diff --git a/index.php b/index.php
index df77bbadc..02a6a352a 100644
--- a/index.php
+++ b/index.php
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 namespace Grav\Common;
 
 if (version_compare($ver = PHP_VERSION, $req = '5.4.0', '<')) {
-    throw new \RuntimeException(sprintf('You are running PHP %s, but Grav needs at least <strong>PHP %s</strong> to run.', $ver, $req));
+    exit(sprintf('You are running PHP %s, but Grav needs at least <strong>PHP %s</strong> to run.', $ver, $req));
 }
 
 use Tracy\Debugger;