Hey all!

 

Not sure if there is a support forum on this website strictly for users of AMD products, but if there isn't I want to start one.

 

Over the summer I built a new gaming rig that incorporates among other components an AMD FX-6130 processor and a Sapphire Radeon R7 240 Graphics Card with 2gigs of RAM.

 

So far it works sweet when I play SWTOR. And if anyone knows a way to make it work sweeter, please post your thoughts.

 

Cheers!!!

After about 12 hours I just realized one salient point that affects game play regardless of the systems specs used: Internet speed. Up until about a month ago I was on 25Mbps broadband connection through Comcast. Then I upgraded (mostly for business purposes) to 105Mbps. The difference has been like comparing night to day when playing this game. Frame rates, load times, etc. cut to the bone. Who else has done this and what speed are you using now?

... an AMD FX-6130 processor and a Sapphire Radeon R7 240 Graphics Card with 2gigs of RAM. ... So far it works sweet when I play SWTOR. And if anyone knows a way to make it work sweeter, please post your thoughts.

This is probably not the answer you were looking for: you could switch to an Intel i7-4790K and a GTX-980. That will make it sweeter.

 

So, perhaps you should be more specific in your request. Are you looking for peripherals? I use a gaming keypad (Logitech G13) and a mouse with a lot of buttons, and it makes SWTOR sweeter. Is that the kind of suggestion you are after?

 

Also, we upgraded to a faster router (Linksys Nighthawk) and that reduced our ping times by 3 milliseconds. And of course, never connect via WiFi, always use a wired Gigabit Ethernet connection.

After about 12 hours I just realized one salient point that affects game play regardless of the systems specs used: Internet speed. Up until about a month ago I was on 25Mbps broadband connection through Comcast. Then I upgraded (mostly for business purposes) to 105Mbps. The difference has been like comparing night to day when playing this game. Frame rates, load times, etc. cut to the bone. Who else has done this and what speed are you using now?

 

I have to ask, what are you downloading/uploading while playing the game?

 

A 25 Mbps pipeline is at least 10 times more bandwidth than the game would ever use. If you noticed that much of a difference, then you were never getting the advertised bandwidth (which is VERY common with both cable and Comcast) or you where downloading/uploading a lot of data on a consistent basis.

Edited October 21, 2014 by Orizuru

actually the people posting here are uninformed and do not have the proper knowledge, this games engine is not a very good one, and higher performance systems actually DO perform worse with swtor simply because swtor was designed for an older system that is now basically obsolete, there are several things you can do to improve yer performance

 

1) install direct x 9.0c along with your direct x 11 this will help a lot

2) make sure u have the latest drivers

3) defrag ur system

4) stop trying to run the game on max graphics, understand the game is going to perform poorly and if you ARE Having issues then turn your graphics down before you actually fry something.

 

and BTW AMD is actually Better than Intel for most things its also a lot cheaper , the usual rule of more expensive is better does not actually apply in this situation

 

a better thing to ask would be what graphics card are you running?

Edited October 21, 2014 by Ivy_Blackrose

and BTW AMD is actually Better than Intel for most things its also a lot cheaper , the usual rule of more expensive is better does not actually apply in this situation

 

That's pretty bold statement from someone calling others uninformed.

3) defrag ur system

No, I will not defrag my SSDs, thanks.

 

Don't have an SSD? Get one. Best upgrade there is for any system less than three years old. You will never go back to using an HDD for boot or applications.

That's pretty bold statement from someone calling others uninformed.

 

Bold, and quite incorrect, especially when it comes to gaming. aMD may be cheaper, but Intel is unquestionably king when it comes to gaming rigs.

a better thing to ask would be what graphics card are you running?

