Upgrade or Partial Rebuild for Fallout 4?

Joined
Dec 4, 2005
Messages
671
Hello,

Guys I have the rig in my sig. Id like to play Fallout 4 at 1080P (all I have for a monitor), though id like the frame rate up around 120fps (skyrim got real smooth at 120fps). I realize its not out, and honest reviews on performance aren't available, but I've been out of the hardware loop for a while, and wondering how much an upgrade will help with gaming. Rig is strictly gaming/web surfing.

Here are the Min and Recommended specs from Bethesda;

Minimum

Windows 7/8/10 (64-bit OS required)
Intel Core i5-2300 2.8 GHz/AMD Phenom II X4 945 3.0 GHz or equivalent
8 GB RAM
30 GB free HDD space
NVIDIA GTX 550 Ti 2GB/AMD Radeon HD 7870 2GB or equivalent

Recommended

Windows 7/8/10 (64-bit OS required)
Intel Core i7 4790 3.6 GHz/AMD FX-9590 4.7 GHz or equivalent
8 GB RAM
30 GB free HDD space
NVIDIA GTX 780 3GB/AMD Radeon R9 290X 4GB or equivalent

Obviously my video card won't be up to the task (if it had issues running skyrim at 120, i don't see how it would keep up with FO4), i plan to replace my ram (have had constant issues with ram, but it always passes memtest, yet with all sticks in, it crashes randomly, but can hold memtest all night long.

Should I be looking at a partial rebuild (CPU/MOBO/RAM/GPU) and reuse most parts (PSU/CASE/MONITOR/HDDs/KBM), or just update the GPU, and keep the OC on the 2500K to around 4-4.4ghz?

Either route, what do you guys recommend for upgrades. TBH there isn't a budget, but to spend 2k on a whole new system, doesn't make a ton of sense.
 
2500k? get the best single card solution you can afford.. The reason why I suggest a single card solution, leave it up to Bethesda to mess up SLI and CF again. I really miss my sandy bridge. I kinda wish I didn't give it to my nephew (hah) He is still using it on a Z68 board much like yours SLI'd on a 970 and it holds up very very well. On side note with all the recent sales going on, you can get 2 970's for $450 more or less. ( but yeah Fallout 3 was a bitch to me with SLI)
 
Yeah, I can hit 4.7 on mine stable, but I don't like how warm it runs for no real gains. So I stay around 4.4 for the most part.

So what should I look at a 970, 390? They look fairly even aside from the vram. Though we won't know how much is needed till the games out. Only concern with the 3.5/4 issue on the 970 is with mods for FO4
 
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I think at this point, it's entirely up to you. I favor 970 due to lower power consumption, it suited my needs. Then again with all the AA cranked up and uncompressed textures loading into VRAM. 390x would be a better choice as a single card solution
 
Yep, just a fast video card.

If you intend on playing the latest COD game as well, you might want to consider the 980ti because of its 6GB Vram.
Playability issues have been noted with 12GB Ram and a 980ti.
They go away if you have 16GB ram or a 12GB Vram Titan X.
Needs a lot of Vram currently, they may improve it later but if you want max quality, a 980ti minimum it looks like.
 
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^^ Yeah that's another card that would solve both issues of VRAM, heat and power consumption. 980 would be an excellent choice as well and 6GB of VRAM is plenty @1080p
 
Hey man! I'm playing COD:BO3 right now on a EVGA 980 FTW bought a couple weeks ago from this forum and i can play on a 144hz monitor like a charm. No drops, nada! TBH i have no idea how much fps i'm getting but everything seems as smooth as anything else.

So absolutely no need on getting anything more than a 980 for 1080p! Will do the job great!

Regarding the cpu, i'd stick with it until next gen.

Cheers
 
Yeah, most say you can't really tell past 60fps, but I seemed to notice the second I peaked over 120. Maybe it's just hitting the sweet spot with the monitor, but everything all of a sudden gets fluid moving. That's when I was hooked on 120hz. 144 wasn't out when I bought my PC (which coincidently was for the release of skyrim 11/11/11)

What do you guys recommend for a card? I went with a twin forzr before for a few reasons. Awesome cooling, and unlockable to 6970 shaders.
 
If you're that sensitive to FPS and really want 120 as much as possible, it's kind of a "go big or go home" situation. 980Ti, likely an EVGA with the ACX 2.0 cooler, or if you want to go even bigger there's the Zotac AMP! Extreme or Gigabyte Gaming G1 variants. Point is, you're looking at $620-680, depending.
 
So you'll have to decide given how much money you're willing to spend. Of course, the 980 ti is the best you can find.
 
Here's another vote for the GPU upgrade only.

Now, if you are still not achieving your user experience goal after taking the GPU option, then would I consider a platform upgrade. However, at that point, you probably didn't max out your GPU options. Going to a Skylake build from a SNB setup is not going to net you more than 10-20% improvement, if that.
 
I'll see what Black Friday brings. I'm not expecting much, we get a much crappier Black Friday in Canada, then you guys. A Ti would run me around 900 with current market

I have no issue spending money on the video card, just didn't see much value in spending another 2-3k on a build (think last one was 2200 or so), to play one game, and let the boys use it for YouTube/flash games.

Thanks guys.
 
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At 1080p you should be good with a GTX 970, more than likely.

