I’ve had the pleasure of playing with the 4K Argus 4 Pro color night vision camera for a few weeks at this point and it is hands down the best night vision I have ever seen, but besides that it’s everything I’ve wanted in a solar/battery camera for years.

Traditionally Wi-Fi/battery cameras I’ve so far tried, you’re tied into either a cloud service or local recording only. The Argus 4 Pro lets you use a NAS, SD card, FTP, and an Reolink Home Hub. I’ve currently got mine recording to SD and an FTP.

The unit connects via Wi-Fi 6 and can be powered by a solar panel and the battery or via USB-C power. I was using the solar panel until last week and it had no issues keeping the unit at 100% ever time I checked.

It’s got 180 degree video from two cameras stitched together extremely well (until your face is right on the camera and then you’ll see in video 3) and it just seems to work.

I should probably preface the videos below with there is no spotlight. That’s over light saturated front and center tree, two areas of light on the ground from other sources, but it’s dark when viewed.

I am re-mounting the camera in the front of my house as soon as I can figure out where to place the solar panel to try and catch some of the neighborhood weirdness, and I am taking requests for challenges against this camera which I will post here.

My Argus 4 Pro survived two rather major storms / getting blown off the shelter where I had placed it (without using mounting hardware) and a bird deciding it was a fine couch.

I’m not sure if the distance relays from the videos very well, but the house on the right in the middle of it is where my Wi-Fi is located and the Reolink Argus 4 Pro never seemed to have any issues being near the back of the yard.

Night coloring of faces is not perfect, but it’s so much better than any IR camera I’ve seen. And the ability to see people and things in other people’s yards without a spotlight being turned on is insane (also a reason I don’t have a lot of video to share, I need to point it elsewhere.)

There’s a launch day special going on at the moment where the camera and setup I received is $179 USD, which appears $20 off. My email says the base price is $239 so not entirely sure what’s going on there but it’s worth it at either price. The price is going to be whatever the link says.

You can grab the Reolink Argus 4 Pro at Reolink, Amazon, and wherever fine solar/battery color 4K night vision cameras are sold.

I didn’t catch anything interesting on video during testing, wish I could have caught a deer, burglar, or some such. I will be doing more testing with this as the camera is getting put into permanent rotation if it can handle the rigors of constantly being triggered out front.

Cut and paste Reolink 4 Pro press release follows

Reolink Announces Argus 4 Pro 

World’s 1st Day & Night Color Vision Home Security Camera

Reolink Argus 4 Pro sets a new standard in the industry with 180-degree blindspot-free images and all-day color vision in 4K UHD resolution.

Wilmington, Del., June 10th, 2024 –  Reolink, a renowned home security solution provider, is proud to unveil its newest addition to the Argus camera lineup: Argus 4 Pro. Engineered with proprietary cutting-edge technology and user-centric features, the Argus 4 Pro redefines home and business surveillance with its unmatched combination of 4K UHD 180° blindspot-free view and all-day color vision. The new Argus 4 Pro gives users extra peace of mind with a single wide panoramic view in vivid color that they can access remotely to keep an eye on their properties anytime, anywhere. 

The Argus 4 Pro sets a new standard with its dual 4mm lenses, achieving an expansive 180° ultra-wide-angle view in 4K UHD resolution. This Reolink innovation surpasses the industry norm by concentrating pixels more densely, ensuring the finest image clarity. Argus 4 Pro seamlessly integrates dual lenses to not only deliver a blindspot-free view but also to enhance detailed image capture, overcoming significant image distortion challenges associated with Dual-Image Stitching Technology. The advanced algorithms developed for the Argus 4 Pro minimize distortion and cover every possible unseen area, ensuring a seamless and clear panoramic view.

Reolink’s industry-leading ColorX technology ensures the camera catches the light as much as possible. In low light conditions, the Argus 4 Pro can shoot full-color images with no need for infrared lights or spotlights, delivering nighttime images bright and vivid as the daytime ones. The Argus 4 Pro transcends the limitations of traditional IR night cameras and results in saving 2W/h power consumption when the camera is in night vision mode. The embedded Reolink ColorX technology contributes to a 30% more battery life comparing with other IR 4K UHD resolution cameras at a night condition*. 

