Hardware & Technical Computer for Elite Dangerous

thelivingdeadguy

thelivingdeadguy
Hi Commanders

So I've been looking at making the move from Xbox to PC gaming for a long time - honestly, just really intimidated by the idea of buying a set-up and getting started as I'm really lost with computer specs etc.

I wondered if people here would be able to help me out and let me know what kind of computer I should be in the market for?

I'd like to use VR (Oculus Rift or something else?) and a HOTAS (where do I even start here?) so it should be able to handle that and for my work I'd be looking for a big two-monitor set-up too.

I want something that will be able to squeeze the most out of Elite Dangerous and at least be a decent machine compared to others in the market for the next 12 months or so, I'd be open to upgrading after that.

What should my budget be here? Do I have any hope of accomplishing that for three-thousand pounds or so?

Techy help much appreciated.

o7
 
  • Like (+1)
Reactions: NW3

mono

mono
Yes, that budget would build something that will be fine for a couple of years at least, plus monitor, vf and hotas.
 

Dad Rock

Dad Rock
That budget will get you something really nice. I'd also add to that a pair of Vonhaus arms to save up real estate on the desk for the HOTAS, but check that the monitors can be attached to it first. For that kind of money, you can probably get yourself a nice Thrustmaster Warthog, foot pedals, and a 1080Ti graphics card.

Good luck.
 

lokvette

lokvette
For three grand you going to get a PC that can handle vanlia ED wihout even breaking a sweat, it will be just tiggling the cpu let alone the GPU, my brother in law spent around a grand (none VR rig) and the bang for buck he got will see him ok for a few years. this was - a moniter but saying that they have come down a lot.

My rig hasnt changed much in three years bar the gtx750ti, I added last year, its a AMD fx8somthing 6 core, 16 meg, and normal sata HD. I play the game on high setting bar planets and I use rehade and get a around 60 fps in space it does drop around planets.

Cant speak for VR as my rig wont handle it, but I do belive 3K will see you right. :)
 

GreyAreaUK

GreyAreaUK
Computer-wise I was in the same boat (although moving from Mac to PC just for Elite) and I ended up buying this PC:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01J1OGI92/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Price was £870. I replaced the 240GB SSD with a 500GB one just because. It's been a superb machine, in my opinion. The case is perhaps a tad flimsy but it's fine for my purposes. I even ended up adding some case lights, because I refuse to grow up.

HOTAS: I got a Warthog A10 when they were £280. Never regretted it.

My monitor is a Dell Ultrasharp 28" that runs at 2560x1440 and cost about £400 if memory serves.
 

the100thmonkey

the100thmonkey
For three grand you can build an utter beast of a PC that will chew E:D up and spit it out. In fact, you could probably build a PC that will run two instances of the game at ultra 1080p easily.
 

Viking84

Viking84
For VR I would get a 1080ti and a 7700k processor, with at least 16 GB of fast RAM and a fast harddrive (M2 or SATA SSD)

I have a 6700K, and a regular 1080 GTX, and it handles VR well but I can't turn up the settings past "VR High", and turning up the supersampling (i.e. rendering a bigger picture than necessary, then scaling it down for added crispness) is a no go in Elite as it affects performance too much.

In summary: Ignore those that say you should consider a budget PC, VR is resource demanding and requires a top spec PC to work at its best :) That said £3000 is probably enough if you buy a ready built PC from a reputable vendor, and should cover the PC, the Oculus set, and an OK screen + HOTAS.
 
  • Like (+1)
Reactions: NW3

NW3

NW3
thelivingdeadguy said:
I'd like to use VR (Oculus Rift or something else?) and a HOTAS
Click to expand...

If you want VR now, I'd suggest you consider a Pimax 4K, which has a high enough resolution to eliminate the "screen door effect". If you can wait until Jan/Feb 2018, there's a Kickstarter for the Pimax 5K and 8K. I'm signed up for a 5K.

While a full HOTAS would be great, you can get by with something much cheaper. I have a Logitech 3D Pro Extreme, which is a joystick with a throttle and a bunch of buttons. It's about $40.

Also, consider getting Voice Attack and an HCS Voice Pack, for about $25. (I have the one voiced by Obsidian Ant, but there are a lot to choose from.) It's very convenient to use spoken commands instead of trying to remember which button triggers an infrequently used action. Highly recommended.

The Pimax 5K and 8K have built in earphones and a mic, which is great for voice commands and speaking to other pilots in a wing.
 
Last edited:

Viking84

Viking84
Re HOTAS choice, one thing to consider with VR is that all buttons must be easily distinguishable, which is not always the case for the lower end offerings. The more expensive setups have different button types and clear placement that means you can easily feel what you are pressing without being able to see the controller :)
 

Mr Flibble

Mr Flibble
£3k will buy you a nice pc, but may struggle to get you good performance if you are including the VR and monitors in that price:(

£400 x2 for screens + VR at £400, thats £1200 gone already!

I would do it in stages.
Start with the pc and a monitor, then add vr/another monitor and see how it goes.

Remember don't skimp on the things you interact with and/or can carry over to your next build. invest in decent a keyboard, mouse, screens, case and PSU.

