Hardware Ability to Enjoy SWTOR to the Fullest

[obiwannknowlton]

Apologies for the seeming irrelevant nature of this post, but the guys over at the Computer forums are speaking waaaaaaaay over my head. I love Star Wars, I absolutely love the music in the game clips I've seen so far, and I want to be able to take full advantage of the graphics that BW has put on the table...

I am considering for purchase, the system listed below. My question is: will I be able to play SWTOR (at the games highest settings) with the following rig? Does anyone have any feedback on processor, memory, vidoe card setups (single / dual), sound cards, etc?


Processors:
Intel® Core™ i5-2400 (6MB Cache) Overclocked Turbo Boost to 3.6GHz

Operating System:
Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64Bit, English

Cooling Option:
Alienware™ High-Performance Liquid Cooling

Memory:
12GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1333MHz

Video Card:
2GB GDDR5 AMD Radeon™ HD 6950

Hard Drive:
1TB SATA 3Gb/s (7,200RPM) 32MB Cache

Sound Card:
Creative Sound Blaster® X-Fi™ Titanium

Optical Drive:
Single Drive: Dual Layer Blu-ray Reader (BD-ROM, DVD±RW, CD-RW)

Adobe Reader Software:
Adobe® Acrobat® Reader

Hardware Support Services:
1 Year Basic Service Plan

Office Productivity Software (Pre-Installed):
Microsoft® Office Home and Student 2010

[Nihilim]

I'm no expert but I think I have more knowledge than average person. While going through your setup I would say DEFINITELY on highest settings.

[Medjai]

http://www.systemrequirementslab.com/cyri/intro.aspx
will tell you if your pc will run the game
remember to go to that site on the pc you are trying to play the game on, my laptop barely runs SWTOR but my PC will run it at medium settings until i upgrade some ram and vid card

Edit: What Greevir said =)

[Greevir]

http://www.systemrequirementslab.com/cyri/intro.aspx
will tell you if your pc will run the game

Take it with a grain of salt though.

[Trollsbane]

Obi. Did you really not know that your comp is a beast? =)

[Hanto]

*notices the "Alienware" brand* .... *twitch*

I take it you don't know how to build PCs since you're going to a 3rd party vendor for your needs? Do you know anyone that DOES know how to build them? I can guarantee you that Alienware is like the Apple of Windows-based PCs: waaay overpriced from the goods that you put in it. Alienware is the same company as Dell now, so if you're gonna put something together through a company rather than build it yourself, try putting something similar together through Dell or another company. Save yourself some moolah!

Anyway... that should take care of TOR in the manner you want. The amount of RAM is kinda overkill, I doubt you'll ever use that much. You're probably overpaying for the liquid cooling option. Fan cooling does just as well (from what I've looked into anyway) and is a lot cheaper.

:S Sorry for going nuts about the prices... I don't like to see people think Alienware is some topnotch company/brand when you can pay a lot for minimal results. I'm guessing something like that is about $2k?

[Llunai]

I can't understand how somebody could own a $2000+ computer from a high-end retailer like Alienware but think it won't run games.

Of course it will run this game. I'm sure everything will be able to be set to the highest. You could probably resurrect Christ himself with that thing.

[Hanto]

I can't understand how somebody could own a $2000+ computer from a high-end retailer like Alienware but think it won't run games.

Of course it will run this game. I'm sure everything will be able to be set to the highest. You could probably resurrect Christ himself with that thing.

I completely agree with this. The last part of it made me chuckle a bit. xD

[Nihilim]

I can't understand how somebody could own a $2000+ computer from a high-end retailer like Alienware but think it won't run games.

Of course it will run this game. I'm sure everything will be able to be set to the highest. You could probably resurrect Christ himself with that thing.

This! x10!

[Medjai]

because 2k+ price tag doesnt mean anything it could be a 2 thousand dollar toaster considering it is Alienware and better yet its DELL

[Alatian]

I built a computer recently to handle Skyrim and GW2. Now that I'm also excited for Swtor, it's great knowing I'll be able to handle it on max.

[kucerakov]

If you want to brag about your machine, do it.

[blackblade]

The only thing that's lower than my rig is the video card. and even then, it comes with a ridiculous 5gb video ram.

If it can any modern game on maximum settings, it'll likely be okay with SWTOR's modest MMO graphic style.

[Skuff]

Oh for sure you will be fine, your system is better then mine and i have been playing the beta on the highest settings. you should have no problem at all

[Spaceshaman]

I can't understand how somebody could own a $2000+ computer from a high-end retailer like Alienware but think it won't run games.

Of course it will run this game. I'm sure everything will be able to be set to the highest. You could probably resurrect Christ himself with that thing.

Edit a Like button into your post so I can spam it.

[vian]

Be carefull Obiwan, your computer might break the game.

[gotpriest]

Indeed, break it so much that that factory made cooling system leaks all over the components.

That never happens to Alienware.








Ever.

[obiwannknowlton]

Obi. Did you really not know that your comp is a beast? =)

I can assure you with all honesty that this is NOT a brag post. I tried to go to the Computer forum first, but holy crap they blew me away with hardcore number crunching, O.o.

What I was after with this post is things like: someone told me I don't need 12GB RAM to run an MMO, but another said that 1333RAM is too slow. There are a couple of options for video cards, single and dual, which is a better setup?

I do not know anything about building computers. I will pay a bit more to use someone like Alienware because I can put checks in boxes, they build it, they test it, and all I have to do is unbox and plug it in.

TL;DR version, I am about to drop a bunch of money on a rig so I can play SWTOR with every bell and whistle the game has because I am that psyched about it. I just want to get the most I can out of my investment.

[link064]

From the way you listed the tech specs, it looks like you're considering buying this computer (instead of already owning it). If that is the case, I have a few suggestions.

First, drop the Alienware brand and build the computer yourself (or at least go with a less obviously-overpriced brand). If you're dead set on the brand, that's fine but just understand that Alienware is heads and shoulders more expensive than competing brands because of the brand name.

Second, unless you multitask like crazy, there's no reason to upgrade to 12 gigs of RAM from the 6 gigs it comes with by default. The memory limit to 32-bit programs is 2 gigs (which most regular programs don't even come close to). Don't bother with the upgrade and save that money for other, more essential upgrades.

Third, if you can afford the splurge, get a solid state drive. With all the components you've got, the biggest performance gain you would notice is by adding a solid state drive. It'll drop your boot time to single-digit numbers and make games load ridiculously fast.

Fourth, there's a thread on reddit (I won't link to it since it is considered NDA breaking) where people are discussing their experiences in the beta with various system setups. IIRC, the computer you've got listed will run the game buttery smooth on the highest settings.

Edit: After reading your post about the computer forum, I looked into the memory situation. While technically you could spend some more money on better RAM, you wouldn't get much real-world performance from it. Even on extremely technical benchmarks, the difference between 1333 and 2133 Mhz is quite minor.

Also, in the single vs dual-video card debate, I would recommend just going with a single card. Loads of modern games don't use SLI/crossfire (or use it well). Many times, games will come out and people with SLI/crossfire configurations have issues because it is pretty poorly supported. Save yourself the headache and stick with one video card.

[Gallahadd]

ooh I like that site , checked my comp just in case, it was right at the very top I'm guessin I'll be able to run Swtor fine

You could probably resurrect Christ himself with that thing.

damn you Llu! I laughed and spat coffee over myself when I read that