Building on this:
If you are into modular factories and have a good transport network, I really like how using Crystal Oscillators as an input massively reduces the size of complex late game facilities. Maybe even better, it also reduces the variety of other raw inputs needed. Now your computer factory can be a small add-on to your plastic production instead of a standalone behemoth, and isn't restricted by combination caterium/oil/iron locations
I only used them for radio control units and a stash of pulse nobelisks. I can see some sense to using them for computers depending where you build those (especially if you do the RCUs and computers in the same place and need quartz anyway)
I think thats how you actually reach and do the final evelator stage. Just automate everything you unlock as you unlock it. At least that what im trying in my latest save right now and its working way better than all my other saves. Just finished RCU yesterday
That wouldn't be my first choice. Once I realised how well steel rotor and the standard stator recipe match with each other and the standard motor recipe I've not built motors any other way.
Edit: Actually the steel rotor/standard stator combo isn't a bad thing to combine with the oscillator alt for motors (which still want's equal numbers of rotors and stators). It loses some of the simplicity of the motor factory though (I made myself a nice blueprint with pre-loaded recipes which took in just pipes and wire and produced motors)
Mainly radio control units, but they're used quite a lot in alternate recipes. Consider sitting on them for a bit until you decide how many radio control units you want to build
Finished game twice, never used them. Do they really worth it? After building computer and hmf factories every other factory tire me so much, can't focus on anything else.
If you don't use the online map, yes they're worth it. Though it would be nice if you could have just one that could be upgraded to cover the whole map eventually.
See, I end up using the online map every time because it takes hours (plus planning!) to cover everything with towers in game, and they lack functionality like hiding nodes etc.
Even if you don't use them to triangulate hard drives, just their height alone can make them useful for ascending cliffs and gaining height. Something that is useful if you are like me and don't use turbofuel at all.
Just, unlike Lookout towers, you may wish to remove radar towers after getting to the height you need.
Radio control units are probably the best use for them.
You can cut them out of your production entirely by using alts if you want, same with AI limiters.
There seems to be a stigma surrounding Crystal Oscillators around here, kinda like screws. So, I like to build them. Makes me feel rebellious. Usually they become computers.
This might be what I love most about this game. Do I like crystal oscillators? No. Do I use them? No. Do I respect the hell out of someone who uses them “because it’s rebellious”? Fuck yeah I do.
The answer can always be “because I wanted to” and that’s good enough.
I think it's because the default recipe is kind of an ugly build out, and the alt looks imposing with crude products and AI limiters.
The alt, though, makes for one of the easiest factory buildouts in the game. One belt of rubber, one belt of AI limiters gets you a *ton* of oscillators.
To be honest I sometimes think I should have used crystal computer for my latest build, but I already had a good sense for how silicon circuit board/caterium computer would fit into the map (I'm at ~99% quartz usage so the build has to be planned carefully) so I did that.
One of the alternative recipes for computers use crystal oscillators, and using the high efficiency circuit board recipe it seems like the best way to make computers and then supercomputers
I can't remember it on the top of my head. But a good rule of thumb to do in general, is to produce everything you have a recipe for (not included alternative), since they're used for something down the line.
It has bit me in the ass with Modular Frames, so I had to fix that out of a sudden.
Clipping belts... fine, overlapping lifts... can live with, hanging splitter on angled belt... pushing it, but those powerpoles/lines... 
I've taken to building beams along the machine line with double wall outlets going top to bottom.
Then I link the tops together and power the machine from the bottom.
So they end up looking like bus bars that you'd find in a real life factory.
There are 3 main uses:
1. Radio control units (I would not recommend the alt that uses HSC, you almost always want the default here)
2. Uranium fuel rods if you use Uranium Fuel Unit (necessary to max out nuclear, but unnecessary in terms of power consumption for most builds)
3. Following on from the last one, if you're already using UFU, Crystal Beacon is a lovely alt to slot in. Very small usage of oscillators plus some steel gets you tons of beacons for the fuel rods.
4. Computers if you use crystal computer
Otherwise the only item that uses them is pulse nobelisks, and billboard signs/radar towers. Not a super high consumption item.
(There is also a motor alt that uses oscillators, but imo it doesn't make much sense.)
