring at least an 8-core CPU and a minimum 8GB VRAM GPU. As per our testing, 32GB of RAM is highly recommended, as the game’s usage can exceed 15GB in some instances. If your current rig struggles with frame drops or low frame rates, these upgrades can make a big difference without a complete rebuild. We strongly prioritize the use of an SSD for faster loading, and most importantly, for reducing traversal stutters, texture pop-ins, and all other known UE5 issues to an extent.
Note: Before upgrading your hardware, you must find out what’s holding your system back. Tools like RTSS or the Steam Overlay will aid you in figuring out if you are CPU or GPU-bound in Borderlands 4. For example, if your CPU usage stays consistently above 60% and your GPU usage drops below 90-95%, you are CPU-bound. Alternatively, if your GPU usage is fixed at 99-100% and your FPS is low, you are GPU-bound. Also, if you are buying new parts from scratch or upgrading from existing, ensure you cross-check the PSU requirements for the choice of GPU you are targeting. Lastly, CPU upgrades, specifically mid-range and high-end SKUs, may require you to upgrade your motherboard, which involves an additional cost.
Read More: How To Fix Borderlands 4 Crashing and Stuttering on PC
Borderlands 4: Budget Tier Hardware (Under $500 Total Upgrades)
These recommendations are for gamers at 1080p resolution, wanting to experience the game on Low to Medium settings. The core focus is on making cost-effective swaps that exceed the minimum specifications (Core i7-9700/Ryzen 7 2700X, RTX 2070/RX 5700 XT, and 16GB RAM).
CPU Upgrade: The Ryzen 5 5600X comes with 6 cores and 12 threads. It offers excellent single and multi-threaded performance in the budget segment, easily surpassing the 9700 and 2700X. The Core i5 14400F is an incredible alternative if you have a little more budget and wish to use Intel.
GPU Upgrade: The RTX 3060 or RTX 4060, or even the new RTX 5060, or Intel Arc B580 are all excellent choices. The 3060 and the B580 offer 12GB VRAM, and the remaining offer 8GB. In terms of raw performance, the ranking is typically RTX 5060 > Arc B580 > RTX 4060 > RTX 3060.
RAM/Storage: At least 16GB of RAM is recommended. It can be either DDR4 or DDR5. We recommend going for 32GB for improved compatibility. As for storage, get at least a Gen 4 NVMe drive.
Read More: 5 Best Low-End CPUs For Borderlands 4
Borderlands 4: Mid-Range Hardware ($600-$1,000 Total Upgrades)
These recommendations are for gamers with 1440p resolution, looking to crank up their in-game settings to High, with upscaling enabled. Our CPU and GPU suggestions offer better performance and future-proofing than the recommended specs (Core i7-12700/ Ryzen 7 5800X, RTX 3080/RX 6800 XT).
CPU Upgrade: The Ryzen 7 9700X is incredibly powerful for handling Borderlands 4’s CPU requirements. If you’re looking for intel, then the Core i7-14700K is a worthy alternative.
GPU Upgrade: The AMD RX 7800 XT and Nvidia RTX 5070 are incredible cards at this resolution. With 12GB+ VRAM, these GPUs can easily tackle the high preset within the game, provided you use balanced or quality upscaling (FSR/DLSS).
RAM/Storage: 32GB DDR5 6000 is recommended for high settings on both platforms. Spending on high-performance RAM kits will result in higher 1% and .1 % lows, and result in a flatter frame time graph. As for the storage, atleast a Gen 4 NVMe SSD is recommended; otherwise, the CPU/GPU and RAM combination will be bottlenecked by the storage.
Read More: 5 Best Mid-Range CPUs For Borderlands 4
Borderlands 4: High-End Hardware (Over $1,500 Total Upgrades)
These recommendations are for gamers who wish to play Borderlands 4 with high FPS at native 1440p or upscaled 4K, and with the Very High settings.
CPU Upgrade: Ryzen 7 9800X3D or Ryzen 9 9950X3D from AMD, or Core i9 14900K or Core Ultra 9 285K from Intel. These processors will seamlessly handle the CPU-intensive nature of Borderlands 4.
GPU Upgrade: RTX 4090 or RTX 5090 is necessary if you want high frame rates at native resolution. If your budget doesn’t permit it, the RX 7900 XTX and RTX 5080 perform identically to each other in Borderlands 4 with Quality upscaling. You can pick up RX 7900 XTX for cheap on the used market and RTX 5080 MSRP models, such as INNO3D ICHILL/ Zotac Solid, etc.
RAM/Storage: 48GB or 64GB of high-speed DDR5 RAM (6400MHz for AMD, 7600MHz+ for Intel) is recommended. However, 32GB will work fine if you cannot find high-speed, high-density kits at a reasonable price. As for storage, get Gen 4 or Gen 5 NVMe drives, whichever your budget permits.
Read More: Borderlands 4: 5 Best SSD Upgrades To Reduce Loading Stutters
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