Unity Development Build Help

[CarlosCoding]

Budget (including currency): $1,000 USD

Country: USA

Games, programs or workloads that it will be used for: UnityHUB & UnityEditor

Other details (existing parts lists, whether any peripherals are needed, what you're upgrading from, when you're going to buy, what resolution and refresh rate you want to play at, etc): Hey everyone. This may not be the best place to post this but I need help building a PC that is capable of running UnityHub and UnityEditor. I am taking game development courses and I currently have an HP Spectre X360 16" and it struggles a lot. It tends to overheat it begins to run so slowly. I can provide the specs for the exact model I have but I am not sure if that matters. I am really enjoying the game development course I am taking and I even purchased another course from Unity. So if you all could recommend a build that would be capable of handling what I need, that would be really appreciated. 

Just in case, I am not fully sure as to what kind of games I will be making. I know for sure I am not interested in VR games at the moment but if I can build something within my budget that can handle pretty much handle everything else, I would be truly happy. Thank you to everyone in advance for the help. 

 

[YoungBlade]

I actually upgraded my current system based around doing Unity dev for game jams (Ludum Dare in particular). This is slightly different, as I also had to consider the overhead of streaming the development to the Internet on top of game dev, but the main points are the same.

 

For doing dev in Unity, you'll definitely want a dedicated graphics card. But it doesn't need to be anything too beefy - an old RX 570 4GB or GTX 1050 Ti would do just fine if you aren't developing games that need the latest and greatest features.

 

For doing builds, you're going to want as beefy of a CPU as you can afford. But you can do dev with something more modest if you're willing to wait on builds. I'd say the lowest you should go would be a Ryzen 5 5600 or i5 12400F.

 

RAM is the real thing you want lots of. 16GB is the bare, bare minimum. I'd go 32GB at least. You will suck back a ton of RAM doing game dev.

 

For storage, you definitely want an SSD. Depending on how large your assets are going to be, you can probably get away with just using a 1TB boot NVMe. If you think your assets will be large, I'd get a second 2TB drive for bulk storage.

 

Do you have any IO needs? Like an external drive/NAS you already have that you're going to want to use for archiving? Do you already have a monitor?

[CarlosCoding]

2 minutes ago, YoungBlade said:

I actually upgraded my current system based around doing Unity dev for game jams (Ludum Dare in particular). This is slightly different, as I also had to consider the overhead of streaming the development to the Internet on top of game dev, but the main points are the same.

 

For doing dev in Unity, you'll definitely want a dedicated graphics card. But it doesn't need to be anything too beefy - an old RX 570 4GB or GTX 1050 Ti would do just fine if you aren't developing games that need the latest and greatest features.

 

For doing builds, you're going to want as beefy of a CPU as you can afford. But you can do dev with something more modest if you're willing to wait on builds. I'd say the lowest you should go would be a Ryzen 5 5600 or i5 12400F.

 

RAM is the real thing you want lots of. 16GB is the bare, bare minimum. I'd go 32GB at least. You will suck back a ton of RAM doing game dev.

 

For storage, you definitely want an SSD. Depending on how large your assets are going to be, you can probably get away with just using a 1TB boot NVMe. If you think your assets will be large, I'd get a second 2TB drive for bulk storage.

 

Do you have any IO needs? Like an external drive/NAS you already have that you're going to want to use for archiving? Do you already have a monitor?

Thank you for the advice! 

I am still relatively new to game development as classes have only just begun a few weeks ago but I do not think my projects would be too large so I think maybe a 1TB will work for the time being. I think the RAM is the main concern on my laptop at the moment so I think 32GB would honestly be what I am aiming for. 

 

I know for sure I need either multiple display ports or hdmi ports as I tend to work on 2-3 monitors at a time to maximize my workflow. I have monitors but man do they suck lol. They are the walmart brand monitors that I purchased a few months ago as a necessity. I will upgrade in the future but for now they get the job done. Also no, I do not currently have a NAS. 