Learn to read, the graphic card in the system under discussion is in the OP, and has been since the start.

actually the people posting here are uninformed and do not have the proper knowledge, this games engine is not a very good one, and higher performance systems actually DO perform worse with swtor simply because swtor was designed for an older system that is now basically obsolete, there are several things you can do to improve yer performance

 

1) install direct x 9.0c along with your direct x 11 this will help a lot

2) make sure u have the latest drivers

3) defrag ur system

4) stop trying to run the game on max graphics, understand the game is going to perform poorly and if you ARE Having issues then turn your graphics down before you actually fry something.

 

and BTW AMD is actually Better than Intel for most things its also a lot cheaper , the usual rule of more expensive is better does not actually apply in this situation

 

a better thing to ask would be what graphics card are you running?

 

Boy, that is flame-bait if there ever was any...

 

So many people, frankly, don't know what the heck they are doing... and life moves on...

This is probably not the answer you were looking for: you could switch to an Intel i7-4790K and a GTX-980. That will make it sweeter.

 

So, perhaps you should be more specific in your request. Are you looking for peripherals? I use a gaming keypad (Logitech G13) and a mouse with a lot of buttons, and it makes SWTOR sweeter. Is that the kind of suggestion you are after?

 

Also, we upgraded to a faster router (Linksys Nighthawk) and that reduced our ping times by 3 milliseconds. And of course, never connect via WiFi, always use a wired Gigabit Ethernet connection.

 

I'm with you as far as upgrading networking gear is concerned. Just replaced my cable modem and router. As for the game hardware, I am more interested in driver tweaks, optimum overclock settings, etc.

I have to ask, what are you downloading/uploading while playing the game?

 

A 25 Mbps pipeline is at least 10 times more bandwidth than the game would ever use. If you noticed that much of a difference, then you were never getting the advertised bandwidth (which is VERY common with both cable and Comcast) or you where downloading/uploading a lot of data on a consistent basis.

 

Yes, you are right. The interesting thing though is that the price I am paying now for business Internet at 105Mbps is just barely higher than what I was paying residential for 25Mbps go figure. In terms of upload/download speeds it was about an 8/6 split.

actually the people posting here are uninformed and do not have the proper knowledge, this games engine is not a very good one, and higher performance systems actually DO perform worse with swtor simply because swtor was designed for an older system that is now basically obsolete, there are several things you can do to improve yer performance

 

1) install direct x 9.0c along with your direct x 11 this will help a lot

2) make sure u have the latest drivers

3) defrag ur system

4) stop trying to run the game on max graphics, understand the game is going to perform poorly and if you ARE Having issues then turn your graphics down before you actually fry something.

 

and BTW AMD is actually Better than Intel for most things its also a lot cheaper , the usual rule of more expensive is better does not actually apply in this situation

 

a better thing to ask would be what graphics card are you running?

 

Let me address your post in reverse order. The graphics card is a Sapphire Radeon R7 240 with Gigs of Ram. The processor I use now is an AMD FX-6130 quad core. The standard clock is 3.8GHz. Haven't overclocked yet (didn't see a reason to).

 

I absolutely agree that AMD is better (and more affordable). That's not to say that Intel is bad. It just doesn't provide the "awe-factor" that fanboys of Intel profess, at least from what I have seen.

 

As for the age of hardware, I must be the only SWTOR player then that is getting much better performance with the new hardware than the old. Absolutely no problems (knock on wood... LOL)

For the record Intel CPUs are far superior in nearly every way to AMD CPUs. This is a fact. You can argue all you like.

There are benchmarks of the i3 4330 crushing every AMD cpu up to 8350 and even matching it in some tests.

 

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/697?vs=1192

 

Note the gaming benchmarks near the bottom of the list, notice how the MUCH more powerful AMD processor barely beats an i3 and GETS BEAT by an i3 in many areas. Why is an i3 with less cores and a lower clock speed neck and neck with an 8 core 4Ghz cpu? Cuz intel cores are faster and put out less heat and use less energy.

 

As far as AMD GPUs they are great and I have one in this PC an AMD Sapphire 7870, works great.

 

nvidia is good too but im not paying 200 extra dollars for the minor performance increase.

 

For CPUs always intel no question.

