KSP1 Computer Building/Buying Megathread

[Elthy]

That store has even less stuff, is this everything?

Dont you know a big, good hardwarestore where you can get almost everything like the german Caseking, Alternate or Mindfactory?

I can provide you with some advice for parts, but nothing specific until i have a good store to select them:

CPU: i5 4690K

Extreme power and good to overclock, decent price. If you overclock it its the fastest CPU for KSP you can get.

Cooler: Alpenföhn Brocken 2 or Thermalright Macho are realy good and still quite cheap.

GPU: Since you only play KSP something weak should be enough, i would go for the Nvidia GTX 750ti or AMD 260X. They both will run most other games on medium settings, but im not sure about the newest, extremly bad optimised games from ubisoft. I cant recommend you custom designs, i dont know that much about them.

Mainboard: The cheapest Z97-chipset ATX mainboard you can get, you wont need expensive stuff.

RAM: 2*4Gb DDR3-1600, the cheapest you can get, there is no difference.

PSU: About 400W with that GPU. I would recommend the bequiet! Pure Power L8 430W CM, it comes with cabelmanagement so you only have the cables in your case you need. It should be around 50€.

Case: Since you want to build your own something cheap (about 40€), i would recommend USB 3.0 in the front.

SSD: About 250 GB, but i cant recomment you a specific one. 250GB are enough since you wont need that much space for games and music/videos/pictures should go on a HDD. Maybe even 120GB are enough...

HDD: No idea how much space you gonna need, i dont use a HDD. If you need one dont forget to order an extra SATA cable, most mainboards come with 2 (one for the DVD drive, one for the SSD).

Diskdrive: Main decision is Bluray or only DVD. If you need only DVD you can buy everything while i cant say that about Bluray, i dont know enough about Bluraydrives.

[hellion13]

If anybody wants to know, the i5 version of the Alienware Alpha plays Kerbal PERFECTLY. Massive rockets dont even phase it, and the only crash I've had came from impacting the Mün at some 2km/s.

So to me, the i5, 8gb of 1600mhz ram, and the Nvidia gtx 860m in the Alpha are perfect for this game.

[peachoftree]

I came up with this build on pcpartpicker.com and was wondering if it would be good for ksp. I am not sure about the graphics card, it is by far the most expensive part on my build and was wondering if I could go cheaper.

link

[Red Iron Crown]

If KSP is the main app you plan to use, I would get an Intel CPU. An overclockable Pentium and Z97 board should be just a little bit more and offer way more single-thread performance, which is key to KSP. You can get away with less video card, a 750ti is a popular, slightly cheaper choice.

[Mechasurge]

I am going to be upgrading my computer, and I wanted to know the best specs for it, I was thinking along the lines of

Intel i7 3.2 Ghz Quad-Core

NVIDIA Geforce GTX 750

16 GB RAM

What do you guys think?

[Rithsom]

The graphics card and RAM should be more than good enough for KSP, just make sure you choose the right processor.

[Agost]

What's the exact model of the processor?

[Vanamonde]

We move threads like these to off-topic lounge, since they're not directly about the game itself.

[peachoftree]

So just to clarify, for KSP you can pretty much disregard the number of cores and only focus on clock speed for the CPU?

[Red Iron Crown]

Number of cores is pretty much irrelevant for KSP (as long as there are at least two). Clockspeed is a good comparison among chips from the same manufacturer, but not as good between different manufacturers. Intel holds the performance per GHz crown at the moment, a 3GHz Intel chip will run rings around a 3GHz AMD chip in KSP. The only way I would consider an AMD CPU for KSP is if you cannot afford a discrete video card (their integrated graphics solutions are a bit better).

[Drunken Hobo]

What's the exact model of the processor?

That's what I'm wondering. I didn't know they even made a 3.2 GHz i7.

I have a GTX 750, and whilst I've not really tested it to its limits, it seems fine. Did one of the benchmarks on Just Cause 2, and it got consistently above 60 fps on maximum graphics. I'm not sure if that's any use, as it is a 4-year-old game. Guild Wars 2 on max seems to get at least 40 fps.

Does seem strange to go for just a GTX 750 though, which is at the lower end of mid-range graphics cards, whilst having an i7 & 16GB of RAM, which are both towards the high-end. If you're purchasing a new card, you may want to think about a GTX 750 Ti. It's only £15 more and apparently the difference is significant.

[RocketPilot573]

Also not sure a 3.2 i7 exists, if your going for an i7 then might as well have 3.6 GHz.

[Slam_Jones]

Hi all,

Bought a new Radeon R9 270 to replace my Radeon HD 6850 (it had some major fan troubles). It arrived today, so of course I went and installed it right away.

When I boot up the computer with it installed, however, the card doesn't seem to be feeding video to my monitor. The fans spin, but nothing boots up.

I took it out and put my 6850 back in, and it's working fine.

Would this indicate that my card is DOA, or is it installed improperly?

