Building a Crysis PC, Part 1

[_Cosmin_]

I have an Opteron 170 - no one at THG put this CPU on benchmarks even if before C2D it was the best overclocked CPU in the world.
Also latest games install the AGEIA software (even if i don`t have a card). I would like to see some benchmarks of

Opteron CPU`s
Nvidia 7900GTX (non-sli)
Ageia card

...both in Windows XP/Vista at 64 bit and 32 bit.
Also no one here speaks about LINUX. I`ve played Far Cry in Cedega and modify the ini file to use OPENGL instead of DIRECTX. The new Crysis will have same option?

 

[sprucebr1]

To play Crysis at a decent fps, and to enjoy it, it seems like EA expects everyone to empty their wallets and get brand new rigs. It just stupid.

I'm thinking...
CPU: e6850 or QX6850
Mobo: GA-X38-DQ6 or ASUS equal.
Memory: DDR2 4GB at least 800mhz.
Video: evga 8800 GTX 768MB GDDR3.

I'm sure this would at least make Crysis playable.

I don't even think I'm going to bother buying this game. I've played the COD4 demo, and I would rather buy that. EA is really making it hard for a lot of people to even think about playing Crysis. I'm no longer a EA customer, makes me look at other developers like Activision! lol

 

[razor512]

this will be a perfect time for them to see how much good overclocking your videocard really does.

I'm the kind of person who buys a new videocard and overclocks it as soon as I get it running.

(who knows, they might even hit 27FPS with that system if they overclock the videocard)

but for best, I recommend quad core (overclocked)
SLI 8800GTX (overclocked) at least
i would also wait for a patch to come out because for many games, some performance problems are usually fixed from patches

 

[enewmen]

To play Crysis at a decent fps, and to enjoy it, it seems like EA expects everyone to empty their wallets and get brand new rigs. It just stupid.

I'm thinking...
CPU: e6850 or QX6850
Mobo: GA-X38-DQ6 or ASUS equal.
Memory: DDR2 4GB at least 800mhz.
Video: evga 8800 GTX 768MB GDDR3.

I'm sure this would at least make Crysis playable.

I don't even think I'm going to bother buying this game. I've played the COD4 demo, and I would rather buy that. EA is really making it hard for a lot of people to even think about playing Crysis. I'm no longer a EA customer, makes me look at other developers like Activision! lol

I am not sure if the GTX is enough anymore. Forget about 2560x1600 or 1900x1200 at Max settings.

 

[razor512]

tomshardware needs to just build the best pc money can buy

get the highest end parts then overclock them as far as they will go, the post the min max and average framerates,

it that pc has any framerate problems then we know something is wrong with the game

also test it out on a low end pc, low end dual core, geforce 6 series and other low end things

and probably just for fun, install windows xp on a 266MHz pc and install crysis

 

[robwright]

tomshardware needs to just build the best pc money can buy

get the highest end parts then overclock them as far as they will go, the post the min max and average framerates,

it that pc has any framerate problems then we know something is wrong with the game

also test it out on a low end pc, low end dual core, geforce 6 series and other low end things

and probably just for fun, install windows xp on a 266MHz pc and install crysis

Believe me, I'd love to go with your idea, Razor, and just build the system as if money was no an object. However, that would be what is referred to as "throwing money at the problem." The idea behind this series was to find the most cost-effective route for a new system that could run Crysis at an optimal level. But we'll definitely run the game on some of the ultra high powered machines we have here in the lab, so rest easy.

 

[bobert866]

This just can't seem to come soon enough. I hope it runs well on lower hardware...If it doesn't then that leaves alot of people p'd off and not playing the game online. So what am i to do? Play agianst the total of like 100 people out there with a gtx or better? Anyway, im exaggerating but i still do hope that my buddies with lesser systems will be able to get good enough gameplay so that they are still willing to lan to crysis.

 

[enewmen]

Believe me, I'd love to go with your idea, Razor, and just build the system as if money was no an object. However, that would be what is referred to as "throwing money at the problem." The idea behind this series was to find the most cost-effective route for a new system that could run Crysis at an optimal level. But we'll definitely run the game on some of the ultra high powered machines we have here in the lab, so rest easy.

Will you accept a donation?
A P.O box please for anonymous letters?
I understand "throwing money at the problem." isn't the answer. But checks never hurt.
On topic: From what I read, no high-powered machine in the world can handle Crysis 2560x1600 @ max settings and 60+ fps.

Give a P.O. box. the check can be big enough so it's not a joke. I read THG for 10 years, I can pay SOMETHING.
Keep up the good work! THG is popular for many years for many good reasons..
Ok, resting easy.. 😴

 

[razor512]

it just seems like something is wrong with the game, on areas where you expect it to struggle, it runs smooth, and areas where you expect it to run smooth, it gets lag like it is trying to render everything in back of a object even though it is not in your view or it is rendering things that it doesn't need to render at the time

did a few tests using the hardware monitor in rivatuner

 

[bruce555]

Q6600
8800 GTX
P35 Chipset Mobo
Atleast 2gb ram but might as well buy a 2x2Gb for testing sakes.

