There is a certain kind of patience required when a game this good runs poorly on your rig. The Last of Us Part II Remastered arrived on PC carrying some of the most demanding visual fidelity in modern gaming, and a lot of players have been left staring at stuttery frame rates wondering where they went wrong. If you are serious about building a dedicated pc build to play The Last of Us 2 the way it was meant to be experienced, this guide walks you through exactly what to buy, why it works, and how to get the most out of every dollar you spend.
About The Last of Us Part II Remastered on PC
The Last of Us Part II Remastered launched on PC in 2025 through Steam, developed by Naughty Dog and ported by Nixxes Software, the same studio responsible for the clean PC port of the first game. The port carries full support for DLSS 3, FSR 3, and XeSS upscaling, which means even mid-range hardware can punch above its weight with the right settings.
The game is visually dense; volumetric lighting, high-resolution shadow maps, and detailed character models push the GPU hard, especially in outdoor environments like Seattle’s overgrown cityscape. CPU performance matters too, particularly for traversal and AI-heavy combat sequences.
The official recommended specs call for an RTX 2080 or RX 6800 XT for 1080p at 60FPS. In practice, you can do better with modern hardware at a similar or lower price, and that is exactly what the builds below target.
AMD PC Build to Play The Last of Us 2
The AMD route offers strong rasterization performance and competitive pricing in 2026, making it a solid pick for budget-conscious builders who still want smooth, consistent frame rates. Remember that you can actually customize the build suggestion blow with the AI PC Builder tool to swap ot components you don’t like, leaving you with a build you should be proud of. Simply click the Build/Customize This button to get started with customization.
- CPU: Ryzen 5 7600X$172.00
- GPU: PowerColor Hellhound AMD Radeon RX 7800XT$928.88
- Motherboard: MSI MAG B650 Tomahawk WiFi$219.99
- RAM: G.SKILL Flare X5 Series DDR5 RAM 32GB$449.99
- Storage 1: Samsung 990 PRO SSD 1TB PCIe 4$319.94
- PSU: Corsair RM750e 80+ Gold Fully Modular$85.99
- Case: Fractal Design Pop Air RGB$99.99
- CPU Cooler: Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE CPU Cooler$33.06
TOTAL COST: $2,309.84
📊 Price History
[Prices updated: 3:23am, 05/02/2026]
Why This AMD Build Works
The Ryzen 5 7600X is a six-core processor that handles The Last of Us 2’s AI and physics workloads without bottlenecking the GPU. It runs cool enough on a quality air cooler, and the AM5 platform gives you a clear upgrade path if you decide to step up to a Ryzen 7 or 9 later.
The RX 7800 XT is the real workhorse here. At 1080p with high settings, it consistently delivers 80 to 100 FPS in The Last of Us 2, and with FSR 3 enabled in Quality mode, you can push those numbers further without a visible drop in image quality. It is also well-priced relative to its performance tier in 2026.
DDR5-6000 is the sweet spot for Ryzen 7000 series processors. Going lower introduces latency penalties; going higher costs more without proportional gains. The 32GB capacity ensures you are not memory-limited during long sessions or when running background applications.
Intel PC Build to play The Last of Us 2
Intel’s current lineup brings strong single-core performance and excellent compatibility with a wide range of motherboards and coolers. If you already own an Intel-based system or prefer the ecosystem, this build delivers comparable results to the AMD option above. Again, the AI PC Builder tool can help you validate compatibility and suggest alternatives. Hit the Build/Customize This button to swap out any part that does not fit your budget.
- CPU: Core i5-14600K (Used – Like New)$249.89
- GPU: PNY GeForce RTX 4070 Super $736.12
- Motherboard: ASUS Prime Z790-P WiFi$195.00
- RAM: Corsair Vengeance DDR5 RAM 32GB$464.99
- Storage 1: Samsung 9100 Pro NVMe PCIe 5 1TB $314.93
- PSU: be quiet! 80 Plus® Gold Pure Power 750W (Used – Like New)$94.50
- Case: Lian Li Lancool 216 Mid-Tower Case$98.99
- CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D15 chromax Black$129.95
TOTAL COST: $2,284.37
📊 Price History
[Prices updated: 3:23am, 05/02/2026]
Why This Intel Build Works
The Core i5-14600K has 14 cores (6 performance, 8 efficiency) and handles multithreaded workloads with ease. It is a strong gaming CPU that keeps pace with the RTX 4070 without introducing CPU-side frame time spikes.
