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KSP1 Computer Building/Buying Megathread


Leonov

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im on a 5800x so i think im good in the cpu department for the forseeable future. i think its a good rule of thumb to skip at least 3 or 4 generations before an upgrade. and i always try to stay at the upper middle tier in terms of performance.

gpu upgrade was just something that fell through when i built this rig due to the shortage, and due to lack of advancement in the more consumer friendly tiers. the 2070 super turned out to be such a good card, both in terms that it paid for itself (and half my rig) in mining and also does everything i want to as far as gaming is concerned. still id like to be able to push more pixels faster to feed my 144hz 4k monitor. 

Edited by Nuke
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14 hours ago, Nuke said:

im on a 5800x so i think im good in the cpu department for the forseeable future. i think its a good rule of thumb to skip at least 3 or 4 generations before an upgrade. and i always try to stay at the upper middle tier in terms of performance.

gpu upgrade was just something that fell through when i built this rig due to the shortage, and due to lack of advancement in the more consumer friendly tiers. the 2070 super turned out to be such a good card, both in terms that it paid for itself (and half my rig) in mining and also does everything i want to as far as gaming is concerned. still id like to be able to push more pixels faster to feed my 144hz 4k monitor. 

This is very long and quite technical, but his conclusions are compelling.  Sets out a good argument that Team Red is the winner for the next (next-next?) generation due to the architecture choices. 

You might find it interesting 

 

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19 hours ago, JoeSchmuckatelli said:

This is very long and quite technical, but his conclusions are compelling.  Sets out a good argument that Team Red is the winner for the next (next-next?) generation due to the architecture choices. 

You might find it interesting 

 

red is the plan as both arc and 40xx series turned out to be non-starters. the arc wouldn't be an upgrade, and the 40xx is fine if you are looking to buy a really inefficient space heater.  whether or not i have money when those drop is another matter.

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  • 2 weeks later...

@AlamoVampire and anyone else who plays MicroSquish Flight Stimulator:  Anyone bit the bullet and bought a 4090?  

 

Also -- if you have not... What's the consensus on the Smart Guy forums about hardware and MSFS?  I've a friend who I built a comp for (with a 3070) who all he plays is MSFS - and I don't know enough about where the game is binding up to advise him.  Is the consensus that MSFS is benefitting from the new GPUs or is it still the thought that MSFS is limited by CPUs?

 

Tango Yankee

Edited by JoeSchmuckatelli
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  • 2 weeks later...

anyone got any good resources for building custom modular psu cables. i got a lot of sellers who do custom cables, and a lot of shady websites probibly selling under spec housings, cables and pins.  i already found the pinouts  for my psus. 

e: found a site called moddiy, they have good parts and good info, including specs and more importantly model numbers for compatible housings and pins. they seem to sell everything i need, but they are a bit expensive. anyone know anything better?

Edited by Nuke
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I'm trying to compile a list of things I want for EXTREME KSP visual mods and KSP 2, with EXTREME revamps to planets surfaces. I already know I will want a RAM upgrade to 16GB, but I struggle with figuring out a processor and graphics card. I don't know if I want a Core i5 or i7, and I can't find a good graphics card because my knowledge of computers is very amateur. My computer is an HP Laptop model 15-dw3033dx, and I'm trying to find a graphics card that won't fry it, and a good enough processor.

Edited by Kerbalsaurus
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13 hours ago, Kerbalsaurus said:

.. . My computer is an HP Laptop model 15-dw3033dx, and I'm trying to find a graphics card that won't fry it, and a good enough processor.

 

You have your work cut out for you then. 

Not to be insulting - but your preamble (what you want) does not compute with what you have / intend.  Allow me to explain:

Laptop architecture is notorious for having a severely limited upgrade path.  It's why PC gamers still use gigantic boxes for their builds.  The boxes ensure flexibility and a virtually limitless upgrade path.  Sure, some are fancy looking - but basically they are just honking big boxes you can put anything into. 

Laptops rarely offer universal form factors.  Quite often the GPUs are custom to that machine - and this severely constrains your options.  CPUs, RAM and SSDs are more often capable of being swapped and upgraded within a laptop than GPUs are. 

Now... Given that you are determined to use a laptop - you don't need that much processing power to max out your graphics.  I'm guessing you have a 15 inch 60hz 1080p screen hinged to the keyboard.  There is every likelihood that something as old as a GeForce GTX 970 can push all the pixels stock KSP2 will present to that class of monitor.  This is because the newer cards are actually way over powered for 60hz 1080p.  They practically require 240hz 1440 or 144hz 4k to be worth spending the money on.  For 60hz 1080p - they are so much overkill that you are wasting money on the upgrade. 

In other words - unless you have a monitor that needs the newest architecture - don't worry about a recent Gen GPU. 

So what you should do is Google for GPUs that fit your laptop - and that is going to take some work.  A 2000 series Nvidia or the comparable AMD is the best you need - and frankly, a 1000 series may be sufficient. 

