HUGE sys req's on new games?

Question

So I'm buying a new computer based on some advice I got here on Yahoo Answers (yay!) and figured I'd buy a machine with hardware power that's up to par with present computing, and then some.

So, with 2 gigs of ram and 2.6 Ghz of processing power, I was feeling pretty good about playing some of these cool news games! Until, that is, I started looking at system reqs and recc's....

THESE ARE UNBELIEVABLE!!! Are games really this demanding?!! Or are the manufacturers simply overstating to cover their butts?

... Is there anything I can do that might help?

Alright, some helpful info (especially the second post, thank you!) The video card is still being decided but I'm leaning toward a XFX 8600 GT 256 MB [128 Dedicated.] Again this was a practical computer that I also thought could play some sweet games cuz of the latent hardware power, so it wasn't initially a big thing... I didn't really want to have a video card at all.

How does it look, doc? Will he still be able to play the piano?

Answer 1

LOL dont worry. If its asking for a pentium 4 3.2 or 3.4 or something like that, you have more than enough power, assuming that you have the 2.6ghz pentium d.
To tell you the truth, the 1.66ghz core duo (the slowest one) is as powerful as the 3.4 ghz pentium 4, so GHZ really doesnt mean anything anymore unless is in the same family of chips.
The biggest limitation with gaming is the video card without a doubt.

Answer 2

Keep in mind that software vendors will write both a minimum and a recommended specification for hardware. If you are playing some of the more realistic games, you may find extremely high end video cards to enable all features.

Game vendors in most cases will develop so their software runs on the configuration typical for a "gamer". In some cases though you'll find that game "engine" developers will actually code to future hardware specifications in order to keep the engine compatible into the future too.

Without knowing more about your processor and video card it is difficult to say how good your computer should handle the latest games. I'd put more emphasis on the video card as a modern processor and 2 GB of RAM are rarely the bottleneck.

** Edit **
Depending on your budget, the GeForce 8600GT card seems pretty reasonable for an entry level DX10 compatible card. I purchased one from 3GPlaza.com that is a MSI GeForce 8600GT 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 2560 x 1600 and it ran me about $115 ($105 after a rebate). I have it in a standard Lenova PC (3000 J115) running MS Vista. I'm still a bit torn about leaving Vista on the system or downgrading to MS XP but most things are working with Vista and I'd lose the DX10 (not that I'm using it yet but figure eventually I will). Oh, this card works well for games like World of Warcraft on the high settings. I'm able to get 60 fps with occasional dips in cities.

Answer 3

Yes the games are that demanding, just upgraded the wifes card, it is huge one with it's own cooling fan, for Oblivian. Would suggest X1950 pro or shortly the new 2600 GT Best is Nvidea, followed by ATI, dependent upon which is most compatible with your motherboard. Yes you will notice a difference in not only in clarity and color, but with speed. Again yes the games are that intensive.