For GPUs I like AMD

Edited October 22, 2014 by Smuglebunny

This thread almost looks like one of those started by posters who think that there's only two ways to make a 'gaming' computer - AMD CPU with AMD graphics OR Intel CPU with nVidia graphics. But it just ain't so.

 

At this time, if you want the best 'gaming' CPU, it's an Intel i5 (almost any i5). Now that Intel has released an 'unlocked' Pentium, there is (sadly) no reason to ever use an AMD CPU - even in a low cost gaming rig.

 

However, generally speaking, AMD graphics cards are the best bang-for-the-buck. But even then it tends to be a toss-up with nVidia.

 

So, overall, the 'best' gaming setup (atm) is an Intel i5 with an AMD R9 270 or better.

 

To the OP - if you think your rig runs fine now, try getting a better graphics card - the R7 240 is about the bottom end of what's available and any upgrade would be noticeable.

 

*Disclaimer - I spent many years being an AMD 'fan boy' back in the day. But, unfortunately, the AMD processors have not kept up with Intel. So my current rig is an i5-3570K with an HD7870 video card - soon to be upgraded to an R9 280/285/290 or so. My HTPC is based on an AMD A8-7600 APU - I haven't tried playing SWTOR on it yet, though.

Anybody saying AMD processors are "better" than Intel is just trolling. In no measurable way are they "better".

 

I am however a complete fanboy of their GPU's. have always considered that, bang for buck wise, they cannot be beaten

This thread almost looks like one of those started by posters who think that there's only two ways to make a 'gaming' computer - AMD CPU with AMD graphics OR Intel CPU with nVidia graphics. But it just ain't so.

 

At this time, if you want the best 'gaming' CPU, it's an Intel i5 (almost any i5). Now that Intel has released an 'unlocked' Pentium, there is (sadly) no reason to ever use an AMD CPU - even in a low cost gaming rig.

 

However, generally speaking, AMD graphics cards are the best bang-for-the-buck. But even then it tends to be a toss-up with nVidia.

 

So, overall, the 'best' gaming setup (atm) is an Intel i5 with an AMD R9 270 or better.

 

To the OP - if you think your rig runs fine now, try getting a better graphics card - the R7 240 is about the bottom end of what's available and any upgrade would be noticeable.

 

*Disclaimer - I spent many years being an AMD 'fan boy' back in the day. But, unfortunately, the AMD processors have not kept up with Intel. So my current rig is an i5-3570K with an HD7870 video card - soon to be upgraded to an R9 280/285/290 or so. My HTPC is based on an AMD A8-7600 APU - I haven't tried playing SWTOR on it yet, though.

 

Let me know when you what kind of performance you get for SWTOR when you do (if you do) play the game using the AMD A8-7600 APU.

Anybody saying AMD processors are "better" than Intel is just trolling. In no measurable way are they "better".

 

I am however a complete fanboy of their GPU's. have always considered that, bang for buck wise, they cannot be beaten

 

The purpose of this forum is not to bash Intel in terms of AMD. My sincerest apologies if anyone gave you that impression.

 

Think of this as more of a tech support/sharing forum for AMD users. Nothing more.

 

...and BTW AMD is actually Better than Intel for most things its also a lot cheaper , the usual rule of more expensive is better does not actually apply in this situation...

 

 

I've been using AMD products for well over 20 years and while this used to be true, it is not at present. AMD is moving forward with APUs that reduce power consumption while improving integration. They're positioning themselves well to take over mobile gaming. Imaging putting an APU with Radeon R7 graphics into a Windows tablet for example.

 

As for the original post, the "1" series AMD FX CPUs had some issues that were resolved in the "3" series. What I mean by that is for example the 6100 series vs. the 6300 series. Look for the "3" and you'll find a better CPU. That having been said your rig should run SWTOR without issue regardless.

I've been using AMD products for well over 20 years and while this used to be true, it is not at present. AMD is moving forward with APUs that reduce power consumption while improving integration. They're positioning themselves well to take over mobile gaming. Imaging putting an APU with Radeon R7 graphics into a Windows tablet for example.

