KSP1 Computer Building/Buying Megathread

[SelectHalfling0]

Alphasus: What is the difference between the 212 EVO and the GAMMAX? Is it the RPM's (and how much does that change heat dissapation)? I don't mind spending 10 more dollars, but I do like the large heatsinks and led's on the Gammaxx.

 

Elthy: I plan on upgrading soon^tm whenIi have a little more cash.

Edited May 29, 2016 by SelectHalfling0

[Alphasus]

1 hour ago, SelectHalfling0 said:

Alphasus: What is the difference between the 212 EVO and the GAMMAX? Is it the RPM's (and how much does that change heat dissapation)? I don't mind spending 10 more dollars, but I do like the large heatsinks and led's on the Gammaxx.

 

Elthy: I plan on upgrading soon^tm whenIi have a little more cash.

http://www.frostytech.com/articleview.cfm?articleid=2696&page=5

The EVO runs quieter and cooler.  You shouldn't need a CPU cooler other than the stock Intel one of pressed on budget.

[SelectHalfling0]

1 hour ago, Alphasus said:

http://www.frostytech.com/articleview.cfm?articleid=2696&page=5

The EVO runs quieter and cooler.  You shouldn't need a CPU cooler other than the stock Intel one of pressed on budget.

Alright. I think I may get the EVO just to be really sure (it's not that expensive). Thanks for the tips!

[SelectHalfling0]

I have one more question: does anyone have any suggestions for good, 30ft ethernet cables? I can only find 500 mhz cables at this size (is that good?)

 

If you couldn't tell, I have less experience in the networking department.

[cantab]

As long as it's Cat5e, and legitimately Cat5e not fraudulently labelled, it will be fine. Don't spend silly money on ethernet cables.

[SelectHalfling0]

Ok. Any in-store retailers I can find those at?

 

Nvm, I did some digging and found a cat5e 50 foot cable in storage.

Edited May 30, 2016 by SelectHalfling0

[Camacha]

On 29/05/2016 at 0:40 AM, cantab said:

As long as it's Cat5e, and legitimately Cat5e not fraudulently labelled, it will be fine. Don't spend silly money on ethernet cables.

Make sure you get real copper wires, that are copper through and through. Cheap cables are sold with steel or aluminium cores, often disguised with a copper plating and accompanying text about copper wires.

[phreakshow]

Currently bought HP desktop. I got 2.50 GHz processor 4 GB Ram Windows 10 64bit. Can my computer run KSP 1.1.2? I can upgrade RAM. Factory graphics card in masterboard. What would my limits be with my current system as is if it can run KSP 1.1.2?

[RocketSquid]

My system uses a gen-5 Core M. It reaches about 1 GHz, and maxes out at 2. It runs KSP like a charm, even with all 100+ of my mods.

[Mahnarch]

That should be a plethora of piñatas powers to run the simulation.

 

In fact; I think you have too much computer. You should cut some off.

You can mail the scraps to me - for proper disposal.

[Mr. McClendon]

Okay, I'm going to be building a PC for gaming. I don't need a machine that can play all the new big titles, I just want to play KSP, Space Engineers, and other games of the like. I have a few parts to start with. 

AMD Athalon II 640 4x at 3.0 Ghz, an Hp case (mid tower), a solid state HD, a second rather large HD, and 32 gigs of ram. So I need a motherboard and a Graphics card that can run two screens... and I don't want to break the bank, say $100 - 200 max.  

[T.A.P.O.R.]

whats your overall budget?

[Enceos]

Simple, get a MotherBoard which is compatible both with your processor and DDR then buy a video card on the remaining money.

[Brofessional]

The RX 480 comes out at the end of this month for $200.

That said, I'd go with a Haswell or Skylake processor and 2x8GB RAM instead of 32GB.

[ruiluth]

I don't know how much Unity 5 has changed things, but the wisdom I always heard was that you want less cores that run faster, so a dual core Intel CPU would outperform a quad core AMD CPU any day of the kerbin week. That my have changed, but I was careful to select a fast processor when I upgraded my computer and I have been extremely pleased with the performance boost.

[Streetwind]

5 hours ago, Mr. McClendon said:

Okay, I'm going to be building a PC for gaming. I don't need a machine that can play all the new big titles, I just want to play KSP, Space Engineers, and other games of the like. I have a few parts to start with. 

AMD Athalon II 640 4x at 3.0 Ghz, an Hp case (mid tower), a solid state HD, a second rather large HD, and 32 gigs of ram. So I need a motherboard and a Graphics card that can run two screens... and I don't want to break the bank, say $100 - 200 max.  

The CPU is six years old, and clearly the weakest link among the parts that you have. However, if your budget is limited it'll have to do... KSP will probably run as well on it now with Unity 5, as it ran on top of the line systems back in the days of Unity 4. In other words, it'll be fine in 95% of all cases. For other games, I can't really speak.

You'll need a socket AM3 mainboard. These are no longer being produced nowadays, but there's still leftovers to be had around 70$-80$ if a cursory look at the market is any indication.

However, before you buy anything, pay close attention to the specifics. If you say that you have 32 GB of memory available, then that means that you have either four 8 GB sticks, or two 16 GB sticks. If it's DDR4, then I'm afraid no AM3 mainboard will support it, but the chances that you have that type of memory is quite low, I'd say. It's definitely not DDR2, as that doesn't exist in that size. So it's most likely DDR3. So for starters, make sure the mainboard you buy supports DDR3, as there are a few DDR2 boards among the crop. Next, make sure that it supports not only DDR3, but also the size of your memory sticks. Back when AM3 was a thing, the largest memory sizes were 2 GB per stick, IIRC. So it's possible that the memory controller can't deal with something like a 16 GB stick. Make sure you check this.

