The minimum system requirements for Age of Empires III (907884)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Age of Empires III
  • Microsoft Age of Empires III Expansion: The War Chiefs

INTRODUCTION

This article lists the minimum system requirements that a computer must have to run Microsoft Age of Empires III. Additionally, this article lists the supported and unsupported video hardware devices.

MORE INFORMATION

The following are the minimum requirements for a computer to run Age of Empire III:
  • Microsoft Windows XP
  • A computer that has a 1.4 gigahertz (GHz) processor
  • 256 megabytes (MB) of system RAM
  • A hard disk that has at least 2 gigabytes (GB) of available space
  • A 32x speed CD drive
  • A 64 MB video card that supports Hardware Transform and Lighting
  • An audio card and speakers or headphones
  • A Microsoft mouse or a compatible pointing device
  • A 56.6 kilobytes per second (KBps) or faster Internet connection for online play
  • DirectX 9.0c
Note These are the minimum system requirements that a computer must have to run Age of Empire III. You may experience increased performance on computers that exceed these requirements.

Note To install Microsoft Age of Empires III Expansion: The War Chiefs, you must have Age of Empires III installed.

You can use the DirectX Diagnostic Tool to view the computer information and to verify whether the computer meets the minimum required settings to run Age of Empires III. To do this, follow these steps
  1. Click Start, click Run, type dxdiag, and then click OK.
  2. On the System tab, view the processor details and the memory details.
  3. Click the Display tab.
  4. In the Device area, note the name of the video card and its approximate total memory.
  5. Click Exit.

Supported video hardware

Age of Empires III requires a minimum of 64 MB of memory for video hardware. Additionally, the video hardware must support Hardware Transform and Lighting. Your hardware must pass a system check when you start the game. If your video hardware did not pass the system check, you will receive one of the following error messages that indicate that Age of Empires III does not support the video hardware:
Your video hardware is below the recommended minimum requirements for Age of Empires III. If you wish to upgrade your computer, please contact your computer manufacturer for any necessary assistance.
Age of Empires III requires at least a 64 MB video card. This computer appears to have a less than 64 MB video card. If you wish to upgrade your computer, please contact your computer manufacturer for any necessary assistance.
The video hardware is supported if it meets the memory requirement and passes the system check when you start Age of Empires III. For more information about graphic related issues that you may experience when you play Age of Empires III, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

907881 Known graphics issues in Age of Empires III

Unsupported video hardware

The following list contains video hardware, chips, and chip sets that are not supported by Age of Empires III. For more information about how to upgrade your video hardware, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/games/learnmore/videocard101.mspx

