Ho you compare System Requirements?

[thatguy512]

I've always bought games blindly and just hopped they worked but now its time i want to actually understand how to compare the specs.I know i could always go to www.systemrequirementslab.com/cyri/ but i dont want to do that anymore.

For example here are my computer specs.


Operating System: Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit (6.1, Build 7601) Service Pack 1 (7601.win7sp1_gdr.110408-1631)
Language: English (Regional Setting: English)
System Manufacturer: HP-Pavilion
System Model: FQ565AA-ABA a6700f
BIOS: Phoenix - AwardBIOS v6.00PG
Processor: AMD Phenom(tm) 9150e Quad-Core Processor (4 CPUs), ~1.8GHz
Memory: 4096MB RAM
Available OS Memory: 3966MB RAM
Page File: 3714MB used, 4216MB available
Windows Dir: C:\Windows
DirectX Version: DirectX 11
Card name: NVIDIA GeForce 6150SE nForce 430


Here are the minimum requirements for a game


Operating System: Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7
CPU: Intel Pentium 4 2.0 GHz or equivalent
RAM: 512MB
Required Hard Disk Space: 6GB
Graphics Card: DirectX 9.0c compatible with 128MB RAM, Pixel Shader 2.0 (or better)
Broadband Internet Connection
Keyboard and Mouse


Here are the recommended specs

Operating System: Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7
CPU: Dual Core 2.0 GHz or equivalent
RAM: 2GB
Required Hard Disk Space: 15GB
Graphics Card: 256MB ATIx800 or NVIDA 6800 card (or better)
Broadband Internet Connection
Keyboard and Mouse

For the minimum requirements it asking for a duel core 2.0 GHz of equivalent.I have a 1.8 ghz quad core.Does that mean i multiply my 1.8GHz by 4 or what?

thanks

 

[jaguarskx]

1. You do not multiply anything with your CPU. You simply have an AMD quad core CPU; each core runs at 1.8GHz.

2. The video card requirement generally refers to a discreet video card (i.e. an actual video card), not an integrated video card that you seem to have.

3. You seem to meet the minimum requirements for this particular game. Your CPU is better than the minimum recommended P4 2.0GHz CPU. However, your video card is extremely weak, but meets the minimum requirement as a generic video card with Pixel Shader 2.0 support.

4. The recommended nVidia 6800 card or better is a much more powerful card than your integrated nVidia 6150SE video chip. The "6" refers to the generation or series, the "8" refers to the general performance level of that series. Therefore, your 6150SE is one of the lowest performing card in the GeForce 6xxx series. I believe the most power card in that series was the GeForce 6850 Ultra. The lowest performing card in the GeForce 6 series would be the 6100.

5. While the higher the "card number" means better performance, do not combine the "series" number with the "performance" number when comparing a newer generation card to an older generation card. The slowest GeForce 7 series card was the 7100GS. Do not make the mistake of thinking that it is faster than the 6850 Ultra since 7100 is a bigger number than 6850. You are still comparing an entry level card to performance card.

To emphasis #5, with cars... which car do you think will be more likely to win a drag race; a 2010 Honda Civic or a 1985 Chevrolet Corvette?

 

[Overclocked Toaster]

ghz and cores alone only give you a rough guide on your processor`s effectivenes.. For example, an intel i5 quad core running at 3.0 ghz is much faster than an amd athlon ii quad core running at 3.0 ghz.

how do you compary system requirements? well the best way would be to be really knowledgable about all the processors and graphics cards out there by visiting sites like this one. I dont place much trust in the stated system requirements or in sites like sysem requirements lab.

regarding your particular system and that game`s system requirements and how they compare to that game: your processor meets the minimum requirements but not the recommended requirements. older games will not take advantage of more than four cores, so you are effectively running a dual core at 1.8ghz.

but that is all besides the point, because your graphics chip (6150SE) is horrendously useless. though it technically meets the minimum requirement, i doubt the game will be playable at all.

so, I would have to say your system is useless for pretty much any game in the last 6 years. the good news is these days you can get a powerful gaming rig for as little as $600, which will let you play any game without even worrying about system requirements.

 

[thatguy512]

okay well your saying my CPU meets the minimum requirements but it's a 1.8 ghz quad core when it's asking for a 2.0 single core.It doesnt make sense.As for my graphics card i have a 9800gt thats being RMA'ed cuz the fan.I do hopefully plan to upgrade that and i was thinking about just replacing my mobo and cpu since u can't OC a lock BIOs

1. You do not multiply anything with your CPU. You simply have an AMD quad core CPU; each core runs at 1.8GHz.

2. The video card requirement generally refers to a discreet video card (i.e. an actual video card), not an integrated video card that you seem to have.

3. You seem to meet the minimum requirements for this particular game. Your CPU is better than the minimum recommended P4 2.0GHz CPU. However, your video card is extremely weak, but meets the minimum requirement as a generic video card with Pixel Shader 2.0 support.

4. The recommended nVidia 6800 card or better is a much more powerful card than your integrated nVidia 6150SE video chip. The "6" refers to the generation or series, the "8" refers to the general performance level of that series. Therefore, your 6150SE is one of the lowest performing card in the GeForce 6xxx series. I believe the most power card in that series was the GeForce 6850 Ultra. The lowest performing card in the GeForce 6 series would be the 6100.

5. While the higher the "card number" means better performance, do not combine the "series" number with the "performance" number when comparing a newer generation card to an older generation card. The slowest GeForce 7 series card was the 7100GS. Do not make the mistake of thinking that it is faster than the 6850 Ultra since 7100 is a bigger number than 6850. You are still comparing an entry level card to performance card.

To emphasis #5, with cars... which car do you think will be more likely to win a drag race; a 2010 Honda Civic or a 1985 Chevrolet Corvette?

 

[jaguarskx]

You meet the minimum requirements because your AMD 1.8Hz quad core CPU is more powerful than a single core Pentium 4 2.0GHz.

While each core of your AMD is 1.8GHz, the fact is it is a more recent CPU design than the Pentium 4. Usually as CPU design advance it's processing capabilities per clock cycle improves a little bit as well. Each core of your CPU runs 200MHz slower than the P4. However, your AMD can process more instructions than per clock cycle than the P4.

Your CPU doesn't appear to meet the recommended dual core 2.0GHz CPU though. This can be somewhat subjective though. Your CPU has more cores than the recommended CPU, but it is slightly slower. Many games do not take advantage of more than 2 cores. If this particular game cannot use more than two cores, then you do not meet the recommended 2.0GHz. Therefore, not only are 2 of your 4 cores will not be used, the two cores that will actually be used are only running at 1.8GHz.

There are some games that can take advantage of 3 cores. So if this game can, then even though each core is slower, you can meet the recommended requirements. There are even fewer games that can take advantage of 4 cores.

If you want a better understanding of different CPU performance then it is recommended you start reading up on some of the CPU/Processor articles. Generally speaking, Intel CPUs are better at games (and other things too) than an AMD CPU. For example, the dual core Intel Core i3-2100 (3.1GHz) CPU can beat the quad core AMD Phenom II X4 955BE (3.2GHz) CPU in every game that have been benchmarked with those two CPUs and using the same video card.

 

[thatguy512]

Best answer selected by thatguy512.

 

[Mousemonkey]

This topic has been closed by Mousemonkey