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Starcraft 2 Computer specs

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jisaeltl
Profile Joined May 2010
83 Posts
Last Edited: 2010-06-30 12:22:01
June 30 2010 12:18 GMT
#1
First off i'm not sure if this should go under General or Starcraft 2, it's sort of in between.

Anyways i'm asking for help via my computer hardware. Let me list the specs:

Vista Home Premium 32-bit
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 @ 2.4GHz
3GB DDR3 @ 1067MHz RAM
Nvidia GTX 280 GPU @ 602MHz core 1296MHz shader 1107MHz memory
Nvidia 790i Ultra SLI mobo
Samsung HD320KJ 500GB and WDC 300GB hard drives
1KW Dell PSU
HT Omega 7.1 Striker sound card

I think my computer is decently good but I can't seem to run SC2 past 45 FPS @ 1920 x 1200 resolution with my settings at high (not ultra). I've seen a lot of people posting their comp specs and getting much higher fps with similar quality rigs and i'm not sure what's bottlenecking my system (probably RAM/CPU?). Anyways if you guys could help me out that would be fantastic!

I am thinking about upgrading to:

Intel Core i7 930 @ 2.8GHz http://tinyurl.com/2fchler
ASUS P6T mobo http://tinyurl.com/2b94oga
Corsair H50 Hydro CPU cooler http://tinyurl.com/2agnsn6
6GB Corsair Dominator DDR3 PC12800 @ 1600MHz http://tinyurl.com/2g7wr4k
I am also going to upgrade to Windows 7 64-bit (cracked)
This will cost me around $1000 including taxes.

Is this upgrade worth the cost? Any suggestions on better parts?

edit: I am also confident I can OC the i7 CPU to 4.0GHz w/o tampering with Vcore voltage


adadasdsdawdads
Phayze
Profile Blog Joined June 2009
Canada2029 Posts
Last Edited: 2010-06-30 13:07:11
June 30 2010 12:33 GMT
#2
Whats the clock on your current Q6600? I havent checked affinity settings with SC2 and quad cores, but I'd wait until retail release to truely test the performance of your current PC. The fact is, i'm pretty sure the beta was terribly optimized for quad cores and theres a really good chance on retail your performance will dramatically increase. A little tampering with the affinity settings in the beta might do this too. IMO, NOT worth $1000. Maybe some more ram though, I remember my SC2 using almost 3gb of ram at times. That might be whats throttling your PC as it's really high end despite the 2.3ghz quad (Any measure of CPU OC makes it super super high end ) Oh and why did you get a 1000W PSU? you probably only need a 550/600W to be REALLY safe, 1K is overkill unless you're planning on running some beefy OC with crossfire.

Now I notice you're using Windows 32bit, with 3gb of ram.Do you actually have 4gb of ram? And it's being limited to 3.25???GB because of the 32bit limitations. If this is the case, THAT is your problem right there. I remember having huge ram conflicts when having 4gb of dual channel ram with one stick not being used because I was using 32bit vista. I'm sure your PC should have NO problem running SC2 60+ frames, with a little skepticism regarding only 3gb of ram, and if its true you have one idle stick thats what you gotta fix asap. You really need the 64bit if this is the case.
Proud member of the LGA-1366 Core-i7 4Ghz Club
Therealdevil
Profile Joined May 2010
Netherlands1021 Posts
Last Edited: 2010-06-30 12:57:09
June 30 2010 12:54 GMT
#3
Kinda overkill for just sc2 :/

I'm running everything maxxed on my faithfull geforce 9800 gtx-es :D

also ppl will be needing info on the state of your OS how old is it defragmentation stuff like that, if your pc is full of junk it won't run anything propperly

you might even have a virus :O
or update your drivers, but that would be weird cause you kinda get a popup for that from sc2 : P
electron
Profile Joined June 2010
Norway7 Posts
Last Edited: 2010-06-30 13:00:53
June 30 2010 12:57 GMT
#4
My rig is

Q6600 (same as yours)
8gb PC2-6400 RAM (worse then yours, albeit more)
Radeno 5850 GPU (Similar to yours)
Win7 Ultimate x64

Settings - All ultra @ 1920x1200, i believe i have 2xaa or something like that.

The game is running smoothly on my computer so i can't really see how an upgrade will help for you. There aren't any obvious bottle necks which should cause such a low FPS.

Before you spend 1000$ (on something you don't need imo) you should try to re-install with a 64bit OS, prefereably Win 7 as it's a bit better then Vista. Or even just re-install the 32bit Vista you got.

What sort of FPS do you get on lower resolutions and different AA settings etc?
How big is the CPU load and Mem usage?