Depends on the monitor. If it's a 60hz with no future plans for upgrading, then yes, 100%. But if you want more thank 90fps you will need a 980/980ti. If you can affort a ti, any model, then go for it. You will not be sorry.
 
Did you not have issues with Skyrim at 120 fps? I thought the general reports was that it would lead to bugs due to certain timings being fps based. Given that FO4 is the same engine there is possibility that issue will still persist.
 
Did you not have issues with Skyrim at 120 fps? I thought the general reports was that it would lead to bugs due to certain timings being fps based. Given that FO4 is the same engine there is possibility that issue will still persist.

I know for a fact Skyrim physics are dependent on 60hz.
 
http://www.pcgameshardware.de/Fallout-4-Spiel-18293/Specials/Test-Benchmark-vor-Release-1177284/

First few FO4 benches are out -- 970's sitting at 75 FPS average, 64 FPS min at 1080P, at least however they tested (don't know if there's a built in bench or it's a run through a specific area, it's in German).

980Ti puts you at 116/100. Honestly considering the OP is saying he doesn't game that much, I can't justify recommending a 980Ti at the 2x+ price premium for one game. Hell, I've seen 970s sell for under $250 in FS/FT here, with warranty.
 
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I doubt they would not consider high fps users now that there are a stack of high Hz and higher res (than 1080p) displays.
They wouldnt want the ire of some of the most hardcore gamers.
Things have come a long way since the last release and they have had a long time to consider how to address them, unlike rushing out patches.

They will have noted what happened to those that play without vsync as well.
Although you can limit fps now but it doesnt work for some.
 
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Skyrim I only got 120 on interiors (caves etc) but I could tell once I hit it, and would look to the corner of the screen for confirmation. The initial reviews don't look like anything will hit 120 steady (single card) And VRAM doesn't look like an issue.

I'm sure they will squeeze a bit more out of drivers, but it won't be magical 20-30fps.

I don't game much anymore, not PC anyway. I just had my 4th kid (5w, 1.5, 4, 6) so I don't get a ton of game time, unless I end up on the road, and that's console in a hotel etc. I just love the mod community though, hence why I want to go PC again. I have found two good deals on a few 980ti. One is evga stock clock ASX2+, and msi gamer. Cheaper than some 970s. You gotta remember I'm in canada, and currently at 75c on the dollar, plus shipping etc. Wondering if you think the stock clock evga is enough? I should be able to OC to a minimum of SC levels. A 970 May do if there is an issue over 60hz. I have never noticed any issues with being higher than 60, then again, the game always had weird physics quirks, I just assumed were part of the game.


http://www.gamersnexus.net/game-bench/2177-fallout-4-pc-video-card-fps-benchmark-all-resolutions
 
980ti, clocks don't matter /at all/. Ignore factory OC and just get whatever you can for the lowest price. Regardless of clocks it'll be head and shoulders above anything else. You can likely OC it yourself to ~1200Mhz without issue. With a 980Ti all that matters is how it's cooled and the temps/noise at load, if you're sensitive to that.
 
Just upgrade a bit. Don't spend massive amounts of money on a new build.
 
Is anyone getting the game tomorrow? Mine shows up on the 12th. But I have 15 days straight, of 12hr days. Maybe you could test over 60fps issues?
 
Is anyone getting the game tomorrow? Mine shows up on the 12th. But I have 15 days straight, of 12hr days. Maybe you could test over 60fps issues?

I got it, and it unlocked (did the NZ VPN trick). I've played a bit. Performs well, very playable at 4K with a single 980Ti and everything but god rays maxed, and that's with the 2500K at stock -- never got my OC back after getting a new motherboard. Don't know exact FPS as I was too focused on what was going on to bother with it. I'll do some tests at stock clocks and play around with an OC on the CPU and cards tomorrow or the next day. As of right now there's no SLI profile so it's only using one card, but I imagine there'll be one released soon enough.
 
Well pretty disappointed. Went to see if my pip-boy edition had shown up at best buy. Turns out they canceled my order. Said it was back-ordered too long, so they canceled it. No email, no nothing. Guess Ill pick up a reg copy somewhere else.
 
Well pretty disappointed. Went to see if my pip-boy edition had shown up at best buy. Turns out they canceled my order. Said it was back-ordered too long, so they canceled it. No email, no nothing. Guess Ill pick up a reg copy somewhere else.

Just order it from GeenManGaming. I think the 20% off code is still active. They'll send you a Steam key, and they're usually pretty quick.
 
Any update on if over 60 messes the game up?

Yeah, messes with the day/night cycle and other things. Not as bad as Skyrim was, but still annoying. You also have a chance to get stuck at terminals after using them and a few other odd things. Vsync is actually locked on by the game -- you have to edit the INI to even disable it in the first place.
 
Yeah, messes with the day/night cycle and other things. Not as bad as Skyrim was, but still annoying. You also have a chance to get stuck at terminals after using them and a few other odd things. Vsync is actually locked on by the game -- you have to edit the INI to even disable it in the first place.

The problem isnt related to 60Hz specifically though.
You can play on a higher refresh display as long as the framerate is capped.
The game uses the cap/vsync for its physics timing.
There appear to still be issues but thats the basis of it.
 
So if you leave v-sync enabled, on a 120 or 144hz display do the issues exist? Or is it when you play on a 60hz display and don't cap the frame rate at 60, and allow it to get to say 80
 
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