- Joined
- Mar 30, 2005
- Location
- Glendora CA
So, we've had a lot of threads lately, with frequent questions about how StarCraft 2 will run on certain systems.
The short answer is: yes! There's a dang good chance it will. Blizz did a great job at making the game very adaptable for a wide range of systems.
But how can you know for sure if it will run on YOUR computer, and how well? We have a few different ways of figuring this out.
First and foremost, here are the minimum requirements for both PC and Mac, followed by the recommended.
You're going to want at least, or near at least the minimum requirements. Worried about minute details, though? How do you know if your processor is better or equal to the ones listed in those requirements, with so many different models and lines from each company? The same goes for video cards. There's so many models, and the higher number card doesn't mean it's stronger than a lower number!
Thankfully, we have some help for that. First of all, check out Blizzards detailed explanation of the required parts, and how different models will work, and which minimum you will need for most lines. Quoted below for your convenience:
http://us.battle.net/sc2/en/forum/topic/13501357
So by now, you should have a good gauge of how well you're going to be able to run the game. Here's another handy guide that compares nearly ALL video cards, courtesy of Tom's Hardware. The cards are broken up into tiers - so cards that are in the same section are nearly equal. Find yours on the list and see where it ranks.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-graphics-card,2118-7.html
However, you need to note one thing here: As that Blizzard post said, they require a Nvidia 6600 or higher! There's a GOOD chance you beat this. If you're unsure, check the list. Laptop cards can actually be pretty weak. Does your card fall in a tier below the 6600? Fear not! You can probably still run the game on low, if your other components are good.
Take me for example. I have a good processor (Core 2 Duo, 2.4ghz, and plenty of ram (4GB). However, the video card I'm using in my laptop is a measly 8400M GS. Oooh, big number, it must be good, right? Nope! Despite it being a 128mb card, it falls beneath the 6600 by a good amount. Don’t fear, though – because I’ve still got other strong components, I can still run the game on low! I haven’t tried any crazy 4v4’s or anything, so I can’t comment on huge games, but otherwise I get fine performance on single player and the few multiplayer games I’ve played [aside from overheating issues from my laptop, not the game’s fault].
Lastly, we have Can You Run It? A free app that compares your hardware to the game’s requirements FOR you! How easy is that? Don’t trust it too much (it just told me my 128mb 8400M GS beats a 512 mb 8800), but it’s still handy to compare your specs next to each other.
http://systemrequirementslab.com/CYRI/analysis.aspx
And now, I’m sure we have members willing to give input if you still have questions relating to performance. Things like “Can I run this game on ultra with an 8800GTS” and the like. So, ask away!
I hope this guide has been at least a little helpful for you. Let’s try to keep it bumped to make sure we direct most traffic here, and so we may have a centralized StarCraft 2 hardware discussion!
The short answer is: yes! There's a dang good chance it will. Blizz did a great job at making the game very adaptable for a wide range of systems.
But how can you know for sure if it will run on YOUR computer, and how well? We have a few different ways of figuring this out.
First and foremost, here are the minimum requirements for both PC and Mac, followed by the recommended.
You're going to want at least, or near at least the minimum requirements. Worried about minute details, though? How do you know if your processor is better or equal to the ones listed in those requirements, with so many different models and lines from each company? The same goes for video cards. There's so many models, and the higher number card doesn't mean it's stronger than a lower number!
Thankfully, we have some help for that. First of all, check out Blizzards detailed explanation of the required parts, and how different models will work, and which minimum you will need for most lines. Quoted below for your convenience:
http://us.battle.net/sc2/en/forum/topic/13501357
So by now, you should have a good gauge of how well you're going to be able to run the game. Here's another handy guide that compares nearly ALL video cards, courtesy of Tom's Hardware. The cards are broken up into tiers - so cards that are in the same section are nearly equal. Find yours on the list and see where it ranks.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-graphics-card,2118-7.html
However, you need to note one thing here: As that Blizzard post said, they require a Nvidia 6600 or higher! There's a GOOD chance you beat this. If you're unsure, check the list. Laptop cards can actually be pretty weak. Does your card fall in a tier below the 6600? Fear not! You can probably still run the game on low, if your other components are good.
Take me for example. I have a good processor (Core 2 Duo, 2.4ghz, and plenty of ram (4GB). However, the video card I'm using in my laptop is a measly 8400M GS. Oooh, big number, it must be good, right? Nope! Despite it being a 128mb card, it falls beneath the 6600 by a good amount. Don’t fear, though – because I’ve still got other strong components, I can still run the game on low! I haven’t tried any crazy 4v4’s or anything, so I can’t comment on huge games, but otherwise I get fine performance on single player and the few multiplayer games I’ve played [aside from overheating issues from my laptop, not the game’s fault].
Lastly, we have Can You Run It? A free app that compares your hardware to the game’s requirements FOR you! How easy is that? Don’t trust it too much (it just told me my 128mb 8400M GS beats a 512 mb 8800), but it’s still handy to compare your specs next to each other.
http://systemrequirementslab.com/CYRI/analysis.aspx
And now, I’m sure we have members willing to give input if you still have questions relating to performance. Things like “Can I run this game on ultra with an 8800GTS” and the like. So, ask away!
I hope this guide has been at least a little helpful for you. Let’s try to keep it bumped to make sure we direct most traffic here, and so we may have a centralized StarCraft 2 hardware discussion!
.
you
