KSP1 Computer Building/Buying Megathread

[briansun1]

So, new AMD drivers. Thoughts?

[cantab]

Also, does anyone know of a laptop/tablet combo under $100 that can access the web reasonably fast and do nothing else?

Well, I just found a thing. So I'll go with that. Any opinions?

Was the price in the earlier post a typo, or did you just change your mind on the requirements?

[Pyroyoshi]

So I specc'ed three builds and would like your opinions on the merits of each and etc.

Mini-ITX

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/PyroYoshi/saved/J3yQzy

-this one the board already has bluetooth and wifi integrated

Micro-ATX

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/PyroYoshi/saved/Bntrxr

ASRock M8 Barebones

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/PyroYoshi/saved/Wk9ypg

-this one uses a barebones from ASRock as a start...i'm not really sure how I feel about the whole thing in general.

[Red Iron Crown]

Pyroyoshi, that Asrock barebones is pretty compact, but it looks like you pay a bit of a premium for it. I guess it depends on how important small size is to you. Same thing for MiniITX, the small size is great but you do make a sacrifice in RAM slots available (I keep my PCs long enough that I usually end up maxing the RAM in them as requirements increase). I like the MicroATX build you've put together, but if it was me I would go for a cheaper case and spend the difference on the 660 video card you picked for the other two builds.

Those are nitpicks though, any of those three builds should serve you well.

[MAFman]

Look at these temps. LOOK AT THEM.

http://i.imgur.com/fVyfc0b.jpg

[MAFman]

I'm planning on building a PC for myself next year during my freshman year of college at the University of Iowa. I have no clue what my budget's going to be, but I'm thinking it's going to be pretty small. Any ideas for specs? So far I have a "dream build" in a folder filled with bookmarks in Chrome, but that would cost me more than $2 grand. My goal is to be able to develop and run a VERY demanding kind-of-clone of KSP over the next five or so years. Basically, I am going to need a computer that will run KSP as if it's something like Tetris.

[Camacha]

My goal is to be able to develop and run a VERY demanding kind-of-clone of KSP over the next five or so years. Basically, I am going to need a computer that will run KSP as if it's something like Tetris.

Those don't exist. Also, your conditions are so vague it is pretty much impossible to say anything sensible. Since it sounds your budget is going to be the limiting factor I think you need to at least ballpark the budget for yourself, so you can start making some decisions. It would also be wise to establish some priorities and the things you don't really care about, since you are going to have to make some trade-offs.

[briansun1]

Those don't exist. Also, your conditions are so vague it is pretty much impossible to say anything sensible. Since it sounds your budget is going to be the limiting factor I think you need to at least ballpark the budget for yourself, so you can start making some decisions. It would also be wise to establish some priorities and the things you don't really care about, since you are going to have to make some trade-offs.

I suggest filling out the form in the OP if "you" need an idea of what we need to know.

In other news/ R9 290 or R9 290X

[peachoftree]

Is there any particular reason nvida cards work better with ksp. I know that Physx is disabled in unity so I am not sure of the rationale behind getting a more expensive nvidia card vs a cheaper AMD one

[briansun1]

Is there any particular reason nvida cards work better with ksp. I know that Physx is disabled in unity so I am not sure of the rationale behind getting a more expensive nvidia card vs a cheaper AMD one

I don't know where you getting that info from.

[Camacha]

Is there any particular reason nvida cards work better with ksp.

They don't. If anyone has any numbers to prove me wrong, I would love to see them.

[Red Iron Crown]

Lots of players using AMD cards successfully in KSP, that's a non-issue. PhysX is most certainly NOT disabled in KSP, it's the primary physics engine. What is disabled is running PhysX on a GPU. GPU-accelerated PhysX is actually fairly rare, not many programs actually take advantage of it.

A page or two ago I did recommend that a poster avoid AMD cards and use nVidia, but that was because they were planning to run Linux and nVidia's drivers are much, much better on Linux. On Windows, pick whichever card meets your price and performance criteria, either brand is fine.

[DuoDex]

Random question: Do I want to to with a HD 7900-series or a R9 280X?

Edit: Also when looking at specs I saw this

 750 Watt Power Supply is required.
1x75 Watt 6-pin PCI Express power connector is required.
1x150 Watt 8-pin PCI Express power connector is required.

1000 Watt Power Supply is recommended for CrossFireX System.
2x75 Watt 6-pin PCI Express power connector is required for CrossFireX system.
2x150 Watt 8-pin PCI Express power connector is required for CrossFireX system. 

Edited December 14, 2014 by DuoDex

[Camacha]

Edit: Also when looking at specs I saw this

 750 Watt Power Supply is required.
1x75 Watt 6-pin PCI Express power connector is required.
1x150 Watt 8-pin PCI Express power connector is required.

1000 Watt Power Supply is recommended for CrossFireX System.
2x75 Watt 6-pin PCI Express power connector is required for CrossFireX system.
2x150 Watt 8-pin PCI Express power connector is required for CrossFireX system. 

This fable rears its head every few pages or so. Do not rely on manufacturer requirements for video cards, those are just silly if you have a proper A-brand PSU. Read my earlier post for the reason why:

Manufacturers typically say that [...]

