Help?

[ionator]

Ever since 1.0 came out and the aerodynamics model was improved , my computer found it difficult to handle. I get a low frame rate. I know this isn't ksp's fault, it's just that I have a laptop that certainly isn't a supercomputer. So, since I was planning on getting a new PC anyway, does anybody know what the minimum specifications are in order to run ksp with a good frame rate? Thanks!

[pandaman]

Like you I'm running a less than ideal pc (desktop in my case). I haven't noticed an obvious framerate difference since 1.0.0, but loading times are a shade faster.

Edit...

@ OP. You may get a better and more useful response if you say in the title what you want help with. 'Help!' on it's own is a bit vague. Sorry I can't help you with computer specs. I'm hoping to find something out from this thread too.

Edited May 19, 2015 by pandaman
adding info for OP

[Linear]

Absolute playable minimum would be a i3 4*** (would definitely say i5, though).

Something like a 750/750ti is great for KSP and many other games and is really cheap!

[SpacePi]

i3 core would be good, I run Pentium and still get good FPS.

I run Intel HD Graphics, and as I said, good FPS. So it's not going to take a beefy computer to run KSP.

[Linear]

i3 core would be good, I run Pentium and still get good FPS.

I run Intel HD Graphics, and as I said, good FPS. So it's not going to take a beefy computer to run KSP.

Similar specs to my old PC, i wouldn't call it enjoyable. An i5 w/750ti is entry level, not beefy.

[Lord Aurelius]

Like others have said, get at least an i3 (the newest architecture is haswell, those have part numbers starting with a 4). I would highly recommend looking into an i5, they have turbo boost and can achieve even better single threaded performance. KSP is primarily limited by the physics thread, and Intel dominates AMD in single threaded performance at the moment.

Minimum 8GB of RAM (I would personally go for at least 16, especially since it looks like it won't be too long before we're freed from the tyranny of 32-bit, or you can use Linux to take advantage of it right away)

Dedicated graphics card. Absolute minimum would be something like a 750ti, if you have the money to build a more future proof machine I would recommend something closer to a GTX 970 (ATI has some good deals on cards as well, but I prefer nvidia due to better driver support overall in my experience and much better power efficiency).

Solid state drive. This makes a huge difference in load times (especially when you have a heavily modded game). 256gb is the sweet spot for me with enough room for the OS and a decent amount of software, although from a pure price per GB perspective I think ~512GB drives are a little cheaper now, but not by much. I also highly recommend a secondary storage drive, something inexpensive with high capacity (speed isn't an issue). Great place to store all those mod downloads and backups of KSP installs.

Make sure to get a decent monitor, keyboard and mouse. A lot of people overlook the peripherals, even though that's what you'll be using to interact with the computer and can make a large quality of life difference.

If you're building this specifically for KSP, I would recommend going with Linux instead of Windows for the time being due to Linux having proper 64-bit support.

I don't know what your budget is, but here's what I would recommend if I was building a PC right now:

Rosewill RANGER-M Micro ATX case $30 <- Feel free to substitute for another case if you don't like how this one looks, but make sure it has good ventilation.

Seasonic SSR-550RM 550W PSU $85 <- Technically more power than you strictly need, but more future proof. You can probably cut back to 450W without any issues if you want to save a little. Make sure to buy from a reputable brand (and read reviews for that specific PSU), a poor quality PSU can fry everything when it dies.

Intel Core i5-4460 $190

ASRock Z97M Pro4 Motherboard $75

16GB G.SKILL Ripjaws X DDR3 RAM $100 <- Memory prices fluctuate a bit, this was the best deal at the time

ASUS STRIX-GTX970 GPU $320 <- This particular 970 is one of the quietest ones available and comes with a backplate, plus it's the best deal right now

Crucial BX100 500GB SSD $190 <- Great deal

I would also recommend a 4TB HDD, but I don't see any great deals on them ATM, and with a 500GB SSD it may be unnecessary if you already have a decent sized external drive.

Total: $990. This is a pretty beastly PC that could run any game out there on max settings at a minimum of 1080P with a good chance of maintaining the performance at 4K for a little older games.

Anyways, hope that helps. Feel free to critique my part suggestions.

Edited May 19, 2015 by Lord Aurelius

[Vanamonde]

Moved to Space Lounge, as this is not about the game itself.

[maceemiller]

I have a Dell Vostro 220 with 3gb RAM, 2.9GHZ processor and a AMD HD6670 1GB graphics card and KSP runs perfectly with the graphic settings maxed out. My laptop has an i3 processor, Intel HD graphics with 8gb RAM and KSP plays great, albeit the graphics in-game have to be lowered somewhat (default is fine)

[Slam_Jones]

I suggest checking out the KSP Unofficial Official Computer Building/Buying Megathread and thumbing through a few pages. Plenty of sound advice there, and a lot of folks asking similar questions as you.

Good luck!

Edited May 19, 2015 by Slam_Jones

[ionator]

Thanks, helped a lot:D