Blizzard Reveals WoW: Cataclysm System Specs

By Kevin Parrish
published

Here are the PC and Mac requirements for Blizzard's upcoming World of Warcraft expansion, Cataclysm.

While we haven't seen anything official in the inbox, Blizzard reportedly unveiled the minimum and recommended system specs for the upcoming World of Warcraft expansion, Cataclysm. Hitting the MMORPG on December 7, the expansion will introduce gamers to two new races, revamped zones, new game mechanics and more. Here are the specs to see if your rig can handle the new content:

Minimum Requirements

Operating System

  • Windows XP 32-bit (SP3), Windows XP 64-bit (SP2), Windows Vista 32-bit (SP1), Windows Vista 64-bit (SP1)

Processor

  • Intel Pentium 4 1.3 GHz or AMD Athlon XP 1500

Memory

  • 1 GB or more of RAM

Video

  • Nvidia GeForce FX or ATI Radeon 9500 video card or better

Sound

  • DirectX-compatible sound card or motherboard sound capability

HDD

  • 25 GB free hard drive space

A keyboard and mouse are required. Input devices other than a mouse and keyboard are not supported. You must also have an active broadband Internet connection to play.

Recommended Requirements

Operating System

  • Windows XP 32-bit (SP3), Windows XP 64-bit (SP2), Windows Vista 32-bit (SP1), Windows Vista 64-bit (SP1) Windows 7

Processor

  • Dual-core processor, such as the Intel Pentium D or AMD Athlon 64 X2

Memory

  • 2 GB RAM (2 GB for Vista users)

Video

  • 3D graphics processor with Vertex and Pixel Shader capability with 256 MB Nvidia GeForce 8600 or ATI Radeon

Sound

  • 2600 or better DirectX-compatible sound card or motherboard sound capability

A broadband Internet connection is required, and a multi-button mouse with scroll wheel is recommended.

***

For gamers on a Mac, Blizzard provided the minimum and recommended specs for Apple gamers as well:

Minimum Requirements

Operating System

  • Mac OS X 10.5.8, 10.6.4, or newer

Processor

  • Intel Core Duo processor

Memory

  • 2 GB RAM

HDD

  • 25 GB

A keyboard and mouse are required. Input devices other than a mouse and keyboard are not supported. You must have an active broadband Internet connection to play.

Recommended Requirements

Operating System

  • Mac OS X 10.6.4 or newer

CPU

  • Intel Core 2 Duo processor

Mobile Video

  • Nvidia GeForce 9600M GT or ATI Radeon HD 4670 or better

Desktop Video

  • 3D graphics processor with Vertex and Pixel Shader capability with 128 MB VRAM such as an ATI Radeon X1600 or NVIDIA 7600 class card or better

Memory

  • 4 GB RAM

Multi-button mouse with scroll wheel recommended.

Kevin Parrish
69 Comments Comment from the forums
  • jellico
    If you have only the minimum system specs, you better have your viewing distance (and most other video effects) turned way down. Otherwise, you would be standing in Dalaran and think your system locked up (you'd be getting about 1 FPS).
    Reply
  • Tomtompiper
    They forgot the razor blade to slit your wrists because you no longer have a life.
    Reply
  • hellwig
    Yikes, why does Mac take twice the memory? And why does a "mobile" mac need so much more graphics processing power than a "desktop" mac? Doesn't really affect me, but those reqs seem odd.
    Reply
  • tallpaul02
    mac needs more power to play the game because OSX uses more system resources than Windows typically.
    Reply
  • samdsox
    As always you don't need much to play wow. But hey thats a good thing.
    Reply
  • lukeiamyourfather
    TomtompiperThey forgot the razor blade to slit your wrists because you no longer have a life.
    Also the unemployment benefits application paperwork because you got fired for skipping work.
    Reply
  • Travis Beane
    I ran all settings on mininum, 640x480 with a Nvidia 7500LE (OEM bargain bin card) and a Pentium D 820 2.8GHz with 1GB of DDR2 533. In GPU intensive area, it was unplayable. I love when the minimum settings list something that makes the game unplayable, because, honestly, is 5-10FPS worth it?
    My i7 and 5770 both OC'd lol at those recommendations however. TOo bad I quit 3 years ago. :)

    Edit: I'm curious, what kind of GPU will these have? I have a Cowon S9 with a dual core 500MHz ARM, but since it has no GPU, effects are all quite slow.
    Reply
  • wiinippongamer
    wow is GAY
    Reply
  • Twoboxer
    The system specs provided by Blizzard are worthless. No screen resolution = no spec.
    Reply
  • nforce4max
    lukeiamyourfatherAlso the unemployment benefits application paperwork because you got fired for skipping work.
    What about the rest of us who got downsized or the company went belly up?
    I HATE not having a job and the dead end jobs are hard to find and getting worse.
    Reply