A PC for Oolite

[Old Murgh]

OK, let me clarify a bit..

I'm sorry, I should have caught on to this bit, I was just grabbed by the uncertainty of other possibilities. Yes, those mandatory OXPs are all part of my regular game and easy to accept as fait accompli. Seems like widescreen will be a very pleasant experience.

Beware!!

Probably many before me have made similar cocksure proclamations, but I'll say it, –hey, that's not me!.

I admit I am curious about the luscious production value side of E:D, and I'd pay a reasonable sum to get a taste of it, but spending half an hour to prepare for launch isn't my thing, I just don't see myself falling into that hole. Star Citizen.. looks good of course but doesn't appear to be my kind of game either.. I think I'd sooner get hooked elsewhere for a bit if I came across polished retro ports of Wipeout 2097 or Abe's Oddyssey.

Since simplicity and nostalgia is so central to what I like in a game, I know I'll begin this new machine with setting up Oolite to get full use of my HOTAS and Touch Portal, and experience any other eventual secret exclusive perks PCusers have been enjoying. Probably this PC will end up more powerful than the Oolite requirements, but better specs won't change what I like.

If only to break the chain of this curse, you will see me again!

[Killer Wolf]

i've built 2 and rebuilt one of those, so if i can, anyone can
can't really add much to the thread except a few points
- as others have said, building a PC these days is simple, it's all plug and play. just do your due dilligence ~ decide what you want the puter for and look into speccing parts to fit that. i wanted a PC for photoshop and Blender/rendering, so good memory, a good vid card and temperatures were a must. i'm pretty anti-AMD so i was set on nVidia, so it was a case of researching good fast CPUs and GPUs and reading reviews and specs. at the time [2015, first builds] nVid was much better power/temp-wise than AMD anyway.
- if you ask on places like overclockersUK you generally get a load of advice. "spec me a PC for ...." threads are common, see what people have to say.
- win10 has a bunch of bloat, but i'm used to it now and find it pretty good [haven't gone to Win11, some of my hardware doesn't suit. it also doesn't have the infuriating memory cap that 7 did, that scuppered my memory needs; turns out 16gb is fine enough though, so no big loss.
- don't get into the trap of thinking you need the biggest baddest GPU on the market. i don't get the frantic urge for 750fps or whatever, overclocking your CPU till it screams, but each to their own - but then i'm not a gamer, if that's your thing see the first point above.
- each to their own, but i'd be a bit leery of water-cool builds if it's your first time. a good fan in a good case in a room w/ decent ambiet temps/airflow will probably do you just fine.

[Cody]

...i'm pretty anti-AMD so i was set on nVidia...

Yep, same here - intel for CPUs and nVidia for GPUs. I'm addicted to Corsair RAM and Asus mobos too.

[Killer Wolf]

yeah, i've got Corsair in both my machines. used to have an Asus mobo but moved to gigabyte Aorus when i update the machine. Machine was fine except for one issue - it started suddenly just powering off, total instant dead then a reboot. never did find out why, was one of those issues that was just so random and erratic, absolutely no pattern to it at all. i always leaned toward the Asus heat/power surge safety feature, it seemed to do that once and gave me a message, and the consensus at the time - even from Asus - was to turn it off cos it was so glitchy. the power-off thing still reared it's head, so i dunno, maybe just a weirdie random dislike between components.

[Old Murgh]

i've built 2 and rebuilt one of those, so if i can, anyone can
can't really add much to the thread except a few points..

Thanks for encouraging words and wisdom.
It's not easy to get a handle on this divisive Intel v AMD issue. Trying to form an opinion based on you tube rants is making me a little crazy, leaving me only fairly certain that there are obviously pros & cons to both and I really doubt I would complain about either. In the end I decided on the AMD path this time, and maybe experience will have me try Intel on my next one. Since my builder benefactor is a water-cooling advocate, I've been led down that path too. And the Corsair 4000C Airflow case was the one that appeals to me the most. Surely not a "yuck" from you, Viejo?

