TheGhost of Tsushimais finally inching closer to its PC release later this week as Sony brings one of its biggest console exclusives to PC in May. It comes with modest hardware requirements in tow for most users looking to play the Directors Cut at a minimum of the PlayStation 4’s visual fidelity but the title itself offers plenty of leeway when it comes to leveraging higher-end hardware.
Sony’s port of the title leverages all of AI sharpening solutions, supporting Nvidia’s DLSS3, AMD’s FSR3, and Intel’s less-known XESS offering. This, in conjunction with Nvidia’s Reflex low latency offerings as well as Nvidia’s DLAA anti-aliasing optimizations in tow, makes for a title that comes well optimized for a wide variety of hardware.
This is further cemented by the title’s well-published support for ultrawide and ultra-ultrawide displays as Sony specifies support for triple monitor setups with a combined aspect ratio of 48:9 for the most demanding of users when it comes to immersion. Sony also states that it offers “extensive controller support” while noting full compatibility with the DualSense 5 controller’s extended functionality such as haptic feedback and adaptive triggers for users skipping the traditional keyboard and mouse combination for a more console-centric choice.
ASUS ROG Strix Scar 18 (2024) Gaming Laptop
Ghost Of Tsushima Director’s Cut Hardware Requirements
Ghost Of Tsushima Director’s Cut’s published hardware requirements cover 4 different tiers of hardware specifications and quality presets (Source: Sony’s PlayStation Blog)
Sony has thankfully shed a considerable amount of light when it comes to PC hardware requirements for the highly anticipated title ahead of its launch. While Ghost of Tsushima seems to work on a hard drive, Sony overwhelmingly recommends using an SSD in all 4 hardware presets with it being a requirement in all but the ‘very low’ preset, possibly due to the increased read rate demands of higher quality textures where HDDs generally can’t keep up to SSDs that are an order of magnitude faster than the legacy storage method.
Likewise, while Ghost of Tsushima works on 8GB of RAM for the lowest preset, all other hardware recommendations carry a minimum of 16GB RAM requirements. It also requires a minimum of Windows 10 (64-bit) for the title while having relatively modest CPU requirements coupled with GPU requirements that understandably scale considerably with the graphics preset, recommending an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 or AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT at the “very high” preset.
One also needs to consider that gaming laptops have GPUs and CPUs that are power and thermally restricted compared to their desktop equivalents and thanks to somewhat confusing nomenclature when it comes to GPUs in particular, users can often end up getting a laptop that underperforms their expectations when pitted against hardware requirements that are more often than not catering to desktop hardware (including those for Ghost of Tsushima).
Acer Nitro 17 Gaming Laptop AN17-41-R7G3
A balanced, Well-Built Offering
The Acer Nitro 17 Gaming Laptop is a large 17-inch gaming laptop powered by an efficient, but potent octa-core AMD Ryzen 7 CPU and Nvidia’s mid-range RTX 4060 GPU. The display features Quad HD resolution and a high 165 Hz refresh rate for fast-paced gaming. That is all topped up with a large 1TB SSD and 16 GB of DDR5 memory, making it an ideal desktop replacement for those looking to grab one.
For most users looking to play Ghost of Tsushima at a decent frame rate with high or better settings at QHD or a lower resolution, the Acer Nitro 17 Gaming Laptop more than gets the job done. It comes with an excellent IPS display that offers a 2K resolution and a refresh rate of 165Hz out of the box. It stays balanced on the CPU and GPU combination it offers unlike most of its peers that push strongly in 1 particular direction, making for an excellent experience without significant bottlenecks on offer even as it delivers excellent thermals versus its competition.
With 1TB of SSD space and a to-spec RAM offering, the Acer Nitro 17 Gaming Laptop delivers on its performance promise even as some users might have gripes with it being slightly larger than most laptops that come in similar specs. While it does tend to cost a bit more than other laptops that offer similar internals, the highlight of Acer’s offering is a gorgeous display, a proven value-centric set of hardware, and build quality to back it, making it an excellent offering in 2024.
Razer Blade 18 (2024)
The Only Blade You Need
The Razer Blade 18 2024 edition brings the latest flagship Core i9 mobile CPU to deliver unparalleled performance in CPU-intensive operations, while also maintaining its hold on gaming through the RTX 4090 GPU. From its configuration to its display, every feature ventures into overkill territory, making sure no stone is left unturned.
For users looking for the highest tech on the go to match their Shinobi build the 2024 iteration of the Razer Blade 18 gets the job done and then some. It leverages a powerful RTX 4090 laptop GPU that is essentially close to an RTX 4080 desktop chip and pairs it with a 14th-generation 24-core Intel Core i9 chip. This allows it to power one of the best experiences money can buy on a QHD 300Hz Mini LED display on the go currently.
Razer’s offering is considerably more premium than the competition, however. Even as it throws in a massive 2TB of storage on offer and twice the RAM that the title requires, it also comes with a sub-$1000 premium versus the competition even as users who need a more portable option might feel overwhelmed by the 18-inch form factor in play.
For users who need plenty of connectivity, excellent internals and perks like Wi-Fi 7 and Thunderbolt 5 have few other options to turn to and Razer’s offering clocks in a notch above the competition.
ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 2024 (RTX 4060)
Good Things Come In Small Sizes
The 2024 model of the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 comes with an AI-infused 8-Core AMD Ryzen 9 CPU in addition to Nvidia’s mid-range RTX 4060 GPU. With 16GB of LPDDR5X memory on offer and a large 1TB PCI-E 4.0 SSD.It offers a high PPI 14-inch 3K OLED display with a 120 Hz refresh rate and a backlit chiclet keyboard while clocking in at just under 1.5 kg.
For users who need to be a shinobi on the go, the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14’s 2024 iteration might be their best bet. It packs in an impressive amount of hardware for both its size and asking price even as it regularly enjoys sales on Best Buy that make it a much better bargain than its peers. However, even at its asking price, the 3K OLED display that can do 120Hz, a powerful AMD CPU and plenty of SSD storage are key factors that make it a favorite for the team at Game Rant.
At the same time, the 2024 offering of the G14 does not allow users to swap their RAM out or add more, and thermal throttling is a factor that continues to plague ASUS’s offering to a certain degree, especially when firing on all cylinders, even in 2024. For those who need an uncompromising display, powerful internals, and a price tag under $2000, the G14 continues to be a force to be reckoned with that can handle the needs of Ghost Of Tsushima at a respectable medium/high preset with ease.
Acer Nitro V ANV15-51-51H9
A Price-Conscious Pick
The entry-level Acer Nitro V gaming laptop is powered by a capable 13th-generation Intel Core i5 CPU with a budget-friendly RTX 4050 GPU, 8GB RAM, and 512GB SSD.The laptop is a well-balanced machine for users on a budget for both gaming and work in 2024 even as it clocks well under $1000 unlike most of its peers.
For users looking for a value-centric buy that pushes well under $1000 to play Ghost Of Tsushima, the Acer Nitro V comes well endowed for its ask, throwing in a capable 13th generation Intel Core i5 CPU, a mid-range IPS display that does 144Hz and a relatively decent entry-level GPU that allows users to leverage DLSS and DLAA to maintain a stable frame rate at its target resolution with ease.
The Nitro V does come short when it comes to RAM on offer but users can easily add more if they need to (at additional cost). Given that Ghost Of Tsushima overwhelmingly recommends 16GB of RAM as part of its published specifications, one might want to consider grabbing the laptop with 8GB of DDR5 RAM in tow to avoid a memory-related bottleneck.
MSI Katana 15 15.6" 144Hz FHD Gaming Laptop
An Aptly-Named Blade For The Ghost
The MSI Katana is an excellent budget-centric high-end gaming laptop that outperforms most of the high-end laptops in its price bracket while maintaining an efficient, value-for-money approach to offer the latest and greatest in PC hardware to its audience.
For users needing more power under the hood with price being a key factor, the MSI Katana 15 might be one of the best gaming laptops one can get to play as the Ghost of Tsushima in all its glory at launch. The Katana pairs a powerful 13th-generation Intel Core i7 CPU with an equally potent Nvidia RTX 4070 GPU to keep things humming in a variety of games including the Sony-published title.
It meets the RAM requirement of the title and packs 1TB of fast SSD storage against the title’s 75GB requirement at launch for the Directors Cut. While the Katana offers some of the best hardware for its price point, it does meaningfully cut corners when it comes to its battery life offering as well as its display which is arguably the poorest out of all the choices on Game Rant’s list currently.
All in all, the Katana is unapologetically powerful and can power through the Ghost of Tsushima experience with ease even as it offers better value for money than most, if not all of its peers under $1500 currently with its shortcomings being part and parcel of going for powerful internals on a budget in 2024.
Good Overkill
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 18 Gaming Laptop is a newer 2024 model of ASUS’s successful Scar lineup that pairs Intel’s latest 24-core Core i9 CPU with Nvidia’s fastest GPU to date, the RTX 4090. With an excellent 18-inch 2.5K display that boasts a high peak brightness as part of ASUS’s Nebula offerings as well as a high 240 Hz refresh rate, the Scar 18 offers plenty of power under the hood. In addition to this, it also has built-in lighting on the laptop itself that offers software control via ASUS’s Aura Sync.
For users wanting to push the game to its highest preset, the Ghost of Tsushima should see the 2024 version of the ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18 hold its own thanks to a much beefier CPU/GPU configuration than most of its peers offer. It does however, as a result, cost the proverbial arm and a leg, and then some, clocking in at just under $4000.
This does make it a marked improvement in terms of cost for similar hardware to the Razer Blade 18 above, but still much costlier than other RTX 4090-based laptops on offer, some of which can be found at a 15-20% discount with ease. ASUS offers a more premium build quality, an excellent QHD MiniLED display that can do 240Hz, and liquid metal under the hood to keep thermals in check.
With 2TB of SSD storage and 32GB of fast DDR5 RAM on offer and a large 18-inch chassis that stretches the definition of what one could call a laptop versus a desktop replacement, the SCAR 18 could be called an acquired taste, but one that delivers on performance, feel and reliability all in one fell swoop, much like the Shinobi that use it to keep the Mongols at bay.
FAQ
Q: How Much RAM Do I Need To Play Ghost of Tsushima on PC?
While Ghost of Tsushima is playable with 8 GB of RAM, most of the hardware presets as published by Sony recommend having at least 16 GB of RAM to have an optimal experience.
Q: Do I Need An SSD For Ghost of Tsushima On PC?
Yes, Ghost of Tsushima highly recommends using an SSD for PC players with 75GB of required storage space. While it is possible to play on an HDD, it could cause stutters and performance issues at all, but the most basic of graphics presets.
