FFXIV Hardware Requirements

[Jamison]

Question for those of you who know about Laptops, since I don't know any thing about them. I'm just a Desktop guy.

Looking at my girlfriend's cheap $300 Acer Laptop, it meets all of the minimum requirements except for the CPU. It has 3 gigs of RAM, and ATI HD 3200, but is running a very weak Single Core processor. Meanwhile my current Desktop is well below the curve and I would need to upgrade both the CPU and the GPU.

Would it be worth it to spend $20 to get a Dual Core processor that would boost the laptop up to Minimum specs, or would it still not be enough? Or should I spend about $100 to get a GPU and CPU that will run the game on minimum specs for my current Desktop.

Please keep in mind I have no interest in running it on any thing other than the cheapest, lowest settings I can afford while still being able to play the game. This is a patch up so my Girlfriend and I can play together until PS3 launch in March.

For reference, her Laptop model is the Acer Aspire 5532, and I would be upgrading the TF-20 CPU to something in the TF-50 series. Current specs my girlfriend scored a whopping 121 on the Benchmark.

Are you sure that laptop graphics card is going to cut it? From what I can tell, I think it's going to be far below (but I could be wrong).

[edit: don't be fooled by the numbers, your card is a mobility and near as I can tell, has significantly less power than the minimum requirement. someone correct me if i'm wrong.]

Have you come across any guides or official info from Acer about upgrading the CPU? Heat is so carefully managed in laptops that I would assume while the motherboard may technically accept the CPU, heat could cause system instability.

That being said, perhaps upgrading the PC is the better option.

[Zane]

Yeah, I researched replacing the CPU, and a TF-50 series would not overheat the Laptop. People have even successfully replaced the CPU with models from the TF-60 series.

About the GPU, you may be right. I assumed it would be the same as a normal 3200, with the minimum requirement being a 2900, but my guess is the 3200 is on board so won't be able to put out the power required to get the same results as a desktop 3200.

EDIT: I can double confirm that this GPU won't be enough to run it on minimum settings. Now for me to check and make sure that my Desktop's Mobo can handle a better GPU and Processor before I fry that out.

[Amele]

the 3200 is significantly weaker than a 2900, there is no regular card version, but even if there is, just because the number is bigger doesn't mean it's better. (in this case, 3000 was a graphics card series, and the 3200 is the weakest of the series. the 2900 is one of the best of the previous generation)

[Jojimbo]

2900 >>> 3200 anyway. You are comparing the best of one generation to the entry/not made for gaming level of the next. A 5670 is about the same as a 4770 which is slightly better than a 3870 just give an idea of how it works.

[Skyylya]

I'm wondering if my PC i built a few years ago will be ok running this. The PC isn't working right now I had to order a new CPU since my old one burned out.

But the specs are as follows (I can't afford a full upgrade yet with new mobo so i'm not getting an i7 yet)

quad core 8300 is the new processor i bought
asus p5k3 deluxe MOBO
corsair xms3 DDR3 1333
gtx260 (my old 8800gtx burnt out so this was the cheap replacement)

These are the main parts of the computer. I've also bought a couple more sticks of RAM to put in there since they were only 50 bucks until i can afford to rebuild a new rig.

I'm wondering how much to save. I've priced out a new computer with a new MOBO/CPU/GPU and upgraded ram to about 1600$. Probably be about 4-5 months before i could afford it though and want to know if what i'm running will be good enough for now.

thanks, (right now i'm using my 10 year old computer until i can fix my good one)

[Jojimbo]

260 GTX and Q8300 should be enough to run FFXIV. You didn't say how much ram you have but as long as it isn't 1 GB or something it won't matter much.

[Skyylya]

I've got 4GB of ram right now 2 x 2 sticks.

[ufo]

The HD 3200 does run the game, but it's very choppy. I have the same card on my laptop and played on it a few times. Better than Intel graphics which wont run it at all. It's an integrated version of the HD 2400, so lower than the 2900.