The Argus 4 Pro sets the pace with its incorporation of Dual-Band Wi-Fi 6 technology, marking it as the first-ever battery-powered home security camera with the most smooth 4K streaming experience. This innovation leaps forward in wireless connection, ensuring that even amidst numerous devices, the camera data transfers with lightning speed, enabling real-time previews and swift recording downloads that are both smooth and highly detailed.

Privacy is paramount at Reolink, with robust security measures in place to safeguard users’ personal data. Reolink’s commitment to privacy means providing end-to-end encryption, customizable privacy settings, and diverse data storage options—all without any subscription fees. 

Key Features:

• 4K UHD 180° blindspot-free View
• All-day Color Vision
• 30% More Battery Life
• Wi-Fi 6 Ready, Smooth 4K Streaming
• Easy Installation Everywhere
• Enhanced Smart Detection with Accurate Alerts
• Diverse Local Storage (with support of 128GB SD card and Reolink Home Hub)
• Remote Access Anytime Anywhere
•  24-Hour Battery in Just 10 Mins of Charge

“The Argus 4 Pro represents the next evolution in smart home security,” said  Fabrice Klohoun, Marketing Manager at Reolink. “With its advanced features and robust privacy protections, it offers unmatched surveillance experience and peace of mind to our customers.”

It is now available for purchase on Reolink.com and Amazon. To learn more about the Reolink Argus 4 Pro and Reolink’s full range of smart home security solutions and services, visit Reolink.com.

 *Testing in specific lab conditions.

About Reolink

Reolink offers smart security solutions for homes and businesses, aiming for a seamless security experience with its wide range of products. Serving millions globally, it provides video surveillance and protection, standing out for its commitment to security technology innovation. Learn more about Reolink’s offerings at Reolink.com.

The Argus 4 Pro color night vision camera is here and it’s just great by Paul E King first appeared on Pocketables.

I’ve had the pleasure of playing with the 4K Argus 4 Pro color night vision camera for a few weeks at this point and it is hands down the best night vision I have ever seen, but besides that it’s everything I’ve wanted in a solar/battery camera for years.

Traditionally Wi-Fi/battery cameras I’ve so far tried, you’re tied into either a cloud service or local recording only. The Argus 4 Pro lets you use a NAS, SD card, FTP, and an Reolink Home Hub. I’ve currently got mine recording to SD and an FTP.

The unit connects via Wi-Fi 6 and can be powered by a solar panel and the battery or via USB-C power. I was using the solar panel until last week and it had no issues keeping the unit at 100% ever time I checked.

It’s got 180 degree video from two cameras stitched together extremely well (until your face is right on the camera and then you’ll see in video 3) and it just seems to work.

I should probably preface the videos below with there is no spotlight. That’s over light saturated front and center tree, two areas of light on the ground from other sources, but it’s dark when viewed.

I am re-mounting the camera in the front of my house as soon as I can figure out where to place the solar panel to try and catch some of the neighborhood weirdness, and I am taking requests for challenges against this camera which I will post here.

My Argus 4 Pro survived two rather major storms / getting blown off the shelter where I had placed it (without using mounting hardware) and a bird deciding it was a fine couch.

I’m not sure if the distance relays from the videos very well, but the house on the right in the middle of it is where my Wi-Fi is located and the Reolink Argus 4 Pro never seemed to have any issues being near the back of the yard.

Night coloring of faces is not perfect, but it’s so much better than any IR camera I’ve seen. And the ability to see people and things in other people’s yards without a spotlight being turned on is insane (also a reason I don’t have a lot of video to share, I need to point it elsewhere.)

There’s a launch day special going on at the moment where the camera and setup I received is $179 USD, which appears $20 off. My email says the base price is $239 so not entirely sure what’s going on there but it’s worth it at either price. The price is going to be whatever the link says.

You can grab the Reolink Argus 4 Pro at Reolink, Amazon, and wherever fine solar/battery color 4K night vision cameras are sold.

