Recommended computer specs

[Thunderbolt56]

Originally Posted by He111

I cannot see any?

I have a dual core 6600 2.4 GHZ, ATI 4850 and Vista 32 bit, will this run SOW or do I need a new computer / operating system (64 bit?)

Thanks

He111.

I have no doubts it will run it, but that 2.4ghz proc will be a definite bottleneck...dual-core or not. You can fix that by getting a decent aftermarket CPU cooler and cranking it up to 3.0+ ghz. It's free performance and even makes a tremendous difference in existing titles.

It's fairly straight forward with those conroe c2d's and usually just requires a small Vcore voltage bump and a boost to your FSB depending on your mobo maker.

I've been running my E6700 @ 3.2 for almost 3 years now without a hiccup.

As far as your VC, you should be o.k. there too. Not great, but o.k. The 4850 is a good card and should serve you at least another 12-24 months without much need for upgrade depending on resolution and effects you want/need to enable.

Regarding OS (32 bit vs 64 bit); If you're running 32 bit and are happy with it, you should also be fine. MS will continue to support XP through 2012 (maybe longer, can't remember, but moot since you use Vista). The biggest advantage to moving to 64 bit will be the recognition of larger amounts of RAM which will, no doubt, be better for future games/sims that load huge, sprawling maps with higher LOD's.


Your rig is considered by most scales to be "entry-level" at this point. That's not a dig, nor criticism, but fact. That still doesn't mean it's not got plenty of life left in it and if it were me, I'd increase to 4GB of fast RAM (providing you only have 2GB now) and OC that little E6600 to 3.0ghz minimum. That's a 25% increase in clock speed for free. If you're running a 32bit OS, then it will only recognize 3GB of RAM, but that would still represent a 50% increase.