Elite Dangerous: PC System Requirements & Best Hardware to Run It (2026)

Thinking about playing Elite Dangerous on PC and wondering what hardware you actually need? Elite Dangerous launched in April 2015 and has grown ever since, letting you take control of your own starship and blaze your trail across a 1:1 scale galaxy. It is a well-optimised, older space sim rather than a system-crusher — the official minimum spec asks for a quad-core CPU, 6 GB of RAM and a graphics card as old as a GeForce GTX 470 — so most modern PCs can already run it. This guide covers the official PC requirements for Elite Dangerous, the best GPU for each resolution, and complete build recommendations for 1080p, 1440p, 4K and VR.

How Demanding Is Elite Dangerous?

Elite Dangerous is light on PC hardware. It arrived in 2015 with modest requirements and its mix of combat, mining, trade and exploration still runs comfortably on budget parts today. The official minimum is a quad-core CPU at around 2 GHz, 6 GB of RAM and a GTX 470-class card; the official recommended spec only raises that to a Core i7-3770K or FX 4350, 8 GB of RAM and a GTX 770 / R9 280X. In practical terms, an entry-level modern card handles 1080p without trouble, and a mid-range GPU is more than enough for 1440p, 4K and VR. It is not a CPU-heavy simulation either, and because the game needs a broadband connection even in solo play, a stable internet link matters as much as raw processing power. The figures below are the developer’s own published specs.

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Elite Dangerous Official PC System Requirements

Source: the official Elite Dangerous Steam store listing (app 359320), checked October 2026. Publishers can update these specs after patches.

Best GPU for Elite Dangerous by Resolution

1080p

The official minimum — an Nvidia GTX 470 or AMD R7 240 — is enough to get into the game at 1080p on lower settings, and the official recommended GTX 770 / R9 280X is a realistic target for higher settings. Any current entry-level card clears both easily: the AMD Radeon RX 7600 sits well above the recommended spec, so it gives you comfortable headroom at 1080p and room to raise settings.

1440p

At 1440p you are pushing more than twice the pixels of 1080p, but Elite Dangerous is still a light game to render. Modern mid-range options such as an RTX 5060 Ti or RX 9060 XT are already far above the official recommendation, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER is comfortably above what Elite Dangerous needs at 1440p — a sensible pick if you also want high refresh rates or plan to move into VR.

4K

Even at 4K, Elite Dangerous is far lighter than a modern AAA release; the pixel count is the only real pressure here. A GeForce RTX 5070, Radeon RX 9070 or the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER all have ample power for Elite Dangerous at 4K with settings turned up, and they are the class of card to consider if you want to play in VR or keep the GPU for newer titles.

CPU, RAM and Storage for Elite Dangerous

Elite Dangerous is not a CPU-bound game. The official minimum is any quad-core processor running at roughly 2 GHz, and the recommended Intel Core i7-3770K or AMD FX 4350 are both more than a decade old, so virtually every desktop CPU sold today exceeds the requirement. That said, if you are building a new PC that will also play modern titles, the AMD Ryzen 5 7600 is a strong value pick, the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D is one of the fastest gaming CPUs available, and Intel buyers can look at the Intel Core i5-14600K. All three are far beyond what Elite Dangerous alone demands.

For memory, the official figures are 6 GB minimum and 8 GB recommended, so 16 GB is already a comfortable cushion for the game, your operating system and a browser in the background. A Corsair Vengeance DDR5 32GB kit is more than Elite Dangerous needs, but it makes sense if the same machine has to run heavier games.

Storage is simple: the game needs 25 GB of free space, and an SSD is recommended over a mechanical drive to keep loading between systems quick. An Samsung 990 Pro 2TB NVMe SSD is far larger than this one game requires, and a sensible choice if you want your whole library on fast storage.

Recommended PC Builds for Elite Dangerous

1080p budget build: AMD Radeon RX 7600 + AMD Ryzen 5 7600 + 16 GB DDR5 — considerably more than the official recommended spec, and comfortable for high settings at 1080p.