I didn’t catch anything interesting on video during testing, wish I could have caught a deer, burglar, or some such. I will be doing more testing with this as the camera is getting put into permanent rotation if it can handle the rigors of constantly being triggered out front.

Cut and paste Reolink 4 Pro press release follows

Reolink Announces Argus 4 Pro 

World’s 1st Day & Night Color Vision Home Security Camera

Reolink Argus 4 Pro sets a new standard in the industry with 180-degree blindspot-free images and all-day color vision in 4K UHD resolution.

Wilmington, Del., June 10th, 2024 –  Reolink, a renowned home security solution provider, is proud to unveil its newest addition to the Argus camera lineup: Argus 4 Pro. Engineered with proprietary cutting-edge technology and user-centric features, the Argus 4 Pro redefines home and business surveillance with its unmatched combination of 4K UHD 180° blindspot-free view and all-day color vision. The new Argus 4 Pro gives users extra peace of mind with a single wide panoramic view in vivid color that they can access remotely to keep an eye on their properties anytime, anywhere. 

The Argus 4 Pro sets a new standard with its dual 4mm lenses, achieving an expansive 180° ultra-wide-angle view in 4K UHD resolution. This Reolink innovation surpasses the industry norm by concentrating pixels more densely, ensuring the finest image clarity. Argus 4 Pro seamlessly integrates dual lenses to not only deliver a blindspot-free view but also to enhance detailed image capture, overcoming significant image distortion challenges associated with Dual-Image Stitching Technology. The advanced algorithms developed for the Argus 4 Pro minimize distortion and cover every possible unseen area, ensuring a seamless and clear panoramic view.

Reolink’s industry-leading ColorX technology ensures the camera catches the light as much as possible. In low light conditions, the Argus 4 Pro can shoot full-color images with no need for infrared lights or spotlights, delivering nighttime images bright and vivid as the daytime ones. The Argus 4 Pro transcends the limitations of traditional IR night cameras and results in saving 2W/h power consumption when the camera is in night vision mode. The embedded Reolink ColorX technology contributes to a 30% more battery life comparing with other IR 4K UHD resolution cameras at a night condition*. 

The Argus 4 Pro sets the pace with its incorporation of Dual-Band Wi-Fi 6 technology, marking it as the first-ever battery-powered home security camera with the most smooth 4K streaming experience. This innovation leaps forward in wireless connection, ensuring that even amidst numerous devices, the camera data transfers with lightning speed, enabling real-time previews and swift recording downloads that are both smooth and highly detailed.

Privacy is paramount at Reolink, with robust security measures in place to safeguard users’ personal data. Reolink’s commitment to privacy means providing end-to-end encryption, customizable privacy settings, and diverse data storage options—all without any subscription fees. 

Key Features:

• 4K UHD 180° blindspot-free View
• All-day Color Vision
• 30% More Battery Life
• Wi-Fi 6 Ready, Smooth 4K Streaming
• Easy Installation Everywhere
• Enhanced Smart Detection with Accurate Alerts
• Diverse Local Storage (with support of 128GB SD card and Reolink Home Hub)
• Remote Access Anytime Anywhere
•  24-Hour Battery in Just 10 Mins of Charge

“The Argus 4 Pro represents the next evolution in smart home security,” said  Fabrice Klohoun, Marketing Manager at Reolink. “With its advanced features and robust privacy protections, it offers unmatched surveillance experience and peace of mind to our customers.”

It is now available for purchase on Reolink.com and Amazon. To learn more about the Reolink Argus 4 Pro and Reolink’s full range of smart home security solutions and services, visit Reolink.com.

 *Testing in specific lab conditions.

About Reolink

Reolink offers smart security solutions for homes and businesses, aiming for a seamless security experience with its wide range of products. Serving millions globally, it provides video surveillance and protection, standing out for its commitment to security technology innovation. Learn more about Reolink’s offerings at Reolink.com.

The Argus 4 Pro color night vision camera is here and it’s just great by Paul E King first appeared on Pocketables.

