The online game, World of Warcraft is, by far, one of the most popular online PC games on the market. The popularity is, in part; due to the game’s low system requirements, making it playable to a much larger gamer base. One of the reasons that Blizzard Entertainment, makers of World of Warcraft, has been successful at offering a game with low system requirements is the high amount of graphics customization available to the player. This means that the quality of graphics throughout the game can be toggled, higher or lower to fit the needs of each individual computer system. So, gamers with a higher end computer can raise the graphics detail of the game, and users with low end computers can drop the same graphics detail, keeping the game play smooth and even. This same principle holds true of the World of Warcraft expansion packs available to consumers. Below are the specific system requirements needed to play a World of Warcraft Expansion pack.

1. The World of Warcraft game and expansion pack is fully compatible with both Windows and Mac, and the game will also play on some Linux computers.

2. For Windows PCs, players will need the following: -Operating System: Windows XP or Vista (with latest service packs installed) -Processor: Minimum of Intel Pentium 4 1.3 GHz or AMD Athlon 1500 series or higher (Blizzard recommends a duel core processor.) -RAM: At least 512 MB if running Windows XP, and at least 1 GB if running Windows Vista (for best performance, double the minimum required RAM is needed) -Video Card: 3D Graphics Processor with With Hardware Transform and Lighting and 32 MB VRAM are a necessity. (This can be tricky. Two models that work well are: NVIDIA GeForce 2 class and ATI Radeon 7200) Blizzard also suggests that the user consider a product with Vertex and Pixel Shader technology and 128 MB VRAM.

3. For Macs, players will need to go by the following set of requirements: -Operating System: Mac OS X 10.4.11 or newer -Processor: Intel Core Duo or Power PC G5 1.6 GHz (an Intel 1.8 GHz will make for much better game play) -RAM: Minimum of 1 GB, with 2 GB being the preference -Video Card: The Mac will need a 3D graphics processor with Transform Lighting and 64 MB VRAM. (Examples are: NVIDIA GeForce Ti 4600 class or ATI Radeon 9600). A card with Vertex and Pixel Shader technology and 128 MB VRAM will give the best gaming experience.

With these simple requirements, a player can get the most enjoyment from their World of Warcraft game and expansion pack.