14 DAY TRIAL // As the launch date of May 26 is approaching fast, Electronic Arts has recently revealed the system specifications for the PC version of its Xbox 360 hit Mass Effect. It seems that Bioware really put a lot of effort into making the port as PC friendly as possible, trying to make the game run on a variety of platforms, from older PCs to the best in-gaming rigs out there. Here's the rundown of the requirements.
The game will run on both Microsoft Windows XP and on Vista without a problem and will require the now ubiquitous DirectX 9.0c and compatible drivers for sound and video, which is pretty much standard. There's no word on how having DirectX 10 installed will impact the game, but if the developers don't recommend it, it?s probably safe to say that no real benefits will be gained from using it.
On the hardware side things look pretty normal for a PC game launched in 2008. You need at least a 2.4+GHZ Intel or 2.0+GHZ AMD processor to run the game and a 2.6+GHZ Intel or 2.4+GHZ AMD is recommended. 2 GB of RAM will also be a must for a complete experience, especially under Vista, even if the game will also run on 1 GB. The disk where you are installing the game needs to have at least 12 GB of free space.
On the video side of things you need to get at least a NVIDIA GeForce 6 series, which means 6800GT or better, or an ATI 1300XT or better, to play the game. The developers expressly state that the X1550, X1600 Pro and HD2400 are below minimum system requirements, so don't even try to run Mass Effect on those video cards. For the best experience you need either a NVIDIA GeForce 7900 GTX or an ATI X1800 XL series.
Bioware's Derek French says the configuration program "will automatically adjust your settings on first run, to attempt to give you an optimal play experience." Don't forget to look for the game in stores on May 26.