Up to date System Requirements for T3D 1.1 needed

#1 Extremely helpful post Daniel. I'll forward this along to the rest of the team.

Welcome back, btw =)

#2 Reading your post I had one of those, "uhhh, duh. why didn't we think of that?" moments. Chalk it up to pure over site.

Note: as I'm sure you are aware, the system requirements of a completed game may vary wildly, depending not only on the use of objects like rivers, particles, etc., but also based on how much a developer modifies our engine source code to add, remove, or tweak portions of our engine.

#3 Yeah, I can play the demo on my laptop with everything set to minimum, so my laptop can be used for testing as an install game or in a web browser, but as for running T3D on it.... well it runs constructor fine and I do it all (3D Modeling, Sound, Art, Textures, Programming and writing) so the laptop can run T3D to test individual things like animations, character controllers, instances of maybe a room for AI test but not for level building use at all.

IBM Lenovo Y-510
OS Win Vista 32bit
CPU AMD X2 1.7
GPU ATI 965 Express 128 Meg with 230 shared Total 358Meg
MEMMORY 3Gig DDR 2
POWER SUPPLY (Does Not Apply)

To get our feet wet, we each made a video game last summer. You can't say you make video games unless you have made some video games. It was just a top down scrolling shooter. Thats how one should start. A lot less pressure and a smooth entry into coding, modeling, texturing, sound, lighting & GUI. Also learning what its like doing a game by yourself. Learning each step of the process is equally important and following through to a finished product. We will probably do the same with Torque 3D to get into it.
Danny

#4 Also, it might help to mention a "standard" monitor resolution on which you are basing your minimum performance requirements.

I just built a new system for myself--i7-2600, twinned 550 TIs, etc.--and am astonished at the dropoff in frame performance, all other settings remaining the same, at resolutions of 1024x768 vs. 1900x1200 (I mean, duh, yes it is obvious if one thinks about it, but I'm wearing my user hat!)

It's not just the hardware in the box which impacts performance, the resolution the speed test is performed at has an enormous impact on frame rate, and that should be clearly called out as well in the spec to set the baseline for expectations.

#5 Here are some of the post from the other thread.
From:Thomas Kaukoranta

Torque version: T3D Pro 1.1

CPU: Intel i5 M 460 @ 2.53GHz
Memory: 4.0GB
Motherboard: I'm not sure, this is a laptop.
Graphics Card: ATI Radeon HD5650
SLI: NO
Display Resolution: 1366*768

I run Torque World Editor settings at:High
(Anti-aliasing: 0x)

I am happy with my system hardware and settings: Yes


From: Steve Acaster

Torque version: T3D Pro 1.1

CPU: old Dual Core 2.4
Memory: a mere 2 gigs
Motherboard: ??? an old Dell
Graphics Card: Nvidia GTS250 512mb
SLI: no
Display Resolution: 1080 on a 40" TV

I run Torque World Editor settings at:Normal

(Anti-aliasing: 2x)
(Anisotropic: x4)

I am happy with my system hardware and settings: Yeah, pretty much

Here's some notes:
I have to run Pacific at "low" Mesh Quality for decent fps. 3500 drawcalls! That's 1500 more than you should aim for as a limit.

If you want a real and immediate performance boost disable the forward rendering of the dynamic shadows on theSun/lights or at source in the core/../defaults.cs.


From:Alfio Saitta

CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad ( 4 x 2.50)
Memory: 4GB Kingston
Motherboard: Asus P5Q SE2
Graphics Card: ATI Radeon HD 5450
SLI: NO
Display Resolution: 1600x900

Mesh Quality: High
Texture Quality: High
Lighting Quality: Normal
Shader Quality: High
(Anti-aliasing: 4x)
(Anisotropic: x16)


From:Greg M.