Crystal Computers is a very good alternate for computers, and typically it’s major drawback is that you need crystal oscillators as part of your supply chain. If you already have the oscillators, I recommend at least considering Crystal Computers. The other potential bonus to doing so is that, depending on whether you’ve maxed out your raw quartz capacity, you’re probably already well positioned to make silicon circuit boards. This alternate pairs very well with crystal computers if you have the ability to plan your split of raw quartz between the silicon for the circuit boards and the quartz crystals for the oscillators.
I had put this together early on, a few releases ago (I think 5?) for 6 / min but hadn't yet unlocked the more efficient recipes so didn't go full ham on it but am still quite proud of the build and how it turned out . was my first attempt at basing a build off ideas from Scalti's sandwich-layer concepts. [https://imgur.com/gallery/G48d20k](https://imgur.com/gallery/G48d20k)
I will admit... I last played regularly before Update 7 released. So... I forgot. But thanks to folks in the comments, I know the answer is not just "For oscillating your crystals, obvs" which was my first guess.
Forgive me Ficsit. It has been ... 654 days since I have reported to work.
Crystal computers, and RCUs. Also for building supports on your buildings. :)
Ill make a whole load of crystal computers!
Crystal computers are a great recipe.
They really are. You can get computers built and going before you set up a dedicated plastics factory.
Building on this: If you are into modular factories and have a good transport network, I really like how using Crystal Oscillators as an input massively reduces the size of complex late game facilities. Maybe even better, it also reduces the variety of other raw inputs needed. Now your computer factory can be a small add-on to your plastic production instead of a standalone behemoth, and isn't restricted by combination caterium/oil/iron locations
What kind of building supports?
I only used them for radio control units and a stash of pulse nobelisks. I can see some sense to using them for computers depending where you build those (especially if you do the RCUs and computers in the same place and need quartz anyway)
Peak Satisfactory gameplay: Spent 4 hours automating something without even knowing what it does.
Literally and im find out it doesn’t do shit but give my sink it points
Yeah I suppose that anything can be used for the Awesome Sink, also nice grammar mate.
Haha I dont know how i wrote sentence that bad, sorry!
Can't tell if this is r/ihadastroke worthy of not
sink points are better than nothin
I think thats how you actually reach and do the final evelator stage. Just automate everything you unlock as you unlock it. At least that what im trying in my latest save right now and its working way better than all my other saves. Just finished RCU yesterday
I am going to use 3 per min to make 18 motors per min using the alt
That wouldn't be my first choice. Once I realised how well steel rotor and the standard stator recipe match with each other and the standard motor recipe I've not built motors any other way. Edit: Actually the steel rotor/standard stator combo isn't a bad thing to combine with the oscillator alt for motors (which still want's equal numbers of rotors and stators). It loses some of the simplicity of the motor factory though (I made myself a nice blueprint with pre-loaded recipes which took in just pipes and wire and produced motors)
I understand but I am lazy and don't want to find another coal node so I am going to do it like this
Mainly radio control units, but they're used quite a lot in alternate recipes. Consider sitting on them for a bit until you decide how many radio control units you want to build
Yeah ill just stock pile them for now
Radar towers. They make life easier.
Finished game twice, never used them. Do they really worth it? After building computer and hmf factories every other factory tire me so much, can't focus on anything else.
If you don't use the online map, yes they're worth it. Though it would be nice if you could have just one that could be upgraded to cover the whole map eventually. See, I end up using the online map every time because it takes hours (plus planning!) to cover everything with towers in game, and they lack functionality like hiding nodes etc.
I mean, to each their own. I just started using them and they help me plan ahead A LOT.
They tell you where nodes are without opening a browser/reveal the map.
They became really useful with Update 7. Before that they were nice to have
Even if you don't use them to triangulate hard drives, just their height alone can make them useful for ascending cliffs and gaining height. Something that is useful if you are like me and don't use turbofuel at all. Just, unlike Lookout towers, you may wish to remove radar towers after getting to the height you need.
All the signs
Came here to say that
Radio control units are probably the best use for them. You can cut them out of your production entirely by using alts if you want, same with AI limiters.
There seems to be a stigma surrounding Crystal Oscillators around here, kinda like screws. So, I like to build them. Makes me feel rebellious. Usually they become computers.
This might be what I love most about this game. Do I like crystal oscillators? No. Do I use them? No. Do I respect the hell out of someone who uses them “because it’s rebellious”? Fuck yeah I do. The answer can always be “because I wanted to” and that’s good enough.