After trying to balance a mid-life crisis induced moderate desire for the power to experience somewhat graphic intense gaming –against my inherent frugal nature somewhat slackened by the aforementioned mid-life crisis, I think the component list is getting very close to settled. Thanks to Nite Owl's neat recommended PCPartPicker site, I can share the near final shopping list with anyone who might spot an issue at last moment.

[Cody]

No, no "yuck" from me - the Corsair case looks fine. The Corsair Vengeance LP RAM is a good choice - I have the DDR3 version in my current machine (4x8GB). Same with the power supply - there's an older model of the RM750 in my previous machine, still pushing smooth power out after 7 years heavy usage. I see the GPU has gone up a notch - might be worth seeing how much the EVGA factory-clocked version is (I like EVGA kit).

Thing about self-builds is there's no overall warranty for the machine, so if it goes wrong, it's down to you. Each component will have its own manufacturer warranty, which with quality kit is usually at least 3 years, so it makes sense to register those warranties.

[cbr]

I decided on the AMD path this time.

Why not a Ryzen 7?

[Old Murgh]

Thanks. One has to hope a custom built machine has the potential to give satisfaction for a reasonable time. But how long is reasonable?

I see the GPU has gone up a notch - might be worth seeing how much the EVGA factory-clocked version is (I like EVGA kit).

Not sure I grasp this. You mean I ought to check that the other components keep up with the greater demands of the more powerful graphics card?

Thing about self-builds is there's no overall warranty for the machine, so if it goes wrong, it's down to you. Each component will have its own manufacturer warranty, which with quality kit is usually at least 3 years, so it makes sense to register those warranties.

I shall heed this advice.

I decided on the AMD path this time.

Why not a Ryzen 7?

No good reason other than I hadn't thought about it. I figure anything I pick has a superior competitor right next to it, but.. I see the price increase isn't bad, if you advise me that it's a worthwhile step up.

[Cody]

Not sure I grasp this. You mean I ought to check that the other components keep up with the greater demands of the more powerful graphics card?

No, that should all be fine. I suggested the EVGA because I like their kit, and they have a friendly and helpful users forum. Thinking about it though, ASUS recommend a 750W power supply for their GPU - so (depending on price difference), perhaps an RM850 instead.

[Old Murgh]

No, that should all be fine. I suggested the EVGA because I like their kit, and they have a friendly and helpful users forum. Thinking about it though, ASUS recommend a 750W power supply for their GPU - so (depending on price difference), perhaps an RM850 instead.

OK, thanks, I shall take this into the final round of judgement.

Why not a Ryzen 7?

This benchmark comparison makes me uncertain about upgrading. Unlike the Ryzen 5, the 7 in my range doesn't include cooling, and consumer comments seem a little more critical than I like for the prize increase. I'd need a good salesman.

[Cody]

Looking at the EVGA site, there's a waiting list for an equivalent GPU. I wonder if ASUS have similar problems? Both sourced from Taiwan, I think.

[Switeck]

Not sure I grasp this. You mean I ought to check that the other components keep up with the greater demands of the more powerful graphics card?

No, that should all be fine. I suggested the EVGA because I like their kit, and they have a friendly and helpful users forum. Thinking about it though, ASUS recommend a 750W power supply for their GPU - so (depending on price difference), perhaps an RM850 instead.

One thing to note about good power supplies is they may be rated for high(er) wattage...but they also tend to have low power consumption if the extra current isn't needed. Improved efficiency is one of the benefits of a digital switching power supply over the ancient transform based ones.

[cbr]

benchmark comparison[/url] makes me uncertain about upgrading. Unlike the Ryzen 5, the 7 in my range doesn't include cooling, and consumer comments seem a little more critical than I like for the prize increase. I'd need a good salesman.

If this build is for your gaming enterprises then the Ryzen 5 is good value.
( if this was my main machine for linux, I would look for more cores )

[Killer Wolf]

good list ~ i have corsair memory, corsair PSU and Noctua coolers [CPU, not case], fully recommend all.

[Cody]

... against my inherent frugal nature...

Excluding the monitor, about £1400 - get that up to £1600 and you're laughing!

Compatibility: Warning! These parts have potential issues or incompatibilities.