When Walmart launched its Onn 4K media streamer in 2021, the $30 box box was one of the cheapest Android TV devices available. The company followed up a few months later with an even cheaper 1080p model, and Walmart has released several updates since then that drop prices even lower, while adding support for new […]

The post Walmart’s new Onn 4K Google TV streamer is a $50 box with an upgraded processor, memory, storage, and ports appeared first on Liliputing.

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The sheer number of computer monitors on the market is enough to intimidate anyone lookin to add one to their workspace or gaming rig. Plus, the technology has evolved rapidly even in just the past year alone with OLED Flex, QD-OLED and built-in smart platforms becoming more prevalent in new monitors. That’s on top of big improvements in things like color accuracy, image quality, size and resolution as well. But fear not, Engadget can help you make sense of the computer monitor space and help you decide which monitors (or, at the very least, type of monitor) is right for you. Whether you’re a business user, a content creator, a multitasker or into competitive gaming, you have plenty of options to choose from and we’ve outline our top picks below.

Factors to consider

Panel type

The cheapest monitors are still TN (twisted nematic), which are strictly for gamers or office use. VA (vertical alignment) monitors are also relatively cheap, while offering good brightness and a high contrast ratio. However, content creators will find that IPS (in-plane switching) LCD displays deliver better color accuracy, picture quality and viewing angles.

If maximum brightness is important, a quantum dot LCD display is the way to go — those are typically found in larger displays. OLED monitors are now available and offer the best blacks and color reproduction, but they lack the brightness of LED or quantum dot displays. Plus, they cost a lot. The latest type of OLED monitor, called QD-OLED from Samsung, just came out in 2022. The most notable advantage is that it can get a lot brighter, with monitors shown at CES 2022 hitting up to 1,000 nits of peak brightness.

MiniLEDs are now widely used in high-end displays. They’re similar to quantum dot tech, but as the name suggests, it uses smaller LED diodes that are just 0.2mm in diameter. As such, manufacturers can pack in up to three times more LEDs with more local dimming zones, delivering deeper blacks and better contrast.

Screen size, resolution and display format

In this day and age, screen size rules. Where 24-inch displays used to be more or less standard (and can still be useful for basic computing), 27-, 32-, 34- and even 42-inch displays have become popular for entertainment, content creation and even gaming these days.

Nearly every monitor used to be 16:9, but it’s now possible to find 16:10 and other more exotic display shapes. On the gaming and entertainment side, we’re also seeing curved and ultrawide monitors with aspect ratios like 21:9. If you do decide to buy an ultrawide display, however, keep in mind that a 30-inch 21:9 model is the same height as a 24-inch monitor, so you might end up with a smaller display than you expected. As a rule of thumb, add 25 percent to the size of a 21:9 monitor to get the vertical height you’d expect from a model with a 16:9 aspect ratio.

A 4K monitor is nearly a must for content creators, and some folks are even going for 5K or all the way up to 8K. Keep in mind, though, that you’ll need a pretty powerful computer to drive all those sharp pixels. And 4K resolution should be paired with a screen size of 27 inches and up, or you won’t notice much difference between 1440p. At the same time, I wouldn’t get a model larger than 27 inches unless it’s 4K, as you’ll start to see pixelation if you’re working up close to the display.

One new category to consider is portable monitors designed to be carried and used with laptops. Those typically come in 1080p resolutions and sizes from 13-15 inches. They usually have a lightweight kickstand-type support that folds up to keep things compact.

Samsung

HDR

HDR is the buzzy monitor feature to have these days, as it adds vibrancy to entertainment and gaming – but be careful before jumping in. Some monitors that claim HDR on the marketing materials don’t even conform to a base standard. To be sure that a display at least meets minimum HDR specs, you’ll want to choose one with a DisplayHDR rating with each tier representing maximum brightness in nits.

However, the lowest DisplayHDR 400 and 500 tiers may disappoint you with a lack of brightness, washed out blacks and mediocre color reproduction. If you can afford it, the best monitor to choose is a model with DisplayHDR 600, 1000 or True Black 400, True Black 500 and True Black 600. The True Black settings are designed primarily for OLED models, with maximum black levels at .0005 nits.

