KSP1 Computer Building/Buying Megathread

[Kelderek]

I thought I'd give a quick build report here.

Isn't building a new PC so much fun? Your setup looks pretty good, there are a few similarities between your build and the one I just finished. Out of curiosity, what kind of display and resolution are you using in that setup?

I finished my build a week ago. Here are some images of the build from start to finish

Case = Fractal Designs Define R4

CPU = Intel Core i5 6600K (Skylake, 6th gen)

CPU Fan = CoolerMaster Hyper 212 EVO

Motherboard = Gigabyte GA-Z170-HD3P

Memory = G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 2400

Video Card = Sapphire NITRO Radeon R9 390 8GB

PSU = EVGA 220-G2-0650-Y1 650W 80+ Gold

SSD = Mushkin Enhanced Reactor 1TB SATA III

HDD = Toshiba PH3300-U-1I72 3TB 7200RPM 64MB Cache SATA III

Optical Drive = LG Blu-ray burner WH16NS40

Monintor = AOC Q2778VQE 1ms 2560x1440 27"

Keyboard = SteelSeries 6GV2 Red Cherry MX mechanical

Mouse = Gigabyte Force M7 Thor

OS = Windows 10 Home 64bit

My Thoughts on the Build

I got lucky on the CPU and was able to buy it on sale at my local Microcenter store for only $213. The case was also 40% off on Newegg.

I absolutely loved the case. Of course I hadn't worked with a new case in over 6 years, but I was impressed with the improvements that have been made over time. The case has room for a lot of fans (2x front, 1x side, 1x bottom, 2x top, 1x back) and I'm sure that you could do water cooling if you wanted. What I liked most about the case is the sound dampening foam on both of the sides, the top and also in the front - this makes the case very quiet. Some of these can be partially removed if you want to have more fans or just open exhaust holes. I ended up adding 1 fan to the 2 the case came with so I have 2x 140mm up front and another 1 in the rear. There are removable dust filters on the front and bottom intakes (the PSU is bottom mounted). This is a case with lots of little things done right like rubber cushions for the PSU mount and for the 3.5" HDD bays. I would totally recommend this case to anyone else.

The MB install was pretty easy, I just needed to connect a couple cables along the top of the board before screwing it in place. With the huge after market CPU cooler in place the top of the case had the least room to place your hands so it helped to connect the top cables beforehand. Everything else connected very easily and there is plenty of space behind the motherboard to handle cable management. The modular cable system for the PSU is a new feature for me and I found that to be very handy.

I debated between the GTX 970 and the Radeon R9 390 for a while, but ultimately the extra 4GB of memory and this great TomsHardware review made me pick the AMD GPU and specifically this one from Sapphire. I was impressed with the physical appearance of the card. It is quite heavy but that is because it is made of quality and durable parts. This particular model had a backplate which I also like.

I decided to spend a little more than I originally planned on the keyboard because I wanted to have a quality mechanical keyboard. The SteelSeries model is extremely sturdy and I really like the action of the keys.

Overclocking

I have overclocked the CPU to 4.5GHz with a voltage max of 1.38. I know that the CPU can handle more than that, but I don't want to push it too much. I also overclocked the video card to 1090 MHz core clock and 1625 MHz video memory clock - I basically followed what they did in that TomsHardware review.

Games

So far I have only installed a few of my Steam games. I run everything at 2560x1440 resolution, which is the native resolution of my display. I was able to run Skyrim at ultra settings and it looks great. The real test will be Fallout 4 next week (I preordered it when I bought my PC parts), and I am also interested in seeing how Directx 12 changes things later on. KSP looks fine so far, but I haven't really done many tests with it yet - I am mostly waiting for 1.0.5 to arrive for a new career I am planning to start. I also need to figure out what mods I want to run, including any that may help me benchmark test KSP itself. I know DasValdez has a mod that shows the percentage value for the physics load in the upper left of the screen, I may find that and give that a try and anything else that would help to benchmark the game.