Are other games running smoothly?


elec
Blargh
alex ctd
Profile Joined June 2010
Australia26 Posts
June 30 2010 12:59 GMT
#5
Yeah you shouldn't have any troubles with that setup even on Ultra @19200x1200. Try cleaning up your system and maybe even get win7-64bit + format

SC2 isn't the most intensive game going round.
Dehner
Profile Joined May 2010
Canada18 Posts
June 30 2010 13:02 GMT
#6
To the OP, certainly good enough for high settings play. I'd say the weakest part is how much ram you have, but I imagine it'll still be perfectly fine (when I first built my computer with 2gb of RAM SC2 would definitely squeeze it to the limit on that front, but that extra gig would surely make a big difference). Having 6 gigs now makes a world of difference in smooth play and also in smooth transitions while rampantly alt-tabbing in and out of the game.
Orange Goblin
Profile Joined May 2010
218 Posts
June 30 2010 13:04 GMT
#7
Also, why are you having your Q6600 running at 2.4 GHz?

You can easily get it up to 3 GHz with almost any sort of cooling. I'm sure that will help a lot.
jisaeltl
Profile Joined May 2010
83 Posts
June 30 2010 13:10 GMT
#8
i defragged a couple months back, my HDD's are getting a bit full atm. I don't think I have a virus but i'll scan again to check, using NOD32 Smart Security btw. Also this computer won't just be for SC2, it will be for pretty much any good PC game that comes out in the next few years. e.g. Crysis 2, Mafia 2, Arma 2, etc. much more cpu intensive games.

CPU usage is about 75% mid-game (more units, buildings, and shit) I also am playing vs. the AI so my usage also takes a hit from that too I guess.
Mem usage is about 3 gb as well mid-game.

New build:
intel i5 750 @ 2.66GHz
EVGA P55 FTW
Corsair XMS3 4GB PC10666 @ 1333MHz
new price: $786 including taxes

How much better are the i7's compared to the i5's and 6GB @ 1600MHz compared to 4GB @ 1333MHz?

On a side note I just realized canadian prices on tigerdirect are fucking bullshit. TD is selling 4 gigs of mushkin ram @ 1600mhz for only $130

adadasdsdawdads
EatCrow
Profile Joined April 2010
Estonia333 Posts
June 30 2010 13:11 GMT
#9
You should be able to overclock your Q6600 easily over 3GHz. I've got mine running at 3,6GHz which gave me +40 fps.
MadLag
Profile Joined March 2010
Poland82 Posts
Last Edited: 2010-06-30 13:44:57
June 30 2010 13:43 GMT
#10
if u planing to upgrade only for sc2 DONT DO IT !! ur pc is fine all u have to do is remove that shitty 32 vista (system is bad + it only uses 3gb ram) so get 64 7, then u could over clock ur cpu (u might need some better cooler) or u can buy some q9560 or q9550 and overclock it to 4gh (it will be little slower than i7 but way more cheaper). besides if ur game is smooth dont bother yourself with fps amount.
Balor
Profile Joined April 2010
United States147 Posts
June 30 2010 13:50 GMT
#11
What level should I be able to play SC2 on?

Planning on getting an Alienware M17X with the following specs,

1GB ATI Radeon™ Mobility HD 5870
6GB Memory 1x 2GB, 1x 4GB DDR3
250GB 7,200RPM SATA-II HDD

and

Should I get:

Intel® Core™ i7 620M 2.66 GHz (3.33GHz Turbo Mode, 4MB Cache
or
Intel® Core™ i7 720QM 1.6GHz (2.8 GHz Turbo Mode, 6MB Cache

(same price)
Tone_
Profile Joined May 2009
United Kingdom554 Posts
June 30 2010 13:53 GMT
#12
You should be able to get a better performance from a PC of that spec. Try looking for internal solutions instead of upgrading, (sorry if you have been). I'm not great with troubleshooting but check temperatures, settings, wiring etc. Only components that I don't know well in there are mobo and graphics card, the rest are capable of running sc2 on superior settings than you have. Replacing them may solve the problem, but there IS a cheaper solution somewhere.
Hasta La Victoria Siempre | 톤
Commodore
Profile Joined January 2008
United States97 Posts
June 30 2010 14:18 GMT
#13
I agree with Phayze. It's not worth $1000 for such a marginal upgrade. Just get some more ram and a 64-bit OS.

At launch, SC2 won't benefit from quad core over dual core.

