Mass Effect 3 PC system requirements blasted open by BioWare

by Steven Wong on Jan 19th 2012 11:30AM

With the announcement that the highly anticipated Mass Effect 3 demo will be hitting on February 14, BioWare has also revealed the PC system specs for the final chapter of Shepard's story.

The system requirements (found below the jump) are surprisingly modest, and very similar to those of Mass Effect 2. You might notice that the list shows a low hard drive space requirement (a measly 2.5 GB), but the line probably refers to how much space the demo will need. So, it looks like PC gamers probably won't have to upgrade to defend the galaxy from destruction... but it certainly couldn't hurt. After all, the Reapers won't be holding back, so why should you?

Mass Effect 3 System Requirements

Minimum Spec:

OS - Windows XP SP3/Vista SP1, Win 7
CPU: 1.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo (equivalent AMD CPU)
RAM: 1GB for XP / 2GB RAM for Vista/Win 7
Disc Drive: 1x speed
Hard Drive: 2.5 GB of free space
Video: 256 MB* (with Pixel Shader 3.0 support)
*Supported chipsets: NVIDIA 7900 or better; ATI X1800 or better. Please note that NVIDIA GeForce 9300, 8500, 8400, and 8300 are below minimum system requirements, as are AMD/ATI Radeon HD3200, HD3300, and HD4350. Updates to your video and sound card drivers may be required.
Sound: DirectX 9.0c compatible
DirectX: DirectX 9.0c August 2009 (included)

Recommended Spec:

OS: Windows XP SP3/Vista SP1, Win 7
CPU: 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo (equivalent AMD CPU)
RAM: 2GB for XP / 4GB RAM for Vista/Win 7
Disc Drive: 1x speed
Hard Drive: 2.5 GB of free space
Video: AMD/ATI Radeon HD 4850 512 MB or greater, NVidia GeForce 9800 GT 512 MB or greater
Sound: DirectX 9.0c compatible

Source

Tags: bioware, ea, ea-bioware, electronic-arts, mass-effect-3, origin, pc, specs, system-requirements

Reader Comments (52)

Dang, now that I've got a PC that can run it, well my Mac Book Pro booting Win 7, I wish I could move my Xbox saves over. No way I'm living in a world where I didn't send Ashley Williams to her horrible death.

@Jon Anderson the internet has you taken care of, friendo: http://www.masseffectsaves.com/

@Jon Anderson
One of the best parts of the PC version is that you can download other people's playthroughs. Just find one that made roughly the same decisions you did. Google mass effect saves and you'll find a few places to get them.

@Jon Anderson This site:
http://www.masseffectsaves.com/
has a variety of saved games that you can download from both ME1 and 2.

@dragonfliet, @Jackleope, & @Major Pyr0

Thanks guys, I'm thinking my weirdo tenancy to want my Shepard and my Shepard only might lead me down a dark path of marathoning the first 2 games on PC so I can play this game in its best looking iteration.

@Jon Anderson You might also use Gibbed's save editor for ME2 to edit a preexisting save file, if you dont want to marathon the first two =D

@Jon Anderson

Have not tried myself, but this thread is about about importing the ME2 Xbox save to a PC.
http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/128/index/5573902

@Jon Anderson

I marathoned them a few weeks ago. I regret NOTHING!

@Jon Anderson You can convert ME2 saves from 360 to PC...that's what I've done :)

@XLM & @HT UK

I think that is what I'm going to do. Then hookup my computer to the TV, use an Xbox controller for gameplay and a mouse for planet scanning.

@Jon Anderson

They forgot to add to the requirements "ORIGIN crappy connection a must"

@Jon Anderson Hopefully ME3 on PC has controller support (ME2 doesn't, you have to hack it to work)...

2.5 gigs huh? I don't believe you.

@ticklefist
Seems I forgot to read the article and just skipped to the numbers. Demo. Oh. Okay.

Wow really? I can't help but think these are extremely low.. Even for a Demo..

@PornOfBabylon

I think it's the same as ME2. Makes sense, since the engine is practically the same. They probably optimized the graphics a teeny bit, given that they have some higher res textures (on shep's face and armor, for example) and some nice shader effects like motion blur, that weren't in ME2.

Too bad Bioware isn't being honest about being "blasted open" by EA and submissive to EA's whims. Origin anyone?

@Space Cobra

Aren't you a clever and original snow flake.

@Space Cobra The way I see it, Bioware is slowly taking over EA. They are currently their own label under EA and will undoubtedly grow larger in the coming years.

@Major Pyr0

I see the opposite. Ever since EA took over Bioware, there have been certain things Bioware would have, IMHO, *never* have done. The tacked on multi-player of ME1. The "Aegis Network" and signing up online. Dragon Age and it's various social connections.

While Bioware talks big and says they still control things, I see some "bending over" by Bioware to their new Overlord/Masters and adding things into their games. I think Bioware is fooling themselves and given EA's history with other game companies it has bought out, what I see happening falls right in line with what is happening with Bioware.

