Calm Trait · beginners' workbook

Step 2 of 5

Whether your computer can run it

This step is a measurement exercise. You will read five facts off your own computer, write them down, and hold them beside what a publisher says the game needs. No installing, no downloading, and nothing irreversible.

The five numbers worth having

Publishers describe hardware requirements in a standard shape, and once you have five facts about your own machine you can read any of those lists. The five are the operating system and its version, the processor, the amount of memory, the graphics hardware, and the free space on your drive.

None of these requires opening the computer or installing a measuring tool. Every current operating system reports all five through a panel it already has. Write them on paper rather than trying to remember them, because you will compare them against several lists over time and the model numbers are long and easy to confuse.

One honest warning before the procedure: this step tells you whether a game will probably start and probably be comfortable. It cannot tell you that it definitely will. Hardware combinations vary, and the only certain test is running the thing. The point of measuring first is to avoid downloading forty gigabytes to find out.

Finding the five on your computer

The wording differs by operating system, but the shape is the same everywhere: find the panel that describes the machine, then read it.

1. Open your system information panel. On Windows this is the Settings application, under System, then About. On macOS it is the Apple menu, then About This Mac, and the More Info button behind it. On a Linux desktop it is usually a Settings application with an About section, and the same facts are available from a terminal if you prefer. Leave the panel open while you write.
2. Write down the operating system and version. Not just "Windows", but the edition and version number, and whether it is 64-bit. Nearly all current machines are 64-bit, and nearly all current games require it, so the one case worth catching is an old 32-bit installation.
3. Write down the processor. Copy the whole line, including the model number and the generation, exactly as shown. The model number is the part that matters when comparing.
4. Write down the installed memory. This is reported in gigabytes, often as RAM or "installed memory". Record what is installed, not what is free at this moment.
5. Identify the graphics. This is the one most people have never looked at. On Windows, the Task Manager has a Performance tab that names the graphics hardware; the display settings also have an advanced display section that names it. On macOS, About This Mac lists it. On Linux, the Settings About page names it. Write down the full name and whether the word "integrated", "graphics" or the processor's own brand appears in it — that tells you it shares the processor rather than being a separate card.
6. Check free disk space. Open the file manager, find the drive where programs install, and read the free space. If you have more than one drive, note which is which.
7. Compare. Put your five facts in one column and the publisher's minimum requirements in the next, then the recommended requirements in a third. Judge each row separately rather than forming an overall impression.

What minimum and recommended actually mean

Publishers list two tiers, and the words are more slippery than they look.

If you sit between the two tiers, the game will usually run with some settings reduced. If you sit below the minimum on one line only, that line will often be the thing that stops you — most commonly memory or graphics. If you sit below the minimum on two or more lines, the realistic conclusion is that this game is not for this computer, and no setting will fix it.

That conclusion is allowed. Deciding a particular game does not suit a particular computer is a successful outcome of Step 2, not a failure of it.

The graphics line, which decides most of it

Of the five numbers, graphics is the one that most often decides whether a game is comfortable. There are two broad arrangements.

Integrated graphics share the processor chip and the computer's main memory. Most thin laptops, most office machines and most budget desktops are built this way. They handle video, office work and many simpler games perfectly well.

A discrete graphics card is a separate component with its own memory. Machines sold specifically for gaming have one, and so do many machines sold for design work. They handle demanding three-dimensional games considerably better.

You cannot change which one you have without changing the computer, and in a laptop you generally cannot change it at all. So this fact is worth establishing early: it sets realistic expectations before you spend an evening downloading. If you have integrated graphics, a demanding modern game may still start, but you should expect to run it at low settings and a small window, and you should not be surprised if it stutters.

Disk space, download size and your connection

Three practical points that are easy to overlook and annoying to discover late.

First, a game needs more free space than its download size, because it unpacks. Leaving a comfortable margin — considerably more than the stated install size — avoids a failed installation at ninety per cent. An operating system also needs free space of its own to work properly, so filling the drive to the last gigabyte causes problems beyond the game.

Second, the install is not the end of the downloading. Online games update frequently, and a major update can be as large as a sizeable fraction of the original. If your connection is metered, or shared with a household that notices, this matters more than the first download does.

Third, an online game needs the connection while you play, and it cares more about steadiness than raw speed. A connection that streams video happily can still be unpleasant for a fast multiplayer game if it is erratic. There is no way to know in advance except to try.

The worked example

Our hypothetical Brisbane household works through the panel on their five-year-old Windows laptop. They find a 64-bit Windows installation, a mid-range processor from several years ago, eight gigabytes of memory, graphics whose name includes the processor's own brand, and about sixty gigabytes free.

Holding that beside a typical requirements list, they conclude: the operating system is fine, the processor is around the minimum, the memory meets the minimum but not the recommendation, the graphics are integrated and therefore the weakest line, and the disk space is adequate for now. Their realistic expectation is that a demanding game may start at low settings and may not be enjoyable, while a lighter game will be fine.

Having written that down, they decide to carry on to Step 3 with modest expectations rather than abandoning the idea. That is a reasonable call on those numbers, and so would the opposite call have been.

Before you move on

You should now have a sheet of paper with five facts about your computer and a one-line verdict for the game you are considering: comfortably above, between the tiers, borderline, or below. If the verdict is "below", the rest of the course still makes sense to read, but do not spend the evening downloading.

Nothing in Step 2 required you to buy anything, and nothing in it suggests you should. If your computer does not suit a particular game, the cheapest response is to choose a different game.

Step 2 checklist

1. Open your system information panel and leave it visible while you work.
2. Write down the operating system, its version, and whether it is 64-bit.
3. Write down the processor line in full, model number included.
4. Write down the installed memory in gigabytes.
5. Write down the graphics hardware, and note whether it is integrated or a separate card.
6. Write down the free space on the drive where programs install.
7. Copy the publisher's minimum and recommended lists beside your five facts.
8. Mark each row: above, equal, or below.
9. Write a one-line verdict in your own words.
10. Check whether your internet connection is metered, and note the download size.

— end of step two — figures recorded — proceed —