On June 30 2010 21:33 Zarhym wrote:
Q. After the beta has commenced, how many CPU cores will StarCraft II be optimized for upon final release?
A. For launch, StarCraft II will be optimized for dual-core only. In the future we will definitely be looking into other optimizations to support additional cores, but do not have specific dates yet.

http://forums.battle.net/thread.html?topicId=24630604051&postId=246283079571&sid=3000#17

Phayze
Profile Blog Joined June 2009
Canada2029 Posts
Last Edited: 2010-06-30 14:41:23
June 30 2010 14:40 GMT
#14
On June 30 2010 23:18 Commodore wrote:
I agree with Phayze. It's not worth $1000 for such a marginal upgrade. Just get some more ram and a 64-bit OS.

At launch, SC2 won't benefit from quad core over dual core.

Show nested quote +
On June 30 2010 21:33 Zarhym wrote:
Q. After the beta has commenced, how many CPU cores will StarCraft II be optimized for upon final release?
A. For launch, StarCraft II will be optimized for dual-core only. In the future we will definitely be looking into other optimizations to support additional cores, but do not have specific dates yet.

http://forums.battle.net/thread.html?topicId=24630604051&postId=246283079571&sid=3000#17



Thanks, you answered my affinity questions haha. To the OP, since SC2 only uses two cores, it essentially turns your CPU to a 2.3Ghz Dual core. This, in combination with my suspicions on your ram problems are probably causing less than ideal results. A marginal overclock (To atleast 2.6/2.7 Ghz although you could get MUCH higher with your heatsink) would probably fix alot of your problems. And going to 64bit you make your ram ALOT faster.

And to the Alienware guy (sorry forgot name) Get the 2.7Ghz CPU, the 1.6Ghz is going to REALLY struggle with SC2, Even in performance mode the clock isnt that high. If you want to play on ULTRA settings, you're going to need that beefy i7.
Proud member of the LGA-1366 Core-i7 4Ghz Club
cauchy.riemann
Profile Joined May 2010
Switzerland13 Posts
June 30 2010 15:09 GMT
#15
yoyoyoyo guys,

i got the new macbook pro 13" 2010 Edition since a while, has anybody tested the performance of Starcraft 2 in OS and via boot camp? If yes XP or 7?

Im not sure which version to preorder right now and i dont want to install windows if not necessary.

So if anybody has some experience, would be much appreciated.

riemann out.
Nyx
Profile Blog Joined May 2010
Rwanda460 Posts
Last Edited: 2010-06-30 15:20:01
June 30 2010 15:19 GMT
#16
For launch, StarCraft II will be optimized for dual-core only.


I might be wrong, but I'm pretty sure at the moment it's only using a single core. It definitely only uses one core on my machine.

So in fact, you've got a 2.4GHz single core.


On July 01 2010 00:09 cauchy.riemann wrote:
yoyoyoyo guys,

i got the new macbook pro 13" 2010 Edition since a while, has anybody tested the performance of Starcraft 2 in OS and via boot camp? If yes XP or 7?

Im not sure which version to preorder right now and i dont want to install windows if not necessary.

So if anybody has some experience, would be much appreciated.

riemann out.


Or you could just use the Mac client for StarCraft 2?
mr_tolkien
Profile Blog Joined June 2010
France8631 Posts
June 30 2010 15:28 GMT
#17
I got the rig you want to make and have 45fps (according to Fraps) at all Ultra settings.
The legend of Darien lives on
cauchy.riemann
Profile Joined May 2010
Switzerland13 Posts
June 30 2010 15:42 GMT
#18


Or you could just use the Mac client for StarCraft 2?


Well thats my main question...of course i can use the mac client, but i can also use the windows version via bootcamp. The question is if somebody already compared those two options, there are threads on other sites but its mainly a lot of speculations which ends in mac vs win. flamewars...

Nyx
Profile Blog Joined May 2010
Rwanda460 Posts
June 30 2010 15:59 GMT
#19
On July 01 2010 00:42 cauchy.riemann wrote:
Show nested quote +


Or you could just use the Mac client for StarCraft 2?


Well thats my main question...of course i can use the mac client, but i can also use the windows version via bootcamp. The question is if somebody already compared those two options, there are threads on other sites but its mainly a lot of speculations which ends in mac vs win. flamewars...



It shouldn't be comparable, the mac version is optimised for macs, the pc version isn't. On top of that with bootcamp you've got that extra abstraction layer that's going to hurt.

That said, I've had games that work better on linux w/wine than on the same computer with windows. But obviously a linux binary on linux would work better than both.
Qlinic
Profile Joined June 2010
Netherlands2 Posts
June 30 2010 16:01 GMT
#20
did anyone else have problems in the beta with the i7? i noticed some lag spikes and heard it was in relation with i7 cores ;o
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