PC setup for Fallout 3 and New Vegas modded heavily

[Skipjack647]

Hey all, Ive recently gotten very interested in the modding and building community and I want to build a rig for Fallout 3 and New Vegas with a lot of mods(NMCs texture pack, Project Nevada, weapon,armor, and texture mods, etc.). I have a rough setup here and I wanted to post it to verify it and see if it will support the things I want.

 

CPU:Intel 3570k(will probably OC in future to around 4.2 maybe)

 

GPU: R9 280X(will the VRAM be enough and is it effective?)

 

RAM:Corsair Vengence 16gb(8x2) 1600mhz RAM

 

Motherboard: MSI Z77

 

HDD:Samsung 120gb SSD, Western Digital 1tb 60mgb cache

 

OS:Windows 7 Ultimate

 

Case:?

Fans:?

Cooling:?

 

 

Its a major WIP, need optical drives and other stuff, OS and others will come from an home computer. Ideas? Suggestions?

[Deleted1205226User]

Since FO3 & FNV where made for XP, I would stick to that.

Then XP doesn't work with more than 3072 Gb ram.

So the question for me would be: What is the best rig that can be build for XP?

 

But that might sound weird in 2015.

[Skipjack647]

My home pc can run it just fine. Only problem is actual hardware. F3 threw a fit but I fixed it.

[hoofhearted4]

ive played both, modded, on Win7 and never once had a problem.

 

the thing is, saying youre making a build for a specific game isnt going to get you any different results than if you were building a rig to play games. you build a gaming rig, and its going to be able to play games. the specs you have listed will play FO3 and NV maxed out, with mods, and most new games maxed out as well. if youre looking for a crap ton of mods, VRAM is your friend.

[Skipjack647]

Ok. I just wanted to be sure in case there were any parts different. I am new to the PC gaming world but Ive watched and seen it a few times.

 

So, since VRAM is my friend now, 3gb or 4gb? I want to use more mods than, say Gopher for example. I want what he uses and more. He has some pretty big mods, but his system isnt strained at all it seems. Would my build(so far) hold up to the big mods and a lot of little ones(weapon, armor, npc mods)?

 

I have a NVIDIA GTS 250 in my house PC that I got because it was 50 bucks on Craigslist, could I pair it(dont know the right term) with the R9 280X for better VRAM and better performance graphics-wise? Of course with the needed space in the case.

 

Is the I5 3570k a good processor for gaming? I chose it really because it is a good price for me, Gopher uses it, and people say it is a good CPU to OC. Opinions on this?

[Skipjack647]

Bump. Would like suggestions.

[hoofhearted4]

I use the 3570k. Never had any problems. Once you get to that tier of CPUs, quad core and a solid GHz, you're going to be fine. at that point, its not likely your CPU will be your bottleneck.

 

Adding additional GPUS increases horsepower, but not VRAM. when you have multiple cards they need to be the same card anyways. but VRAM is not doubled. so two 3GB cards is 3GB, not 6GB. its frustrating but thats how it is. I don't really know the technical reasons why, I'm sure others know if someone wanted to explain it. or you could Google it. its nothing complex, I've seen the reasoning behind it, i just never cared to remember....you could add the second card for Physx, but I'm pretty sure tests have shown that a dedicated physx card doesnt actually do much, that a single Good GPU can't do by itself. but i digress haha

 

 

Depends on your budget what you should get. can you afford a 4GB card? if so, then go for it. I have a 3GB 7950, and I havent had problems BUT i don't use a lot of mods. I think you'll be ok with 3GB, though 4GB would be better for obvious reasons. maybe someone whos up to date with the cards and the mods can elaborate just exactly what you can handle with a 3GB vs 4GB card.

Edited April 29, 2015 by hoofhearted4

[Skipjack647]

Thanks for the reply! Ill most likely get the ASUS GTX 980, ive heard great things about it and Gopher uses it with his huge amount of mods. I have a GTS 250 I can use as a dedicated PhysX. I know they dont make a whole lot of improvement, especially in RPG games, but its something. Now to get a case to fit all of it..........

[hoofhearted4]

by not a whole lot of improvement, I would honestly gear towards none. i would just leave the card out. less power draw, less heat, less chance for issues or incompatibilities. a 980 will have the power to run the game and physx no sweat. a dedicated Physx card was more for weaker cards that couldnt handle games and physx. now cards are strong enough, even a good mid range card, that a dedicated card for physx just isnt worth it, for the aforementioned reasons.

[Skipjack647]

Ok. Ill probably just save up for the GTX 980. Im looking at cases right now. Does anyone know kf a case that has ample room, a viewing window on at least one side, and can fit all of the parts in OP and cooling comfortably?