1440p sweet-spot build: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER + AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D + 32 GB DDR5 + 2TB NVMe SSD — plenty for 1440p in Elite Dangerous, with headroom left for VR and newer games.

4K high-end build: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER + AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D + 32 GB DDR5 + fast NVMe SSD — for 4K and for high-refresh VR, where the extra GPU power genuinely helps.

Is It Worth Upgrading Your PC for Elite Dangerous?

Because Elite Dangerous is light by modern standards, it is rarely a reason to rebuild a whole PC. If you are already above the official minimum, the game will run; the upgrade that changes the experience most is the graphics card, so start there if you have to choose. A CPU from the last several years will not hold back a modern GPU in this game, so you can usually keep your existing processor and motherboard. If you are below the official minimum — an old dual-core, 4 GB of RAM or older integrated graphics — then a modest current entry-level card plus 8 GB or more of memory is enough to get you flying. Moving the game to an SSD and making sure your broadband connection is stable are the cheapest improvements, and they matter here because Elite Dangerous is an online game even in solo mode.

Can You Play Elite Dangerous on a Laptop or Handheld?

Yes — Elite Dangerous is one of the easier games to run on a laptop. A modern gaming laptop with an entry-level discrete GPU, or a recent integrated GPU, can handle 1080p at sensible settings, though expect more heat and fan noise than a desktop. Handhelds such as the Steam Deck can run it at reduced settings, which makes it a good pick for playing on the move as long as you have an internet connection. If portability is the priority, look for a device with a decent GPU and an SSD rather than a mechanical drive, and remember that VR is a desktop-class workload.

How to Boost FPS in Elite Dangerous

If frame rates are lower than you would like, work down this list. First, check your resolution: Elite Dangerous scales well, and dropping from 4K to 1440p, or from 1440p to 1080p, is by far the biggest single gain — especially in VR. If the game’s graphics options offer an upscaling or render-scale setting and your GPU supports it, use it, as it usually costs very little image quality. Then lower the most demanding visual effects, such as shadows and post-processing, before adjusting texture quality, which mostly affects memory use. Keep your GPU drivers current, close background applications, and install the game on an SSD so loading between systems stays quick. A stable, slightly lower setting almost always feels better than a maxed-out one that stutters.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can my PC run Elite Dangerous?

If your PC meets the official minimum — a quad-core CPU at around 2 GHz, 6 GB of RAM, a DirectX 11 card such as a GeForce GTX 470 or Radeon R7 240, and 25 GB of free space — it can run Elite Dangerous. For the recommended experience, the developer lists an Intel Core i7-3770K or AMD FX 4350, 8 GB of RAM and a GeForce GTX 770 or Radeon R9 280X. Nearly every PC sold in the last several years clears those numbers, so the more useful question is what resolution and settings you want.

Is Elite Dangerous demanding on PC?

No. Elite Dangerous is a 2015 title with modest requirements, and it runs well on entry-level and mid-range hardware at 1080p and beyond. The most demanding way to play it is in VR, where you render the game twice at a high refresh rate.

What GPU do I need for Elite Dangerous at 1440p 60fps?

The official recommended GPU for Elite Dangerous is a GeForce GTX 770 or Radeon R9 280X, a 2013-era class of card. Anything modern at that level or above — an RTX 5060, an RX 9060 XT, or the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER — has far more power than the game needs at 1440p, and gives you room for VR or newer titles.

How much RAM does Elite Dangerous need?

The official minimum is 6 GB and the recommended amount is 8 GB, so 16 GB is already more than the game requires and leaves room for other applications. If you are building a new PC for a wider library of games, 32 GB is a comfortable long-term choice, but Elite Dangerous itself will not use it.

Do I need an SSD for Elite Dangerous?

No — the official requirement is 25 GB of available storage, and a mechanical drive works. That said, an SSD noticeably shortens load times when jumping between systems and is worth having; an NVMe drive like the Samsung 990 Pro is ideal if you want your whole library on fast storage.