Building an orbiter computer

[markl316]

Hi everybody.

This summer, I'm planning on building a computer to run orbiter. The specs I am looking at are:

Intel duo core 3.0 GHz
4 GB RAM
500 GB HDD
GeForce GTX 280
Windows XP

If anybody has done this, or if anybody has built a computer, my questions are:
Where/what motherboard do I get?
What kind of RAM should I get (DDR2 or DDR3, and what speed?)
Does anybody have similar specs, and could tell me how it runs on their machine (I'd like to know how it'll run before buying everything :lol.

 

[dbeachy1]

Orbiter should run very well under those specs. As for RAM, which type and speed to get will depend on what your motherboard supports. However, the type will very likely be DDR2 since you're building a Core 2 system. DDR3, on the other hand, is used on all Intel Core i7 and most AMD Phenom II motherboards. As for RAM speed, like I said, check what your chosen motherboard can support.

So to sum up, you have to choose a motherboard before you can choose which RAM to buy. Personally I like to shop and read user reviews on newegg.com. Then once you find a candidate motherboard in your price range, Google for reviews on it and then decide.

EDIT:
One more thing: you'll want to research and buy a decent power supply, too. Don't trust your new system to some el-cheapo power supply that comes bundled with a case.

 

[garyw]

EDIT:
One more thing: you'll want to research and buy a decent power supply, too. Don't trust your new system to some el-cheapo power supply that comes bundled with a case.

Very sage advice, I tend to build my machines and I had one machine giving me all sorts of problems when I used the DVD burner. Turns out that the machine wasn't getting enough power and crashing out. Upgrading the power supply did trick and made everything faster.

 

[Revolpathon]

that setup should be able to run orbiter very well indeed, or as i like to call it, it should be able to run orbiter flat out, install whatever graphics addon you can think off and run it on the highest settings and you still have enough FPS.

my CPU is better (i7 920) but my vid card is a gtx 260, i have several graphics addons and ofcourse an HD screen and i run it full out, i got 6 gig of ram (which has 2 dissappearing gig's... still fixing that) with a cas timing starting with 7. also i run on w7 64 bit.

when looking for a motherboard, if you decide to go for an asus motherboard get a low end one and not the fancy gamer boards (they are buggy...) if you want the fancy one don't get the asus version but the MSI version (they make good high end motherboards)

also do some more research on your video card, the gtx 280 is already aged, you might find a better version for a better price and a newer model at that.

always read review before deciding on a product, if your doubting between 2 products search for a review that puts those 2 products head to head.

orbiter doesn't require a truly high end pc to run smooth. as i said before those specs are more than good enough for orbiter.

on the power supply get a A brand name power supply (prefferably modular, it helps with cable management, also watch out that is has 2 pci connectors because the gtx 280 require's 2 power cable's from the PSU, also consider the size of your case the gtx 280 is MASSIVE make sure you can fit it inside your case or you'll be forced to wedge it between your harddisks or even cut out some of the hard disk holding tray.

 

[Hielor]

Another thing to consider is that that graphics card is *massively* overkill for Orbiter. Unless you're also looking to run other modern games, you shouldn't need to spend more than $100 on a graphics card specifically for Orbiter.

 

[Revolpathon]

depends, correct me if i'm wrong but if you use time acceleration extensively for longer periods of time it is adviced to have a high fps so that your calculations don't go haywire and you dont end up where you aimed to end up.

though it remains overkill i agree but he's buying it in the summer so... it is ancient by that time and won't necesserily be overkill by then considering that by that time orbiter 2009/2010 is out by then with the external graphics module which could support directx 10 or even 11 by then, one would need a directx10 card then to get those awesome grahpics on the screen.... but i'm rambling offtopic here.

a good enough vid card would be an 9800GT

 

[Hielor]

depends, correct me if i'm wrong but if you use time acceleration extensively for longer periods of time it is adviced to have a high fps so that your calculations don't go haywire and you dont end up where you aimed to end up.

though it remains overkill i agree but he's buying it in the summer so... it is ancient by that time and won't necesserily be overkill by then considering that by that time orbiter 2009/2010 is out by then with the external graphics module which could support directx 10 or even 11 by then, one would need a directx10 card then to get those awesome grahpics on the screen.... but i'm rambling offtopic here.

a good enough vid card would be an 9800GT

Given the rate at which graphics modules for Orbiter advance (no offense intended to anyone), I doubt the DX9 client will be ready by then, much less DX10/11. Moreover, if he's planning on using Windows XP since he's specifically doing Orbiter, there's no point in getting a DX10 card, since he won't be able to use DX10 anyway.

