Minimum CPU.

[greypanther]

I intend to buy this game anyway, but would like to know if I will be able to run this game at the moment. I have an i5 650, which runs at 3.2 ghz, the minimum spec suggests I need an i54590 at 3.3 ghz. Will I get away with it on low settings, or will I have to wait until I get a better cpu?
Thanks.

[Terre]

The number of CPU cores 2
The number of threads 4

It's going to struggle.

MINIMUM:
Requires a 64-bit operating system and processor
OS: Windows 10 (64-bit), Windows 8 (64-bit), Windows 7 SP1 (64-bit)
Processor: Intel i5-4590 2.7GHz or AMD equivalent
Memory: 8 GB RAM
Graphics: Nvidia GTX 780/970 or AMD equivalent (Vulkan support required)
Storage: 12 GB available space
Additional Notes: These estimates may change until final release.

RECOMMENDED:
Requires a 64-bit operating system and processor
OS: Windows 10 (64-bit), Windows 8 (64-bit), Windows 7 SP1 (64-bit)
Processor: Intel Core i7-6700K or AMD equivalent
Memory: 16 GB RAM
Graphics: Nvidia GTX 1070 or AMD equivalent (Vulkan support required)
Storage: 12 GB available space
Additional Notes: These estimates may change until final release.

Plus a graphics card needs a minimum of 3GB GDDR.

Also going to move to Eng. OT.

[CBJ]

Your CPU will seriously struggle, but more importantly you've not even mentioned your graphics card, and that could be a make-or-break factor in whether you can run the game at all.

[alt3rn1ty]

I think its going to struggle too.

The minimum specification for the CPU is a 4th Generation CPU with 4 Cores, yours only has 2 Cores and I think that is important for this game.

Here's a comparison for you to make up your own mind

Your CPU https://ark.intel.com/products/43546/In ... -3-20-GHz-

Min Spec CPU https://ark.intel.com/products/80815/In ... -3-70-GHz-

You will more than likely be running very hot, which would be okay if you had good water cooling, if not you may damage your machine trying to push it too far. Game performance will lag, probably worse.

IMHO : Get at least a nice I7 first, and dont ignore the minimum specification for this game series, X has always been very CPU intensive more than GPU intensive, but this new version of the game series ramps up the Graphics needs too.

[greypanther]

Thanks for the answers.

By struggle, do you mean it will be a total no go, or will I be able to get some play in before renewing my PC? I did not mention the other components because they meet the minimum. I have a Nvidia GTX1050Ti; 8 gig ram and 64 bit Windows 7. I have been avoiding upgrading, to try and avoid Windows 10, for as long as I can. Maybe it will be time to bite the bullet? I imagine changing the cpu to be a hard task, always assuming my elderly motherboard would take a better cpu...

I have looked up the motherboard specs. It has a PCH: Intel H57 chipset and the best it will support is a Intel Core i7-880 CPU, which I cannot find for sale anyway. I am also obviously unsure if it would improve things sufficiently.

Edit: My PC is old though, so I guess an upgrade is not so out of order! ( About seven or eight years old. )

[alt3rn1ty]

Core I7 880 might get you by, but its quite an old I7 now from 2010 - https://ark.intel.com/products/80815/In ... -3-70-GHz-
4 cores at a good speed when it auto ramps up, and supports 16gb System Ram, but even if you can source one, you dont know if its going to be enough in a few years time when the game expands with DLCs, and you want to add mods ..

In your shoes I would go with a newer mobo which supports newer I7s, at least a 5th Generation https://ark.intel.com/#@PanelLabel122139

Or if you can afford it, go for recommended specs, Egosoft recommend those for good reason

[CBJ]

You're not going to be able to upgrade your CPU much while still using the same motherboard. You're either going to have to upgrade both or live with what you have. I would say give it a try, but I actually don't want you to get such a disappointing experience with the game because your CPU isn't up to the task, and would rather suggest you waited to buy the game until you've had the chance to upgrade.

[greypanther]

Thank you for the replies.

I will have to think about it further then. Not sure I want to upgrade the motherboard really either. I will still buy the game I think, but don't worry I will not be disappointed if it runs badly, ( or indeed at all! ) I wish to support Egosoft as best as I am able, because it is a great company, which has given me many hours of gaming pleasure over the years. For instance, I bought Rebirth, but still have not either played or even downloaded it yet! Mad eh?

[CommanderTM]

You're not going to be able to upgrade your CPU much while still using the same motherboard. You're either going to have to upgrade both or live with what you have. I would say give it a try, but I actually don't want you to get such a disappointing experience with the game because your CPU isn't up to the task, and would rather suggest you waited to buy the game until you've had the chance to upgrade.

Should i expect good performance with i5-4690 cpu? It is above minimum but i dont know how much. I also have a 1060 6gb gpu and that is pretty good for mid-high settings, i am just uncertain about the cpu. Will be able to try the game in few weeks.

[Scoob]

For reference I'll describe how my system is working with X4 thus far. Specs:

i7 2600k @ 4.6ghz - this is an eight-year old 2nd Gen CPU, though it was high-end in its day
32gb DDR3 1600 - lots
GTX 1070 8gb - can get taxed when using the Ultra preset at my res of 1920x1200, but turn things down a notch or two and it's lovely.
2x SATA SSD's in RAID0 - speedy, not M.2 Speedy, but quick.

Note: I run the game from a RAMDrive...I've not done specific back-to-back testing to confirm it's better, but load times are certainly better and it can't hurt have such a fast "drive".

