KSP1 Computer Building/Buying Megathread

[Galacticruler]

http://pcpartpicker.com/forums/topic/4618-anyone-else-think-this-is-a-good-budget-build

[Leonov]

http://pcpartpicker.com/forums/topic/4618-anyone-else-think-this-is-a-good-budget-build

What do you plan to do with this?

Im assuming your budget is around $600?

Other than that,

The 7770 is an alright card for the money.

If you can get an FX series CPU i would suggest a FX-6300, the phenoms are a tad dated.

Two sticks of 4GB@1600 will outperform a single stick of 8GB@1333.

The comments on that are very good.

Edited May 21, 2013 by Leonov

[Camacha]

What do you plan to do with this?

Two sticks of 4GB@1600 will outperform a single stick of 8GB@1333.

The comments on that are very good.

Do consider that upgrading at a later date is somewhat limited, when choosing 2 x 4 GB instead of 1 x 8. The gain in speed is quite minor, while the (im)possibility of upgrading might cause some problems along the road.

[Leonov]

You make a good point there.

It usually comes down to situationals.

If you buy a board that supports dual channel memory, Why not utilise it?

Most users wont need* to get over 8GB of Ram.

*There is always the intangible "Moar ram = good" thought process.

[Technical Ben]

Do consider that upgrading at a later date is somewhat limited, when choosing 2 x 4 GB instead of 1 x 8. The gain in speed is quite minor, while the (im)possibility of upgrading might cause some problems along the road.

Wait, your board only has 2 slots? Hmmmm...

[Camacha]

*There is always the intangible "Moar ram = good" thought process.

Too little RAM is a major problem, too much is a waste of money Despite all kind of fancy Windows trickery that is supposed to enhance performance with more RAM, I haven't seen many reviews/benchmarks that actually comfirm any significant gain. What was true before is still true now; RAM that is not in actual use is money wasted. For even quite heavy users/gamers 8 GB is generally enough, some folks that like to edit video's, VM's or run some other specific application might have a use for 16 GB or even more.

However, making use of dual channel (or not) could be a decisive factor. Also, currently DDR3 RAM is getting more expensive, so one could stock up for the future and smack in those 16 GB's anyway. There are quite some considerations and there is no single truth. Take in advice from people, look at your situation, look at your wallet and buy with your mind (and not your heart).

Wait, your board only has 2 slots? Hmmmm...

Cheaper or smaller boards tend to have a limited amount of slots. But it really does not matter that much, fact is that filling up two slots limits the possibilities after that. A lot would say that does not matter, some might say it does.

[Leonov]

Cheaper or smaller boards tend to have a limited amount of slots. But it really does not matter that much, fact is that filling up two slots limits the possibilities after that. A lot would say that does not matter, some might say it does.

Indeed, Ram is very subjective discussion with verying opinions on what is right or wrong.

Plenty of factors should go into your purchases. Such as what you want to do and what you currently do. Sure editing anytihng on a computer an be ram intensive, but most end users dont.

Edited May 21, 2013 by Leonov

[Galacticruler]

Thank you all for the input.

the only problem is that this will take years to afford...even for a low budget PC.

[Camacha]

Thank you all for the input.

the only problem is that this will take years to afford...even for a low budget PC.

The good part is that computers are getting more and more affordable and actually already are.

Let me take a different approach: what do you want to do with it? If money is tight, a PC can be built for a specific situation. It will not get you all round high FPS, but some usable performance in areas that matter to you is very achievable. To be honest, spending a lot of money for crazy performance is only interesting if money truly is no object or if you are a bit of a nitwit not knowing what you want

[Leonov]

The good part is that computers are getting more and more affordable and actually already are. -snip-

+1 on this advice.

Do some thinking, take a real look at what you use you computer for. Affording a computer is sometihng that shouldnt be discussed here.

[Moustachauve]

Should I upgrade to a single gtx 680 and only change my power supply (My motherboard have a pci2 slot) or buy two gtx 660 and change my motherboard too?

[Leonov]

What is your budget?, what do you do with your computer?

[Moustachauve]

My budget would be around 600 $, I found somewhere GTx 660 at only 200$ ( http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=76367&promoid=1281 )

I use my computer for multiple game. I play games like Battlefield 3, Arma 3, Ksp (of course ) and multiple others

I already have a i7 and 8gb of ram, the only thing I miss is a good graphic card ( Gt 430 )

[Leonov]

The GTX 680 is a very good card, It definatly beats out the two 660s in SLI. If your board can handle a 680 go for it. What kind of PSU are you thinking of getting?

[Moustachauve]

I don't know how they work exactly, but from some calculator I found on the web, I would need something around 475 watts, but maybe I haven't filled out the form perfectly

Edit:

This card (680) is really cheap ! is it a good deal, or is it actually a scam?

