Gonna buy the PC version of GTA V soon - anything I need to know?

"SonorousSpeedJoe" (SonorousSpeedJoe)
07/01/2015 at 15:55 • Filed to: GTA V

I’ve been wanting to jump from the PS3 version to the PC version for some time and have finally installed a GTX 970 in my computer, so now all I have to do is buy GTA V on Steam and download it. Is there anything that I need to know?

I have an SSD with more than enough space left for the game, which is 60-65 GB in size from what I’ve read. My rig is running Windows 7 Ultimate and is paired to a 1080p/60 Hz monitor; said rig also has an i7-4770 CPU and 16 GB of RAM. I believe that everything I’ve gotten on the PS3 version of GTA Online should transfer via the R* Social Club (barring stuff like job playlists, which I don’t have anyway). So as far as I’m aware, I’m all set for the transfer and for playing the game at 1080p/60FPS. I do kinda wish I’d opted for the Great White Shark GTA$ bundle during the Steam Summer Sale, but oh well.

I only have a regular wireless keyboard and mouse as opposed to more gaming-oriented ones, and I’ll need the appropriate driver and dongle to get an Xbox 360 wireless controller to work with Steam (and as playing the PS3 would imply, I have a wireless controller for that as well), but getting the game running and doing the GTAO transfer successfully are my primary concerns at this point.

DISCUSSION (28)

BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest. > SonorousSpeedJoe
07/01/2015 at 16:10

I’d say you’re all set. Add me on R* social club, same name.

RockThrillz89 > SonorousSpeedJoe
07/01/2015 at 16:10

Are you dead set on using a wireless controller? Because I’d say instead of buying a 360 donger dongle just get a Xbone controller and use it wired. Or a PS4 controller. Both are better than the prior generation controllers in my opinion. I use a spare wired Xbone for Elite Dangerous, and its really nice. I just use K&M for all the other games. Also, the driver should download automatically when you plug in the controller the first time. Might have to hardwire to get it to mate with the PC, then switch to wireless.

Also remember, if you’re going to mod the game, stay away from online play unless you confirm you’ve turned them off. I don’t have it on PC (not buying it a 3rd time), but supposedly there was problems at the beginning with people getting GTAO ban hammered for mods in solo, but that should have been fixed.

SonorousSpeedJoe > BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest.
07/01/2015 at 16:12

Thanks, will do. I’m already in the Grand Theft Oppo crew, BTW.

Jagvar > SonorousSpeedJoe
07/01/2015 at 16:15

How do I find this Grand Theft Oppo group?

SonorousSpeedJoe > RockThrillz89
07/01/2015 at 16:15

I’ve been considering the option of getting an Xbone controller, yeah. I have no plans to mod the game, so I should be safe from the R* banhammer.

Lekker > SonorousSpeedJoe
07/01/2015 at 16:16

I don’t know that the 970 will allow it to run at ultra with 60fps solid. I’m running two 770s and on ultra I can average ~70, but that’s with both cards at 110% (Read:overclocked). Other than that the game is amazingly fun and gorgeous, just be prepared for the long..long...long loading screens. They seriously take forever. I run it with my Xbone controller for the most part if I’m driving. This game is so gorgeous tho!

Jagvar > SonorousSpeedJoe
07/01/2015 at 16:16

Speaking from experience, don’t blow all your money on car mods in the first hour of gameplay! Making money is tough. I’m wondering how I’ll ever scrape together the $2 mil I need to buy a Pegassi Osiris.

SonorousSpeedJoe > Jagvar
07/01/2015 at 16:19

Sign into the Rockstar Social Club on your PC browser and search “Oppo” - it’ll bring up a list of members and crews, and Grand Theft Oppo is one such crew.

Brickman > SonorousSpeedJoe
07/01/2015 at 16:21

The shark card bundle is a waste of money. You make plenty of money in GTAV as far as I know. I need to buy it for PC too :)

SonorousSpeedJoe > Jagvar
07/01/2015 at 16:23

I’ve been playing the PS3 version since December 2013, so I’m very familiar with GTA Online at this point. I don’t think I’ll bother getting the Pegassi Osiris given the price, LOL - if the P1 lookalike in the next update has KERS like the Lectro from the Heists update, then I might put in the effort needed to bankroll enough cash for that.

SonorousSpeedJoe > Lekker
07/01/2015 at 16:28

Hmm, I was hoping that the PC version would be better with the long loading screens than the PS3 version. More importantly, though, I was hoping that it’s better with being kicked from session to session (such as when I try to join a full Heist job and have to leave) or being unable to return to a session at all, but I guess that’s more of a server-side issue.

