KSP1 Computer Building/Buying Megathread

[Dgr]

Thanks for all the great advice guys, much appreciated. I will adjust by build to suit what has been said, though the only air cooler option offered is a coolermaster hyper 212 evo, which is not as good so will probably stick with the h100i. I googled it (I know, right!) and the prevailing opinion seems to be in favour of the h100i.

[Randox]

A while back I solicited opinions on which processor I should go for to upgrade my computer, and I figured I would post my results and thanks. A big thank you to the people who steered me towards intel for a CPU that could keep up with the HD 7950 I already owned, you didn't steer me wrong. I settled on an i5-4690k, and all indications are that it's a pretty good match up.

My experience so far is that I can notch games up from medium-high settings to high (often maximum) and nearly double my frame rate while doing so, and I now feel like I have a proper gaming grade computer (the original h8-1011 wasn't bad when it was new, but it was never this good).

My full build, as of now:

Motherboard: ASUS Z97 AR

CPU: Intel i5-4690k

GPU: AMD HD 7950

Memory: 12GB RAM (3 x 4GB) @1033MHz (it's on the upgrade list for next year)

Storage: 2x 2TB HDD (Western Digital Green, Seagate Barracuda), 1x 250GB SSD (Samsung)

Case: NZXT 410 w/4 fans

So yeah, thanks for the help. I ended up with a much nicer rig than I was planning on building with a little bit of budget expansion on my end thanks to all the great advice and resources that were given to me by this community.

If I could do one thing differently, I would google 'replacing motherboard' before doing just that. There is a neat little trick you can do with command prompt to replace the mobo drivers so you can boot into windows, and it's more fun to know about that trick going into the build rather than troubleshooting why your brand new computer doesn't work.

[steve_v]

I am envious of your CPU It'll OC better than mine.

[Camacha]

If I could do one thing differently, I would google 'replacing motherboard' before doing just that. There is a neat little trick you can do with command prompt to replace the mobo drivers so you can boot into windows, and it's more fun to know about that trick going into the build rather than troubleshooting why your brand new computer doesn't work.

I would generally recommend doing a fresh installation, as that way you are sure not to inherit any old problems. This works too, though. That i5 should last you quite a while, especially with another video card upgrade sometimes in the future. Those chips do not age much.

[TonyC]

So. That is my custom built rig (700 euros). I am using it since two months now :

CPU : Intel Core i5-4460 LGA 1150 CPU

Motherboard : MSI H97M-E35

GPU : HIS R9 280 IceQ OC 3GB

RAM : Kingston HyperX FURY 8GB 1600MHz DDR3 CL10 DIMM (I don't know why these things cost 4x more these days)

The case : Corsair Carbide Series SPEC-01

Power Supply : Akasa Venom Power 750

No water cooling.

By the way my screen is a 1920x1080, so no UHD nor 4k.

It can run Battlefield 4 with very little lag ultra high.

It can run SpaceEngine without any lag (except when using inbuilt recording software)

It can run Minecraft with Sonic Ether's Unbelievable Shaders Ultra.

It looks nice.

It can play Excel 9001 : The Return of the Vengeance's Origin.

Edited July 18, 2015 by MegaUZI
typo

[R0cketC0der]

That's a pretty nice rig overall. Though I've never heard of Akasa, so I can't really decide wether I would trust that PSU. Besides, 750w is WAY too much for that build.

[Camacha]

Temperatures seem a little high. What kind of cooler do you have and what are the ambient temperatures?

[TonyC]

I only use stock coolers (default Intel fan CPU + the case has a fan). Ambient temperatures are about.. 20-25 °C ? (need to check)

Temperatures during intensive gaming can go up to 87 °C for the GPU.

Temperatures during intensive .rar passworded file cracking can go up to 70 °C for the CPU.