The only upside I see is EA hiding *under* the Bioware name and using it for their own advantage in PR, in the meantime, the company cultures will mix and EA will continue to taint Bioware as Bioware *may* or *may not* improve EA, but I am not seeing that happening for EA now.

@Space Cobra
No offense but it's hard to take you seriously when you say stuf like, " The tacked on multi-player of ME1" and "Aegis Network." I don't about you but I liked getting free content. Regardless, Ray and Greg still run things. The only negatice side effect EA's had on the company was DA2 getting rushed.(1 more year and it would have been great) Other than that, they've been putting out excellent games. Since they're their own label now,I assume they'll have a higher degree a of freedom moving forward.

Wow, those are decidedly low. My machine would run circles around this game, if it didn't have Origin. But, since it has that, my PS3 will have to be the platform I play ME3 on.

Those specs aren't bad at all. I'll be buying it quickly on release. :)

PC and Xbox are the only way to get the full experience to many decisions made on the first game to do through a comic

9800GT = 8800GT ~ 8800 GTS.

So this game is another direct port from the console, no upper settings to exploit newer computer hardware. These are still the requirements from Mass Effect 1, a game from 4 years ago.

Well, at least they made a good job on porting it for the very same reason. Lazyness has not infectated them.

@Filiprino

It may be, but you can't just look at the recommended video card and make that determination. "Hard Reset", a recent PC exclusive shooter, has very similar recommended specs.

@Vidikron
I'm basing on previous Mass Effect games. Mass Effect 2 had the same requirements as Mass Effect 1 and they didn't add nothing that took newer hardware into good use.

@Vidikron
I'd say Hard Reset is more demanding.

I was considering checking my laptop specs to see if it would work, but then I remembered Origin.

Too bad it's not on steam.

My crappy PC can run this... the one PC that I just stopped using and went back to my 360 because it couldn't run BF3 properly on low settings.

It's sad that consoles keep holding games back.

@WeRequireMOARMinerals

But you just said your pc couldn't handle BF3?

@Teeree Yeah, I refuse to lower the resolution to whatever the actual resolution of the console version is.

It did run it, but it was very much on par with consoles performance. No point on playing on PC if that's all it can handle.

@WeRequireMOARMinerals

So because your computer isn't good enough to run BF3 it must mean that PC games are being held back by console games.

I like what you did there, I would like to subscribe to your magazine.

They should posts specs for good performance on Ultra settings in games.

Common guys. I know Origin sucks. I agree whole heatedly. I would prefer this game were on Steam, like just about every other PC gamer, but really? You're going to skip the best version of the game, a game that will certainly give you dozens of hours of entertainment for what? 2 minutes of hassle?

That's all it is. 2 minutes ot install EA's crappy service, and then 1 minute to uninstall a month later when you're done with the game.

I mean the load times on the console version alone have got to represent at least 100 times that amount of hassle/time wasting, at least if ME1 and 2 are any indication.

@Kinthalis

that´s a nice solution but I prefer mine:

1-buy the retail version of the game
2-don´t install it
3-download the cracked version
4-play with that one

See??? everybody is happy, you paid for the game, but you play with a origin free version and you don´t have to uninstall anything, easy right????

@Kinthalis You're forgetting about the information gathering that Origin does. Not to mention the fact that if you play ME3 now and then decide to play it again in 2 years and a month that EA will have nicely deleted it for you. I am joining the ME on PS3 crowd, hopefully I can find a save game that reflects the decisions I made on PC in ME1 and ME2. I will of course be buying it used so as to not give EA any money.

@Cranky Penguin Origin checks the file names on yur computer, it does not read the actual files. The info they gather looks like this http://store.steampowered.com/hwsurvey
They are not allowed to give it to 3rd parties and it is gathered anonymously. They only delete accounts when they are inactive for years, and have virtually nothing on them.(Microsoft performs a similar operation for xbl accounts.)

@Hunter141072

OK, I didn't consider that possibility. Yes, buying it and then cracking it is another happy, friendly options I would happily endorse.

But saddling yourself with the console version, or the gods forbid, pirating, NO! Good sir, no!

;)

@Kinthalis
That´s the best option to support a good game and not getting screwed in the process, that´s what i did with all the latest DRM games from ubi soft, i bought them on steam, but didn´t installed them, i got the cracked version and i played with it, i still have my digital backup on steam, i have a physical copy of the game and i can play with it without problems or DRM and i paid for it. really that´s the best option you can get when companies try to screw you.......

@Kinthalis

The thing that bothers me the most about all the moaning over Origin is that BioWare games have required account logins and online authentication if you want to play game saves that use DLC since ME2 (and considering the launch day DLC they always include, that's going to encompass a lot of people's saves).

It was annoying in ME2. It was annoying in Dragon Age: Origins. It's still annoying.

The only thing that's changed is where you're entering your credit card information before being annoyed.

@Chareth Cutestory

See, that was my point all along.

Previous Bioware games, especially *before* the EA buyout had none of this.

