new laptop for Orbiter 2016

Hermann Oberth

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Hello folks,

I have to buy a new laptop anyway. So, what are the system-requirements for Orbiter 2016 if I realy want to make it run?
Wich grafic-Card do I realy need?
Of course there are high-end gaming computers... But I just want something small, max.13-15", 8Gb RAM, 256-512Gb SD.
It depends on the grafic-card.
... any suggestions?
 

clipper

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I'm not sure if there is "official" system requirement information, but from my personal experience I managed to run Orbiter 2016 with the D3D9 Client on max settings with anti-aliasing off on constant 60fps using an integrated Intel 530 GPU which comes with 6th generation CPU's that came out roughly four years ago, so you're probably going to get a more powerful integrated GPU if you get a new laptop model. So in a nutshell, you really don't need to worry too much about system requirements as Orbiter and (most) of its addons have always been performance friendly, just make sure to use the D3D9 Client as otherwise I think Orbiter doesn't perform too well on newer hardware.
 

Hermann Oberth

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Thank you Clipper,

Intel 530 GPU
, OK that's a grafic-chip. This I can google.

So in a nutshell, you really don't need to worry too much about system requirements as Orbiter and (most) of its addons have always been performance friendly.
Well, I run Orbiter 2010 on a MSI Wind (1,6GHz and 1Gb RAM). That works fine!

Question is: Would Orbiter 2016 with D3D9 run on a 2core x 1GHz with 2Gb RAM, if the GPU covers 512Mb of the 2Gb RAM?
Cause thats what I have now! :hailprobe:
 

PhantomCruiser

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It should. My laptop runs Orbiter 2016 better than it runs Orbiter 2010.
One way I know to find out is give it a whirl.
 

Marijn

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I think an important consideration is the screen resolution (unless you're planning on using an external monitor). If your favorite add-on's have no support for screensizes beyond HD, small screens with lots of pixels might make the MFD's hard to read.
 

Urwumpe

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I think an important consideration is the screen resolution (unless you're planning on using an external monitor). If your favorite add-on's have no support for screensizes beyond HD, small screens with lots of pixels might make the MFD's hard to read.

Usually, this can be fixed in multiple ways (Screen resolution, panel scaling factor, MFD resolution, low-DPI mode)

What you don't need is a high number of cores, since Orbiter is still mostly single-threaded.

You need no especially good GPU, but I strongly recommend at least a small dedicated one. I am downgraded to Intel 5000 right now (on-chip GPU of the Pentium family) and can't say I recommend it for 2016.
 

Hermann Oberth

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Thank you for answering folks.

Well the screen resolution is 1366 x 768 pixel, that's HD on 10"
Medion Akoya E1318T-MD99330, ProcessorAMD A4-1200, Graphics adapterAMD Radeon HD 8180

And if even Urwumpe say so, I will try it!

Ahm... Do I have to install Win8.1 again, or does it work in MX Linux too? - Next problem! :hmm:
 
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Zandy12

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Get a laptop with a GTX 1050ti ;)
 

Urwumpe

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Get a laptop with a GTX 1050ti ;)

Currently a good performance-for-cost choice, compared to the RTX notebooks. (But I still dream of getting one of those... for the "MTBF" :rofl:)
 

Marijn

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Get a laptop with a GTX 1050ti ;)

Don't make the mistake I did: Selecting a dedicated video chip only to discover that it is soldered to the mainboard.

If you choose a dedicated video chip, make sure it can be replaced.
 

francisdrake

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You may want to consider if the laptop has a numpad.
Typically all larger-screen laptops have one, while smaller ones don't.

A numpad makes Orbiter flying easy, as all RCS and engine controls are mapped to it.
 

Hermann Oberth

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Ahm, thank's folks,

but I dont want to solder-arround on a new laptop, I haven't bought yet! And I never needed a numpad. I just use the flight-stick. (btw, has somebody inventet the retro-fire-button, to invert certain flight-stick-entries, yet?)