Torque Version: T3D1.1, TGB/T2D
CPU:Intel i7 950 quad core
Memory:12g Corsair tri chan
Motherboard: Asus Sabertooth x58
Graphics Card: Asus GeForce GTX580 2g vram
SLI: NO
Display Resolution:1920x1200

I run Torque World Editor settings at:HIGH

I am happy with my system hardware and settings: Yes


From:Nathan Martin

Torque Version: 3D 1.1 Final
CPU: Intel Q6600
Memory: 4x Corsair 1GB 1066 DDR3
Motherboard: ASUS Maximus Extreme
Graphics Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 460 SSC+ (PN: 01G-P3-1380-KR)
SLI: No
Display Resolution: 1920x1080 2x (Dual LCD screen setup) via DVI

I run Torque World Editor settings at:HIGH

I am happy with my system hardware and settings: Yes


From:Ross Pawley

Torque Version:
CPU: Intel i7 2600K @ 4.0Ghz
Memory: 8GB G.Skill 2133Mhz
Motherboard: ASUS P8P67 Pro
Graphics Card: Geforce 250 GTS (until my Geforce GTX 590 arrives)
SLI: NO
Display Resolution: 1920x1080

I run Torque World Editor settings at:HIGH

I am happy with my system hardware and settings: Yes (though I only get about 30fps on SP demo with the 250 GTS, but I expect this to improve greatly when the GTX 590 arrives)


From:Edward Smith

Torque Version: T3D 1.1
CPU: Core 2 Duo E8400 @3GHz
Memory: 8GB DDR2 800MHz
Motherboard: Gigabyte something...
Graphics Card: AMD Radeon 6970 2GB (Gigabyte OC version)
SLI/Crossfire: NO
Display Resolution: 1680x1050 (I plan to go to a 24xx resolution soon)

I run Torque World Editor settings at:
Everything at Highest available

I am happy with my system hardware and settings: Yes - but I have noticed that the pacific demo runs a lot slower than expected...


From:Netwyrm

Torque Version: T3D B3 + AFX2-UAISK
CPU: Intel 3.4GHz i7-2600K
Memory: 8Gb DDR3
Motherboard: MSI P67A-GD65
Graphics Card: 2x GTX 550TI 1GB
SLI: Yes
Display Resolution: 1900 x 1200
Anti-Aliasing: 0x
Anisotropic: 4x

I run Torque World Editor settings at:HIGH


I am happy with my system hardware and settings: Pretty much. Not sure if SLI has any effect in any of the games I play.


From:Mike Rowley

After reading the above, I'm a tad embarrassed to show my specs.
I think I really need to upgrade.

Torque version: tge 1.4 thru T3D 1.1

Sys specs:
OS:Windows XP home
CPU:3700+ amd athlon 64 (2.2Ghz)
Memory:1.5gb ram
Graphics Card:nVidia Geforce 210
Monitor:Gateway 27" flat panel
sli: No
Display res: 1920 x 1200

Torque World Editor settings:Default


From:Mquaker

Torque version: T3D Pro 1.1

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E7500 @ 2.93GHz
Memory: 4.0GB
Motherboard: ....
Graphics Card: NVIDIA GEFORGE GTX 460 SE
SLI: NO
Display Resolution: 1920 x 1200

I run Torque World Editor settings at:HIGH

(Anti-aliasing: 4x)

and enabled HDR PostFX.

I am happy with my system hardware and settings: Yes


From:Dennis Trevillyan

Torque Version: 1.1 beta 3
CPU: core i7qm
Memory: 4gig
Motherboard: asus N53S laptop
Graphics Card: GeForce 540m
SLI: NO
Display Resolution: depends on monitor, usually 1024 x 768

I run Torque World Editor settings at:
Lowest Low Normal or High: high
Mesh Quality: high
Texture Quality: high
Lighting Quality: advanced lighting
Effects Quality: default
Shader Quality: default

I am happy with my system hardware and settings: Yes

#6 Based on the above posts from that thread, I come to the conclusion that once the hardware hits a certian level, it becomes mostly about the graphics card.

Here is the main game building system

Torque Version:New T3D 1.1
CPU:AMD 9850 Phenom 4 Core 2.5
Memory:Patriot DDR2 4gig but uses 2.71 (Win XP)
Motherboard:MSI K9N6PGM2-V2
Power Supply:500w Cool Master ($35)
Graphics Card:EVGA NVIDIA 550 Ti 1Gig DDR5 ($125)(runs monitor #1).
Graphics #2:On board NVIDIA GeForce 7025/nForce 630a 256Meg (monitor #2)
SLI: NO
Display Resolution:1280X1024

I run Torque World Editor settings at:High

I am happy with my system hardware and settings: Yes!

I can run and edit the Tropic Island and the other two demos maxed out. When I first load it in, it's a little sluggish but after I take a 360 view, it smooths out and runs fine.

