CH 02
Step 2 — Working out whether your computer can run it
Step 2 of 5
This is the step people skip, and skipping it is the single most common reason a first attempt at PC gaming ends in forty minutes of downloading followed by a slideshow. Your computer either meets a game's requirements or it does not, and finding out takes about fifteen minutes once, after which you can answer the question for any game in under a minute.
LOG 02-1 // 01:40
The five numbers that matter
You do not need to understand computer hardware to do this. You need five pieces of information, written down, in the vendor's own words.
Operating system and version. Windows, macOS or Linux, and which version. This matters first because it is a yes-or-no gate: a game that is not published for your operating system will not run on it, however powerful the machine is. The example game in this course is listed for desktop computers running Windows, macOS or Linux, and not for phones, tablets or consoles — so for this course, a desktop or laptop computer is the starting assumption.
Processor, usually called the CPU. The general-purpose part of the computer. Games list a model name, and the model name is what you compare — not the speed in gigahertz, which is a poor guide across different generations.
Memory, usually called RAM. Measured in gigabytes. This is working space, not storage. If a game asks for more than you have, it will often still start and then behave badly, which is harder to diagnose than a clean refusal.
Graphics hardware, usually called the GPU. The part that draws the picture. It may be a separate card, or it may be built into the processor, in which case it is described as integrated graphics. Many online games run on integrated graphics at low settings; many do not run on them at all. The requirements list is what settles it.
Free storage space. How many gigabytes are actually free on the drive where programs are installed. Not the size of the drive — the free part.
LOG 02-2 // 01:58
How to find them on your own machine
Follow this once and keep the note. The steps are deliberately described in general terms, because the exact wording of a menu changes between versions of each operating system; the panel you are looking for is the one that describes the computer itself.
- Open the system information panel. On Windows, open Settings and go to System, then About. On macOS, open the Apple menu and choose About This Mac. On most Linux desktops, open Settings and choose About or System Details.
- Write down the operating system and its version exactly as that panel states it, including the full version number.
- Write down the processor and the memory. Copy the processor model as written, including the number after the family name, and record the installed memory in gigabytes.
- Write down the graphics hardware. On Windows, open Task Manager, choose the Performance tab and read the name beside GPU. On macOS, the graphics entry appears in the fuller system report reached from the same About panel. On most Linux desktops, the About panel names the graphics device directly.
- Write down the free space on the installation drive. Open the file manager, select that drive, and record how many gigabytes are free.
- Keep the note. Five lines on one piece of paper will answer the requirements question for every game you look at from now on.
You do not need to install anything to do this, and you should not need to. Any page that offers to scan your computer and tell you what it can run is asking you to install software from a stranger in order to read information your operating system already shows you for nothing. The Australian Cyber Security Centre publishes general guidance on choosing and installing software safely, and it is worth reading before you install anything you did not go looking for.
LOG 02-3 // 02:17
Reading a requirements list without guessing
Published requirements come in two columns, and the difference between them is the thing most beginners misread.
| Column | What the vendor is saying | What to expect in practice |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum | The game is expected to start and run on this hardware. | Low picture quality, a smaller window, and occasional stutter during busy moments. |
| Recommended | The hardware the vendor expects gives a comfortable experience. | Medium or high picture quality at a normal screen size, with fewer rough patches. |
Three habits make the comparison reliable. First, compare like with like: your processor model against the processor row, your graphics model against the graphics row, and so on. Second, treat the minimum column as a floor, not a target — matching it exactly means the experience described in the right-hand cell above, and not better. Third, when your hardware is newer than anything listed but from the same family, it is usually at least as capable; when it is older than everything listed, it usually is not.
Where do you get the list? From the vendor's own page for that game, or from the store page on the platform that distributes it. Not from a forum post, and not from this site — we do not publish requirements for any game, including the one used as the example, because we have not been given them and a wrong number here would waste your afternoon.
LOG 02-4 // 02:36
Storage, download size and your internet plan
Online games are large, and they grow. A game that needed forty gigabytes at release can need considerably more after two years of updates, and the installer usually needs temporary room on top of the final size. A reasonable working habit is to want noticeably more free space than the stated requirement, not exactly as much.
The download itself matters too if you are on a plan with a data allowance, or on a mobile or satellite connection. The initial download is the big one, but updates arrive regularly and some of them are substantial. If several people share the connection, a large game update can be felt by everyone in the house. It is worth knowing your plan's allowance before the first install rather than at the end of the month.
Speed and allowance are different things, and only one of them affects how a match plays. Downloading is about speed and volume; playing is about latency, which is covered in Step 5. A connection can be fast and still poor for online play, and the reverse is also true.
LOG 02-5 // 02:54
If your computer falls short
Finding out that your machine does not meet a game's requirements is a useful result, not a failure. You have saved yourself a download. There are generally four responses, and they are worth weighing honestly.
Choose a different game
For: costs nothing, works immediately, and there are a great many games with modest requirements. Against: it may not be the game you actually wanted to play.
Lower the settings and accept it
For: also costs nothing, and many games remain perfectly playable at low picture quality. Against: if you are below the minimum rather than between the columns, lowering settings often will not rescue it.
Add memory or storage
For: usually the cheapest hardware change, and often the one that helps most on an older machine. Against: not every computer allows it, particularly thin laptops, and it will not fix a graphics shortfall.
Replace the computer
For: solves the problem comprehensively. Against: it is a large amount of money in Australian dollars to spend on a hobby you have not tried yet. If you are considering it, try a game that does run on your current machine first.
If you do buy hardware, your purchase is covered by the consumer guarantees in the Australian Consumer Law, which apply regardless of any separate warranty a retailer offers. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission explains what those guarantees are and when they apply.
LOG 02-6 // 03:11
The example household
The hypothetical household from the course overview sits down with the five-line note. Their desktop computer is about five years old, runs a current version of Windows, has 8 GB of memory, a graphics card bought around 2018, and 60 GB free on the drive where programs live.
Against a typical requirements list, that puts them above the minimum on processor and graphics, exactly at the memory figure, and comfortably placed on storage for now. The sensible reading is: it will run, it will want lower picture settings, and memory is the part that will show its age first. They write down "low settings, check free space again before any big update" and move on. They do not buy anything. That is the right outcome for this step — a decision made with numbers instead of hope.
LOG 02-7 // 03:28
Before you move on
- Five pieces of information — operating system, processor, memory, graphics, free space — answer the question for any game.
- Your operating system is a yes-or-no gate before anything else is considered.
- Minimum means it starts; recommended means it is comfortable. They are not the same promise.
- Take requirements from the vendor or the store page, never from a third party, including this one.
- Never install a tool that offers to scan your computer to tell you what it can run.
With the note in hand, Step 3 covers what happens when you decide to proceed: the registration form, the confirmation email, and how to keep the resulting account yours.
LOG 02-8 // 03:40
Checklist 2 — Checking your machine
- Open the system information panel on your computer.
- Write down the operating system name and full version.
- Write down the processor model exactly as shown.
- Write down the installed memory in gigabytes.
- Write down the graphics hardware name.
- Write down the free space, in gigabytes, on the drive where programs are installed.
- Open the vendor's own page for the game you are considering and find its requirements list.
- Compare each line against your note and mark it as above, at, or below the minimum.
- Check your internet plan's data allowance against the stated download size.
- Decide what you will do if the result is "below", before you start downloading anything.