*moreover,* the GTX 280 will be far from "ancient" by the summer, given that it's still nvidia's second-best single-gpu card, and that won't change until they release the 300-series.

 

[Revolpathon]

from my knowledge there is already a 300 series out, comparable to the gtx 230, it's a budget card in any case.

i forgot xp doesn't support dx10

i tend to build my computers to last a long while (performance wise) save's money in the end.

 

[orb]

Well. I don't have exactly the specs you posted, but...
I have 3 years old Core2Duo E6600 with 4 MB L2 cache, overclocked not long ago from 2.4 to 3.0 GHz, 2 GB RAM PC2-6400 / DDR2 @ 833 MHz, GeForce 8800 GTS - 640 MB, and 650 Watt PSU.

On 32-bit Windows XP Orbiter simulation runs really smooth, with Hi-Res textures used (2048x2048 + some my surface tiles of 4096x4096, level 10 planet textures for Orbiter 2006, and level 11+14 for Orbiter beta), 2048x1536 screen resolution, 8xQ antialiasing and 16x anisotropy filtering. I usually get 60-150 FPS depending on the view and scenery, with v-sync turned off.

So, your posted configuration is more than sufficient for Orbiter.

I built my computer from parts bought at local computer store, after digging for informations and comparing benchmarks taken from the Internet. Size of HDD doesn't really matter if it's for Orbiter only.

 

[jedidia]

I have somewhat similiar specs, a bit slower CPU (Dual 2.6) and only half the ram, and orbiter runs like on ftl. A bit of loading times using orulex (but still only about 5 to 7 seconds) because my harddrive is now about 8 years old and doubtless the slowest component in the whole system, but I never ever encountered a situation where the frame rate dropped visuably.

What you'll REALLY have to watch out for with that CPU is ventilation. You'll probably have to through the processor cooler in the bin right away and get a better one, and buy a case that can be well ventilated. a dual 3.0 Ghz processor will produce tremendous amounts of heat (I'm running mine underclocked at 2 Ghz currently, since I didn't yet find a suitable cooler, allthough I have a good case and three system ventilators running at the moment. I still have options in my case for two more, but untill I get a suitable CPU-fan that won't help the job very much).

 

[markl316]

Another thing to consider is that that graphics card is *massively* overkill for Orbiter. Unless you're also looking to run other modern games, you shouldn't need to spend more than $100 on a graphics card specifically for Orbiter.

I know, it seems like that. Here's my logic though: by this summer, it'll be cheaper, and, for when a dx10 orbiter client does come out, I don't want to have to get a new graphics card. Also, I plan to run on full antialiasing and anistropic filtering, with things such as the ISS 3.0. And based on the comparison between my desktop at home (6100) and my laptop (gtx 260m), a better graphics card definitely makes a difference.

Thanks to everybody for posting, I had no idea about different coolers (I thought you just hooked up the processor and the end), or about different cases (I thought you just more or less stuck everything into a plastic box and that was it). So I probably would have blown stuff up and started a fire :lol: .

So with a processor, you can disconnect the cooler that it comes with, and put on a new one? How much does a good cooler for the processor and power supply run? Do you need a cooler for the gtx 280? I feel like it's gonna generate some massive heat. And how much does a good case run at?

And also, in case anybody's wondering, I'm planning to use a dual core 3.0 GHz because I know orbiter depends a lot on the processor, and it's single core, so it seemed like the best option.

 

[jedidia]

So with a processor, you can disconnect the cooler that it comes with, and put on a new one?

No roblem there, only thing you have to make sure is that the new cooler is compatible to your motherboards socket (you don't want to drill any new wholes in there for fitting the screws :lol. Probably best to first buy everything else, see how it performs and then get a better cooler if needed (I heard Intel delivers their chips with rather good coolers... AMD coolers are teh crap.)