I'm not sure about the Intel chips - but a newer i5 is likely all that you need.  Sure, if you find a newer mobile i7 that your Mobo will accept and you can afford... Plug it in! 

The place to start is with the latest updates to your Mobo documents.  Go to the HP website and find it. It will tell you what is the most recent memory modules , CPU, etc that the Mobo can talk with. That defines your limiting factor.  Do not just buy something and hope you can plug it into your box.  Laptops are nowhere near as forgiving as desktop builds. 

You may have to to flash an update to get the machine to accept newer parts.  That is not as scary as it used to be. 

I also recommend [H]ardforum for more details!  (Edit: Like after you figure out what your mobo will take from the HP page, and you need advice on how to safely flash it, or run into problems figuring out how to safely disconnect a pernicious ribbon cable.  [H] is my go-to place for hardware and upgrade stuff)

GL! 

Edited by JoeSchmuckatelli
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laptops, at least the laptops normal people buy, suck. i prefer sff desktops because there is at least some wiggle room for performance and upgrades, and im not glued to a tiny laptop screen and crappy keyboard with a weird layout. i also do not like the big honkin desktop either because it takes up desk reel estate and the hardware that goes into those is full of diminishing returns. sff strikes a good balance. the only legit use for laptops is when you absolutely need portability, as you are sacrificing both price and performance for it. anything sold as a "gaming" laptop is going to be really expensive and is going to throw battery life to the wolves to get it.  i had 2 gaming laptops, both were heavy, slow and both died a week after the warranty expired. 

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On 11/30/2022 at 8:29 PM, Kerbalsaurus said:

Laptop

 

On 12/1/2022 at 4:54 PM, Nuke said:

i had 2 gaming laptops

I bought a Gaming laptop years ago and not doing that again.  For the money I spent at the time I could have built a screaming edge gaming desktop and bought a mobile for work (given all that would need is the Intel onboard GPU). 

I was traveling a lot at the time and thought it would let me game during the downtime.  Almost never used it as a gaming platform - hotel connectivity sucks and I was working, anyway.  

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the last one i bought was in 2009, it was an asus. it was a nice laptop and it was in pristine shape the day it decided not to post (a week past the warranty). attempts at repair failed (reseating ram, cpu and all other devices is about all you could do with it). i suppose i could have tried a new cpu or ram, but at that point id just finished its replacement build and just scrapped it for parts. my older one was a really expensive clevo system i got while in college back in 2002, and it died when mom spilled a coke in it a month after its warranty expired.  ive never trusted her with any new hardware since. 

Edited by Nuke
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Hey guys.

I'm building an PC for mainly for work, but also some games here and there.

Initially, the PC will have an Gigabyte Z690 Aorus Ultra motherboard, Intel I7-13700k processor, 2x16GB DDR5 5200MHz CL40 memory and one Kingston KC3000 M2 SSD, without external GPU (this part will come later).

Did any of you already played KSP within the iGPU of an Intel 12th or 13th gen CPU using DDR5?

I'm curious about Kerbal Space Program concerning the iGPU of those new processors (obvously this build will be an overkill for KSP when I put an GPU on it)...

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3 hours ago, gsantos9489 said:

the iGPU of those new processors (obvously this build will be an overkill for KSP when I put an GPU on it

I can't address the iGPU aspect - but putting any recent GPU on anything is 'overkill' for KSP.  WRT 2, no one has any idea how the system will call between the CPU and GPU - but it sounds like you are building a good system. 

I want to reiterate something however that many people gloss over when thinking about GPU... And that is your monitor.  PC builders are not in the habit of thinking about the monitor when talking about upgrading... But you need to be these days. 

The 3k/6k series and the current 4k/7k series are really targeted for high end monitors.  Specifically 4k / 1440p / wide-screen with refresh rates above 144hz or super fast (240+) refresh at 1080p. 

Thus if you do go for a recent Gen GPU... Unless you have a monitor that needs the power, you can save money.  (There are features like RT and certain shaders that might make a new one attractive). 

 

It is actually quite difficult to find good reviews for integrated graphics in modern titles.  My quick scan showed reviewers running a quick synthetic benchmark before plugging in a discreet GPU to finish the testing on actual titles. 

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3 minutes ago, JoeSchmuckatelli said:

And that is your monitor...

Sure thing. With the new GPU I'll buy new monitors too (aiming for 2 x 1080p 144Hz, I'm not that hardcore gamer), in a few months ($$$).

In about two weeks I'll have the machine built and ready to run without GPU.

I'll report the I7-13700k performance running KSP solo here aswell.

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22 minutes ago, gsantos9489 said:

Sure thing. With the new GPU I'll buy new monitors too (aiming for 2 x 1080p 144Hz, I'm not that hardcore gamer), in a few months ($$$).

In about two weeks I'll have the machine built and ready to run without GPU.

I'll report the I7-13700k performance running KSP solo here aswell.