[YukonWildAss]

Just wanted to post my build and the cost associated with it. If you have the patience to build your computer over a 6 month period like I did, waiting for the best prices on pretty much everything, you can get a pretty savage computer for a pretty reasonable price. (I think)

Case: Cooler Master HAF 922 ($90)
Processor: Intel Core i7 930 ($200)
Memory: Corsair Dominator6gb (3x2) DDR3 1600mhz RAM ($160)
Graphics Card: ATI Radeon HD 5870 1GB ($347)
Motherboard: Asus P6X58D ($243)
Power Supply: Etasis 750 Watt ($50)
Heat Sink: Noctua NH-D14 ($87)

Total: $1281 (+$100 since I had to buy Windows 7)

Aside for my Heat sink and Case I was able to get pretty significant discounts on a lot of my parts. I was building this specifically with FFXIV in mind and wasn't in any particular rush to get it put together, hence the huge amount of time I spent looking for components. I'm under the assumption this is a good price for my build but I'd like to hear your opinions, because its painfully clear most of you know more about this stuff than I do. Thanks

[Zane]

The HD 3200 does run the game, but it's very choppy. I have the same card on my laptop and played on it a few times. Better than Intel graphics which wont run it at all. It's an integrated version of the HD 2400, so lower than the 2900.

Was this for the Alpha or the Beta, and was the choppiness so bad it was unplayable or just mildly irritating? Because if you were able to play with that chipset during the Beta, you're about to make someone jump for joy since I found out the Mobo in my old comp can't run Dual-Cores.

[Zellot_OG]

Stupid question, but I wouldn't ask if I knew the answer.

Which would get a higher benchmark score: (Hi Res)

(1) Phenom x4 965 BE (3.4 Ghz) + Ati 5850

or

(2) Phenom x6 1055T (2.8 Ghz) + Ati 5850


My current setup is, Phenom x3 (2.6 Ghz) + Ati 4890 (Hi Res score of 2400).

My goal is 4k Hi Res, which setup (above) will get me there?

[alecrast]

Stupid question, but I wouldn't ask if I knew the answer.

Which would get a higher benchmark score: (Hi Res)

(1) Phenom x4 965 BE (3.4 Ghz) + Ati 5850

or

(2) Phenom x6 1055T (2.8 Ghz) + Ati 5850


My current setup is, Phenom x3 (2.6 Ghz) + Ati 4890 (Hi Res score of 2400).

My goal is 4k Hi Res, which setup (above) will get me there?

Both will get you there and they'll probably be within 100 - 200 points of each other. As such, I would get the 1055T over the 965BE.

[Zellot_OG]

Both will get you there and they'll probably be within 100 - 200 points of each other. As such, I would get the 1055T over the 965BE.

Ty.

[Akiyama]

Just wanted to post my build and the cost associated with it. If you have the patience to build your computer over a 6 month period like I did, waiting for the best prices on pretty much everything, you can get a pretty savage computer for a pretty reasonable price. (I think)

Case: Cooler Master HAF 922 ($90)
Processor: Intel Core i7 930 ($200)
Memory: Corsair Dominator6gb (3x2) DDR3 1600mhz RAM ($160)
Graphics Card: ATI Radeon HD 5870 1GB ($347)
Motherboard: Asus P6X58D ($243)
Power Supply: Etasis 750 Watt ($50)
Heat Sink: Noctua NH-D14 ($87)

Total: $1281 (+$100 since I had to buy Windows 7)

Aside for my Heat sink and Case I was able to get pretty significant discounts on a lot of my parts. I was building this specifically with FFXIV in mind and wasn't in any particular rush to get it put together, hence the huge amount of time I spent looking for components. I'm under the assumption this is a good price for my build but I'd like to hear your opinions, because its painfully clear most of you know more about this stuff than I do. Thanks

Don't go cheap on a PSU.

[ufo]

Was this for the Alpha or the Beta, and was the choppiness so bad it was unplayable or just mildly irritating? Because if you were able to play with that chipset during the Beta, you're about to make someone jump for joy since I found out the Mobo in my old comp can't run Dual-Cores.

That was in the alpha, I didn't install the beta on this PC yet. My laptop is a dual core Athlon so my experience might be better. Really it depends on your definition of playable. It was pretty bad though, I mean I was able to make a character and get out of Lomsa Lominsa and kill some stuff... but I wouldn't want to play like that on a regular basis. Maybe its better in the beta with being able to turn down some settings, but I haven't tried yet. I'm just saying don't get your hopes up too much.

[Zane]

That was in the alpha, I didn't install the beta on this PC yet. My laptop is a dual core Athlon so my experience might be better. Really it depends on your definition of playable. It was pretty bad though, I mean I was able to make a character and get out of Lomsa Lominsa and kill some stuff... but I wouldn't want to play like that on a regular basis. Maybe its better in the beta with being able to turn down some settings, but I haven't tried yet. I'm just saying don't get your hopes up too much.

