Project CARS - Hardware recommendation on PC

I´m trying to find out if i can run this game on low settings and effects off. My notebook is an Asus G74sx i7 2600qm, GTX560m with 2gb of video, 8gb of system memory. I just bought Dirt rally and i can run on low settings at 60fps.

I plan to do the same with Project Cars, i don´t have money for a better PC or a better wheel, so my plan is: i´ll buy the PS4 version for the eyecandy, online with friends and carrer, and the PC version for the serious hotlapping and time trials with my G25... no races on PC, just hotlaps...

Do i have a good plan? Can my PC hold up on low settings?
 
Hey guys, just looking for some help in regards to graphics card choices. I don't know much about the technical side of computers, so bear with me.

My system is currently an i7@2.93ghz, 8gb of RAM and a Radeon HD 6800 graphics card. I bought the system about 5 years ago, wanting to be able to upgrade over time. It's served me well since then and I've upgraded the RAM recently, but the graphics card will have to be done to run Project Cars. I don't care so much about the graphics, but obviously want the game to run smoothly.

Will any type of currently available card work in my computer?

Looking through the store online, I think I can make a 2GB GTX 960 work within budget. But what about the Radeon stuff? There is a 3GB R9 280 for nearly $100 less and that's definitely more around the money I'm comfortable with. Are they comparable?

There are so many choices and for someone like me, it's very hard to know what direction to take, so any help would be greatly appreciated!

Cheers
 
I'd have to recommend the 960 in the game's current state. There is little support from ATi for this game at the moment, although this situation may change upon release, and for the same pennies, the nVidia card seems better in all games anyway.
 
960 I can do. The 2gb instead of 3gb doesn't matter though?

And thoughts on that combined with the 2.93 i7 and 8gb ram? I'm just looking for solid and smooth gameplay.
 
A ps4 + extra copy of game will cost you about $500, why not put that towards your PC and forget the ps4 altogether ? A gtx970 in your system will give you more eye candy than a ps4 !
 
legatoblues
960 I can do. The 2gb instead of 3gb doesn't matter though?

And thoughts on that combined with the 2.93 i7 and 8gb ram? I'm just looking for solid and smooth gameplay.
Click to expand...
2gb vs. 3gb in the 960 (theoretically since it isn't an option)will make a difference, yes. 2gb in one card vs. 3gb in another card, depends on the card in terms of how it'll affect overall performance.

Cyber_stig_77
A ps4 + extra copy of game will cost you about $500, why not put that towards your PC and forget the ps4 altogether ? A gtx970 in your system will give you more eye candy than a ps4 !
Click to expand...
I second this:sly:
 
legatoblues
960 I can do. The 2gb instead of 3gb doesn't matter though?

And thoughts on that combined with the 2.93 i7 and 8gb ram? I'm just looking for solid and smooth gameplay.
Click to expand...
2gb is still relatively enough for modern games, but at a cost of some downgrade in graphical settings. Also if you go above 1080p, then 2gb is already not enough. However, 960 itself is not that fast of a card, so you probably won't be able to max out the settings anyway. Still, 2gb is pretty much the absolute minimum you should have in a video card at this point in time.
 
I think you can get away with the 2GB, textures on high and several other options turned down a bit. Project CARS is not very VRAM hungry. But if I had to pick, I'd go with the 3GB, since Project CARS is probably not the only thing you'll play (even if you think so now ;)).

See also my quote below (note: this was at 4k resolution, 1080p uses less):

NLxAROSA
I just ran Procect CARS at the Nordschleife at 4K/UHD, everything medium, except textures high, no AA, and it ran at 90-105 FPS, max. 2200MB GPU VRAM usage with a grid of 20 cars. So no problem for the 970GTX. Mileage may vary with different cards/games though.
Click to expand...
 
NLxAROSA
I think you can get away with the 2GB, textures on high and several other options turned down a bit. Project CARS is not very VRAM hungry. But if I had to pick, I'd go with the 3GB, since Project CARS is probably not the only thing you'll play (even if you think so now ;)).

See also my quote below (note: this was at 4k resolution, 1080p uses less):
Click to expand...

I have a feeling the GTX 980 could do well in ultra resolution, since what you're talking about is GTX 970 at 4K - and I have a GTX 980 at 1920x1200...

