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KSP1 Computer Building/Buying Megathread


Leonov

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Grrr, now you're making me jealous. Not overly fussed on the custom paint job, but I'll have to get me one of those.

As soon as the price comes down a bit, that is.

Also, you're missing some screws. :P

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I have experience with building computers, but my friend doesn't have one.* (He has a Mac, but KSP on Macs is asking for low frames :D)

Either way, he's a bit unfamiliar with the computer building and custom scene, and is apprehensive because he's used to Mac. Since he hasn't used Windows or Linux, and mostly uses his computer for videos and KSP, I would probably eliminate Windows as an OS choice because I mustn't let him be corrupted by the evil of Microsoft a free operating system is better on a budget. For this situation, I have a few questions. He mentioned his budget would be around $400.

I have a few questions:

-Which Linux disto / window manager (i.e Unity, XFCE, GNOME) would be the easiest to get accustomed to from Mac OS,

-Which components would have the lowest maintenance and best Linux support,

-Which components work best with KSP.

Cheers. -water

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I'm not sure any Linux distribution will really go down well with a Mac user, despite some shared technologies OSX takes a rather different philosophy to most GNU, Linux, etc software. But the Unity desktop, with regular Ubuntu, might be a good one.

I recommend an nVidia card, otherwise it's not too critical, just be wary of parts that are very new or very obscure.

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I don't know. My experiences with Linux tell me that even seasoned users will run into issues here and there, more than with Windows. Though I would not discourage people from trying it, using it as the easy option compared to Windows does not quite sit right.

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Basically any components work with Linux, dont bother trying to find compatible ones they all work fine.

With KSP in its current form Intel CPUs work best. The i5 4690K is exellent overclocking chip the i5 4690 is the same but cheaper as you cant overclock it. Unless he is doing video rendering or stuff like that dont bother with an i7 for gaming. Waste of money IMHO

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With KSP in its current form Intel CPUs work best. The i5 4690K is exellent overclocking chip the i5 4690 is the same but cheaper as you cant overclock it. Unless he is doing video rendering or stuff like that dont bother with an i7 for gaming. Waste of money IMHO

Agreed, though you might want to take a look at the new generation too (i5 6600K). You do spend a little more, but you gain a little more robustness for the future, since there are a few new technologies on board (most notably DDR4).

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I upgraded my old PC a bit.

2 weeks ago I got 4x2GB DDR2 800MHz RAM for 42$ in place of 2x1GB DDR2 667MHz

Today I got XFX AMD Radeon HD 7850 Core Edition 1GB graphics card from a friend who got better one for himself (I paid him ~60$) instead of my AMD Radeon HD 5450 1GB

About half an hour after I put new GFX card in and configured everything as I like mailsman came to my house bringing me new CPU. I got used Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 3.0GHz in place of my old Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 1.86GHz. I paid this one 9£

At the moment I can't afford new gaming PC so I decided to upgrade what I can without need for new MBO or PSU. I might still get new HDD as current one is only 250GB drive and it is just too small.

Edited by Cuky
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2 weeks ago I got 2x4GB DDR2 800MHz RAM for 42$ in place of 2x1GB DDR2 667MHz
Where did you get that? When I looked I found that while 4 GB DDR2 sticks exist they were prohibitively expensive, something like £100 each.
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So I'm looking for case suggestions for my upcoming Micro-ATX build. What I want, most important first:

Compact. It's going on the desk so footprint matters. A tower shouldn't be much wider than the DVD drive bay in my opinion, which counts out a lot of the fancier cases, and I don't want something stupidly tall either. I do need space for a full-height graphics card though. I'll consider desktop cases but am leaning towards towers.

Not loud. Good component choice will keep the noise down without extra soundproofing, but I want to avoid any cases with particular noise problems. And by implication avoid cases with airflow problems that would make the fans work too hard and make a racket.

Dustproof. My current PC seems to attract the dust badly.

No mesh fronts. I really don't like that look.

Distinctive without being over-the-top. I don't like flashy lights or gratuitous angles everywhere. I do like colours other than black. I'm indifferent to side windows. (That said if a case is ticks all my other wants I'll consider it even if it is a plain black box.)

Cases I've considered so far:

Bitfenix Prodigy M - rejected. Too bulky.

Bitfenix Aegis - I love the styling on this, but then I checked the dimensions and it's larger than I'd like.

Corsair Obsidian 350D - this is OK if a bit boring styling wise, but again I still feel it's on the large side

Antec VSK 3000 B - I give this as an example of a generic cheap case. The dimensions - 173 x 365 x 393 mm, or just under 7 inches wide and about 14 inches tall - are the kind of dimensions I want. Compare that to the Aegis or the 350 D which are both over 8 inches wide and about 18 tall. But I don't hugely want to buy a cheap, low-quality case.

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I think that only takes low-profile expansion cards unfortunately. That would limit my graphics card choice too much.

And a good point that dust filters can be bought separately and fitted. I've heard arranging positive pressure by having more intake airflow than exhaust airflow helps with the dust by ensuring air goes out, not in, any small gaps.

For what it's worth this is my current case: http://www.coolermaster.com/case/mini-tower/elite-360/ I'm realising now how compact it is - space for a full ATX board in a case just 14 inches tall and 6 inches wide. It strikes me that the same concept sized for Micro ATX would make a really compact system. Maybe I should just do my new build in it.

EDIT: Actually, some of the newer Cooler Master cases might fit the bill.

Edited by cantab
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Alright, I know this has probably been asked, and it would be a bit of work, but I'll ask anyways.

Would anyone be interested in trying to put together the parts list for a machine that will do what I need and on a budget? I know a bit about computers, but not enough to really know exactly what I need.

If anyone is willing to do this, PM me and I'll give you the budget and capabilities I'm looking for. :) thanks!

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Alright, I know this has probably been asked, and it would be a bit of work, but I'll ask anyways.

Would anyone be interested in trying to put together the parts list for a machine that will do what I need and on a budget? I know a bit about computers, but not enough to really know exactly what I need.

If anyone is willing to do this, PM me and I'll give you the budget and capabilities I'm looking for. :) thanks!

You can go ahead and just post that information here. It's kind of what the thread's for. Take a look at the form in the OP if you need help.

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There's good cashbacks on Lenovo Thinkservers (TS140) in the UK - Xeon 1226 v3 equipped and all, so good KSP grunt.

They come in around £250 delivered after cashback, and while I could slot my GTX 660 in it, the large card may mean unplugging the front USB ports from the motherboard, a right pain. How good is KSP on the onboard P4600 graphics? If it's good enough, I may forego the big card altogether as I barely use it otherwise.

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They come in around £250 delivered after cashback, and while I could slot my GTX 660 in it, the large card may mean unplugging the front USB ports from the motherboard, a right pain. How good is KSP on the onboard P4600 graphics? If it's good enough, I may forego the big card altogether as I barely use it otherwise.

I guess it would work, though you always just try. If it does not work out all that well, just add the card.

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