Getting a new PC. Does Elite have any preferences (Cpu, Gpu)?

Shir

Shir
Have been unable to play Elite for some months now, since my Amd gpu last drivers update messed up..

.. but it's time to get a new desktop PC anyway. Probably will spend around 700 euros, don't need a screen nor windows 10 (I have a license). 16 gb fast memory, an SSD drive.

I see some proposals with Amd, some with Intel processor, same with GPUs, a few models keep showing up. I'd like to stay away from an Amd gpu since I kept having problems with driver updates etc.

Any suggestions, or things I should be aware of? I'm pretty computer savvy, but haven't shopped PCs in a few years..
 

finglonger

F
ED needs a good graphics card, you should be looking at nvidia or amd GPU, ED might work with an intel chip but you will need to severely reduce your graphics settings

specs for ED here:
customersupport.frontier.co.uk

Does my computer meet the minimum requirements to run Elite Dangerous?

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS Below you can find the minimum and recommended system requirements for Elite Dangerous as well as Elite Dangerous: Horizons on Windows.The system requirements for Elite Dangerou...
customersupport.frontier.co.uk customersupport.frontier.co.uk

you need to be looking at GPU first, cpu second unless your buying one of those new top notched GPU. if your thinking of upgrading the GPU only in an older machine you also need to bare in mind newer GPU my suffer performance degradation (may not reach its full potential) if your using an older CPU ie on my system with a i7 7700k theres arround a 15-20% performance loss if i upgrade to a 2080ti
 
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TheMindBuddah

TheMindBuddah
If it helps to judge, this is mine running 7680x1440p on high (No AA and reduced shadows)

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbinImBkjNA&t=2s


It's a 7 year old i7 4790k with a GTX 1070.
Elite on High runs well on lower mid systems.
If i go single screen at 2560 x 1440 then Ultra is no problem.
As finglonger mentions beware of bottleneck at lower resolutions.
For example am planing of upgrading to a RTX 3070 next year.
At 1080p it will bottleneck by 30%+ but 7680x1440p, that is reduced to about 5%!
 

Anticon

Anticon
My ancient graphics card recently went cranky, so I upgraded to a GTX 1660 Super (the best that would co-operate with my older motherboard and i7-4790). Results excellent. I don't feel compelled to go above those specs for ED on a single-monitor setup.
 

varonica

varonica
There's only 1 answer, 1) fast and 2) faster!

Well ok technically that was two, but it was a two part question, and the answers are interchangeable anyway!
 

MickyG1982

M
Shir said:
Have been unable to play Elite for some months now, since my Amd gpu last drivers update messed up..

.. but it's time to get a new desktop PC anyway. Probably will spend around 700 euros, don't need a screen nor windows 10 (I have a license). 16 gb fast memory, an SSD drive.

I see some proposals with Amd, some with Intel processor, same with GPUs, a few models keep showing up. I'd like to stay away from an Amd gpu since I kept having problems with driver updates etc.

Any suggestions, or things I should be aware of? I'm pretty computer savvy, but haven't shopped PCs in a few years..
Click to expand...

Don't base your PC around Elite Dangerous alone. Simply buy/build the best that you can afford with thr best specs you can get.
 

Hooplah

Hooplah
My eight year old PC with a newer graphics card works fine. But then Odyssey is coming and what comes after that? I play ED on an amazing curved wide screen monitor doing 3440x1440 at the ED Ultra settings without issues. Still VR players are concerned. We'll see...
 

Ashnak

Ashnak
Current generation (as opposed to a year ago) AMD has the better deals, GPU or CPU - problem likely will be that you can get neither (but the same goes for intel/Nvidia).
GPU will depend on your personal graphics preferences - resolution and performance. I run a 1080ti, which is struggling with VR, but should be fine otherwise.
GPU side, ED will make good use of basically any architecture - my Ryzen 7 3800x isn't even getting warm. But that setup is out of the price range you quoted.