[YoungBlade]

7 minutes ago, CarlosCoding said:

Thank you for the advice! 

I am still relatively new to game development as classes have only just begun a few weeks ago but I do not think my projects would be too large so I think maybe a 1TB will work for the time being. I think the RAM is the main concern on my laptop at the moment so I think 32GB would honestly be what I am aiming for. 

 

I know for sure I need either multiple display ports or hdmi ports as I tend to work on 2-3 monitors at a time to maximize my workflow. I have monitors but man do they suck lol. They are the walmart brand monitors that I purchased a few months ago as a necessity. I will upgrade in the future but for now they get the job done. Also no, I do not currently have a NAS. 

Okay. How does this look to you?

 

PCPartPicker Part List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/jZP4W4

CPU: Intel Core i5-13400F 2.5 GHz 10-Core Processor  ($209.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Assassin X 120 Refined SE 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler  ($19.89 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B760M Pro RS/D4 Micro ATX LGA1700 Motherboard  ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Neo Forza FAYE 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory  ($53.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 980 Pro 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive  ($119.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI MECH 2X OC Radeon RX 6700 XT 12 GB Video Card  ($349.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cougar MX330-X ATX Mid Tower Case  ($50.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Apevia Prestige 800 W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply  ($66.98 @ Amazon)
Total: $1001.80
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-01-27 11:00 EST-0500

 

EDIT: On reflection, it might be better to go with a 13600K(F) and trade down the RX 6700XT for an RX 6600. That would benefit your build times a decent amount with the 4 extra E cores. You might even be able to squeeze a 13700(F) into the build if you combine the GPU downgrade with a storage downgrade to a less impressive boot drive, but then you definitely would need a cooler upgrade beyond the Assassin X and the mobo might not handle it too well, either.

[Gokul_P]

48 minutes ago, CarlosCoding said:

Budget (including currency): $1,000 USD

Country: USA

Games, programs or workloads that it will be used for: UnityHUB & UnityEditor

Other details (existing parts lists, whether any peripherals are needed, what you're upgrading from, when you're going to buy, what resolution and refresh rate you want to play at, etc): Hey everyone. This may not be the best place to post this but I need help building a PC that is capable of running UnityHub and UnityEditor. I am taking game development courses and I currently have an HP Spectre X360 16" and it struggles a lot. It tends to overheat it begins to run so slowly. I can provide the specs for the exact model I have but I am not sure if that matters. I am really enjoying the game development course I am taking and I even purchased another course from Unity. So if you all could recommend a build that would be capable of handling what I need, that would be really appreciated. 

Just in case, I am not fully sure as to what kind of games I will be making. I know for sure I am not interested in VR games at the moment but if I can build something within my budget that can handle pretty much handle everything else, I would be truly happy. Thank you to everyone in advance for the help. 

 

for vr (Windows mixed reality) unity minimum requirements isnt that hard to achive but i dont understand why no amd cpu support. for everything else it seems a 1000$ pc could easily achieve. and i couldnt see anything that is favoring nvidia in the requirements so i recommend This 

 

PCPartPicker Part List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/pJZMNc

CPU: Intel Core i5-13400F 2.5 GHz 10-Core Processor  ($209.99 @ Newegg) 
Motherboard: ASRock B760M Pro RS/D4 WiFi Micro ATX LGA1700 Motherboard  ($149.99 @ Newegg) 
Memory: Neo Forza FAYE 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory  ($53.99 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Crucial P3 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive  ($59.99 @ B&H) 
Video Card: MSI MECH 2X OC Radeon RX 6700 XT 12 GB Video Card  ($349.99 @ Newegg) 
Case: Thermaltake Versa H15 MicroATX Mid Tower Case  ($53.54 @ Amazon) 
Power Supply: Corsair RM650 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  ($94.99 @ Amazon) 
Total: $972.48
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-01-27 11:06 EST-0500

 

Plus some extra bulk storage really helps in case of game devolepment 

like this baracuda compute (sata HDD) https://pcpartpicker.com/product/mwrYcf/seagate-barracuda-computer-2-tb-35-7200rpm-internal-hard-drive-st2000dm008 or This Sata SSd https://pcpartpicker.com/product/DZkj4D/silicon-power-a55-2-tb-25-solid-state-drive-sp002tbss3a55s25

 

THIS Is some what overkill for Unity but This Pc also met minimum requirement for Unreal engine if you want to expand to that and it met all the requirements for unity including Vr games 

[CarlosCoding]

15 minutes ago, YoungBlade said:

Okay. How does this look to you?

 

PCPartPicker Part List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/jZP4W4

CPU: Intel Core i5-13400F 2.5 GHz 10-Core Processor  ($209.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Assassin X 120 Refined SE 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler  ($19.89 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B760M Pro RS/D4 Micro ATX LGA1700 Motherboard  ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Neo Forza FAYE 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory  ($53.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 980 Pro 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive  ($119.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI MECH 2X OC Radeon RX 6700 XT 12 GB Video Card  ($349.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cougar MX330-X ATX Mid Tower Case  ($50.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Apevia Prestige 800 W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply  ($66.98 @ Amazon)
Total: $1001.80
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-01-27 11:00 EST-0500

Man I actually really like the look of this build. It is within my budget and it seems to meet all of my needs. Thank you so much!

[CarlosCoding]

16 minutes ago, Gokul_P said:

for vr (Windows mixed reality) unity minimum requirements isnt that hard to achive but i dont understand why no amd cpu support. for everything else it seems a 1000$ pc could easily achieve. and i couldnt see anything that is favoring nvidia in the requirements so i recommend This 

 

PCPartPicker Part List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/gMKjxs

CPU: Intel Core i5-12400F 2.5 GHz 6-Core Processor  ($164.96 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: ASRock B760M Pro RS/D4 WiFi Micro ATX LGA1700 Motherboard  ($149.99 @ Newegg) 
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory  ($79.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Crucial P3 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive  ($59.99 @ B&H) 
Video Card: MSI MECH 2X OC Radeon RX 6700 XT 12 GB Video Card  ($349.99 @ Newegg) 
Case: NZXT H510 Flow ATX Mid Tower Case  ($89.99 @ Best Buy) 
Power Supply: Corsair RM650 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  ($94.99 @ Amazon) 
Total: $989.90
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-01-27 10:57 EST-0500

 

Plus some extra bulk storage really helps in case of game devolepment 

like this baracuda compute (sata HDD) https://pcpartpicker.com/product/mwrYcf/seagate-barracuda-computer-2-tb-35-7200rpm-internal-hard-drive-st2000dm008 or This Sata SSd https://pcpartpicker.com/product/DZkj4D/silicon-power-a55-2-tb-25-solid-state-drive-sp002tbss3a55s25

 

THIS Is some what overkill for Unity but This Pc also met minimum requirement for Unreal engine if you want to expand to that and it met all the requirements for unity including Vr games 

Hey thanks for this man! I am actually glad it is a bit overkill. That way I do not have to worry about upgrading anything in the near future! I really appreciate it and I actually really like the case on this build too!

[Gokul_P]

1 minute ago, CarlosCoding said:

Hey thanks for this man! I am actually glad it is a bit overkill. That way I do not have to worry about upgrading anything in the near future! I really appreciate it and I actually really like the case on this build too!

I accidently picked the wrong case and cpu actually i never meant to go 90$ on a case and 12400F actually i mean to go a cheaper case and 13400F but for some reason i picked it and pcpp search is really laggy for me today idk why 

[CarlosCoding]

On 1/27/2023 at 10:00 AM, YoungBlade said:

Okay. How does this look to you?

