system requirements

Almost all computer software requires some features to be present on a computer system before it can be used with the computer. These necessary features are known as system requirements, and are often used as a guideline as opposed to an absolute rule. Often two sets of system requirements are given for an item of software: a minimum set of requirements (which must be satisfied for the software to be usable at all) and a recommended set of requirements (for maximum performance). System requirements for software tend to increase over time, and have done so to a large extent over the last decade. For instance, while StarCraft (1994) needed:

Windows 95 or NT or superior
Pentium processor at 90MHz or higher
16MB RAM
80MB available in the hard disk
CD-ROM, 2x or higher
DirectX 3.0 or higher

and Spider-Man (2002) needed:

3D Hardware Accelerator
Windows 98/2000/NT/XP
Pentium III processor at 500MHz or higher
128MB RAM
1.5GB available in the hard disk
DirectX 8.1

Doom 3 needs:

3D Hardware Accelerator - 64MB of memory minimum
Windows 2000/XP
Pentium IV 1.5 GHz or Athlon XP 1500+ processor or higher
384MB RAM
8x Speed CD-ROM
2.2GB free hard disk space
DirectX 9.0b compatible 16-bit sound card
DirectX 9.0b

Not only computer games need these features, but any substantial programs such as Encarta, DVD players (on the computer), file managers and the like.

System Requirements

See also