Here is the programmers system:

Torque Version:New T3D 1.1
CPU:AMD Athlon 2 Core 250 3.01Ghz
Memory:Corsair DDR2 4gig but uses 3.12Gig (Win XP)
Motherboard:Gigabyte
Power Supply:460w Cool Master
Graphics Card:EVGA NVIDIA 550 Ti 1Gig DDR5

SLI: NO
Display Resolution:1280X1024

I run Torque World Editor settings at:High

I am happy with my system hardware and settings: Yes!

Here is the 3D Modelers system.

Torque Version:New T3D 1.1
CPU:Intel 2 core E5200 2.5Ghz
Memory:2.75Gig DDR2
Motherboard:EVGA 730i
Graphics Card:Intigrated nVidia GeForce 9300 512Meg Ram
SLI: No
Display Resolution:1280X1024

I run Torque World Editor settings at:Low and Normal
Mesh Quality:Normal
Texture Quality:Normal
Lighting Quality:Low
Effects Quality:Low
Shader Quality:Low

I am happy with my system hardware and settings: Yes

#7 I also found this here on the GG web site


Torque 3D and Torque 3D Professional Minimum Requirements:
Windows XP or Vista
Intel or AMD processor @ 1Ghz
512 MB RAM (1 GB recommended for Vista
100% DirectX compatible video card with 256 MB video RAM required

OSX 10.6.1
Intel-based Macs only
2 GB RAM
ATI or nVidia shader model 4.0+ video cards with 256 MB video RAM required

Torque Game Engine Advanced (TGEA) Minimum Requirements:
Windows XP or Vista
Intel or AMD Processor @ 1 Ghz
256 MB RAM (1GB recommended for Vista)
100% DirectX compatible video card with 128 MB video RAM required

OSX 10.5.6
Intel-based Macs only
2 GB RAM
ATI or nVidia shader model 2.0+ video cards with 256 MB video RAM required


I believe these minimum requirements allow someone to test and learn T3D but you will not be able to do serious display of emitters for effects and detailed shadows on a scale of much more than inside a room or in a small instance of area.

Meaning you could build a living room and add fire into the fire place, but you could not reasonably build and effectively test a large wooded area with a forest fire or even several brush fires out of control where the player has to fight the fires back with an ax, shovel and rakes.

The smoke and fire on that scale alone would turn one of the minimum requirement machines into a slide show (6 to 11 fps) instead of moving (24 to 90 fps). I think when some people are looking at using new software and they look to see if they have the minimum requirements and think, "Hey, that's my hardware, so I should be able to run it fine".

Minimum means you will also get minimum performance unless you add in a minimum amount of content for testing or learning purposes or keep your game design to the minimum. Minimum is the key word there. Do not expect more than the minimum. If you want T3D to perform better, have better than the minimum hardware.

I do not work for GarageGames, so you can not sue or complain to them based on my statements. My advice is try to have at least a 1.7 single core CPU or dual core, 2 gig DDR ram, 1 Gig DDR3 memory graphics card. Most video cards using DDR3 are in the mid range performance and will give you the ability to work in the low to normal settings range with T3D 1.1 and prototype a small to mid size map. Run the supplied demos on lower settings with somewhat smooth results.

What I mean by that is at load in, it might be choppy, but after a 360 view look around, the fps should smooth out to a performance that allows you to look around but still might experience random lag here and there.

#8 Today is June 16, 2011. I read a computer magazine yesterday from 1 year ago (June 2010). In it was some computer layouts listing hardware. The top PC was over $6,500.00 and it had a nVidia GTX 460 with 1Gig memory.

I just pruchassed two nVidia GTX 550 Ti 1Gig DDR5 memory video cards on sale for $129 each. This is a new card nVidia released. It is a middle performance card in the top line of cards. GS is the bottom line cards, GT is the mid line cards, GTX is the Top line cards, as of today.

I went from a nVidia 8400GS 1Gig memory(the bottom of the bottom line cards available today) to the nVidia GTX 550 Ti 1Gig memory. I was running T3D 1.1 with everything set to lowest and was still getting bad lag as soon as I laid down a small river and a small road between the towers in the desert demo.

