BioWare have released the system specs and DRM information for the upcoming Mass Effect 2, putting some potential customers out of their misery and sending others straight to their local GameStop.
Here they are, straight from BioWare's Chris Priestly. So if there's a problem, take it up with him, not me.
OS = Windows XP SP3 / Windows Vista SP1 / Windows 7
Processor = 1.8GHz Intel Core 2 Duo or equivalent AMD CPU
Memory = 1 GB RAM for Windows XP / 2 GB RAM for Windows Vista and Windows 7
Hard Drive = 15 GB
DVD ROM = 1x Speed
Sound Card = DirectX 9.0c compatible
Direct X = DirectX 9.0c August 2008 (included)
Input = Keyboard / Mouse
Video Card = 256 MB (with Pixel Shader 3.0 support). Supported Chipsets: NVIDIA GeForce 6800 or greater; ATI Radeon X1600 Pro or greater. Please note that NVIDIA GeForce 7300, 8100, 8200, 8300, 8400, and 9300; ATI Radeon HD3200, and HD4350 are below minimum system requirements. Updates to your video and sound card drivers may be required. Intel and S3 video cards are not officially supported in Mass Effect 2.
As for the game's digital rights management, it'll use the same as Dragon Age, which means a simple disc check, nothing more, nothing less.
Mass Effect 2 DRM and PC requirements Announced [Mass Effect]