Jump to content

KSP1 Computer Building/Buying Megathread


Leonov

Recommended Posts

2 hours ago, Mr. McClendon said:

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.

What's wrong with my CPU?

 

Clock speed doesn't matter unless these traits are the same:

Quote

 

1. CPUs have a few important characteristics, and these have to be similar before clock speed comparisons.

a. Manufacturer. This can be Intel or AMD.

b. Architecture. Intel and AMD have different architectures. The only relevant AMD architecture is Zen, which will arrive soon and may be competitive to Intel. The relevant Intel architectures are(in order of introduction) Nehalem, the first generation with Core i CPUs, Sandy Bridge(32 nm), the 2nd generation, introducing the i3. Afterward came Ivy Bridge(22 nm), the 3rd generation, which was a die shrink over Sandy Bridge. Haswell was a bunch of small improvements over Sandy Bridge that improved performance somewhat significantly. Broadwell(14 nm) was a die shrink of Haswell, offering a slight improvement in single core performance per megahertz(they were clocked lower than Haswell). Broadwell also drastically improved integrated graphics performance, making the recently introduced Iris Pro 6200 similar to a GT 750M GPU. Skylake(14 nm) improved on Broadwell's performance without a die shrink, and is the most recent architecture. Skylake also added better integrated graphics performance, and introduced the Iris Pro 580. The Iris Pro 580 can perform close to the GTX 950M in graphics performance.

c. Core count. This depends on your workload, but more CPU CORES(not threads) can drastically improve performance in many tasks. This provides diminishing returns, and single core performance becomes anemic at about 8 CPU cores for Intel CPUs. I am referencing the i7 5960X, which has enough performance for gaming, and enough core count for rendering. When compared to the i7 6700k, its single core performance is slower, but not significantly so. Core count only matters based on workload. Gaming likes to have 4 CPU cores, CPU rendering can appreciate any amount of cores, but video cards are preferable for rendering in Blender, and other render engines that allow it. As core count increases, clock speed decreases.

d. Platform of CPU. If the CPU is a laptop CPU(M,U,HQ,Y,HK, or MQ SKU suffix), it will have lower performance than its desktop equivalent due to lower clock speed and power consumption constraints.

If all these traits are the same, clock speed can be compared to show relative single,dual and quad core performance. But an i5 and an i7 will differ in multi-core performance, because of the hyper-threading of the i7(2 threads per core), which has 8 threads if it has 4 cores. The i5 only has 4 threads, but it has 4 cores. So, it has 1 thread per core. So, clock speed is reliable if all of these traits are the same, and if you don't have a multi-core workload(the multi core workload bit only counts if comparing an i5 and i7, or i3 and Pentium G).

 

If those traits aren't the same:

Quote

 

No, clock speed is generally irrelevant, some specific conditions excepted (also see Alphasus' post). You need to look at reviews that did performance benchmarks. The trick is to find benchmarks that will be relevant to your wishes and situation. Watch out for synthetic benchmarks, as those are not always very relevant. Real world benchmarks with real world programs are always superior. After than, artificial benchmarks, then specifications and then calculated benchmarks. The latter is pretty much pure fantasy and should be avoided at all costs. Unfortunately, a lot of the sites Google presents to you when you search for something will be of the last type, like Cpuboss.com. Those sites should be banned, if you ask me. When looking at reviews, be critical when it comes to testing methods. Always consider whether the way they are testing and measuring things is appropriate and will yield meaningful results. Sometimes, reviewers make mistakes and devise a test that will show little of the qualities of the hardware testing (like running a video card test at too low a resolution, causing the CPU to become the defining factor).

First, try to establish the sort of workload you will subject the new machine to. Be as specific as possible. When it comes to gaming, try to come up with titles (or genres) and with a resolution, settings level and frame rate. Also consider other applications you will want to run. Then try to find benchmarks that are applicable, or that come as close as possible.

 

AMD CPUs have significantly lower performance per gigahertz. This means that a 3 GHz CPU is very very slow. KSP loves CPU power, so performance won't be great.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On Sunday, May 29, 2016 at 9:23 AM, SelectHalfling0 said:

I would like an ssd, but honestly I don't absolutely need one. Also, I do know that's a last generation CPU. I don't play enough AAA games to warrant anything better. 

I want to know how this build goes. I kinda only play "dad games" so top notch hardware just doesn't justify the price.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Whats the hardware of your Macbook? Its possible that it allready outperforms the Athlon. Also you could check ebay or something for used AM3 mainboards. That stuff is so old, you would propably pay like 15$ for one, although its easy to get ripped of with a broken one.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 5/29/2016 at 3:23 PM, SelectHalfling0 said:

I would like an ssd, but honestly I don't absolutely need one. Also, I do know that's a last generation CPU. I don't play enough AAA games to warrant anything better. 

