Hardware & Technical Computer Build to run Elite Dangerous

[Squicker]

If the game is written with threading in mind then the OS should take care of that and use all cores right ? Failing that the OS for background tasks should run smoother anyway.

As long as the multi-threading is correctly written then yes, the Windows Executive will schedule the threads upon whatever cores are appropriate. However, it's no unusual to see games written in such a way that threads are sat waiting for other threads to complete\handover execution, and you end up with poor multi-core oprimisation regardless.

Rift is a classic example of this, it spawns 35 threads but the main one is stuck on one core which runs at 100% while the others do nothing much, and it means even on an 8 core CPU the game is bound by the maximum clock speed of this single core. Rift lost subscribers hand over fist when this first came to light, because no one is going to put up with what might as well be a single-threaded app in 2013. I therefore imagine Frontier will be well on the ball with this sort of thing!

But it might be the case games often execute in a sequential way which means parallel tasking options are limited compared to professional applications.

 

[Variform]

Is ALIENWARE any good?

Are they a reliable brand of computer?

Would the latest model the Alienware X51 good enough to run Elite - Dangerous the way it's meant to be.

I am thinking of getting one of those.

Can anybody talk me out of it?

If you go for a ready made system you are paying more than you need to. Alienware is a brand, so it is better to assemble your own system. It is not very hard if you take a few precautions. You can find info on that online.

The gfx card in that system is up-to-date, but not when it is July 2014. Depending on your budget, get a 7 series card.

But in principle, that system will run Elite fine but who can be sure when the requirements have not been established yet.

 

[Variform]

I have a 512vram ATI card, and I hope it will run Elite on low settings, but in case it won't I have been looking at cheap 1gig cards.

My problem is I have no idea how to install a video card, or even if a 1gig will fit? (Despite the fact that my PC is a desktop, it reads my video card as a laptop...

AMD Radeon HD 7470 is what my Device manager tells me. Not sure if that is removable or not.

Bleck. Spent most of my formulative computer years on a laptop, don't know a THING about desktops.

When you upgrade your videocard, always get as much on-board RAM with a minimum of 1 GB. Replacing a gfx card is very easy and you can find tutorials online. Basically, unscrew it, drag it out. Connect the power cable, which is idiot-proof these days I think.

The only thing you have to make sure of, depending on your case, is the length of the card. Best thing to do is open your case on the left side and measure how long that card is, how far back it sticks out towards the front. All brands give details on the size of their cards.

 

[Patrick_68000]

so it is better to assemble your own system. It is not very hard if you take a few precautions.

Yes it is better, to mount your own system. Or ask a small assembler of neighborhood

 

[Memnoch]

In addition I'm certain there are plenty of system builder websites out there with hints and tips. I've never bought an off the shelf system and always enjoyed the system building process. But even so, I always feel a little apprehension when fitting a large heat sink. So much at stake at that point!

 

[Squicker]

Is ALIENWARE any good?

Are they a reliable brand of computer?

Would the latest model the Alienware X51 good enough to run Elite - Dangerous the way it's meant to be.

I am thinking of getting one of those.

Can anybody talk me out of it?

Alienware are owned by Dell and Dell are...Well, let's say they are the Ford Mondeo of PCs. Middle of the road and bad customer service. Certainly since the Dell takeover Alienware seem to have developed something of a sketchy reputation for support, even though the specs are indeed what we'd expect in a modern gaming rig. I personally feel Alienware are the souped up Vauxhall Nova of the PC world, all garish LEDs and plasticky cases, but not really doing anything you can't see done better elsewhere.

If you were going to buy a ready made machine you might consider a specialist builder such as http://www.chillblast.com/ They are an example BTW, there are others.

You could build your own system but there's not a massive cost saving to be had and it depends how much you value your time. For me the half a day spent putting a PC together could be better invested elsewhere, but a lot of people do make their own PCs and enjoy the learning process itself. One major point if you make your own machine, you will be in a warranty\SOGA nightmare with different parts from different suppliers, if anything goes wrong. Whereas anything sold in the EU has to ship with a two year warranty now.

