Best Video Card for Starmade

[Shadar]

I find that my desktop is woefully under powered for playing StarMade. Hardly surprising, as it is several years old. As such, I've been wanting to upgrade my system to a more powerful processor and more memory. I will likely go for a 2 GB video card, but am uncertain if I should go for AMD Radeon or nVidia GeForce. Which one works better for StarMade? I can tell you that the processor will likely be AMD.

 

[fire219]

StarMade doesn't really have a preference between the two. It's pretty much just the faster the better.

As my own system is running an old but high end card (HD5870), I can't really give suggestions for good buys. Those who can help probably need to know your budget though.

 

[therimmer96]

actually, schema has said himself the game has a preference towards Nvidia. Shouldn't be an issue if there is no major bugs, but as seen with one of the recent patches, AMD users can get some oddities. Probably because schema has Nvidia.

 

[aceface]

^ I have a AMD R9 280X, and costs ~250-300$ and performs just as well as 100-150$ nvidia gpus. However some amd graphics cards still perform fine. there is a graphics card that is a lower tier than mine and is a bit older and performs a lot better. from my experience it seems that you should avoid amd, since many people who play minecraft also get problems with that game, and since they are both java, I would keep away from amd.

I know for a fact according to Crusade that the gtx 970 performs remarkably in StarMade.

 

[MineCatFTW]

I use a GTX 750 Ti, and it runs great, especially considering it was only 150$. I am running with a pretty old AMD CPU.

 

[kupu]

actually, schema has said himself the game has a preference towards Nvidia ...Probably because schema has Nvidia.

It's not created with that specific hardware bias in mind though. The team + testers use a load of hardware / OS versions between us all.

It's just that i don't think ATI cards can make use of a few specific OpenGL features as well, such as the Multi-Draw that is now a toggle option and not default due to the high amount of bugs ATI users were suffering. (i think... )

 

[Viridis00]

I think in the long run of this game it will not matter, but at the moment Nvidia cards are better just because Schema probably makes the game on a machine with an Nvidia card. Just don't get a GTX970, it runs starmade well, but I had performance dips pretty high when it comes to massive objects on maxed out settings before I returned mine. Buying a good GPU is something you should expect to last a long time, the 970 is gimped by design and will not have anything in the way of longevity especially if you want to play Starmade higher than 1080p. If you value your dollar/whatever currency you use, either shell out for a 980, wait for AMD's new cards in a few months, or wait more months for the inevitable GTX980 ti or Nvidia's pascal.

If you're strapped for cash, go with the higher end of the 700 series or get an R9 290.

 

[therimmer96]

It's not created with that specific hardware bias in mind though. The team + testers use a load of hardware / OS versions between us all.

It's just that i don't think ATI cards can make use of a few specific OpenGL features as well, such as the Multi-Draw that is now a toggle option and not default due to the high amount of bugs ATI users were suffering. (i think... )

Schema told me awhile ago via skype that Nvidia was best, tats all

 

[MossyStone48]

i've seen nvidia 210s and 8400s do admirably. they are both on the low end but the 8400 will sli for what it's worth. evga makes an overclocked 1gb version of the 210. it'll often run on a 240 watt power supply but a 400 watt would be recommended and usually set you back an extra 20 bucks. avoid intel gpus, be cautious with amd apus and ati gpus. they work and some have great performance but nvidia's are noticeably the most stable.

 

[Panpiper]

I've been planning a new system for the last month and doing a lot of research. While I am likely to be going for a much higher end system than most, I can say that a consensus among many reviewers is that the best bang for the buck right now is the Geforce 960. It does not have the odd memory architecture of the 970 and is a third of the price of the 980. It does have better performance than any other card you can get in the $200. range or below, plus it is designed to run all the very latest bells and whistles. Also if you ever decide later that you are really flush and want to do a massive upgrade of your graphic cards beyond that at a later date, it will make for a fantastic PhysX dedicated GPU.

 

[Crusade]

I run a gtx970, and I rarely see the game drop below 80 fps - Even being on a r400 planet is fine.
The only things that's gotten me to 10 fps is firing 1200 beams to salvage said planet.

 

[Keptick]

I run a gtx970, and I rarely see the game drop below 80 fps - Even being on a r400 planet is fine.
The only things that's gotten me to 10 fps is firing 1200 beams to salvage said planet.

I'd say that's because beams are HORRIBLY unoptimized (seriously, something has to be done about that). The 40 beams from my docked reactors drop me to ~10 fps. I had to reduce their range to 10m in order to get ~30fps...

 

[Jake_Lancia]

I have no real problems except around planets with my Radeon 6970, although I'm thinking of upgrading this to a R9 380x once it's out (apparently a tweaked 290x )
I don't see why AMD is seen as the unstable one, it seems for me AMD seems to be MORE stable than Nvidia in my opinion. (my previous cards being a GTX 260, then 630, then 750ti) AMD cards should present no problems running the game at max settings compared to their direct Nvidia competitors.
Just make sure the card is paired with a good CPU (Intel i5/i7 or AMD FX series) and you'll be fine.

 

[Gristle]

If I were shopping for a new video card right now I'd be looking at devices that were DirectX12 ready. DirectX12 is just around the corner.

 

[Viridis00]

If I were shopping for a new video card right now I'd be looking at devices that were DirectX12 ready. DirectX12 is just around the corner.

Unless Schema goes back and optimizes for DX12, Starmade won't be able to take advantage of it. Unless you're just talking about making sure you have a card that supports one for other new games that will take advantage of it. In which case cards that support DX11.x are all going to be able to support DX12.

 

[Megacrafter127]

If I were shopping for a new video card right now I'd be looking at devices that were DirectX12 ready. DirectX12 is just around the corner.

Unless Schema goes back and optimizes for DX12, Starmade won't be able to take advantage of it. Unless you're just talking about making sure you have a card that supports one for other new games that will take advantage of it. In which case cards that support DX11.x are all going to be able to support DX12.

StarMade doesn't even use DirectX, it uses OpenGL(for multi-OS support, as DirectX is winderp only)

 

[Gristle]

StarMade doesn't even use DirectX, it uses OpenGL(for multi-OS support, as DirectX is winderp only)

This is true, but if you are buying a new vid card why wouldn't you get one that is DirectX 12 ready? It would seem kind of silly to buy a DX11 card right now.

 

[Shadar]

Thanks, everyone. I appreciate the input. Looks like it's possible to get a nice GeForce 960 around $100, which falls into my budget. I'll see if I can find one that is DirectX 12 capable.

 

[Panpiper]

Thanks, everyone. I appreciate the input. Looks like it's possible to get a nice GeForce 960 around $100, which falls into my budget. I'll see if I can find one that is DirectX 12 capable.

The GeForce 960 is Direct X 12 compatible, you don't need to look for one, they all are. $100. for a GeForce 960 is an insanely good deal! You should snatch it up immediately, don't hesitate for a second lest the deal disappear and you wind up having to pay twice that. That said be certain you are buying it from a trusted source. $100. may be too good to be true.

 

[Jay_do]

I have a MSI R9 270. Does me great. On an average size planet with maxed out graphics I get around 100-130 fps. I've always used AMD cards and CPU and theve never let me down. I have to admit they are a wee bit on the hot side.