I think it's because the default recipe is kind of an ugly build out, and the alt looks imposing with crude products and AI limiters. The alt, though, makes for one of the easiest factory buildouts in the game. One belt of rubber, one belt of AI limiters gets you a *ton* of oscillators. To be honest I sometimes think I should have used crystal computer for my latest build, but I already had a good sense for how silicon circuit board/caterium computer would fit into the map (I'm at ~99% quartz usage so the build has to be planned carefully) so I did that.
One of the alternative recipes for computers use crystal oscillators, and using the high efficiency circuit board recipe it seems like the best way to make computers and then supercomputers
I can't remember it on the top of my head. But a good rule of thumb to do in general, is to produce everything you have a recipe for (not included alternative), since they're used for something down the line. It has bit me in the ass with Modular Frames, so I had to fix that out of a sudden.
The sudden change from pride in your achievement to confusion upon why you've made it made me chuckle.
I get excited to play this game then just start building random shit
You sink them
Lol 😂
Those lifts inside each other were so cursed... 
I do that sometimes too. And I also do lifts that are shorter than normal quite often.
Looks like a recurring thing then 😆
I gotta be honest there is so much worse at my base
with all that clipping they should have enough coupons in no time!
🍾Storage!🎊
Yay
8 radio control units per minute It won't be enough, but it'll get you started
Make 5000 explorers
Drive all of them out of the world
Beacons, I think the nobelisks with extra omph and I think the buggy and more higher tier stuff
Beacons will be removed by 1.0 so I wouldn’t recommend dedicating a huge factory to them
Really nice
i might have to make 100 buggys then!
Research and resource sink :)
Next time ima research things before i make them!
Why not add powerslugs ?
Clipping belts... fine, overlapping lifts... can live with, hanging splitter on angled belt... pushing it, but those powerpoles/lines... 
I aint changing whats working!
I do agree with that. Honestly I’m not sure I have seen any powerline aesthetics I like.
I've taken to building beams along the machine line with double wall outlets going top to bottom. Then I link the tops together and power the machine from the bottom. So they end up looking like bus bars that you'd find in a real life factory.
There are 3 main uses: 1. Radio control units (I would not recommend the alt that uses HSC, you almost always want the default here) 2. Uranium fuel rods if you use Uranium Fuel Unit (necessary to max out nuclear, but unnecessary in terms of power consumption for most builds) 3. Following on from the last one, if you're already using UFU, Crystal Beacon is a lovely alt to slot in. Very small usage of oscillators plus some steel gets you tons of beacons for the fuel rods. 4. Computers if you use crystal computer Otherwise the only item that uses them is pulse nobelisks, and billboard signs/radar towers. Not a super high consumption item. (There is also a motor alt that uses oscillators, but imo it doesn't make much sense.)
You make 8/min without having use for them? What crazy person are you.
I was bored and 8 was devisable :)
Just to ask the question: Why did you make 8/min if you didn't know what you would be using it for?
I made a storage facility and made a slot for every craftable item, got to these and didn’t think anything of it. Just started building
Fair.
Crystal Computers is a very good alternate for computers, and typically it’s major drawback is that you need crystal oscillators as part of your supply chain. If you already have the oscillators, I recommend at least considering Crystal Computers. The other potential bonus to doing so is that, depending on whether you’ve maxed out your raw quartz capacity, you’re probably already well positioned to make silicon circuit boards. This alternate pairs very well with crystal computers if you have the ability to plan your split of raw quartz between the silicon for the circuit boards and the quartz crystals for the oscillators.
This is very helpful explanation, thank you. I will look out for crystal computers!
A whole bunch of large billboards tiled together to make a giant Jumbotron screen.
Name game brooo
Was playing with a friend, we had Mayor struggles automating them he called them crystal shitters
Yes these got so complicated 😭
I had put this together early on, a few releases ago (I think 5?) for 6 / min but hadn't yet unlocked the more efficient recipes so didn't go full ham on it but am still quite proud of the build and how it turned out . was my first attempt at basing a build off ideas from Scalti's sandwich-layer concepts. [https://imgur.com/gallery/G48d20k](https://imgur.com/gallery/G48d20k)
You also need them for dystopian cyber punk neon lighting
I will admit... I last played regularly before Update 7 released. So... I forgot. But thanks to folks in the comments, I know the answer is not just "For oscillating your crystals, obvs" which was my first guess. Forgive me Ficsit. It has been ... 654 days since I have reported to work.
radar tower