VR needs a lot of horse power so you are looking at a Fury x or 1080ti (maybe even 2), currently I would go 1080ti due to crypto mining pushing the amd prices through the roof.

The current cpu meta is : gaming only go intel, if you are doing work too go AMD (ryzen).
And don't forget to treat yourself to a nice NVe M.2 ssd and an uprated HSF :)

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gpu-hierarchy,4388.html
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/cpu-hierarchy,4312.html

https://hexus.net/
https://www.anandtech.com/
 

Achilles7

Banned
Achilles7
Comparing my impressive PC to the one you'll end up with reminds me of the time when one of my colleagues showed me his new business card...with subtle off-white colouring & it even had a watermark...grrrr!
 

Mr Flibble

Mr Flibble
C4R1TON said:
http://www.microcenter.com/product/474127/G221_Desktop_Computer

I just picked this up a few weeks ago. I was in the same boat wanting to go PC to play with my PC brothers and not just Xbox. The other reason was to fly HOTAS but with the hotas one out now it's just for the latter. Now when we get cross play, I guess I will find another reason to use my PC lol.
Click to expand...

That would be an excellent choice for a single 1080p screen setup.
Unfortunately it will fail hard at VR :(
 

thelivingdeadguy

thelivingdeadguy
Achilles7 said:
Comparing my impressive PC to the one you'll end up with reminds me of the time when one of my colleagues showed me his new business card...with subtle off-white colouring & it even had a watermark...grrrr!
Click to expand...

At work so can't type much but well-played sir! Rep coming your way.

Mr Flibble said:
£3k will buy you a nice pc, but may struggle to get you good performance if you are including the VR and monitors in that price:(

£400 x2 for screens + VR at £400, thats £1200 gone already!

I would do it in stages.
Start with the pc and a monitor, then add vr/another monitor and see how it goes.

Remember don't skimp on the things you interact with and/or can carry over to your next build. invest in decent a keyboard, mouse, screens, case and PSU.

VR needs a lot of horse power so you are looking at a Fury x or 1080ti (maybe even 2), currently I would go 1080ti due to crypto mining pushing the amd prices through the roof.

The current cpu meta is : gaming only go intel, if you are doing work too go AMD (ryzen).
And don't forget to treat yourself to a nice NVe M.2 ssd and an uprated HSF :)

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gpu-hierarchy,4388.html
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/cpu-hierarchy,4312.html

https://hexus.net/
https://www.anandtech.com/
Click to expand...

I have just so many questions - thank you for the info. Soon as I get a chance I'll be back in touch.
 

jmg

J
you can get a lot for 3k. a nice coffelake processor when they become available and a 1080ti (or even a 1070ti) will be a beast for this game and be more than capable of running vr. Yes, Vr takes a lot of horsepower, but keep in a 1060 is more than capable of running it at medium settings. a 1080ti will handle whatever you throw at it. Please, don't waste your money on SLI. I have dual titans. It looks pretty and gives impressive benchmarks, but you don't need it. IF you can, wait until the 1070ti's come out-- they're rumored to be almost as powerful as the 1080, and cost a decent amount less.


If you want to allocate funds, I suggest going higher on the GPU than blowing money on an expensive Intel top end chip--- you don't need a 10 core beast to run this game, even an AMD can handle it with zero issues (if you're into amd that is).

As for hotas -- if you want hands-down the best in the market, take a look at warthog hotas and throttle, and a set of crosswinds pedals.
You won't hear anyone argue that they aren't fantastic controllers-- they're expensive, but they are the best imho. You can get pretty close for a LOT less money thought, but that's really a subjective choice
 

Jon flint

Jon flint
Mr Flibble said:
£3k will buy you a nice pc, but may struggle to get you good performance if you are including the VR and monitors in that price:(

£400 x2 for screens + VR at £400, thats £1200 gone already!

I would do it in stages.
Start with the pc and a monitor, then add vr/another monitor and see how it goes.

Remember don't skimp on the things you interact with and/or can carry over to your next build. invest in decent a keyboard, mouse, screens, case and PSU.

VR needs a lot of horse power so you are looking at a Fury x or 1080ti (maybe even 2), currently I would go 1080ti due to crypto mining pushing the amd prices through the roof.

The current cpu meta is : gaming only go intel, if you are doing work too go AMD (ryzen).
And don't forget to treat yourself to a nice NVe M.2 ssd and an uprated HSF :)

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gpu-hierarchy,4388.html
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/cpu-hierarchy,4312.html

https://hexus.net/
https://www.anandtech.com/
Click to expand...

^Very much this^

£3000 is a reasonable budget until you factor in monitors and VR, I recently built a new rig that hit almost £3500 and that was without a monitor or any kind of vr, just the basics of the pc, hell, I didn't even include windows in that price!

As MrFlibble said, £1200 for monitors and VR +£200-£400 for some ram (16/32gb), throw some storage in there (£200ish), and for VR you'll want 1 or 2 1080ti's (£720-£1440). By this point you'll already have blown the budget and still need a PSU which can be around £150-£200 for a good 1000w unit and a case to put it all in (£50-200)...

Better to buy good solid basics and add the fancy stuff like vr later ;)
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom