[Spazz]

Hey yall... I finally got around to running a scan on my PC to see what exactly is in it... can anyone tell me if I should even think about upgrading for FFXIV?

CPU Manufacturer: AuthenticAMD
Number of CPU: 1
Cores per CPU: 2
CPU Type: AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 4400+
CPU Speed: 2311.7 MHz
Cache size: 512KB
O/S: Windows XP (32-bit)
Total RAM: 3070.5 MB.
Available RAM: 2312.4 MB.
Video settings: 1280x1024x32
Video driver:
DESCRIPTION: Radeon X1950 Pro
MANUFACTURER: ATI Technologies Inc.
BIOS: 11x-1E190ASA-002
DATE: 2-25-2009

I just ran the FFXI Benchmark 3 test on my PC and it said:

LowRes: 6378
HighRes: 4868

Both fall under the "Incredibly Tough" category

[Reavis]

Rig:
CPU: Intel C2D E8400 OC to 3.6ghz
RAM: 4GB DDR2 800 CL4
GPU: Radeon XFX 4870 512
Mobo: Asus P5Q PRO

low: 10k (thats exact figure, 10000)
high: 8023

Thats just comparison if you need it. Considering there track record though I'd say the requires are going to be quite steep when it first is released for pc users (luckly I can go either route myself). These are the requirements for last remnant which doesn't hold much of a candle to FFXIV in the graphical department, but this is just a basis of SE last pc outing for comparison when they said FFXIV requirements would be "quite high".

The Last Remnant System Requirements (Minimum)
Windows XP SP 2 / Windows Vista SP 1
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo (2GHz) / AMD Athlon X2 (2GHz)
RAM: 1.5 GB Ram
Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce 8600 VRAM 256 Mb
Sound Card: Direct X 9.0c compatible
15 GB Hard Disk space

The Last Remnant System Requirements (Recommended)
Windows Vista SP 1
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo (2.4GHz) / AMD Athlon X2 (2.4GHz)
RAM : 2 GB Ram
Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce 8800 VRAM 512 Mo
Sound Card: Direct X 9.0c compatible
15 GB Hard Disk space

Comparing FFXIV vs LR graphically though, I'm gonna say that XIV is gonna need a much better rig then that and those might or could be used as a comparison for the minimum requirements right there with a high end video card thrown into the mix like a 4850 or above in the radeon range or GTS 250 or above in the nvidia range.

I really need more screenshots or a gameplay video to do a good comparison of requirements but with what I've got to go on at the moment i'd say ...

OS: XP, Vista or 7
CPU: Intel C2D 2.4ghz/AMD Athlon X2 2.4ghz or Above (Go Quad if your Going Above Those Minimums)
RAM: 4GB Minimum DDR2 or Above (Personally Gonna 8GB for all the other work I do)
Graphics Card: ATI Radeon 4850/NV GTS 250 or Above (I'd Wait Really for the New Range at the End of the Year, Prices of the Older Highends will Drop Dramatically)
Sound Card: DX9/10/11 Compatible
20 GB Hard Disk Space Minimum

Although considering SE only shown us beautiful high end screenshots its yet to be seen weather the low end will be dramatically different from the high end, its really upto the developers how much leg room they give themselves with respect to this because you can really do a heck of alot with minimum vs high end no a days.

Your computer isn't bad though, but judging from FFXIV standing at the moment "incredibly tough to play" would be my guess at the moment with your rig, my rigs probably only just going to scrap into the medium settings catergory i'd say.

[Raydeus]

Originally Posted by Spazz

Hey yall... I finally got around to running a scan on my PC to see what exactly is in it... can anyone tell me if I should even think about upgrading for FFXIV?

CPU Manufacturer: AuthenticAMD
Number of CPU: 1
Cores per CPU: 2
CPU Type: AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 4400+
CPU Speed: 2311.7 MHz
Cache size: 512KB
O/S: Windows XP (32-bit)
Total RAM: 3070.5 MB.
Available RAM: 2312.4 MB.
Video settings: 1280x1024x32
Video driver:
DESCRIPTION: Radeon X1950 Pro
MANUFACTURER: ATI Technologies Inc.
BIOS: 11x-1E190ASA-002
DATE: 2-25-2009

I just ran the FFXI Benchmark 3 test on my PC and it said:

LowRes: 6378
HighRes: 4868

Both fall under the "Incredibly Tough" category

I'd recommend at the very least upgrading your video card. You can still get some Radeon HD4000+ AGP cards (if your motherboard doesn't support a PCIE card) for a decent price nowadays.


That being said, I'd definitely get a new rig if possible (but I'd wait until next year unless there were good part deals out there).

[Durahansolo]

1st Run
i7 920 2.66
Geforce 295GTX
Asus Rampage II Extreme
6GB Corsair Ram DDR3 1600 (My extra ram means nothing since the program doesn't run in 64bit lol)
Vista 64

H-8700

I realized I hadn't tried OCing my computer since that last time when the North and South board set off a alarm . Noobclock'd it from 2.66ghz to 3.2ghz (I have one of the Asus Boards with the CPU Level Up on it.) and this is what I got:

H-9753

Probably could get it up a bit higher if I OC'd the video card a bit, I was trying to break 10k . I gotta run out for a bit, when I get back I'll tell you what I got on the Lows.

[Raydeus]

You are trying to fry your comp so you have an excuse to buy a new one aren't ya?



PS > I think my card is overclocked around 5% above the default setting and it works pretty good on stress tests even with the original heatsink. So I could probably squeeze another 5% if I bought a better one but meh.


/em tosses his HD3650 card away and gets a dual card HD4850 setup instead.

[Durahansolo]

Originally Posted by Raydeus

You are trying to fry your comp so you have an excuse to buy a new one aren't ya?

lmao. Nah, the time I almost fried the north and south boards was when I had air cooling in the case earlier this year. Now that I have water cooling in there, I don't think the processor even tried to break a sweat.

[Spazz]

hey guys... ive been thinking about this one:
Newegg.com - AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ Windsor 3.0GHz 2 x 1MB L2 Cache Socket AM2 125W Dual-Core Processor - Processors - Desktops

Its cheap, which is good... but at the same time... im also wondering why it is that cheap. If it is even worth it. I have roughly $200 bucks to spend right now and my motherboard and CPU need to be replaced. I can save up some, but at the same time... I wanna get the big shit done first, then i plan on upgrading to either 1 or 2 ATI Radeon HD 4780's.

That and my other concern is I have 4 sticks of 1GB DDR2 PC2-5300 RAM chips that I wouldnt like to waste... but I cant find a mobo that uses them

[Raydeus]

Your processor isn't that bad. And if you are on a tight budget I really suggest you just upgrade the video card instead.

If needed you can just overclock your processor and memory a good 10% or so and you should be ok without having to spend on new heat sinks. Just make sure you do a good cleaning of the heatsinks you have since dust can reduce efficiency.

[Mog]

p45 motherboard + E8400 processor + 3___/4___ HD ATI video card and you can't go wrong. It's a cheap setup and it works great.

[Spazz]

Well, due to an awesome happening... my hard drive got a nasty virus and I had to reformat. No big deal, except I didnt have a copy of Windows XP or my back up discs because my awesome exwife took those from me too! SOOOOOOO Basically... here is what im running now after reformatting:

CPU Manufacturer: AuthenticAMD
Number of CPU: 1
Cores per CPU: 2
CPU Type: AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 4400+
CPU Speed: 2311.7 MHz
Cache size: 512KB
O/S: Windows 7 (64-bit)
Total RAM: 4094 MB.
Available RAM: 3167 MB.
Video settings: 1280x1024x32
Video driver:
DESCRIPTION: Radeon X1950 Pro
MANUFACTURER: ATI Technologies Inc.
BIOS: 11x-1E190ASA-002
DATE: 2-25-2009



I ran the FFXI Bench3 test again ... and I get H-3824 and L-5374 ... ugh!

[Mhurron]

If your primary concern is running a game that isn't going to show up for a year and hasn't had even preliminary system requirements posted, wait and buy one in a year. If your current computer isn't pulling its weight for what you need now, get one now. You can get a machine that is faster then what you have, but except for a new video card you aren't going to see real gains in speed for normal workloads.

Also the FFXI bench pretty much means nothing.

[forster]

I really cant see FFXIV needing a powerhouse machine, not even a powerhouse machine of today in a years time.

I think if you're going to upgrade your rig now for a game that wont be out for a while, you're fooling yourself bigstyle. Upgrade if you can, dont necessarily look at pricing individual pieces, but look at the trends for board specifications at the moment, socket types, dual graphics card support if think you might ever need it.

Ive currently got an 8800GT, 6600 quad core, 4gig of ram I think and a P5Q board, and while it's nowhere near top tier it's certainly not being pushed by the current level of MMOs, even flies with Aion Online, but I bought it originally by looking at socket processor support etc.

If you can upgrade your card to one of the top end cards (think I can probably fit in a 275 but that's it) it's probably your best bet.

[Dux]

Just to echo what everybody else says don't waste your time or money buying any upgrades or new PCs today if you need it for a game next year. If you believe Moores' Law will hold true for one more year (Moore's law - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) you are just wasting money if you upgrade now.

[Spazz]

Yes... I would love for my PC to be able to run FFXIV right now... but no one knows the specs on it. Right now, I just want a PC that is stable enough to run games like FFXI and WOW.

After talking to my fiance... we are both wondering... if I buy the XFX ATI Radeon HD4850 (on sale for $129.99 at Best Buy right now)... will it even be good enough for next year? Or will it just have to be a stepping stone to next years new rig that I buy?

[Dux]

Well if you are looking just to play today I say stick with what you have. My old PC was a 2Ghz CPU with 2 GB or DRAM and the ATI X1950 Pro just like yours and it ran FFXI just fine. Granted it didn't get Incredibly Tough or Impossible to guage on the FFXI Benchmark but in reality it made no difference because you never actually get the 100 taru taru's throwing confette (spelling >.<) on the screen, or dazzling sun affects while in the middle of a stream with a million sprites all moving around. Apart from a few HNM camping spots or Besieged I never had any issues at all.

Even with my new machine which is considerably better than my old (close to impossible to gauage on high) those problem areas weren't any better as I was limited by the graphics engine itself or the downstream hard limit imposed by S.E.