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/searchtools/item-Details.asp?EdpNo=2313386&SRCCODE=LSCAN&cm_mmc_o=-ddCjC1bELltzywCjC-d2CjCdwwp&AffiliateID=M4w4lFcgKio-uZNefFj53OJOpJrxtYwIQA

Edited May 23, 2013 by Moustachauve

[Leonov]

With a $20 mail in rebate this card would be a better choice. http://us.ncix.com/products/?usaffiliateid=1000031504&sku=71118&vpn=GTX680%2DDC2O%2D2GD5&manufacture=ASUS&promoid=1281 Same card, better manufacturer, better deal. ~$429

[Moustachauve]

Ok thank you

And last question, I really don't want to run my computer on a bad power supply, but I'm not sure on what I should choose. Mine is a (better than I though) 485 watts cheap power supply. ( http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=725278 )

I have an i7 2600 @ 3.4 (Default clock), 8 gb of ddr3, one 500gb hard drive 7200 tr/min. Am I ok with the one I have? any other suggestion?

[Leonov]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139050&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=

This is a Corsair CX500M PSU. It will be plenty of power for that card and your setup.

[Garoad]

It should be powerful enough to do just about anything. But yeah, mostly gaming.

Here's mine:

There's one thing it can't do, but you did say just about anything...

I can't believe I'm the first one here to post that. Did I miss it?

[Moustachauve]

Thank you Leonov

[Camacha]

The GTX 680 is a very good card, It definatly beats out the two 660s in SLI. If your board can handle a 680 go for it. What kind of PSU are you thinking of getting?

I am sorry, but benchmarks show this simply is not true. Two GTX 660's will beat a GTX 680. There are, of course, other factors to consider, like microstuttering, drivers and power consumption, but when it comes to computing power the two cards in SLI are the better option.

[Leonov]

I was taking into effect that if he were to get an SLI setup he would have to change motherboards, which from situation to situation could be more expensive/a headache. So a simple solution with a nice boost over a single 660 would be a 680.

[Camacha]

I was taking into effect that if he were to get an SLI setup he would have to change motherboards, which from situation to situation could be more expensive/a headache. So a simple solution with a nice boost over a single 660 would be a 680.

That is good reasoning Also, when the cost is the less or the same, a single GPU setup is almost always preferable to dual GPU setups (even when both GPU's are on the same card). This is occasionally not true when the generations differ massively or stuff like that, but in almost every case this does seem to be true.

SLI/CF is only viable when the desired calculating power is not achievable with a single card, or when the price difference is big. The highest end cards tend to have a crappy bang for the buck, so sometimes a dual card setup is just the sensible thing, despite certain drawbacks.

[Leonov]

Indeed.

Im in the process of building my rig so i just went for a single GTX 660.

My board is good for 3way SLI so I may do that later on down the road, thats always an option.

What are your specs?

[Camacha]

Indeed.

What are your specs?

I built this about a year ago to replace a truly ancient P4 machine. It was built with silent power mind mind, and as a Photoshop and Solidworks (mainly workstation) machine that should be able to play some games too. Might get some upgrades soon, but money is a bit tight at the moment. I'm loving it, it is quite fast and incredibly silent, it is everything I built it for. After years holding out and working with old gear, I finally have some proper kit.

i5 2500K

Asrock P67 Extreme 4 Gen 3

Samsung 830 128 GB SSD (they are much more affordable now)

8 GB DDR3 1600 RAM

Asus GTS 450 1 GB GDDR5 with Arctic Accelero S1 Rev. 2 (silence!)

Antec P180

Windows 7 Pro (Windows 8 Upgrade purchased)

Creative X-Fi XtremeMusic

Scythe Mugen 2 Rev. B

NZXT Sentry 2

Nexus Real Silent Fans (5x)

Nexus Value 430 PSU

2 GB Caviar Green as an external HDD via USB3

1 GB Caviar Black for internal storage, though currently not installed.

Upgrades would be a new keyboard and mouse, as the wireless ones I'm using now are causing trouble. After that a RAM upgrade would be first and maybe a new GPU after that, although the ones I'd like to buy are a bit too expensive right now (HD7870 XT or GTX 660 (Ti)). On the other hand, almost everything works pretty decent (bar the keyboard), so upgrading is a bit of a luxury.

I think I am done spending money on the computer for a while, except for when something breaks of course. There are a few upgrades that would be mildly useful, but I think my money is better spent elsewhere. Though especially the GPU seems a bit under powered, everything I play and run (Adobe CS, Solidworks, Minecraft, Kerbal Space Program, CitiesXL, Saints Row 3, Skyrim, et cetera) is actually running very nicely at high settings. Spending the money for a GPU that amounts to effectively a minor upgrade seems a bit excessive. I did buy my motherboard to be SLI and CF compatible, but I do not think I will use that any time soon due to power and noise concerns.

I am currently looking at a 3D-printer, something I gave been flirting with since the dawn of the RepRap. I was on the verge of buying parts about a year ago, but due to various reasons it never actually happened. Now there are some even newer versions that look very good and are quite affordable (for 3D-printer standards), so I think it is time - or actually long overdue. That will be a much better investment than a better video card, hah.