Buying a new PC to run DirectX 11 TPA - What specs do I need?

francis247uk · Apr 18, 2015

So with the release of DirectX 11, the PC version of TPA is probably the ultimate version overall.
(Even better than the xbone/PS4 versions) - Many thanks to Mike and the Farsight and the team and all the Beta testers.

Currently TPA runs on my 7 year old PC in dx11 mode but at snails pace so a good excuse for an upgrade.

I've already got a LG monitor with an HDMI slot which goes up to 1920 x 1080 resolution.

Would anyone have a rough idea what specs machine I would need to run this at a smooth 60fps in full HD at max settings.

Truth be told I'm only upgrading for TPA to be honest so don't want to spend anymore than necessary - what operating system, processor, graphics card etc do people think would be the best choice?

EDIT: - See post dated 21/07/15 - Upgraded old system and it's running great!

Jeff Strong · Apr 18, 2015

I just bought a GTX 960 and love it. You could go with a 970 if you wanted to future-proof even more, but it wouldnt make a difference for TPA. The 960 is plenty.

For the CPU, might as well go with an i7, but even an i5 would be sufficient. Personally I'd just spend the extra for i7 so you won't have to upgrade for a long time.

EldarOfSuburbia · Apr 18, 2015

Go to http://www.tomshardware.com. Read their excellent "best x for the money #month" articles. Be wiser and make informed decisions

My recommendations are an i5 (i7 is overkill) and a GTX970.

pm1109 · Apr 18, 2015

960 gtx is a good affordable card

EldarOfSuburbia · Apr 18, 2015

True but if you can find the extra $100 the 970 is a steal and totally worth it.

JPelter · Apr 18, 2015

EldarOfSuburbia said:
True but if you can find the extra $100 the 970 is a steal and totally worth it.

Normally I'd agree but the OP clearly said he's only getting it for TPA, so the extra is totally worthless.

Biff · Apr 19, 2015

If you want to build a PC only for TPA, you definitely don't need an expensive Intel CPU.

My game runs smoothly on max settings (DX11), because of the Radeon HD 7950 GPU.

This machine only has an old AMD Athlon II X4 (3 GHZ) CPU.
I often monitor the hardware when I run benchmarks or play games.
When I play TPA two cores can go up to 35% cpu load for a few milliseconds, one core almost falls asleep and the fourth core is maybe at 5%. You know these values change all the time, but again only 2 cores do a little work. The maxium cpu temperature is only 30 degree Celsius and I don't use additional case fans for TPA. (I have a front panel fan controller)

My cheap and old CPU laughs at TPA.

chinzman93 · Apr 19, 2015

Biff said:
If you want to build a PC only for TPA, you definitely don't need an expensive Intel CPU.

My game runs smoothly on max settings (DX11), because of the Radeon HD 7950 GPU.

This machine only has an old AMD Athlon II X4 (3 GHZ) CPU.
I often monitor the hardware when I run benchmarks or play games.
When I play TPA two cores can go up to 35% cpu load for a few milliseconds, one core almost falls asleep and the fourth core is maybe at 5%. You know these values change all the time, but again only 2 cores do a little work. The maxium cpu temperature is only 30 degree Celsius and I don't use additional case fans for TPA. (I have a front panel fan controller)

My cheap and old CPU laughs at TPA.

Totally agree. I am running on a similar CPU and have a 7790 and things are great. If TPA is the only thing it will be used for, the OP can get off pretty cheap.

switch3flip · Apr 19, 2015

Did you check you graphic card settings if pinballarcade is even there? Wasn't for me.

Zappa · Apr 19, 2015

I have a GTX 750 Ti OC, it handles DX 11 with everything at max no problem. Handles all the other games I have with ease.

mewzard · Apr 19, 2015

switch3flip said:
Did you check you graphic card settings if pinballarcade is even there? Wasn't for me.

How do I check that on an AMD card? I'm not sure where to look to check for that.

Jeff Strong · Apr 19, 2015

The GTX 960 is only like $40 more than the GTX 750 and $20 more than the Radeon 7950. Personally I'd just spend a little extra to future-proof a bit in case there's another game that comes along besides TPA that you might want to play.

Plus we all know the DX12 update can't be that far off, right? (Kappa)

chinzman93 · Apr 19, 2015

Jeff Strong said:
The GTX 960 is only like $40 more than the GTX 750 and $20 more than the Radeon 7950. Personally I'd just spend a little extra to future-proof a bit in case there's another game that comes along besides TPA that you might want to play.

Plus we all know the DX12 update can't be that far off, right? (Kappa)

Jeff, are you opening a "Timeframe on DX12" thread?

switch3flip · Apr 19, 2015

mewzard said:
How do I check that on an AMD card? I'm not sure where to look to check for that.

https://support.serato.com/hc/en-us...use-your-dedicated-GPU-on-a-Windows-computer-

Or something, I googled around to find how to do it. I found my nvidia in Control panel: hardware and sound.

pm1109 · Apr 19, 2015

chinzman93 said:
Jeff, are you opening a "Timeframe on DX12" thread?

That thread will be about 5000 pages long until we get dx12 for Pinball Arcade lol

Biff · Apr 19, 2015

Jeff Strong said:
The GTX 960 is only like $40 more than the GTX 750 and $20 more than the Radeon 7950. Personally I'd just spend a little extra to future-proof a bit in case there's another game that comes along besides TPA that you might want to play.

The Radeon HD 7950 is 3 years old and not really available anymore.

The R9 280 has similiar specs like the old 7950 and costs as much as the cheap version of the GTX 960.

However the R9 280 has 3 GB Ram and an 384 Bit interface, the GTX 960 has 2 GB RAM and an 128 Bit interface.

Just saying ...

francis247uk · Apr 19, 2015

Thanks for all the input so far everyone, I've been doing some budgeting and think I want to buy as many components as possible second hand if possible (Also this article gave me a lot of encouragement: http://www.kotaku.co.uk/2015/04/07/how-to-build-a-proper-gaming-pc-for-200-or-less)

Jeff Strong · Apr 19, 2015

Biff said:
The Radeon HD 7950 is 3 years old and not really available anymore.

The R9 280 has similiar specs like the old 7950 and costs as much as the cheap version of the GTX 960.

However the R9 280 has 3 GB Ram and an 384 Bit interface, the GTX 960 has 2 GB RAM and an 128 Bit interface.

Just saying ...

Yeah, I only mentioned the 7950 because someone else brought it up, but I see it wasn't really a recommendation.

I looked at benchmarks of the R9 280 vs the GTX 960 before I bought my 960 and the performance was close enough. My last card was a Radeon that ended up croaking, so I think I'll try my luck with Nvidia again awhile. I also like that it uses way less power than the 280 and generates less heat/noise. In fact the fans don't even spin unless you're really pushing it.

mpad · Apr 19, 2015

I have a 580 TI with 1 GB, i5 and 4GB ram. No problem whatsoever.

So if you build the PC yourself you could go fo eBay and get a 600series Nvidia, I would recommend 2GB video ram.
But new cards as mentioned above always give a little more for the money.

Firefox2000 · Apr 19, 2015

In my main PC i have a GTX 760 with a I7, and it just laughs a PBA in DX11 mode.

In my home made steam box for the living room and big picture, i have a I3 core and a GTX560, and again no issues with PBA in DX11.

Buying a new PC to run DirectX 11 TPA - What specs do I need?

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