Jump to content

KSP1 Computer Building/Buying Megathread


Leonov

Recommended Posts

10 minutes ago, qzgy said:

Kerbal in a nutshell.

Seems pretty good if you can get up to 5.3 stable. Mine is only OC'd at 4.2 or so.

My base clock is 4.2, turbo of 4.5.  Haven't dabbled in OCing yet, still trying to figure out the OC on the memory.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Howdy all - 

I'm looking for feedback on a system I'm putting together for a friend.  He's not happy with his existing 3-year old laptop, being too slow and underpowered.  The general idea is to get a tower system that's pretty capable now, but has a lot of upgrade potential in the future.  This pushed me towards an 8th generation Intel build with a Z370 motherboard with four RAM slots (found one for $95 after rebate), even though the initial CPU is just an i3-8100.  Taking into account the rebates, this system comes in right at $1,100, including Windows 10, monitor, mouse, and keyboard.

I've pasted the questionnaire from the front page so I don't miss anything.  I'd appreciate any feedback that folks have to offer!  Thanks!

 

  • What are you planning to do with this compuer? Please be as specfic as possible. Word processing, internet, watching streaming video and DVDs, art creation, some 3d modelling, some games (hopefully to include KSP)
  • What is your budget? $1000-1100 USD
    1. Does this include a copy of Windows? yes
    2. Does this include peripherals (a keyboard, monitor, mouse, speakers, etc.)? yes, except for speakers

    [*]Are you from the United States or a different country? Are you ordering from your own country or from across borders?  USA

    1. Wherever you may be from, does the store that you are planning to order from have a website? It's okay if it isn't in English, we can manage.  Newegg
    2. If you are from the United States, do you live nearby a Microcenter?
  • Do you have any specific requests with the build?  He wants to hang on to it for a long time (5+ years), so some parts are overkill initially to give better upgrade potential.
    1. Do you plan on overclocking? If yes, do you have a specific goal in mind?  Not initially
    2. Would you prefer the build to be particularly small?  No
    3. Would you prefer the build to be particularly quiet?  No
    4. In general, do you prefer this to be a computer that you can spend money on now and let it rest, or a box built for continuous upgrading?  I'll be helping him upgrade occasionally
    5. Do you ever plan on utilizing NVIDIA's SLI or AMD's CrossfireX technologies? No
  • CPU i3-8100 (use stock cooler)
  • Motherboard Gigabyte Z370P D3 ATX
  • RAM Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB DDR4 3000
  • Graphics Card EVGA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB
  • Power Supply EVGA 500 B1 80+ Bronze (comes bundled with GPU)
  • Case Corsair Carbide Series 200R Black
  • Hard Drive No data drive at this time
  • Solid State Drive WD Blue 3D NAND 500GB PC SSD - SATA III
  • Mouse Logitech Wireless Combo MK270
  • Keyboard bundled with Mouse
  • Monitor ASUS VS248H-P Black 24" 2ms GTG HDMI 1920 x 1080
  • Speakers/Headset using existing
  • ASUS DVD Burner
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The only thing that seems a bit overkill is 16 gb of ram, especially considering how easy it is to upgrade that.

Also, if your friend is going to do lots of art or 3d modelling, you may want to consider a 1 tb external hard drive. If there's more likely to be lots of games, an internal SSHD.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 minutes ago, Mad Rocket Scientist said:

The only thing that seems a bit overkill is 16 gb of ram, especially considering how easy it is to upgrade that.

Also, if your friend is going to do lots of art or 3d modelling, you may want to consider a 1 tb external hard drive. If there's more likely to be lots of games, an internal SSHD.