That gives you a lot of flexibility.  You may be able to pick up a used 1k or 2k series (or similar AMD) and be fine.  Do think about that if you are trying to push gaming pixels onto both screens that the load is effectively doubled (I never liked the idea of only 2 screens for gaming because of the gap down the middle).  But if you are gaming on a screen and the other is web surfing the load isn't bad. 

I went a different route with a 32inch 4k 144Hz.  Needed a 3070 to push it.  Love it. 

But I don't split it.  If I need to do something out of a game I either window out or use a tablet. 

Edited by JoeSchmuckatelli
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Fast one here, 4 pin fans do they have better control? One of the two fans on my radiator stopped so I replaced with an 3 pin fan and now the new fan runs twice as fast as the other. 
The water cooling control the fans on the radiator and has 4 pin connectors. 

The weird part here here is that one failed fan was enough to overheat the cpu even if i had an second fan and three other fans blowing inn. 
Only then playing games so the air in the case was hotter who made it cool less.

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8 hours ago, Laikanaut said:

 4 pin fans use a different method of speed control, so this would be normal behavior when using a 3 pin fan in that situation, you would have to use a different connecter instead of a splitter, and potentially change the motherboard fan control setting to 3 pin. Also, radiators block a lot of air, even with the fan right up against it the airflow is inhibited severely due to all the fins, fans any further away will pretty much do nothing at all (car radiators are the same).

If this is an AIO, water temps should not be getting above 40C, which is likely what is happening if your CPU is overheating in that situation, this increases the coolant evaporation rate and leads to earlier failure.

Its an AIO  where the water cooler control its fans, I found some 4 pins fans and will buy one. 
And as this was only then playing game I assume the main problem is that hot air from the GPU feed pretty hot air into the radiator. 

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I use a laptop with these specs, bought it last year for around £500, it runs eve and full graphics at around 24fps(i also had about 45 mods), it's a pretty decent little laptop, my profile picture was screenshotted on my laptop(pfp compression compressed the cheese outta it:

CPU:Ryzen 5 4000

GPU:Radeon(not too sure what one)

RAM:8gb(0.6gb reserved for Window)

SSD:240gb

OS:Windows 11

 

 

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On 12/7/2022 at 10:35 AM, gsantos9489 said:

Did any of you already played KSP within the iGPU of an Intel 12th or 13th gen CPU using DDR5?

So, I'm quoting myself with answers...

So let's go, I finally finished this build :cool:

• System Information
Motherboard: Gigabyte Z690 Aorus Ultra
Processor: Intel I7-13700k running at 5.25Ghz default turbo, no OC (cooled by Aorus Waterforce X 360)
Memory: Corsair DDR5 5200Mhz CL40 via XMP 3.0
M2: Kingston KC3000 512GB
GPU: Integrated UHD 770

• KSP Install
Fresh install
No mods
FPS read with default Steam FPS tool

• KSP Configuration
Full HD with graphics maxed out and V-Sync off

• Savegame
New sandbox game.
All samples taken using Acapello default ship (158 parts)(when ship is needed of course).

... aaaaaaand, the FPSs per scene are:

• Menu: ~110 FPS
• Main screen at Kerbal Space Center: ~20 FPS
• Tracking Station: ~170 FPS
• Waiting at Launch Pad: ~33 FPS
• During Launch looking up: ~60 FPS
• During Launch looking down: ~20 FPS
• Orbiting Kerbin and looking nowhere or at Mun: ~97 FPS
• Orbiting Kerbin and looking down at Kerbin: ~64 FPS

The integrated GPU was at 100% most of the time, because there was no frame limit.
While this, the CPU handled the situation quite well, the kerbal clock was always green, and CPU usage on task manager never passed 50%.

The temperatures on CPU was 50ºC on average during tests.

Edited by gsantos9489
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  • 2 weeks later...

should work fine provided your router can handle both. ipv4 is more than adequate for your private network, and they will sometimes encounter ipv6 sites. so i figure the default on most routers is to support both. 

ipv4 addresses are highly coveted though, so its becoming harder and harder for companies to secure those. which is the whole reason ipv6 exists. ipv4 should actually work better because its a more mature standard.

Edited by Nuke
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23 minutes ago, Nuke said:

should work fine provided your router can handle both. ipv4 is more than adequate for your private network, and they will sometimes encounter ipv6 sites. so i figure the default on most routers is to support both. 

ipv4 addresses are highly coveted though, so its becoming harder and harder for companies to secure those. which is the whole reason ipv6 exists. ipv4 should actually work better because its a more mature standard.

The problem (as I laid out in the Science Question thread) is that people are claiming that Game Developer from IPv4 Region's netcode is borked for people with Clients in IPv6 Region... and Developer prioritizes IPv4 folks because that's what's common in Developer's country of origin (despite plenty of customers from around the world) - creating lag, desync and dropped connections/packets for people using IPv6 internet.

The search is for if and whether there's anything that can be done on the Client side... or do they have to wait for the Dev team to 'mature' their code?

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