Console player looking at biting the bullet

angusmadmac1

angusmadmac1
I've been console since I got rid of my Amiga 500 and I am after some help and advice from people who know more about PC than I do .
The specs I'm looking at
Ryzen 5 5500 CPU
Gigabyte A520m k V2 mATx motherboard
RtX 4060
16 GB DDR4
SSD 1 TB

So my main game will be Elite with NMS and possibly SC and Flight Sims ?
I will be hooking up to my main TV (LG 4k )
Ive a limited budget of around £800 ish .
What are your thoughts or what would your suggestions be .
Many thanks in advance
 

DeckerSolo

DeckerSolo
Your CPU choice is AMD's AM4 generation (2016 to 2022), if your budget will stretch you would be better considering an AM5 CPU with DDR 5 Memory to give you much better performance, future expandability and longer support. The 3D versions of AMD CPU's are class leading for gaming.
You would also be advised to find a GPU with at least 16GB VRAM
32GB RAM not necessary for Elite, but for flight sims the more the better.
As already mentioned a quality brand PSU is a very good investment and will stand the test of time.
 
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Robert Maynard

Volunteer Moderator
Robert Maynard
Did a quick check on a reputable e-tailer's site and they have something similar for £750 (with free delivery). The extra £50 would get you the 5600 rather than the 5500.
 

pvaljann

P
Specs wise it will run ED at 4k.
As noted, AM4 isn't a bad choice on a budget, but if you can afford to go AM5, it will last you longer.

You don't say if you are planning to build it yourself, so here's some generic advice...
Try to always get a decent brand PSU with stable separate PCI-e lines (also referred to as "multi-rail 12v"). About 650W to give you a bit of headroom, or 850W if you feel you might eventually upgrade the GPU to an Nvidia with "80" on the end of it.

Socket AM4 has a wide range of CPU coolers, just be aware that some can be very large or oddly shaped. Make sure your case has enough space.
Same goes for most Nvidia GPUs - depending on the card, it can be a long board, and some cases put an "SSD rack" on the same level as the main slot used for the GPU. Worst case is that it can block it if not removable.

Still. Shame about the Amiga though :)
 

angusmadmac1

angusmadmac1
Thanks for the input so far.
I have no experience on building PC's so will be buying pre built. The PSU is 700 watt .
As to the graphics vram most only have 8 GB ? I take it that would be upgradable ? Sorry about the question if it's obvious .
Consoles is plug in and play PC is a different kettle of fish
 

DeckerSolo

DeckerSolo
angusmadmac1 said:
Thanks for the input so far.
I have no experience on building PC's so will be buying pre built. The PSU is 700 watt .
As to the graphics vram most only have 8 GB ? I take it that would be upgradable ? Sorry about the question if it's obvious .
Consoles is plug in and play PC is a different kettle of fish
Click to expand...
GPU VRAM can NOT be upgraded unlike the motherboard RAM.
So when you buy a GPU with 8GB VRAM you are stuck with it.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4GCxObZrZE
 

the100thmonkey

the100thmonkey
The system you list above will work for Elite, but will struggle in CPU-bound scenarios such as ground conflict zones. A lot depends on the resolution you play at and whether you use FSR.

I put together the parts for a self-build that offers a better upgrade path - here. The build will come in at £855, although you may need to buy case fans.

The CPU is an R5 7600X. This is an AM5 chip, which will allow you to upgrade to later AM5 parts, such as the 9600X or X3D parts on either 7000 or 9000 series CPUs. The X3D parts are a significant step up in performance, but come with a concomitantly heftier price tag. The graphics card is a 16GB model for a bit of future proofing and to ensure that Elite isn't GPU memory limited.

I'm not convinced either the RX 7600XT or RTX 4060 will play the game adequately at 4K and would advise 1440p instead. Even then you might need to use FSR on the 4060 due to its small 8GB VRAM. A lot depends on what you find acceptable in terms of frame rate. If you can get it to perform as you like at 4K, then by all means go with that.

A Windows license isn't included, but you can find those on grey market key sites for £20 or less. You could always go for a straightforward Linux install (like Mint) and run the game through Steam/Proton. That will sidestep the need for a Windows license at all, although you will have to set things up in a more involved way than you would on Windows.

With regard to the build you posted above, I would question the A520 motherboard. It will have the absolute basics, but you'll be limited in the number of USB ports and won't be able to add a second NVME drive later if you fill up the first. The power delivery might cause problems if you later upgrade the CPU - a 5800X3D will work in it (if the BIOS is suitably updated), but will pull almost twice the power when fully loaded. Cheap motherboards are cheap motherboards.

The CPU is fine but rather limited in clock speeds.

Ask the seller for details - the make and model - on the PSU. A lot of low-end system integrators cheap out on it. As others have said, you don't want this to explode and take everything else with it.
 
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varonica

varonica
Robert Maynard said:
Take care when choosing the PSU - it's one component that, if it fails, can take out pretty much everything attached to it.
Click to expand...

