Will it play on a 800 MHz computer?

[Zombie69]

I really want to buy this game, but i'm afraid it won't work on my computer and the money will just be wasted.

The RAM is not a problem, and i don't think the video card is either (it's not great but it should be enough). However, the CPU is below the specified minimum requirement!

Can this game work at all on a 800 MHz processor? With it lag so much that it's not worth it? Would playing on the smallest map setting (i.e. Duel) help alleviate the pressure on my poor old computer?

If i can just play tiny maps without noticeable lag, i'd be happy. I'm not prepared to buy a new computer right now for a single game.

Any insight would be much appreciated before i run to the store to buy the game.

 

[yatusk]

honestly, i doubt it. you're below the minimum processor speed which might cause some grief with the AI's turns and the graphics card thing is always an issue....could getting your hands on a demo and try running that help? don't think there's a demo available in the U.S. yet though

 

[Zombie69]

Even if i could find a demo, i'm not sure it would answer my question. Demos often use more CPU than released games because they're not quite as optimized as the finished product.

I think (not sure) that my graphics card is a Radeon 9200. Like i said, it should be enough.

The CPU though...

Has anyone tried the game with a low CPU and ran it successfully?

 

[go-5]

Out of curiousity, I tried it on an old 850 with 512M RAM. It did run, but I wouldn't call it successful. With only 2 civs on "standard" size, it was incredibly sluggish. I only played a few turns, knowing it was going to get much worse as the civs grew. There were also graphics problems and the sound was constantly jittery.

 

[Picky1999]

I played it on a AMD Duron processor 700 mhz with only 384 RAM but scads of VRAM. It's fine by my low standards until the Modern era, even then I can finish a game if it's only a few civs. It only plays well on tiny world w/wonder movies off with 3 civs on the minimum settings.

The bugs are killer though, even worse than on a good system. I can't tell whats from the weak CPU and what's bad with game out of box which is doubly annoying to say the least. Some real support from the manufacturers rather than leaked buggy patches and silence would help. It's one thing to have a broken leg, but another altogether to be given a broken crutch too.

Think of waiting until the patch is for real or you have a better computer.

 

[Zombie69]

I played it on a AMD Duron processor 700 mhz with only 384 RAM but scads of VRAM. It's fine by my low standards until the Modern era, even then I can finish a game if it's only a few civs. It only plays well on tiny world w/wonder movies off with 3 civs on the minimum settings.

Sounds good enough for me, as long as i can be lucky enough to avoid the bugs. Thanks for the help.

I checked out my specs this morning and it turns out i have a 1200 MHz processor, not 800 MHz. That's just barely the minimum requirement.

Do you think i'll be able to play the game with that? If i stick with Duel size maps and few AI civs, do you think the game might even run smoothly?

 

[Optimistic]

Zombie, the short answer is "maybe". Until the patch is released and the game is brought past the beta stage (tongue firmly in cheek here), there's no way to really tell how well it will perform on a low spec pc like the one you have. I mean by all rights it should work decently on the lowest settings, as Civ 4 hardly pushes the graphical boundaries, but again, until it's patched up, who knows...