Editing PC game (section)

=== Hardware ===
Modern computer games place great demand on the computer's hardware, often requiring a fast [[central processing unit]] (CPU) to function properly. CPU manufacturers historically relied mainly on increasing [[clock rate]]s to improve the performance of their processors, but had begun to move steadily towards [[Multi-core (computing)|multi-core]] CPUs by [[2005 in video gaming|2005]]. These processors allow the computer to simultaneously process multiple tasks, called [[thread (computing)|thread]]s, allowing the use of more complex graphics, artificial intelligence and in-game physics.<ref name="graphicstrend" /><ref name="multicore trend">{{cite web|url=http://www.anandtech.com/show/1645/4|title=Xbox 360 designed to be unhackable|access-date=September 22, 2006|date=October 2005}}</ref>

Similarly, 3D games often rely on a powerful [[graphics processing unit]] (GPU), which accelerates the process of drawing complex scenes in realtime. GPUs may be an integrated part of the computer's [[motherboard]], the most common solution in laptops,<ref name="integrated gpus">{{cite web|url=http://hardware.earthweb.com/chips/article.php/3570161|title=Platform Trends: Mobile Graphics Heat Up|access-date=October 22, 2006|date=December 2005}}</ref> or come packaged with a discrete graphics card with a supply of dedicated [[Video RAM]], connected to the motherboard through either an [[Accelerated Graphics Port|AGP]] or [[PCI Express]] port. It is also possible to use multiple GPUs in a single computer, using technologies such as [[NVidia]]'s [[Scalable Link Interface]] and [[ATI Technologies|ATI]]'s [[AMD CrossFire|CrossFire]].

[[Sound card]]s are also available to provide improved audio in computer games. These cards provide improved [[3D audio effect|3D audio]] and provide audio enhancement that is generally not available with integrated alternatives, at the cost of marginally lower overall performance.<ref name="soundcard performance">{{cite web|url=http://www.anandtech.com/show/1776/10|title=X-Fi and the Elite Pro: SoundBlaster's Return to Greatness|access-date=October 22, 2006|date=August 2005}}</ref> The [[Creative Labs]] [[Sound Blaster]] line was for many years the ''de facto'' standard for sound cards, although its popularity dwindled as PC audio became a commodity on modern motherboards.

[[Physics processing unit]]s (PPUs), such as the [[Nvidia]] [[PhysX]] (formerly [[AGEIA]] PhysX) card, are also available to accelerate physics simulations in modern computer games. PPUs allow the computer to process more complex interactions among objects than is achievable using only the CPU, potentially allowing players a much greater degree of control over the world in games designed to use the card.<ref name="integrated gpus" />

Virtually all personal computers use a [[computer keyboard|keyboard]] and [[computer mouse|mouse]] for user input, but there are exceptions. During the 1990s, before the keyboard and mouse combination had become the method of choice for PC gaming input peripherals, there were other types of peripherals such as the [[Mad Catz]] [[Panther XL]], the [[First-Person Gaming]] [[Assassin 3D]], and the [[Mad Catz]] [[Panther (Video game controller)|Panther]], which combined a trackball for looking / aiming, and a joystick for movement. Other common gaming peripherals are a headset for faster communication in online games, [[joystick]]s for [[flight simulator]]s, [[steering wheel]]s for driving games and [[gamepad]]s for console-style games.