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Doom 3 Minimum Specs Revealed

Posted by simoniker on from the making-the-unpossible-possible dept.

Thanks to The Phobos Lab, a Doom fansite, for their info, directly from John Carmack, that the minimum specs for Doom 3 will be "1GHz CPU, 256MB RAM, GF1 or Radeon 7xxx series card." There's no word yet on recommended specs to get the best fidelity, but sites such as NewDoom.com and The Phobos Lab are keeping a close eye on the situation, including an interesting but very unconfirmed rumor that "a Doom 3 demo [will be available] for public playing at this year's QuakeCon" - probably wishful thinking, although Carmack is scheduled to speak there, and it's possible at least some new Doom details will be revealed.

4 of 100 comments (clear)

  1. Minimum? by ftvcs · · Score: 5, Informative

    There 's a nice article on Tom's hardware.

    You need at least a R9600/FX5600 to play at a descent frame rate.

  2. I remember... by BigBadDude · · Score: 5, Funny

    DOOM running smoothly on my 486/DX with 4MB of RAM.

    I got really upset when the next big game [heretic] required a minimum of 8MB. I had to pay $180 for that...

  3. Whew! by Go+Aptran · · Score: 4, Interesting
    Looking at the specs makes me wince a little. We Mac folk will probably have to buy a G5 to play this baby... when (if) it's ported over.

    Seriously... while some people will gladly upgrade to be able to play, I wonder if this is the sort of thing that drives people to console systems. At least I know that when I buy a Playstation 2 game, it won't have to replace a section of it to be able to use it to its full potential.

    --

    "Under the spreading chestnut tree, I sold you and you sold me."

  4. Meh. by SD-VI · · Score: 4, Interesting

    "Minimum requirements for playing the game after you install it: Pentium 4 2.0GHz or equivalent, GeForce4 Titanium 4200 or better"

    Doom III looks shiny enough, but I doubt it'll revolutionize anything. I'm really waiting for Half-Life 2, which should run on slower computers no problem thanks to the engine's massive scalability; they have textures so large no video card can handle them at decent speeds, and they say they're going to release those well after the actual game, once the hardware exists.

    Also, for people who complain about spending a lot, don't buy at the high end and make small upgrades regularly. There's a best buy in every generation. Right now the best buy is the Athlon XP 2500+ at $85, and until recently for video cards it was the Radeon 9500 Pro, which ATi stopped making because it was too fast. (The 9600 Pro is slower.) I've spent maybe $1200 over the last three years, a number I'm happy enough with, and my system is powerful enough.