Lanbox CPU / MB combo for KSP

[mattd390]

I am building a lanbox to play kerbal space program at my buddies house. What CPU / MB combo would you recommend. The MB needs to be of the mini-itx form factor. All suggestions are greatly appreciated!

[DMagic]

Do you have a budget in mind? What kind of case are you using, one that will allow for at least some overclocking?

For a high end combo I would go with one of the ASUS ITX boards, the ones with the daughter board for some of the power circuitry, and a newer Intel i5 k edition CPU, a 3570k or 4570k. You probably won't be able to get a big OC, but you should be able to get a little above stock speeds. If you aren't doing any overclocking then you can probably go for a cheaper motherboard and a non-k i5, maybe a low power version if you are worried about heat.

AMD CPUs, in my experience, tend to underperform on KSP, that's why I recommend sticking with Intel.

I currently run an i5 3470 on an EVGA H77N ITX board with an AMD HD7750. Some of the CPUs I mentioned above perform better than mine, but it's not a huge difference. And cooling isn't an issue even in my extremely small case (~4.5L), so you can probably get away with some overclocking if you want.

You can check out my database if you want to see more about how different CPUs compare. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/showthread.php/42877-CPU-Performance-Database

[lammatt]

AMD if you overclock

otherwise Intel always...(because AMD is cheaper and you wont feel as sad if you cook your CPU)

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however, ATI is better than nVidia IMO... nVidia is overpriced.

so... i would say... getting AMD + ATI is a better choice if u have budget constraint and otherwise Intel+nVidia.

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(i dont build PC too often, my first is a pentium 200, and then a celeron 300A and i skipped the Pentium3 to core2duo era for notebooks, and i built the one i am using now 4years ago which is a phenomIIx4 955 on 2X4850 crossfire)

and my experience tells me... the more lower end the CPU is, the more it can overclock usually... i ran my celeron 300A at 450Mhz and i couldnt get my pentium 200 to run at 233 stably; i guess this is the good thing about buying things that scored low in the crop harvesting process.)

Edited September 16, 2013 by lammatt

[lammatt]

mini-itx isnt good for game...

because you cant get decent air ventilation, you are at risk of cooking your CPU and display. (unless your case is very well designed and your fans are super strong)

and for mini-itx... you cant basically get a decent display, you are forced to use the onboard display, so, in this case, i think intel is a better choice.

for the motherboard, anything EXCEPT ASUS and Gigabyte is ok (of cos ASrock is counted as ASUS too)

ASUS has super bad customer service (in case u need it), while Gigabyte things tend to die pretty quickly...but since you are building mini-itx....i dont think you have much choice, probably ASrock will be the best bet.

Edited September 16, 2013 by lammatt

[DMagic]

There are many ITX cases that allow for full sized video cards, some of them are a bit big, but they work. Or if you want you can go much smaller like mine and be limited to low-profile video cards. For KSP a low-profile HD7750 works fine.

[Fiddlestyx]

I have a lanbox that I built a couple years back for ~$500. It plays KSP perfectly fine, it also plays Minecraft, GTA IV, Skyrim, Dishonored. None of those are at max settings, but none of them are at lowest settings either. I get lag spikes every now and then, but nothing game breaking. You should be able to build something better for about the same price now. I personally would have gone with AMD, but couldn't find a good MOBO at the time. I had to replace the stock Intel heat-sink, because let's be honest, their heat-sinks suck. I also got lucky and found a Viewsonic monitor (VA712b) at Goodwill for $17.

Zotac Geforce 9300-ITX WiFi (onboard gpu, because when I first built it I couldn't afford a video card, added that later)

Radeon HD6570 1gb

Intel E6700

4gb ADATA ram

Just make sure you get a well ventilated case and a PSU that can handle it all.

It's not a great computer, but it's better than a laptop and I can always upgrade it in the future.

[lammatt]

for ATI.... i think anything lower than the 8 series isnt worth getting...

ie. for the 7xxx... the least you should get is 7850, or 7870

i have a reason for that...

a 7700s basically performs about the same as the 5800s, with a better power consumption.

but why would you buy something that performs only on par with something's that 2 generations ago?

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i have a question tho'

i've heard you can crossfire with 2 different chips now, is it true? (havent been following tech news since i got my last computer which is 4yrs ago)

does it mean i can crossfire a 7870 with a let's say an on-board 6750?

Edited September 16, 2013 by lammatt

[_Aramchek_]

AMD if you overclock

otherwise Intel always...(because AMD is cheaper and you wont feel as sad if you cook your CPU)

Intel if you overclock, as someone who used AMD cpu's exclusively for about a decade...there is no reason to buy an AMD cpu for anything gaming related unless you just can't afford to go intel.

however, ATI is better than nVidia IMO... nVidia is overpriced.

so... i would say... getting AMD + ATI is a better choice if u have budget constraint and otherwise Intel+nVidia.