 

[Memnoch]

Alienware are owned by Dell and Dell are...Well, let's say they are the Ford Mondeo of PCs. Middle of the road and bad customer service.

I don't normally do this but I would have to disagree and back Dell here. We use them for exclusively for Windows systems at work, for desktops, laptops and servers. If you have ProSupport they are a joy to deal with. You ring them up, you tell them what's wrong, jump through the small number of hoops you have to to satisfy the rep and you get your replacement part the next day. Simples!

I can't say for sure what your experience would be without enterprise support, I would personally never buy a system without it, especially for laptops and servers.

 

[Squicker]

I can't say for sure what your experience would be without enterprise support, I would personally never buy a system without it, especially for laptops and servers.

My experience with Dell is at an enterprise level (up to 40k users with Dell client devices some smaller enterprises with Dell servers) and they have always disappointed compared to the other major market players. Particularly in the server area they are very poor in comparison to HP IME.

However, your mileage may, and indeed appears to have, varied, which can only be a good thing!

 

[Cody]

One major point if you make your own machine, you will be in a warranty\SOGA nightmare with different parts from different suppliers...

If you self-build, it pays to buy quality components with good manufacturer warranties.

 

[Memnoch]

Agreed. Which you aren't going to get from off the shelf kit, to be frank. In the PC world, you get what you pay for is true...unless it's a Vaio or Macbook.

 

[Squicker]

If you self-build, it pays to buy quality components with good manufacturer warranties.

Nonetheless, your contract is with the retailer and if there is a problem you can realistically expect the retailer to initially anticipate that the home enthusiast putting the machine together is the one who has ****ed up (lack of anti-static precautions for example). If you have multiple retailers you are into a world of fault finding to component level and, to me anyway, what's the point, when I know I can appoint a good vendor to make the whole thing while I do something more enjoyable\profitable with my time? Remember that you only want to fall back on a manufacturer warranty once your statutary rights with the retailer are exhausted.

I do accept that some people find the whole process very rewarding and therefore will accept this risk and, once you've put a few PCs together it's a low risk anyway, but it's most certainly a real risk.

 

[HaiderGill]

Alienware are owned by Dell and Dell are...Well, let's say they are the Ford Mondeo of PCs. Middle of the road and bad customer service. Certainly since the Dell takeover Alienware seem to have developed something of a sketchy reputation for support, even though the specs are indeed what we'd expect in a modern gaming rig. I personally feel Alienware are the souped up Vauxhall Nova of the PC world, all garish LEDs and plasticky cases, but not really doing anything you can't see done better elsewhere.

If you were going to buy a ready made machine you might consider a specialist builder such as http://www.chillblast.com/ They are an example BTW, there are others.

You could build your own system but there's not a massive cost saving to be had and it depends how much you value your time. For me the half a day spent putting a PC together could be better invested elsewhere, but a lot of people do make their own PCs and enjoy the learning process itself. One major point if you make your own machine, you will be in a warranty\SOGA nightmare with different parts from different suppliers, if anything goes wrong. Whereas anything sold in the EU has to ship with a two year warranty now.

I always put my own together but am an IT grad/professional. You can find quite a lot bespoke builders who will put together a system where specify the exact components...

 

[HaiderGill]

Agreed. Which you aren't going to get from off the shelf kit, to be frank. In the PC world, you get what you pay for is true...unless it's a Vaio or Macbook.

But then you also have to pay for the industrial designer...

 

[HaiderGill]

This is interesting...

So my 5yr old Q6600 vs a modern i5 760.
Left 4 Dead 2 (max 1680x1050): 102 vs 125
Fallout 3 (med 1680x1050): 67 vs 86
Crysis Warhead: 70 vs 86

Now, bearing in mind my old Q6600 is overclocked by about 20+%, the difference between my 5yr old CPU and a modern i5 processor is surprisingly small surely


That said I don't know if the i5 760 is a good example of an i5 or not?!

