Fallout 4 System Requirements

[Gikoku]

Welp. Bethesda just released the system requirements for Fallout 4 on the PC today, and to my surprise they're kinda meaty. My rig resembles the minimum specs with an AMD Radeon HD7870 2GB and Phenom II X4 965 Black, so I'm just barely in there. But for comparison, The Witcher 3's PC specs are slightly lower than Fallout 4's and I'm able to tap Ultra (@1920x1080) with some good performance. So for those who might be worried, the specs are likely a bit exaggerated. Figured this was also worth its own thread for easy access/reference.

Also, the first BGS game that's finally 64-bit native! Hooray! <3

Minimum:
Windows 7/8/10 (64-bit OS required)
Intel Core i5-2300 2.8 GHz/AMD Phenom II X4 945 3.0 GHz or equivalent
8 GB RAM
30 GB free HDD space
NVIDIA GTX 550 Ti 2GB/AMD Radeon HD 7870 2GB or equivalent

Recommended:
Windows 7/8/10 (64-bit OS required)
Intel Core i7 4790 3.6 GHz/AMD FX-9590 4.7 GHz or equivalent
8 GB RAM
30 GB free HDD space
NVIDIA GTX 780 3GB/AMD Radeon R9 290X 4GB or equivalent

Also included is a little FAQ with more information for PCs & Consoles:

Spoiler

Console Storage Space: Make sure you have enough space in the vault to store Fallout 4. Fallout 4 requires 28-35 GB depending on territory and languages supported.

Release Time: Want to know exactly when you can start playing Fallout 4? Digitally the game will become available at 12:01 am (local time) in all territories (In North America, the unlock time will be 12:01 am EST), except Asia (available at 12 am on Tuesday, November 11th) and Japan (available at 12 am on Thursday, December 17th).

What languages does Fallout 4 support?
In North America, Fallout 4 supports English/French voice/text. In South America, Fallout 4 supports English voice/text, as well as BR-PT and Latin American Spanish text. In the United Kingdom and Australia/New Zealand, Fallout 4 supports English voice/text only. In most European territories, Fallout 4 supports English/French/Italian/German/Spanish voice/text In Russia and Poland, Fallout 4 supports English voice/text and Polish/Russian text. In Asia, Fallout 4 supports English voice/text and English voice / Traditional Chinese text. In Japan, Fallout 4 supports Japanese voice/text. Note: On consoles, you may need to adjust the system level language settings to gain access to additional languages.

Does Fallout 4 have gamepad support on PC? Fallout 4 has plug & play compatibility with both the Xbox One and Xbox 360 controllers. Alternate controller options may require additional user adjustments

Does Fallout 4 support Steam Achievements? Yes.

What platforms and phones support the Fallout 4 Pip-Boy App? The Fallout 4 Pip-Boy App is usable in tandem with Fallout 4 on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC. The App is supported on iOS, Android, and Windows Phone devices.

When will the Pip-Boy App become available? It will be available for the launch of Fallout 4 on November 10.

What phones will fit in the Pip-Boy Edition Pip-Boy? The Pip-Boy included will have foam inserts that fit iPhone 6/6s, iPhone 5/5s, iPhone 4/4S, Samsung Galaxy S5, Samsung Galaxy S4, and Samsung Galaxy S3. In addition, using the customizable foam insert you should be able to fit most other popular smartphone devices. As we wanted to stay faithful to the dimensions of the in-game model, any smartphones larger than the models listed will not fit inside the wearable device, but can still use the Pip-Boy App.

What is the latest update on the Creation Kit, modding, downloadable content, and Season Pass? For the latest information, please read our most recent update posted on Bethesda.net

Is there a pre-order bonus? Everyone who pre-orders a physical copy of the regular or Pip-Boy Edition of the game will receive a Perk Poster with your copy of the game. Digital pre-order bonuses vary by retailer, check with your retailer for more info.

 

[DarkONI]

Well, it looks like a huge game, or a poorly optimized one. Seeing an i7 as recommended might be scary for some.

 

[Dark Drakan]

Think I shall get PC version for sure as specs seem very reasonable.

 

[Gikoku]

Well, it looks like a huge game, or a poorly optimized one. Seeing an i7 as recommended might be scary for some.

Which is what's throwing me off here. Why in the world would an i7 be necessary? I know their engine scales well, but both consoles run the game just fine. So why the need for a processor that's several tiers higher?

I know with EA & Ubisoft they started viewing 1440p as the new PC standard and adjust their specs accordingly, but that still wouldn't demand such horsepower.

Think I shall get PC version for sure as specs seem very reasonable.

Well yeah... for YOOOUUU...

I'm feeling a bit inadequate over here though. If I'm lucky I might get to upgrade a part or two when I come back, but that's all up in the air for me.

 

[Gikoku]

Update:

And as it turns out and was expected, the system requirements for the game were inflated for who knows what. The minimum GTX 770, R9 270, and HD7870 cards can run Fallout 4 at 1920x1080 on Ultra with occasional dips to 50fps.

Surprisingly though (or not, depending on how you look at it) the primary source of crippling performance is the God Rays feature. AKA the tessellated volumetric sun rays that shine through the wasteland thanks to nVidia Gameworks, if you have it set to Ultra it will tax your system something fierce (over 20fps decrease for many). Dropping it to Low/High will yield zero visual difference and will allow you to have pretty sun rays with no performance loss (which will consequently allow even weaker cards to yield better results).

Also below are some optimization settings you can play with (including uncapping the game from 30fps... hmm). I've also included a video from Brodual showing off all the different graphical features at play.

PC Settings & Error Guide