What is the "Target Spec Machine" GPU?

I have been posting in the bug forum about FPS issues, and am getting cryptic replies about my GPU being lower than the "Minimum Target Spec Machine".

I've looked at the system requirements post on shroudoftheavatar.com as well as similar information on Steam.

Both of them list Intel HD 3000 Integrated Graphics as the minimum spec GPU.

Apparently this is not the "target spec machine" GPU?

 

@Jaanelle DeJure

 

Thanks!

 

For reference:

 

FYI before you go dropping coin for a new GPU, I have a GTX 970 4GB and I still get poor frame rates in several areas. Of course this is expected to change when the optimizations are "done".

full disclosure: running on debian Linux.

 

LOL.

 

I picked up a refurbished GTX 770 2GB for $100, and also upgraded my power supply. Now the issue seems to be how to remove the unnecessary drive bay rack that is getting in the way of installing the GPU.

More broadly- I am going to be spending some considerable time outside the country, and assuming I don't try to bring my tower with me, I am going to have to get a mobile gaming rig in order to keep playing sota. Hence, I am trying to minimize the expense of upgrading the tower, otherwise I would get a much better GPU.... userbenchmark claims I should see a 570% relative speed increase, so I'll take it.

 

Hopefully in the next few years, integrated graphics on processors will make high end consumer grade gpu obsolete. That will be especially great for mobile rigs. Built my current rig about 9 months ago, hopefully it will last until the next big leap.
Happy to hear you got such a good deal on the card!

 

Not going to happen, Theres just no way to make integrated graphics equal to a dedicated card. From TDP to Voltage/wattage to Specially designed high end GPUs

 

Nvidia did good with the last generation of 10XX cards. But than again it is a dedicated GPU, be it in a laptop or not.

 

What I am seeing is EXTERNAL GPU Cages. As Thunderbolt and other high bandwidth interfaces come on line I think we will see a Jump for a mix of integrated graphics for on the move and external GPUs for the desktop Heavy use Gaming utilization.

 

There aren't much of them and they aren't very cross compatible.
In my opinion the GTX 10xx generation made them redundant.
I got an MSI gaming laptop with the GTX 1060 and the difference to it's desktop counterpart is as good as meaningless.
Non the less i would like to see a real cross compatible and well working external GPU cage because it would simply save me from buying a new laptop if the card gets outdated. And we all know they get outdated really fast ;-)

 

No these are new, and not fully fleshe dout yet, the specs call for thunderbolt but yes I am VERY happy with my 1080Ti had to retire my dual 1080 in Sli though as it was causing problems with this game and others.

 

A decade ago, nobody was thinking it would be possible for integrated graphics cards work at a level nearing what we already have today.

Since we have effectively hit the ceiling of silicon processing power, we've been just scraping at normal (NO overclocking) release speeds between 2ghz and 4.7ghz for almost 10 years now? The speed benefits we're seeing are purely based upon processing more threads at once, additional cores and new features within those cores. My latest CPU is clocked slower than the one it replaced, yet it greatly outperforms my old CPU, as one example.

Who's to say that in five more years that the mating of AMD and ATI won't kick out a near high end performing graphics-wise APU that has really solid 6 to 8 core incredible processing speeds as well? Maybe AMD/ATI will purposefully limit it so that they can still sell higher end Radeon cards, but to say they wouldn't look to making something that could help them grab the laptop market with low power and greater performance?

 

Do you guys think I could get an external set up to work with my Surface Pro 16 GB RAM an integrated graphics? I'm kinda salty that I spent that kind of money and its performance is super disappointing. Microsoft was talking up the video performance but it is borderline embarrassing to play sota.
As far as I know that would work with a Mac and some sort of thunderbolt setup.

 

The external setups I have seen cost WAY more than they should. I always preech the fully upgradeable cost effective tower . Good graphics start with a 2+ pound video card.