Hi,

I run an i5-760 and it is pretty easy to overclock it to 3.6GHz using an £30 Enermax ETS-t40 tb heatsink and fan. Stock it runs at 2.8GHz. You can push it up to 3.8/4GHz with better cooling. You can probably pick up a good combo motherboard, cpu and videocard on eBay. eBay is your friend, computer components depreciate big time and I'm not big on depreciation. I think the videocard is more important, though it is a balancing game. I'm running an Radeon HD 7950 overclocked out of the box to 950MHz (800). I currently have ambitions to get a better, cooler and quieter case. My current case has been around for about 13 years. Once done hopefully I can push the graphics card over a 1 GHz. Another thing to bear in mind is refresh rate of your monitor. My monitor does 60Hz whereas the lounge 3D plasma can handle 120Hz. Though for Elite sessions I'll have to somehow get it past the wife. I just think gaming on 55 inch screen and 5.1 sub & speaker setup you do get blown away with it...

 

[Patrick_68000]

I don't normally do this but I would have to disagree and back Dell here. We use them for exclusively for Windows systems at work, for desktops, laptops and servers. If you have ProSupport they are a joy to deal with. You ring them up, you tell them what's wrong, jump through the small number of hoops you have to to satisfy the rep and you get your replacement part the next day. Simples!

I can't say for sure what your experience would be without enterprise support, I would personally never buy a system without it, especially for laptops and servers.

My experience with Dell is at an enterprise level (up to 40k users with Dell client devices some smaller enterprises with Dell servers) and they have always disappointed compared to the other major market players. Particularly in the server area they are very poor in comparison to HP IME.

However, your mileage may, and indeed appears to have, varied, which can only be a good thing!

Michael Dell: "I will have sole control of Dell. Nobody can tell me to leave … "
The Président and CEO, who acquired for 25 billion dollars the IT group which he established in 1984, plans to develop on the crenel of tablets. We became the number 2 of the PC in China and have the first place for PC for companies in the United States, the biggest market to the world. We increase our parts and have very strong positions in the servers which play a major role for the development of the services and for our growth strategy. Our priority is the market of companies. We see tablets as equipments close to LAPTOP PCS. We intend thus well to be one of the leading players to the world of tablets.

 

[OneoftheLost]

When you upgrade your videocard, always get as much on-board RAM with a minimum of 1 GB. Replacing a gfx card is very easy and you can find tutorials online. Basically, unscrew it, drag it out. Connect the power cable, which is idiot-proof these days I think.

The only thing you have to make sure of, depending on your case, is the length of the card. Best thing to do is open your case on the left side and measure how long that card is, how far back it sticks out towards the front. All brands give details on the size of their cards.

Ah good to know! I'm always leery of looking things up online, because google is only as good as your search phrases, and when you know nothing...

 

[Robert Maynard]

When you upgrade your videocard, always get as much on-board RAM with a minimum of 1 GB. Replacing a gfx card is very easy and you can find tutorials online. Basically, unscrew it, drag it out. Connect the power cable, which is idiot-proof these days I think.

The only thing you have to make sure of, depending on your case, is the length of the card. Best thing to do is open your case on the left side and measure how long that card is, how far back it sticks out towards the front. All brands give details on the size of their cards.

Don't forget to check if your PSU is up to the task - suddenly expecting a power supply that was quite happily managing to provide power to the existing PC to then provide another 200 watts (in some cases) or so will cause issues.

I have used this online PSU calculator to help size PSUs that have then happily run the system for years.

 

[Variform]

That is vitally important too. I remember my old 8800 card. It needed 400W on the 18A rail or something like that. Nowadays technologies have changed. I think even the big cards have lower requirements.

Nice modular PSU is great, no extra cables. High efficiency, like 85% or so, that should do it.

 

[ianw]

Ah good to know! I'm always leery of looking things up online, because google is only as good as your search phrases, and when you know nothing...

Just do a quick search on you tube for pc building tutorials. I built my setup recently - first one - and it was really easy.

There's a ton of resource on yt.

 

[Squicker]

Re Dell picture: Never trust a man whose eyes are too close together.