Do not try to get SC in 4k. I know this is not what you want to hear, but right now, the engine and back end servers are just not capable of getting you decent frame rates, no matter what you play on.
If you are looking to play WoW in 4k, yes, that spec will more than do it. My wife runs a 7700k, 1080ti, 960 evo m.2. She easily runs any programs she wants in 4k.
I run a very similar system, but using a 1080 gtx. I do not get good FPS in SC (I do get very good FPS in other games). I run at 1920x1080. I still get glitches and lag. This is a program (alpha) problem, not a CPU/GPU problem. You will not get around it by throwing money at it from the client side.
I think we are on the verge on a major shift in computer tech. I think the age of the shrinking size is almost over. The age of the number of core expansion has begun. That means to take advantage of it, we will need updated OS and programs that run processes over multiple cores. That is still in its infancy. It's coming, but don't expect things to occur overnight.
Now, in case you think I am a technophobe: I have been an early adopter since I've been out of school and paying my own way. I've had good luck (CDs), bad luck (DVD-HD, DVD Audio), and just plain "what is that?" (laserdisk). I almost always get the latest and greatest consumer processor (the i7s) since they were introduced. Before then, I bought the best processor at the highest speeds, and if I needed to, I bought the math co-processor, 3d card add-on, etc. I've owned many of the Voodoo cards, and the Riva TNT, GeForce 256 and the early GeForce cards. I've upgraded from 16, to 32, to 64 bit OSes almost as soon as they released. I've bought pre-made systems (Gateway from when they were good, Micron, and yes, even 2 Alienware - before they were Dell), and for the past 13 years, I've built and maintained my own desktops and desktops for my extended family. (I buy laptops)
Why list my cred? Because it gives perspective and will help you understand my reasoning and experience with new stuff.
What I've learned over the past 28 years of technical work on computers (beyond just adding in a card, playing games, and playing with hex-edit for the 9 years prior to that), is that the first generation of a new computer phase is buggy and short lived 99 percent of the time. Lots of these things are great in concept, but are vastly outdated within a year.
I expect most of this hardware you have listed to go live within 3-5 months. I don't expect the hardware to be settled until after the winter holidays. Right now, we are seeing a preview of the winter season. By next father's day (dads and grads sale), you will see a much revised and improved set of boards and chips with many of the first gen bugs and features ironed out. You will see PCI express 4.0 and a host of other improvements. This second generation is the one you want. If it is dying, you already know and can avoid it like a dead skunk. If it's setting sail, you can get on that ship...usually with a better seat for lower cash too.
Now...your current system isn't that old, and the 970 should still give you good use. Here are a couple of tricks you can use to help extend the life of that laptop for another year. As a reference, your laptop is a newer generation than my old desktop and it ran SC about the same as my current desktop.
1) get a notebook cooler pad for it and use it. Here is a decent one /http://www.coolermaster.com/cooling/notepal-series/notepal-xl/http://www.coolermaster.com/cooling/notepal-series/notepal-xl/ There are also others from different manufacturers. Keeping your computer cool will really help the performance.
2) if you are not using SSDs in your laptop (and it's a toss up if you are based on the age of your computer), move to full SSDs. Spinners are the limiting factor for most computer systems these days. This will probably mean re-installing windows. While you are doing so, up your HD space and number so you can run SC on a different disk than your OS.
3) update to the latest OS. Especially if you are using windows 8. Windows 7 is good, but I find windows 10 to be slightly faster vs 7 on the same machine. Yes, it has some...challenges..and as always, wait for a few weeks/months on the latest non-security updates because MS has had more than the occasional really bad launch, but in general, the newer OSes are better.
4) Run at lower resolutions than 4k. Yes, it's a waste of a 4k monitor, but it will do for a year. 1920x1080 is plenty of resolution unless you are "up close and personal" with that screen.
5) Either take your computer apart and blow it out, or take it somewhere to have it done if you are not comfortable doing it yourself. Getting the dirt out will really help improve the cooling, which will improve performance. Note, I still recommend adding a notebook cooler even if you do blow it out.