Though my real test will be handling 56 cars. Maybe the i7-860 could be a bottleneck factor. Hopefully Project CARS is going for the long haul (more than a year of support).
 
ryandtw
Hopefully Project CARS is going for the long haul (more than a year of support).
Click to expand...
No worries about that, it's definitely going for the long haul. 👍

With regards to 56 cars, ran a race at LeMans yesterday with the maximum amount of cars and didn't notice any lag/frame drops, but I guess I should measure it to be sure.
 
ryandtw
Although I'm hearing rumours about 'Project CARS 2'...
Click to expand...

The basic engine underneath pCARS has taken 3 years to create, and it will still have more work on it, some of the stuff can be carried over from the Madness Engine into pCARS 2. The programmers are separate from the artists, so the devs can do a lot of underpinning for PC2 work using assets from pCARS.
 
ryandtw
Although I'm hearing rumours about 'Project CARS 2'...
Click to expand...
It's not a rumor. Plans are being made and details will be announced soon for another driving sim by SMS/WMD. But this has nothing to do with the plans for Project CARS, which will be supported with patches, features, content, DLC, etc. for at least two years after release. Also, Project CARS 2 will be a spin-off rather than a sequel. But more on that soon. 👍

It's basically no different from SMS also working on World Of Speed or other titles. They are a studio that have multiple products and running projects, much like any other studio out there. The only difference is that SMS are transparent about what they're starting.
 
I just bought a new pc with this game in mind.

i7
GTX 970
16GB RAM

I will be playing with my G27 on a single screen, 46" Samsung in the living room at 1080p so I am all set. Ive already bought the game on steam so bring it on!
 
sid77
I just bought a new pc with this game in mind.

i7
GTX 970
16GB RAM

I will be playing with my G27 on a single screen, 46" Samsung in the living room at 1080p so I am all set. Ive already bought the game on steam so bring it on!
Click to expand...
Only a GTX 970...oohhhh...sorry about your luck. Enjoy your low settings.






Kidding! Enjoy the game!
 
NLxAROSA
It's not a rumor. Plans are being made and details will be announced soon for another driving sim by SMS/WMD. But this has nothing to do with the plans for Project CARS, which will be supported with patches, features, content, DLC, etc. for at least two years after release. Also, Project CARS 2 will be a spin-off rather than a sequel. But more on that soon. 👍

It's basically no different from SMS also working on World Of Speed or other titles. They are a studio that have multiple products and running projects, much like any other studio out there. The only difference is that SMS are transparent about what they're starting.
Click to expand...

I'll really have to wonder what Project CARS 2 will be... But it's going to be a while...
 
HP Phoenix Envy (060-800) 16GB RAM, NVIDA 645 GPU. (Could be 650)
Connected to DENON 7.1 AVR via HDMI.
Running to SAMSUNG 60in Plasma via HDMI.
G-27/PLAYSEAT Rig.

I think the 970 or 980 GFORCE Card is what I need.
Can anyone confirm or recommend better graphics processor?
 
@adam1942 Thanks for sharing that out. Pretty shocked a bit how the R9 290X performed...but I think I have to agree a bit with the driver matter. Maybe someday AMD will update the driver so they can be competitive with Team Green (NVIDIA) again.

As for the graphics testing overall (http://pclab.pl/art63572.html), it can get quite demanding on the wet, especially ultra...for anyone who wants to play 4K in the wet at 60 frames per second...then you'd better get a pair of Titan X, which is not cheap at any sense. As for my thoughts if I should upgrade to a GTX 980 Ti...that could be a bit of gamble whether paying another $100-$150 (after selling off my GTX 980 on eBay) would be worth the smoother frame rates, especially if it's in the wet.

Hopefully HardOCP (http://www.hardocp.com/) will pick up Project CARS (probably via Steam), take notice and eventually put this into their benchmark suite, since this game is quite benchmark-friendly and can be quite demanding at certain particular settings and video card combinations.

And for my CPU...I have a Core i7-860. Will that affect very much? I mean, taking a look at this: http://pclab.pl/art63572-32.html 1080p ultra, the difference between i7-4790K and i7-2600K is around 15-20%, so maybe using the 860 could be 20-30% difference (making it a potential bottleneck rather than the GPU)?
 
The spend my money post...​
I've read all 17pages a few times and have taken notes the best I can - at the end of the day I don't have the knowledge or ability to put together a system on my own...
So I have to have something built for me from a builder in the states...

1. $2400 budget
2. Must run 1080 on 3 42in tvs at solid fps and resolution
3. Gaming PC only
4. Will run directly wired to Internet
5. Will need to be capable to support VR down the line

That's really all I care about...
(BUT I wanna be impressed graphically)

If you choose to provide info on your builder of choice (yes yes I know you did yours and are very smart) but now that it's crunch time for folks - any direction as to a value builder would be great info for those of us that cannot build one from parts...

Any additional nuggets you could provide on the WHY you chose the part - may be helpful to others too (for example if you chose 2 gtx970s instead of 2 gtx980 etc....)

In digging thru here I still can't make out order of importance
CPU speed
Graphics card
Ram

I do appreciate a little hand holding...
If you'd be willing to PM back and forth for advice then I don't have to clutter the thread with my specific needs another may not have...

Help!!

(I run fanatec gt2 wheel, clubsport pedals, clubsport shifter, Logitech surround and a buttkicker - so needs to support all that)
 
Just looking at a new PC (on a small budget), my old one is on it last legs.
System I'm looking at is...

CPU: AMD FX-8350 Eight-Core 4.0 GHz/Turbo Core up to 4.2Ghz 16MB Cache Socket AM3+ "Unlocked"
Motherboard: Asus/Gigabyte 970 Chipset full ATX AMD 970 ATX SB950 Socket AM3+
Graphic: Nvidia Geforce GTX960 2Gb GDDR5
HD: Seagate/Western Digital 2TB SATA III 7200RPM
RAM: 8GB DDR3-1600 high performance
Sound: 8-channel High Definition
Optical Drive: 24x SATA Dual Layer DVD Writer
USB: 8 at back (include 2 x USB3.0s), 2 at front
Network: Ethernet Port, Gigabit, Broadband ready
Case: Supercase Transformer Gaming Series, Front Blue LED----Choose Your Preferred Color Case (Black, Silver Available Only)
PSU: 550W Continuous High Quality and Reliable Power Supply, high efficiency MEPS Compliance

Should be good for pCARS with high settings?
 
Everyone busy playing the game now.... :cheers:
Can I at least get a smirk and a nod??
About to hit the order button

I7 5820k 3.30ghz
512 SSD + 2tb SATA III
16gb 2666mhz
MSI x98s gaming 7 ATX motherboard
2 gtx970s
850w


Should be ok for triples at high settings yes??
 
Ole
Everyone busy playing the game now.... :cheers:
Can I at least get a smirk and a nod??
About to hit the order button

I7 5820k 3.30ghz
512 SSD + 2tb SATA III
16gb 2666mhz
MSI x98s gaming 7 ATX motherboard
2 gtx970s
850w


Should be ok for triples at high settings yes??
Click to expand...
Yes
 
I tried one of those system requirement checkers, the results suggested I could run at medium at the most. The game actually runs at 60fps (except for during heavy rain), with most things on Ultra and a couple on High. Specs are:

Nvidia GTX 760
Intel Core i7-2600
6GB RAM
 
Somebody mentioned triple from 4K, well, i would say at least 2 years...

Optimised 3xFHD with i7+SLI 780Ti, perfectly low frametimes...but it's around mids+high

 
I am running a FX8350 and a GTX750 TI single 40" screen on mostly medium settings.
Using a GB970 board, 8gb ram and a Samsung evo 840 SSD Windows 7x64

Game looks very good and runs smooth. I did see a few FPS drops when running with 56 cars on track. Lowest I have saw thus far was 47 FPS with the 56 cars where several were bunched up and a lot of shadows on track. Most of the time it is running above 60fps generally in the 70s and at times in the 80s even with 56 cars out there.

I haven't even looked into trying to optimize the settings yet but am pretty sure i can get it higher if I try. As is it has been fine in every race I have ran so no complaints on my end.

I did do some testing with several things set to high and still seemed fine and no additional drops in FPS that I noticed.
 

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