I replaced my video card for $130 and now I can run even the island demo maxed out. Do not try to run video cards from any manufacturer that are in the Top range of cards on a 400watt or less power supply. Even though it said it would run on a 400 watt power supply, my son fried his 400watt Cool Master power supply after about 30 minutes of heavy blasting in the physx room demo. We got a 460watt Cool Master PS for about $30 and its been fine for days now. BTW, his 400watt was less than a year old and did fine with the 8400GS 512meg video card he upgraded from.

I run mine on a Cool master 500watt I got for $35. SO if you upgrade your video card, look at your power supply and get more than it says it will run on as minimum. Remember you want better than minimum performance so get more than the minimum. It does not have to be something crazy like 1200watts, just try to get at least 100watts more than the minimum.

If you do a full upgrade, New CPU, More fans, New board, new memory and New video card, you need to total up the watt usage of everything you buy and get a power supply 100 to 200 more than what it totals. Why? A 4 cylinder motor will not last long in a Ford F-450 pickup truck. A 500watt power supply will not last long in a 522watt system. You should use at least a 650watt power supply for a 522watt system. But even if your system totals 355watts and you put in a top line video card, get at least 100watts more than the video card calls for.

#9 More specifically for higher cards you should really check the requirements on the box. most of them specify the required ratings of the 12v rails, and frankly, most of the power supplies fail in this regard, i have a coolermaster 600w Silent pro that actually provides more power to the 12v rails than a 750w power supply i have in another PC.

I cant tell you the number of times ive had to repair systems of people who will spend $300 on a graphics card, $150 on extra cooling for said graphics card, and then wonder why their $30 powersupply starts to smoke and glow in the dark.

As for graphics cards, i upgraded from a 260 to a 460, and really can only tell the difference when i put stupid quantities of unoptimised models in my scene render. I'm a complete tard when it comes to ATI numbering systems, but when it comes to nvidia cards, i know that a 7800 is better than an 8400, dont let the bigger starting number fool you, you should compare like for like.

#10 As for ATI, they just are barely pulling away from their HD5970 in performance with the top of the line HD6XXX series. Most of the 6x(shorter) series, aren't actually better performance wise. Though the top of the line for ATI at their highest spectrum of the HD69XX model is actually better, finally. So a series for ATI HD57XX through HD69XX are more than enough for T3D performance wise. Just thought I'd throw in on some of the ATI Side.

#11 My system specs where posted above.
I have a Radeon HD 6970 2GB, before that I was using a Radeon HD 4870 1GB.

I noticed quite good improvements in performance in games as you would expect. I didn't write down the fps improvements with T3D. But I think from memory they about doubled. However I notice sometimes physics objects stutter the game. Maybe an unoptimised physics implementation?

My CPU may also be a bottleneck for my system (Core 2 Duo E8400 @3GHz)?

#12 This is a really good thread so I will add to it:

Torque Version: 1.2
CPU: Core 2 Duo E6750 2.66GHz
Memory: 4GB(3.87 usable)
Motherboard: Dell Optiplex 755 (Crappy "Business Class" machine)
Graphics Card: Nvidia GeForce 7600 GS 512MB
SLI: NO
Display Resolution: 800x600

I run Torque World Editor settings at: This is a test machine
Lowest Low Normal or High
Mesh Quality: Lowest
Texture Quality: Lowest
Lighting Quality: Lowest
Effects Quality: Lowest
Shader Quality: Lowest

I am happy with my system hardware and settings: No, it does not run very well and the graphics has artifacts all over the place. I have to guess that there is too much going on in the demos.

#13 Torque Version: 1.2 MIT release
CPU: AMD 3000+ x64 single core
OS: XP x64
Memory: 2 gigs DDR PC3200
Motherboard: not sure
Graphics Card: Dell GS240 (nvidia)
SLI: no
Display Resolution: 1280x1024

Settings: All high, 4x AA, max anisotropic

Happy with performance: Yes. An optimized scene with low poly trees, ground cover, and a couple of low poly DTS buildings runs fine.

Pacific demo is a slide show but the art density is extremely high, more than what I would expect to run properly.

Laptop: Acer
CPU: intel 1.5 ghz dual-core
OS: Win 7
Memory: 2 gigs DDR3
Motherboard: not sure
Graphics Card: onboard intel extreme
SLI: no
Display Resolution: 1366x768

Performance is weaker than the desktop but playable.

Overall estimation of hardware requirements is roughly equivalent to Funcom's Age of Conan MMORPG at similar settings. Mission loading is much faster than AOC.