 

9 hours ago, Mr. McClendon said:

I want to know how this build goes. I kinda only play "dad games" so top notch hardware just doesn't justify the price.

 

I'd recommend considering one, even if you aren't into spending every penny for extra FPS. They speed *everything* up, windows boot times, program loading times, make running multiple programs smoother. You dont get quite as many gigabytes-per-pounr/dollar, but to put it one way, they make all computers with spinning disks seem clunky in comparison.

Makes for a pretty good upgrade to any build if you dont fancy shelling out for other more involved parts - data access speed is almost always a bottleneck, that cant be resolved with faster CPUs and fancy graphics cards.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Elthy said:

Whats the hardware of your Macbook? Its possible that it allready outperforms the Athlon. Also you could check ebay or something for used AM3 mainboards. That stuff is so old, you would propably pay like 15$ for one, although its easy to get ripped of with a broken one.

2.5GHz i5, 4GB DDR3, integrated FX 4000. 0

It's not bad for a laptop 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Currently I am saving for a new PC so that my current one can finally get its deserved rest (or be given to my sister for her college work). I have pretty much decided on everything except CPU and motherboard so I wanted to ask you guys for your opinion so that I can decide a bit easier.

 

So, those are my plans:

CPU: Intel Core i5 6600K or Intel Core i7 6700K

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper T4 (and later I may upgrade to AIO liquid cooler)

MBO: Asus Z170-E or Asus P8Z77-V LX or Asus Maximus VIII Formula

RAM: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4-2133

SSD: Samsung 850 Evo-Series 250GB

HDD: Seagate ST1000DM003 1TB (I already use this one together with a 250GB one)

GPU: I'll probably go for recently presented AMD Radeon RX 480 when it is released later this year

Case: Cooler Master MasterCase 5 Pro

PSU: Corsair HX750i 750W 80+ Platinum

Link to comment
Share on other sites

40 minutes ago, Cuky said:

Currently I am saving for a new PC so that my current one can finally get its deserved rest (or be given to my sister for her college work). I have pretty much decided on everything except CPU and motherboard so I wanted to ask you guys for your opinion so that I can decide a bit easier.

 

So, those are my plans:

CPU: Intel Core i5 6600K or Intel Core i7 6700K

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper T4 (and later I may upgrade to AIO liquid cooler)

MBO: Asus Z170-E or Asus P8Z77-V LX or Asus Maximus VIII Formula

RAM: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4-2133

SSD: Samsung 850 Evo-Series 250GB

HDD: Seagate ST1000DM003 1TB (I already use this one together with a 250GB one)

GPU: I'll probably go for recently presented AMD Radeon RX 480 when it is released later this year

Case: Cooler Master MasterCase 5 Pro

PSU: Corsair HX750i 750W 80+ Platinum

I would like to say, I *just* got a western digital hdd for my computer instead of seagate, b/c I read many articles online showing that seagate has a much higher percentage of failure than most other companies.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

53 minutes ago, Cuky said:

Currently I am saving for a new PC so that my current one can finally get its deserved rest (or be given to my sister for her college work). I have pretty much decided on everything except CPU and motherboard so I wanted to ask you guys for your opinion so that I can decide a bit easier.

 

So, those are my plans:

CPU: Intel Core i5 6600K or Intel Core i7 6700K

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper T4 (and later I may upgrade to AIO liquid cooler)

MBO: Asus Z170-E or Asus P8Z77-V LX or Asus Maximus VIII Formula

RAM: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4-2133

SSD: Samsung 850 Evo-Series 250GB

HDD: Seagate ST1000DM003 1TB (I already use this one together with a 250GB one)

GPU: I'll probably go for recently presented AMD Radeon RX 480 when it is released later this year

Case: Cooler Master MasterCase 5 Pro

PSU: Corsair HX750i 750W 80+ Platinum

CPU: Choose the i5, the i7 isnt better but costs more.

CPU Cooler: Liquid coolers arent realy worth their money except for extreme OC, since they are quite loud. It would be a better idea to get a bigger CPU cooler from the start, e.g. the EKL Brocken 2 or the Thermalright Macho.

MB: Any reason why you want such expensive mainboards? Also beware, the " Asus P8Z77-V LX " is NOT compatible!

RAM, SSD, HDD look ok

GPU: Propably a good choice, although its not released yet.