 

PCPartPicker Part List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/jZP4W4

CPU: Intel Core i5-13400F 2.5 GHz 10-Core Processor  ($209.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Assassin X 120 Refined SE 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler  ($19.89 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B760M Pro RS/D4 Micro ATX LGA1700 Motherboard  ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Neo Forza FAYE 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory  ($53.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 980 Pro 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive  ($119.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI MECH 2X OC Radeon RX 6700 XT 12 GB Video Card  ($349.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cougar MX330-X ATX Mid Tower Case  ($50.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Apevia Prestige 800 W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply  ($66.98 @ Amazon)
Total: $1001.80
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-01-27 11:00 EST-0500

 

EDIT: On reflection, it might be better to go with a 13600K(F) and trade down the RX 6700XT for an RX 6600. That would benefit your build times a decent amount with the 4 extra E cores. You might even be able to squeeze a 13700(F) into the build if you combine the GPU downgrade with a storage downgrade to a less impressive boot drive, but then you definitely would need a cooler upgrade beyond the Assassin X and the mobo might not handle it too well, either.

Hey! I know this is weird but could could you give me an AMD alternative to the build you created? I am not too familiar with the differences but I have seen more AMD builds for Unity (on TikTok) than Intel builds. Thanks in advance and I truly appreciate your assistance!

[YoungBlade]

7 hours ago, CarlosCoding said:

Hey! I know this is weird but could could you give me an AMD alternative to the build you created? I am not too familiar with the differences but I have seen more AMD builds for Unity (on TikTok) than Intel builds. Thanks in advance and I truly appreciate your assistance!

Okay. I'll give three options for that: 2 last-gen AM4 builds and 1 AM5 build. The reason I went with Intel is that it gives you the best price/performance if you need to stay within a $1000 budget. And the Intel build can get even cheaper since B&H is running a deal on the Crucial P5 Plus, which is comparable to the Samsung 980 Pro in terms of performance yet costs $30 - so you can improve the Intel build that way. But if you're willing to spend a bit more, AMD has some decent options.

 

AM4 5900X 12 Core System - For Multi-tasking and Faster Builds

 

This first build gives you a 5900X system. This would benefit you during builds, as the 5900X can compile code quite quickly - not a ton faster than the 13400, but a bit faster. I did have to downgrade the graphics card to the RX 6600, but that shouldn't hurt you much - although you could do the same to the Intel build and save a fair bit of money. You do get a nicer motherboard here, with more IO and expansion. And with 12 cores, you should have the headroom to multitask heavily while building - such as watching hi-res Unity tutorials or streaming your dev work if that interests you. (The next Ludum Dare is April 28th - just sayin'...) It does go over budget, though.

 

PCPartPicker Part List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/F9gFNc

CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 5900X 3.7 GHz 12-Core Processor  ($340.00 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler  ($35.90 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B550 Extreme4 ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($144.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Neo Forza FAYE 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory  ($69.99 @ Newegg Sellers)
Storage: Crucial P5 Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive  ($89.99 @ B&H)
Video Card: ASRock Challenger D Radeon RX 6600 8 GB Video Card  ($224.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cougar MX330-X ATX Mid Tower Case  ($50.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Apevia Prestige 800 W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply  ($66.98 @ Amazon)
Total: $1023.82
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-02-02 07:42 EST-0500

 

AM4 5700X 8 Core System - For Solid Price/Performance

 

For this build, we downgrade to the 5700X, but that lets us go with either an RTX 3060 or RX 6700XT (your choice, although this example uses the 3060) to get more VRAM and we actually come in a bit under budget. You could also downgrade this one to the RX 6600 to save another $125 - coming in at only about $865. If you also downgraded the cooler to the Thermalright Assassin X 120, it would be around $850 - truly impressive price/performance. In general usage, it would feel very similar to the 5900X, but your builds will probably take about 20-40% longer depending on what exactly you've made. If you don't intend to do frequent builds, though, that might not be a bad compromise to make.

