---
title: Minimum Rig for Kiln — Floor vs Lab Class | Kiln
description: Minimum rig for Kiln, a PlayStation 5 emulator for Windows PC: 6-core floor for boot checks, 8-core lab class for 1080p grades. Vulkan 1.3 GPU, DualSense or Xbox pad. Own the games you already have. Not affiliated with Sony.
canonical: https://consolepc.net/rig/minimum-rig
updated: 2026-10-13
---

# Minimum rig.

Floor boots, lab class plays. 6 cores and 6 GB VRAM to check boots; 8 cores and 8 GB VRAM to match the grades.

## Facts (2026-10-13)

- **Floor CPU:** x86-64, 6 cores / 12 threads
- **Floor GPU:** Vulkan 1.3, ~6 GB VRAM
- **Lab CPU:** x86-64, 8 cores / 16 threads
- **Lab GPU:** Vulkan 1.3, 8 GB+ VRAM

## Floor vs lab class

| Part | Minimum — boot check | Lab class — graded |
| --- | --- | --- |
| OS | Windows 10 64-bit, 1803+ | Windows 11 64-bit |
| CPU | x86-64, 6 cores / 12 threads | x86-64, 8 cores / 16 threads |
| GPU | [Vulkan 1.3](/brief/vulkan-1-3), ~6 GB VRAM | Vulkan 1.3, 8 GB+ VRAM |
| RAM | 16 GB | 32 GB |
| Storage | SSD | NVMe SSD |
| Expect | 720p boot checks | 1080p Stable grades |

## Two tiers, no mushy middle

Minimum — boot check: Windows 10 64-bit (1803+), 6-core / 12-thread x86-64, Vulkan 1.3 GPU around 6 GB VRAM, 16 GB RAM, SSD, keyboard / Xbox pad / DualSense. Expect 720p boot checks. Many titles will not reach gameplay.

Lab class — the graded tier: Windows 11 64-bit, 8-core / 16-thread CPU, Vulkan 1.3 with 8 GB+ VRAM (RTX 3060 Ti / RX 6700 XT class is the reference), 32 GB RAM, NVMe, DualSense over USB. Expect 1080p lab targets on Stable titles.

Both tiers need the official PS5UPDATE.PUP installed by you and the current [Visual C++ runtime](/lab/missing-runtime) if Windows asks.

## Read the table, then read your PC

The table below is the whole story. If your PC sits between tiers, expect between-tier results — Stable titles playable, heavy scenes dipping.

Below the floor is not a tier. It is a no.

## Static spec sheet

The full static sheet with x86-64, Vulkan, laptop, and firmware notes lives on the main site spec page.

## FAQ

### Can I run Kiln on 4 cores?

No. Six cores / twelve threads is the floor for boot checks, and gameplay realistically wants eight cores.

### Is 6 GB VRAM enough?

For boot checks and light titles. The graded 1080p results assume 8 GB or more.

### Does RAM matter?

Yes. 16 GB is the floor; the lab grades on 32 GB. Emulation plus OS plus drivers eats memory fast.

## Related

- [The rig.](https://consolepc.net/rig)
- [GPU and CPU.](https://consolepc.net/rig/gpu-cpu)
- [Reference rig.](https://consolepc.net/lab/reference-rig)
- [Vulkan 1.3.](https://consolepc.net/brief/vulkan-1-3)
- [Windows installer.](https://consolepc.net/boot/windows-installer)

## Download

Free Windows app: [Download Kiln](https://consolepc.net/download)

Markdown mirror: https://consolepc.net/rig/minimum-rig.md