Where televisions typically offer HDR10 and Dolby Vision or HDR10+, most PC monitors only support the HDR10 standard, other than a few (very expensive) models. That doesn’t matter much for content creation or gaming, but HDR streaming on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and other services won’t look quite as punchy. In addition, the best gaming monitors are usually the ones supporting HDR600 (and up), rather than content creation monitors – with a few exceptions. 

Refresh rate

Refresh rate is a key feature, particularly on gaming monitors. A bare minimum nowadays is 60Hz, and 80Hz and higher refresh rates are much easier on the eyes. However, most 4K displays top out at 60Hz with some rare exceptions and the HDMI 2.0 spec only supports 4K at 60Hz, so you’d need at least DisplayPort 1.4 (4K at 120Hz) or HDMI 2.1. The latter is now available on a number of monitors, particularly gaming displays. However, it’s only supported on the latest NVIDIA RTX 3000- and 4000-series, AMD RX 6000-series GPUs.

Inputs

There are essentially three types of modern display inputs: Thunderbolt, DisplayPort and HDMI. Most monitors built for PCs come with the latter two, while a select few (typically built for Macs) will use Thunderbolt. To add to the confusion, USB-C ports may be Thunderbolt 3 and by extension, DisplayPort compatible, so you may need a USB-C to Thunderbolt or DisplayPort cable adapter depending on your display.

Color bit depth

Serious content creators should consider a more costly 10-bit monitor that can display billions of colors. If budget is an issue, you can go for an 8-bit panel that can fake billions of colors via dithering (often spec’d as “8-bit + FRC”). For entertainment or business purposes, a regular 8-bit monitor that can display millions of colors will be fine.

Color gamut

The other aspect of color is the gamut. That expresses the range of colors that can be reproduced and not just the number of colors. Most good monitors these days can cover the sRGB and Rec.709 gamuts (designed for photos and video respectively). For more demanding work, though, you’ll want one that can reproduce more demanding modern gamuts like AdobeRGB, DCI-P3 and Rec.2020 gamuts, which encompass a wider range of colors. The latter two are often used for film projection and HDR, respectively.

Console gaming

Both the Xbox Series X and Sony’s PS5 can handle 4K 120Hz HDR gaming, so if you’re into resolution over pure speed, you’ll want a monitor that can keep up and provide the best gaming experience possible. 4K resolution, HDR and at least 120Hz is the minimum starting point, but fortunately there are 27-inch displays with those specs starting at well under $1,000.

Pricing and parts shortages

Though the pandemic has eased, monitor supply is still a bit tighter than pre-pandemic levels due to supply and demand issues. To that end, you may have trouble finding monitors at Amazon, B&H or elsewhere for the suggested retail price point. For our guide below, we’re basing our picks on the MSRP, as long as the street price doesn’t exceed that by more than $25.

Best monitors under $200

Best monitors under $400

Best monitors under $500

Best monitors under $1,000

(Information on Steam’s top games were gathered for this article from Steam Charts)

A couple of weeks ago I went through eight of the most popular Steam games at the time, and linked which Logical Increments PC build tier is needed to play that game at a specific performance level. Well, that proved to be a popular article, so I’m here to round out the list with more of Steam’s most successful titles (and maybe a couple trending ones)!

I strongly recommend also checking out the previous list, and even the much older list I made with similar goals way back in January 2020.

Something that surprised me as I went through the list last month was how closely linked 1440p resolution at 120 frames per second (1440p120) and 4K resolution at 60 frames per second (4K60) were. I guess it’s not too much of a surprise since 4K is more-or-less double the amount of pixels in 1440p, but I still found it intriguing that you could sometimes get away with a system that was one tier lower at 4K60 than the 1440p120 ones. In a way, it makes sense: lower frame rates tend to be more stable than higher frame rates, and your processor isn’t having to work as hard since only half the amount of frames are being generated.

And, as you’ll now see, that trend continues here!

Criteria:

As I mentioned in the previous article, Logical Increments keeps its primary tier list consistently updated, showing you the cost of building systems geared towards particular performance milestones. From the humble ‘Destitute’ system to the jaw-dropping ‘Monstrous’ setup, it shows what is attainable at each price point, offers a roadmap for some upgrading, and generally makes it convenient to knit together a balanced system with top-notch parts.

