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Desktop hardware: Windows, macOS and Linux basics

Reviewed 17 September 2026 · KR Ultimate s.r.o. editorial team

A desktop-only game is a question about your machine before it is a question about your taste. This entry explains how to read a system-requirements table, where to find the four figures you need from your own computer, and what changes between Windows, macOS and Linux. No benchmarking tool is required and nothing here needs to be downloaded.

The four figures to know about your own machine

Every requirements table, however it is laid out, is asking about the same four things. Find them once, write them down, and every future table becomes readable in seconds.

Operating system and version

Not just “Windows” but which release, and whether it is 64-bit. On macOS, the version name and whether the chip is Apple silicon or Intel. On Linux, the distribution and release.

Processor

The model name as the system reports it. Core count matters less than generation for most games, but the model name is what lets you compare against a stated minimum.

Memory

Installed RAM in gigabytes. This is the figure most often below a recommended specification on an older laptop, and it is sometimes the cheapest to change.

Graphics and free storage

The graphics adapter's name, whether it is discrete or integrated, and how much free space the drive has. Discrete cards have their own video memory; integrated graphics borrow from system RAM, which is why they run the same game more slowly.

Where those figures live

Minimum against recommended

Published requirements come in two columns, and the difference between them is often misread. A minimum specification generally describes the configuration on which the game will start and run at low settings and a modest resolution. A recommended specification describes a configuration the publisher considers comfortable, usually at higher settings. Neither is a promise, because frame rate depends on the map, the number of players and the settings chosen.

Two practical rules follow. If your machine sits below the minimum in any single row, expect problems in that area specifically — below on memory means stuttering and long loads, below on graphics means low frame rates, below on the operating system version often means it will not launch at all. And if your machine sits between the two columns, which is the usual case, plan to spend ten minutes in the settings menu rather than assuming the defaults are right for you.

What changes between the three desktop platforms

Windows

Most online shooters are developed against Windows first, which means the fewest surprises: drivers exist, anti-cheat software is tested there, and support documentation assumes it. The main maintenance jobs are keeping graphics drivers current and leaving enough free space that the drive is not running full, since a nearly full drive slows everything down.

macOS

Two questions decide how a Mac will behave. Is the chip Apple silicon or Intel, and is the game published as a native build for that chip or run through a translation layer? A native build for your chip is the straightforward case. Anything else is likely to cost performance, and older Intel Macs with integrated graphics are the configurations most likely to struggle. Apple's own About This Mac panel answers the chip question in one line.

Linux

Linux support comes in two forms: a native client built for Linux, or a Windows client run through a compatibility layer. Both are ordinary arrangements now, but they are not equivalent from a support perspective — a publisher's help desk may only troubleshoot what it ships. Where a game uses kernel-level anti-cheat software, compatibility on Linux depends on whether the publisher has enabled support for it, so the publisher's own platform notes are the authority rather than general community advice.

Storage: the requirement that keeps growing

The install size quoted for a live online game is the size on the day it was quoted. Seasonal content and patches add to it, and some updates temporarily need extra space while they unpack. Treat the published figure as a floor and leave a comfortable margin above it.

The type of drive matters as well as the amount. A solid-state drive shortens loading screens noticeably compared with a mechanical hard drive, and in games where players join a match as it starts, being slow to load is a real disadvantage. If the machine has both kinds of drive, the game belongs on the faster one.

Connection, data and latency

Online shooters send small amounts of data continuously rather than large amounts occasionally, so raw download speed matters much less than stability once the game is installed. The initial download is the exception and can be large.

What helps, in order of effect: a wired connection rather than wireless; no other large download running during a match; and modem hardware that has been restarted recently. What does not help is buying a faster plan to fix a latency problem, because distance to the server sets the floor and no plan changes geography. If a connection genuinely does not perform as sold, the ACCC publishes information about broadband services and consumer rights, which is the right avenue when the fault is with the service rather than the game.

Laptops, heat and power settings

A laptop that meets the requirements on paper can still perform poorly, for two reasons that have nothing to do with the specification. The first is power: many machines reduce performance substantially when running on battery, so a long session belongs on mains power. The second is heat: sustained load makes fans work, and a machine on a soft surface with blocked vents will slow itself down to stay safe. A hard surface and clear vents are worth more than any settings change.

If a laptop has both integrated and discrete graphics, check that the game is using the discrete one. The graphics control panel or the operating system's graphics settings will show which adapter an application is assigned to, and a game unintentionally running on integrated graphics is a common cause of disappointing frame rates.

The settings to lower first

1. Resolution scaling. Rendering below native resolution and upscaling recovers more frame rate than anything else, at a modest cost in sharpness.
2. Shadows. Expensive to compute, and rarely the difference between seeing an opponent and not.
3. Anti-aliasing. Drop from the most demanding option to a cheaper one before touching texture quality.
4. Effects and post-processing. Motion blur, depth of field and bloom cost performance and can actively hinder spotting targets.
5. View distance. Lower it last in a game with vehicles, since seeing distant threats has tactical value.
6. Textures. Reduce only if video memory is the constraint; lowering them otherwise costs appearance without buying much speed.

When the machine simply is not enough

Sometimes the honest answer is that a particular computer will not run a particular game well, and no amount of settings work changes it. That is worth accepting early instead of spending an evening on it. A free-to-play title costs nothing to test, which makes it a cheap way to find out — install, play one match, and judge from the machine's actual behaviour rather than from a requirements table.

If the game turns out to be unplayable on your hardware, uninstalling it costs nothing either. The account remains if you later use a different machine, and the entry on accounts and email confirmation covers how to keep or close it.