I just understood, that a GTX 1050ti is kind of hi-end solution, and a Intel 530 GPU is something more usuall.
Well, my new computer is still in the shop. I have still no knowledge about grafic-cards. - I'm not a "gamer". Just for Orbiter.

At the moment I try to run Orbiter 2016 on that old computer here, using XP 64bit for OS.
- Perhaps I should open another tread about my crazy behaviour?
 

kuddel

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Do you have a portable USB-Drive (USB 3.0 preferably) with enough space on it?
As Orbiter doesn't need any Registry usage (it's a "portable" App in that case), you can just plug it in at the shop and give it a try.
You might have to (re-)setup the Graphic-Card in the Video-Tab ("always enumerate devices"), but apart from that you can immediately try Orbiter at the Shops desk :thumbup:
That is how I usually check if a new Notebook fits my "Orbiter-Needs" :p

USB-Speed is of cause a limiting factor, therefore a USB 3.0 or 3.1 drive should be used to be fair against the new machine.

---------- Post added at 21:18 ---------- Previous post was at 21:13 ----------

My full blown "portable USB-Orbiter" is around 80 GB (including all available HiRes textures)
 

Hermann Oberth

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Thank you Kuddel,

I have a 64GB USB3 Memory-device. Without Earth hi-res... no problem. But I think it will not make it to the shop.

At the moment I am fighting with a simple installation of Orbiter 2016 (without addons) on my very old calculator here. :censored:

2x1200 AMD 2GB RAM and 512MB grafic-cardRAM

How about Linux ?
 

asbjos

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I have two laptops, one Asus X550JX (i7-4720HQ, 8 cores, 2.6 GHz, Internal HD Graphics 4600, Nvidia GTX 950M) 15.6 inch 1080p screen from 2015, and one Huawei Matebook 13 (i5-8265U, 8 cores, 1.8 GHz, Internal UHD Graphics 620, Nvidia MX150) 13 inch 2160x1440 screen from 2019.

I loaded the default Delta-glider landed at Brighton Beach scenario, and checked the framerates inside (looking down at MFDs updating every 0.1 second) and outside looking at DG at close proximity, bottom half of screen Moon surface, upper half the sky.
The framerates are presented in the table below. Note that the Huawei ran default Orbiter2016, while the Asus had high resolution Moon textures installed.

Asus (cockpit/outside):
| Intel | Nvidia
Orbiter | 50/57 | -
Orbiter_ng | 17/27 | 65/120

Huawei (cockpit/outside):
| Intel | Nvidia
Orbiter | CTD | -
Orbiter_ng | 15/50 | 50/150
 

Zandy12

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Don't make the mistake I did: Selecting a dedicated video chip only to discover that it is soldered to the mainboard.

If you choose a dedicated video chip, make sure it can be replaced.

Yeah, I made this mistake, which is why next time I'm gonna be building my own desktop and future-proof it to some extent.
 

Hermann Oberth

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OK, I like that!

The question is: what do I realy need?

And I need a single laptop, small 10-14", 8Gb RAM, running Orbiter by the way.

I've been in some computer-outlet in Germany last month.
High-end = 800,-
Something usefull = 500,-
Crap = 300,-

At the moment I am running on 6yo crap. What I need is something usefull, cause high-end is to heavy. 17" is not realy portable!

10 years ago I was happy with my MSI Wind, running Orbiter 2010 with a Logitech 3D Pro joystick.

By today... a 12" Laptop and one of theese 3Dconnexion-Joysticks would be just perfect. :facts:

- And btw. I am traveling a lot. Everything has to fit in big backpack.
 

Zandy12

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You have to think about in the long-term too. You have to see getting a laptop as an investment because you might be using it for more than just Orbiter. You might be better off buying the 800 one because it might last longer and have more quality than the 500 one.
 
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