What are the absolute minimum system requirements for Realm Works?

[Madmaxneo]

I know it is posted that the minimum is a 2.4ghz processor and what not. But I have seen people comment on having less than the requirements posted and they still run RW just fine. I ask this because I have been looking for a laptop that will run RW and not break my wallet (my wallet is pretty thin right now). I have seen some good deals for laptops at less than $200 but they don't meet the minimum requirements (the cpus are less than 2.0 ghz). I also have an old dell Inspiron 9200 (single core 1.8 ghz cpu) that still runs awesome. I would love to be able to run RW on that old machine. Then there is my tablet that is currently running a full version of windows 8.1 (soon to be upgraded to win 10) but the max cpu speed is 1.8ghz (quad core).

Bruce

[Bobifle]

You probably want to wait for an official answer. But I'd be surprised if there was a hard limit concerning the CPU clock.

It just may be slow, very slow. And LWD probably hasn't tested the product on these machines.

It seems also that LWD has a fair policy regarding refund (unfortunately they won't refund your 200$ laptop).

Alternative: you may want to wait for the web application (no ETA yet). You do all the editing with your desktop PC, and you run your gaming sessions with the web application on your tablet. You save 200$. However, It's not clear to me you'll need 2 licenses or if the free web client on the tablet will suffice.

[Parody]

When looking at those requirements, you should set aside the raw speed and also consider processor advancement. The last version of the Pentium 4 was released in 2006. The Atom processor in my Windows 8 (now Windows 10) tablet is much faster, despite having a lower maximum clock speed and a hugely lower power draw, and it runs Realm Works with no problems. Some operations are slower than my Core i7 desktop with much more RAM and so on, but it's acceptable to me.

Having said that, your Inspiron 9200's Pentium M is from the same era as the Pentium 4, is slightly better clock-for-clock. Its chipset maxes out at the minimum RAM requirement. (They were great machines for their era! I had the very similar 9300 back in the day.) I expect RW to run, but it might be sloooooow.

If you're looking for cheap lower-end machines, I like to look at corporate lease refurbs. They start around $150 and usually aren't that bad performance-wise. For laptops the screens usually aren't the greatest, but you get what you pay for. You might be better off waiting until you can spend a bit more money, as there's a lot of decent brand new machines starting around $400.

If you try it out on these machines, let us know. It'll be interesting to see how things work out!

[ShadowChemosh]

To get an idea I run RW on a Dell XPS M1530 laptop. That link gives you the full specs but she is a dual core 2.6GHz (remember those old processors). It was cutting edge back 8-9 years ago.

I run RW with little to no slow downs actually including doing the player view to a 30 inch monitor. Initial startup is slow, especially if I left allot of tabs open, but its "good" at moving around. My main computer that do all the data entry on is a Core i7 gaming rig so I can tell the difference between a fast machine and a slow one.

Hopefully that gives you an idea of what can run RW. Its not "fast" by any stretch but it works. I would have to say any laptop running a Core i5 processor will handle RW without any issues at all. Which is what even cheap laptops run.

[MNBlockHead]

What is your tolerance for sluggish performance? The lap top I use RW on has the following stats:

Intel Core i7-3520M CPU @ 2.90GHz
Installed RAM: 8.00 GB (7.70 GB usable)
64-bit OS, x64 based processor
Windows 10 Pro

Even with nothing else running, RW is one of the slowest programs I have in terms to start-up times. Once I'm in my Realm, it is fine. Not crisp, instant gratification, but I can have lots of tabs open and move around quickly enough. But the start up time has lead me to jotting down ideas in Evernote for later inclusion in RW if I'm at work and get a bit of inspiration I want to remember, I don't have time to fire up RW to create a quick plot idea topic.

I think if you intend to use it where you sit down to work on your game for an hour or so, a slower machine won't be too much of an issue. But if you are hoping to make little edits and editions throughout the day, you'll find the start up time annoying, unless you just keep it open.

[Parody]

Realm Works is pretty slow (notably loading and switching Topics/Articles) on almost anything. It's one reason I don't normally notice the performance differences between my (once) high-end gaming desktop and my netbook-level convertible tablet.