System Requirements

Minimum requirements:

• Intel 486 series or compatible CPU

• 8MB of RAM

• 80MB of disk space

FreeBSD can take advantage of the latest in technological advances such as multiprocessor (SMP) motherboards and accelerated video cards, and particularly if you use it as a desktop workstation with KDE or GNOME, it can be as hungry for resources such as RAM and disk space as any Windows machine or Mac. The absolute minimum requirements shown here should be taken with a grain of salt; if you intend to run a modern version of FreeBSD on old hardware, whether as a way to extend the life of an old beloved chassis or to obtain the bragging rights that come from fitting useful functionality into very limited hardware, my recommended minimum configuration is:

• Intel Pentium or compatible CPU.

• 32MB of RAM.

• At least 1GB of free disk space for a full install (with X11) and space for additional third-party software. Servers may require much more space, depending on the number of users and the services the server is providing.

In addition, if you plan to run the X Window System, I recommend the following additional minimum system configuration:

• Monitor that can provide 1024x768 resolution (comfortably). A resolution of 800x600 is acceptable, but might make for a crowded desktop.

• Supported SVGA video card (see video card list) with at least 1MB of video RAM.

• At least 64MB of RAM.

• Three-button mouse.