The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - PC System Requirements are here!

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The claims about the 970 performing badly have been based on artificial tests that intentionally exercise the 0.5GB of VRAM that isn't reachable via the 224-bit data path. These tests do not actually demonstrate a flaw that causes the 970 to perform badly when playing games or other practical loads.

The Witcher 3, as with other well-written games, will budget VRAM according to the available VRAM and the chosen settings. It is unlikely that even 4GB cards will be asked to run with a 4GB texture budget.

---------- Updated at 11:52 PM ----------

Not sure what you're trying to say here. Clearly his PC is well below the minimum spec. The 5830 isn't even supported by AMD anymore, and likely, the game won't even recognize his system and refuse to start..

Don't spread FUD or false claims. This thread is a place where those who claim to speak authoritatively must be careful to check their facts before posting.

AMD HD 5xxx series cards are still supported in the current Catalyst Omega 14.12 and Catalyst Beta 15.4 drivers. Only 4xxx and earlier have been reduced to legacy support.

That said, I agree with you that a computer with 4GB RAM and an HD 5830 is far enough below the minimum spec as to raise doubts about the game playing in any satisfactory mode at all.
 
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I've read that the GeForce GTX 970 4GB actually is 3.5GB and some users have said the remaining half gigabyte runs 80 percent slower than it's supposed to. That can cause images to stutter on a high resolution screen and some games to perform poorly..

Is this something to worry about? I would imagine The Witcher 3 would want to use the whole 4GB if you want that extra good graphics?

Sometimes the Internet confuses me. But I google and this was said in February or something.

Having gone from a pair of GTX 970s to a pair of GTX 980s myself, I can give a solid opinion on this..

To answer your question, the GTX 970 does indeed have 3.5GB of fast VRAM delivering 196 GB/s on a 224 bit bus. The other 512MB runs off a separate crossbar and delivers 28GB/s on a 32 bit bus. How does it affect gaming? Well it depends on several factors, but primarily the resolution and whether bandwidth sucking effects like MSAA are being used.. Both the GTX 980 and GTX 970 are very bandwidth efficient, but MSAA really taxes them..

The GTX 970 is a fantastic card for the price, and I would not hesitate to recommend it if you're gaming at 1080p. It's PERFECT for 1080. At 1080p, the GTX 980 is only around 10 to 15% faster than the GTX 970.. But for 1440p and above, the GTX 980 is notably better due to having greater bandwidth available and the full 4GB of high speed VRAM..

At 1440p and greater, the GTX 980 is closer to 20% faster than the GTX 970 on average, and can even be 30% faster at 4K, or in games that use a lot of compute shaders and high levels of AA..

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Don't spread FUD or false claims. This thread is a place where those who claim to speak authoritatively must be careful to check their facts before posting.

AMD HD 5xxx series cards are still supported in the current Catalyst Omega 14.12 and Catalyst Beta 15.4 drivers. Only 4xxx and earlier have been dropped.

Yeah this is true, I made a mistake. I remember reading something about AMD dropping support for some of their older cards and I thought the 5000 series was among them..
 
@GuyNwah, I did some research now and after reading this norwegian test of Corsair Carbide Air 240.
They could fit in a XFX Radeon R9 280 3GB GDDR5 that is 4.2 - 29.5 - 14.3 cm
when only using fan cooling system as I plan to.

Now the ASUS GeForce BLACK GTX 970 4GB is 4.0 - 29 - 14.7 cm.. so the height is 0.4 longer than Radeon that fits.

So I guess my options are ASUS GeForce STRIX GTX 970 4GB or MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB OC as they are both smaller than the Radeon that fits and BLACK that doesn't. (ASUS 4 - 28 - 14 cm \ MSI 3.6 - 27.5 - 12.5 cm)
Both has dual fans and the price difference are 3990 and 3490.

So do I go for ASUS or MSI here?
 
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Yeah this is true, I made a mistake. I remember reading something about AMD dropping support for some of their older cards and I thought the 5000 series was among them..

I suspect they will drop enhancement support for all the VLIW cards (through 76xx) eventually, just they haven't made any announcement about that yet. GCN is so much superior to VLIW that maintaining drivers for both has got to be a burden.

---------- Updated at 12:13 AM ----------

@GuyNwah, I did some research now and after reading this norwegian test of Corsair Carbide Air 240.
They could fit in a XFX Radeon R9 280 3GB GDDR5 that is 4.2 - 29.5 - 14.3 cm
when only using fan cooling system as I plan to.

Now the ASUS GeForce BLACK GTX 970 4GB is 4.0 - 29 - 14.7 cm.. so the height is 0.4 longer than Radeon that fits.

