Ram and Graphics Card Question

Discussion in 'Hardware' started by Daniel Surridge, Oct 18, 2015.

  1. Daniel Surridge

    Daniel Surridge Member

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    I have a couple of questions regarding Ram and Graphics Card options, if anyone can clear things up it will be much appreciated.

    1.) Ram - DDR3 or DDR4? is there much of a difference between the two? More to the point, is DDR4 worth spending the extra money on over DDR3? Keep in mind the PC will be used almost exclusively for Sim Racing.

    2.) Graphics Card - I've asked a similar question before but I cant find the old thread so please forgive me, but I am trying to decide between a GTX 970 and a GTX 980, will a 970 be able to run R3E on max settings? or will I need a 980 for that?

    Any help would be much appreciated.

    Many Thanks

    Dan
     
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  2. Dave R

    Dave R Well-Known Member

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    My 970 runs R3E just fine (and pretty much anything else you can throw at it.).
     
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  3. Daniel Surridge

    Daniel Surridge Member

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    Thanks for the quick reply, thats what I was hoping to hear.
     
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  4. Dave R

    Dave R Well-Known Member

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    Apologies Daniel that I don't know much about the RAM. I have DDR3 and it runs AC, R3E, PC, and rF2 (along with a lot of other games) just fine as well.
     
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  5. Daniel Surridge

    Daniel Surridge Member

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    Thanks again for info Dave, as long as I can run R3E and iRacing I'm happy so will probably go ahead with those specs.
     
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  6. Dave R

    Dave R Well-Known Member

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    Daniel, one more question if possible. Which version of Windows are you running? I have noticed that since I went back to Windows 8, I get much better performance over 10 for some odd reason. Running with VSync off, on R3E with my 970, I get anywhere from 80-100 fps where as on Windows 10, I got anywhere from 50-70.
     
  7. Christian G

    Christian G Topological Agitator Beta tester

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    There is a huge difference between DDR3 and DDR4 RAM. Even the standard DDR4 cartridges (2133 MHz, some offer up to 3000 now) are about twice as fast and efficient as DDR3. But You'd need a mainboard (X99 f.e.) and a CPU (all new Core i7's f.e.) that are compatible with DDR4. As long as you don't have those and you're not planning on spending a few hundred bucks for a new CPU + MB, don't bother.

    It's the future alright, but, as we've learned from 20th century science fiction, the future moves slower than we think. ;)

    DDR3 can handle 99% of what we can throw at it atm. In a couple years that might be different.
     
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    Last edited: Oct 18, 2015
  8. Daniel Surridge

    Daniel Surridge Member

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    Again, thanks for the info, I'll probably stick with the cheaper option for now with the view to upgrading in the future, as long as I can run a few games now I'm happy.

    Dave, its a new build, I think it comes with windows 8.1 with a free upgrade to 10, however I'm not 100% sure on that.
     
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  9. Dave R

    Dave R Well-Known Member

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    No worries. Christian and another fella who can chime in here if he'd like helped me pick a new PC because I wasn't satisfied with how my old computer was running racing sims. The 970 made all the difference in the world to be honest. If you do go with a 970, make sure to watch your GPU temps for a few days with MSI/Riva and make adjustments to the fan speed if necessary. My 970 (EVGA 2.0) ran a bit warm (not hot) by default and kicking the fans up just a bit helped immensely.
     
  10. Daniel Surridge

    Daniel Surridge Member

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    Ok Dave cheers for the tip, My current system just about manages to cope with a single car hot lapping with minimum graphics settings (yes it really is that poor) so anything really is a huge upgrade I just dont really have any experience and very little knowledge when it comes to building a new system so for now a pre built one is just the ticket to get me gaming again.
     
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  11. Dave R

    Dave R Well-Known Member

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    Very good Daniel. If I can be of any assistance, feel free to PM me
     
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  12. Christian G

    Christian G Topological Agitator Beta tester

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    Yeah, Dave found some incredible pre-built offers. :) I'm a builder so I don't really know where to look for those.
    Wasn't sure if you're building/buying new or just upgrading.

    So when buying new you might consider DDR4, but only if you're not constrained budget-wise. It's nice to have but not necessary atm. That being said, now might be a good time to go DDR4, the prices have droped quite a bit in the last months and it's not certain it will stay that way (cause Samsung was pushing the new tech to gain market share, but this won't last). But as I said, you'd need a latest version i7 or i5 CPU (Haswell) and a mobo with X99 chipset, which will increase cost by several hundred dollarie.
    But as Dave mentioned, a good GPU is the core of a gaming rig and a 970 with 4 GB VRAM (you should definitely get a GPU with at least that much, everything else will start to fall short in the coming years) is a good piece for that purpose. Alternatively there are the AMD R9 380s, which offer comparable performance at a slightly better price (though they need more power, stronger PSU)

    If you get somthing similar to what Dave's got you'll be good to go for the next couple years, not only with R3E.

    In terms of temps and fans, there's a tiny program called speedfan which is all I need to manage my fans and temps. It's really great.
     
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    Last edited: Oct 18, 2015