elementary computer question, re. system requirements

General Questions
#1

I bought my comp a year ago just because I needed one. Nothing fancy, just plain computer. I don’t play games or do anything too cpmplex so I got a bare-bones sort of system.

Now, to indulge teenage nostalgia I must play Doom 3. but system requirements…

RequiredOperating System: Microsoft Windows 2000/XP
Processor: Pentium IV 1.5 GHz or AM Athlon 1.7 GHz processor or higher
RAM: 384MB RAM
CD-ROM: 8x Speed CD-ROM drive (1200KB/sec sustained transfer rate) and latest drivers
Hard Drive: 1.7GB of uncompressed free hard disk space (plus 400MB for Windows swap file)
Processor: 100% DirectXR 9.0b compatible 16-bit sound card and latest drivers
Video Card: 3D hardware Accelerator Card Required - 100% DirectXR 9.0b compatible 64MB Hardware Accelerated video card and the latest drivers

I got the windows xp, and I’m sure I still have plenty of hard drive space, RAM, and the disk drive, short of that, I am not too sure how to even find out what requirements I meet and which ones I don’t…

what do I do?

#2

You’ve met the requirements for Doom III. However, you;ll have a better experience if you upgrade the video ram to 128Mb,

#3

asheets, I think you misread the OP. I think that bigbabysweets2000 is saying that those are the requirements, not that they’re what he has. Given that he bought the system a year ago and didn’t get anything extra, I think it’s very safe to say that he almost certainly does not meet the requirements.

However, if you want to check to be sure, right-click on “My Computer” on your desktop and select “properties”. You should then see a tab labelled “device manager”, or some such. Look at what (if anything) it says about your video card. If there isn’t a video card listed, or if it’s something other than the one listed in the Doom requirements, then you’re out of luck. You may or may not have the required processor speed, too, but the video card is most significant here.

#4

BigBabySweets2000, do you still have the receipt or packing list from the computer when you bought it. If so, look for a model number and post it, or see if the specs are on there. If you get the model number and the brand of PC we might be able to google it and get your exact specs.
You can also go to Start–>Programs–>Accessories–>System Tools–>System Information and look at Components --> Display and look for Adapter Description to figure out which video card you have.

Good Luck!

#5

I’m not sure how to get system spec’s out of XP however if it’s anything like NT try this:
To find how much memory you have do Ctrl-Alt-del and bring up task manager (if it’s still called that) on the performance tab there is a figure for Physical memory. You need at least 384Meg to play Doom III at all that’s a strange figure for memory I’d up that to half a Gig or more.
To find if you’ve enough disk space - open my computer and right click on the drive that you’d install the game on, select properties for the ‘free space’ figure.
Is processor type (and maybe speed) written on the case? The box? The manual? If the CPU is not up to spec then you’re looking at a new machine.

The video card in a year old ‘bare bones’ PC will not be up to Doom III, you will need a new video card.

You’ll probably be OK with the sound card providing you’ve got DirectX9 support.

I’m guessing these are minimum specs, to play the game with style you’ll need a faster CPU and video card.

My home PC died a year and a half ago and I have actually been waiting for Doom III to come out to find out what spec machine I will need to get to replace it. If the reviews are good I’ll finally have a reason to buy a new PC. (Well that and Half Life 2)

#6

A quick way to view this information is to go to Start|Run and type dxdiag. The System tab shows CPU and memory and the Display tab shows your video card.

#7

If you really want to relive your teenage years, get the doom collection. I’m playing it and I even remember where all the secrets are.

Plus, it’s $40 cheaper than Doom III. :smiley:

#8

FYI: If you have the Doom collector’s edition (or any other old copy of Doom), you absolutely HAVE to follow these directions.

This explains how to download jdoom, which allows free-looking mouse movements, an updated openGL graphics engine (real-time lighting, smoke, bullet marks, etc), and much more in all the old Doom games and add-on wads.

#9

Ysing dxdiag is going to be much easier that digging through your device manager. When dxdiag first pops up you’ll be in the system tab. From here you’ll be able to figure out your processor speed and amount of memory you have. Then click on the display tab to see what your video card is. Take note of the chip type, but if you’re unsure look at the amount of memory your video card has. If you’ve got at least 64MB of approx. total memory on this screen your card should work with Doom3. Don’t worry about your sound card. If it was made in the past decade it should work with Doom 3.

If you’re worried about your system being able to run the game report your specs back here and I’ll let you know if it will work or not. It should be noted that Doom3 runs very well on the minimum requirements, unlike most games. It’s not as pretty, but will still beat the pants off of anything else you’ve seen on your PC.