The RTX 4070 is arguably the most well-rounded GPU available at its price point in 2026. DLSS 3 with Frame Generation support is a significant advantage in The Last of Us 2, which has native DLSS integration. With Frame Generation active, 1440p at 60FPS becomes trivially achievable, and 1080p can push well past 100FPS on high settings.
The Z790 platform is stable and well-supported. It also supports PCIe 5.0 for storage, which is useful if you plan to upgrade to a Gen 5 SSD down the line. The WD Black SN850X is a Gen 4 drive that loads the game’s large asset files quickly without the premium cost of Gen 5 options.
Putting it Together
Both builds are straightforward to assemble. The cases chosen here, the Fractal Design Pop Air and Lian Li LANCOOL 216, have tool-friendly designs with clear cable routing channels. Neither requires advanced modding knowledge or specialized tools beyond a Phillips screwdriver.
A few things worth noting during the build process:
- Install the CPU cooler before mounting the motherboard in the case when possible; it gives you more room to work.
- Seat the RAM in the correct slots (usually A2 and B2 for dual-channel); check your motherboard manual before installing.
- Route GPU power cables before sliding the card into the PCIe slot; it is easier to manage before the card blocks access.
- Enable XMP or EXPO in the BIOS after first boot to get the rated RAM speeds; both boards listed here support this natively.
First-time builders should take their time with cable management. It does not affect performance directly, but it improves airflow and makes future upgrades significantly less frustrating. If you prefer a detailed article on how to build your PC step by step, we’ve got you.
Optimizing Your Build for The Last of Us 2
Hardware alone does not guarantee 60FPS. The in-game settings and system configuration matter just as much, especially in a port as graphically demanding as this one.
In-Game Settings to Prioritize
Enable DLSS Quality (for NVIDIA builds) or FSR Quality (for AMD builds) as a baseline. The image quality difference between native rendering and quality-mode upscaling is minimal at 1080p and 1440p, but the performance gain is substantial.
Shadow quality and ambient occlusion are the two settings that hit performance hardest in The Last of Us 2. Dropping both from Ultra to High recovers 10 to 15 FPS with very little visual trade-off in motion. Texture quality can stay at Ultra on both builds listed here; neither GPU is VRAM-limited at that setting for 1080p or 1440p play.
System-Level Tweaks
- Set Windows power plan to High Performance or Balanced (not Power Saver).
- Enable Resizable BAR (ReBAR) in the BIOS; both builds support it and it improves GPU performance by 3 to 8 percent in most titles.
- Keep GPU drivers updated; Nixxes ports tend to receive driver-level optimizations from both AMD and NVIDIA within weeks of launch patches.
- Close background applications before launching; Discord, browsers, and streaming software all consume RAM and CPU cycles that add up during intensive sequences.
Monitor Pairing Recommendations
A 1080p 144Hz monitor pairs well with both builds at medium-to-high settings. If you want to step up to 1440p, the RTX 4070 build handles it more comfortably, particularly with DLSS Frame Generation active. The RX 7800 XT can manage 1440p at 60FPS with FSR Quality enabled, but headroom is tighter.
FreeSync and G-Sync compatible monitors eliminate screen tearing without the latency overhead of traditional V-Sync. Both GPU options support adaptive sync; it is worth prioritizing in your monitor search if you do not already own one. Simply check out the PC Builder tool to pick one.
Conclusion
The Last of Us 2 is one of the most visually and narratively demanding games available on PC right now, and it deserves hardware that can keep up. Both builds outlined here hit the 60FPS target reliably at 1080p and push well beyond it with upscaling enabled. The AMD option is the leaner choice for pure cost-to-performance; the Intel option trades a small premium for DLSS Frame Generation and a bit more headroom at 1440p.
If you are still weighing options or want to adjust components to fit a different budget, the AI PC Builder tool is the fastest way to get a compatible, optimized list without the manual cross-referencing. Use the Build/Customize This button to make it your own.