Building a new PC for final fantasy xiv and need suggestions

Hello guys,

I'm new to final fantasy xiv having played 11 on my Xbox 360, rather then playing this one on my PS3 I wanted to play it on my pc My benchmark score came out at 225 load time 46120 my current pc is




System is as follows:


Manufacturer Acer
Model Aspire X3810
Total amount of system memory 7.00 GB RAM
System type 64-bit operating system
Number of processor cores 4 @2.4 ghz

Storage
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Total size of hard disk(s) 582 GB
Disk partition C 205 GB Free (291 GB Total)
Disk partition D 165 GB Free (291 GB Total)
Media drive E CD/DVD

Graphics
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Display adapter type Intel(R) G45/G43 Express Chipset
Total available graphics memory 1326 MB
Dedicated graphics memory 64 MB
Dedicated system memory 0 MB
Shared system memory 1262 MB
Display adapter driver version 8.15.10.2302
Primary monitor resolution 1920x1080
DirectX version DirectX 10



So with this in mind I work for a IT re-seller and can get parts myself so what would be the best pc spec wise to run the game at its highest or as close to its highest?

Thanks in advance

All except the GPU is fine on that system. Here what I recommend:
-any 2.0Ghz+ Quadcore CPU is fine (Intel or AMD doesn't matter)
-4GB RAM since it's so cheap (might as well get 8GB)
-a fast HDD or even SSD (also reduces start up time for windows) RAID will not help much because the stuttering is mostly caused by the seek-time
-for GPU it's a bit tricky 'cause this game doesn't like some GPUs for whatever reason. You will definately need highend for highest settings though. So for AMD something that ends with 850 or 870 (e.g. HD7850) and for nvidia something that ends with 60 or 70 (e.g. GTX 560). Personally I'd buy a HD7850 since it brings new features and has lots of power per watt but the drivers might cause problems at first. And don't rely on SLI or Crossfire for this game... very buggy.

The trouble I have is that the tower I have is a SFF ( Acer X3810 ) so I'm told only a low profile graphics card would fit, so in theory could I just buy a new case , graphics card and and possibly a psu should it require it ? Ive read that ssd's make a hell of a lot of difference to loading times, any ideas what would best suit it ? I was led to believing would need an i7 processor to run it at high !

If you already have that system then yes. If not I would just go to newegg.com and browse for parts then order from your workplace. Low profile graphics cards won't cut it. You want something around $300 range to run at high along with the same priced cpu. SSD will help with loading times and 8 gigs ish of ram wouldn't hurt. Depending if you want to dual gpu or not motherboard choice may come into play.

The only reason I see for buying prebuilt is the tech support and warranty. If you are going to rip everything out and void the warranty might as well build your own or go to a boutique builder.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Rhylee_Mau

If you already have that system then yes. If not I would just go to newegg.com and browse for parts then order from your workplace. Low profile graphics cards won't cut it. You want something around $300 range to run at high along with the same priced cpu. SSD will help with loading times and 8 gigs ish of ram wouldn't hurt. Depending if you want to dual gpu or not motherboard choice may come into play.

The only reason I see for buying prebuilt is the tech support and warranty. If you are going to rip everything out and void the warranty might as well build your own or go to a boutique builder.

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Well the system I mention above is one I've had for about is 18 months ago so warranty isn't an issue, if my current mob and CPU are good enough and switching case's and just upgrading the bits I need will work then I'd rather do that cost wise :) I really wanna just run it at full as it looks so beautiful :)

There will be a HD7850 single slot GPU but low profile ain't gonna happen for highend :P
When you buy a new case I could look for a silent one unless you want to silence it yourself (which is tricky).
For a PSU 500W is the magic number. That's enough for any single-gpu highend system.
If you look for an SSD the manufacturer doesn't matter much 'cause all fast SSDs (for normal users at least) use a Sandforce controller and the same flash chips. Reading some reviews still helps though.

are the following specs good for playing ff14? this is a dell xps desktop I'm thinking about buying

2nd Generation Intel® Core™ i5-2320 processor (3.0GHz with 6MB Cache)
8GB3 DDR3 SDRAM at 1333MHz
1TB - 7200RPM, SATA 3.0Gb/s, 16MB Cache
AMD Radeon™ HD 6450 1GB DDR3

Well, it should definately run the game but for higher details you might need a faster GPU.

it being a desktop it should have the slot so I can install a better graphics card? I think it's called pci. I'm just looking for one that can play it on standard settings.

You mean PCIe and into those you can basically put any GPU you like as long as the power supply can feed it.
But you seriously should consider building a PC yourself. There are some old threads about that or you can just google it up. Saves lots of bucks :P
Of course no pick-up service for such a custom built machine though.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kanjitai

are the following specs good for playing ff14? this is a dell xps desktop I'm thinking about buying

2nd Generation Intel® Core™ i5-2320 processor (3.0GHz with 6MB Cache)
8GB3 DDR3 SDRAM at 1333MHz
1TB - 7200RPM, SATA 3.0Gb/s, 16MB Cache
AMD Radeon™ HD 6450 1GB DDR3

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I would look into something to the lines of an AMD 7770 if you're on a budget. Might want to checkout tomshardware.com for build suggestions. They regularly (every quarter I believe) update their $500, $1000, and $2000 computer builds and prices are based on newegg.com prices.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kanjitai

it being a desktop it should have the slot so I can install a better graphics card? I think it's called pci. I'm just looking for one that can play it on standard settings.

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Most people don't realize this. You might need a beefier power supply if you upgrade graphics cards. Most cards that run FF14 decently require a 6pin power connector. Not only does the card you mention not needing that, but if it is a prebuilt computer, the psu might not even have that plug. If it doesn't chances are there won't be enough "wattage" or "amperage" to push said upgraded card. It is best if you buy a complete package that has every thing you need rather and upgrading piecemeal if you're new to this.

thanks guys for all your advice. doing some more looking around. would something like this be better?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16883229269

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kanjitai

thanks guys for all your advice. doing some more looking around. would something like this be better?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16883229269

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Better? Definitely. Personally I'd go for a beefier graphics card like the 570 if you're an nVidia fan. It might also be cheaper to buy your own components and assemble it if you already have your own copy of Windows 7 from a previous computer. That said, it looks as though the computer you linked has great upgrade potential. The CPU is amazing (great for overclocking if you get a better CPU cooler to replace the stock one) and the power supply is an 800W with decent amperage from the looks if it. Personally I think building my own computer is fun but stuff can go wrong :p. As a prebuilt computer I think it's pretty good.

I'm not a 100% percent sure I could build one myself. That's why I'm looking to get a prebuilt one. I still like the specs and pricing of the Dell XPS systems. I'm only looking to have both drawing qualities at 8 which is standard. right now I have a laptop with a intel core duo 2.13, 4GB ram, 1GB NVIDIA GTX 260M. I'm just looking at a desktop because I've learned that for less you can still build a powerful machine. if someone ho knows more about PCs then me could check out the dell page and tell me their full insights on the XPS desktop line I really be grateful. and thank you to all those who have been helping me.