So, you have heard about the Witcher 3. The game that turned relatively unknown Polish game development studio CD Projekt Red into a billion dollar company. Acclaimed as the best game of all times, winner of over 120 awards, the best graphics, the best story, the best physics, the best soundtrack...
There is but one small problem. Your thin & light laptop you bought for 400€ from an electronics store 4 years ago would probably catch on fire, if you tried running the Witcher 3 on it.
So is there any way to play it without breaking the bank? Yes, there is. It involves modernizing an old desktop. And you will be surprised how cheap it is. The whole setup (including mouse, keyboard, monitor AND a copy of the game is still cheaper than a copy of the game purchased in PlayStation store).
The best part is that anyone can do it. Unlike many other guides on the internet, my guide doesn't require any pre-existing knowledge of computer hardware.
And it's not a one-time deal that someone was able to find. The parts are readily available all over the world, and the links below should work for most European countries (but even if they don't you will be able to find identical parts locally).
So let's take a look at those prices:
- Base Tower ~12€
Look for any 'Dell Optiplex' from 300-, 600- and 700- series (for example Dell Optiplex 330 or Dell Optiplex 780 etc.)
And make sure it is WITHOUT 'USFF' in name (SF/SFF is fine).
So Dell Optiplex 740 SFF will be good, but Dell Optiplex 360 USFF will NOT.
The example here is Dell Optiplex 620 SFF, that costs 7€+7€ for shipping to Germany, Poland, Czech Republic and some other EU countries. There is 'buy it now' option, but you can also haggle for price. So getting a package deal for 6€+6€ instead of 7€+7€ is achievable.
- Processor ~2.50€
If the system you found does not include any dual core processor (Pentium D/Pentium Dual Core/Core 2 Duo) - those can be bought for as cheap as 1€ (locally)
If you are unsure about compatibility, there is no need to worry. Just look for 'Pentium D 945'. It's compatible with pretty much any old Dell Optiplex, offers acceptable performance and costs just 2.50€ with free worldwide shipping.
- Four sticks of 1GB RAM (4GB in total) ~5.8€
The most common and the cheapest way is to go with sticks marked as PC2-6400 or PC2-6400U.
Any other letters at the end (like PC2-6400P, PC2-6400F, PC2-6400B etc. indicate a server RAM and you should NOT buy them).
- Graphics card ~13.50€
Those are your cheapest options:
- Nvidia GT 430
- AMD Radeon HD 5570
- Nvidia Quadro 600.
Those cards offer a very good value for money, considering they will run the Witcher 3 on lowest details. The game will look even worse than on PS4 and Xbox One.
But it will still look great, and will be perfectly playable from start to finish.
If your Dell Optiplex has "SF" or "SFF" in name, that stands for "Small Form Factor" (it means it's just smaller).
In this case your version of the graphics card will need to be "Low Profile".
GT 430 Low Profile will be the same as normal GT 430 in terms of technical specification, but will be physically narrower.
All of those mentioned above do come in low profile variants, so you can just see that it looks small enough, or consult the seller.
Here is how "low profile" graphics card looks like:
And here is how "normal" graphics card looks like:
Total for the PC - 33.80€
Wicher 3 - 30 PLN (~7€)
Game Of The Year Edition (includes all expansion packs and DLCs), new, in box. (Free shipping if you just need the code).
https://www.olx.pl/oferta/gra-plyta-wiedzmin-3-dziki-gon-edycja-gry-roku-nowa-CID99-IDogWfY.html
Mouse and keyboard (~3€)
https://www.ebay.de/itm/Mini-Wireless-Reachrageable-Keyboard-Built-in-Touchpad-for-PC-Laptop-Win7-Lot/113444992303?hash=item1a69d9352f%3Am%3AmiIjWmsK6Jf_7GX3V-xj_CA&LH_BIN=1
Monitor (not panoramic but flat-screen and includes a cable) - 5€
https://www.ebay.de/itm/LG-Flatron-L1910S-48-cm-19-Zoll-LCD-Monitor-Silber-und-Grau/132880890747?hash=item1ef0517b7b:g:yuoAAOSwQG5Zv93b:rk:1:pf:0&LH_BIN=1
Any Windows edition offers free trial for 90 days (more than enough to complete the game).
Total for the desktop PC, monitor, peripherals and Witcher 3 game - 48.50€
Just for reference if you were a console gamer and had to buy Witcher 3 Game Of The Year Edition from PlayStation Store, that would cost you 50€
https://store.playstation.com/de-de/product/EP4497-CUSA05573_00-00000000000GOTY3
And here comes the best part - it doesn't require any PC building skills. Your computer is pretty much ready as it is, you just need to add the RAM sticks, add the graphics card and replace the processor (if necessary - because of your Dell Optiplex already came with any dual core processor, that's not necessary).
- Adding RAM:
- Adding graphics card:
- Replacing the processor (all of computers mentioned above are on socket 775 so this tutorial is applicable):
Alternatively you can ask someone to do it for you. It is so much easier (and quicker) than building the PC from scratch, so you should be able to convince some IT student to help you.