FFXIV Hardware Requirements

[Amele]

SLI scaling is much better than xfire usually
Here is a thread explaining how to enable xfire/sli on benchmark, I haven't tried it myself since my 2nd 8800 is sitting over there on a shelf in anticipation of replacement gtx 460.

http://www.psu.com/forums/showthread.php?t=235360 He gives credit to someone on alla.

This post on [H] with supposedly working GTX 480s in sli with a 4ghz i7 is giving a high score of 6333.

Pretty sure that's still multi-gpu afr2 and isn't actually utilizing the SLI bus (I could be wrong) if someone who's done this can screenshot their SLI diagnostic meter in SFR mode* I'll withdraw the contention ^^


*because SFR requires the SLI bus to work last I checked.

[shaddix]

Pretty sure that's still multi-gpu afr2 and isn't actually utilizing the SLI bus (I could be wrong) if someone who's done this can screenshot their SLI diagnostic meter in SFR mode* I'll withdraw the contention ^^


*because SFR requires the SLI bus to work last I checked.

I may get sick enough of grinding here in a little while to test it.

[Maguile]

For someone that wants to build their own pc, but really has no idea how, is it still a good idea? Ive been reading the discussions here on it but kinda get lost in all the computer talk since I dont know too much about the topic. Can you guys give me an idea of what I should be looking for as far as parts go?

The computer Im on now barely runs the beta, and Id like to get a bit of a feel to the game before its released.

[Cooleko]

Building your own PC is relatively simple.
You need:
A Case
A power supply
A motherboard
A processor
RAM
Graphics card
Hard drive
CD/DVD drive

Now, each item you get has its own limitations and the whole computer is tied together.

You need a computer case which is big enough to fit your motherboard (some varioaton of ATX) and has enough slots for your components. A motherboard which has enough slots for your graphics/sound/physx cards (most people dont get sound/physx cards). a graphics card (two-four if you SLI/crossfire). a powersupply that gives enough power for your components. ram that fits your motherboard DDR2 vs DDR3. Harddrive that is big enough for your needs (2-10+ if you want some raid setup or just more space).

If you build your own pc you may want to overclock it, if you decide this route then you either need to buy a case with many fans and a heatsink for your processor. OR delve into watercooling which is made up of a lot of peices.

(shortcut but not as good, buy a standalone WC which is only for processor for $80)
Resevor for holding water
Radiator for cooling water
Pump for pumping water
water blocks for getting water to processor/graphics cards (more can be cooled but this is introductory)
tubing to get between all the parts (10-15 feet for first timers)
fittings for attaching tubing to every part (2 per part)
and water (water is a simple term, never use tap water, distilled/treated water only)

only had 5 minutes so i may have overlooked something, I left out pc components like a SDcard reader and other fancy stuff since you will find it in your shopping process.

[Sutien]

For someone that wants to build their own pc, but really has no idea how, is it still a good idea? Ive been reading the discussions here on it but kinda get lost in all the computer talk since I dont know too much about the topic. Can you guys give me an idea of what I should be looking for as far as parts go?

The computer Im on now barely runs the beta, and Id like to get a bit of a feel to the game before its released.

I just built my own PC knowing very little about the building process going into it. The actual build is pretty straight forward. Most everything is labeled and includes directions. Always make sure all your parts are compatible like the dude above me said.

If you use Arctic Silver products (the thermal compound that goes between the heat sink and processor) they have very nice directions to use on their site. Even if the heat sink you get comes with it pre-applied, buy it anyway. You will most likely not line everything up properly the first go.

The hard drive.. make sure it runs at least a constant 7200 RPM. I accidentally bought an eco-friendly HDD that runs between 5400 and 7200. Be sure to buy a SATA cable if you buy a bare drive. My motherboard came with only one cable, and I had to go out and buy another to use with the optical drive.

If in doubt there's google and youtube.

I used a combination of newegg, Ebay, Amazon and 3btech.net while purchasing parts to get the best deals I could.

[ertyu]

Alright, I know people may be getting sick of all of these types of questions but I thought I would at least try. I have been scouring this thread mostly and the benchmark thread to try and find what the best possible computer I could buy with 2000 that would have no troubles running 14 on max settings with no problems (or as close to that as I could get).

I don't know a lot about computers and what brands to get or what all the crazy numbers mean besides the speeds, so can someone help out?

From what I understand (or at least I can see) the i7-950 is dropping in price at the end of this month, so I was going to pick that up. For the video card, is the nvidia 480 worth the price or should I go with a 470? Or a radeon 5870 for that matter. As far as ram and mobo goes I have no idea, I was just going to go with what was highest rated and compatible, is this a mistake? For other peripherals (case, power supply, HDD) i honestly have no idea what I should be looking for, so any help is appreciated.

Basically the tl;dr version is: What can 2000 (don't need a monitor) buy me with hopes of playing at max (or close to max) settings?

Is there a build somewhere someone has that has scored well on the benchmark that I can try to emulate?

I appreciate all the help you guys, thanks!

[Cooleko]

Alright, I know people may be getting sick of all of these types of questions but I thought I would at least try. I have been scouring this thread mostly and the benchmark thread to try and find what the best possible computer I could buy with 2000 that would have no troubles running 14 on max settings with no problems (or as close to that as I could get).

I don't know a lot about computers and what brands to get or what all the crazy numbers mean besides the speeds, so can someone help out?

From what I understand (or at least I can see) the i7-950 is dropping in price at the end of this month, so I was going to pick that up. For the video card, is the nvidia 480 worth the price or should I go with a 470? Or a radeon 5870 for that matter. As far as ram and mobo goes I have no idea, I was just going to go with what was highest rated and compatible, is this a mistake? For other peripherals (case, power supply, HDD) i honestly have no idea what I should be looking for, so any help is appreciated.

