Heya guys!! So this begins the future installments of “Improving Your Game” ala me!! Skeleton Jack at your service. Today we get into System Requirements.
Now I’m not really going to be supporting Mac users. I don’t know enough about Mac’s to begin with. And then there is the fact that I just don’t like Mac’s. They charge too damn much and are far too proprietary for my liking. So if someone wants to e-mail me Mac info or preferably post some comments to help Mac users that would be great.
What are we looking at in this post?
- Hardware meeting System Requirements
- Internet meeting System Requirements
- How to Test/Check these SR’s.
- What to do about it if you don’t.
While I may not give every technical trick possible, I should at the very least give you a stream lined consensus of ideas allowing you to make sure your computer is at the levels that you need to up your game!
World of Warcraft: Lich King System Requirements
Straight from the WoW site:
OS: Windows XP / Windows Vista (with latest Service Packs)
Processor:
Minimum: Intel Pentium 4 1.3 GHz or AMD Athlon XP 1500+
Recommended: Dual-core processor, such as the Intel Pentium D or AMD Athlon 64 X2
Memory:
Minimum: 512 MB RAM (1GB for Vista users)
Recommended: 1 GB RAM (2 GB for Vista users)
Video:
Minimum: 3D graphics processor with Hardware Transform and Lighting with 32 MB VRAM Such as an ATI Radeon 7200 or NVIDIA GeForce 2 class card or better
Recommended: 3D graphics processor with Vertex and Pixel Shader capability with 128 MB VRAM Such as an ATI Radeon X1600 or NVIDIA GeForce 7600 GT class card or better
Sound: DirectX-compatible sound card or motherboard sound capability
Mac System Requirements
OS: Mac OS X 10.4.11 or newer
Processor:
Minimum: PowerPC G5 1.6 GHz or Intel Core Duo processor
Recommended: Intel 1.8GHz processor or better
Memory:
Minimum: 1 GB RAM
Recommended: 2 GB RAM
Video:
Minimum: 3D graphics processor with Hardware Transform and Lighting with 64 MB VRAM Such as an ATI Radeon 9600 or NVIDIA GeForce Ti 4600 class card or better
Recommended: 3D graphics processor with Vertex and Pixel Shader capability with 128 MB VRAM Such as an ATI Radeon X1600 or NVIDIA 7600 class card or better
All Platforms
Controls: A keyboard and mouse are required. Input devices other than a mouse and keyboard are not supported.
Connectivity: You must have an active broadband Internet connection to play.
Mouse: Multi-button mouse with scroll wheel recommended.
Hard Drive Space: 15 GB free hard drive space
For a complete list of supported 3D cards, visit www.worldofwarcraft.com/supportedvideo
Note that due to the evolving nature of the game, the minimum system requirements for World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King may change over time.
So now what? TEST your system first!
Good question. While a great deal of gamers will instantly know how their system stacks up to these requirements, many still won’t. And the far worse situation is when gamers *think* they surpass these requirements, but they really don’t. It happens people, it happens…
A great internet tool to simply get you started is this website:
- Get your complete report in seconds including upgrade suggestions for your computer.
- Only your system’s hardware and system software are evaluated.
- No personally identifiable information is collected.
- Works on Windows XP, 2000, 2003, Vista and 7.
- Works with Internet Explorer, Firefox and Netscape browsers.
- You will need to give your permission to download a secure ActiveX/Java browser component.
- You can easily uninstall the ActiveX/Java browser component when the analysis is complete.
Now I poked around the internet for quite some time before using this site to make sure it was legit, and I have used it myself. No, my computer did not blow up with viruses. 
It’s cool. While this site does not cover all games, it does cover a LOT of them. Including WoW: LK. So it suits our purposes quite well.
Just go to the site, run the download, and wait for the results. The one odd issue I had was a script error. But by simply reloading the page or opening up the trouble shooting link into a new tab, I got the results (for anyone who runs into my problem).
Now the really great thing about this site is that it breaks things down in a very easily understood manner. It has two tabs available for you to peruse: Minimum/Recommended. In addition to that, it lists for each requirement what it is you’re supposed to have, and then what you actually do have on your computer.
I got the “Pass” result for everything, so I’m not sure what it says if you have a sub par piece of hardware…maybe “Fail”? It should be like 100 HUNDRED TIMES SIZE and be like YOU FAIL!!! And then play a maniacal laugh sound file. OMFG that would be so pure win. Probably piss off some users, but it’d make me lol. 
So from this point you could then see if your computer is failing miserably, or doing just fine. So keep this information open/saved. We’re going to come back to it!!
TEST your internet next!
There are TONS of sites out there to test your internet connection. So feel free to use any one that you like. However to make your life a little bit easier I have two links for you to try here.