So I guess my options are ASUS GeForce STRIX GTX 970 4GB or MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB OC as they are both smaller than the Radeon that fits and BLACK that doesn't. (ASUS 4 - 28 - 14 cm \ MSI 3.6 - 27.5 - 12.5 cm)
Both has dual fans and the price difference are 3990 and 3490.

So do I go for ASUS or MSI here?

Others have reported they could not close the case on an MSI Gaming 4G. or an ASUS Strix. The actual absolute maximum has been measured at 133mm. The tek.no test was made on a card that is substantially lower than the cards you are proposing.

Your options are EVGA and Gigabyte. The big long Gigabyte actually fits, even though the 290mm specified clearance indicates that it would not.
 
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@GuyNwah, when you say the maximum has been measured at 133mm. MSI GeForce GTX 970 Gaming 4GB is 141mm and MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB OC is 125mm, so MSI is also a valid option, not only EVGA and Gigabyte. (I just never had any experience with EVGA or Gigabyte, they are strangers to me.) But I've heard much about ASUS and MSI, so that's a reason when I try find one that fits and is good. So there is the MSI GeForce GTX 970, not Gaming one but still..
 
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Two MSI 970 cards I can find (models 4GD5 and 4GD5T) should fit. It's the widely promoted "Gaming" models that will not.
 
If I'm not going to overclock, is it still good to have two fans on a graphics card?
I'm thinking if there is one fan and you don't overclock but it's a demanding game,
that one fan will work really hard and make a lot of noise?
 
If I'm not going to overclock, is it still good to have two fans on a graphics card?
I'm thinking if there is one fan and you don't overclock but it's a demanding game,
that one fan will work really hard and make a lot of noise?

What actually matters is the airflow.

Blower-style coolers (like the reference model, many EVGA models, and one of the MSI models) exhaust hot air to the outside. This is desirable. However, your observation is correct: it takes a hard-working fan to do this, and they are often noisy.

Open-frame coolers (which is most other models) exhaust hot air inside the case. An exhaust fan is needed to remove it. However, the fans can be larger and can run at lower speed. This makes them quieter, often much quieter.

The open-frame coolers are better so long as the case is laid out with an exhaust fan not too far away.
 
^ You can have any normal CPU cooler you like for that CPU, as long as it's compatible with it's socket (LGA 1150 for the 4690).

It always helps to have a couple intake fans in the case for cooling purposes but you also need a couple of exhaust fans to drive hot air out of the box. Usually cases have a couple on them to start with.
 
^ You can have any normal CPU cooler you like for that CPU, as long as it's compatible with it's socket (LGA 1150 for the 4690).

It always helps to have a couple intake fans in the case for cooling purposes but you also need a couple of exhaust fans to drive hot air out of the box. Usually cases have a couple on them to start with.
Cool! :)

Would you know if it's worth to pay 93 € extra to go from Intel Core i5-4690 to Intel Core i7-4790?
 

Guest 3790055

Guest
@JacobWitcher

With that case and only 2 RAM slots on the motherboard, any air cooler bigger than stock Intel one (enough for a non-overclocked i5, in my opinion) won't fit because of their heights or their widths, most probably both. And I think watercooling is too expensive for non-overclocked chips.

But a standard ATX case is cheaper, not that big (maybe 5-10 cm longer, around 10 cm higher but less large), you can put a big graphic card, a big cpu cooler, lots of RAM... The motherboard will be way cheaper too.
With the money you save you can easily take an i7 instead your i5.
 
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@BigDRim, I only need 2 RAM slots for 16GB. Also I will never overclock, so then no need for water then.
Also I need the case to be white and small to stay on top of the desk.
Good thing about the case I chose is that you can set it up on different sides so the glass is on right (where I sit), or on the top. Plus it has good airflow system and I can set up two more silent fans below the graphic card.
 

Guest 3790055

Guest
Actually an ATX case will take less place than your mini ITX case as the latter is larger especially with the glass on top. And not lighter.
Or if you really think ATX is too big then try to make some free space (I use a 30*60 cm space for my pc) because you will save more than a 100 euros.
 
@BigDRim, I only need 2 RAM slots for 16GB. Also I will never overclock, so then no need for water then.
Also I need the case to be white and small to stay on top of the desk.
Good thing about the case I chose is that you can set it up on different sides so the glass is on right (where I sit), or on the top. Plus it has good airflow system and I can set up two more silent fans below the graphic card.

Regarding the water cooler, if the price difference isn't too huge, look at how it would fit and how much space it takes up relative to whatever you're considering as an alternative. I use a "budget" water cooler (Antec H2O) and because most of the bulk is to one side, not directly above the CPU, it leaves a lot of free space in the mobo area for everything else.
 