Thanks for the feedback.  I think a 1TB data drive will probably be the first upgrade.  On the RAM, I agree that may well be overkill - part of the thought is that I was finding 16GB kits for around 1.7x the price of an 8GB kit, so it's a slightly better bargain in the long run.  Also, his existing laptop has 8GB of ram, so I wanted to move onward and upward if possible.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Why go with Intel? The i3 8100 costs about as much as an AMD R5 2600 (at least in germany, but i think those rising prices for Intel CPUs are the same everywhere) while offering less cores, less power per core, no hyperhreading, no overclockability, a worse stock cooler and less paths for upgrade. AMD said it would support AM4 till 2020 while Intels Socket 1151v2 has liekly seen its last generation of CPUs with the 9000 series...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, Elthy said:

Why go with Intel? The i3 8100 costs about as much as an AMD R5 2600 (at least in germany, but i think those rising prices for Intel CPUs are the same everywhere) while offering less cores, less power per core, no hyperhreading, no overclockability, a worse stock cooler and less paths for upgrade. AMD said it would support AM4 till 2020 while Intels Socket 1151v2 has liekly seen its last generation of CPUs with the 9000 series...

The R5 2600 is currently $30 more than the i3-8100 on Newegg in the US. I also have a tiny bit of experience with an Intel build, and none with AMD. Still, you've got me thinking - I'll spec out a Ryzen CPU and MB and see how it stacks up.

Edited by Norcalplanner
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am choosing between Intel i5-8400(6C6T) and AMD Ryzen5 2600(6C12T)

i5-8400 perform better in single core test, Ryzen5 2600 better in multi core test

I want to know can KSP utilize the multi core/thread power?

 

 

In short, should I choose i5-8400 or Ryzen5 2600 for KSP

Thanks!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@royying If you're buying this computer primarily for KSP, go with the i5 as KSP's performance is mostly affected by single thread performance.  KSP can use multiple threads, but you'll be using one most of the time.

I also recommend getting a discrete GPU.  Doesn't have to be fancy, but taking that load off the CPU does help quite a bit.

Edited by Geonovast
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Okay, so Imma put myself out here for ridicule, but I need to milk what I have for at least another year.

 *-core
       description: Motherboard
       product: P8Z68-V PRO
       vendor: ASUSTeK Computer INC.
 *-cpu
          description: CPU
          product: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-2600K CPU @ 3.40GHz
          vendor: Intel Corp.
          slot: LGA1155
          size: 2162MHz
          capacity: 5900MHz
          width: 64 bits
          clock: 100MHz
 

This is Sandy Bridge so I have to stay with the LGA1155 socket and that makes Ivy Bridge as far as I can go.  Can I get away with a i7-3770?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

27 minutes ago, TranceaddicT said:

Okay, so Imma put myself out here for ridicule, but I need to milk what I have for at least another year.

 *-core
       description: Motherboard
       product: P8Z68-V PRO
       vendor: ASUSTeK Computer INC.
 *-cpu
          description: CPU
          product: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-2600K CPU @ 3.40GHz
          vendor: Intel Corp.
          slot: LGA1155
          size: 2162MHz
          capacity: 5900MHz
          width: 64 bits
          clock: 100MHz
 

This is Sandy Bridge so I have to stay with the LGA1155 socket and that makes Ivy Bridge as far as I can go.  Can I get away with a i7-3770?

From what I can tell, that specific board will support an Ivy Bridge, but you likely need to update the bios first.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

With a decent cooler an the right knowledge you can overclock the CPU quite a bit...

A i7 3770 without k would be almost exaclty as fast as your current CPU, even for free it wouldnt realy justify the hassle to change the CPU.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Elthy said:

With a decent cooler an the right knowledge you can overclock the CPU quite a bit...

A i7 3770 without k would be almost exaclty as fast as your current CPU, even for free it wouldnt realy justify the hassle to change the CPU.

That's some good info thanks.  I'll just have to suffer for a while longer until I can make the jump to a newer processor.

Thanks all.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Okay, going to dip my toes into this...

My current computer is a nearly 6-year-old HP Pavillion g6 laptop. It's been pretty good for me... but it's starting to show its age, and not just when running my mod-heavy install of KSP. :/ It's having increasing trouble with things like YouTube, image-heavy Powerpoint presentations, Chrome in general, stuff like that. I've decided that, as nice as a laptop is for school and stuff... it's not exactly good at being upgraded down the line as technology and/or budget permits. So I definitely want to get a desktop. The problem is, I have basically zero experience with this kind of stuff. I know I spec'd out a conceptual build about, oh, two years ago? But, I've since tossed the papers I was using for keeping track of parts, and prices have no doubt changed drastically.

