Blizzard's put up the System Requirements for Burning Crusade (2nd to last question on the FAQ), so if your current box is chugging along, you might want to check them out. The other reason I decided to post this (it's right up there on the WoW site, after all-- why come here when you can see it there, right?) is because I wanted to tell you that I just got my new PC case, so my new monster rig is now just a week or so away!OK, fine, I'll give you a little more service than that. Just for you, readers, I reached up on my shelf and pulled down my WoW box to compare the old system requirements to the new BC ones. Interestingly, the expansion does call for a little more RAM (512mb, 1gb recommended) than the original game does (256mb). The original box doesn't say they require a Directx sound card, but apparently the expansion makes that distinction for whatever reason. On the Mac side, while the original game required OS X 10.3.5 or newer, the expansion calls for 10.3.9 or newer. I don't run WoW on my Mac, but I believe all the 10.3.x updates came free with System Update anyway, so I'm sure you'll be fine.
And even if you don't match up to the recommended specs, I wouldn't worry too much about it-- Blizzard's games are very forgiving on the hardware (not so much when you're running a full AV or MC, but when you're soloing in Hinterlands for sure). Then again, if you do need new RAM, now's the time to start looking.
Subscribe
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
10-19-2006 @ 12:23AM
Robert said...
I think it's interesting that "an active broadband connection" is required now. Hasn't WoW been 56k friendly before?
Reply
10-19-2006 @ 3:41AM
UnknownEvil31 said...
a girl who plays WoW? That's awesome :)
Reply
10-19-2006 @ 6:20AM
Jonny said...
Hello all, I'm stuck at work ordering my new laptop (for work) and our wonderful IT people ban us from seeing the WOW website, could some kind soul put the requirements for PC and MAC up, so I can order one that'll be of some use out of work!!! Thanks.
Reply
10-19-2006 @ 6:40AM
JMET said...
Q: What are the system requirements?
PC System Requirements
OS: Windows 2000 (Service Pack 4); Windows XP (Service Pack 2)
Processor: Intel Pentium3 800MHz or AMD Duron 800MHz
Memory:
512 MB RAM, 1GB RAM is recommended
Video:
Minimum: 32MB 3D graphics processor with Hardware Transform and Lighting, such as an NVIDIA GeForce 2 class card or above.
Recommended: 64MB VRAM 3D graphics processor with Vertex and Pixel Shader capability, such as an NVIDIA GeForce FX 5700 class card or above.
Sound: DirectX compatible sound card
Mac System Requirements
OS: Mac OS X 10.3.9 or newer required
Processor: 933MHz G4/G5 processor,
1.8GHz G5/Intel or better recommended
RAM: 512MB RAM, 1GB DDR RAM is recommended
Video:
NVIDIA or ATI graphics processor with 32MB VRAM,
64MB VRAM recommended
Controls: A keyboard and mouse are required. Input devices other than a mouse and keyboard are not supported
All Platforms
Connectivity:You must have an active broadband internet connection to play.
Mouse: Multi-button mouse with scroll wheel recommended.
Note: System Requirements are subject to change.
Reply
10-19-2006 @ 8:30AM
Psyclerk said...
512MB of RAM has been the real minimum requirement anyways. You can load the game with 256MB, but good luck going through any area with more than a handfull of players.
I wonder if this spec update is just reflecting that, or if we now need 1GB...
Reply
10-19-2006 @ 11:20AM
Gamerz22 said...
Dont refer to the system requirements of your old World of Warcraft manual, within late 2005 or early 2006, they updated their online requirements page for the original game to 512mb ram. Why? People complained about the lag, and thus Blizzard investigated and saw 256mb is very low for the popularity of the game...
So, no actual change from anyone whom is actually up-to-date of regular tech updates... as I can recall it was announced.
Reply
10-19-2006 @ 1:48PM
jpc said...
Is that a pic of Jennie Lees?
Reply
10-19-2006 @ 1:54PM
Mike Schramm said...
It is not a picture of Jennie Lees. It is simply a picture of someone playing WoW at a lan party, and I thought, for some unknowable reason, that it would be a good illustration of something as boring as system requirements.
I'm glad you all liked the picture. If anyone wants to try photoshopping it, I'd love to see the results.
Reply
12-29-2006 @ 4:16PM
danny said...
um i am running on 480 ram a little lag in the major cities if there is a ton of people on should i have any problems? i already upgraded my comp once i hope i am going to be ok i already hvae bc paid off lol
Reply