Why two sites? Always check your internet speed on two different sites at a minimum. One site could be off, standards could be different, etc… Always get two samples to look at. If the 2 sites do not give similar results, start checking more test sites to get down to what the problem is.
One of the reasons why I like http://www.speedtest.net/ however is because it gives you your “ms”. Most people have *NO* idea what ms is. MS stands for millisecond, which is one thousandth of a second. So it takes 1000 milliseconds to equal 1 second.
MS, when referring to your internet connection, is basically how much time in milliseconds it takes for information to travel back and forth between your computer and the WoW server. That’s the *SUPER SIMPLE* explanation.
Ideally you want to see something under 100 ms on a website test. In game you want to see something under 200 ms. To check this in game hover your mouse over the computer icon named “Game Menu (Escape)”. In a TRULY ideal world you would have less than 100ms in game honestly. But not everyone can get that. Also, it can fluctuate a lot.
For example http://www.speedtest.net/ just showed my ms at 22, while in game I have 167ms. Though of course I have Steam running, streaming music downloads from You Tube, and I am downloading the Blizzard pre-patch as well. Heh.
So where is the danger zone then? For me personally it’s over 300, but for the average gamer you really want to be concerned when you peak at 500. However this range will vary from person to person based upon their own preferences. Some people can handle a little bit of lag, others can’t.
So you can test your connection online, and you can go into WoW and check your ms there as well. Be aware that ms in game can fluctuate, so check it a few times over the course of a day or two to make sure you get an accurate result.
Fixing your system!!
Now this can be a HUGE deal for some people. For others it is a simple process. So lets address some of the pitfalls and how to best approach them.
You are a total newb when dealing with computer hardware.
This is one of the worst situations you could be in, because you basically have no idea what you are doing. The first thing you need to do is to find a business that is reputable that you trust. Whether that be Best Buy, Gateway, Comp USA, etc… For many of you this will end up being whomever you bought your computer from, which you will often have a warranty through them.
You need to print out, e-mail out, copy down and write the information, or whatever you need to do to get the information from the http://cyri.systemrequirementslab.com/CYRI test to these people. It will show them what the minimum and recommended requirements are, and where your system falls into those categories.
From this point you need to make some decisions based upon your budget. Do you buy a new computer or upgrade your existing one? If you go with the new system things are pretty easy. Just make sure you check all of the recommended system requirements against the new system. And if you are ever expecting an expansion within less than years times, shoot a little high to make sure you have no issues with the x-pac release.
If however you decide to upgrade then I recommend doubling back on any and all suggestions your company makes. Head on over to http://www.newegg.com/ and price check anything they recommended to you. Quite frankly a lot of businesses charge you an arm and a leg for something you can buy cheap online. Now, before purchasing something from an online site you need to make sure of a few things.
Check (ask the company you have your warranty through or purchased the computer from) if the part is compatible with your system. Make sure your power supply can handle the new video card, the RAM is the right type of RAM, etc… Also, find out how you can get these pieces of hardware installed without breaking the warranty. That’s very important to remember. And don’t forget to make sure that they charge the same to install hardware you purchase elsewhere as with them.
Don’t let these people double talk you, back you into a corner, or tell you they are right without making sure first. You wouldn’t go buy a new home or car without getting advice from somewhere else first would you? No reason to start stupid decision making processes now.
Just remember these points
- Give your company your computer’s stats compared to the minimum/recommended WoW system requirements.
- If you don’t understand something, ask until they make you understand.
- Double check all purchases against online prices at a different site. I recommend http://www.newegg.com/ personally.
- Make sure you will not void your warranty. Usually most companies (like Best Buy) will install whatever you want if you bring them the computer and the part.
- Make sure the new parts are compatible.
You can install hardware, or have a trusted friend who can.
If you fell into the above category you still need to read this. Heads up. 
You need to hop your butt on over to http://www.newegg.com/ and check some stuff out. The big thing here, more than anywhere else, is to check on compatibility issues. Make damn sure any purchase you are about to make will actually work in your system. I’ve known tons of people who bought hardware that was either not compatible, or could not be supported by their power supply.
Comments, comments, and more comments. Don’t just look at specs and prices. Go into the items and read the comments left by other consumers. They will tell you what the great things, and crappy things, about these items are. I’ve made purchases, and not made them, many times based off of the consumer feedback. It is an invaluable tool when making a purchase for your system.
What you are actually going for.
What should you be upgrading? And how far? Most often getting the biggest and best possible upgrade is a huge mistake. More often than not, a slightly lesser upgrade will be significantly cheaper and will result in the exact same performance increase. Sad to say, that is the truth of things in the computer industry.
What to really pay attention to?
