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How to Check Whether Your Gaming PC Can Run a Game Before You Buy It

Check a game’s current system requirements against your PC’s exact CPU, GPU, RAM, operating system, and storage before buying. Requirements are a guide, not an FPS guarantee.
Length3 min Posted Quest giverVGSources Team
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Start with the game’s official store page, then compare its minimum and recommended system requirements with your PC’s actual processor, graphics card, memory, operating system, and storage. This can tell you whether your PC meets the publisher’s stated baseline; it cannot guarantee a particular frame rate or settings experience.

1. Find the game’s published requirements

Open the game’s official store page and note both the minimum and recommended requirements. Steam lists system requirements on each game’s Store page; Epic Games likewise advises comparing your PC specifications with the game’s requirements. Publishers may revise requirements, so check the current listing for the specific game rather than relying on an old post or a requirement list copied elsewhere.

Write down each item, including the named CPU and GPU, required RAM, operating system, storage space, and any graphics feature or API requirement. Keep minimum and recommended requirements separate: they describe different targets, not interchangeable specifications.

2. Find your PC’s actual specifications

Use DxDiag on Windows

  1. Press Windows key + R, type dxdiag, and press Enter.
  2. On the System tab, check the processor, installed memory, and Windows version.
  3. Open the Display tab to identify the graphics device and driver details. If the PC has more than one display device or GPU, note the exact model relevant to games.

Microsoft also points to System Information (msinfo32) and Task Manager for additional system details. These built-in tools help identify what is installed; they do not determine whether the PC will achieve a particular level of game performance.

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3. Compare each requirement with the matching part

  • CPU: Compare the exact processor model with the game’s listed processor. A model name is more informative than a general label such as “Intel” or “AMD.”
  • GPU: Compare the exact graphics-card model with the listed GPU. Do not treat “has DirectX” as proof that the card supports every required graphics feature.
  • RAM: Compare installed system memory with the game’s memory requirement.
  • Operating system: Check the required Windows version or other listed operating system against your PC.
  • Storage: Make sure you have enough available space for the stated requirement.
  • Graphics API or named features: Check these separately when listed. Steam warns that the DirectX version installed on Windows can be misleading: the graphics hardware itself must support the required DirectX or shader capability.

A match in one category does not compensate for a shortfall in another. Check the full list, especially the exact graphics model and any feature requirements.

4. Interpret minimum and recommended requirements correctly

Minimum requirements are a baseline, not a promise of smooth play, high settings, or a specific FPS. Valve’s Steam Support puts it plainly: “Simply meeting the system requirements does not mean you’ll have high FPS or strong in-game performance.” Epic Games Support similarly cautions that a PC which just meets minimum requirements may run the game but probably not at the highest settings.

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Recommended requirements are a more appropriate comparison if you expect higher settings, but they still do not guarantee a particular frame rate. Requirements are a screening guide; a PC close to the minimum can still have performance or launch problems.

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5. Check performance evidence if your PC is a close call

If you need an FPS estimate, look for benchmarks of the same game on hardware with a similar CPU and GPU. Match the benchmark’s resolution and graphics settings to what you plan to use, and check whether its results are for the same game version where that information is available. A result on a substantially different graphics card, resolution, or settings is a weak basis for predicting your own experience.

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There is no universal formula that turns a minimum or recommended requirement into an FPS number. Results can vary with the rest of the system, game updates, drivers, cooling, and settings. Steam identifies FPS, CPU, GPU, and system RAM as useful performance-monitor information while playing, but those metrics describe an actual run, not a guarantee before purchase.

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A quick pre-purchase checklist

  • Have you checked the current requirements on the game’s official store page?
  • Do you know your PC’s exact CPU and GPU models, installed RAM, operating system, and available storage?
  • Have you checked any required graphics API or hardware feature independently of the installed DirectX version?
  • Are you comparing against minimum or recommended requirements in light of the settings you expect?
  • If you need a frame-rate estimate, have you found results for the same game on similar hardware at comparable resolution and settings?

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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