Now you get Bioware submitting silently to EA's silent demands. Remember, EA thinks the single-player offline game is "dead" and wants to link up all their games to Facebook, Social Media, and apparently their Origin system, too.

To me, much of the decisions for this were influenced by EA and Bioware just agreed to go along with it. That doesn't show any sort of "strength" in Bioware to decide what they want in their games. At the least, it shows they really don't care and just are likely to bend over to whatever EA says nowadays.

The only PC system requirement that's relevant to me is "Requires Origin".

Which in other words means "Not interested".

any word on when the ps3 multiplayer beta starts?

and screw specs going higher I just bought a hd6870 and have to run bf3 on low in multiplayer.

@Markholland
"Set for a multiplatform launch on February 14, the Mass Effect 3 demo will be open to anyone playing BF3 online. Officially, BioWare and EA are labeling this the "early access" period of the beta. Everyone else will be able to dive into the galactic war on February 17."

Awww yeah bring it on! ME3 at 1080p? Yes please!

Oh yes, I love my rig:

CPU:
i5 2500k OC'd to 4.5ghz

Video Cards (SLI):
EVGA SuperClocked 012-P3-1573-KR GeForce GTX 570
MSI N570GTX Twin Frozr III PE/OC GeForce GTX 570

Memory:
8GB GSKILL Ripjaws X Series64-bit

@uncarlo Ha, you're special.

I'll get it on PS3 so I don't have to buy Bioware points for the DLC.

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Mass Effect 3

Mass Effect 3 PC system requirements blasted open by BioWare

Reader Comments (52)

Posted: Jan 19th 2012 11:39AM Jon Anderson said

Posted: Jan 19th 2012 11:46AM dragonfliet said

Posted: Jan 19th 2012 11:50AM Jackleope said

Posted: Jan 19th 2012 11:52AM Major Pyr0 said

Posted: Jan 19th 2012 11:55AM Jon Anderson said

Posted: Jan 19th 2012 12:09PM mangosango said

Posted: Jan 19th 2012 12:09PM XLM said

Posted: Jan 19th 2012 1:33PM liquidsoap89 said

Posted: Jan 19th 2012 1:43PM HT UK said

Posted: Jan 19th 2012 1:46PM Jon Anderson said

Posted: Jan 19th 2012 3:07PM Hunter141072 said

Posted: Jan 19th 2012 3:41PM mangosango said

Posted: Jan 19th 2012 11:40AM ticklefist said

Posted: Jan 19th 2012 11:44AM ticklefist said

Posted: Jan 19th 2012 11:41AM PornOfBabylon said

Posted: Jan 19th 2012 3:55PM mangosango said

Posted: Jan 19th 2012 11:41AM Space Cobra said

Posted: Jan 19th 2012 11:46AM Bubbameister33 said

Posted: Jan 19th 2012 12:03PM Major Pyr0 said

Posted: Jan 19th 2012 12:58PM Space Cobra said

Posted: Jan 19th 2012 3:08PM Major Pyr0 said

Posted: Jan 19th 2012 11:41AM Hexidecimal said

Posted: Jan 19th 2012 11:47AM nerdydesi1 said

Posted: Jan 19th 2012 12:05PM skbkoy65 said

Posted: Jan 19th 2012 12:25PM Filiprino said

Posted: Jan 19th 2012 1:45PM Vidikron said

Posted: Jan 19th 2012 2:22PM Filiprino said

Posted: Jan 19th 2012 9:22PM Timerider said

Posted: Jan 19th 2012 12:26PM Yuglyoshi said

Posted: Jan 19th 2012 1:22PM Timjoy said

Posted: Jan 19th 2012 1:24PM WeRequireMOARMinerals said

Posted: Jan 19th 2012 3:28PM Teeree said

Posted: Jan 19th 2012 3:56PM WeRequireMOARMinerals said

Posted: Jan 20th 2012 1:56AM This Little Man Says His Name Is said

Posted: Jan 19th 2012 1:24PM Warlock234 said

Posted: Jan 19th 2012 2:39PM Kinthalis said

Posted: Jan 19th 2012 3:10PM Hunter141072 said

Posted: Jan 19th 2012 3:10PM Cranky Penguin said

Posted: Jan 19th 2012 3:24PM Major Pyr0 said

Posted: Jan 19th 2012 4:47PM Kinthalis said

Posted: Jan 19th 2012 5:11PM Hunter141072 said

Posted: Jan 19th 2012 10:40PM Chareth Cutestory said

Posted: Jan 20th 2012 12:27PM Space Cobra said

Posted: Jan 19th 2012 2:42PM Misterlee said

Posted: Jan 19th 2012 2:57PM Markholland said

Posted: Jan 19th 2012 3:13PM Major Pyr0 said

Posted: Jan 19th 2012 3:32PM iceveiled said

Posted: Jan 19th 2012 7:53PM uncarlo said

Posted: Feb 13th 2012 9:32AM IVIacabre said

Posted: Jan 20th 2012 2:58AM SolidSnakeEyes said

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