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Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →No high-end PC is required just to meet Fallout 4’s published minimum specifications. Compare your processor, graphics card and video memory, RAM, Windows version, and free storage with Bethesda’s listed requirements below. Those specifications do not, however, guarantee a particular resolution, graphics setting, or frame rate on your computer.
Fallout 4 PC system requirements
Bethesda lists the same operating-system, memory, and storage requirements for both tiers. The processor and graphics-card requirements are higher in the recommended tier. These are the game’s published specifications, not performance benchmarks.
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| Component | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Operating system | 64-bit Windows 7, 8, or 10 | 64-bit Windows 7, 8, or 10 |
| Processor | Intel Core i5-2300 2.8 GHz or AMD Phenom II X4 945 3.0 GHz, or equivalent | Intel Core i7-4790 3.6 GHz or AMD FX-9590 4.7 GHz, or equivalent |
| Memory | 8 GB RAM | 8 GB RAM |
| Graphics card | NVIDIA GTX 550 Ti with 2 GB or AMD Radeon HD 7870 with 2 GB, or equivalent | NVIDIA GTX 780 with 3 GB or AMD Radeon R9 290X with 4 GB, or equivalent |
| Storage | 30 GB free HDD space | 30 GB free HDD space |
Source: Bethesda Support’s Fallout 4 PC requirements. Steam republishes the same component specifications on its Fallout 4 store page.
How to tell whether your PC meets them
Check each component rather than relying on a general label such as “gaming PC.” Bethesda’s requirements page also describes using a DxDiag report to collect system information for comparison.
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- Processor: Identify the exact CPU model and compare it with the listed minimum or recommended processor.
- Graphics: Check the dedicated graphics-card model and its video memory. The GPU name and VRAM both matter when comparing it with the listed cards.
- RAM: Confirm that the PC has at least 8 GB.
- Operating system: Bethesda’s game requirements list 64-bit Windows 7, 8, or 10. That is the game’s published requirement text, not a current guarantee about every way to install or run it.
- Storage: Make sure at least 30 GB is free.
Steam separately says its client supports Windows 10 and later as of January 1, 2024. That client-support note is distinct from Fallout 4’s older Windows 7/8/10 requirement listing; consult Steam’s current client requirements when checking whether your installation method is supported.
What the requirements do—and do not—tell you about performance
Meeting the minimum means your components match Bethesda’s stated entry-level specifications; it does not establish a guaranteed resolution, graphics preset, or frame rate. The recommended tier is also a component specification, not a promise of a specific result on a modern PC. Your target resolution, visual settings, and frame rate matter, but Bethesda’s published requirements do not map those targets to particular hardware or measured performance.
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Do not use the 30, 40, and 60 frame-rate target options in Bethesda’s May 13, 2024 Next Gen Update 2 notes as PC guidance. Those options and the Visuals/Performance modes described there apply to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series S|X. The note that 40 requires a 120 Hz display, along with console dynamic-resolution details, concerns those console modes—not the PC version.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteIf Fallout 4 runs poorly on a PC that meets the specs
Bethesda recommends trying configuration and software checks before assuming new hardware is necessary. These are troubleshooting steps, not guaranteed fixes.
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- Reset the launcher’s video options. Restore the auto-detected defaults and see whether performance changes.
- Reduce graphics settings or resolution. Bethesda Support notes: “You may be able to improve game performance by lowering or disabling some graphics settings in game, including the resolution.”
- Close other software. Shut down unnecessary applications running in the background, then test the game again.
- Update graphics drivers. Check for a current driver for your graphics hardware.
- Reset the game’s INI files. Bethesda advises removing the INI files to restore settings; follow its support guidance for the appropriate reset procedure.
- Try borderless or windowed mode. Change the display mode and check whether it improves the issue.
See Bethesda’s poor-performance troubleshooting guidance for its full instructions.
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