I also picked up Ark: Survival Evolved, but I'm not sure what to expect on the graphics of that game as it is still in early access and I can tell there are still visual bugs and glitches for them to iron out.

EDIT: I initially had a Corsair LM3 gaming mouse, but it was horrible and I replaced it with the Gigabyte one which is much better.

Edited November 6, 2015 by Kelderek

[cantab]

Main is a 21.5" 1080p BenQ display. Nothing special but it was a second hand bargain and does very nicely for me. Secondary is an old 17" 1280x1024 screen, size-wise it's a good companion to the main screen.

Certainly looks like a good build by yourself. I've heard a lot of praise for the Define R4 case, sounds like it's warranted. Of course the drawback is what I previously railed at - all those nice features do up the size and weight of the case, and I wanted a relatively compact build which I achieved.

I didn't take many pics myself, but I may post the finished build when I can copy the file from my phone. Though appearance was never really on the cards in a non-windowed case I think it's a decent looking build inside, got a pretty consistent red-and-black colour scheme. Yours is pretty good too.

[Elthy]

4.5GHz with a voltage max of 1.38.

You do know that this is quite much and can greatly reduce the life of your CPU? Also ive read that 4,5 should be possible with only 1,3V on almost all Skylake CPUs.

[Kelderek]

You do know that this is quite much and can greatly reduce the life of your CPU? Also ive read that 4,5 should be possible with only 1,3V on almost all Skylake CPUs.

I'll try lowering the voltage a bit, I just know from a lot of online reviews that skylake seems to handle higher voltage better than previous CPUs, and I regularly saw people running at 1.4V. Apparently Intel told their reviewers that 1.45V was safe to use. I have seen results up over 4.7MHz on the i5 6600K that are stable.

@cantab: My main criteria for a case was all the features and the ease of working inside, the size and weight are not a problem for me as I will not be moving the PC at all. I just knew I didn't want a full tower case and so I focused my search to only mid-tower cases. I also knew that a window would be pointless because of how I planned to position the case on the corner of my desk - in fact the looks in general did not matter much beyond having a quality finish. I don't care much for flashy LEDs or anything like that in my PCs. Besides, by forgoing a window I get an entire side panel lined with sound dampening foam which is nice.

[Slam_Jones]

(Sorry, have to show off somewhere )

I have terrible money management skills and just bought this case:

Really wanted the Limited Edition one (because it makes this case look like brick) but it was $1,100, which is a bit beyond my budget

Should be getting delivered tomorrow. Can't wait!

-----

Anyway, to stay on topic, my friend is upgrading his A4-6300 quite soon, and I've made some suggestions, but am curious what others think.

Currently, to switch to an FX-series CPU, he'd need to get a new Mobo, so for the meantime I recommended the A10-5800K plus a GTX 750 Ti. (The GTX is already ordered, should be arriving same time as my case)

Would it generally be a better idea to switch it up to an FX-series, or upgrade to the A10? Going the route of the A10 means he won't have to replace the Mobo right off the bat (ergo cheaper in the short run, but more expensive next time upgrade-time rolls around), but going the route of the FX-series likely means more power and smoother gameplay, but a bigger investment off the bat (it would require a new Mobo, CPU, and PSU).

Sadly he doesn't have the budget to go Intel, otherwise it'd be an easy choice So, should he stick with the A-series, or would it be a better use of resources to go straight to FX-series?

[cantab]

For the CPU-only upgrade, I'd recommend the Athlon X4 860K. The CPU performance is the same as the best A10 processor, but it cuts out the GPU (not needed when you have a separate graphics card) and is about half the price of the A10.

For the platform upgrade, I wouldn't bother with Socket AM3+ and the FX processors. It's an old platform and the CPUs haven't been really updated in a couple of years and can't touch Intel's best at the high end. I'd have another look at an Intel build; with Intel CPUs being less power-hungry than the AMD FX's you might not need a power supply upgrade and that will save the pennies.

