Hardware & Technical Computer Build to run Elite Dangerous

[NeilF]

Your welcome, also if you read page 97 to 100 or thereabouts you will get an idea of what a few people have and in particular one persons used this website http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/2tMyC to choose his setup. He is using a slightly cheaper cpu and a different manufacturer for his motherboard but apart from that it is similar to my thoughts.

I've got that 2TB Seagate Barracuda as a secondary drive, and I'd recommend getting something else if possible.

The drive itself is great, but it makes an annoying head parking metallic pinging sound quite often. I've moved the drive elsewhere in my case in order to try and shield this sound, so I don't hear it so often/much now, but I still do at times!

If there's nothing else you fancy by all means get it... But be warned


You haven't listed a cooler for your CPU? Or a PSU or case? Check overclockers.co.uk as they quite often do motherboard/cpu/memory bundles.

 

[Pyros]

Your welcome, also if you read page 97 to 100 or thereabouts you will get an idea of what a few people have and in particular one persons used this website http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/2tMyC to choose his setup. He is using a slightly cheaper cpu and a different manufacturer for his motherboard but apart from that it is similar to my thoughts.

I'd advise for a faster than 1600 DDR3 - it is, after all, a small price difference. And according to tests, it does bring benefits.

 

[NeilF]

I'd advise for a faster than 1600 DDR3 - it is, after all, a small price difference. And according to tests, it does bring benefits.

Does the MB detect the faster ram and use it accordingly? Or do you manually change the memory speed in the BIOS?

 

[Zieman]

Does the MB detect the faster ram and use it accordingly? Or do you manually change the memory speed in the BIOS?

You set XMP profile to use in BIOS. You can of course tweak stuff manually, but if you just want to run the RAM at its rated speed (higher than 1600 MHz), XMP is the easiest way and works without hassle.

 

[NeilF]

You set XMP profile to use in BIOS. You can of course tweak stuff manually, but if you just want to run the RAM at its rated speed (higher than 1600 MHz), XMP is the easiest way and works without hassle.

So what speed memory are you suggesting instead of 1600? And in reality, is it actually going to be noticeable for the extra expense/hassle?

 

[Zieman]

So what speed memory are you suggesting instead of 1600? And in reality, is it actually going to be noticeable for the extra expense/hassle?

I checked some prices, and the cost doesn't seem to be a factor anymore: only 2 € difference between 1600 MHz kit & 2400 MHz kit (2x8 GB Kingston Hyper-X Beast).
One thing to consider is overclocking, some CPU/RAM combinations seem to be sensitive in such way that achieving high clocks on both can be difficult. That said, I got my rig to run stable with i7-4770K @ 4,2 GHz & Kingston Hyper-X Beast 2400 MHz @ 2400 MHz - and I was less than fortunate with the i7, couldn't get anything resembling stability over 4,3 GHz, no matter what speed I ran the RAM or how high I ramped the CPU voltage.

 

[deusx_ophc]

So what speed memory are you suggesting instead of 1600? And in reality, is it actually going to be noticeable for the extra expense/hassle?

i spent some 2K EUR 2 weeks ago on a new rig. these RAM modules have done well and i use them with xmp.

 

[Pyros]

I checked some prices, and the cost doesn't seem to be a factor anymore: only 2 € difference between 1600 MHz kit & 2400 MHz kit (2x8 GB Kingston Hyper-X Beast).
One thing to consider is overclocking, some CPU/RAM combinations seem to be sensitive in such way that achieving high clocks on both can be difficult. That said, I got my rig to run stable with i7-4770K @ 4,2 GHz & Kingston Hyper-X Beast 2400 MHz @ 2400 MHz - and I was less than fortunate with the i7, couldn't get anything resembling stability over 4,3 GHz, no matter what speed I ran the RAM or how high I ramped the CPU voltage.

The 4770K is a dog of an OC chip, although I can get mine to over 4.4, I'm currently running it at 4,2GHZ. Depends a lot on luck, regardless of RAM. Also tekie into account the need to increase the voltage of other areas besides the core voltage.

Regarding RAM, the faster, the better, but for Haswell pick at least a 1866 modules (according to Anandtech extensive testing). With such a small difference to 2400 I'd go there (I actually did so, having a pair of 8GB DDR 2400 Trident X DIMMs), but diminishing returns kick in.