The PSU wattage numbers GPU manufacturers come up with need to be taken with a big grain of salt - assuming you buy proper quality components [...] Those numbers are based on people buying cheap no name PSU's, which can deliver the rated power only for a few milliseconds (at best), but a much lower continuous amount of power leading to catastrophic malfunctions. Proper brand PSU's can deliver their rated power (and often much more) for long, sustained periods of time and therefore you do not need excess room[...]

So if you buy a shoddy PSU, yeah, you need 750 watt. But in all reality you would need another PSU, because there is nothing fouling up a system like a cheap PSU. You need to spend your money on a proper PSU first, then select the rest of your system.

[DuoDex]

This fable rears its head every few pages or so. Do not rely on manufacturer requirements for video cards, those are just silly if you have a proper A-brand PSU. Read my earlier post for the reason why:

So if you buy a shoddy PSU, yeah, you need 750 watt. But in all reality you would need another PSU, because there is nothing fouling up a system like a cheap PSU. You need to spend your money on a proper PSU first, then select the rest of your system.

That's what I thought. A 80+ Bronze 600W should be fine, right?

[Camacha]

That's what I thought. A 80+ Bronze 600W should be fine, right?

What brand and make?

[DuoDex]

What brand and make?

Corsair CX/CW

[Camacha]

Corsair CX/CW

Yeah, that should be fine. It is probably major overkill, since you will most likely not use up more than 300-350 watt for the whole system - and even that should be pretty rare. This is assuming you choose a 280X.

[DuoDex]

Yeah, that should be fine. It is probably major overkill, since you will most likely not use up more than 300-350 watt for the whole system - and even that should be pretty rare. This is assuming you choose a 280X.

I'm building it as an upgradeable system-I want to be able to switch out components for newer ones every few years

[Camacha]

I'm building it as an upgradeable system-I want to be able to switch out components for newer ones every few years

Since the focus has shifted from performance to power consumption, and video card and CPU consumption numbers have been dropping for a couple of years now, I don't think a huge overhead is needed. Systems that do more than 450 watt are quite rare, even with power hungry cards and processors.

[Captain Sierra]

Since the focus has shifted from performance to power consumption, and video card and CPU consumption numbers have been dropping for a couple of years now, I don't think a huge overhead is needed. Systems that do more than 450 watt are quite rare, even with power hungry cards and processors.

My system I just built is running a 500W. That said, I'm running a bleeding edge AMD FX processor and a GPU that, in and of itself, demands a 400W power unit. Though your statement falls apart when we throw multiple GPUs into the question. My mobo supports 3 way crossfireX/SLI but I'd need a 900+W PSU to handle just 2 (plus I'd turn it into a furnace).

[DuoDex]

Lolwut?

Estimated wattage for what I have now is 450ish watts.

[Camacha]

That said, I'm running a bleeding edge AMD FX processor and a GPU that, in and of itself, demands a 400W power unit.

Is that estimated or actually measured? Because in general you start measuring, only to find out all previous estimates were unreasonably high.

Though your statement falls apart when we throw multiple GPUs into the question. My mobo supports 3 way crossfireX/SLI but I'd need a 900+W PSU to handle just 2 (plus I'd turn it into a furnace).

Yes, it falls apart when you combine multiple high-end GPU's, though mid-range to lower high-end cards will even work on a much more frugal PSU. Two 270X's will most likely run on less than 400 watt, including the rest of the system. That leaves a very sparse and small group of people putting multiple very high-end cards in a system, so realistically people will not have to deal with this. It is possible to consume washing machine like amounts of power with a PC, but in general people grossly overestimate what a system uses, even when it is a very sporty setup with lots of high-end goodies.

There are a couple of AMD processors that use ridiculous amounts of power, but I am not really sure you should consider those indicative. For instance, the FX-9590 is so power hungry the cost difference with a faster Intel chip is made up in mere months if you take the price of power into account.

Estimated wattage for what I have now is 450ish watts.

Can you list the hardware?

[StrandedonEarth]

Ok, so here's a new question. My daughter wants to buy a laptop for Christmas with money saved from babysitting and gifts. Her estimated budget will be C$400-600, which I think is the minimum to get a more than what amounts to a netbook. Her main use for it, aside from schoolwork, will be making videos for Youtube, like most teens want to these days. I know more RAM is always good, so I'm aiming for 8GB. There are some in her range, it basically comes down to a chip choice between an i5-4210U or an AMD A10-5745M. Quad core AMD or hyperthreaded 2 core i5? Quick answers appreciated because I think we have buy fever before the one she wants (AMD) sells out.

[Camacha]

Ok, so here's a new question. My daughter wants to buy a laptop for Christmas with money saved from babysitting and gifts. Her estimated budget will be C$400-600, which I think is the minimum to get a more than what amounts to a netbook. Her main use for it, aside from schoolwork, will be making videos for Youtube, like most teens want to these days. I know more RAM is always good, so I'm aiming for 8GB. There are some in her range, it basically comes down to a chip choice between an i5-4210U or an AMD A10-5745M. Quad core AMD or hyperthreaded 2 core i5? Quick answers appreciated because I think we have buy fever before the one she wants (AMD) sells out.

It depends, does she play games or run other graphic programs on her computer? Does the i5 use the IGP or does it have a separate GPU? The i5 is faster processor wise as it has a better single threaded speed, but the A10 has an edge when it comes to video processing.