Step 2 of 5

Working out whether your computer can run it

A requirements table is only intimidating while the words in it are strangers. This step introduces the five figures that describe any computer, shows you where your own machine keeps them, and explains what a minimum specification does and does not promise.

Vocabulary
The five figures

Every system requirements table in this category asks about the same small set of things. Learn them once and you can read any of them.

A sixth item, the internet connection, is sometimes listed as a speed. For an online game, stability matters more than raw speed: a steady connection at a modest rate is generally more pleasant than a fast one that drops out. Your own experience with video calls is a reasonable guide to which you have.

Data card 2.1
Finding them on your own computer

You do not need any extra software to read these figures. Every desktop operating system publishes them in a built-in panel, and the route is roughly the same everywhere: open the settings or system application, find the section named for the system or the device, and read.

1. Open your computer's settings or system information panel. On Windows this is the Settings application, under the heading for the system and then "about". On macOS it is the Apple menu, then the item about this computer. On most Linux desktops it is the settings application, under a heading such as "about" or "details".
2. Write down the operating system name and version exactly as shown, including the edition if one is given.
3. Write down the processor line in full. Copy the whole string, model number included, because requirement tables compare model numbers.
4. Write down the installed memory in gigabytes.
5. Find the graphics entry. It may be on the same panel, or in a display or graphics section. Note whether it names a separate card or describes integrated graphics.
6. Open your file manager or disk utility and note the free space on the drive where programs are installed, not the total size of the drive.
7. Keep the six lines together on paper or in a text file. You will use them again in Step 4 and whenever you consider another game.

Fill the right-hand column in on paper or in your own notes. This site stores nothing: there is no form here, and nothing you write is sent anywhere.

Data card 2.2
Minimum, recommended, and what they mean

Most tables give two columns. The minimum column is the publisher's statement of the hardware on which the game is expected to start and remain usable. The recommended column describes hardware on which it is expected to look and feel the way the publisher intends.

Neither is a guarantee, and neither is a legal promise. They are engineering estimates made some time ago against hardware the publisher could test. Treat them as a sorting tool: comfortably above the recommended column means you can stop worrying, below the minimum column means you should not expect much, and in between means the game will probably run with the visual settings turned down.

Data card 2.3
Why a phone or tablet is not an option here

The game this course uses as its example runs on desktop and laptop computers only — Windows, macOS and Linux. There is no phone or tablet version in scope, so if the only device in the house is a phone, this particular example cannot be followed, although Steps 1, 3 and 5 still apply to whatever you choose instead.

That restriction is not unusual in this category. Games built around a keyboard and mouse, with large installations and frequent updates, generally stay on desktop systems.

Visit the War Thunder website to read the requirements the vendor publishes for itself.

Paid affiliate link. GRAVELGANT s.r.o. is paid a commission for an account created and confirmed after this link is followed. Nothing about this step changes if you type the address yourself instead.

Data card 2.4
Download size and your data allowance

An online game's first installation is often the largest single download a household makes in a month, and the updates afterwards are not small either. If your connection has a monthly limit, or if you are on a mobile broadband plan, find out how much of the allowance is left before you begin.

Three habits help. Start the first download when nobody else needs the connection. Check whether your operating system has a metered connection setting, which tells it to hold back large background transfers. And allow for the game to grow: a title that installs at one size will often be noticeably larger a year later.

If you share a household connection, tell the others before a large download starts. It is a courtesy, and it avoids a conversation about why the video stopped.

Data card 2.5
What to do when a figure is borderline

Usually one of the five figures is the weak one, and it is usually graphics or memory. There are sensible responses that cost nothing.

• Close everything else before playing. Browser tabs in particular hold a surprising amount of memory.
• Free up drive space before installing, rather than during. A nearly full drive slows the whole computer, not just the game.
• Expect to lower the visual settings in the game's own options, which Step 4 covers.
• Check that your computer is plugged in. Laptops routinely reduce performance on battery to extend the charge.
• If the operating system is several versions out of date, update it first for security reasons alone. The Australian Cyber Security Centre publishes general guidance on keeping devices and software current.

What not to do is install a utility that promises to speed up or clean your computer in order to make a game run. Those tools are a category of their own, with their own risks, and none of the five figures above is improved by them.

Summary
Before you move on

You should now have six lines written down somewhere you can find them, and a view about where your computer sits relative to a published table. That view may be "comfortably fine", "probably fine with the settings down", or "this machine is not the right one". All three are useful answers, and the third saves you the most time.

Step 3 leaves the hardware behind and deals with the account.