Basically the tl;dr version is: What can 2000 (don't need a monitor) buy me with hopes of playing at max (or close to max) settings?

Is there a build somewhere someone has that has scored well on the benchmark that I can try to emulate?

I appreciate all the help you guys, thanks!

Unfortunately this is like asking us what combination of candy bars can you pick out of the store for 20 dollars. I really would like to help you but this is a very hard question because building your pc is about what you find important.

2000 dollars will get you a system that plays ff14 without any problems, however, you need to decide what you want.

If you go to newegg.com, you can look at people's "wishlist" and search for computer builds by price. This will help you out in your decision process.

Edit: You have to log in to view them, but I found a wishlist (including a monitor) for 2k. I did not look at anything in it other than to confirm it was a full computer. WishListNumber=14863806

I do not offer any opinion on his selection other than it is not what I would have used. (but each person wants something different). Good luck!

[alecrast]

Alright, I know people may be getting sick of all of these types of questions but I thought I would at least try. I have been scouring this thread mostly and the benchmark thread to try and find what the best possible computer I could buy with 2000 that would have no troubles running 14 on max settings with no problems (or as close to that as I could get).

I don't know a lot about computers and what brands to get or what all the crazy numbers mean besides the speeds, so can someone help out?

From what I understand (or at least I can see) the i7-950 is dropping in price at the end of this month, so I was going to pick that up. For the video card, is the nvidia 480 worth the price or should I go with a 470? Or a radeon 5870 for that matter. As far as ram and mobo goes I have no idea, I was just going to go with what was highest rated and compatible, is this a mistake? For other peripherals (case, power supply, HDD) i honestly have no idea what I should be looking for, so any help is appreciated.

Basically the tl;dr version is: What can 2000 (don't need a monitor) buy me with hopes of playing at max (or close to max) settings?

Is there a build somewhere someone has that has scored well on the benchmark that I can try to emulate?

I appreciate all the help you guys, thanks!

i7 930 + GTX480 or 5870
or
1055T + GTX480 or 5870

You can start building from either permutation with confidence.

[ertyu]

Thanks both of you guys! looking at wishlists has helped see what to flesh out the system with, and I think I'm going to go with the i7-950 and the gtx480. One question though, would it be better to get 2 gtx460s or 1 gtx480? It's about the same price but I don't know much about SLI.

[Amele]

Thanks both of you guys! looking at wishlists has helped see what to flesh out the system with, and I think I'm going to go with the i7-950 and the gtx480. One question though, would it be better to get 2 gtx460s or 1 gtx480? It's about the same price but I don't know much about SLI.

what else will you be playing?

2 460s is a pretty strong setup but if it's just for FFXIV I'd recommend going with the single card, personally.

[ertyu]

I don't really do much PC gaming as it is because I've never really had a great computer so I always stuck to being a consolefag. But hopefully now that I'll have a better computer I can play some more, but 14 is going to definitely be the main focus, so I guess 1 card it is!

[Krazy]

I was thinking about grabbing this PC:
http://configure.us.dell.com/dellsto...=DPCWVQ1&s=dhs
Only thing I'm changing so far is bumping up the basic vid card to ATI Radeon™ HD 5770. Anything else there I need to change, or am I all set after that?

[ertyu]

I was thinking about grabbing this PC:
http://configure.us.dell.com/dellsto...=DPCWVQ1&s=dhs
Only thing I'm changing so far is bumping up the basic vid card to ATI Radeon™ HD 5770. Anything else there I need to change, or am I all set after that?

From what I've been gathering that PC seems to be kind of in the low end, and you can build yourself a much better one for the same money. Someone may correct me if I'm wrong though, please.

[Tempest02]

From what I've been gathering that PC seems to be kind of in the low end, and you can build yourself a much better one for the same money. Someone may correct me if I'm wrong though, please.

you are absolutely right. their budget systems are good for budget systems. can't really beat $500 for a computer with monitor. i wouldn't buy their other stuff though, you can build one much better and cheaper.

[Tempest02]

I don't really do much PC gaming as it is because I've never really had a great computer so I always stuck to being a consolefag. But hopefully now that I'll have a better computer I can play some more, but 14 is going to definitely be the main focus, so I guess 1 card it is!

If you're going with a GTX 480 u might want to get a decent air flow case or better cooling, those cards tend to run really hot.

[shaddix]

those cards tend to run really hot.

depends on how lucky you are really, there's 20c variance under load between two identical 480's off the shelf(with same ambients). If I were buying a 480 I would just keep returning it til I got one with a low VID

[Pluged]

Do you think a HD 5770 will cut it for the requirements or should i get a HD 5850? i already dropped over 1g in my new build and trying to cut prices a bit.

[Jojimbo]

A 5770 will be able to play it, might not be able to max *everything* out (well, mainly AO). 5850 is a lot better and will have higher FPS if they lift the cap, however you could always CF 5770s later on (if you want to deal with all the compatibility issues/don't mind playing fullscreen).

[Adajer]

How much better would 2 of these 810,1620,4000 460s be than a single OC'd 480?

I am considering those 2 for cooler temps. I could get 2 480s but I think I would rather get 2 460s and wait see what the 475s or anything else looks like.

edit: Forgot to mention running at 2560x1600 and 21.5' side monitor.

[laxninja]

~2k (it says 2.3k but wiht the deals its 2k) Budget for FFXIV (Still overkill for FFXIV imo): https://secure.newegg.com/WishList/M...px?ID=14209472

More realistic build for FFXIV at max settings (~1.4k with deal) and less expensive: https://secure.newegg.com/WishList/M...px?ID=14209532

My build (not including case) may not run max settings, but it will run very well with medium-high settings:
https://secure.newegg.com/WishList/M...spx?ID=9686449