With that list in hand, we can match each of the most popular games on Steam right now with a Logical Increments tier. In this piece, I cross-referenced eight of the most played Steam games with our tier list to see what is required to hit 60 frames per second at 1080p (referenced as 1080p60), 120 frames per second at 1440p (referenced as 1440p120), and 60 frames per second at 4K (referenced as 4k60).

Back in the old 2020 version of this exercise, I stuck to certain non-negotiables for a system to land in a specific category. In this article and last month’s article, though, I made a few changes:

• The lion’s share of the time, we’re talking 99% or more, it had to cruise within 10% of the minimum frames per second or higher at the chosen resolution. So, I care more about the ‘minimum’ than the ‘average’ frames per second.
• It had to strut with at least very high graphical settings.

What should you do with this information? Find the games you play most often, or at least the games that interest you. Look at the resolution and frames per second you’re interested in, and (assuming you’re not bursting your budget), get the suggested tier for a satisfying, pleasant experience. You won’t have any regrets, as these systems have been vetted to ensure a proper balance of performance and price.

Now, let’s get on with what you came here for! On with the games!

Games:

Naraka: Bladepoint

We covered PUBG, Apex, and Warzone last month, and this is yetanother free-to-play battle royale game. I guess those are pretty popular at the moment? Anyway, this game differs from many others in that it features a melee-based combat system inspired by martial arts. There have been a few comparisons to Apex Legends, but it still stands out with a style that, according to former Rock Paper Shotgun writer Matt Cox, is a game where “fighting game aficionados will feel right at home” with its mix of combos and rock-paper-scissors-style combat. Cox summarizes, “charged attacks beat normal attacks, parries beat charged attacks, and normal attacks beat parries”. But what do you need to run the game? Well, according to its Steam page, it “requires ‘Windows Memory integrity and VBS enablement’ to be disabled.” That’s unusual. But, hey, it’s still popular.

Grand Theft Auto V

Explore the world of Los Santos and Blaine County! …Again! Team up with friends, do missions, go crazy! This game was released on Steam in April 2015, and it has maintained a high level of popularity throughout that time. It’s just a fun multiplayer game with friends. Nothing too stressful, nothing too competitive. So, what do you need to enjoy this level of mayhem? Considering how old the game is, I don’t think you need much. Heck, the minimum requirements include an Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 with a 9800 GT or HD 4870! One thing to consider throughout all of this is that MSAA is crazily hardware-intensive, so if you want to play with that enabled, jump up two tiers from my recommendations.

Battlefield V

Ah, another ‘V’. This first-person shooter interestingly reached its peak popularity for the year on the 27th of November. I wonder how much Modern Warfare 3 influenced that. Anyway, for a game that came out a few years ago, the graphics still hold up nicely and it’s just an all-round fun experience. For the most part anyway.

War Thunder

Even though it came out around 10 years ago in August 2013, War Thunder has been steadily rising in popularity. In fact, its most popular day was around late March or early May of this year. How crazy is that? As a military MMO, this game pays high attention to detail and focuses on realism and authenticity—at least as much as a game can be, whilst still being accessible. Still, it’s got plenty of planes, tanks, and ships.

Football Manager 2024

Well, this is a peculiar one. It doesn’t really need graphics power unless you want to watch your team run around in 3D—but even then the graphics are nothing amazing. Really, this is like a glorified spreadsheet, though I will say it’s become a little simpler and more friendly towards beginners than it used to be.

Warframe

Set sometime in the fairly distant future, Warframe has you team up with other crazy metal ninjas and slice and dice your way through thousands (if not tens of thousands) of enemies that are powerless to stop your onslaught. You can also breed pets, that will help you slice and dicce you way through thousands (if not tens of thousands) of enemies. Grind, collect loot, build more powerful weapons, get more powerful classes (which are also known as frames), and relax as you’ve sliced and diced your way through a million or so enemies and they keep coming back for more.

Tevi

I don’t know too much about this game, as it’s just been released within a day or so of me writing this (which probably accounts for it making its way into this list, by riding a wave of release traffic). But, according to its Steam page, it is self-described as a “bullet hell metroidvania.” Neat! Based on its art style and recommended specifications, I doubt it really requires anything significant considering it’s a 2D game.

