KSP1 Computer Building/Buying Megathread

[Nicias]

FYI, installed KSP on the new machine, with all of the graphics turned down, it runs realtime. My old machine only did about half time for launches. 

[Camacha]

On 24/12/2016 at 9:59 PM, Elthy said:

Thats usually the issue for everything below big desktop replacement laptops, CPU-speed is limited by thermals. Usualy the difference will be down to better binned i7 chips, but the difference is almost to small to notice.

This seems a fair line of reasoning. Also note that overclockers often disable hyperthreading, due to it producing more heat, allowing for smaller overclocks. If your program does not benefit hugely from hyperthreading and your chip is thermally limited, the chip without hyperthreading might win out.

The i5 is a good choice and most bang for the buck, though the i7 is not a bad choice either.

[michanst]

These are my specs. Can I play this game at a reasonable rate? I would glady buy the game now if I can play it good. Please help.

 

Machine Id: {DB16EBE2-B332-4DCB-8601-38C533000E85}
         Operating System: Windows 10 Home 64-bit (10.0, Build 14393) (14393.rs1_release_inmarket.161208-2252)
                 Language: Korean (Regional Setting: Korean)
      System Manufacturer: Hewlett-Packard
             System Model: HP 15 TS Notebook PC
                     BIOS: F.16
                Processor: N/A
                   Memory: 4096MB RAM
      Available OS Memory: 4028MB RAM
                Page File: 3264MB used, 4346MB available
              Windows Dir: C:\WINDOWS
          DirectX Version: DirectX 12
      DX Setup Parameters: Not found
         User DPI Setting: Using System DPI
       System DPI Setting: 96 DPI (100 percent)
          DWM DPI Scaling: Disabled
                 Miracast: Available, with HDCP
Microsoft Graphics Hybrid: Not Supported
           DxDiag Version: 10.00.14393.0000 64bit Unicode

 

         Card name: Intel(R) HD Graphics Family
       Manufacturer: Intel Corporation
          Chip type: Intel(R) HD Graphics Family
           DAC type: Internal
        Device Type: Full Device
         Device Key: Enum\PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_0A16&SUBSYS_2211103C&REV_09
      Device Status: 0180200A [DN_DRIVER_LOADED|DN_STARTED|DN_DISABLEABLE|DN_NT_ENUMERATOR|DN_NT_DRIVER]
Device Problem Code: No Problem
Driver Problem Code: Unknown
     Display Memory: 2126 MB
   Dedicated Memory: 112 MB
      Shared Memory: 2013 MB
       Current Mode: 1366 x 768 (32 bit) (60Hz)
       Monitor Name: Generic PnP Monitor
      Monitor Model: unknown
         Monitor Id: AUO12EC
        Native Mode: 1366 x 768(p) (60.067Hz)
        Output Type: Internal
        Driver Name: igdumdim64.dll,igd10iumd64.dll,igd10iumd64.dll,igd12umd64.dll
Driver File Version: 20.19.0015.4531 (English)
     Driver Version: 20.19.15.4531
        DDI Version: 12
     Feature Levels: 11_1,11_0,10_1,10_0,9_3,9_2,9_1
       Driver Model: WDDM 2.0
Graphics Preemption: Primitive
 Compute Preemption: Thread group
           Miracast: Supported
Hybrid Graphics GPU: Integrated
     Power P-states: Not Supported
  Driver Attributes: Final Retail
   Driver Date/Size: 2016-09-29 ?? 8:00:00, 39862848 bytes
        WHQL Logo'd: Yes
    WHQL Date Stamp: Unknown
  Device Identifier: {D7B78E66-4956-11CF-3F62-1E02B5C2D935}
          Vendor ID: 0x8086
          Device ID: 0x0A16
          SubSys ID: 0x2211103C
        Revision ID: 0x0009
 Driver Strong Name: oem17.inf:5f63e5341cc65b69:iHSWM_w10:20.19.15.4531:pci\ven_8086&dev_0a16
     Rank Of Driver: 00D12001

 

 

[Vanamonde]

@michanst, although you have already bought your PC, your question has been merged into this thread because it's similar to questions often asked and answered here, and you'll get good advice.

