Building a new computer because of this wonderful game!

[cjakobp]

Last week-end I started to play this great, new game! I've logged like 90 hours gameplay already! Just can't stop iterating.. To get to the point, with my current two year old AMD build, the game lags a lot. I have been reading, and people say the physics demand a lot of processing power. I've fallen so much in love with building rockets, I've decided to construct a computer in the same sense.

i.e. I want to cram as much power as I possibly can into it, but still fly (bang for your buck).

I will mainly play KSP, some LoL, some DayZ and rarely WoW. I never play them all at the same time, so hard drive space isn't an issue. For entertainment I have several HTPC's with larger hard drives placed around my home. So this is about helping me build a computer for around £1k that is optimized for KSP.

I've already put together something I think is quite powerful for the money spent. I just need advice if I should go for better processor, but also step down on the graphics (to keep budget). As mentioned before, it's mainly about how it would run and perform in KSP, however I wouldn't mind a stunning world in DayZ either.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor (£251.99 @ Aria PC)

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (£24.49 @ CCL Computers)

Motherboard: Asus Z87-K ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£98.97 @ Amazon UK)

Memory: Crucial 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£100.17 @ Amazon UK)

Storage: Corsair Force Series GS 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk (£95.00 @ Ebuyer)

Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card (£219.00 @ Ebuyer)

Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case (£47.98 @ Dabs)

Power Supply: StarTech 530W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply (£49.00 @ Ebuyer)

Total: £886.60

(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-26 21:11 BST+0100)

Notice I couldn't find the evga 760 in the list yet, so it will be more expensive. Also my choice for PSU is the 'be quiet! 530 80 bronze' which is more expensive. Currently this build costs 980 GBP with the lowest prices i could find that ship to Stockholm, Sweden.

Is there anything i can do to further optimize my experience, performance wise, in and around this budget?

Edited June 26, 2013 by cjakobp

[KasperVld]

Moved it to the Junkyard, no offense: that's just our off-topic area

[The Destroyer]

You forgot to approve kasper

[g_audio]

Looks good. Unfortunately, KSP won't utilize all the cores (atleast not yet), so you may be able to go cheaper in that respect. Then again, quad cores are pretty cheap these days. The 760 isn't a bad price. I'm kind of weirded out that it's cheaper than my GTX670 though.

Do you plan on putting in any extra fans into the case? That's always a good idea. It probably fits 120mm or 140mm ones. Im not sure how many that ships with, but I've always had to buy extras to install on the top/bottom/side. Also if you're on carpet buy/make something to elevate it off the ground. This way you can be a little more at ease if you decide to overclock for the added performance.

[Uberick]

I just did the exact same thing

I also got the new 4770k, and I can say that it made a world of difference coming from a gen II i5 in my last PC. My framerates more than doubled without overclocking.

What you have there looks like a pretty good setup, the only thing I would recommend changing is a more powerful CPU cooler to get a better overclock on your CPU(you can take most of those to 4.5Ghz or more). Overclocking helps quite a bit with KSP framerates, seeing as how the game is not really optimized yet.

I bought and use a Noctua NH D14(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608018), and it keeps my CPU temps around 40c even under load with ambient temp at around 75 degrees F(which google tells me is about 24 degrees C) Liquid cooling solutions might be better, but I have no experience installing those so I avoided them.

[g_audio]

The Hyper 212 should be okay. I used it on an i7 3930k @ 4.2Ghz and I never have heat issues, even on an extremely hot day. Keeping a CPU at 40c under load is awesome, but may be overkill for being on budget. I think most of them can operate without damage at anything under 65c-75c.

[cjakobp]

Looks good. Unfortunately, KSP won't utilize all the cores (atleast not yet), so you may be able to go cheaper in that respect. Then again, quad cores are pretty cheap these days. The 760 isn't a bad price. I'm kind of weirded out that it's cheaper than my GTX670 though.

