How Much RAM Does My PC Need to Run WoW?
Blizzard's World of Warcraft massively multiplayer computer game offers players a fully three-dimensional word to explore. Though WoW remains relatively efficient compared to some other graphically intensive games, rendering and displaying the WoW universe can still overtax some systems without the appropriate hardware. RAM proves a critical component for running WoW correctly, and users with more RAM will have a smoother and faster gaming experience.
Other People Are Reading
-
RAM Requirements
-
The base World of Warcraft game requires 1 GB of RAM to run correctly on Windows machines and 2 GB of RAM to run on Mac OS X computers. These figures only represent the minimum requirements, and Blizzard recommends 2 GB for Windows users and 4 GB for Mac systems to ensure solid performance. The WoW expansion packs change the overall system requirements slightly, but the RAM necessities remain the same across each version of the game. Attempting to run WoW without the minimum amount of RAM may result in extremely slow performance or game errors.
Other Requirements
-
Computers with an acceptable amount of RAM may still have difficulty running World of Warcraft if it does not meet the other hardware requirements of the game. In addition to memory, WoW requires 25 GB of hard drive space, a GeForce FX, Radeon 9500 or equivalent video card and a 1.3 GHz or faster processor. World of Warcraft also relies heavily on the system's network connection to deliver content, and faster connection speeds will result in smoother gameplay.
-
Increasing System RAM
-
If your desktop system lacks enough RAM to play WoW properly, you can usually upgrade the available memory by opening the system's casing and connecting additional RAM cards. The cards connect directly to the motherboard. Most motherboards have several slots for RAM cards, though they may require a specific format of card. If you don't have any free slots, you can replace existing RAM cards with cards of higher capacity. Laptop RAM is usually more difficult to upgrade, as opening the system's case often requires technical experience and will void the manufacturer's warranty.
WoW Performance
-
If you experience poor game performance due to a RAM shortage, you can change the in-game settings to maximize performance for the current hardware setup. Lower the screen resolution and detail settings until the game runs at an acceptable speed. In a WoW performance test, GameSpot found that lowering the game's draw distance and disabling the shader resulted in the highest performance increase, though other visual settings also contribute.
-
References
- Photo Credit Sean Gallup/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images