 

[NeilF]

I checked some prices, and the cost doesn't seem to be a factor anymore: only 2 € difference between 1600 MHz kit & 2400 MHz kit (2x8 GB Kingston Hyper-X Beast).
One thing to consider is overclocking, some CPU/RAM combinations seem to be sensitive in such way that achieving high clocks on both can be difficult. That said, I got my rig to run stable with i7-4770K @ 4,2 GHz & Kingston Hyper-X Beast 2400 MHz @ 2400 MHz - and I was less than fortunate with the i7, couldn't get anything resembling stability over 4,3 GHz, no matter what speed I ran the RAM or how high I ramped the CPU voltage.

Cheers!

I'm happy to sit tight on my hardware for the moment and look at upgrading if/when I need to. Maybe later this year...

Any new chips on the way this year worth considering over the trusty i5/i7 Haswells?

 

[nosscar]

I am hoping I can run this game with my present system. (in my sig), I want to wait until maybe next year to upgrade. As a good cpu/gpu today, will be cheaper then. I know I could overclock, but heat issues and inexperience make me want to avoid this.

 

[Faerie]

I am hoping I can run this game with my present system. (in my sig), I want to wait until maybe next year to upgrade. As a good cpu/gpu today, will be cheaper then. I know I could overclock, but heat issues and inexperience make me want to avoid this.
FX 6300 3.5ghz 6-core. 8 Gb DDR3 ram, 2 TB hdd.
Nvidia GTX 560, OCZ modxstream pro 600W psu.
Strike-X One Advance Mid-Tower, Win 7 64bit.

That's a decent mid-range rig & I reckon it will run the game very sweetly - I tested the alpha on my old Core 2 Duo E8400/GTX 460 computer & it ran very well, though it would have been much better with a faster CPU such as yours.

 

[Duncan147]

Budget AMD home build on order

I had some unexpected free time today and my idle hands were bedevilled into ordering PC components...

I haven't used PCs for gaming since about ten years ago, but had been reading around the subject and proceeded with the following aim:
- Small, quiet, and capable of running ED well and act as a media centre, with some light bluray/DVD ingest duties
- Relatively Cheap

I ended up with a micro-atx tower based on AMD CPU and graphics coming in at £853.38. Main features:

8-physical core AMD CPU rated very highly in a "benchmark score per £" test (sorry, I've lost the article link...)

Mid range AMD graphics card with 2GB video RAM, which seemed good value and well thought of

120GB SSD. I already have a NAS box for storing media and can always add more storage later if I feel the need (the longer I wait, the cheaper it gets)

Spent a little more on components to reduce noise (PSU, case, CPU fan)

Already have peripherals, and will probably run it through the telly or even remote desktop from my laptop.

Here's the full list of parts:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/wishlist/2GXG4DLEQF3WA/ref=reg_hu-rd_add_wl?ie=UTF8&layout=

Looking forward to bolting it together - haven't built a PC since I was back at uni

 

[nosscar]

great, thanks for that info Faerie

 

[jamieboo]

Anyone tried to play the alpha using a i7 920 at stock speeds (2.66)?
I know it overclocks pretty well but I'd like to get a yardstick of how well it performs at stock.
I know of course that the GPU will be a factor also - I have an aging HD 5850.

Thanks

 

[intel]

I am hoping that my Geforce 680 will be able to run the game at MAX settings.

 

[Zieman]

I am hoping that my Geforce 680 will be able to run the game at MAX settings.

It should be able to that easily.

 

[Firestarter]

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.

If you're on a budget check the speed of the on-board RAM. A 1GB card with GDDR5 memory will be better than a 2GB card with GDDR3 memory.

 

[overfiendk]

Duncan147 that is a very nice PSU, except you dont need 750w check http://www.extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp for a good target. I'm sure that will save you £20 for a HD7850 or equivalent nvidia. That HD7770 will run E.D I guess but you can get a much better card for just a little extra.
Looking at your heat sink I guess you are after a quiet box, so defiantly read reviews on gpus mine gets really loud when bitcoin mining but ok mostly when gaming as I use earphones

 

[blibbka]

Apologies if this has been answered before but this thread is way too long to read all the posts!

So I don't really know much about current PC standards since I stopped paying attention to that kind of stuff when I had my 486. I probably don't have the patience or time to build the PC from scratch.

What PC should I buy to play ED? I'm taking monitor + PC ideally in one package.

Perhaps two options - a £1,000 to £1,500 option and £1,500 to £2,000 option.

Would be useful for me as doubt my 3 year old laptop will provide a satisfactory experience

Thanks!

 

[SlinkyJim]

Graphic card query

Anybody updated their graphics cards lately? I'm looking for some feedback from anyone who's running a sapphire R9 280X Toxic in the alpha test or anybody else for that matter.