How to Use the Spec Checker and Builder
Pick Spec has two PC tools. If you already have a PC in mind, start with the spec checker. If you have nothing yet, start with the spec builder. This page walks through both from top to bottom. Words in quotes are the exact labels you will see on screen.
| Your question | Open |
|---|---|
| Will my current computer run this game? | Spec checker |
| Can the laptop I am looking at run AutoCAD? | Spec checker |
| What PC do I need for PUBG and Photoshop? | Spec builder |
| How much RAM does an office PC need? | Office PC calculator |
Spec checker — will this PC run it?
Fill in “1. The PC to check”
You can enter the CPU and graphics card in two ways. “Pick from list” narrows down by brand, type, series and model. “Search by name” finds a part from a piece of its model number — "12400" or "4060 laptop" is enough.
If you are reading this on the PC you want to check, press “Detect this PC's GPU”. Chrome and Edge report the graphics card name, and we fill it in when it matches our list (the name is read on your device and never sent). Safari and Firefox do not report it. On a Windows PC you can also open Settings → System → About, press the Copy button, and paste into “Paste specs”: it fills in the CPU, RAM and, if the Windows edition was copied too, the operating system. For a laptop you are shopping for, paste the shop's spec sheet line instead (e.g. "Intel Core i7-13620H, RTX 4060 8GB, 16GB DDR5, 1TB NVMe SSD"): we read the CPU, graphics, RAM, drive type and Windows edition, and fill only parts whose names match our list exactly. The least effort of all: press Windows key + R, type dxdiag, choose "Save All Information", and pick that file with “Add a DxDiag file” — CPU, graphics, RAM, Windows edition and free space fill in at once, read on your device only. Otherwise press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager; the Performance tab shows the CPU, Memory and GPU names.
The most common mistake is with laptops. An RTX 4060 in a laptop is a lower-power chip than the desktop card with the same name. For a laptop, choose “Laptop” as the type, or add "laptop" when searching by name. If the CPU and graphics card do not match (one laptop, one desktop), the page warns you.
Please pick the operating system. Left empty, most results come out as “Incomplete”. A new Windows PC almost always runs Windows 11. For RAM, “Free storage” and “Drive type”, fill in what you know and leave the rest. Empty fields stay “Unknown” in the result while everything else is still checked. Free storage means the space left on the drive you will install to, not the size of the whole drive.
If you will check the same PC again, turn on “Remember my PC in this browser”. The six fields are kept only in your browser and filled in next time; nothing goes to our server. On a shared computer, press “Clear saved PC” when you are done.
Pick in “2. Games and programs you want to run”
Choose a category (Games, CAD & architecture, Video, photo & 3D, Office & study) or search by name — short names like "PUBG" or "Premiere" work. Pick several and each is checked separately. Tap an item again to remove it, or press “Clear all”. If what you want is not listed, tell us: when the publisher has posted official requirements, we add it with the source and the date we checked.
Reading “3. Result”
The word at the top is the verdict. Each row below compares one part.
| Verdict | Meaning | What to do next |
|---|---|---|
| “Not enough” | At least one item is below the minimum — a part, the free storage, or no version for your operating system | The “You need at least this” row shows what to raise and by how much |
| “Playable” | It runs. Everything meets the minimum, but something falls short of, or could not be settled against, the recommended spec | A “Below” in the recommended column means lower settings or a better part; “Check yourself” means compare that row by hand |
| “Great” | Every part meets the recommended spec | Nothing more to check |
| “Incomplete” | Something in the minimum spec is empty or could not be settled | Fill in the empty field, or compare the “Check yourself” row with the official spec |
Next to each row you will mostly see four words. “OK” and “Below” say whether the part meets the official figure. “Check yourself” means we did not decide it by measurement — different brands, too small a gap, or requirements written only in words. “Overkill” means far above the recommended spec: if this is all you will run, a cheaper part would do.
RAM, storage and operating system are compared with the official numbers as written. CPUs and graphics cards are compared using public rendering benchmarks, and rows decided that way are marked as our judgement. To show the result to someone, press “Share result”: the link opens the same parts and the same games.
Spec builder — deciding what to buy
In “1. Games and programs you want to run”, pick everything you plan to do. With several picks, each part follows the highest requirement and storage is added up, together with Windows 11's official 64 GB and the space you choose in “Room for your files (photos, videos, documents)” (250 GB to start — an assumption you can change).
Answer “2. Desktop or laptop?” carefully. With “Laptop” we pick from laptop parts, and the graphics card comes out higher than for a desktop — not a mistake, but because a laptop chip with the same name is slower. “3. Headroom” sets how much to add above the recommended spec, for future updates and the browser and chat apps you keep open. It starts at 30%, which is fine to keep.
“4. Builds” shows three columns. “Minimum” launches and runs, possibly at lower settings. “Recommended” runs as the publisher intends. “Headroom” is the recommended spec plus your headroom. For the CPU and graphics card we show one current part per brand — the lowest that the spec checker would mark “OK” for everything you picked. The brands are not ranked against each other, and we do not list prices because they change every day.
Each column has “Check this build in the spec checker →”, which opens the checker filled with that build and your games. If a real laptop you found differs slightly, press “Change” on that one part in the checker.
Buying a laptop with both tools
- In the spec builder, pick your games and programs and “Laptop”, then look at the “Recommended” column.
- In the shop, shortlist laptops with that class of CPU and graphics. Read the Processor and Graphics lines of the spec sheet, not the model name.
- Enter each candidate's processor, graphics and RAM in the spec checker, with “Drive type” and Windows 11. Keep those that come out “Great”, or “Playable” with no “Below” in the recommended column.
- A candidate marked “Overkill” costs more than you need. Unless you have other plans for it, look one step down.
When you get stuck
My part is not in the list. Laptop and prebuilt model names will not be found — enter the CPU and graphics card inside them. Shorten the name ("Core i5-1340P" → "1340P") and it usually appears.
I have a Mac. Choose Apple as the CPU brand, or search for the chip (M2, M3 Pro) by name, and leave the graphics card empty. We check whether an official Mac version exists plus RAM and storage. Apple chips cannot be compared with Windows PC parts, so the verdict stops at “Incomplete” (or “Not enough” if there is no Mac version or too little RAM).
The result does not match my experience. CPU and graphics comparisons use rendering benchmarks, not game frame rates, so we only decide clear gaps and leave the rest as “Check yourself”. If something looks wrong, send us the “Share result” link through thecontact page and we will open the same screen and fix it.
If this guide and the screen ever disagree, the guide is wrong — please let us know.