Also, many answers I found online said to boot up with the monitor plugged into the mobo. Problem is, my mobo doesn't have any video output.

Thoughts?

EDIT: After further testing, I've determined it's absolutely DOA. Sending it in to get replaced tomorrow.

Edited December 2, 2014 by Slam_Jones

[peachoftree]

The only way I would consider an AMD CPU for KSP is if you cannot afford a discrete video card (their integrated graphics solutions are a bit better).

what GPU price range should I be looking at to run things like Astronomers Visual Pack on high graphics settings? (sorry if my questions seem noobish, long time laptop user here )

[Red Iron Crown]

I haven't tried that particular mod (my old GPU barely handles stock visuals at low settings), I can't really say how demanding it is.

[Elthy]

An i7 is 99% of the time a complete waste of money, an i5 is as fast as an i7 if you dont need Hyperthreading.

A i7 with 3.2ghz has to be very old, currently they are way faster.

The best PC for KSP would be:

i5 4690k (overclocked as fast as possible)

A cheap but good cooler like the Alpenföhn Brocken 2 or Thermalright Macho

A budget GPU like the GT 750 or the R7 260

2*4Gb of DDR3 1600 Ram, the cheapest you can get without big headspeaders.

The cheapest Z97 mainboard you can get

A SSD

A PSU with about 300W

[cantab]

I would merge this thread into the megathread.

Anyway, as mentioned depends on which i7. But even for the latest-generation "Haswell" processors, 3.2 GHz is on the slow side. You can expect over 4 GHz with an overclockable one.

Elthy's outline is reasonable. I'd add though not to go dirt-cheap on the motherboard. There's no need for overpriced "gaming" stuff, but get one that's got decent reviews in particular good overclocking, and also look for four RAM slots (unless you want a compact computer). I'd also get a quality 400-500 W power supply to better support a future graphics card upgrade and just generally give more headroom.

[sal_vager]

I agree cantab, merged

[briansun1]

I am going to be upgrading my computer, and I wanted to know the best specs for it, I was thinking along the lines of

Intel i7 3.2 Ghz Quad-Core

NVIDIA Geforce GTX 750

16 GB RAM

What do you guys think?

Probably already covered, but my $0.02 are to drop the i7 for a fast i5 (something like 4690(K)), grab the GTX 750 ti (It's better and about the same price) 8 gb Ram should be enough. And just as a general statement. If you need to ask weather or not to get an i7 you probably don't need an i7. Oh, and what is your budget?

[Camacha]

Would this indicate that my card is DOA, or is it installed improperly?

Did you make sure to connect all the power lines to the available connectors? This might sound silly to some, but is in reality often overlooked. People, in their enthusiasm, overlook or are unaware that every available power connector has to be hooked up.

[Drunken Hobo]

Will probably be looking for a new monitor soon (need an upgrade from my 10-year-old 17" CRT). Has anybody got any particular recommendations/advice on what to look for? I'm not looking for a giant monitor or anything ultra-fancy, just a nice cheap one that has a decent image & 1920x1080 resolution.

Will I really notice the difference between 6 ms response & 2 ms? Is it worth £14 extra? Anything to watch out for or companies to avoid?

I'm looking at sub-£100, so is there any stand-out from this list: http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=lp_428652031_nr_p_36_6?bbn=428652031&qid=1417616652&rh=n%3A340831031%2Cn%3A!340832031%2Cn%3A428652031&rnid=428432031&low-price=&high-price=100&x=7&y=11

[Camacha]

Do you care about colour reproduction, meaning do you want to go for TN of IPS? Watching movies or playing dark games can be an issue on TN, though the technology has gotten a lot better the past few years. IPS is a bit more expensive though, so it is not for everyone, and response times and refresh rates are also typically a bit slower.

[peachoftree]

I have my build mostly sorted out for now, but one thing I was if my mobo is right for my build, mainly will it impact performance, as it is on the lower end of the price spectrum. Any other feedback on other parts is greatly appreciated (first time build noob here).

Budget: around $600 (includes mouse and keyboard, does not include display, PSU, or storage as I already have those components)

Purpose: To play KSP with things like EVE and Astronomers pack, also some other games and stuff

[Red Iron Crown]

You've matched an unlocked processor to a non-overclocking chipset. It will work, but you won't be able to overclock easily. If you don't plan to overclock you could switch to a cheaper, non-K CPU; if you plan to overclock you could switch to a motherboard with the Z97 chipset. The case is nice but a bit pricey for the budget, switching to a $50 case would free up enough to afford an overclocking motherboard.

[Elthy]

The combination of CPU+MB doesnt make sense. You have a H81 chipset which doesnt feature overclocking but your i5 4690k is unlocked for overclocking. You could choose a mainboard with Z97 and add a better cooler or you choose a cheaper i5 4XXX.

Also you PSU is overpowered, but when i read that right you allready own it.