ALGS Stockholm LAN kicks off with terrible PCs despite pros RAGE

Apex Legends
April 28, 2022
Jordan Ashley

The ALGS Stockholm LAN started today, but the event has been thrown shade at from the get go. At first, it didn’t even seem like every team would be able to attend, and while that was ironed out, even more issues have come up. Pros took to social media to lash out at EA’s poor organization.

This time, it’s about the ALGS Stockholm LAN PCs that have been provided.

ALGS Split 2 Playoffs Stockholm

ALGS Stockholm LAN PCs subpar?

The ALGS is about to kick off pretty soon. Players are already practicing for a big major. However, there’s a big problem. Pros have been complaining that the specification of the PCs just isn’t good enough. After some early embarrassment about what was provided, it seemed the problem was fixed. Earlier this week an EA employee claimed that the PCs would be using high-level components after pros voiced concerns about equipment. Specifically, they’d be using RTX 3080 graphics cards along with 11th-gen Intel i7 processors.

These are top-of-the-line components, and it would be more than enough for players to compete at Apex. Pros were generally happy with this, it seemed like things were moving back in the right direction. However, these PCs just haven’t materialized yet. Players have arrived at the event and found that the hardware is yet to be delivered. Instead, they’re going to be playing on the original PCs that were planned for the event. These are considerably lower-powered compared to what had been promised.

In terms of a direct comparison, the graphics card isn’t going to be the top of the line 3080, but an RTX 2070. This is considerably worse. Not just from the promised ALGS Stockholm LAN PCs, but from the PCs that most players use to play the game in earlier stages. It’s definitely lower than what they’ve been practicing with.

In short, they’re not esports-level machines and not what was promised. Pros aren’t enthusiastic about having to play on them.

What Does the Change in ALGS Stockholm LAN PCs Mean for the Tournament?

Players at the Apex Stockholm LAN have been practicing for the event with considerably different settings to what they are going to be playing on. The difference isn’t minor either. This is going to be a pretty big change in terms of performance for players, with the game running at considerably different settings compared to what they’re used to.

The end-game of Apex matches can be demanding on a PC. This difference in specs is going to have a big impact on players. Settings may have to be turned down, but even then, performance issues will interfere with players. We can reasonably expect a bit of a dip in the quality of gameplay compared to the normal hardware pros would be playing on.

Potential impact on performance at ALGS Stockholm

The PC mix-up is worse than another example of bizarre organization. Instead, it looks like it might severely limit the quality of gameplay at the event. This isn’t the first major mistake at this LAN either.  This one is quite a bit more serious though.

The change in PCs could lead to lag and performance problems in key moments. We may end up with rounds or kills being decided on the back of whose PC happened to stutter at that moment, not the skill of the player. If you’re looking at things like Apex Legends betting, then this is going to be a factor you might have to work around this.

The ALGS Stockholm LAN PCs aren’t going to be preventing the tournament from finally kicking off. It’s due to start up today with Group Stage matches. Organizers still seem to be maintaining that they’ll eventually get the right PCs, which might be in time for the finals on May 1st! If you’re hoping to watch gameplay of Apex at the highest level, it might be best to wait till things are ironed out. If you want some rage moments from a provided setup costing a player points though, the early rounds are the ones to watch!