[Harry Rhodan]

7 hours ago, michanst said:

These are my specs.

Actually no, those are mostly driver related informations. The only relevant information in there are that you have 4GB of RAM and an integrated graphics card. From those informations alone I can only tell you that you might have memory related problems as KSP needs quite lot of RAM while you have to share your memory with the graphics adapter.

[michanst]

2 hours ago, Harry Rhodan said:

Actually no, those are mostly driver related informations. The only relevant information in there are that you have 4GB of RAM and an integrated graphics card. From those informations alone I can only tell you that you might have memory related problems as KSP needs quite lot of RAM while you have to share your memory with the graphics adapter.

Actually I ended up buying anyway 3 hours ago. I did noticed it ate alot of RAM. So far, its playable. If it does reach 4gb, will the game crash? Currently its around 3.3-3.6 out of 3.9gb RAM used. No other programs are loaded to save up RAM. I hope I can still play on later stages of the game. Im kinda enjoying all this ridiculousness. Loving the game.

[legoclone09]

1 hour ago, michanst said:

Actually I ended up buying anyway 3 hours ago. I did noticed it ate alot of RAM. So far, its playable. If it does reach 4gb, will the game crash? Currently its around 3.3-3.6 out of 3.9gb RAM used. No other programs are loaded to save up RAM. I hope I can still play on later stages of the game. Im kinda enjoying all this ridiculousness. Loving the game.

It will crash, but you can still play if you don't use mods. I recommend buying a 8GB set of RAM to put in, most laptops have replaceable RAM.

[DJCrawford24]

Any thoughts on this build?

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/4Jv4Ps

The hand me down  laptop is NOT working. Looking for a tower/desktop to replace it. Probably will only run KSP. All other gaming is on Xbox.

 

Edited December 27, 2016 by DJCrawford24

[legoclone09]

49 minutes ago, DJCrawford24 said:

Any thoughts on this build?

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/4Jv4Ps

The hand me down  laptop is NOT working. Looking for a tower/desktop to replace it. Probably will only run KSP. All other gaming is on Xbox.

 

What do you want to do with this PC? I can improve it for you.

 

This will beat it for gaming. https://pcpartpicker.com/list/bjW9nn, you'll still need a Windows key for it.

Edited December 27, 2016 by legoclone09

[Camacha]

18 hours ago, legoclone09 said:

What do you want to do with this PC? I can improve it for you.

 

This will beat it for gaming. https://pcpartpicker.com/list/bjW9nn, you'll still need a Windows key for it.

With all due respect, you spend about 140 dollars more. Of course that is going to make a huge difference.

 

18 hours ago, DJCrawford24 said:

Any thoughts on this build?

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/4Jv4Ps

The hand me down  laptop is NOT working. Looking for a tower/desktop to replace it. Probably will only run KSP. All other gaming is on Xbox.

 

How urgently do you need to upgrade? The coming months will bring lots of new and improved products.

[legoclone09]

4 minutes ago, Camacha said:

With all due respect, you spend about 140 dollars more. Of course that is going to make a huge difference.

oh yeah oops...

If I were you @DJCrawford24, I'd wait for AMD's new processors to come out. They might beat what Intel has now for a lower price point.

Edited December 28, 2016 by legoclone09

[DJCrawford24]

10 hours ago, legoclone09 said:

oh yeah oops...

If I were you @DJCrawford24, I'd wait for AMD's new processors to come out. They might beat what Intel has now for a lower price point.

 

Thanks for the replies. It's actually for my son. He doesn't NEED it. KSP is his main entertainment so I'd like to upgrade his computer. Unfortunately, the budget is coming into play. If we wait a few months we could scrape together more.

My thinking on my build was the proc with the integrated video would save some money but I could upgrade the video later if needed. The one stick of RAM was also chosen with adding another stick later. From what I've read, the processor is more important than the video card. Am I on the right track?

[legoclone09]

2 hours ago, DJCrawford24 said:

 

Thanks for the replies. It's actually for my son. He doesn't NEED it. KSP is his main entertainment so I'd like to upgrade his computer. Unfortunately, the budget is coming into play. If we wait a few months we could scrape together more.

