A good PC for CMANO

[nukkxx5058]

Hi, my laptop is definitely outdated now: i5-3210M @2.5ghz + 8GB RAM + IBM HD4000 and the sim's running quite slow especially when things get busy.
What hardware (cpu/gpu/ram/other) would you recommend to get the game to work as fluid as possible but with of course at the same time minimizing the price.
Thanks

[kevinkins]

I am not an expert, but if you want to still use a laptop (like I do) "they" say get a gaming laptop that has a dedicated graphics card and a SSD to run Command off. Other than that, the faster the chip and more memory the better. But I am not sure of where the sweet spot is with regard to cost vs benefit. Others will chime in I'm sure.

Kevin

[nukkxx5058]

Good point: it doesn't has to be a laptop. In fact I would even prefer a desktop (mini tower ?) that can be easily upgraded when tech improves, and I don't travel anymore.

[kevinkins]

You will get more bag for your buck then. Have you looked for previous threads on the subject?

Kevin

[nukkxx5058]

ORIGINAL: kevinkin

You will get more bag for your buck then. Have you looked for previous threads on the subject?

Kevin

Yes, couldn't find the answer. Maybe didn't enter the right keywords ?
And btw I don't want to rely on the official system requs but on real payers experience. Hence my question. [:)]

[Primarchx]

SSD makes a big difference from what I've heard - I've always run the game with one. The hotter the processor the faster the time compression or scenario size in theory.

[mavfin]

I can tell you that my old 2011-vintage Intel X5680 Xeon is more than enough CPU for the job, with 16 GB of RAM (old motherboard limit), and normal disks. I have run Command on an SSD, and while it loads quicker on an SSD, it doesn't necessarily run faster after the initial loading. Just my $.02.

Don't go short on RAM, get plenty of CPU, but don't get too wild about the GPU, at least not for Command's sake. I run fine for video on a (once again) 2011 vintage AMD Radeon HD 5770 1 GB VRAM GPU.

And if you wonder why I'm playing Command on an old dinosaur, I bought it in 2011 to run multiple VMs for development and/or testing work. It works great for that when needed, still, but it games nicely, too.

[nukkxx5058]

ORIGINAL: mavfin

I can tell you that my old 2011-vintage Intel X5680 Xeon is more than enough CPU for the job, with 16 GB of RAM (old motherboard limit), and normal disks. I have run Command on an SSD, and while it loads quicker on an SSD, it doesn't necessarily run faster after the initial loading. Just my $.02.

Don't go short on RAM, get plenty of CPU, but don't get too wild about the GPU, at least not for Command's sake. I run fine for video on a (once again) 2011 vintage AMD Radeon HD 5770 1 GB VRAM GPU.

And if you wonder why I'm playing Command on an old dinosaur, I bought it in 2011 to run multiple VMs for development and/or testing work. It works great for that when needed, still, but it games nicely, too.

this is strange because when i compare your cpu x5680 xeon to my i5 3210m it seems that mine is superieur but cCMANO runs real slow on mine ... could it be the RAM ?? the GPU ?
http://cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-Xeon-X568 ... e-i5-3210M

[thewood1]

Its all relative. If you play 2000 unit scenarios and the other guy plays 200 unit scenarios, of course there is going to be a difference, regardless of the system. It's also perspective. One person's slow might be another person's fast.

To sort it, you have to have a benchmark scenario that everyone runs at very specific way and mark down the cycles at specific points.

[nukkxx5058]

Well, of course, but mavfin says that his "Intel X5680 Xeon is more than enough CPU for the job". I could certainly not say that of my old i5, even on small/medium scens. For example, Canary's Cage (in standalone scenarios) runs very poorly on my PC.
But yes, we would need a benchmark scenario to be a bit more scientific.

[thewood1]

Again, more than enough is relative. I not saying his advice and comments aren't useful, but you might get the exact same machine and think its slow.

So take the other advice...CPU speed is key, GPU is only marginally useful, SSD, and lots of RAM. One of the better ways to judge is CPUBenchmark ratings, especially single core ratings.