What I've noticed - and this was my very first impression of running the game, so it concerned me initially - is that a very busy station such as the first game-starts Equipment Dock is VERY taxing on the CPU. This is when on foot, wandering around the station. The station is very very busy, with lots of traffic going in and out. It genuinely feels like a busy hub of activity, and adds a lot to the ambience, at a bit of a performance cost. I was seeing about 40fps in this scenario - CPU limited at my settings.

However, once you get in your ship and take off, things start to get a LOT better. My FPS increased to about 50 - which felt pretty smooth - and it increased further, a vSync-limited 60, when I moved a short distance away from the station. From time to time a busy area will dip a bit, but it feels playable to me for the most part.

I do feel that CPU is very important with this game, it doesn't seem to be that heavily loaded based on my observations. However a slight over-clock - I started at 4.4ghz, now at 4.6ghz - made a measurable difference.

I'd personally say in order to get a decent experience, a proper quad core of the 2nd Gen will be ok, assuming it can hit 4.5-4.6ghz. I get the impression that the newer the architecture is, the lower than clock speed can be to get the same, or better, performance. Obviously the newer the CPU the better, the recommended 4690k should perform at the very least as well as my 2600k I'd expect. It's a high-clock quad core without HT & I'm not sure how much X4 leverages HT, I suspect not that much.

GPU-wise, well, my 1070 is pushed to it's limit often at Ultra settings, but isn't hugely taxed - 60% load or so - with things on High/Medium - SSAO to medium yields a good performance boost. My guestimate would be that something like a GTX 1060 6gb or perhaps an AMD 580 should run the game well, if you're prepared to tweak your settings a little.

All in all, I've gone from almost panic buying a ridiculous PC upgrade - which I might still do, I never claimed to be sensible - to being pretty happy with how my eight year old CPU is handling things.

Please be aware though that I'm very early-game, I've explored a little, done some combat, but perhaps there are things to come that'll tax my 2600k a little more. I'd certainly say that the starting Equipment Dock, when on foot, has been the lowest FPS thus far.

Scoob.

Scoob.

[Tyrant597]

I'm doin fine with an i5 750 of to 3.8ghz

[gazi3]

I have an i7 6700 with a gtx 960 4gb, 16gb RAM (Corsair Vengeance 2x8gb), Windows 10, No SSD and the game runs stable at 40-80 fps @ medium settings, antialiasing on "x2" (first option, cant remember the name xD). I feared my gpu wont be sufficient so i hope this helps some people if they have similar specs and concerns

[greypanther]

Just thought I had better update this. I have indeed bought the game now and attempted to run it on my aged computer: it runs!
Just to recap, it runs with a i5 650, with two cores and four threads and a speed of 3.2 ghz. It does not make the cpu run to hot either. I have a GTX 1050ti GPU and will have to watch the temps on that, though it only went to a high of 67 degrees. I have 8 gig of ram. I have only played a little of the tutorial and will try longer tomorrow, hopefully. It is good to be back in the world of X So far so good, though I am anticipating problems as I advance, which is going to be satisfyingly slow.

Thank you Egosoft, I think this is going to be a keeper and should give a huge amount of gameplay, you are all stars! Only thing is, it is going to make it harder to justify a new computer...

[Morkonan]

Ooooh... Thanks for that report, greypanther! I now might try to load it up on a half-busted older computer I have, to see if I can get it to run. (May need some work, but it's easier than buying a whole new system for now.) I use a laptop for the most part, but I don't/can't really play any games on it.

[tc1961]

I'm running a Core i3-4130 @3.40GHZ and 16GB ram and a GTX970 and I have virtually zero issues running the game. Only real issue I have is my mouse doesn't seem to respond properly sometimes, but I have that same issue with ED. I bought a Superclocked 2 GTX 1070 and an upgrade processor I7-4790 thinking I was going to have problems, but I'm pleasantly surprised so far.

[greypanther]

You are welcome Morkonan.
I suspect they were hedging their bets as to what would run it.

I still need to upgrade at some point though and get the dreaded Win 10.

[Skeeter]

Im hoping to get the game soon as soon as funds allow, but im wondering if anyones got a i5 3570k and get x4 running ok. My gpu is a 780ti 3gb thanks to a kind person so gpu is ok. My cpu matches min spec cpu in benchmarks vs the i5 4xxx on min requirements all it really lacks is avx 2 support but no game should be using that instead ofsse2 or higher, so im hoping its decent still. I had a oc of 4.5ghz on aio watercooler but that leaked so will be putting it on a good i think air cooler, certainly big enough so might get my 4.5ghz back i dunno yet.

Cant afford a mb upgrade plus i dont want to do the effort of a change that big.

[greypanther]

My CPU is older than yours, ( i5 650 and only two core, ) though I do have a GTX1050ti GPU. I am fine running on high graphics so far. Just try it and see, what have you to lose? Egosoft are very well deserving of your support.

[Gavrushka]

My CPU is older than yours, ( i5 650 and only two core, ) though I do have a GTX1050ti GPU. I am fine running on high graphics so far. Just try it and see, what have you to lose? Egosoft are very well deserving of your support.

I think the CPU I'm running is probably well below minimum spec. (a well named Athlon ' X4 ' 880K,) but I've zero issues now I've upgraded my graphics card to the same as yours. I dunno if I'll struggle later in the game, but it runs seamlessly at the minute.

[greypanther]

I think the CPU I'm running is probably well below minimum spec. (a well named Athlon ' X4 ' 880K,)

Ah, but your is still a quad core, so better and newer than my two core!

Nice to see you still around too Gavrushka.