My thinking on my build was the proc with the integrated video would save some money but I could upgrade the video later if needed. The one stick of RAM was also chosen with adding another stick later. From what I've read, the processor is more important than the video card. Am I on the right track?

For KSP, I would wait until AMD releases their new Ryzen processors, they are rumored to be better than (or equal to) Intel's at a lower price point. The high-end Ryzens (~$400 from rumor) are coming in January and the lower end ones in late Q1 or so from rumors. Processor is more important in KSP, I'm not really sure what goes into a processor besides core count and clock speed (I know there's more, but not really what it does, that's why an i5 6600k is better than a FX 8350). A dedicated GPU would make a huge difference for  games and visuals in KSP, if you're on a budget a RX 460 2GB is a great card at just under $100 for one. If he does other games and would like to make use of the FreeSync support technology in a Radeon graphics card and you can spare some more money a FreeSync supported monitor would be a good idea to purchase. FreeSync matches the refresh rate of the monitor to the framerate in-game if it is in the range (Range for the linked monitor is 30Hz-75Hz I believe for this monitor). It's a luxury, so you don't need it, but if you have a supported Radeon card and are looking for a new monitor that's a good monitor to pair up with a RX 460. For general gaming right now this should do well for a low price (includes a wireless network card, 120GB solid state drive for faster boot times and loading KSP a lot faster, and the monitor): https://pcpartpicker.com/list/rrfxTH

I assume you already have a monitor, so if you don't need that (it's more of a luxury), here's a list without it: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/K8wm2R

You'll still need a Windows key for both, but you can use the Windows product key from your old computer if you can find it and register with that to save the $100 on a key. If you need an optical drive they are about $15, but you can use a flash drive to install Windows and that will work perfectly fine. And finally, the motherboard in the list supports 4 slots of RAM, and I chose a 2x4 set of RAM, which when installed will allow higher bandwidth because it is two sticks of RAM instead of one, and because it is 4 slots of RAM you can upgrade more later. I didn't include a hard drive either because you can wipe your old one and use that for other storage and keep the SSD for Windows, KSP, and a few other things.

I feel I left some stuff out.... I'll edit post with a different list if people on the r/pcmasterrace Discord have suggestions to make it better for the price.

[Harry Rhodan]

4 hours ago, DJCrawford24 said:

My thinking on my build was the proc with the integrated video would save some money but I could upgrade the video later if needed. The one stick of RAM was also chosen with adding another stick later. From what I've read, the processor is more important than the video card. Am I on the right track?

The problem is that if you upgrade the video card you are still left with a somewhat weak processor. And if you are going to use the integrated card you'll need two sticks of RAM because the integrated solution really needs all the bandwith it can get.

[cantab]

@DJCrawford24

AMD processors are lousy for KSP, being as it's a CPU-heavy poorly-multithreaded game and thus needs the best per-core speed it can get. And at the moment any AMD build is something of a dead end as far as upgrading the CPU goes.

I would not bother waiting for Ryzen at the low budget end. My prediction is that the initial Ryzen processors will be up against Core i7's in both performance and price, and we could be waiting until the middle of 2017 or even longer for the budget ones.

The i3-6100 is cheaper that than AMD chip, much better as a CPU, and actually runs it close on the integrated graphics too. And there's an upgrade path to an i5/7 in future is desired. I have an i3-6100 myself and fully intend to go to something like a 6600K when I can get one cheap.

For the same kind of hardware cost, around $450, or even less, you can do rather better.

[legoclone09]

2 hours ago, cantab said:

@DJCrawford24

AMD processors are lousy for KSP, being as it's a CPU-heavy poorly-multithreaded game and thus needs the best per-core speed it can get. And at the moment any AMD build is something of a dead end as far as upgrading the CPU goes.

I would not bother waiting for Ryzen at the low budget end. My prediction is that the initial Ryzen processors will be up against Core i7's in both performance and price, and we could be waiting until the middle of 2017 or even longer for the budget ones.