Those are the main that you whould be able to buy a system like that and keep it under $1500. I think that's mainstream enough.

 

[mrmark27]

if trying to make it mainstream, i'd think either the 8800 640mb or 2900HD XT(or whatever ati's new card is called). The 640 version is far more mainstream than the gtx which only super games and editors/designers

 

[Sengoku]

tomshardware needs to just build the best pc money can buy

get the highest end parts then overclock them as far as they will go, the post the min max and average framerates,

it that pc has any framerate problems then we know something is wrong with the game

also test it out on a low end pc, low end dual core, geforce 6 series and other low end things

and probably just for fun, install windows xp on a 266MHz pc and install crysis

Will you accept a donation?
A P.O box please for anonymous letters?
I understand "throwing money at the problem." isn't the answer. But checks never hurt.
On topic: From what I read, no high-powered machine in the world can handle Crysis 2560x1600 @ max settings and 60+ fps.

Give a P.O. box. the check can be big enough so it's not a joke. I read THG for 10 years, I can pay SOMETHING.
Keep up the good work! THG is popular for many years for many good reasons..
Ok, resting easy.. 😴

As entertaining as the idea is of a "Tom's Hardware Crysis PC bake sale, and souvenir T shirt sale" is, the limitation is probably going to be that the designers aimed their max specs at a target beyond what AMD, Intel, Nvidia, and ATI can deliver at the moment. Besides, the video card building business is beyond that scale of funding anyways.

Because of the development timeframes involved in creating a big engine like this, I wouldn't call it a failure if ultra is not playable on day one with maximum hardware.

They could have always "cheated" and used smaller cheaper textures, simpler effects, smaller maps, and called that their "ultra high" settings.

 

[USe]

Crysis (the beta) is play able on a system with

IP 4 HT 3,2 Ghz
1 Gig of DDR Ram 400 Mhz
a Radeon X700 Pro 128 GDDR3Ram (driver 7.10)
Windows XP Home

then you have to set the settings on low and play in a resolution at 640*480 pixels (allso at 1024*768 but lower for more smoothly gameplay)

I have this system above, And I could play it with some settings on medium, with not so much more lag.

so I will recommend a pc with a least (for minimum reg.)

3 Ghz Intel CPU (single core) (XP)
1 GB DDRRam (XP)
256 Video Ram (Xp)

-------------------------
If you have have hard to understand what I am meaning, then it's because of my English.

 

[Sengoku]

it just seems like something is wrong with the game, on areas where you expect it to struggle, it runs smooth, and areas where you expect it to run smooth, it gets lag like it is trying to render everything in back of a object even though it is not in your view or it is rendering things that it doesn't need to render at the time

did a few tests using the hardware monitor in rivatuner

To clarify, remember that the code that's running is not final. there's still significant engine level code improvements, AND map level tweaks that can be done.

I haven't had very much seat time with it, but I'm pretty sure what you're seeing is some sort of of unoptimized shader element, where shaded things are taking significantly more juice than what expect.

 

[bruce555]

@Rob. When will we get an update on what you plan on doing for the system and are you planning a bench / review come Monday? (after the release of the demo)

 

[rgeist554]

Looking forward to Friday to I can test my new system out:

ASUS M2N-E SLI
AMD 64 5000+ x2 @ 2.66Ghz
2x 1GB Patriot Extreme PC6400
eVGA 8800GTS 640mb
Silencer 750w Quad w/ +12v@60A
Maxtor SATA 300GB HDD @ 7200 RPM

Hopefully I can run moderate settings with some AA @ 1280x1024 :s

 

[Tron1973]

I've been running the beta pretty well on my rig.

Mobo: ASUS M2N32-SLI Delux wireless edition
PROC: AMD X2 5000+ at 2.73
Ram: 4GB DDR-667 PQI Turbo
GPU: EVGA 8800 GTS 320
Monitor: Hanns-G 19" widescreen
Sound: SB X-FI Extreme Gamer W/ Logitec X540 5.1 and Kinyo 5.1 headphones
Physc: BFG Physx card
Controls: Razer Copperhead w/ eXactMat mouse pad
Belkin Nostromo N52 game pad

 

[itotallybelieveyou]

Mobo: Asus Striker Extreme
CPU: QX6850
RAM: 4GB DDR2 Crucial Ballstix 1066
GPU: 2X8800 Ultra WC and Ageia Physix card
Monitor: 15" monitor any
Sounds: X-treme Gamer
G15 Gaming mouse and with another gaming keyboard.
There's your 30 fps average at 1024x768 crysis rig

 

[robwright]

@Rob. When will we get an update on what you plan on doing for the system and are you planning a bench / review come Monday? (after the release of the demo)

I haven't chimed in on this thread in a while, sorry (though in my defense, I'm technically on vacation right now).

