PC Building Advice for SWTOR

[Marius Fett]

I've been having a think recently and I've decided is really like to get into playing TOR again and actually give it a proper go, this time. I did play for a while just after it was released, but I didn't really stick with it and as I'd never played an MMO before, I didn't really know what I was doing, so I gave up.

 

Now I've decided I'd like to give it a proper try, since all the new expansions and changes to the game since I played last look really interesting.

 

Obviously I need a PC to be able to play the game. My current machine is a 2008 iMac which still works flawlessly for general day to day use, but as you can imagine, it runs games about as well as I run marathons, which is abysmally.

 

I've never built a computer in my life and I think I'd like to have a crack at building my own to play the game on.

 

I'm hoping to play the game on the highest possible graphical settings, which considering the game is a few years old, I don't think is too unrealistic a goal.

 

I'm not looking to spend a vast amount, but I do realise you get what you pay for.

 

I don't play a lot of PC games as a general rule, so I don't need anything too ridiculous to enable me to play CURRENT games on Ultra though, the main point is to get the best experience out of TOR that I possibly can.

 

I'll give a maximum budget of £700 - £800 to work with, but obviously I'd be thrilled to part with even less £££ if I can!

 

Anyone got any suggestions?

[mattig89ch]

just to give my fellow Americans some perspective, that's between $1,060 and $1,180. not a bad budget.

 

What you need to do is go look at the recommended specs off the website, then go play around with pc part picker. That's a website that can be useful for working out the best bang for your buck/pound on pc parts.

 

If I remember, I'll try to give you some help later on today (when I get home).

[Marius Fett]

I'll definitely have a poke around that site later when I get home and see what I can come up with.

 

Thanking you, good sir!

[mattig89ch]

here, this is something I whipped up.

 

Feel free to fiddle around with it. the I5 might be a bit overkill, but overall this should do well.

 

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/8ZMqt6.

 

In case the link breaks, heres the text:

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/8ZMqt6

Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/8ZMqt6/by_merchant/

 

CPU: Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ Newegg)

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H97M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($79.99 @ SuperBiiz)

Memory: Crucial Ballistix Tactical Tracer 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($44.99 @ Newegg)

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($44.99 @ Newegg)

Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 960 4GB FTW ACX 2.0+ Video Card ($255.99 @ Amazon)

Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ Newegg)

Power Supply: Corsair CX 430W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($44.99 @ Amazon)

Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($17.75 @ OutletPC)

Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 OEM (64-bit) ($128.97 @ OutletPC)

Monitor: AOC E2425SWD 60Hz 24.0" Monitor ($99.99 @ Micro Center)

Keyboard: Logitech K120 Wired Standard Keyboard ($11.98 @ OutletPC)

Mouse: Gigabyte GM-M6800 Wired Optical Mouse ($14.98 @ OutletPC)

Total: $1004.60

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-11-23 19:02 EST-0500

[Darth Avlectus]

Heh. Yep. I'm about to get me a 6GB GTX980Ti for rendering 3D. I'm sure it'll handle whatever games I throw at it.

[Marius Fett]

That built seems right on the money to be fair, though I don't know if i'd really want to go Micro ATX on my first build. I think i'd sooner have the extra space in the case to move around and have things just that little bit bigger first time around just to get the hang of things.

 

Doesn't take much to configure with a new case and mobo though I guess, so i'll have a fiddle around on that site you suggested and see what I can come up with.

 

How well would this machine be likely to run SWTOR? Would I get my Ultra graphics, d'you think? It'd be nice to be able to play some other games on high too if I decide to at some point, but SWTOR is the main focus atm.

[mattig89ch]

I didn't even check the form factor of the mobo. I prefer normal atx sizes myself. As I said, please feel free to change anything and everything.

 

If I'm reading the specs right, that is so far above what the games recommended settings are that I can't see a reason why you wouldn't be able to run the game on the highest graphical settings.

 

I would like some verification on that though, I'd hate for someone to spend a thousand dollars on a machine I recommended and not be able to accomplish the goal behind building the machine.

[Taak Farst]

I would like some verification on that though, I'd hate for someone to spend a thousand dollars on a machine I recommended and not be able to accomplish the goal behind building the machine.

 

MMOs and system requirements should really only be taken with a pinch of salt. My rig includes an i7-4790k and a GTX 970 but in some zones I can't keep 60+ fps on ultra settings. Culprit is the shadows most of the time. Same goes for GW2, but that was badly optimised anyway.

 

That build should be more that fine regardless of that issue though.

[Darth Avlectus]

The thing you have to keep in mind is what way you're going to handle graphics. Whether you're using your on board graphics in your CPU or a separate GPU, the thing which limits your ability for higher resolutions is how much ram and how much the cache can handle at a time. I was not aware of the shadow issue as MrV said above, so that's another consideration.

 

But skins/textures are what take up so much memory, not the models or the scripting, etc.

 

For CPU you have to give it sufficient system RAM, and in addition to caching you have to keep an eye on system resources a little more closely. This is a simpler way to set it up, though. Usually not a huge concern unless you have other applications running in the background. Make sure you have better cooling than your stock fan in any case.

 

 

For GPU an average amount of Vram is 2 to 4GB, 6GB is beginning to get large, and the upper levels are 12GB (so far as I know) for Titans and Teslas (these are professional, not something a gamer or hobbyist will buy).

 

Also the frequency clock is an important factor as well. For gaming you ideally want one optimized for it (performance).

 

There may be higher end cards as you will note, but these are more meant for workstation and production and not necessarily performance. They could play games but may not be optimized to handle them at their best settings. A production graphics card's architecture (circuit layout) is meant to spend hours or even days on end rendering and calculating and shrugging off heat that would likely kill other cards. For my purposes I don't necessarily need a "balls-to-the-wall" card.

 

Obviously you want a PSU which can handle your whole system, a graphics card, and then some. Higher the quality, the better components it's made from and the longer it will last. Sure, more efficient too, but any SMPS (Switch Mode Power Supply) is designed to be equal to or over 90% efficient.

 

For sound...I have found a simple USB SoundBlaster soundcard with a good set of headphones or some compact speakers with at least some surround capability works well.

 

For peripherals...

 

Keyboard, I'm going to say go with Logitech mechanical as I have seen several disappointments by Razer. Corsair keyboards look like they fare nicely. There's that glove thing, though, and I don't know how well it'd work. Or if you want general purpose, something with ergonomics in mind. I have a Microsoft 4000 ergonomic I use on and off and it's pretty nice, if a bit large. Don't pay more than about $40-50.

 

Mouse? For MMO get one which is multi button (here at least Razer doesn't disappoint). For action based I'd otherwise recommend something with fast response like the G502 proteus core.

 

Monitor...frankly a mid range gaming level Asus will probably do fine for SWTOR. I'm not sure what game requires the refresh rate of a BenQ.

 

Obvbiously there's a ton more choices, I'm just mentioning what's commonly available that works.

[Rogue15]

i run mine on a laptop (samsung with the A6 amd) with everything turned up high except for the shadows they're at 1024...though the framerate suffers at times, the game looks amazing. i would like to get a desktop computer made just for this game though so i dont experience any framerate issues.