Article ID: 907884 - Last Review: May 14, 2009 - Revision: 6.0 Minimum system requirements for Age of Empires III, and error message if hardware fails a system check: “Your video hardware is below the recommended minimum requirements for Age of Empires” or “Age of Empires III requires a processor that supports”On This PageSUMMARYThis 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, and describes an error message that you receive if the hardware fails to pass a system check. This article is intended for a beginning to intermediate computer user. You may find it easier to follow the steps if you print this article first. THINGS TO TRYMethod 1: Verify that the computer meets the minimum system requirementsThe following are the minimum requirements for a computer to run Age of Empire III:
Note To install Microsoft Age of Empires III Expansion: The War Chiefs, you must have Age of Empires III installed. Step 1: Start the DirectX Diagnostic ToolWindows VistaTo start the DirectX Diagnostic Tool in Windows Vista, click Start Collapse this image ![]() Collapse this image ![]() Windows XP To start the DirectX Diagnostic Tool in Windows XP, click Start, click Run in the Open box, type dxdiag, and then click OK. Step 2: Collect computer details
Method 2: Compare computer details to requirementsProcessorAge 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 processor does not pass the system check, you will receive the following error message: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.
VideoAge of Empires III requires a minimum of 64 megabytes (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 receive one of the following error messages that indicate that Age of Empires III does not support the video hardware:Error message 1 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. Error message 2 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. Unsupported video hardwareThe 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/moviemaker/expert/dunn_03august11_vc.mspx
(http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/moviemaker/expert/dunn_03august11_vc.mspx)
MORE INFORMATION
For more information about graphics-related issues that you may experience when you play Age of Empires III, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
907881
(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/907881/
)
Known graphics issues in Age of Empires III
909534
(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/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
For more information about how to run Age of Empires III on a Windows Vista-based computer, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
810209
(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/810209/
)
Games: Error message: Microsoft XML 4.0 is required. Msxml file is not correctly installed and a file is missing
REFERENCESFor information about how to contact video hardware manufacturers, visit the following Microsoft Web site: http://support.microsoft.com/gp/oemphone
(http://support.microsoft.com/gp/oemphone)
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.
| Article Translations
|

Back to the top


