Build a PC for Rome 2 / Hardware Recommendations and Advice Thread

[Kirila the Kitten]

Gah, anyways, I was delayed till Christmas. There's certainty for a lot of new parts to appear until then so the build above is not valid anymore.

[alQamar]

feel free to ask again but in a more serious manner, please.

[chris10]

Hey guys...

Iam going to build a 700,- € "budget power pack" with Intels new Devils Canyon i5 3,5 GHz (including OS, SSD for OS and Blue-Ray) shortly and since many of our fellow gamers occasionally struggle with the budget Iam going to post the core specs so people can play around and amend to their budget up-or downgrading.
Prices are best offer's found on german retailers so price tag is valubale for EU when buying parts online.

Requirement Definition was:
64bit OS
Best Intel CPU for 200,-
Best Nvidia GPU for 150,-
Blue Ray Capable
SSD for quick boot
Mini Tower

i5 4690K CPU is 3.5Ghz and 3.9Ghz Turbo Boost can be OC for another 400MHz without raising heat/power consumption or harm its durability in any way.
GTX 660 is Windforce Overclocked Version

CPU                  Intel Core i5 4690k 4x 3.50GHz So.1150 Boxed              199,- €
Motherboard          ASROCK B85M Pro4 Intel B85 So.1150 Dual Channel DDR3       53,- €                                                    
RAM                  8GB Crucial Ballistix Sport DDR3-1600 CL-9 Dual Kit        59,- €   
GPU                  Gigabyte GTX 660 OC Windforce 2GB 192bit DDR5 1502MHz     149,- €
SSD                  64GB ADATA Premier Pro SP600 2.5 SATA (ASP600S3-64GM-C)    39,- €     
HDD                  500GB WD Black WD5003AZEX 64MB 3.5 7200rpm                 53,- €     
PSU                  530 Watt Thermaltake Smart SE Modula 80+ Bronze            45,- €     
CASE                 MS-TECH CA-0178                                            27,- €     
DVD                  Samsung SN-506BB Blu-ray Disc Writer SATA 1.5Gb/s          51,- €
OS                   Win7 Pro 64bit MAR Version                                 50,- €

Total price for parts 725,- € (including 64bit OS)
A neat little rig.

[alQamar]

you should care for a better PSU (not neccesarily more wattage but quality) and an additional CPU cooler. Gaining just 400 MHz from this CPU is very low. Basically it can run 4,5 GHz easy with a good cooler without harming it.

If you go for a german retail I might have a good trick for you. pm me if you are interested to get more for your money.

[chris10]

you should care for a better PSU (not neccesarily more wattage but quality)

Anything particular you have in mind ? Iam all ears ...BUT...should not be higher price...after all its a budget rig

EDIT: 24.04
checked back on mindfactory...over 800 sold and 96% 5 and 4 star ratings for this PSU..cant be that bad then

.....additional CPU cooler.
Gaining just 400 MHz from this CPU is very low. Basically it can run 4,5 GHz easy with a good cooler without harming it.

there is the thing with the CPU cooler...OC only 400Mhz from this CPU makes it the same frecuency as the i7 4970k...that means it runs on 3.9 Ghz base frecuency and on 4,3 Ghz with Turbo Boost...in my book thats pretty awesome and there would be no need for another cooler...

after all...since the rig uses a GTX660 and not a GTX760 which would increase the price for another 100€ (and beyond for more cooling) Iam not sure the rig would really profit from more overclock in its current configuration as its capacity is limited by the GPU anyway.

