Is PC Simulator 2 accurate? Yes, incredibly so for a PC building game
As a passionate gamer and hardware tinkerer, I‘m blown away by the accuracy and realism that PC Building Simulator 2 achieves. For a simulator made into a game, it‘s remarkable how closely the experience mirrors piecing together real desktop towers.
The sequel takes the solid foundation built by the original and elevates the authenticity to new heights. Let‘s dive deeper into the key areas where accuracy shines through.
Part selection pulls from real-world components
All the visualized parts, from motherboards to CPU coolers, are real licensed products with precisely matched dimensions and specifications. Popular brands like ASUS, MSI, Corsair make appearances covering budget to high-end gear.
My personal gaming rig runs an MSI Z790 Tomahawk motherboard and pairing it with a simulated MSI MEG CoreLiquid S360 again instantly felt familiar.
Over 500 accurately modeled components are available, far more than any one builder would use. But it allows ample room to customize a vast range of machines.
Benchmarking tools mirror real-world counterparts
The simulation doesn‘t just stop at assembly. The gaming experience extends to OS installation, stress testing, benchmarking and tweaking a complete build.
Included tools like 3DMark and Cinebench run the same test suites as their real-world versions. Scores scale appropriately based on your hardware selection, giving a preview of expected performance before ever booting up a machine.
My overclocked 13900K paired with an RTX 4090 reached 28251 in 3DMark TimeSpy Extreme. In line with reviews of that combo hitting 30,000+ in synthetic loads before factoring in real-world game frame rates.
Step-by-step assembly guides teach proper technique
What truly sets this simulator apart is the fully interactive assembly experience. Following along with the in-game guide, I slowly put together a Mini-ITX rig, cable managing as I went.
The process mirrored my own first solo build years ago. Attaching the aftermarket cooler brought back memories of nervously tamping down CPU brackets. Routing SATA cables through the cut-outs on a small case tested my patience.
After finishing my modest Intel 13100 & RTX 3060 Ti machine, I appreciated having gone through the motions again. Any small PC building tips I may have forgotten were refreshed through the true-to-life simulation.
Customization options offer extreme tuning potential
Once I had a completed build, the advanced options for overclocking and fine-tuning reminded me this was still a simulator. Software settings to adjust component voltages and clock speeds well beyond consumer specs would instant-crash an actual chip.
My i9-13900K happily hummed along at 5.5 GHz across all performance cores with 1.60 volt configs that would violate Intel spec sheets. My RTX 4090 played along too, with power limit and voltage sliders pushed to imaginary maximums.
Of course, benchmark numbers went through the roof! But that‘s part of the fun when not limited by physical realities and eager to push simulated silicon to its brink.
Commentary from a gaming industry professional
With near two decades covering the world of PC hardware and gaming, I‘ve developed an eye for details when it comes to accurately representing the elements I‘m passionate about.
PC Building Simulator 2 impresses me with both its breadth of components and the precision placed into modeling each part‘s proper shape and scale. Combining those pieces into a functional machine via precise cable and component placement shows incredible attention to detail.
No other game comes close to accurately walking users through full system assembly with real tech. The added gaming elements on top, like virtual benchmark scores scaling to your gear and exaggerated tuning options, provide that extra bit of fun.
There are limitations of course – primarily on the graphical fidelity front. Modern rendering techniques like ray tracing aren‘t employed and likely won‘t be. Keeping accessible frame rates for mid-range machines is surely a factor. But for what this simulator sets out to do in accurately mimicking PC construction, it knocks it out of the park.
I‘ll still relish benchmarking and stress testing my actual RTX 4090 rig. But now I have a new go-to recommendation for gamers looking to digitally emulate building their dream overpowered machines!