Next, for a videocard in the 120$ range, you could take a GTX 750 Ti. It's definitely fast enough for KSP in typical FullHD resolution, and can run two monitors. Most of these don't need any additional power cables, so they'll just work regardless of your power supply (which you haven't mentioned in your list, so I hope it's included in the case). However, some third party manufacturers add a 6-pin external power socket, to facilitate overclocking. With those, it's important to remember that even if you don't plan on overclocking, you MUST provide the cable to such a card. Without one, the system refuses to boot. So if your power supply does not have any 6pin PCI-E connectors, stick to a videocard that doesn't require one. (It's doubly important because if your power supply doesn't have such a connector, chances are greater than 95% that it's unable to provide that much extra power in the first place.)

You can get GTX 750 Ti's with either 1 GB or 2 GB video memory. If the price markup is less than $10, pick the 2 GB variant; otherwise, don't bother. It's nice to have, but on a card in that performance class, it's not that important.

One step up in performance (but also price, of course) would be a GTX 950. Or, if you prefer AMD, comparable cards would be the R7 360 or R7 370. Regardless of which one you pick, always pay attention to whether or not they require external power connectors which your computer may or may not have available.

Edited June 2, 2016 by Streetwind

[T.A.P.O.R.]

This thread has loads of advicehttp://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/index.php?/topic/130821-anyone-else-recently-build-a-bad-pc-in-reponse-to-upcoming-11/

[Teilnehmer]

The  graphics card also matters.

I have an Intel Core i5 3.2 GHz, 8 GB RAM, with no graphics card, and I have some problems with the shaders in 1.1.x. I’ve had to turn the UNSUPPORTED_LEGACY_SHADER_TERRAIN setting on to avoid lags.

Edited June 2, 2016 by Teilnehmer

[Gotmachine]

Try the demo and check if it runs smoothly with the biggest ship you can build. While it's based on a (very) old KSP version, it should give you an insight of the performance you will get. On my 5 years old core-i3 2.3 Ghz laptop with integrated graphics and 4 Gb the full game run smoothly as long as I don't use too big ships (~60 parts) and set the graphics on the lowest settings. I think you should be good but don't expect to be able to play with 200+ parts ships or a heavy modded game.

[p1t1o]

16 hours ago, phreakshow said:

Currently bought HP desktop. I got 2.50 GHz processor 4 GB Ram Windows 10 64bit. Can my computer run KSP 1.1.2? I can upgrade RAM. Factory graphics card in masterboard. What would my limits be with my current system as is if it can run KSP 1.1.2?

Yes you can run it for sure. RAM will be you r main bottleneck, but you can live with 4gb if you dont install LOADS of mods, but you got a bit of room there. Factory graphics is a bit dull, but won't prevent you from playing, or building complex ships. CPU isn't the hottest either, but again, you are well above minimum specs. 

Its very difficult to say something like "Oh you will hit a wall at XXX parts" or "You will/will not be able to run X number of mods/parts/whatever", but you can definitely run 1.1.2

[cantab]

I need to know the exact CPU model to give you an informed opinion. A bald clock speed means nothing.

[SelectHalfling0]

So the parts came in (shipping was "holy crap" fast) and I started work. 

On the mobo, the psu power supply is a 12 2by4, however the psu is just a 12 v. This compatibility issue does not come up when I search for it. Is it a problem?

Edited June 2, 2016 by SelectHalfling0

[Nuke]

ive yet to encounter an application that required more than 8gb of ram. so i usually get a 2 slot board and just stick a couple of 4gig sticks in it and call it done.

current gen intel is the way to go. you dont have to go with a top notch i7, but try to get something current gen.

750 ti is an ok card. been happily running mine for a while now. but there are newer cards very close to the same price range. dont spend more than 200 but dont spend less than 120. like cpu try to get a current gen gpu architecture.

[cantab]

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/index.php?/topic/23017-ksp-unofficial-official-computer-buildingbuying-megathread-all-questions-acceptable/

But anyway. Your CPU is far from the best for KSP, but it's passable. I used to run a Phenom II X3 710 until last autumn. As I understand it it will work in newer AM3+ motherboards, but do check the specific board lists the CPU as compatible before you buy. You should be able to get a motherboard for about $50-60. Try and get one that can overclock a locked Athlon / Phenom II, because most of that CPU line are good overclockers on a suitable board - but don't spend silly money just for that.

[Mr. McClendon]

I figured that the CPU would be fine for the job (quad core 3.0 GHZ can't really be slow can it?), as long as I paired it with a good motherboard and graphics card. I can spend about $250 but I'd much rather not. Again, KSP, and Space Engineers are going to be the most demanding on this rig as I have an Xbox one for AAA stuff.

12 minutes ago, cantab said:

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/index.php?/topic/23017-ksp-unofficial-official-computer-buildingbuying-megathread-all-questions-acceptable/

But anyway. Your CPU is far from the best for KSP, but it's passable. I used to run a Phenom II X3 710 until last autumn. As I understand it it will work in newer AM3+ motherboards, but do check the specific board lists the CPU as compatible before you buy. You should be able to get a motherboard for about $50-60. Try and get one that can overclock a locked Athlon / Phenom II, because most of that CPU line are good overclockers on a suitable board - but don't spend silly money just for that.

What's wrong with my CPU?

14 hours ago, T.A.P.O.R. said:

whats your overall budget?

$250. Again, not really looking to play AAA stuff on this rig.