I thought you just more or less stuck everything into a plastic box and that was it

My plastic box is currently sporting three ventilators (two in, one out) and has options for two more...

So I probably would have blown stuff up and started a fire

nah, your machine would just shut itself down every few minutes.

How much does a good cooler for the processor and power supply run?

I'm not very well informed about prices, since I'm buying all parts at the local second-hand store (this is bosnia, after all...). Most expensive will probably be the case itself, though that's depending on wheather you just want cool or cool AND quiet (my computer is easily as loud as my 10 years old microwave...)

Do you need a cooler for the gtx 280?

No, graphics cards usually come with perfectly suitable coolers, and if your case allows for a good airflow, you shouldn't have any trouble.

 

[markl316]

I'm not going to have any issues running windows xp on a gtx 280, am I? Since it's a DX10 card, and windows xp supports only up to dx9?

 

[RisingFury]

from my knowledge there is already a 300 series out

Drivers are not available on nvidia.com yet, nor is there any mention on Google. The best I can find right now is just speculation and some leaked specs...

If you're building a computer for orbiter alone, then forget about the most powerful cards because they won't produce as much performance as their cost. But if you're serious about gaming in general, wait for the 300 series to come out. They're roumored to be far more powerful then anything we've seen before. You can imagine their price to be high, but the price of 200 series will drop... in either case, if you can wait, I suggest you do.

 

[Hielor]

from my knowledge there is already a 300 series out, comparable to the gtx 230, it's a budget card in any case.

No, 300 series isn't out yet.

What you'll REALLY have to watch out for with that CPU is ventilation. You'll probably have to through the processor cooler in the bin right away and get a better one, and buy a case that can be well ventilated. a dual 3.0 Ghz processor will produce tremendous amounts of heat (I'm running mine underclocked at 2 Ghz currently, since I didn't yet find a suitable cooler, allthough I have a good case and three system ventilators running at the moment. I still have options in my case for two more, but untill I get a suitable CPU-fan that won't help the job very much).

Incorrect. The stock Intel coolers are fantastic, and can even handle mild overclocks without trouble.

I'm not going to have any issues running windows xp on a gtx 280, am I? Since it's a DX10 card, and windows xp supports only up to dx9?

You'll be able to use it just fine for dx9 stuff, you just won't be able to use dx10.

 

[markl316]

If you're building a computer for orbiter alone, then forget about the most powerful cards because they won't produce as much performance as their cost.

It is for orbiter alone, but from my experience, especially when rendering a lot of triangles (luna ob1 replacement, space shuttle launch pads, XR fleet exhaust), a better video card definitely makes a difference, especially for running with antialiasing. But, since it is for orbiter, you're right, no point whatsoever in going for the 300 series. I just hope that the 300 series is out by April, to give a chance for the 200 series's prices to drop.

 

[RisingFury]

All I'm saying is that there are plenty of older cards that are able to deliver good performance, but are much cheaper then the 200 and 300 series. I have an old GeForce 6600 GT and it's able to deliver 30 fps with AA, watching XR scram exhaust... not an outstanding performance, but that's a 5 year old card, mind you

Modern cards are built for image post processing that Orbiter doesn't use.

It's like building Ares V to put a 500 kg sat in LEO, so you might wanna do some research that saves you a lot of money.

 

[Bj]

Orbiter definitely doesn't need a hardcore gaming machine. (not yet anyway)


This is a very good site on building computers guide.
http://www.build-gaming-computers.com/


It got me started on the basis of building computers.

 

[jedidia]

Incorrect. The stock Intel coolers are fantastic, and can even handle mild overclocks without trouble.

So what I heared about them seems to be right... I'll never buy AMD again after what I'm experiencing with my machine. :thumbsdown:

still, a case with a good airflow would be neccessary, methinks?

 

[markl316]

It's like building Ares V to put a 500 kg sat in LEO, so you might wanna do some research that saves you a lot of money.

I will look into it, thanks for the advice. Do you think maybe a 9800 will be good?