Case: Well, thats a question of taste

PSU: Extremly overpowered (with that 480 you wouldnt exceed 400W, even when overclocking) and thus extremly overpriced.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@SelectHalfling0 I have 230GB (although it says 250 on the sticker) Western Digital which is now in its 8th year of every day usage (approximately 10-14 hours per day) and still works almost as good as new. I got this Seagate about a year ago because I needed more space and for now I didn't have problems with it. I had one 500GB WD few years ago which was about a year old when I went on the vacation for a week and when I came back home it didn't work anymore. PC was turned off for the whole week and as always when I am away disconnected from network and power outlets.

 

@Elthy Thanks for your answer. I was leaning more towards i5 but I just wasn't sure which one is better suited for myself. When I am gaming I mostly play simulators, like KSP, FSX, Farming Simulator, ETS2, ATs, rFactor and when I can afford to renew subscription iRacing. As for cooler, I did plan to OC the CPU a bit, but nothing extreme really. AIO cooler was more because of looks than anything else and that is why I left it as a possibility for later. That is, if I have some spare cash. MBO is actually pretty easy for me: I had 2 computers until now and both were running with Asus boards and I had no problems at all with them. I can't remember which one was in my 1st PC, and I am still using P5B in my current machine. If you have good Asus board that you can recommend to me that is cheaper then those I have listed I will gladly listen :) Thanks for the PSU nod, I should look for something cheaper then.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On ‎6‎/‎3‎/‎2016 at 10:00 AM, Cuky said:

@SelectHalfling0 I have 230GB (although it says 250 on the sticker) Western Digital which is now in its 8th year of every day usage (approximately 10-14 hours per day) and still works almost as good as new. I got this Seagate about a year ago because I needed more space and for now I didn't have problems with it. I had one 500GB WD few years ago which was about a year old when I went on the vacation for a week and when I came back home it didn't work anymore. PC was turned off for the whole week and as always when I am away disconnected from network and power outlets.

 

If you are wondering about hard drive life this somewhat old study by Google on some of it's server farms dispels some myths.  And you are playing with fire on an eight year old drive, hope it's well backed up (it's a statistical outlier).  More recent studies have confirmed this too, but this is a good write up: here

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@kBob I bought new HDD because I needed more space and because that one is that old. At the present I use it as a temporary storage for when I need space on my main drive and can't back data up on removable storage at the moment. Thanks for the link, I'll read up on it when I catch some time

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi guys! I know it may have been covered somewhere in the past posts but I don't really feel like reading through 137 pages. And a forum search only led me to one post on the subject. I've got into playing KSP again and I would really like to buy a computer to play it on when I have down time at work. Thing is, it has to be a Mac. I was looking at the top of the line 15-inch model MacBook Pro but I was curious how well just the regular MacBook would run KSP. Anybody try that before? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Elthy said:

The normal Macbook wont play it decently. Its CPU isnt much better than those in mobile phones.

We really need a make and mostly model. With that, benchmarks can be looked up. Even with a different OS, you can at least guesstimate the range of performance.

What CPU and, if applicable, GPU will this proposed MacBook have?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am planning on doing my first PC parts upgrade. I just got a 1440p monitor and my old graphics card struggles (AMD HD 7870 2GB). I am thinking of getting a AMD R9 390 8GB. The cheapest I have seen is £240. Does any one know where I can get it cheaper, perhaps even a used one?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dont buy now. The RX 480 will be released on the end of the month and will (propably) bring a better performance than the 390 for 200$ while also using much less energy...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For Aksp specs, I am trying to build a PC that can run KSP on at least medium settings, with minimal lag. I've looked at other peoples similar posts, but all people feed back is suggestions, I would prefer specifics

 

for example:

 

CPU:

 

CPU Cooler:

 

Motherboard:

 

Memory(RAM):

 

Storage(Hard-Drive):

 

Video Card:

 

Case:

 

Power Supply:

 

i would like to keep the price under 700-800 $ but whatever I get helps. Thanks.

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

17 hours ago, AstroFelix27 said:

For Aksp specs, I am trying to build a PC that can run KSP on at least medium settings, with minimal lag. I've looked at other peoples similar posts, but all people feed back is suggestions, I would prefer specifics

[...]

i would like to keep the price under 700-800 $ but whatever I get helps. Thanks.

 

 

 

Hello AstroFelix, welcome to the forums. The preferred method is for you to suggest a system. If you have looked at other people's systems, you should have at least a vague idea of what would work and what would not. If you are at a loss, there are many websites out there that regularly suggest systems for specific or general purposes. Having a basic idea of where to go not only helps us build you a perfect system, but also furthers your own knowledge :)

Cheers and good luck!

Edited by Camacha
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...