Edited January 10, 2015 by MegaUZI

[Camacha]

I feel your idle temperatures are a little high. This is not a hot chip and they are quite a bit from ambient. Is everything dust free? Stock coolers tend to build up dust rather fast. If that seems to be fine I might check the seating of the cooler.

[steve_v]

IME the stock Intel cooler is sufficient but no more. Idle temps are about what I'd expect if some kind of fan controller is in play, 50C die temp is a common default target.

So long as you stay below the "high" and certainly below the "crit" temps for your chip you'll be fine.

Mine (i7-3820 @4.3GHz) FWIW:

Idle: 48C (~32C with fan at 100%)

Load: ~72C.

Chip spec: "high": 80C, "crit": 100C

I also have an old Q8400 (@3.2GHZ) that will occasionally hit 80C under load on a hot day (mainly due to a very cramped case), it's been doing just fine for years. Must get around to cleaning out the cooler on that one though, 'tis summer again here.

Edited January 10, 2015 by steve_v

[Camacha]

That 3820 is not supposed to be any hotter than ~67 degrees, and 80 degrees is hot for any processor. 100 degrees is way, way too hot. Chips protect themselves pretty effectively these days by throttling and a couple of other tricks, but it is still not a good idea to run a CPU that hot.

The chip has been out for not even two years now, so years is an optimistic view It should also be mentioned that the 4460 is a bit more frugal when it comes to power, which in itself should translate to lower temperatures.

[steve_v]

Err, "Launch Date Q2'09", I was refering to the Q8400. And yes, it's been that way since new.

As for the 3820, TCASE (66.8C) /= TCORE, all temps referenced are core temps. All specs are what the CPU microcode itself reports, also core temps.

In old-school transistor terms it's TJunction temps, not Tcase temps & doesn't account for the thermal resistance of the heat spreader etc.

The fact that neither of these CPUs are throttling also indicates they're well within SOA.

Edited January 10, 2015 by steve_v

[Camacha]

The fact that neither of these CPUs are throttling also indicates they're well within SOA.

Well, whatever floats your point I would not recommend it to other people though, especially those that might not be entirely comfortable with what computers can and cannot do. And if I am honest I do not think the IHS is going to account for all of those 13 to 33 degrees. You are right Tcase and Tjunction are not quite the same, but they are typically not that far apart either.

[steve_v]

Fair enough, though comparisons of actual readings (throwing a Q6600 into the mix for a third data point, all I have access to right now) do indeed show a 12~16 C differential between the case (thermal diode) and core (DTS) temps.

Working out which reading is which can be interesting though, I only figured out which mislabelled (BIOS) reading was the case temp by comparing to an actual thermocouple...

OFC, that's just *my* observations, YMMV, and my (or your) BIOS calibration may well be off. Better safe & all that.

The 'crit' temp is that at which the CPU will halt, not good at all. But I've seen no casualties, even accidentally powering up a chip with *no* HSF.

I've also seen a P4 motherboard melt through the antistatic foam it was sitting on... but that's another story.

Edited January 10, 2015 by steve_v
Disclaimer :D

[cantab]

Keep in mind that Intel and AMD will anticipate their CPUs being used with the stock cooler in a poorly ventilated small form factor case that's never cleaned during the two to five year lifetime of the computer. While deliberately running hot isn't a good thing, it's really not much to worry about either.

My CPU, an old Phenom II X3 710, is about five years old and endured several months of hot running when playing KSP, including a fair few shutdowns from overheating, before I realised the issue was a dust-caked CPU cooler. It's still running fine, and even overclocked from 2.6 to 3.2 GHz now.

[Camacha]

I've also seen a P4 motherboard melt through the antistatic foam it was sitting on... but that's another story.

Pretty much any Pentium 4 would and could do that, har

My CPU, an old Phenom II X3 710, is about five years old and endured several months of hot running when playing KSP, including a fair few shutdowns from overheating, before I realised the issue was a dust-caked CPU cooler. It's still running fine, and even overclocked from 2.6 to 3.2 GHz now.

