If you want to play at a decent level right now, you need fast hardware. However, it has become more complicated than ever to put together a strong gaming setup for your PC. Because in addition to high prices, Windows 11 particularly makes it difficult for users.
Good hardware for computers has never been cheap. But in the current situation, where graphics cards are being sold for thousands of euros on eBay, it has become more complicated than ever to play reasonably at somewhat fair prices.
Because those who want to buy hardware for their gaming PC today have to dig deep into their pockets.
But even the alternative of relying on old and cheap hardware does not look very promising. Because those who hope to get by with their old hardware in the coming years will sooner or later fail to meet the requirements for Windows 11.
You currently have to pay at least 400 euros or more for graphics cards
This is the problem: At the moment, neither AMD nor Nvidia have released a graphics card for little money. Both manufacturers are currently looking for buyers in the mid-range market.
Right now, you have to spend at least 400 euros or more for a new graphics card:
- You can get AMD’s Radeon RX 6600 XT, currently the smallest Radeon graphics card, for at least 420 euros. Prices are now more around 500 euros.
- Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 3060 officially starts at 329 euros, but prices are also at least 650 euros here.
For many users, the prices for graphics cards are simply too high. Many are therefore looking for graphics cards for budget gamers. Because many users do not want to spend more than 300 euros on a graphics card, which is difficult at the moment.
This applies not only to us buyers in Germany but especially to countries where people cannot spend so much money on gaming. People in countries like India or Brazil prefer affordable over high-performance graphics cards. The main thing is that they can still play current titles decently with the cards.
This is what many are hoping for: Until now, AMD has been known for being able to put Nvidia under pressure in the entry-level segment with budget graphics cards that offer excellent value for money. Many are now hoping that Intel will release high-performance graphics cards under 300 euros and force AMD and Nvidia to rethink.
Windows 11 forces users to rely on modern hardware
This is the problem: Windows 11 requires Trusted Platform Module 2.0 (TPM) as a necessity. Especially older processors do not yet support TPM 2.0 but often only TPM 1.2.
You can install Windows 11 on an old PC, but you will not receive security updates if you use outdated hardware. That is unlikely to be a long-term alternative for users who regularly use their computers online.
This also affects computer hardware that you can still use for gaming without any problems, but which Microsoft no longer officially supports. AMD and Nvidia also recently stated that there would be no official support for Windows 11 for older graphics cards.
If you are still relying on an older graphics card or an older processor, then Windows 11 is likely to cause problems for you.
So if you want to install Windows 11 on your computer in the future, you will either have to buy new hardware or a new computer. You are thus more or less forced to invest money in new hardware.
At least there is some relief here, as you can still use Windows 10 without any problems until October 14, 2025: That is when official support for Windows 10 by Microsoft ends. Perhaps by then the hardware shortage will have eased or Nvidia and AMD will release reasonably priced graphics cards.
Are there alternatives? One alternative would be to buy a next-gen console to at least bridge the current situation somewhat reasonably. But even the PS5 and Xbox Series X are hardly available anywhere. At least the Series X is currently available, and it’s worth it if you want to play:
