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How to Check Whether Your Gaming PC Can Run a Game Before You Buy It

By Freedom251 Team · · 3 min read

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Start with the game’s official store page, then compare its system requirements with your PC’s actual processor, graphics card, memory, operating system and storage. This can tell you whether your computer meets the published baseline; it cannot guarantee a particular frame rate or graphics setting.

1. Find the game’s published requirements

Open the game’s official store page and note both its minimum and recommended system requirements. Steam says requirements appear on each game’s Store page (Steam Support). Epic Games also advises comparing your PC specifications with the game’s requirements (Epic Games Support).

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Requirements are published by the game’s publisher and can be revised. Check the page for the specific game and edition you intend to buy rather than relying on a third-party summary or requirements for a different release.

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2. Check your PC’s actual specifications

On Windows, press Windows key + R, type dxdiag, and press Enter. Use the System tab to find the processor and memory information; use the Display tab to identify the graphics device and driver details. Steam’s driver guidance describes using DxDiag to find system and graphics information (Steam Support).

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Microsoft also points to DxDiag, System Information (opened by running msinfo32) and Task Manager as ways to inspect Windows system details (Microsoft Support). If your PC has more than one graphics device, make sure you identify the one the game will use, not just an integrated GPU listed alongside a separate graphics card.

3. Compare each requirement with the matching component

  • Processor: Compare the game’s CPU requirement with your exact processor model.
  • Graphics: Compare the exact graphics card model, including any named graphics features or API requirements. “I have DirectX” is not enough to establish that the hardware supports the required feature.
  • Memory: Compare the stated RAM requirement with your installed system memory.
  • Operating system and storage: Check the required Windows version or other listed operating system, along with available storage space.

Steam cautions that the DirectX version installed in Windows can be misleading: the graphics hardware itself must support the required DirectX or shader capability (Steam Support). In other words, an installed software version does not prove that a GPU can use every feature a game requires.

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4. Read minimum and recommended requirements as different targets

Minimum requirements

Minimum is a published baseline, not a promise of smooth play, high FPS or a specific graphics setting. Valve’s Steam Support puts it plainly: “Simply meeting the system requirements does not mean you’ll have high FPS or strong in-game performance” (Steam Support). A PC that only just meets minimum may need lower settings, and a close match can still encounter performance or launch problems.

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Recommended requirements

Recommended specifications are a more useful comparison if you expect higher settings, but they still do not guarantee a particular frame rate. Epic Games Support says, “If you just meet the minimum system requirements, the game will run on your machine but probably not at the highest settings” (Epic Games Support).

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5. Check benchmarks when you need an FPS estimate

If the PC is near the minimum, or you have a specific performance target in mind, look for benchmarks for the same game on hardware similar to yours. Prioritize results that identify a comparable CPU and GPU and show the resolution and graphics settings. Compare results at the resolution you intend to use; a result at a different resolution or preset may not answer your question.

There is no universal conversion from a requirements list to an FPS figure. Configuration, game updates, drivers, cooling and in-game settings can all affect performance. Steam’s performance guidance also identifies FPS, CPU, GPU and system RAM as useful metrics to monitor while playing (Steam Support); those readings can help explain a result, but they do not replace a benchmark on comparable hardware.

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What this check can—and cannot—tell you

Comparing the store-page requirements with your exact components is a practical screening step: it can reveal an obvious mismatch or show that your PC meets the published baseline. It cannot decide the outcome for a specific PC and game without their details, or promise performance. Near-minimum systems in particular may have performance or launch issues, so treat requirements as guidance rather than a guarantee (Steam Support; Steam Support).

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