PCPartPicker is usually a good address (even if you have access to the yearly c't articles about PC building) - this build here should be within the range you mentioned, or at least serve as a decent starting point.
 

JackoMD

J
As an example of what an older system can do and what you can expect with a new system, here are my specs i7-6700 @ 4.8, DDR4 2900, M.2 SSD, RX580.
FPS is over 100fps. All graphics detail is set to max.

Problem with pc part picker is you end up getting parts from different places but they are good for a part list then get them all from one place.

AMD, Nvidia and Intel, I have no preference, I'd go with an asus motherboard, EVGA PSU, Corsair have great customer service (they sent me an I/O panel when out of warranty for free)
 

WeComeInPeace

WeComeInPeace
I started playing ED on an I7 7700, a GTX 1060 3GB and an Oculus Rift CV1. That worked just fine, but I had to turn down some of the eye candy.

Recently I've build a new PC, (thanks to Jay, Linus and Steve), with a Ryzen 3950x, and a RTX 2070 that has since been upgraded to a RTX 3070.

I now run everything on high/ultra, and it does look great. However, considering the amount of $$$ I have put into the new PC, I would say that the old PC performed remarkably well. The actual difference between medium and ultra settings aren't that big, except for shadows and a few more.

The biggest advantage of having a fast GPU is the option to supersample, which in the case of the Rift CV1 makes a significant difference. Text looks much sharper, and it's basically like having a better resolution in the VR headset. This is because you move your head, meaning that the pixels rendered in the headset change, and the more image information you can put into the scene being rendered, the sharper and more detailed it is perceived.

Nobody knows what Odyssey will bring, but time will tell... 🤶
 

Shir

Shir
Thanks everyone. I believe the most demanding game I play is Cities Skylines. I do some video editing also however.

I'll probably order something within the week, see how long it takes for it to arrive now with the covid restrictions causing havoc to courier services.

It'll feel great to return to the game. See my carrier again, parked somewhere deep into the Formidine Rift currently I believe!
 

WeComeInPeace

WeComeInPeace
If you do video editing, depending on what resolution you run, looking into the rendering capabilities of the GPU is worthwhile. I also use my PC for 3D and editing, and both have gained considerably with the 2070, and even more with the 3070 because of all its Cuda cores. Much more than the 32 thread CPU. Memory might also be worth looking into. I have 64 GB but I rarely use that. 32 GB will probably be fine in most cases, and for gaming 16 GB should be enough (for now...).

Another thing to be aware of is airflow and cooling. I run a small ATX cabinet with 2 x 200 mm fan inlet and a 120 mm outlet. The CPU is cooled by a Noctua Black 120 mm cooler (not water cooled). This setup does get warm during heavy load, but nothing alarming, and I haven't experienced any throttling due to heat, which is all you need to worry about, if you don't overclock like crazy. Overclocking is only worth it, if you are an extremely high level gamer, since most normal gamers won't notice the performance gain you get, and the PC also runs more quiet without OC.
 

Schmack

Schmack
I'm running Elite on a EVGA RTX 3080 and I cannot tell the difference between that and the 1080Ti I was using before. I use a 49" curved Samsung monitor at max resolution (5120x1440)

There's no stuttering either way for me.
 

IronmanG

I
TheMindBuddah said:
If it helps to judge, this is mine running 7680x1440p on high (No AA and reduced shadows)

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbinImBkjNA&t=2s


It's a 7 year old i7 4790k with a GTX 1070.
Elite on High runs well on lower mid systems.
If i go single screen at 2560 x 1440 then Ultra is no problem.
As finglonger mentions beware of bottleneck at lower resolutions.
For example am planing of upgrading to a RTX 3070 next year.
At 1080p it will bottleneck by 30%+ but 7680x1440p, that is reduced to about 5%!
Click to expand...
What fps are you running on this setup. Looks good and great to know a 1070 can run this on high
 
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