System requirements
Almost all computer software requires some features to be present on a computer system before it can be used with the computer. These necessary features are known as system requirements, and are often used as a guideline as opposed to an absolute rule. Often two sets of system requirements are given for an item of software: a minimum set of requirements (which must be satisfied for the software to be usable at all) and a recommended set of requirements (for maximum performance). Computers with even lower specifications than the minimum requirements may sometimes also run the software satisfactory; it's suggested, however, that the user will not have a representative experience of the software this way.
System requirements for software tend to increase over time, and have done so to a large extent over the last decade.
For instance, while StarCraft (1998) needed:
- Windows 95 or NT or superior
- Pentium processor at 90 MHz or higher
- 16 MB RAM
- 80 MB available in the hard disk
- CD-ROM, 2x or higher
- DirectX 3.0 or higher
and Spider-Man (2002) needed:
- 3D Hardware Accelerator
- Windows 98/2000/NT/XP
- Pentium III processor at 500 MHz or higher
- 128 MB RAM
- 1.5 GB available in the hard disk
- DirectX 8.1
- 3D Hardware Accelerator - 64MB of memory minimum
- Windows 2000/XP
- Pentium 4 1.5 GHz or Athlon XP 1500+ processor or higher
- 384 MB RAM
- 8x Speed CD-ROM
- 2.2 GB free hard disk space
- DirectX 9.0b compatible 16-bit sound card
- DirectX 9.0b
Not only computer games need these features, but any substantial programs such as Encarta, DVD players (on the computer), file managers and the like.