Hey!
I’m currently developing from a super low-end 4yo VAIO and what annoys me the most are the compiling times and how everything just stops working when I have UE4 and VS running simultaneously (which happens all the time, considering I’m a programmer).
I took a look at the Hardware Configuration thread, and I tried and wrap together some components that would build up a decent for UE development. I would like to know what you think about this, and if there’s something I could downgrade / should upgrade:
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Mobile Processor i7-4710MQ (2.50GHz) 6MB
Memory (RAM)
16GB KINGSTON HYPER-X GENESIS 1600MHz SODIMM DDR3 (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 870M - 6.0GB DDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 11
Memory - Hard Disk
250GB Samsung 840 EVO SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (upto 540MB/sR | 520MB/sW)
You could get a monstrous PC instead considering the money you’ll spend on this. Dont go for a if you really really have to.
On the topic, in theory you should be able to max the heck out of all the graphics options, but i dont trust mobile GPU’s for UE4 anymore. All over it will be just fine if you are doing programming most of the time.
Looks fine, but I would consider a SSD over a HDD.
I think for the most cases like a small, maybe medium, sized project you are fine. Of course a desktop PC in this price range would make a large increase, but this depends on your requirement.
But as said before a mobile GPU is always much slower, you need to set your graphics settings a bit lower.
Just commenting about the compile times: I was pondering the idea of having a type of external build server that would listen in for requests, compile the code and provide the .dll for your game. If you’re working on the same network as the server or have blazingly faster network speed over processing speed, this could be a good route to go down.
It’s only really ideal for situations where compiling is taking more than a few minutes, but it’s just something to consider.
For the server, you wouldn’t really need to compile through visual studio, you could just provide it with the source code (and project files + generated VS solution files) and then run msbuild to compile the code. Then when compilation is done, take the generated dll and pass it back to the connected client.
People keep telling me to leave laptops alone…and I’m starting considering this is there some build you would suggest? I haven’t been taking a look at the desktop builds for quite some time
Thanks for the link, that looks epic! But, on the other hand, sounds like it maxes out the experience, and I don’t really need that much (plus, I’d like to keep the price around 2000$). Furthermore, on a second thought, despite being tempted, I really need a laptop, and would be nice to be able to do all my work there
On a third thought, though, (lol) assuming I’m ok with a desktop pc, what do you think about this?
CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor
CPU Cooler: Corsair H60 54.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler
Motherboard: Asus Z87-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard
Memory: Corsair Vengeance Pro 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2400 Memory
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 770 2GB DirectCU II Video Card
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case
Power Supply: Corsair RM 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24F1ST DVD/CD Writer
Monitor: Asus VS238H-P 23.0" Monitor
Don’t care about the drive, I’m fine with 250, and I’d probably consider upgrading with an other 250 in an year maybe.
My major concerns are:
should I downgrade the memory to 1866?
should I stick with a 650W APU?
overall, from a UE4 C++ programmer pov, does this machine look well-balanced?
I’m a bit out of date with desktop components, so I’m not sure such configuration makes much sense for the kind of use I’m considering to buy it for.
As always, looking forward to read what you guys think about this
Everything looks just fine. I’ve been using a 120GB SSD for a year now and i can manage, so 250GB shouldnt be a problem at all(assuming you have a HDD for storage.) Also you might want to check out Sandisk SSD’s as well and see if they are cheaper if you are on a low budget. Sandisk is pretty reliable. I don’t remember the last time i used an optical drive, so…go for it if you really need it. And dont give up on 750W PSU.
I dont know how noticable the speed is between a 2400 and 1866Hz RAM so you may want to check out benchmark results on the net and go for it if it’s worth it.
Awesome! Thanks! I’ll probably end up with 1866 I guess, 2400 look rather expensive today. I have 1 other major concern by the way: do mid towers like the one I selected offer enough room for such setup?
Hmm, in theory it should be fine, you’ll just need to replace the stock fan in the back with the cooler’s. But i dont know how large the GFX can be so i’m not sure. :\
IDK what everyone going on about but these spec is fine for ue 4 development till you can afford to build 2500 or 3500 cpu running 770 or 780 sli cards and 2 1 tb ssd drive.
i going to get the 860m with build (1200 bucks) i can’t afford a 1800 pc right now. but if your budget is higher then go for the 2500 bucks build laptop ( with 880M) or desktop
Good to go but i’d wait for the nvidia desktop 800 series of graphics cards to come out
I’d reccomend getting an external hdd cause i think they’re cheaper, they are the same thing, they just need to be plugged into a usb port and thats all, not to mention you can take that hdd anywhere and plug it in any compuer in 2 seconds
Dont go for a if you really really have to.
is there some build you would suggest? I haven’t been taking a look at the desktop builds for quite some time 