[Camacha]

Yesterday, my buddy texted me that my birthday present came in the mail. Today he showed up bearing a tiny plastic bag. The contents:

Codsworth, cancel my appointments!

[briansun1]

What should one look for when trying to buy a Wifi card?

[cantab]

What expansion slot it uses obviously, you need one that will go in your PC nicely.

Which WiFi standards - and any non-standard extensions - it supports of course.

What type of antenna it has. For a desktop I think an antenna on a decent length cable is better than one that's fixed to the back of the PC. Relatedly, whether the antenna can be removed and changed, especially if you think you might need a higher-gain antenna for your use.

Whether there are software drivers for your OS.

[briansun1]

What expansion slot it uses obviously, you need one that will go in your PC nicely.

Which WiFi standards - and any non-standard extensions - it supports of course.

What type of antenna it has. For a desktop I think an antenna on a decent length cable is better than one that's fixed to the back of the PC. Relatedly, whether the antenna can be removed and changed, especially if you think you might need a higher-gain antenna for your use.

Whether there are software drivers for your OS.

Any you would suggest? Or info you need from me to make a suggestion?

[Elthy]

My brother uses an Wlan USB stick on a 1m cable, thats more flexible than a card.

[briansun1]

Would this work?

Or would this be better?

Edited November 12, 2015 by briansun1

[Camacha]

Would this work?

Or would this be better?

Both are approximately as good. Use the ones with three antennas if your PC is not tucked away somewhere, use the one with a separate antenna hub if you could improve reception with that. Do make sure you have an appropriate PCIe port free, and accessible (i.e. not blocked by other cards or ports).

My brother uses an Wlan USB stick on a 1m cable, thats more flexible than a card.

I would not advise USB-sticks as the initial choice. The reason is that USB often works, but does not perform best. It also has to go through so many protocol layers (both WIFI and USB) that weird things can happen. The more native you get, the better it generally is. Therefore, the hierarchy of preference for network connections is:

- Wired (using proper cables)

- LAN over power

- Wireless over network cards

- Wireless over USB

[briansun1]

Both are approximately as good. Use the ones with three antennas if your PC is not tucked away somewhere, use the one with a separate antenna hub if you could improve reception with that. Do make sure you have an appropriate PCIe port free, and accessible (i.e. not blocked by other cards or ports).

I would not advise USB-sticks as the initial choice. The reason is that USB often works, but does not perform best. It also has to go through so many protocol layers (both WIFI and USB) that weird things can happen. The more native you get, the better it generally is. Therefore, the hierarchy of preference for network connections is:

- Wired (using proper cables)

- LAN over power

- Wireless over network cards

- Wireless over USB

Should have a slot free. It's the tiny pci slot right?

[HeroHunter]

Can this PC build run Kerbal Space Program on max settings (graphics, view distance, etc) and on 60+ fps? Thanks. Here is the link to pcpartpicker: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2BK2P6

Thanks for all your help!

[Draconiator]

My computer is a LOT worse than that one. and I can run it perfetly, you're fine.

[xiej]

I think you should get something other than an Athlon, the Intel Pentium K G3258 is around 70$, and can be overclocked to 4.5 Ghz.

KSP only uses 1 core, so it's 2 cores should be able to handle it.

(Though you should get something with at least 4 threads for future-proofing)

Just get anything newer than an Athlon, or Intel Ivy Bridge.

You don't really need the 950 to run KSP, get a 750 ti or an AMD equivalent, the CPU is much more important for KSP.

For Max settings, the 750 ti should be enough, since I'm running Intel HD Graphics 3000 on a Mobile Sandy-Bridge processor from 2011.

I repeat, get a good CPU!

[tuckjohn]

Can this PC build run Kerbal Space Program on max settings (graphics, view distance, etc) and on 60+ fps?

I have seen quite a few computers run KSP, but I have never seen one hit 60 fps. Perhaps that will change with the upcoming 1.1 update.

