EPTI am wondering of the community would be willing to come together to try and define a standardized rig for playing Stacraft 2.
One of the hurdles non PC gamers have is dealing the barrier in technological know how from the convenience of console gaming to the details of computer gaming. Also, a lot of PC gamers looking to upgrade or develop a rig don't really know where to benchmark their tech in terms of what they need to play the game up to their specifications. So I thought we could compile a list of recommended parts currently available that would allow a person to play Starcraft 2 in all its facets.
Obviously technology improves and over time the capabilities of computer parts available will increase alongside it. But the requirements to play Starcraft 2 will still remain the same. And the cost to run it in a truly optimized environment will ultimately decrease over time. So compiling a functioning list now could provide a constant template for future gamers to build in order to be able to fully appreciate the game and not wonder "Can I run it" or "How well can I run it?"
Another potential issue it that compatibility between parts possibly can vary with patching or a different future combination maybe better and provide an even more stable experience. In this case I would recommend a cost benefit analysis be temporarily spoiler tagged until it reaches a point were you cannot justify not going with the "new" set-up.
I am not the most technically capable person in the world, and I am typing this on a prefabricated "gaming" laptop which I probably paid too much for and received too little. But I know there is a huge fountain of knowledge here that could provide a productive tool for helping new and old members, while at the same time giving a little structure and consistency to the truly competitive players in the scene.
Starcraft 2 System Requirements (pulled from Blizzards website):
+ Show Spoiler +
PC Requirements
PC Minimum System Requirements*:
Windows® XP/Windows Vista®/Windows® 7 (Updated with the latest Service Packs) with DirectX® 9.0c
2.6 GHz Pentium® IV or equivalent AMD Athlon® processor
128 MB PCIe NVIDIA® GeForce® 6600 GT or ATI Radeon® 9800 PRO video card or better
12 GB available HD space
1 GB RAM (1.5 GB required for Windows Vista®/Windows® 7 users)
DVD-ROM drive
Broadband Internet connection
1024X720 minimum display resolution
PC Recommended Specifications:
Windows Vista®/Windows® 7
Dual Core 2.4Ghz Processor
2 GB RAM
512 MB NVIDIA® GeForce® 8800 GTX or ATI Radeon® HD 3870 or better
*Note: Due to potential programming changes, the Minimum System Requirements for this game may change over time.
Mac Requirements
Mac Minimum System Requirements:
Mac® OS X 10.5.8, 10.6.2 or newer
Intel® Processor
NVIDIA® GeForce® 8600M GT or ATI Radeon® X1600 or better
12 GB available HD space
2 GB Ram
DVD-ROM drive
Broadband Internet connection
1024X720 minimum display resolution
Mac Recommended Specifications:
Mac® OS X 10.6.5 or newer
Intel® Core 2 Duo processor
4 GB system RAM
NVIDIA® GeForce® 9600M GT or ATI Radeon® HD 4670 or better
PC Minimum System Requirements*:
Windows® XP/Windows Vista®/Windows® 7 (Updated with the latest Service Packs) with DirectX® 9.0c
2.6 GHz Pentium® IV or equivalent AMD Athlon® processor
128 MB PCIe NVIDIA® GeForce® 6600 GT or ATI Radeon® 9800 PRO video card or better
12 GB available HD space
1 GB RAM (1.5 GB required for Windows Vista®/Windows® 7 users)
DVD-ROM drive
Broadband Internet connection
1024X720 minimum display resolution
PC Recommended Specifications:
Windows Vista®/Windows® 7
Dual Core 2.4Ghz Processor
2 GB RAM
512 MB NVIDIA® GeForce® 8800 GTX or ATI Radeon® HD 3870 or better
*Note: Due to potential programming changes, the Minimum System Requirements for this game may change over time.
Mac Requirements
Mac Minimum System Requirements:
Mac® OS X 10.5.8, 10.6.2 or newer
Intel® Processor
NVIDIA® GeForce® 8600M GT or ATI Radeon® X1600 or better
12 GB available HD space
2 GB Ram
DVD-ROM drive
Broadband Internet connection
1024X720 minimum display resolution
Mac Recommended Specifications:
Mac® OS X 10.6.5 or newer
Intel® Core 2 Duo processor
4 GB system RAM
NVIDIA® GeForce® 9600M GT or ATI Radeon® HD 4670 or better
I could compile the agreed upon parts list in the OP, as well as the suggested parts. I suppose pricing would come last once the "best" standard is collected, unless it factors in significantly to the difference in opinion of the two parts.
I would also ask that you be a bit idealistic with respect to parts choice, but make sure that its not just some random dream machine, but instead conforms to the optimal functional standards of Starcraft 2. Also, if the community is so inclined, we could do a Brood War version for kicks. If you have any technical suggestions with parts or if I missed a glaring issue in my request or criteria don't hesitate to post.
(One last thing, detail is good. Unless it honestly can have zero impact on the performance of the game, don't hesitate to point out of label a component.)