The i3-6100 is cheaper that than AMD chip, much better as a CPU, and actually runs it close on the integrated graphics too. And there's an upgrade path to an i5/7 in future is desired. I have an i3-6100 myself and fully intend to go to something like a 6600K when I can get one cheap.

For the same kind of hardware cost, around $450, or even less, you can do rather better.

Agreed fully.

By the way, I think Fry's had a 6600k on sale for $189 the other day.

[Camacha]

5 hours ago, cantab said:

The i3-6100 is cheaper that than AMD chip, much better as a CPU, and actually runs it close on the integrated graphics too. And there's an upgrade path to an i5/7 in future is desired. I have an i3-6100 myself and fully intend to go to something like a 6600K when I can get one cheap.

For the same kind of hardware cost, around $450, or even less, you can do rather better.

I agree with you, except for one thing: waiting for a cheap 6600K is not going to happen anytime soon. I always thought of doing the same with a 2500K, upgrading it to something with hyper-threading, but many years after release these chips still command a hefty price on the second hand market. It just does not make sense when compared to a new chip.

The value staying up is both a benefit and an issue, mind you.

Edited December 29, 2016 by Camacha

[cantab]

Well already a used 6600K is about £160, compared to £220 for a new one now, and back when I built my PC they were either out of stock or going for north of £250. Plus I've gone a year with the build before even feeling the need for anything more CPU-wise, and even that only for one specific use that I can work around. Of course there's an element of prediction involved but I can only think that prices will drop further.

[legoclone09]

7 minutes ago, cantab said:

Well already a used 6600K is about £160, compared to £220 for a new one now, and back when I built my PC they were either out of stock or going for north of £250. Plus I've gone a year with the build before even feeling the need for anything more CPU-wise, and even that only for one specific use that I can work around. Of course there's an element of prediction involved but I can only think that prices will drop further.

My i5 4670k was $235 new and currently goes for $255, processor prices usually don't drop from what I've seen. I built my PC in April of 2014, when Haswell was new, those prices are odd (probably because you are in the UK).

[Guest]

So I bought two new monitors and the GTX 1060.  The monitors are here and all set up, but I'm still awaiting the card.

[legoclone09]

2 minutes ago, CliftonM said:

So I bought two new monitors and the GTX 1060.  The monitors are here and all set up, but I'm still awaiting the card.

Just to let you know the RX 480 outperforms the GTX 1060 with AMD's newest drivers, and if those monitors are FreeSync a return on the GTX 1060 (I assume the 6GB model) would be a very good idea.

[Guest]

Just now, legoclone09 said:

Just to let you know the RX 480 outperforms the GTX 1060 with AMD's newest drivers, and if those monitors are FreeSync a return on the GTX 1060 (I assume the 6GB model) would be a very good idea.

I'm going to stick with the 1060.  

[legoclone09]

Just now, CliftonM said:

I'm going to stick with the 1060.  

OK, that works. What monitors did you get? I just got an Acer XF240H.

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, legoclone09 said:

OK, that works. What monitors did you get? I just got an Acer XF240H.

Acer G226HQL 21.5-Inch.  Not really anything to fall over for, but they're much better than what I had before.  Also, the reason I'm still going with the 1060 is because I already have all of the nvidia software on my computer, as I currently have the 750, and I got this one for less than I could get the RX 480.

[Camacha]

23 hours ago, cantab said:

Well already a used 6600K is about £160, compared to £220 for a new one now, and back when I built my PC they were either out of stock or going for north of £250. Plus I've gone a year with the build before even feeling the need for anything more CPU-wise, and even that only for one specific use that I can work around. Of course there's an element of prediction involved but I can only think that prices will drop further.

Hardware, notable exceptions excluded, always loses value at purchase. This is generally in the 25-35% range, which not coincidently is spot on for the numbers you mention. The moment you open the box or even purchase something, the value is less than what you paid for it. After that, the price drop seems to be rather meagre for higher end Intels. I just checked the second hand value of 2600K or 2700K processors and they still bring about 60% of what they cost new. The fact that they have held up admirably performance wise has probably also contributed, but looking at performance per dollar, it is easily argued that they are much less value than when they were new. They still cost a fair amount of money, even though they are ageing more and more.