thanks :)

Imagine CDPR giving everyone AMD user a free GTX 980 card. :D

I did the same for apparent "almost constant 60FPS on ultra". MoBo, CPU and GPU alone cost as much, and full rig will be somewhere around $1700. Not bad for "almost constant 60 FPS", eh?:)

Problem is that these ratings do not always represent head-to-head performance in applications (and I don't mean gaming only). According to that site, GTX 970 outperforms R9 290x at about 20%, yet real tests we've performed do not support that (as well as some Internet hardware review sources). Green one may be faster for certain games and apps, yet it may be slower (and much slower even) in another, and in most cases we speak about single-digit FPS value and milliseconds (not even seconds) in terms of work applications (CAD and other suites you can find in construction industry). Not sure famous 3.5Gb issue is the case, really. I can't say what's the problem, either those specific Nvidia GPUs we bought for tests, or lack of any real advantage, contrary to every consultants' opinion, but I don't really see that "power overwhelming" from GTX.
Sadly we, ordinary gamers, do not have an option to buy several various models to select proper ones, and relying on internet sources may unearth rather unpleasant surprises, like that one with 3.5Gb VRAM case - how many reviewers reported it?

As I said, its a guide and I did mention ballparks.
For Witcher 3, GTX 660 is minimum (rated 4118) or an AMD 7870 (rated 4257)
Recommended 770 (rated 6148) or a R9 290 (rated 6561)

The poster had a 840M (rated 841).

Clearly that will not run the game. I surmise that one might have a chance to run it with a card maybe in the 3,000's with luck.

I provided it more as a reference to how the weird NVidia numbering system works in comparing one generation of card to another among the different models as well as mobiles to desktops. I agree, benchmarks are likely poor comparisons between AMD vs NVidia at times, but should give a decent idea how different cards might rank vs, one another from the same manufacturer.

And my words were not an objection to yours, but rather addendum, additionally informing said poster of basically mandatory studies needed to properly select card, in case he will be in search for one, because, as we both said, single source of information is not exactly relevant. Given the price even recommended hardware have, let alone "almost constant 60 FPS" (should I be CDPR, I'd launch new memorabilia line with these words, starting from coffee mugs and t-shirts:)) GPU.
And don't forget possible compatibility problems between various hardware, beginning with GPU size, that may be too big for existing chassis, going to better (and possibly bigger) PSU needed to support "hungry" GPU/CPU, to new MoBo, as current one may be incompatible with RAM or anything else. Variety may be spice of life, but having too much types available is very confusing or casual buyer.

Hopefully that laptop will still be of use, even if isn't really well suited for high end gaming.

As for building your own desktop PC, if you have no prior experience I'd recommend that you have someone assist you, since it's easy to get something wrong as you pick and assemble the various components. If you don't have any friends or family with computer hardware experience, then step-by-step online guides might be a sufficient alternative.

I suggest everyone who is to built a PC and needs proposals about components to open a thread about and put link here. Only info we need is country and budget. Many here will offer some knowledge about it. I estimate that around $800 is needed for a tower (without screen) to be able to enjoy Witcher 3 on 1080P.

By my estimations I made in another topic you need around $1000 to run game at "recommended", with building sophisticated chassis with adequate components without cutting corners through buying cheapest and minimal components, and around $1700 to buy "almost constant 60 FPS on ultra" rig, where CPU, RAM, and GPU alone cost around $1000. Australians has to pay more due to their taxes, Given the possibility of failure ("almost constant", no info on AMD support - where's the guarantee you wouldn't have to install R9 290x in Crossfire to enjoy W3 in "almost constant 60 FPS"?), 64bit expensive Windows requirement (some people could have only 4Gb of RAM on their old/current rigs, their version of Windows may not support required 16 Gb), and buying components "for future upgrade", i.e. buying expensive motherboard with more RAM/PCI slots, instead of buying cheapest one, prices can easily approach to two grands even without additional taxes or greed retail margins.
By rough approximation (due to currency fluctuations) this is correct for most countries which languages I able to understand (to read their respective shops' price-lists).
tl;dr - if your current rig does not worth a thousand bucks in modern prices, fuhgeddaboud playing Witcher 3 on recommended.

I suggest anyone who wants to buy a new system for Witcher 3 to wait for reviews and benchmarks ... :)

I agree that this is the best way to handle this situation but most would like to enjoy the game from day one and benchmarks might be misleading as drives will be immature at least for AMD due to collaboration of Red with nVidia...

I'd wager DirectX12 will improve performance SIGNIFICANTLY on CPUs with more than 2 threads. Or maybe we can beg CDPR to put out a Mantle option as well? Kinda frustrating knowing that they can cut down on GPU horsepower needed if they did that but AMD withdrew the thing just as release was comin up.

EDIT: TF? Lookie hea : http://wccftech.com/amd-directx-12-api-overhead-benchmarks-wip/ The potential performance; even for APUs is huge.

Well you would have to beg CDPR for DirectX12 as well because its not being implemented, according to them few will actually use it.

https://twitter.com/Bacon_is_life/status/582441674095386624

Probably, but most people need it right now as they don't have powerful PCs to run the game properly. By the time CDPR decides to patch it most folks could be in a position to upgrade their system or get a new one anyway. ;)

You're right; the new Radeons are comin up and it'll probably be a few months until they're dirt cheap (except anywhere in Asia ofc). Anyhow; isn't DX12 being released after TW3? Last time they seemed to say early Q4 or smth.

Indeed, it will be coming after the release of Witcher 3 probably along with the launch of Windows 10 at the beginning of the holiday season.