KSP1 Computer Building/Buying Megathread

[Galacticruler]

You should save up for a low end Nivida graphics card cause that should do it.

I would advise against this.

if your build came with or was designed for Radeon chips, you'll probably need a newer one of those.

I suggest either an updated GPU of the same family, or a whole new build(less viable, but usually better).

Bandaid vs Paramedics.

Read up on that card, it is a PCI Express x16, so here are some compatible cards that should be somewhat cheap GPU wise:

http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/video-card/#m=45,18,41&i=39&c=26,27,18,58,59,60,79,109,110,112&sort=d6

Edited November 16, 2013 by Galacticruler

[Camacha]

I've always wondered if my Graphics card is my system's weakest part. CPU and RAM usage never get near the maximum when when multitasking but I think that my GPU just doesn't cut it.

As a test you could download something like MSI Afterburner to check GPU load while using Task Manager to check CPU and RAM load while doing a task. If there is any performance problem, it will usually show up in one of those.

When it are visual settings that cause problems, there is a reasonable chance the GPU is to blame. However, measuring it is the only way to know for sure.

I would advise against this.

if your build came with or was designed for Radeon chips, you'll probably need a newer one of those.

I suggest either an updated GPU of the same family,

I am not sure what you are trying to say, but unless you have some very specific OEM BIOS or very rare hardware, any computer will take any brand card. It is as simple as that. There is no need to go looking for a Radeon because that was already in there, even though the best new card might well turn out to be a Radeon.

Read up on that card, it is a PCI Express x16, so here are some compatible cards that should be somewhat cheap GPU wise:

http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/video-card/#m=45,18,41&i=39&c=26,27,18,58,59,60,79,109,110,112&sort=d6

Pretty much any modern card is compatible.

Edited November 16, 2013 by Camacha

[briansun1]

apparently the 560 is the best price to performance card out there...

[Galacticruler]

I am not sure what you are trying to say, but unless you have some very specific OEM BIOS or very rare hardware, any computer will take any brand card. It is as simple as that. There is no need to go looking for a Radeon because that was already in there, even though the best new card might well turn out to be a Radeon.

Never mind, turns out I had no clue what I was talking about.

[Leonov]

apparently the 560 is the best price to performance card out there...

Its a Fermi card so i would advise against it. The Kepler cards are fairly cheap and most high end gaming can be done on as little as a GTX 660.

But bang for buck wise on new GPUs i find myself recommending either the GTX 760 or the R9 280X.

[Camacha]

But bang for buck wise on new GPUs i find myself recommending either the GTX 760 or the R9 280X.

Yeah, those cards are big league gaming for an acceptable price. I can imagine those are still too expensive for some though. If you want a lot of fun for not a lot of money I think the cards just below those are interesting. Sure, you will not have a gazilljon fps in the newest shooters, but not everyone cares for that or wants to spend a lot of money on it.

If you have the ~200 lying and you do not mind spending them on pretty pictures you should go for the GTX760 or R9280X. Especially compared to the upper high-end cards they are incredible value for money. They are not that much slower, but cost considerably less.

[briansun1]

Oh,I wasn't going to buy one it's just a topic that came up for discusion.

[Galacticruler]

so, you've all heard of the soon-to-be Crucial DDR4 RAM?

[briansun1]

apparently "Skylake" will have mainstream support for DDR4

Edited November 19, 2013 by Leonov

[Camacha]

so, you've all heard of the soon-to-be Crucial DDR4 RAM?

All I can think is whooptidoo. It's just like with DDR3 vs. DDR2; an increasingly marginal gain that is primarily nice on paper. It is just like with tv's; technologies are released at an purposely steady pace, so consumers will keep consuming. DDR4 sounds better than DDR3, but if you tell people the gain is negliable, they are not so keen to spend hundreds of euro's.

The plus side is that computers have matured out of their infant growth spurt, the downside is that there is hardly any interesting stuff happening anymore. 5% faster this, 3% speedier that, nothing really exciting.

The only exception are SSD's, although those are now also evolving instead of revolving.

Edited November 19, 2013 by Camacha

[Galacticruler]

All I can think is whooptidoo. It's just like with DDR3 vs. DDR2; an increasingly marginal gain that is primarily nice on paper. It is just like with tv's; technologies are released at an purposely steady pace, so consumers will keep consuming. DDR4 sounds better than DDR3, but if you tell people the gain is negliable, they are not so keen to spend hundreds of euro's.

The plus side is that computers have matured out of their infant growth spurt, the downside is that there is hardly any interesting stuff happening anymore. 5% faster this, 3% speedier that, nothing really exciting.

The only exception are SSD's, although those are now also evolving instead of revolving.

well, here is the page about it:

http://www.crucial.com/promo/DDR4.aspx

from what it shows, it won't be marginal, it will be exponential.

[Camacha]

well, here is the page about it:

http://www.crucial.com/promo/DDR4.aspx

from what it shows, it won't be marginal, it will be exponential.

There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics. Do not expect a lot, as it will not make big difference. If you have some spare time check out benchmarks on how different DDR3 frequencies affect performance in otherwise similar systems. The only chips that actually have some noticable performance gain are AMD APU's with shared memory.

The biggest gain is the lower power consumption and that is most interesting for laptops. No one I know that is into computer hardware is very excited about DDR4. It is the next logical evolution, but surely not a revolution.

[Galacticruler]

True, but still, this is a big step over DDR3 RAM.

I'm more interested in how long it will take mobo companies to make compatible mobos.

[Camacha]

True, but still, this is a big step over DDR3 RAM.

A big step in what?

I'm more interested in how long it will take mobo companies to make compatible mobos.

Find out when the first DDR4 compatible Intel or AMD chip comes out and you can rest assured that the first motherboards for those chips will be presented in the month or three before launch.