My basic requirements for what I'm looking for are as follows:

-First and foremost, low cost. My finances right now are... limited, at best. I'm trying to keep things under US$600 if possible, but if it's not, the hard cap is US$800. I cannot afford to spend any more than that with a pair of major FAA exams in my near future that will set me back $500+.

-Upgrade capacity. Because of the above point, I know I can't get even middle-of-the-road components. Also, as technology advances, system requirements go up as well. The ability to upgrade my computer down the line would be a tremendous benefit financially, as I don't have to buy a whole new computer as parts age and/or can no longer keep up. And the fact that I cannot upgrade my current laptop is a major annoyance for me. I'd love nothing more than to be able to keep the current computer and simply update it to keep up with the times, but... It's a laptop. You kinda can't.

-Dedicated graphics card. This is a must. The integrated graphics of my laptop are... lackluster. I can barely play most low-end games at minimum settings, and KSP, although not a slideshow, is certainly not easy on my computer, and it's not going to get any easier.

Under the "nice to have, but not mandatory" field:

-More memory. I've found that the 2x4GB RAM I have installed is usually pretty adequate, but KSP has certainly pressed that very hard the last year or so. And Chrome being the RAM-devouring monster that it is... Yeah. More RAM would be good, or at least the ability to upgrade down the line with more.

-Win 7. I am quite happy with Windows 7, and would love nothing more than to continue using it for now. I have a deep dislike and distrust of Microsoft and Windows 10 right now, and they're really not doing anything to make me feel better about the situation with their ongoing issues with said OS. If I have to use a different OS, I'm seriously eyeing Linux right now, but I'm not sure how well things will transfer across from my lifelong experiences with Windows.

 

So, yeah. I don't want a fancy case, or a top-end rig for running modern blockbusters at ultra quality ad high framerate. I just want a step up from the outdated bargain laptop I'm currently running. And and all advice, suggestions, or recommendations are welcome, and if you've found a prebuilt machine somewhere online that meets my needs, PLEASE let me know.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

52 minutes ago, MaverickSawyer said:

Okay, going to dip my toes into this...

My current computer is a nearly 6-year-old HP Pavillion g6 laptop. It's been pretty good for me... but it's starting to show its age, and not just when running my mod-heavy install of KSP. :/ It's having increasing trouble with things like YouTube, image-heavy Powerpoint presentations, Chrome in general, stuff like that. I've decided that, as nice as a laptop is for school and stuff... it's not exactly good at being upgraded down the line as technology and/or budget permits. So I definitely want to get a desktop. The problem is, I have basically zero experience with this kind of stuff. I know I spec'd out a conceptual build about, oh, two years ago? But, I've since tossed the papers I was using for keeping track of parts, and prices have no doubt changed drastically.

My basic requirements for what I'm looking for are as follows:

-First and foremost, low cost. My finances right now are... limited, at best. I'm trying to keep things under US$600 if possible, but if it's not, the hard cap is US$800. I cannot afford to spend any more than that with a pair of major FAA exams in my near future that will set me back $500+.

-Upgrade capacity. Because of the above point, I know I can't get even middle-of-the-road components. Also, as technology advances, system requirements go up as well. The ability to upgrade my computer down the line would be a tremendous benefit financially, as I don't have to buy a whole new computer as parts age and/or can no longer keep up. And the fact that I cannot upgrade my current laptop is a major annoyance for me. I'd love nothing more than to be able to keep the current computer and simply update it to keep up with the times, but... It's a laptop. You kinda can't.

-Dedicated graphics card. This is a must. The integrated graphics of my laptop are... lackluster. I can barely play most low-end games at minimum settings, and KSP, although not a slideshow, is certainly not easy on my computer, and it's not going to get any easier.

Under the "nice to have, but not mandatory" field:

-More memory. I've found that the 2x4GB RAM I have installed is usually pretty adequate, but KSP has certainly pressed that very hard the last year or so. And Chrome being the RAM-devouring monster that it is... Yeah. More RAM would be good, or at least the ability to upgrade down the line with more.