Note The following list is in alphabetical order.
  • 3dfx
    • Banshee
    • Rush (Alliance)
    • Rush (Macronix)
    • Voodoo 1
    • Voodoo 2
    • Voodoo 3
    • Voodoo 4
    • Voodoo 5
  • 3D Labs
    • GLiNT
    • GLiNT 300SX
    • GLiNT 500TX
    • GLiNT G1
    • GLiNT MX
    • Oxygen Series Gamma2
    • Oxygen Series R3
    • Oxygen Series R4
    • Permedia
    • Permedia 1
    • Permedia 2
    • Permedia 3
    • Permedia 4
  • ATI
    • ATI ES1000
    • IGP 340M
    • Mach 32
    • Mach 64
    • Mobility Fire GL
    • Mobility Radeon 7000 IGP
    • Radeon 7000 IGP
    • Rage 128
    • Rage 128 Pro
    • Rage Fury Pro-MAXX
    • Rage II
    • Rage II+
    • Rage IIC
    • Rage LT
    • Rage LT Pro
    • Rage Mobility
    • Rage Mobility 128
    • Rage Pro
    • Rage XC
    • Rage XL
  • Chromatic
    • MPact
  • Cirrus
    • CL4610
    • CL4614
    • CL5462
    • CL6729
    • GD5430
    • GD5434
    • GD5436
    • GD5446
    • GD5464
    • GD5465
    • GD5480
    • GD7543
    • GD7548
  • Compaq
    • QVision
  • Digital
    • TGA
    • TGA2
  • Guillemot
    • GeForce 256
    • TNT2
    • TNT2 M64
    • TNT2 Ultra
    • TNT Vanta
  • Intel
    • 740
    • 752
    • 810
    • 810e
    • 815
    • 830
    • 845
    • 865G
    • 915
    • 915G
    • 915GM
    • 945G
    • 945GM
  • Matrox
    • Millennium
    • Mystique
    • Millennium II
    • G100 PCI
    • G100 AGP
    • G200 PCI
    • G200 AGP
    • Fusion G450
    • G400-450
    • Mistral
    • G550
  • NeoMagic
    • 128
    • 128ZV
    • 128XD
    • 256AV
    • 256ZX
    • 256XL
  • Number Nine
    • Revolution 3D
    • Revolution IV
  • nVidia
    • GeForce 256
    • GeForce 256 DDR
    • GeForce 256 Quadro
    • GeForce 256 Ultra
    • NV 1
    • NV 2
    • Riva 128
    • Riva 128 ZX
    • TNT
    • TNT Vanta
    • TNT2
    • TNT2 Aladdin
    • TNT2 M64
    • TNT2 Ultra
  • Rendition
    • Verite 1000
    • Verite 2100
  • S3
    • Aurora 128
    • Graphics Twister
    • ProSavage
    • Savage 2000
    • Savage 3D
    • Savage 3D S3
    • Savage 3D S4
    • Savage IX
    • Savage MX
    • Savage4 ProSavage
    • SuperSavage 128 IX
    • SuperSavage 128 IX DDR
    • SuperSavage 128 MX
    • SuperSavage IX
    • SuperSavage IX DDR
    • SuperSavage IXC DDR
    • SuperSavage IXC SDR
    • Trio 3D
    • Trio 64
    • Trio 64 DX
    • Trio 64 Plus
    • Trio3D
    • Virge
    • Virge DXGX
    • Virge GX2
    • Virge MX
    • Virge MXC
  • Silicon Motion
    • Lynx 3D
    • Lynx 3DM
  • SiS
    • 305
    • 315
    • 530
    • 650
    • 6205
    • 6215
    • 6326
  • ST Microelectronics
    • Kyro I-II
  • Trident
    • 975
    • 9753
    • 3D Image
    • Blade 3D
    • Cyber
    • Cyber XP5
    • Cyber9320
    • Cyber9385
    • Cyber9388
    • Cyber9397
    • Cyber9397 DVD
    • Cyber9520
    • Cyber9520 DVD
    • CyberBlade E4
    • CyberBlade i7
    • CyberBlade XP
    • CyberBlade XPm
  • Tsend Labs
    • ET4000
    • ET6000
    • ET6300
  • VIA
    • CLE266
    • KM400
    • VIAS3G UniChrome Pro IGP
  • VideoLogic
    • PowerVR
    • PowerVR2
  • Weitek
    • P9000
    • P9100

Supported processor

Age of Empires III requires a minimum of a 1.4 gigahertz (GHz) processor. Additionally, the processor must support Streaming SIMD Extensions (SSE). Processors such as the 1.4 GHz Athlon Thunderbird do not support SSE. Your hardware must pass a system check when you start the game. If your hardware does not pass the system check, you will receive the following error message that states that Age of Empires III does not support the processor:
Age of Empires III requires a processor that supports the SSE instruction set. This computer does not appear to support SSE, so the game will not attempt to run.
The processor is supported if it meets the speed requirement and passes the system check when you start Age of Empires III.

For more information about processor-related issues that you may experience when you play Age of Empires III, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

909534 When you install or start a Microsoft game, you may receive an error message that states that your computer's processor does not meet the requirements for the game

REFERENCES

For information about how to contact video hardware manufacturers, click the appropriate article number in the following list to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

65416 Hardware and software vendor contact information, A-K

60781 Hardware and software vendor contact information, L-P

60782 Hardware and software vendor contact information, Q-Z


Microsoft provides third-party contact information to help you find technical support. This contact information may change without notice. Microsoft does not guarantee the accuracy of this third-party contact information.
The third-party products that this article discusses are manufactured by companies that are independent of Microsoft. Microsoft makes no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding the performance or reliability of these products.
Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:10/3/2006
Keywords:kbConfig kbsetup kbdisplay kbinfo KB907884 kbAudEndUser
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