Hardware & Technical Hardware advice required

[Im_Lost]

An AMD based PC with a R9 280 and a Piledriver CPU is most likely enough for ED, it's not really that taxing on hardware. You could build one (including everything, with a good quality PSU and case) for under £550.

 

[Longhead23]

Well, it is time to put you all out of your misery.

My spec is as follows.

Processor - Intel(R) Core (TM) 2 Quad CPU Q8300 @ 2.50GHz (4 CPUs), ~2.5GHz
Memory - 6144MB Ram
Page file - 2816MB used, 9468MB available

Graphics card
ATI Radeon HD 5800 Series
Approx total memory - 3828MB
Current display mode - 1920 x 1080(32bit) (60Hz)

I hope this is enough detail?

Thanks again commanders!

 

[Vectorman]

Good afternoon Commanders,
I have very little technical knowledge when it come to PC's. All I know is I used to love this game on the Electron, and I love the Beta of this game now 30 years later.
I purchased my computer in 2007, and I think it was a reasonable spec back then. It is above minimum spec, and ED does play on it 7 years later so it must have been OK.
However, I do think I may need to update to kit that I have.

So, my question? If I give the details (that I know how to obtain) of the spec of my system, would someone be kind enough to give me advice on what I need to upgrade to to make it a decent spec for ED. I will be on a tight budget, as I can't throw large sums of money at it.

Thanks
Dax

I doubt id be able to promote my business on here so i wont...

So basically i would say look for this:

AMD FX4130 Quad Core CPU or higher
OR
Intel Core I3 4130 or better (i5 if you can afford it)

Grab 8Gb DDR3 1333mhz RAM or better

AMD R9 260x or better
OR
Nvidia GTX750 or better

Suitable basic motherboard...

Then all you need is a decent size hard disk of your choice, a decent case and a suitable power supply.
Corsair, XFX, Coolermaster, OCZ, Antec, BeQuiet, Seasonic - Any of those companies are good for decent power supplies.

Case is up to you but the Coolermaster K280 is very nice looking, has a nice side window, cable tidying and USB3 for £30.

That spec should run ED pretty well id say

*EDIT: That lot should set you back less than £400 if you dont need a new copy of Windows.

 

[Knarlfin]

Well, it is time to put you all out of your misery.

My spec is as follows.

Processor - Intel(R) Core (TM) 2 Quad CPU Q8300 @ 2.50GHz (4 CPUs), ~2.5GHz
Memory - 6144MB Ram
Page file - 2816MB used, 9468MB available

Graphics card
ATI Radeon HD 5800 Series
Approx total memory - 3828MB
Current display mode - 1920 x 1080(32bit) (60Hz)

I hope this is enough detail?

Thanks again commanders!

I purchased my computer in 2007, and I think it was a reasonable spec back then. It is above minimum spec, and ED does play on it 7 years later so it must have been OK.

I'd say that was more than a reasonable spec for 2007, blooming miraculous, as the core components weren't released til a few years after then - can I borrow your time machine please

I'd think the CPU is still up to the job, but might be worth considering a slight overclock if you're prepared to have a go - you might need a new CPU cooler.

Memory will be DDR2, pretty expensive now unless you can find some second hand, but 6GB (weird amount as it won't be a triple channel board) should be ok.

I won't comment on graphics cards, as I'm not up to date on the respective strengths/weaknesses of the low to mid level cards - and it's certainly not worth spending on a higher end card as the CPU will definitely hold one of them back.

I'd guess you can get a new card and a bit more life out of it for £100-£150ish.

 

[Longhead23]

Well thanks for the advice. I shall look to upgrading certain parts then, rather than getting a whole new system.

I thought is 2007, as that's when I sold my house and was a bit cash rich. it can't have been that much later. The graphics card I did replace a few years later.

Thanks

 

[schmerg]

Well thanks for the advice. I shall look to upgrading certain parts then, rather than getting a whole new system.

I thought is 2007, as that's when I sold my house and was a bit cash rich. it can't have been that much later. The graphics card I did replace a few years later.

Looking at an up-to-date review of cards (see the "hierarchy chart") it looks like your card isn't too ancient, so something like a Radeon R7 260X would be a step or two up (but not massive gains - the author recommends not upgrading for only one or two steps, 3 is the minimum to be worthwhile). The choice of R7 and R9 and models etc then comes down to your budget and how much power your PSU can supply via PCI-E connectors.

Have a look through the cards listed on that Tom's Hardware roundup and pick your price point (and of course, if you look for 2nd hand cards off eBay you might get quite a bargain). And if any worthwhile change is too pricey today, just wait a few months as newer cards are released and older models drop in price...