Modest graphics requirements are married to an Core i7-CPU recommendation for 60fps gameplay.
Modest graphics requirements are married to an Core i7-CPU recommendation for 60fps gameplay.
May is already upon us and a slew of high-profile games are set for release, but few are more high-profile than the latest in that most venerable of first-person shooter franchises: Wolfenstein. Due for release on the 20th, Wolfenstein: The New Order is set in an alternate history 1960’s where the Nazi’s won World War 2 and have subsequently taken over the world.
Trailer (age-gated)
Although not developed by id Software – for this instalment Machine Games are at the helm and Bethesda publish – it is being built using the id Tech 5 game engine. Only the second title to use this game engine (the first being 2011’s Rage), one of the chief unknown factors has been the PC system requirements despite the game already having been available for pre-order for some time. Finally Bethesda have released these specs, and to be frank they’re an odd miss-mash rather than logical set of specs.
PC SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS (60fps recommendations)
– 64-bit Windows 7/Windows 8
– Intel Core i7 or equivalent AMD
– 4 GB System RAM
– 50 GB free HDD space
– GeForce 460, ATI Radeon HD 6850
– High Speed Internet Connection
– Steam account and activation required
– 64-bit Windows 7/Windows 8
– Intel Core i7 or equivalent AMD
– 4 GB System RAM
– 50 GB free HDD space
– GeForce 460, ATI Radeon HD 6850
– High Speed Internet Connection
– Steam account and activation required
Bethesda’s CPU ‘requirement’ was immediately queried due to the relatively high performance nature of a Core i7 compared to the other recommended specifications on the list. A representative later clarified that “[these] are the system requirements are based on the game being a next-generation experience running at 60fps”, and “These are the system requirements to deliver the PC game as it was intended to be experienced”.
The partial issue Bethesda had when gathering these specs is Intel’s own naming scheme, especially in the mobile space where a Core i7 CPU can mean “dual-core with hyperthreading”, whereas on desktop platforms an i7 will always include at least four cores and likely also have active hyperthreading. It’s also worth noting that the Core i7 brand reaches as far back as Lynnfield (pre-Sandybridge), which perhaps goes some way to showing that specifying an Intel Core i7 probably isn’t that valuable a statement.
Equally of note is the low-ball recommendations of GPU and RAM, both of which are effectively from an earlier era. Generally speaking gaming systems will be running at least 8GB RAM, and the GTX 460 is (to put it mildly) quite lacking in power these days. That said, if accurate it does mean that you should be able to have an excellent gameplay experience on even relatively tame systems.
A less charitable reading would be that the CPU requirements are an order of magnitude more stringent than GPU/RAM, leading to the possibility that the port from console has the potential to be sub-par due to low resolution textures and minimal PC optimisations. Either way, it seems quite likely that a quad-core CPU as good or better than the Sandybridge-era Core i5-2500 would be more than enough to handle the game.
You can find the system requirements page here. As always we would not suggest that you pre-order a title before the quality of the game has been established but it is currently available on Steam for £34.95. Those who pre-order will also have preferential access to the DOOM beta when it becomes available.