You are not wrong, though it is slightly like pointing at a smoker and saying smoking must not be bad if he reached old age doing it. Several factors are in play when it comes to chip degradation and excessive heat is a major contributor, along with high voltages.

[TonyC]

Alright, I think the max temp of my GPU is 80°C. I checked my computer, and everything seems clean and in place. I think it is rather because of my poor cable management. The top of my case can cook bacon though.

[Red Iron Crown]

GPUs run a bit hotter than CPUs these days, 80C under sustained load is perfectly fine. The top of the case being uncomfortably hot is a bit concerning, though. The only really hot components should be the chips and heatsinks themselves, the case should remain a few degrees above ambient temperature at most.

[steve_v]

The top of my case can cook bacon though.

Looking at that case, you've got top mounted fans, no?

If it's only hot above the 5.24" bays thats not so unusual, there's probably no airflow through that part of the case.

Although there's generally nothing that needs cooling up there, I'd check you haven't got anything exhausting into that part of the case & that your airflow is set properly - i.e. in at the lower front / centre side and out at the upper rear. Obvious as it sounds, I've seen people get it wrong before , so no offence intended if I'm preaching to the choir.

I do notice some heat transmitted to the outside of my case, but it's mostly via the GPU bracket & certainly doesn't make it to the top. The GPU is always hot, 'cause this machine runs GPUGRID whenever it's not running KSP

Edited January 11, 2015 by steve_v

[TonyC]

Looking at that case, you've got top mounted fans, no?

If it's only hot above the 5.24" bays thats not so unusual, there's probably no airflow through that part of the case.

Although there's generally nothing that needs cooling up there, I'd check you haven't got anything exhausting into that part of the case & that your airflow is set properly - i.e. in at the lower front / centre side and out at the upper rear. Obvious as it sounds, I've seen people get it wrong before , so no offence intended if I'm preaching to the choir.

I do notice some heat transmitted to the outside of my case, but it's mostly via the GPU bracket & certainly doesn't make it to the top. The GPU is always hot, 'cause this machine runs GPUGRID whenever it's not running KSP

There are no top mounted fans, although there is a grid to mount some if wanted even if I am not sure my mobo will have a plug for it. Case temp is much much hotter than ambient (It is a radiator by itself). The GPU bracket does not emit heat at all. Should I install top fans to evacuate more heat ?

Edited January 12, 2015 by MegaUZI

[steve_v]

Top fans can be highly effective, (and fans are cheap) but if your internal components aren't overheating it's probably overkill.

If you don't mind full speed, fan power can be aquired anywhere there's 12V i.e. molex plugs or... strip connector

Lower speed can be obtained by connecting across the +12V and +5V lines at a molex / FDD / sata power connector, giving 7V to the fan.

For automatic speed regulation, I'm a big fan of these.

Edited January 12, 2015 by steve_v

[Rjhere]

If you think that is op, i have a 850w psu for a gtx 770 and i5 3570k

[TonyC]

Top fans can be highly effective, (and fans are cheap) but if your internal components aren't overheating it's probably overkill.

If you don't mind full speed, fan power can be aquired anywhere there's 12V i.e. molex plugs or... strip connector

Lower speed can be obtained by connecting across the +12V and +5V lines at a molex / FDD / sata power connector, giving 7V to the fan.

For automatic speed regulation, I'm a big fan of these.

I see..Nice and cheap ! I might look into it if I ever start doing OC.

[briansun1]

If you think that is op, i have a 850w psu for a gtx 770 and i5 3570k

And it's bronze rated I bet .

[joppiesaus]

Today I broke a record, I started up my pc and started up RealTemp... And the 4th core of my i5 3570k was 11 degrees Celsius. That's how cold it was in my room.

Yes, I have an overkill heatsink and I don't overclock, but I'm wondering... is the temperature delta T or just T? And is this the same for AMD(I think AMD's delta T thought, because it's sometimes colder than the room itself, which is impossible)?