We'll be examing the demo after it's released on Friday and have some benchmarks next week. Then we'll have another Crysis PC update probably next week as well, once we have a better idea of how the demo runs, and we'll also highlight some of the suggestions and ideas posting here on the forum.

 

[bruce555]

I haven't chimed in on this thread in a while, sorry (though in my defense, I'm technically on vacation right now).

We'll be examing the demo after it's released on Friday and have some benchmarks next week. Then we'll have another Crysis PC update probably next week as well, once we have a better idea of how the demo runs, and we'll also highlight some of the suggestions and ideas posting here on the forum.

Thanks for the update from your vacation. I'll be looking forward to your input next week.

 

[crom]

I just set up the following system for about 1400 (after mail in discounts, and using a few existing things I already had like a monitor and hard drive):

Intel Q6600 core2quad 2.4GHz
4 gigs of DDR2-800 dual channel
Nvidia 8800gtx 768 megs
850 watt PS
Windows XP SP2

I'll give the demo a run on Friday on that build an post about it. Rob, hope you're having a good vacation, I sure as hell need one.

 

[stemnin]

I'll be running it on

Core 2 Quad Q6600
2x1GB DDR2 667
8800GTS 320MB
Vista 32bit

And Rob, i'm guessing you guys will compare 32bit and 64bit versions of the game to see if there's a real performance difference?

 

[bruce555]

@ Rob, when you start doing your bench's they have a built in benchmark,

@ - Crysis SP Demo/Bin32/Benchmark_GPU (or cpu)


A gpu + cpu bench!!!!!! Now everyone can be on the same page for what they get.

 

[Cannedbeefer]

I played the beta; I think the game runs great on high settings, directx9.

I tend to go for the idea that people have high end systems; but game problems because they don’t understand the system and mechanics of it, further more they do not know how to optimize their computer. They don’t know this information because they usually buy a pre-built "high end" from some web site. Some forget that Quad cores are support by few and rare applications and games, and that SLI is included in that. Anyways I built a powerful system myself I think. Low cost and should be good for sometime. In addition to that they forget betas are ment to have some issues, and that they focus on the small problems rather than enjoy the game, the things i see people talk about are not issues that would stop game play, but maybe if you are looking for it youll find it. Than blow it out of proportion. By far i think crysis is the best looking game ever. People say WIC is better but the game play is terribly boring. At least in Crysis i can feel like i am part fo the game which makes me get into it. Unfortunitly the older i get the more i hate cartoonish games and games that cant visually draw me into it.

I ran 40-50fps which is fine with me, on high settings.
Cooling is not an issue for no over clocking
Cost approx 2,300$ that’s not including shipping, I am overseas military

Asus PK5-VM MicroATX
Conroe E6850 3.0 Ghz Dual Core Processor
4 x 1GB Kingston Dual Channel Ram 800 Mhz
NVIDIA 8800 Ultra 768MB
Sound Blaster X-fi Extreme Gaming
750W Thermaltake Modular PSU
2 x 500GB Sata II HD
1 x 250GB Sata II HD
1 x Sata DVD Burner
Micro Tower, Modified, with internal USB and wireless dongles, external USB memory card read converted to internal - using one free slot in rear.

HP w1907 1440 x 900 Resolution
5.1 X-540 Logitech Surround Sound
Wireless mouse/keyboard

 

[crom]

I just set up the following system for about 1400 (after mail in discounts, and using a few existing things I already had like a monitor and hard drive):

Intel Q6600 core2quad 2.4GHz
4 gigs of DDR2-800 dual channel
Nvidia 8800gtx 768 megs
850 watt PS
Windows XP SP2

I'll give the demo a run on Friday on that build an post about it. Rob, hope you're having a good vacation, I sure as hell need one.

The demo runs great on this system. I've been running it at 1600x1200 with 4xAA and it's hit about 40 - 50fps on average. I've also overclocked the CPU to 3.2GHz with 1.3GHz FSB. I've also overclocked the video card slightly.

I think the following build would be even better for Crysis (budget wise that is): (Prices from New Egg)

Intel Core2Duo e6550 2.33GHz: 169
Nvidia 8800gt: 259
2 gigs of DDR2-800 Crucial: 89
Intel P35 chipset motherboard: 110
250 gig SATA: 69
650 Watt PS: 109
Optical Drive: 35
Case: 80
OS: Windows XP Home OEM: 89

Total: $1009

I think that's a very doable budget for a gaming rig that can run Crysis as well as any of the other next gen games.