Conclusion:

There we go, another list of Steam games completed! I find it a little interesting that the most popular games are mostly older games. I guess those of us suffering from the high prices of the newest and most powerful PC parts this year can be grateful that such popular titles are so easy to run (or maybe I’ve got the causation reversed there).

With rare exceptions such as Baldur’s Gate 3, the games I’ve covered in this article and the previous one are mostly several years old, if not older. Maybe there have only been a few really legendary multiplayer releases in the past few years. If true, that would go to show that a game with solid mechanics and a healthy multiplayer scene really can trump the latest and greatest tech.

(Information on Steam’s top games were gathered for this article from Steam Charts)

Back in January 2020, I crafted a neat little piece discussing the Logical Increments tier needed to enjoy each of the top games on Steam at the time. Fast forward to now, and oh, how the scene has shifted! Back around that period, we were seeing trade tariffs causing a good bump in prices for PC hardware​. As we ventured into late 2020, high demand meant the cost of PC parts kept climbing, and 2021 brought even higher prices—especially for graphics cards due to a cryptocurrency boom. Oh, and let’s not forget, the world was just getting acquainted with Covid-19, adding a whole new level of complexity to tech market dynamics through supply chain issues.

Now, at the tail end of 2023, with prices and availability having normalized in some (though not all) component categories, and just a week left until Black Friday and Cyber Monday, it’s about time we take a fresh look at what Logical Increments PC building tier you’d need to dive into the most popular Steam games today. Let’s see what changed in the last few years, and whether that ol’ system still has some life in it, or whether it might be worth a little upgrade. Stick around as we unpack the current gaming demands and discuss today’s tech landscape.
 

Criteria:

Logical Increments keeps its primary tier list consistently updated, showing you the cost of building systems geared towards particular performance milestones. From the humble ‘Destitute’ system to the jaw-dropping ‘Monstrous’ setup, it shows what is attainable at each price point, offers a roadmap for some upgrading, and generally makes it convenient to knit together a balanced system with top-notch parts.

With that list in hand, we can match each of the most popular games on Steam right now with a Logical Increments tier. In this piece, I cross-referenced the 8 most played Steam games with our tier list to see what is required to hit 60 frames per second at 1080p (referenced as 1080p60), 120 frames per second at 1440p (referenced as 1440p120), and 60 frames per second at 4K (referenced as 4k60).

Last time, I stuck to two non-negotiables for a system to land in a specific category. This time I made a few changes:

• The lion’s share of the time, we’re talking 99% or more, it had to cruise within 10% of the minimum frames per second or higher at the chosen resolution. So, I care more about the ‘minimum’ than the ‘average’ frames per second.
• It had to strut with at least very high graphical settings.

What should you do with this information? Find the games you play most often, or at least the games that interest you. Look at the resolution and frames per second you’re interested in, and (assuming you’re not bursting your budget), get the suggested tier for a satisfying, pleasant experience. You won’t have any regrets, as these systems have been vetted to ensure a proper balance of performance and price.

Now, let’s get on with what you came here for! On with the games!

Games:

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2 is the freshest iteration in the cherished Counter-Strike series, known for its intense competitive gameplay that’s been honed by Valve (and then by millions of players worldwide over two decades). Built on the Source 2 engine, this game was released on September 27, 2023, 11 years after CS:GO. Interestingly, even though it had a massive graphical upgrade and several systems were overhauled (to the disappointment of some), the minimum specifications haven’t really changed that much. Really, any gaming computer built in the last 5 years would be able to run this at 1080p60 without any issues. But I digress. Here are my recommendations:

DotA 2

Another Source 2 engine game. Last time, I said that “the multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) Dota 2 was officially released in 2013, and quickly rose in ranks to become one of the most popular games on Steam. Allowing for a range of different gameplay styles, such as strategical and tactical or more aggressive, you can play the game almost any way you want. It has a fairly steep learning curve, and can be an exercise in frustration for newcomers, but once you get the hang of the controls you’ll be greeted with fun, exciting gameplay.” Not much has changed on that front, so let’s see if the recommendations have changed:

PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG)

Released in late 2017, this battle royale game catapulted to the top of Steam’s most popular games, and it hasn’t really dropped from the list. Thankfully, it’s a lot more stable to run these days; in the early years, there were stability and optimisation problems, but hey, that’s now mostly a worry of the past.