[HeroHunter]

I think you should get something other than an Athlon, the Intel Pentium K G3258 is around 70$, and can be overclocked to 4.5 Ghz.

KSP only uses 1 core, so it's 2 cores should be able to handle it.

(Though you should get something with at least 4 threads for future-proofing)

Just get anything newer than an Athlon, or Intel Ivy Bridge.

You don't really need the 950 to run KSP, get a 750 ti or an AMD equivalent, the CPU is much more important for KSP.

For Max settings, the 750 ti should be enough, since I'm running Intel HD Graphics 3000 on a Mobile Sandy-Bridge processor from 2011.

I repeat, get a good CPU!

If you can recommend a good CPU, I'd be glad. I don't think the Intel is compatible with my build. I'll mix and match and see what I get. I'm pretty happy with my 4-Core X4, though.

[Slam_Jones]

For the CPU-only upgrade, I'd recommend the Athlon X4 860K. The CPU performance is the same as the best A10 processor, but it cuts out the GPU (not needed when you have a separate graphics card) and is about half the price of the A10.

For the platform upgrade, I wouldn't bother with Socket AM3+ and the FX processors. It's an old platform and the CPUs haven't been really updated in a couple of years and can't touch Intel's best at the high end. I'd have another look at an Intel build; with Intel CPUs being less power-hungry than the AMD FX's you might not need a power supply upgrade and that will save the pennies.

After looking at that Athlon, it turns out it is a different socket type, ergo would require a new Mobo. My buddy ended up ordering the A10, which I installed for him yesterday. Despite being in a mini case (I felt like I was performing surgery on a midget, especially being just after installing all my components in the Termaltake Level 10 case) it was actually the easiest CPU change-out I've ever done. Both the CPU and Heat Sink were very cooperative, and the PC only required one restart to get going. He can now run WoW on Ultra (although he could do that with the A4), and can run Titanfall and BattleField 4 without hiccup, and both look beautiful. Looking forward to getting Battlefront. Should look great

[_Aramchek_]

I think you should get something other than an Athlon, the Intel Pentium K G3258 is around 70$, and can be overclocked to 4.5 Ghz.

KSP only uses 1 core, so it's 2 cores should be able to handle it.

(Though you should get something with at least 4 threads for future-proofing)

Just get anything newer than an Athlon, or Intel Ivy Bridge.

You don't really need the 950 to run KSP, get a 750 ti or an AMD equivalent, the CPU is much more important for KSP.

For Max settings, the 750 ti should be enough, since I'm running Intel HD Graphics 3000 on a Mobile Sandy-Bridge processor from 2011.

I repeat, get a good CPU!

This, this is good advice,the i3 will run the game much better than the AMD cpu you've chosen, just choose a cheap-ish mb for intel platform to go with it and you're good to go.

[Camacha]

Should have a slot free. It's the tiny pci slot right?

Be sure to find out whether it is PCI or PCIe. That is relevant. Also make sure you can install the card without interfering with other cards, or obscuring airflow. If you block or limit a video card air intake, it will not like it very much.

[cantab]

After looking at that Athlon, it turns out it is a different socket type, ergo would require a new Mobo.

Ooops, sorry for the misadvice. On checking, yeah, a socket FM2+ motherboard will support FM2 and FM2+ CPUs, but a socket FM2 motherboard will not support FM2+ CPUs. The slightly older 760K is an FM2 processor, but it's water under the bridge now and the A10-5800K will offer virtually the same CPU performance.

[xiej]

I meant the intel, and a Z97 motherboard.

http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/motherboard/#c=99&sort=a8&page=1&R=5,4

The Athlon should be able to run it fine, but the Intel CPU's will run MUCH better.

[TomSawyer2112]

Don't worry. I run KSP fine with my GTX 750 Ti, 8 gigs of RAM, and my Intel i7 4770 3.4 Ghz Quad core.