[ultradave]

ORIGINAL: nukkxx

Hi, my laptop is definitely outdated now: i5-3210M @2.5ghz + 8GB RAM + IBM HD4000 and the sim's running quite slow especially when things get busy.
What hardware (cpu/gpu/ram/other) would you recommend to get the game to work as fluid as possible but with of course at the same time minimizing the price.
Thanks

The specs on my MacBook Pro are not too far off from this. I use Parallels Desktop with W10 to run C:MANO. Mine is Intel Core i5, 2.9Ghz, 8GB RAM, (1867 Mhz DDR3), and Intel Iris Graphics 6100 1536 MB. It does have a 512GB SSD drive so maybe that's the difference. I have no problem at all running it even for large scenarios.

As others have said, the SSD may make quite a bit of difference. Even if it doesn't you'll love it in general. Computer starts up in seconds, every program starts up almost instantly. No noise and the fan hardly ever runs. Again, this is a Mac, but the hardware guts are very similar.

[strykerpsg]

I have run CMANO and it's DLC for years on my Surface Pro 3 and 4. I now currently run them on a Surface Book with no issues regarding FPS drops, unless I am running on battery, then FPS drops. You do not need a gaming laptop to run this well resourced sim, having owned 2 Alienware 17's. The upside to gaming laptops, obviously speed. The downside is they are often quite a bit heavier and generate a lot more heat. However, to each his own, just my observations over the course of about 5 years of testing and playing CMANO.

[thewood1]

I have both a surface pro 4 (i5) and a surface book pro 2 (i7). The book runs Op Bass Drum (600 units) about 10x faster than the pro at 1:5 compression. At 1:5, the book averages between 10 and 30ms pulses. The pro averages 100 to 200ms pulses.

[Cik]

often it's heat rather than horsepower that's a problem. AFAIK laptops often underclock themselves if they start to melt, almost no laptops with heavy CPUs include enough cooling to actually run the things at full tilt.

[thewood1]

That is not necessarily true. There are gaming laptops that have a great handle on cooling and can compete with desktops. But they are expensive. My 15" MSI and HP Omen ran/run X-Plane, ARMA 3, Project Cars 2, IL2 Sturm, and Command incredibly well. And they are only a mid-range gaming laptops. They do run hotter than a tower, but never to the point of any kind of thermal throttling.

What you can't do with a laptop is overclock them. They are typically locked. You can mess with voltage and such, but that's usually it. For CPU-intensive games like Combat Mission and Command, a laptop will operate just as good as a Desktop in the same configuration. But you'll pay for it.

[mavfin]

I find a lot of laptops that aren't built to handle max cpu cooling, and also, cheaper laptops tend to put in a CPU that can keep a 4" main full...and then attach a 1/2" water hose to it.

But, since my old computer is obviously a piece of crap, you can ignore me.

[RoryAndersonCDT]

I run an Alienware gaming laptop with 16gig ram and an i7 CPU, along with a extra cooling pad underneath. I have one copy of command on my internal normal hard drive, and another on an SSD.

I'm planning to buy a new desktop computer with 64 gigs of ram and an i9 CPU after intel fixes the meltdown/specter hardware bugs (so, likely a while from now unfortunately).

Command scales very well, an old laptop can run Command, but cannot run a monster scenario, but works fine with the smaller scenarios.

[thewood1]

If you buy a any laptop for less than $1000, you will get what you pay for. Mid-range, non-gaming laptops throttle on power and heat. As I said above, you can get a mid-range gaming laptop that handle almost anything you throw at it. A high-end gaming laptop can compete directly with a good gaming desktop. But most gaming desktop users overclock their CPUs and GPUs. That is where the big advantage is.

A mid-range gaming laptop is probably $1500. You can get an end-of-generation MSI for about $1000. A top of the line high-end gaming laptop is going to be $3000 at least.

[Luckschaden]

Modern CPU's often have really decent integrated graphics, far more than what COMMAND needs. I would go for an SSD (because it's just better for everything), a strong CPU, 16GB RAM, and maybe no graphics card.