-Win 7. I am quite happy with Windows 7, and would love nothing more than to continue using it for now. I have a deep dislike and distrust of Microsoft and Windows 10 right now, and they're really not doing anything to make me feel better about the situation with their ongoing issues with said OS. If I have to use a different OS, I'm seriously eyeing Linux right now, but I'm not sure how well things will transfer across from my lifelong experiences with Windows.

 

So, yeah. I don't want a fancy case, or a top-end rig for running modern blockbusters at ultra quality ad high framerate. I just want a step up from the outdated bargain laptop I'm currently running. And and all advice, suggestions, or recommendations are welcome, and if you've found a prebuilt machine somewhere online that meets my needs, PLEASE let me know.

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/WhmrLJ

620.00

youll still need windows but that can be found for 20.00 if you shop around

that pc would be able to play pretty much anything you throw at it on high/max settings @1080p and the motherboard will be able to overclock it to at least 3.8ghz across all 4 cores before needing a voltage increase. if your not into overclocking then let it run at its base 3.1ghz

the gtx 1060 3gb will be able to play any modern game you want 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You will need to do some tinkering to use modern CPUs with Windows 7, so be prepared for that...

Also Integrated Graphics arent as bad as they used to be, the AMD Ryzen 2400G is realy good for ultra tight budgets.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, Elthy said:

You will need to do some tinkering to use modern CPUs with Windows 7, so be prepared for that...

Also Integrated Graphics arent as bad as they used to be, the AMD Ryzen 2400G is realy good for ultra tight budgets.

Yeah, I may just have to lay down ad be a good slave to Microsoft... this time. :/

And I still want the ability to upgrade, especially on the graphics card, because those change pretty quickly as far as I can tell.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 11/6/2018 at 11:57 PM, MaverickSawyer said:

I'm seriously eyeing Linux right now, but I'm not sure how well things will transfer across from my lifelong experiences with Windows.

Depends on what you do.  Basic computering is pretty easy to transition to, especially with distros like Mint.  Unfortunately there are still a lot of niche things that require programs which will not run on Linux.

Fortunately, Steam gearing towards the Linux crowd.  Seems more and more games on there now have Linux versions, and a lot of the Windows only ones actually run in Steam Play, which wraps each game in a specifically tailored WINE environment.  So far, I've tried 4 games in Steam Play.  Borderlands and Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 work fine, Left 4 Dead works until you try to start a game, and Orion: Prelude doesn't work at all.

I was completely sold on the idea of Linux, when, one night, I was trying to install a simple HP printer in Windows.  After being forced to download some 500 MB in "drivers" (bloatware just to get the driver), and some 30-45 minutes to install said "driver", the thing would print once and then require a reboot to do it again.  I plugged the thing into my Mint laptop, 4 seconds later I got a message saying it was ready to use, and it would pretty merrily along as much as I wanted.

If you're interested in learning, run a dual boot.  You could use Linux most of the time and just boot into Windows 10 when needed.

 

Edited by Geonovast
Link to comment
Share on other sites

16 hours ago, MaverickSawyer said:

And I still want the ability to upgrade, especially on the graphics card, because those change pretty quickly as far as I can tell.

Thats perfectly possible with an APU. You can just install a better GPU later, also you can swap the CPU for something better if you want to (just have to add a GPU, too). AMDs current mainboards are supposed to work with their next generation processors till 2020...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just got an email from dealextreme on some of their specials. In this case it's "buy 1 get 1 free", but  what I want to ask, is this even worth the asking price?

DDR3 8GB 1600MHz Desktop RAM Memory 240Pin 1.5V for AMD

Does anybody have experience with these things? A name brand in my local store costs about 2,5x this amount, so with the "buy 1 get 1 free" it's close to 5x price difference. It looks too good to be true and if the memory doesn't work, it's worthless regardless of the low price. In fact it's more expensive than buying the proper stuff immediately. Will it burn down my house?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...