Will my rig handle FC3?

[MTM]

I'm thinking about purchasing Lock On and FC3 but before I do I wanted to get an opinion from people who probably know a little more than I do. With these system specs, will my laptop be able to handle FC3?

 

OS: Windows 7 64-bit

Processor: Intel Core i7 Q720 @ 1.6 GHz

Ram: 4 GB DDR3

Hard Drive: 300 GB (5400 rpm)

Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce GT 230M

 

 

I'm a little worried that a 1.6 GHz processor (albeit an i7) isn't going to cut it. Thoughts?

 

Thanks!

[159th_Viper]

Welcome :)

 

Download DCS World (free) and install that - will give you a very good indication of how FC3 or other modules will perform on your system.

[Madone]

Hi,

TBH, I think YES, but what's your screen size? If you can overclock your CPU (it's not a bad one) to 2.5Ghz at least, you could get enough to go up in the settings maybe, but your GPU is really low range so... then you should change it. (if you can)

If you don't really care about the graphics, it should run on low settings. But as Viper said, try World and see. It's difficult to judge at distance with only few specs (which I don't really know the possibilities).

 

Give a try, I hope you'll join this great community!!

[EtherealN]

Hi,

TBH, I think YES, but what's your screen size? If you can overclock your CPU (it's not a bad one) to 2.5Ghz at least,

 

That CPU in stock configuration turbos to 2.8GHz as long as there is sufficient thermal headroom.

 

My biggest worry is the GPU. It definitely will not be able to max settings, but low/med should work fine. As suggested, DCS World will be a good indicator since FC3 does run as part of DCS World.

Edited December 16, 2012 by EtherealN

[joey45]

I'm thinking that's a laptop.

[MTM]

I really appreciate all the feedback everyone. I tried downloading DCS World, but when I ran the .exe file I got an error message that said "The source file is corrupted." I redownloaded the .exe file, but same result.

 

It sounds like overclocking my processor and upgrading the GPU are good starting points. Though, as joey45 pointed out, this is a laptop. Not as easy to upgrade as a desktop (at least not for a novice like me).

 

As for DCS World, anyone familiar with that error message enough to know what I did wrong? I'm certain I followed the instructions on the website. They're pretty straightforward.

[EtherealN]

Your CPU should be fine as long as it has a workable cooling system on it. As mentioned, the 1.6GHz speed is just a rated "stock" speed, the chip will automatically (without you having to change anything) go up to 2.8GHz as long as this does not mean overheating.

 

Unfortunately, upgrading GPU is probably not possible - on laptops most often these use "ball-sockets" which are then soldered onto the motherboard, meaning it is practically impossible to switch it. (Not completely impossible, but you would need very specialized equipment that is usually only available in the factories.)

 

Regarding the download, when you have problems, I would suggest using the bittorrent link in the bottom. You will need a Bittorrent client - google the word "BitTorrent" and you will find one that is free. This download method will have automatic checking of file integrity, so problems with server or internet will not make an effect. If problem is only with one file, you can select to only download that one in the Bittorrent program.

 

When saying "source file corrupted" I think it might be talking about one the .bin files. If you are using Internet Explorer, make sure to doublecheck that these files did not get renamed - sometimes Internet Explorer does this without asking the user, so the files maybe are now called .zip instead of .bin or something like that, and then they will not work. (But in this case, you can manually change the names back to .bin.) This is supposed to be some smart feature in Internet Explorer, but I only find it annoying instead of smart. :P

[Madone]

Unfortunately, upgrading GPU is probably not possible - on laptops most often these use "ball-sockets" which are then soldered onto the motherboard, meaning it is practically impossible to switch it. (Not completely impossible, but you would need very specialized equipment that is usually only available in the factories.)

 

If it's a standard OEM laptop, I'm afraid of this too. Also I think it's more difficult to take a laptop to pieces than a rig (little parts with big fingers:juggle:).

About the CPU overclock, yes he can overclock up to 2.8Ghz but the cooling...

[EtherealN]

Madone, you're not understanding what I'm saying here:

 

The CPU in question will go to 2.8GHz with no user intervention. It's not an "overclock", it's stock specification. Standard reference cooling is enough for this.

 

"Standard" clock speed is 1.6GHz. This speed, you'll find, is almost never in use. (At idle it will underclock, allowing also undervolt, to ~800MHz to save energy.)

If 4 cores maxed, it will run at 1.733 GHz.

If 3 cores maxed, it will run at 1.733 GHz.

If 2 cores maxed, it will run at 2.4GHz.

If 1 core maxed, it will run at 2.8GHz.

 

All of this is 100% stock, reference design, no user intervention whatsoever. This is not an overclock. This is what the standard cooling is made to support. The only possible prevention is thermal headroom, which can be reduced from stock if the laptop's guts - most specifically the heat sinks and vents - are not kept free of dust.

 

Info on this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_Turbo_Boost

Edited December 18, 2012 by EtherealN

[Witchking]

I had that CPU in a Asus G73 before with a even better video card than yours. You won;t be able to run DCS at high settings. DCS is very CPU hungry. You may have to turn down settings such as visibility range to get it working well.

[Madone]

Ok I got it EtherealN since I can't use the Turboboost with my CPU, I always forget it lol. Well anyway, the CPU isn't the worst part for him.

[MTM]

It sounds like an upgrade on the GPU isn't practical, but the the GPU and the CPU could both handle FC3 as long as I don't put the settings on High. If I didn't install FC3 and just used a fully patched version of LOMAC would that put less of a demand on the GPU?

[Madone]

Do you mean buying Lock On Flamings Cliffs 2 instead? If so, yes there will be less stress on the GPU since there's no AA filters, HDR, TSAA.