- Video Card
- RAM
- Processor
- Power Supply
While other factors do, and will, come in to play, these are the primary upgrades you should focus on before any others. They will have the biggest oomph factor in making your system run WoW better.
Fixing your internet!!
So this is a bit trickier. Some cities only have one or two options available to them (or po dunk country areas, heh), while others have three to five, or more options. This is where personal research and action comes in. If you can stay around 200ms in game consistently I’d leave things be. If however you consistently go over that, then it’s time to shop around.
Google is gonna be your best friend here. Take some time and start doing some searches, checking on consumer feedback for the available Internet Service Providers in your area. This is all going to come down to you on this one. You need to find a company in your area that is reputable and will provide solid service.
Side notes:
- If you are connected to the internet through a wireless connection I would recommend trying a land line for a day to see if the issue lies with the wireless connection.
- If you have multiple computers in the house connected to a router make sure no one is downloading/uploading files. This will kill your bandwidth.
- If you have a wireless router make sure it is password protected. People in your building/neighborhood could be siphoning off of your connection.
- Try closing/turning off everything on your system that uses the internet. Close all browsers, background programs, etc…
- Check your firewall settings to ensure it is not clogging up your connection to WoW.
- Check your Router to make sure it has open ports, etc…
Mods!!
One of the biggest mistakes gamers make is running too damn many resource intensive mods. Yeah you like them and they are neat. Sure they do cool things. But if you run too damn many of them that use up a lot of resources then suddenly WoW becomes WoWLaG. And no one likes that game…
Go into WoW and play with all of your mods running. Then go turn them ALL off. And I mean ALL of them. Don’t leave like 1 running. They all go off. And then go play WoW. Even go zone somewhere and see how much faster that blue bar moves without the mods running. If you use a good bit of mods it’s gonna blow your mind.
Some people fix their performance issues by only running certain mods while raiding/pvp’ing, and then turning all of them back on when elsewhere. While others go find alternative mods that are light weight (meaning not resource intensive) to fix performance issues. Either way you need to find out if mods are your problem.
So log in and play with all of your mods running and then with all of them off. See what happens. You can hover your mouse over the computer icon named “Game Menu (Escape)” and it will tell you how much AddOn Memory is being used, and what the top 3 AddOns are for memory usage.
Auctioneer (and similar mods) and Mail mods can use up a lot of memory btw. And if you’re not in town, you don’t really need those AddOns running now do you? Be smart about your AddOns. That is all.
Video Settings!!
Yeah, this is probably gonna upset you. Just a heads up…
Go into game and play a little bit. Then go into your video settings and crank them all the way down. Yeah, ALL the way down. Drop them into the floor. Game isn’t gonna look too pretty, but this will get my point across.
Now go play, preferably with a bunch of people in a raid or pvp. And pay attention to how much of a performance increase you see in your game. If your system is *SCREAMIN’* then you won’t see a difference at all. If however your system falls short in some areas you will see a performance increase.
If you have issues with lag interfering with your game play then you need to consider altering your video settings.
Now, if you’re not sure what you did, or where things were there is this nice lil button named “Defaults”. Push it and things go back to normal. 
How to make all of this work for you!!
By this point you should have a very solid idea of where your system sits as far as being able to run WoW. You should be able to say whether your hardware needs some upgrades and whether your internet connection is up to speed. You know how your system is affected by running a ton of mods and you should know whether your graphics settings are what is really lagging you.
It’s up to you to take the pieces of the puzzle and fit them all together. If you cannot by this point, then I’m not the person to help you sadly. You need much more in depth help than I am willing to offer. But if you read everything here and did as I told you to do, then you should be fine. And able to figure out on your own what the next step is.
How is this supposed to up my game?!?!
If you are asking this question then you are more behind than you realize. If you know what I am about to say next, then you’re moving along quite well.
Upping your game requires a well rounded approach to improve every aspect of you, the gamer. So when you game there is more going on than just you. There is your system performance, your communication skills, your key bindings and mods, your strategy, your reaction times, your team mates, etc… Everything fits together to make the overall experience.
This is the first step. Your system. If your system sucks then it doesn’t matter if you are God’s gift to gaming. You can only do so much. So if you wanna “Up Your Game”, fix your system first. This is just the first installment of many.
Keep in mind I really am one of the better gamers out there and I will lead you down the right path. A lot of this is just common sense when you think about it. If you are going to be a race car driver you want a really good car. If you want to be a professional runner you want a really good pair of shoes.
The same applies here. If you want to be a really good gamer, you need a good system.
Have questions? Need answers?
Skeleton.Jack@hotmail.com
-Suffer Well Brothers and Sisters…
Tags: Improve Your Game by SJ
[...] Improve Your Game by SJ: WoW System Requirements | Skeleton Jack [...]