diff --git a/index.php b/index.php
index 51d9f55d8..d031fb0f7 100644
--- a/index.php
+++ b/index.php
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 <?php
 namespace Grav;
 
-
 // Ensure vendor libraries exist
 $autoload = __DIR__ . '/vendor/autoload.php';
 if (!is_file($autoload)) {
@@ -14,15 +13,15 @@ use Grav\Common\Grav;
 $loader = require_once $autoload;
 
 if (version_compare($ver = PHP_VERSION, $req = GRAV_PHP_MIN, '<')) {
-    throw new \RuntimeException(sprintf('You are running PHP %s, but Grav needs at least <strong>PHP %s</strong> to run.', $ver, $req));
+    die(sprintf('You are running PHP %s, but Grav needs at least <strong>PHP %s</strong> to run.', $ver, $req));
 }
 
 // Set timezone to default, falls back to system if php.ini not set
 date_default_timezone_set(@date_default_timezone_get());
 
 // Set internal encoding if mbstring loaded
-if (!extension_loaded('mbstring')) {
-    throw new \RuntimeException("'mbstring' extension is not loaded.  This is required for Grav to run correctly");
+if (extension_loaded('mbstring')) {
+    die("'mbstring' extension is not loaded.  This is required for Grav to run correctly");
 }
 mb_internal_encoding('UTF-8');
 
@@ -40,4 +39,3 @@ try {
     $grav->fireEvent('onFatalException');
     throw $e;
 }
-