Sorry for the long post.
If you are looking to play WoW in 4k, yes, that spec will more than do it. My wife runs a 7700k, 1080ti, 960 evo m.2. She easily runs any programs she wants in 4k.
I run a very similar system, but using a 1080 gtx. I do not get good FPS in SC (I do get very good FPS in other games). I run at 1920x1080. I still get glitches and lag. This is a program (alpha) problem, not a CPU/GPU problem. You will not get around it by throwing money at it from the client side.
I think we are on the verge on a major shift in computer tech. I think the age of the shrinking size is almost over. The age of the number of core expansion has begun. That means to take advantage of it, we will need updated OS and programs that run processes over multiple cores. That is still in its infancy. It's coming, but don't expect things to occur overnight.
Now, in case you think I am a technophobe: I have been an early adopter since I've been out of school and paying my own way. I've had good luck (CDs), bad luck (DVD-HD, DVD Audio), and just plain "what is that?" (laserdisk). I almost always get the latest and greatest consumer processor (the i7s) since they were introduced. Before then, I bought the best processor at the highest speeds, and if I needed to, I bought the math co-processor, 3d card add-on, etc. I've owned many of the Voodoo cards, and the Riva TNT, GeForce 256 and the early GeForce cards. I've upgraded from 16, to 32, to 64 bit OSes almost as soon as they released. I've bought pre-made systems (Gateway from when they were good, Micron, and yes, even 2 Alienware - before they were Dell), and for the past 13 years, I've built and maintained my own desktops and desktops for my extended family. (I buy laptops)
Why list my cred? Because it gives perspective and will help you understand my reasoning and experience with new stuff.
What I've learned over the past 28 years of technical work on computers (beyond just adding in a card, playing games, and playing with hex-edit for the 9 years prior to that), is that the first generation of a new computer phase is buggy and short lived 99 percent of the time. Lots of these things are great in concept, but are vastly outdated within a year.
I expect most of this hardware you have listed to go live within 3-5 months. I don't expect the hardware to be settled until after the winter holidays. Right now, we are seeing a preview of the winter season. By next father's day (dads and grads sale), you will see a much revised and improved set of boards and chips with many of the first gen bugs and features ironed out. You will see PCI express 4.0 and a host of other improvements. This second generation is the one you want. If it is dying, you already know and can avoid it like a dead skunk. If it's setting sail, you can get on that ship...usually with a better seat for lower cash too.
Now...your current system isn't that old, and the 970 should still give you good use. Here are a couple of tricks you can use to help extend the life of that laptop for another year. As a reference, your laptop is a newer generation than my old desktop and it ran SC about the same as my current desktop.
1) get a notebook cooler pad for it and use it. Here is a decent one /http://www.coolermaster.com/cooling/notepal-series/notepal-xl/http://www.coolermaster.com/cooling/notepal-series/notepal-xl/ There are also others from different manufacturers. Keeping your computer cool will really help the performance.
2) if you are not using SSDs in your laptop (and it's a toss up if you are based on the age of your computer), move to full SSDs. Spinners are the limiting factor for most computer systems these days. This will probably mean re-installing windows. While you are doing so, up your HD space and number so you can run SC on a different disk than your OS.
3) update to the latest OS. Especially if you are using windows 8. Windows 7 is good, but I find windows 10 to be slightly faster vs 7 on the same machine. Yes, it has some...challenges..and as always, wait for a few weeks/months on the latest non-security updates because MS has had more than the occasional really bad launch, but in general, the newer OSes are better.
4) Run at lower resolutions than 4k. Yes, it's a waste of a 4k monitor, but it will do for a year. 1920x1080 is plenty of resolution unless you are "up close and personal" with that screen.
5) Either take your computer apart and blow it out, or take it somewhere to have it done if you are not comfortable doing it yourself. Getting the dirt out will really help improve the cooling, which will improve performance. Note, I still recommend adding a notebook cooler even if you do blow it out.
Sorry for the long post.
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