How much are you prepared to spend upgrading your computer for StarCraft 2?

I didn't bought Crysis recently I bought my computer. Is processor that 3.00 GHz thing?

 

yup its that 3 ghz = processor

 

How much RAM do I need to be able to play SC and newer games?

 

Yes ... because like I said, Crysis should be released in November in this year. I'm surprised that you bought your computer recently because the components are outdated, so I can only assume it was very cheap.

There's no doubt that you can probably run SC2; just don't expect to play on a high resolution and/or enable all the effects. 512 MB of RAM is probably enough to meet the minimum requirements.

 

Saying that 512 is the minimum requirement might be pushing it Jewels.

There's a good probability it will require 1GB.

LT I would suggest you at least put another 512 DIMM in your computer and upgrade your video card. Nothing too much just something better, maybe look to spend about $100? Then your RAM will cost you another $50-75.

And your processor will be fine although not the best.

 

I'm only basing my judgement on the fact that the minimum RAM requirement for Crysis is 1 GB. Playing SC2 on 800 x 600 shouldn't require 1 GB, especially if played on the lowest settings.

 

Think about it. Most of the units are rendered and stored in RAM since they're moving.

To have any kind of large army, especially in 3D rendering, you need more than 512 MB.

But I guess I overestimate things because I never assume people want to play on the lowest setting of ANYTHING.

EDIT: BTW, in my experience, screen resolution doesn't do all that much for you. Most games used to be set, now that they can be higher the video card just kind of adapts for it but the resolution is pretty much always 800x600.

So unless you're using a card that just doesn't DO a higher resolution, it won't much matter.

 

So I need to buy new gfx card and more RAM?

 

Well I choose to go by simply being able to run a playable game, even if the settings are the lowest, because if one can run it, they don't need to upgrade any hardware. Warcraft 3 requires 128 MB.

As for resolution, playing any fairly recent game on higher resolutions requires a more powerful GPU and more RAM. Lowering the resolution and all settings helps if your system is weaker, like If you can't handle 2560 x 1600, you should be able to handle 1024 x 768.

Edit: When I say "can't handle", I mean it can run the game at that resolution, but the frame rate renders it basically unplayable.

I personally wait until the game is released first. No one knows for sure what the minimum requirements are and you don't know how well your computer can play the game. Upgrading for a game that's not going to be released for a while is a very risky decision; it's much better to wait until the game is released first and see if you need to upgrade then. If you plan to play Crysis though, upgrading is absolute necessary.

 

I want to play crysis. So new gfx card and more RAM?

 

Absolutely, but seeing as the game still hasn't been released yet, I'd wait until the system requirements are officially released and upgrade then.

 

Ok but I'm not upgrading just for the SC. How much RAM should I get? 2gigs?

 

2 gigs is the sweetspot for XP and Vista right now, but it wont be long before it'll be able to tap 4gigs and up. 2 gigs will be more than enough for the next few years, I'm grabbing 4 gigs in preparation.

 

Ok thanks everybody. :good:

 

Well Jewels I certainly appreciate your input, and you seem to be rather knowledgeable about computer hardware specifications.

Your advice is good and by all means when I advise anyone on buying new hardware for this game, I intend it to be AFTER Blizzard has officially released their game requirements. Heck, I could be way off, but I don't think I am.

But also, please take into account that any requirements I have posted on this forum are intended for serious gamers (I mean, you are on an SC2 forum WAY before the release date, so you must be just as fanatical as I am). This means I'm catering to people who WANT it on a high resolution and WANT to play smoothly.

I mean, if you're short money, then yes, by all means, go for the bare minimum. But although it's cheaper, it still might not be as much "bang for your buck."

 

I will most likely buy a completely new machine, this one is already 10 Years old.

 

im buying me a nice new laptop mostly for school and on the side play some sc2 heh

 

I am saving up to buy new stuff but Starcraft has less to do with it as the games that are out now.

 

I'm in the market for a new computer, so I will spend money on getting a new one, but StarCraft doesn't really figure into that. I'm confident that my new computer will be able to handle it. My current one would need significant upgrades I believe.

 

I'm more than confident enough with my current set up. I have SLied 8800 GTX's for God's sake.