SonorousSpeedJoe > Brickman
07/01/2015 at 16:35

After having played the Heist missions with random n00bs and having been the random n00b on several occasions, I can honestly say that I make more money doing missions in Solo sessions LOL. I don’t like how R* pulled the “on sale at full price” trick during the Steam Summer Sale, but I do prefer getting free GTA$ with the game for $60 than just the game for $60.

BeaterGT > SonorousSpeedJoe
07/01/2015 at 16:35

Man...all I know is I have to upgrade my computer if I want to play.

SonorousSpeedJoe > BeaterGT
07/01/2015 at 16:41

I feel you - all I had before I installed the GTX 970 was the integrated Intel graphics stuff, so I couldn’t have played it either.

SonorousSpeedJoe > Lekker
07/01/2015 at 16:54

Also, this is my first GPU, so I don’t yet have a reference point for PC gaming graphics - I’m fine with the 970 falling a little short of my (possibly unrealistic) expectations. I figure that the graphics will still be significantly better than the PS3 version even if I can’t run GTA V at 1080p/60FPS without leaving some settings turned off or dialed back.

Delta Five Nine > SonorousSpeedJoe
07/01/2015 at 16:57

If you want a stopgap since you have a PS3 controller, you can use the drivers found at http://forums.pcsx2.net/Thread-XInput-… to use the PS3 controller connected via USB. Just ignore the dongle part and connect it via USB in the installation notes. Not as much BS involved as the DS3 tool etc, just plug in, run the program and tell it to install the driver. Was using this recently until I got a PS4 controller.

No Prius Needed > SonorousSpeedJoe
07/01/2015 at 17:07

My rig is identical to yours so you can expect to run it at max everything (except for advanced graphics) with 4x MSAA + MFAA (go to NVidia control panel and engage it) at around 45-60FPS. Also, money isn’t really a concern anymore due to the amount of hackers in online. Add me on social club: TensiveChunk21

Sam > Jagvar
07/01/2015 at 17:17

At this point,, you just have to wait for the money bags to come falling from the sky.

BeaterGT > SonorousSpeedJoe
07/01/2015 at 17:18

I built my comp for SC2 so it’s been amazing for the past 4-5 years.

Sam > SonorousSpeedJoe
07/01/2015 at 17:19

It takes forever to launch GTAO. And as a 970 owner myself, you can get about 45-50 on Ultra. Aim for High-Very High. Just bump up things you notice and drop things you don’t.

SonorousSpeedJoe > Sam
07/01/2015 at 17:56

Yeah, that’s what I figure I’ll have to do for the graphics. Thanks.

As far as GTAO is concerned, I usually just launch into Story Mode on my PS3 and then go into GTAO from there, as I can’t seem to launch directly into GTAO anymore. As long as that workaround still works, I just hope I won’t have to constantly jump between sessions.

SonorousSpeedJoe > No Prius Needed
07/01/2015 at 17:57

Thanks, will do.

SonorousSpeedJoe > Delta Five Nine
07/01/2015 at 17:58

I’ll look into that, thanks!

66671 - 200 [METRIC] my dash > SonorousSpeedJoe
07/01/2015 at 18:40

Two things:

The game is better on Mouse and KB I think, too many controls to fit on a controller, but I can seamlessly switch between the two if I wan’t to drive for a long period of time or for whatever reason.

And if your game starts crashing randomly, or even at startup, try lowering the DirectX level from 11, it worked for me.

SonorousSpeedJoe > 66671 - 200 [METRIC] my dash
07/01/2015 at 18:45

I’ll keep that in mind, thanks.

Lekker > SonorousSpeedJoe
07/01/2015 at 23:12

You’re going to get most textures just fine if you have the 4gb version. Other than that you’ll run pretty good, just make sure your card doesn’t get hot. I’d make sure to check the specs and get a monitoring software. The game si well optimized, so it runs good. Just make sure to turn off v-sync if you want more frames and don’t care about the slight tearing. Keeping it on will reduce frames but eliminate tearing. And the whole server getting kicked doesn’t happen as much mid heist, but it happens a lot after or during lobby time. Expect to finish heists without your friends 4/5, but a quick invite all from last heist fixes that issue.

SonorousSpeedJoe > Lekker
07/02/2015 at 03:56

Thanks. By monitoring software, do you mean something that can track the temperature?

My issue with the PS3 Heists is that I keep getting sent into new sessions when the lobby is already full, someone leaves, etc. I’ve got a good sense of how the Heist missions themselves work at this point.

Lekker > SonorousSpeedJoe
07/02/2015 at 08:58

Yeah, something that tracks temperature. Usually something from your manufacturer will work best, as it will allow you to speed up the card a bit within “safe” limits, as long as you are careful with temps and don’t make it crash.

Yeah that still happens, but not as much.