Wha...? AMD gpu's cost pretty much the same for the equivalent performance, regardless though it doesn't matter so much for KSP, any halfway decent vid card from the last couple generations should run KSP just fine.

ASUS/Asrock are the best brands, customer service isn't terrible actually, I've had great customer service from them over the years myself but more than that ASUS boards pretty much don't die unless you do dumb things with them...and even then they still tend not to die completely.

[lammatt]

there is no reason to buy an AMD cpu for anything gaming related unless you just can't afford to go intel..

this is true.

and that's why i said u go AMD if you overclock since you may cook your CPU if you are too aggressive with bumping up the vCore.

[_Aramchek_]

this is true.

and that's why i said u go AMD if you overclock since you may cook your CPU if you are too aggressive with bumping up the vCore.

That doesn't make any sense, you're actually more likely to cook an AMD cpu too, and myself and several friends have also noticed, overclocked AMD cpu's tend to degrade over time.

Intel clocks just fine, I suppose you're hinting at the unlocked multipliers, but here's the thing, even a very cheap, low end dual core I3 cpu will murder an overclocked AMD BD/PD in this game..without overclocking much if at all., which is certainly within the possibilities of the locked multipliers.

There is zero reason to buy AMD right now aside from if you've already got the mb and don't have much cash. For gaming anyway. My old BD was better at desktop stuff and multitasking than my 4.5ghz i5 is.

[leax256]

for ATI.... i think anything lower than the 8 series isnt worth getting...

ie. for the 7xxx... the least you should get is 7850, or 7870

i have a reason for that...

a 7700s basically performs about the same as the 5800s, with a better power consumption.

but why would you buy something that performs only on par with something's that 2 generations ago?

-----

i have a question tho'

i've heard you can crossfire with 2 different chips now, is it true? (havent been following tech news since i got my last computer which is 4yrs ago)

does it mean i can crossfire a 7870 with a let's say an on-board 6750?

yes and no, the two chips have to be in the same family(same archetehure) inorder for it to work which basicly means they are really the same.

also I have a 7770, It was cheaper than the nvidia counterpart and runs most things fine.

also the reason to buy the newer thing is the fact that it is more efficient(lower power bill) and it can run newer tech ie. Direct x 11(vs.10 for the 5800s) and after a an upcoming(if not already here) driver update, 11.1

Edited September 17, 2013 by leax256

[Rarity]

I'm sorry, but unless you get the 5GHz FX processor, AMD is next to useless for playing KSP. If you're building a rig primarily for KSP, then your only real option is Intel.

[_Aramchek_]

also the reason to buy the newer thing is the fact that it is more efficient(lower power bill) and it can run newer tech ie. Direct x 11(vs.10 for the 5800s) and after a an upcoming(if not already here) driver update, 11.1

5xxx series is dx 11 too.

But your other points are all god, just wanted to mention it.

I'm sorry, but unless you get the 5GHz FX processor, AMD is next to useless for playing KSP. If you're building a rig primarily for KSP, then your only real option is Intel.

Honestly, I think that would even be embarrassed by a i3 in KSP.

[leax256]

5xxx series is dx 11 too.

just checked it and yea, slight oversight on my part, though 11.1

Honestly, I think that would even be embarrassed by a i3 in KSP.

I wouldn't go as far to say that but yea, a lower speed more power efficient Intel is prefered for insane builds.

though my phenom II 965 @ 3.8 ghz* can run ksp at decent fps till about 400 parts and I build part efficient...mostly

*(3.4 stock, would push further but becomes unstable if any faster and I'm not touching the voltage till I can afford to replace it if I fry the CPU)

[_Aramchek_]

just checked it and yea, slight oversight on my part, though 11.1

I wouldn't go as far to say that but yea, a lower speed more power efficient Intel is prefered for insane builds.

though my phenom II 965 @ 3.8 ghz* can run ksp at decent fps till about 400 parts and I build part efficient...mostly

*(3.4 stock, would push further but becomes unstable if any faster and I'm not touching the voltage till I can afford to replace it if I fry the CPU)

I had a oc'd, beastly BD, and sadly though, yeah...in KSP, an i3 with a light oc would easily be faster.

Your Phenom 2 is faster clock per clock and on lightly threaded/single threaded games/apps than BD/PD, and in my expereince you hit the land of diminishing returns after about 4.3ghz with that architecture.

And KSP is all about fpu/ipc performance.

Like I said though, for desktop stuff BD/PD is good, gaming is a mixed bag, and KSP loves intel.