Do you plan on putting in any extra fans into the case? That's always a good idea. It probably fits 120mm or 140mm ones. Im not sure how many that ships with, but I've always had to buy extras to install on the top/bottom/side. Also if you're on carpet buy/make something to elevate it off the ground. This way you can be a little more at ease if you decide to overclock for the added performance.

I'm gonna buy 2 extra fans, so with the ones included with the case, I'll have a total of 4 case fans.

I'm pretty sure this game will eventually release with both 64bit support and utilization of more cores. I want to be ready when that time comes.

I just did the exact same thing

I also got the new 4770k, and I can say that it made a world of difference coming from a gen II i5 in my last PC. My framerates more than doubled without overclocking.

What you have there looks like a pretty good setup, the only thing I would recommend changing is a more powerful CPU cooler to get a better overclock on your CPU(you can take most of those to 4.5Ghz or more). Overclocking helps quite a bit with KSP framerates, seeing as how the game is not really optimized yet.

I bought and use a Noctua NH D14(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608018), and it keeps my CPU temps around 40c even under load with ambient temp at around 75 degrees F(which google tells me is about 24 degrees C) Liquid cooling solutions might be better, but I have no experience installing those so I avoided them.

I think I'll switch to the Noctua D14, thanks for the tip!

One funny bit of data I've stumbled across in my research is that 4770K + GTX760 consistently scores higher game physics score in 3DMark compared to similar setups but with 4770k + GTX770!! How can this be? I've been comparing equal rigs in the 3DMark database. Is the 760 "cooperating" better with the processor, and therefore handles the physics better?

[Leonov]

I would go for a Corsair PSU, I like quality of build. Regarded to many best in the buisness.

That is a good CPU cooler for that CPU, 100% nesiccary IMHO if your going to get a haswell and even want to do a mild OC.

The single core performance on that will make KSP very enjoyable.

All in all looks like a great build.

If you can find faster ram at that price i would recomend it, KSP loves Ram, KSP goes nuts over Fast Ram.

Maybe come visit us at the KSP Computer Building Megathread?

Edited June 27, 2013 by Leonov

[Jnrdingo]

I would honestly suggest a larger hard drive, as cache files can build up over time. To put into perspective, I just cleared 12 GB of cache files 2 days ago. That was 1 months worth of cache files from installing and un-installing files. As for size I would recommend at least 256GB. This is my own opinion though, and I know that SSDs are quite expensive, I think here where I live in Australia its a $3:$1 ratio for solid state versus hard disk.

[cjakobp]

I would go for a Corsair PSU, I like quality of build. Regarded to many best in the buisness.

That is a good CPU cooler for that CPU, 100% nesiccary IMHO if your going to get a haswell and even want to do a mild OC.

The single core performance on that will make KSP very enjoyable.

All in all looks like a great build.

If you can find faster ram at that price i would recomend it, KSP loves Ram, KSP goes nuts over Fast Ram.

Maybe come visit us at the KSP Computer Building Megathread?

Thanks, due to the move to junkyard, I've sadly missed the main thread, will head over immediately!

What do you think would be the best ram for the money if i increase my budget for them to about £150? What speed can i get for that?

Also my choice for PSU is the 'be quiet! 530 80 bronze'. I shouldn't hit more than 400W with OC on both GPU and CPU a guy told me in a Swedish overclocking forum. Notice that I couldn't find bequiet! in the parts list on pcpartpicker. its like £15 more expensive than the one i picked as a substitute.

I switched to the Noctua NH-D14 as well.

Right now it's only about what faster ram i should use instead.

btw, I'm so irritated that this same build costs £980 when i buy from Swedish stores.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor (£257.99 @ Aria PC)

CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler (£63.22 @ Ebuyer)

Motherboard: Asus Z87-K ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£98.97 @ Amazon UK)

Memory: Crucial 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£99.04 @ Amazon UK)

Storage: Corsair Force Series GS 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk (£95.00 @ Ebuyer)

Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card (£219.00 @ Ebuyer)

Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case (£47.98 @ Dabs)

Power Supply: Fractal Design Integra R2 500W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply (£48.50 @ CCL Computers)

Total: £929.70

(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-27 19:29 BST+0100)