How do I know if games can run on my PC?
I have a Optiplex 16gb pc desktop, windows 10 pro but ain't nothing fancy and i'd like to know how to be able to check if certain games can run on it. How do I compare the games system requirements?
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Iceira 1 Aug @ 9:48am 
Google "can i run it"
Use this website or just view the store page and compare your system specs with what is the minimum requirements to run the game.

https://www.systemrequirementslab.com/cyri
Haruspex 1 Aug @ 10:00am 
Welcome to PC gaming.

First, you need to learn about PC specs and what's actually in your PC. "Optiplex 16gb" doesn't quite say much, except how much RAM you have. You need to know:
  • How much RAM you have.
  • Storage space
  • CPU (aka processor)
  • GPU (aka Graphics Card. May be built into the CPU in one unit known as an APU.)

Once you know what each of these things is and which ones your PC has, you can look at any game page on Steam under "System Requirements". There will be a list of "minimum" and "recommended" specs. If the parts in your PC meet at least "minimum" specs, you can play the game, but probably after turning settings down so it performs well enough. If you meet or exceed the "recommended" specs, you can play the game very well at higher settings.

Often times it's really the GPU that determines if you can run the game well or not, but the other specs are still important.

If you don't know what some of those parts are or how they compare, you'll just have to Google it. Over time you'll come to understand how parts compare to each other.

It's a bit like knowing basic information about your car. Some people are driving around out there without having any idea of what's under the hood. How many cylinders in the engine? What the displacement? Is it turbo charged or naturally aspirated? Knowing about PC specs is kind of like that.
basically my PC can only handle the witcher 3 and world of warcraft LOL.
nullable 1 Aug @ 10:08am 
Originally posted by Blind Man:
I have a Optiplex 16gb pc desktop, windows 10 pro but ain't nothing fancy and i'd like to know how to be able to check if certain games can run on it. How do I compare the games system requirements?

  1. Learn what hardware is in your PC (no one cares what brand/model you have) CPU, GPU, RAM, OS
  2. Compare that to the minimum requirements listed on the game's page, if your CPU, GPU, and RAM are greater than or equal too (approximately) to what's listed in the requirements you should generally be able to run a game.
  3. Profit?

There are tools, and rules of thumb which can help. And most issues you might run into that aren't simply insufficient/unsupported hardware can usually be resolved.
Last edited by nullable; 1 Aug @ 10:09am
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