Satisfactory PC Hardware Guide
Official requirements explained
The official minimum CPU is an Intel i5-3570 at 3.4 GHz with four cores. The listed GPU is an NVIDIA GTX 1650 or GTX 1050 Ti, or an AMD RX 470 or RX 570, with 8 GB of RAM and 20 GB of storage. On our tier scale, the GTX 1050 Ti sits in the older entry band, and the AMD FX-8350 is a very old entry-level processor. In practice, the minimum is the threshold for getting the game to run at all.
The official recommended CPU is a Ryzen 5 5600X or an i5-12400, with at least six physical cores. The recommended GPU is an NVIDIA RTX 2070 or AMD RX 5700, with 16 GB of RAM. The RX 5700 falls in the mainstream 1080p band on our scale, and the Ryzen 5 5600X and i5-12400 are modern mainstream processors. That gap matters: this game leans heavily on the processor, so the core count and CPU architecture in the recommended tier count for more than the GPU alone.
Both tiers list 20 GB of storage. The publisher does not list a requirement for an SSD, so this is a choice you make yourself. For RAM, 8 GB is the official minimum, but once factories grow and unit counts rise late in the game, 16 GB gives you much more headroom.
If your PC only meets the minimum, the game will usually start, but it will feel tight once the map expands. Meeting the recommended tier gives you a much more comfortable baseline.
Recommended builds for three budgets
The entry build pairs an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 4GB or GTX 1660 with a Ryzen 5 3500X or Core i5-10400F, plus 16 GB of RAM. It sits at the lower end of the official recommended requirements. It suits players on a tight budget who are willing to make compromises on graphics.
The mainstream build uses an AMD Radeon RX 5700 class GPU, such as an RX 5700 or RTX 2070, with a Ryzen 5 5600 or Core i5-12400 and 16 GB of RAM. This is the range that most closely matches the official recommended requirements and is the choice most players will be happiest with. If your budget allows, the processor is the part worth prioritising here.
The high-end build uses an AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT class GPU or better, paired with a Ryzen 7 7800X3D or Core i7-14700K and 32 GB of RAM. Because the bottleneck in this game often sits in the processor, the emphasis is on multi-core performance and large cache designs. This build suits players who want smooth performance in big factories at higher graphics settings.
Graphics settings with the biggest impact
In factory simulation games like this one, the most demanding options usually relate to unit counts and simulation. Crowd or unit density, physics simulation detail and view distance all fall into this group. These mostly load the processor, so if your frame pacing drops, adjust these first rather than only lowering resolution.
On the GPU side, the heaviest costs usually come from shadows, volumetric effects and ray tracing. Shadows and volumetrics are expensive in large factory scenes, and dialling them back often helps noticeably with little loss in visual quality. Ray tracing, where offered, rarely pays off enough in this genre to justify its cost, so most players leave it off.
Upscaling technologies such as DLSS, FSR and XeSS render at a lower internal resolution and then reconstruct the image. They help when the GPU is the limit. They do less when the processor is the constraint, so it is worth working out which of the two is holding you back before turning them on.
Laptops and handheld PCs
A laptop GPU sharing a name with a desktop card is usually noticeably slower. Laptop versions have lower power limits and less room for cooling, so they often run well below their desktop counterparts. Do not judge a laptop purely by the model name when comparing it to the official requirements. Check its power settings and cooling instead.
Laptops can also throttle as temperatures climb during long sessions, which is especially noticeable in games like this one where you play for hours. Keep vents clear, choose a high-performance power profile and play while plugged in.
Handheld PCs such as the Steam Deck or ROG Ally are generally low-power platforms. Their CPUs and GPUs typically deliver less than comparable desktop parts, so for a processor-heavy game like this one, it makes sense to start with lower graphics and resolution settings. We do not have Steam Deck verification data on this page, so treat general experience and the game's own settings as your guide.
Storage and memory
The official requirements list 8 GB of RAM as the minimum and 16 GB as the recommendation. Considering unit counts late in the game, 16 GB is a realistic starting point, and 32 GB suits players who keep other programs open or play with very large saves. Install RAM in dual-channel mode, since single-channel reduces available bandwidth and that matters for a processor and memory-heavy game.
The official storage requirement is 20 GB. Leave more free space than that to accommodate updates and saves. The publisher does not state whether an SSD affects how the game runs, but SSDs generally load faster and cut waiting times, so if you can, install the game on one.
A hard drive still works, though loading will take longer. If you have many games installed, keep Satisfactory on your faster drive and clear out unnecessary files regularly so you keep enough free space.