I would second that, if you were to build it yourself and buy an inexpensive case the first thing to do is to throw away the PSU and buy a good quality one, while a cheap PSU might say 650W on the sticker, they often quite peak output, with sustained output actually being much lower, whereas good quality PSU's quote sustained output. Better off in fact buying a good quality case and PSU rather than a cheaper one.
 

angusmadmac1

angusmadmac1
Ok if I change the build just for Elite Odyssey do I need higher vram ? As the rtx 4060 seems to be stuck on 8 GB or do I go down the route of Rx 76000 xt with 16gb ? ( Remember pre build, as I don't have the confidence to build my own just yet , which is why the consoles suited )
And is there any difference between AMD and intel ? CPU and GPU?
Bearing in mind the cost ( plus future cost ) or is the £800ish a little on the stingey side ? Just for the PC ?
 

Robert Maynard

Volunteer Moderator
Robert Maynard
Noting the system requirements, 8GB is fine - if Elite Dangerous is the only game you plan to play on the system (noting that these are the minimum / recommended requirements for Odyssey - which may not be the same if and when any future DLC may (hopefully) be released for the game):
1744366547574.png
This article from Videocards.com (a re-publication referencing work done by PC Games Hardware) has a direct comparison of the effects of 8GB and 16GB of VRAM on games:

www.pcgameshardware.de

8 vs. 16 GiByte VRAM im Test: Bei Radeon-Grafikkarten unverzichtbar

Was bringen 16 anstelle von 8 GiByte VRAM in modernen Spielen? PCGH zeigt anhand von 35 neuen Benchmarks den Status quo Anfang 2025.
www.pcgameshardware.de www.pcgameshardware.de
 
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nemolomen

nemolomen
angusmadmac1 said:
Ok if I change the build just for Elite Odyssey do I need higher vram ? As the rtx 4060 seems to be stuck on 8 GB or do I go down the route of Rx 76000 xt with 16gb ? ( Remember pre build, as I don't have the confidence to build my own just yet , which is why the consoles suited )
And is there any difference between AMD and intel ? CPU and GPU?
Bearing in mind the cost ( plus future cost ) or is the £800ish a little on the stingey side ? Just for the PC ?
Click to expand...
FWIW...

I recently upgraded to a PNY 4060 Ti 16GB, which I got on sale, and it does quite well in ED (only game I play). I upgraded from 3060 16GB.

My other specs: AM4 socket Ryzen 5 5600X (3.6Ghz/4.8 GHz, 6 cores), 32 GB DDR4-3200 (4 x 8GB).

In Odyssey, I have my frame rate locked at 120 fps and I rarely dip below 50 fps, and only on the ground, and its still very playable then.

That said, I am looking to upgrade to an AM5 socket CPU and DDR5 RAM, its just not in my budget yet...
 

DeckerSolo

DeckerSolo
angusmadmac1 said:
Ok if I change the build just for Elite Odyssey do I need higher vram ? As the rtx 4060 seems to be stuck on 8 GB or do I go down the route of Rx 76000 xt with 16gb ? ( Remember pre build, as I don't have the confidence to build my own just yet , which is why the consoles suited )
And is there any difference between AMD and intel ? CPU and GPU?
Bearing in mind the cost ( plus future cost ) or is the £800ish a little on the stingey side ? Just for the PC ?
Click to expand...
If you are only going to play ED an 8GB GPU will be ok, but.

1. You'll be limiting yourself to lower in game resolutions and textures, particularly for on foot play, and
2. You're never only going to play ED on your new PC are you, then you will find saving £100 or so on a GPU has been a false economy.
3. 16GB is always better than 8GB, and will provide you a better long-term solution.
4. There is nothing wrong with AMD GPU's, I use to use them. There have been some minor issues with ED and AMD GPU's but nothing so serious to rule them out.

AMD / Intel CPU's

1. Two separate companies, two fundamentally different approaches & range of CPU's. But they effectively do the same thing.
2. Intel have lost their way a bit on CPU's recently having being overtaken by AMD in popularity for gaming, especially with AMD’s 3D CPU’s which are aimed fairly and squarely at gaming. Intel don’t have a 3D based CPU yet.
3. AMD based systems tend to be more future proof, energy efficient and run cooler than Intel. But providing you pick the right Intel CPU you won’t know the difference.

GPU’s

There are three manufacturers of GPU. Nvidia being the most popular, then AMD and finally Intel which are a niche player for GPU’s. Your choice really should be between Nvidia and AMD, personally I would disregard Intel as an option for a GPU and keep your choice between Nvidia or AMD.

Honest answer to is £800 a little stingy for the PC. Yes, think of it as a medium / long investment. It's a gaming PC not an office PC and always more expensive, unfortunately.

Buy a Motherboard / CPU combo that has an expandable / upgrade future. Yes it more expensive now but means you can upgrade later at a more reasonable cost, ie not having to change every component.

You’re looking to play games, the GPU is more critical to performance than the CPU. Most modern up to date CPU's can easily handle the game, the GPU can easily become overwhelmed.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGx_T8zCkWc

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vGifKSOlr0
 
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