Yeah, at this rate my girlfriend isn't too picky since the only other alternative is sharing the desktop I'm building, so we wouldn't be able to play together until March. We'll probably wind up buying the dual-core for her Laptop so she can play FF XI and WoW better if FF XIV won't work, but if you happen to try your laptop out in beta let me know how it runs.

[Ladymist]

Hihi,

I ran the bench mark on both mine and my bf's systems and mine sucked, his was decent. I was hoping for some advice on upgrading what i have or if i should save for a full rebuild.

MoBo: Asus M2N SLI Deluxe AM2 Nvidia Nforce 570 SLI MS
CPU: AMD Althon 64x2 6400+ Dual Core Processor
Ram: Kingston 2GB PC2-6400/800Mhz DDR2
Video Card: EVGA GeForce N86Z 9600GT 512MB
Power Supply: 650W

On Low res i did about 1600 on my benchmark. I would like to boost my video card for sure and i am reading that the ATI 5850 would be good but i am not to sure if my board and CPU can handle it. Oh and my system is just over 2 years old.

My Bf's system is:

MoBo: Asus M4A78-E AM3
CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 810 2.6Ghz AM3
Ram: Kingston 2GB 800Mhz DDR2
Video Card: Radeon HD4850 512MB
Power Supply: 850W

On low res he scored 2800 approx. If we did the ATI 5850 would that work in his system. His is a stronger/newer system so i see less problems with his.

We both run Windows XP atm and i want to put 1 more GB of ram in each system since i know they can't do 4gb and i can't upgrade to 7 yet.

Thank you for any advice anyone can give me. I used to know my computer stuff better but now i am confused as to what is good and what works now.

Ladymist

PS whats a good benchmark target? been trying to figure that out with no luck.

[ufo]

Yeah, at this rate my girlfriend isn't too picky since the only other alternative is sharing the desktop I'm building, so we wouldn't be able to play together until March. We'll probably wind up buying the dual-core for her Laptop so she can play FF XI and WoW better if FF XIV won't work, but if you happen to try your laptop out in beta let me know how it runs.

Also it is really hard to control the already crappy mouse when your framerate is jerky. I had to use a controller for everything. I dunno if I would run out and get a processor though unless you had already planned to do that. It's usually a pain in the butt to change a laptop processor. Plus the difference might not be noticeable with the gimped graphics chip.

[alecrast]

Hihi,

I ran the bench mark on both mine and my bf's systems and mine sucked, his was decent. I was hoping for some advice on upgrading what i have or if i should save for a full rebuild.

MoBo: Asus M2N SLI Deluxe AM2 Nvidia Nforce 570 SLI MS
CPU: AMD Althon 64x2 6400+ Dual Core Processor
Ram: Kingston 2GB PC2-6400/800Mhz DDR2
Video Card: EVGA GeForce N86Z 9600GT 512MB
Power Supply: 650W

On Low res i did about 1600 on my benchmark. I would like to boost my video card for sure and i am reading that the ATI 5850 would be good but i am not to sure if my board and CPU can handle it. Oh and my system is just over 2 years old.

My Bf's system is:

MoBo: Asus M4A78-E AM3
CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 810 2.6Ghz AM3
Ram: Kingston 2GB 800Mhz DDR2
Video Card: Radeon HD4850 512MB
Power Supply: 850W

On low res he scored 2800 approx. If we did the ATI 5850 would that work in his system. His is a stronger/newer system so i see less problems with his.

We both run Windows XP atm and i want to put 1 more GB of ram in each system since i know they can't do 4gb and i can't upgrade to 7 yet.

Thank you for any advice anyone can give me. I used to know my computer stuff better but now i am confused as to what is good and what works now.

Ladymist

PS whats a good benchmark target? been trying to figure that out with no luck.

You can put a 5850 in your system and it will offer you an improvement over what you have now. In the best case scenario, you get the 5850 and you're happy with it. In the worst case scenario, you buy the 5850 and it improves your experience but you still want more, so you build a new system and simply transfer the 5850 to it. In either case, you still want/need the 5850, right? Unless you're considering buying a pre-built.

Also, you can temporarily put the 5850 in your bf's system to give you the differential in performance due to your CPU and motherboard. Then you can see how much you're being limited and whether or not a system refresh is worth it.

[YukonWildAss]

Don't go cheap on a PSU.

Shell Shocker Deal from NewEgg, normal price is $110. I did some research, it's a good PSU from all that I've read, aside for the ones that are DOA haha. Oh well!