  • Corsair Carbide Air 240 Cube Case Hvit
  • MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB OC
  • Corsair SP120 PWM Quiet Edt. 120mm
  • Samsung 850 EVO 250GB SSD
  • MSI Z97I AC, Socket-1150
  • Crucial DDR3 BallistiX Sport 16GB KIT
  • Samsung 24" LED LS24D340H
  • Intel Core i5-4690
  • Microsoft Windows 8.1
  • Samsung DVD Writer, SE-208GB
  • Cooler Master V650S, 650W PSU

Intel Core i5-4690 2.5GHz
16GB RAM
GeForce GTX 970 4GB


Samsung 24" LED (1920x1080, 2ms)


And for cooling there is 3 fans in the Corsair Carbide Air 240.
Plus I'll buy two additional silent fans for below the graphic card.
Also I can decide if the airflow from the graphic card will go below -
side or on the top as I can turn the case around that much.

I would think this is a pretty nice deal for me, as I need the white small case that can turn this much.
 
I can run this game?

If I'm wrong section, sorry in advance.


I'm not very experienced in PC, so do not know if I can make it run well or at least to "High".


Resolution: 1920x1080 1080p
OS: Windows 7 64-Bit
Processor: AMD A8-6500 APU with Radeon (tm) HD Graphics 3.40 Ghz
Videocard: AMD Radeon R7 200 Series 2 GB VRAM
RAM: 4 GB
 
If I'm wrong section, sorry in advance.


I'm not very experienced in PC, so do not know if I can make it run well or at least to "High".


Resolution: 1920x1080 1080p
OS: Windows 7 64-Bit
Processor: AMD A8-6500 APU with Radeon (tm) HD Graphics 3.40 Ghz
Videocard: AMD Radeon R7 200 Series 2 GB VRAM
RAM: 4 GB

doubtful, what card do you have specifically? Maybe go 720p and low to mid settings, at best. "Dual graphics" Amd's use of dGPU and iGPU together seems to be broken from what i remember, unless they got the issues sorted. Anyways, to really enjoy this game, IMHO you will need at least a better a GPU and over all a new rig.
Again, until the game is released this just speculation and conjecture, Good Luck. I hope you get to enjoy the game!!!

---------- Updated at 12:22 PM ----------

  • Corsair Carbide Air 240 Cube Case Hvit
  • MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB OC
  • Corsair SP120 PWM Quiet Edt. 120mm
  • Samsung 850 EVO 250GB SSD
  • MSI Z97I AC, Socket-1150
  • Crucial DDR3 BallistiX Sport 16GB KIT
  • Samsung 24" LED LS24D340H
  • Intel Core i5-4690
  • Microsoft Windows 8.1
  • Samsung DVD Writer, SE-208GB
  • Cooler Master V650S, 650W PSU

Intel Core i5-4690 2.5GHz
16GB RAM
GeForce GTX 970 4GB


Samsung 24" LED (1920x1080, 2ms)


And for cooling there is 3 fans in the Corsair Carbide Air 240.
Plus I'll buy two additional silent fans for below the graphic card.
Also I can decide if the airflow from the graphic card will go below -
side or on the top as I can turn the case around that much.

I would think this is a pretty nice deal for me, as I need the white small case that can turn this much.

You will have a nice rig for sure!!!

I have that same case for itx build my wife uses. I really like it. She sports that case, with an MSI gaming itx wifi z87 mb, i5-4670 oc'ed to 4.3(air) 16gigs of Corsair 2033mhz ddr3, Evga660ti!!! Plays most games at high and some ultra with decent frame rates.
 
doubtful, what card do you have specifically? Maybe go 720p and low to mid settings, at best. "Dual graphics" Amd's use of dGPU and iGPU together seems to be broken from what i remember, unless they got the issues sorted. Anyways, to really enjoy this game, IMHO you will need at least a better a GPU and over all a new rig.
Again, until the game is released this just speculation and conjecture, Good Luck. I hope you get to enjoy the game!!!

The specific set do not know, because when I go to "Device Manager" I only say "AMD etc ... R7 200 Series" so do not know is that specific series.


I'm not a "fanatic" of the graphics, to me enough for me "Normal / High", "Ultra" does not ever get there.


Anyway I'll see when it comes out the game, fingers crossed.
 
Cool! :)

Would you know if it's worth to pay 93 € extra to go from Intel Core i5-4690 to Intel Core i7-4790?

Well as far as gaming goes, the 4690 is an excellent CPU. I think for the time being it will be more than enough since Hyper Threading which the i7's have don't really add anything significant for gaming. Maybe 2-3fps from what i've seen and researched. Take a look at the video i will post below, which is quite comprehensive, to see the differences.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVl8Eupbr_E
 
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