Important computer specs for Ark?

[johneh77]

Really wish the Devs would let us in on this but hopefully someone here will have a clue.
I'm curious what makes a computer play Ark better? What is the most important? I've heard rumors that lots of RAM make a big difference but most just say get the best video card you can afford. But what is important in a video card? What performance difference will you see in a 2GB version vs a 4GB or even an 8GB. Is lots of RAM on a video card the key or is it the motherboard RAM? A total of both? What about RAM speed? Does that matter?
What difference will you see in a CPU 2 core vs 3 core 4/6/8 core?

Is the game well threaded? What about for single player or a server? I'm sure the processor is more important then.

[crumblewood]

Hey there! First of all I'd like to know , what is your definition of 'play ark better'. Are you talking about the amount of fps / overall smoothness or the higher graphics?

Lets take the 60fps and EPIC settings as a scenario here. Ark uses 6.5gb of ram when you run 'Play ARK: Survival Evolved' mode. ARK uses a low memory mode for 4gb of ram. So 8gb is a good minimum. Ram is mostly used to store data and split the data together with the gpu and cpu for a better performance. I wont be able to tell you if higher ram speed will make a massive increase in the overall smoothness, but from what I have seen, having 8gb of ram at 1600mhz is enough.

Now for the EPIC settings mode, a titan GPU is recommended. Currently ARK has no SLI / Crossfire support (dual GPU's), so you wont see an increase there. 2gb vs 4gb or more on a GPU is mostly used for 2+ monitors or higher resolutions (4k). So if you are running a normal setup 1920x1080 60hz , maybe even 2 monitors you can easily go with a 2gb gpu.

Now for the processor, I recommend getting a quad-core (4cores) at least, as you might be running other programs aside of ARK. (Maybe Skype, teamspeak to play with friends, music in the background etc etc). intel i5 is a great start and perfect for gaming. i7 wont make a big difference, and wont increase fps alot.

If I can give you another tip, I would suggest buying an SSD (Solid State Drive), together with the HDD you use for your system. The SSD's are insanely fast and ARK will have sick increase in writing and reading speeds for its data. Meaning that the loading times are faster, rendering is faster and you wont have the overall stutters as much as on an HDD.

Conclusion:
You will get better results in performance with the following:
- Better GPU (higher gen + SLI in the future)
- Atleast an i5 quad processor
- min of 8gb of ram.
- SSD instead of HDD

EDIT. I am running the game on HIGH settings with an i7-4770, gtx 770 oc, 8gb ram and 256gb SSD, at about 40 - 80 fps. This is singleplayer BTW. Server require a bit more. Example here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzK7ABPEkLo Shameless self advertisement xD

EDIT 2: Also keep in mind that this is still early access. No matter what setup you have, the game is still buggy and you will still get minor fps drops from time to time. When the game starts to get close to its final release June next year, they will start polishing. They are already releasing performance patches from time to time. Hope this helps :D

[johneh77]

I wondered if a SSD would make a big difference just forgot to mention that. Thanks for the input.

I knew that high GB video cards were mostly for large or multiple monitors now but some games can use a lot (modded Skyrim for example). Just thought since its not optimized yet it might could use more video RAM.

I'm not asking about a specific build. Would like to be able to play it on computers with gtx 630 video cards on mostly lowest settings. But that isn't practical.

For my own personal machine I have a E6550 a 6770 and 8GB RAM. However I have a newer Pentium I bought from someone I haven't set up yet much better processor but still dual core. Have seen an used 6850 offered for about $20 that could be a possibility but I'm not going to get an expensive rig anytime soon.

However I am interested in what a good rig would need for that eventuality too. Then I'm probably looking at a 970 since its so much more power efficient than a R9 390 but if that 8GB of RAM made a huge difference I might be tempted. However that means getting a better battery backup etc...



Since your a YouTuber (nice video by the way) I'm curious what you would think of an idea I had. I'm sure your not interested yourself since your just getting started so just answer me honestly if you would. Do you think their is a need/demand for outsourcing either for YouTubers or individuals to help people in the game? What I mean is I can hire people here (Philippines) to do the grindy parts of the game for others and probably charge between 2 and 3 dollars an hour for it (maybe $1 if things went really well for a while). I'm sure their are a few people that would be interested but have no way to find them. I would think YouTubers could use help with gathering resources an egg/kibble farm etc... so they have more time to make other videos. I messaged a few YouTubers and basically got no response.

Do you think that might be a possibility? Perhaps it would work with other games as well. Where do YouTubers chat that I could advertise? I am hesitant to advertise on Steam as its against the rules and I'm mostly getting a feel for if their is a demand right now.