Baldur’s Gate 3

A role-playing game released in early August, 2023. Baldur’s Gate 3 received high praise for its narrative, gameplay, and player choice. It has a fantastic amount of flexibility and replayability. You really can play this game any way you want. Its popularity has surprised its creators though, with a peak of around 800,000 players on release, and a current count still above 100,000 months later. The suggestions below include using upscaling technology in the game’s settings; if you don’t want to use it, I suggest going up a tier or two.

Apex Legends

Apex Legends is a battle royale game released in February 2019. Though it’s another game built on the Source engine, it isn’t similar to Counter-Strike 2 and Dota 2 because the engine of Apex Legends is a fork of the original Source engine from around the time Portal 2 came out. I’d argue that Apex Legends is really pushing the original Source engine to its limits, so I’m interested to see how well it performs on lower-tier systems. Without further ado, let’s check out the recommendations:

Team Fortress 2

Last time, I said that it’s “nearly impossible to get good data on how well current GPUs run this game.” And you know what? That still holds true today, thanks to the age of the game. Team Fortress 2 has been running for around 15 years, and still has popularity and longevity. Which makes perfect sense to me; it’s a great game! My only question is about how well-supported current-generation graphics cards are, comparatively. So, with some interpolation of available data, here are the choices I’ve made:

Call of Duty

So, this part encompasses Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III, Modern Warfare II, and Warzone. Having both solid single-player campaigns and a “multiplayer combat arena with battle royales, resurgence and DMZ” this game, whose earliest member came out in 2022, does require a powerful system to get the most out of it. I definitely recommend using upscaling tech like DLSS or FSR if the visual artifacts don’t bother you.

The Finals

A really recent entry, The Finals is a new shooter game that’s just been released. As in, I was typing this section the day The Finals was released (in open beta) so there’s not a huge amount of information available yet. To further exacerbate this situation, the system requirements on Steam all say TBD. Lovely. But that doesn’t mean there’s zero info, and we can extrapolate data from similar games and similar engines as well. Anyway, this game is much more arcade-like, and has some really solid destruction physics. Keep in mind though that at present this is in beta, so stability and optimisation isn’t the best yet (and may not be the devs’ current priority).

Conclusion:

Something that surprised me was that for the most part, 4k60 required the same tier as 1440p120, or sometimes even the tier below. Personally, I prefer 1440p120 over 4k60—but for slower, single-player games it’s worth knowing. Nonetheless, whether you are chasing the thrill of multiplayer games like The Finals or Apex Legends, or getting immersed in the narrative of Baldur’s Gate 3, getting the right hardware is instrumental to a good experience.

It’s not just enough to look at the average frame rates, but the minimum you’ll get as well. You want to ensure the experience stays smooth, which is what my analysis has done here. It is fantastic that most of these games don’t require powerful hardware. You can get a fully enjoyable experience at 1080p60 with a fairly budget-oriented system. So, even though games continue to evolve and push new heights with new releases and updated versions, you can still be assured that your old favourites will be hanging around for years to come, and that you’ll have the system to run them.

Sources

• Gamers Nexus – Coronavirus Hits PC Hardware Manufacturing Hard: Z490, AM4, & Computex
• HowManyFPS – FPS Calculator for Hardware, PCs, and Laptops
• PC Gamer – Larian’s boss worried Baldur’s Gate 3 had peaked in early access, so its massive 800K concurrent player launch was ‘way, way beyond’ expectations
• PCGamesN – The Finals system requirements
• RockPaperShotgun – Baldur’s Gate 3 system requirements, PC performance, and best settings to use
• Steam – Call of Duty Store Page
• SteamCharts – Top Games List
• TechPowerUp – Counter-Strike 2 Performance Benchmark Review – 40 GPUs Tested