It looks like Haswell-E is the first platform to have DDR4, and my guess it that - as it has a product cycle of about a year - that will be released a year after Ivy-E, which would be Q3 2014.

[Rassa Farlander]

Ok I posted in the thread awhile ago, its getting close to the time where I actually build my machine

Im going with this:

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/Rassa_Farlander/saved/2y6g

Im looking for something to play KSP, EVE online(havent played before but want to) and maybe battlefield 4, while surfing the net and doing some schoolwork. I think it is something that will last me and fit my needs/wants nicely

One thing I havent noticed talked about around here (unless I missed something) is Anti-virus & anti-malware protection software. These are things that everyone needs but what are the good options?

[ZedNova]

I have a question.

I've finally picked out all the parts for my "dream" (fairly decent) machine, and i have the money to get them now. It's going to run me about $850 dollars. The most expensive parts are the Graphics card, CPU, and Windows 7. Would any of these parts drop in Price on black Friday or the following Monday? What ways could i save as much money as possible when ordering these things?

Edited November 21, 2013 by ZedNova

[briansun1]

Ok I posted in the thread awhile ago, its getting close to the time where I actually build my machine

Im going with this:

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/Rassa_Farlander/saved/2y6g

Im looking for something to play KSP, EVE online(havent played before but want to) and maybe battlefield 4, while surfing the net and doing some schoolwork. I think it is something that will last me and fit my needs/wants nicely

One thing I havent noticed talked about around here (unless I missed something) is Anti-virus & anti-malware protection software. These are things that everyone needs but what are the good options?

that Ram seems a bit on the pricy side and why not Win 8.1? As for Av I use Avast (it's free)

the one that comes with microsoft makes is also decent.

I have a question.

I've finally picked out all the parts for my "dream" (fairly decent) machine, and i have the money to get them now. It's going to run me about $850 dollars. The most expensive parts are the Graphics card, CPU, and Windows 7. Would any of these parts drop in Price on black Friday or the following Monday? What ways could i save as much money as possible when ordering these things?

maybe on the Gpu and Cpu but no on the OS that almost never goes on sale. also why not Win 8.1?

[ZedNova]

that Ram seems a bit on the pricy side and why not Win 8.1? As for Av I use Avast (it's free)

the one that comes with microsoft makes is also decent.

maybe on the Gpu and Cpu but no on the OS that almost never goes on sale. also why not Win 8.1?

Personal Preference. I've used 8.1 and it's a step up from 8, but i still prefer 7. Plus i know all of my Ancient games work on it.

---

This is the parts list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/25H7Y

My budget is 900 USD or lower. Any different suggestions for a certain part(s) would be nice. I've already got the peripherals. I'm going for Micro ATX as i don't have a ton of room for a large tower.

Edited November 21, 2013 by ZedNova

[briansun1]

Personal Preference. I've used 8.1 and it's a step up from 8, but i still prefer 7. Plus i know all of my Ancient games work on it.

---

This is the parts list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/25H7Y

My budget is 900 USD or lower. Any different suggestions for a certain part(s) would be nice. I've already got the peripherals. I'm going for Micro ATX as i don't have a ton of room for a large tower.

I would go with a bit beefier Cpu and save some money on non brand name Ram

oh and microcenter has a walk in deal on that hdd you have in your list but in the 1tb variety...but for the same price

[Rassa Farlander]

@ briansun1

My RAM is just a placeholder til I actually go get it and find something at microcenter

I know nothing about Win 8.1 or Win 8 for that matter. Is it better? Is it still compatible with older programs and games? Example, Command & Conquer?

Is the Anti Virus that comes with Windows ok then? I shouldnt have to get anything else? Ive heard of Avast but know nothing about it. I just dont want my baby when I build her go to crap right away for dumb and/or silly reasons like viruses, trojans, root-kits.

[Camacha]

that Ram seems a bit on the pricy side and why not Win 8.1? As for Av I use Avast (it's free)

the one that comes with microsoft makes is also decent.

I would advise to avoid free antivirus solutions. I might sound strange, but free ones are more popular, which in turn means more virusses are written to evade it. Especially Windows Essentials seems to get bypassed more often than others. You should not depend on security through obscurity, but you should not discredit it either.

[Galacticruler]

Windows 7 all the way.

or linux.

[Camacha]

I must say, I finally tried Windows 8 and I am pleasantly surprised. I expected a horrid experience, but it was actually pretty decent. Of course, you have to find your way, but that is every time something changes. Change in itself is not bad.

[briansun1]

@ briansun1

My RAM is just a placeholder til I actually go get it and find something at microcenter

I know nothing about Win 8.1 or Win 8 for that matter. Is it better? Is it still compatible with older programs and games? Example, Command & Conquer?

Is the Anti Virus that comes with Windows ok then? I shouldnt have to get anything else? Ive heard of Avast but know nothing about it. I just dont want my baby when I build her go to crap right away for dumb and/or silly reasons like viruses, trojans, root-kits.

I would still get the free avast just incase. And on win 8.1 there really is no reason if you're starting a new build to go with win 7 unless you know for sure that your program will not run on win 8.1.(or you can duel boot) Just download this or this or anything like it (there are free ones) and this to get rid of that stupid "metro button" in win 8.1 use this On ram try and get 8gb but it is always better to have dual channel than single channel and for re rest of the numbers try and get it at a 1600mhz clock with the lowest timings you can find. (timings are more important than clock speed.)

[Leonov]

I stand firm that Windows 8 and 8.1 is simply Windows 7, Mobile Edition.

Therefore i personally would not spend the money on it if i could pick up a copy of Windows 7 for less.

People will still develop programs for Windows 7, it will still be around for awhile just like XP.