Step 2 of 5

Working out whether your computer is the right kind

Most disappointment with PC games is decided before anything is installed, by hardware the player never looked at. This step shows you how to look. Reading time is about eighteen minutes, and the practical part takes ten more at the computer.

The operating system question comes first

An operating system is the software your computer starts into: Windows, macOS on an Apple computer, or one of the Linux distributions. Everything else in this step is irrelevant until you know which one you have, because a game that is not published for your operating system will not run on it regardless of how capable the hardware is.

This is not a detail that can be worked around by a confident person. A game published only for Windows and Linux will not install on a Mac by trying harder. There are compatibility layers that sometimes run Windows software on other systems, but a vendor that does not support macOS does not support it, and anything you get working that way is unsupported by definition — meaning that if it breaks after an update, nobody is obliged to fix it, and an online game may decline to run at all.

The example used throughout this course is in exactly that position. The vendor states that Crossout runs on Windows and on Linux. It is not offered for macOS. If the computer in front of you is a Mac, this particular example is not available to you, and that is the end of it rather than a problem to solve. The course still applies; you would substitute a game published for your system.

The five figures that decide everything

Nearly every requirements list is a statement about five things. Once you can read your own five, you can assess any game in the category in about a minute.

Operating system and whether it is 64-bit. “64-bit” describes how the system addresses memory. Essentially every computer sold in the last decade is 64-bit, and essentially every modern game requires it, but it is listed because the small number of older machines still in use will fail at this line.

Processor. The central processing unit, or CPU, is the general-purpose chip that runs the game's logic. Requirements lists name a model from some years ago and mean “roughly this or better”. Comparing processor models is genuinely difficult; for a first assessment, note the model name and whether your machine is older or newer than the one listed.

Memory. Random access memory, or RAM, is the working space the game uses while running, measured in gigabytes. This is the easiest figure to read and one of the easiest to upgrade on a desktop. If you are below the stated minimum, the game may start and then behave badly rather than refusing outright.

Graphics hardware. The graphics processing unit, or GPU, draws the picture. It comes in two forms. A discrete graphics card is a separate component with its own memory. Integrated graphics are built into the processor and share the computer's main memory. Integrated graphics have improved a great deal, but for games with demanding visuals the gap remains large. This is the figure most new players have never checked and the one that most often decides whether a game is enjoyable.

Free disk space. The installation size, in gigabytes, plus headroom. A game that needs forty gigabytes to install may need more than that while it unpacks the download, and will grow as it updates. Leaving a comfortable margin on the drive the operating system starts from is sensible for the health of the machine in general.

How to find them on your own machine

These instructions are general: the exact wording of menus changes between versions, so the procedure names what you are looking for rather than promising a particular button.

1. Write the five headings down first, on paper or in a note. Operating system, processor, memory, graphics, free space. You will fill them in as you go, and having them written stops you from stopping after two.
2. On Windows, open Settings and find the System pages. There is an “About” area that reports the edition of Windows, the system type — where you will see whether it is 64-bit — the processor model and the installed memory. That is three of your five figures in one screen.
3. On Linux, open your desktop environment's settings and find the About or Details page. Most desktop environments report the distribution and version, the processor, the memory and often the graphics in a single panel. If yours does not, the same information is available from a terminal.
4. Identify the graphics hardware specifically. On Windows, Device Manager has a “Display adapters” entry that names the graphics hardware; if the name includes a manufacturer's model number for a card, you have discrete graphics, and if it reads as part of the processor family, you have integrated graphics. On Linux, a terminal command that lists PCI devices will report the graphics controller by name.
5. Measure free space on the drive the system starts from. Open the file manager, look at the drive — usually C: on Windows, or the root filesystem on Linux — and read its free space. Write the number in gigabytes, not as a percentage.
6. Set your five figures beside the vendor's list and mark each one: above, equal, or below. Do not average them. One figure well below the minimum decides the outcome on its own.

If you are not able to do this yourself, it is a reasonable thing to ask a friend or a local repair shop to read out for you, and it takes them a couple of minutes. You are not asking for a diagnosis, only for five numbers.

Reading a requirements list without being misled

Vendors publish two lists, and the difference between them is where expectations go wrong.

The minimum list is the hardware below which the vendor does not expect the game to work. Meeting the minimum exactly means the game should start and run, usually at reduced visual settings and a low frame rate. It does not mean the experience will be good. Treat the minimum as the floor of “possible”, not the floor of “pleasant”.

The recommended list is the vendor's estimate of hardware that gives a comfortable experience at ordinary settings. If your machine meets or exceeds this list, you can stop worrying about hardware and move to Step 3.

Two cautions. First, requirements lists are written by the vendor and are not independently verified; they are a useful statement of intent rather than a measurement. Second, a laptop's model number tells you less than you would expect, because the same model name is often sold with different internal components. Read the hardware, not the sticker.

For the example game, the vendor states the supported systems are Windows and Linux and that macOS is not supported. Beyond that, this course does not reproduce specific figures, because requirement lists change with each major update and the vendor's own page is the only version that is current. Read it there.

Visit the Crossout websitePaid affiliate link. A commission is paid to Blank Index if an account is created and confirmed after following it. The method in this step works for any game in the category.

Data, not just hardware

A large game is a large download, and in Australia a meaningful number of households are on plans with a monthly data allowance — fixed wireless, satellite and mobile broadband in particular. The initial download is only the start: these games update regularly, and a major update can be several gigabytes on its own.

Before installing anything, find out what your plan allows and how much is left this month. If your household shares a limited allowance, a forty-gigabyte download started on the twenty-eighth of the month is a domestic incident rather than a technical one. If your plan has an off-peak period with cheaper or uncounted data, scheduling the download into it is worth the small effort.

There is also the question of connection quality. An online game needs a steady connection more than a fast one; a modest connection with consistent timing will often be more pleasant than a fast connection that fluctuates. You cannot test this before installing, which is a reason to treat the first session as a test rather than a verdict.

The example household, at Step 2

Checklist 2 — before you move to Step 3