 

PCPartPicker Part List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/FVVmTn

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5700X 3.4 GHz 8-Core Processor  ($179.00 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler  ($35.90 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B550 Extreme4 ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($144.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Neo Forza FAYE 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory  ($69.99 @ Newegg Sellers)
Storage: Crucial P5 Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive  ($89.99 @ B&H)
Video Card: Zotac GAMING Twin Edge OC GeForce RTX 3060 12GB 12 GB Video Card  ($353.49 @ Newegg)
Case: Cougar MX330-X ATX Mid Tower Case  ($50.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Apevia Prestige 800 W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply  ($66.98 @ Amazon)
Total: $991.32
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-02-02 07:44 EST-0500

 

AM5 7700X 8 Core System - For Performance Now, with a Look to the Future

 

For the AM5 build, I really struggled. The AM5 platform is still very expensive, with the cheapest reasonable motherboards coming in at over $160. But the AM5 platform should survive for the next few generations, meaning that you may be able to slot in a much more advanced 8000 or 9000 series AMD CPU in a few years. And while the 7700X only has 8 cores, it actually performs similarly to the 5900X in multicore, so its multitasking ability is comparable. The DDR5 memory should also greatly benefit compile times, meaning that it should be able to complete builds even faster than the 5900X does. However, this one does blow out the budget a bit, and I really don't see anywhere to save the money apart from downgrading to the Ryzen 5 7600, which isn't a bad CPU, but is only going to give you the build performance of the 5700X while costing more and necessarily compromising on the GPU. (Note: if the possible 95C air-cooled temps bother you, Eco mode can fix that with a negligible performance hit. I just went with the 7700X because it was cheaper than the 7700)

 

PCPartPicker Part List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/3ZNxJM

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7700X 4.5 GHz 8-Core Processor  ($298.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler  ($35.90 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte B650M AORUS ELITE AX Micro ATX AM5 Motherboard  ($179.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Flare X5 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL36 Memory  ($136.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Crucial P5 Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive  ($89.99 @ B&H)
Video Card: ASRock Challenger D Radeon RX 6600 8 GB Video Card  ($224.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cougar MX330-X ATX Mid Tower Case  ($50.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Apevia Prestige 800 W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply  ($66.98 @ Amazon)
Total: $1084.81
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-02-02 07:50 EST-0500

 

Intel 13700F 16 Core System - For Maximum Power! If You are Willing to Tweak in the BIOS for It...

 

I also did another pass with the Intel build, and was almost able to fit in the 13700F by downgrading the GPU and going with the Crucial SSD. This should give it better build times than the 5900X or 7700X systems if you unlock the power limits, as the 13700F is basically a locked 12900KF. When compared to the 7700X, it would probably trade blows - given that that comes armed with DDR5 while this only has DDR4. But generally, this is probably as much dev computer as you can get for around $1000... with a catch. You will need to unlock the power limits to get the full potential, and It will be a bit hard to cool with that Peerless Assassin if you unlock the power limits. But a bit of voltage offset undervolting and some power tuning to keep it within its efficiency window can remedy that and give you arguably the best system here.

 

PCPartPicker Part List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/r37GTn

CPU: Intel Core i7-13700F 2.1 GHz 16-Core Processor  ($379.98 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler  ($35.90 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B760M Pro RS/D4 Micro ATX LGA1700 Motherboard  ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Neo Forza FAYE 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory  ($69.99 @ Newegg Sellers)
Storage: Crucial P5 Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive  ($89.99 @ B&H)
Video Card: ASRock Challenger D Radeon RX 6600 8 GB Video Card  ($224.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cougar MX330-X ATX Mid Tower Case  ($50.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Apevia Prestige 800 W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply  ($66.98 @ Amazon)
Total: $1048.80
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-02-02 07:54 EST-0500

 

I hope these options are helpful!