 

As for the original post, the "1" series AMD FX CPUs had some issues that were resolved in the "3" series. What I mean by that is for example the 6100 series vs. the 6300 series. Look for the "3" and you'll find a better CPU. That having been said your rig should run SWTOR without issue regardless.

 

This discussion is about swtor though. Swtor isn't mobile gaming. In the arena of PC gaming, Intel i5s blow amd processors out of the water. AMD graphics cards used to be a significantly better value, but nvidia's 9 series have arrived with a lower price point, and performance AMD is going to very hard pressed to match.

 

Mobile gaming though, I agree. AMD is doing extremely well with the integration and performance.

No, I will not defrag my SSDs, thanks.

 

Don't have an SSD? Get one. Best upgrade there is for any system less than three years old. You will never go back to using an HDD for boot or applications.

 

This... It is like the move from floppy drives to hard drives. Once you do it, the old way is no longer acceptable.

This... It is like the move from floppy drives to hard drives. Once you do it, the old way is no longer acceptable.

 

^This exactly, I just added a second 256 GB SSD to my rig because games just keep getting bigger

you don't necessarily need to get high end cpu/gpu for the game to perform well amd/intel, doesn't not matter...

I had a amd a8-3870k and a amd 6870 gpu 1gb with 8gb of system ram & game ran fine . I had to turn off 1/2of the eye candy features but the game did run... your gpu you listed isn't best on the market, you would of been better off with a r7-260x to go with that cpu. also the 2gb of system ram needs to be increased to atleast 4gb or more ( depends if you system allows it).. I retired my old system and gave it to my mom....

 

Currently I have a i7-3770k with 16gb ram, 2x128gb ssd's and 1x1TB hdd for storage and switch to a 750ti. and I was able to make the game run sweeter with all the candy turned on, I do photo editing with the same system too besides gaming..

 

like other one said switch out the gpu is better option to the like of a r7-260x or a gtx 750 & adding more system ram is advisable too... the gpu option is easiest thing to do...

+1 to the SSD comments. It's blatantly obvious who has SWTOR loaded on an SSD when loading into group stuff. Crucial have some very quick and very cheap SSD's out now, 256GB for roughly £80 if you shop about.

Don't have an SSD? Get one. Best upgrade there is for any system less than three years old. You will never go back to using an HDD for boot or applications.

 

This is about the only factual statement in this thread - I went for a couple of Adata's for my setup, cheap and seemingly well reviewed for reliability.

 

How clueless are most other people in this thread when it comes to hardware? Whilst I agree Intel do generally do better than AMD in terms of their CPUs, terms like "blowing them out of the water" are just riddiculous. Most bottlenecks from gaming come from the GPU except for some MMOs I guess where it can be somewhat bottlenecked by older CPUs but most modern ones have no trouble delivering good performance for gaming to the point most end users wouldn't know the difference if they were on AMD or Intel.

 

So yes Intel is superior in the gaming CPU market but for most people ... it wouldn't matter more than price to do what they want. I prefer Intel personally for overclocking purposes and I'm on my 3rd Intel CPU now for the over clocking and slightly better performance though if AMD started benching better and had nice easy over clocking I'd be tempted to switch next time I choose to upgrade.

 

In terms of GPU it all depends on what you are after. Top tier right now 295x2 in some cases out performs the Titans for performance and way ahead in price so that would be your best bet for single card top end. Next would have to be the GTX 980 and 970's for price vs performance with those 970's on par with an r9 290x in performance but much better in choice and then giving you the option of SLI I think it is the 980's and still be at a better price than the 295x2 ( may have been the 970 that made it more affordable yet more powerful, I forget ).

Below that you would have to give the edge to AMD still with the r9 290 280x 280 etc. depending on your price point and what you can afford/want for a pure performance vs price equation. Pretty tight market now really and I would imagine those 290x's will drop again pretty soon too.