[LestaT]

Just wondering if this build is okay.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...4018992&type=1

CPU: Intel Core I5 4690K
MOBO: ASUS Maximus GENE VII
RAM: GSkill TridentX 2x4GB DDR3 2400mhz
SSD: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB SSD
HDD: Seagate 2TB Baracuda HDD
PSU: Seasonic X850 PSU
Cooler: Thermaltake Water 3.0 Extreme
Chasis: Corsair Obsidian 350D
GPU: ASUS GTX780TI Matrix Platinium 3GB DDR5

Total RM7194

MYR7194 = USD2286

[Biggus Splenus]

Just wondering if this build is okay.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...4018992&type=1

CPU: Intel Core I5 4690K
MOBO: ASUS Maximus GENE VII
RAM: GSkill TridentX 2x4GB DDR3 2400mhz
SSD: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB SSD
HDD: Seagate 2TB Baracuda HDD
PSU: Seasonic X850 PSU
Cooler: Thermaltake Water 3.0 Extreme
Chasis: Corsair Obsidian 350D
GPU: ASUS GTX780TI Matrix Platinium 3GB DDR5

Total RM7194

MYR7194 = USD2286

Hey stranger

The CPU is the highest anyone should get for Rome 2, so good choice.

MoBo is a bit overkill to be honest. All RoG boards are overkill. I'd recommend something cheaper, like a Gryphon Z97... that's unless the GENE's onboard audio is very important to you.

RAM could be cheaper. 2400Mhz is overkill. 1866 would be fine, or even 2133 if it's not much more expensive. Generally 1600-1866Mhz is fine though.

SSD is great, just bought that exact one for my laptop.

HDD is fine. If you're exclusively using it for storage, then maybe a WD Green drive would be better. Depends on pricing of course.

PSU is great, from a great company, with great warranty. Can't go wrong.

Cooler is pricey, but good. I still think water coolers aren't worth their value just yet, and I'd still recommend a good Noctua cooler instead (like the NH-U12S).

The case looks amazing, it's the one I was thinking of getting. Performs nothing special though. You should also check out the Corsair Carbide 240 Air that just came out, see if you like that one.

The GPU is... nice here I was recommending cheaper alternatives, then I see a Platinum Matrix video card I'll just say that it's absolutely overkill, unless you are someone trying to break an overclocking record, or trying to use the card's amazing hardware in some other radical way. A standard 780TI is even overkill for Rome 2. What resolution did you plan to run the game at? My 780 is even overkill for 1080p

You're probably better off cranking everything down a notch and saving the money, or you could spend all the money you saved on an amazing new monitor

[LestaT]

Nah. I don't even have the money to get the CPU yet. Just asking if case suddenly money fell from the sky . These guys have some nice packages but they can customize base on request too. Not far from my office too.

Funny thing is that in my country sometimes it's (almost) cheaper to buy pre build set from these stores rather than buying individual items and assembly them ourselves. Maybe these stores buy stuff in bulk so they can reduce price.

More like wondering if the price is the same for similar spec from another country. How much this will cost in Aus ?

[Biggus Splenus]

Well the bits they're building their computers with are the same bits you buy individually from them, so it's weird that it's cheaper Usually shops will only put a small premium on pre-built computers, like $30-50, depending on how big it is.

In Australia it'll probably cost 2400, I think.

[LestaT]

AUD ?

I Basically just compare the individual price and found that they're cheaper or the same if I bought stuff separately. This is only in the KL of course. Maybe because of intense competitions they have to drive the price down. Things were more expensive in other cities though.

There's a whole shopping complex which sells IT stuff and 2 or 3 floors are dedicated to computers.

[Biggus Splenus]

Yea 2400-2500 AUD.

I'm jealous of that complex :O I want it

[LestaT]

Come to KL and I'll take you there.

[Southern Irish]

Hey guys. I'm relatively new. Visited the site many times to read but never posted before. I've played all but the last 2 total wars (raising a family and all). Any way got some money and really want to buy a great computer to run this game beautifully (if possible). Here is what I'm planning on buying from origin.
DESCRIPTION
GENESIS
Details
Orientation: Standard ATX
Standard Color: Black
Current Special Offers: Work Less and Play More Labor Day Promo (FREE SSD must be selected below)
The ORIGIN Difference: Truly Custom PC's. Want a component that is not on our site? Call or email us and we will include it in your system.
Variable Mounting: Standard
Case Lighting: Remote Controlled Multi-Colored LED
Case Fans: ORIGIN High-Performance Ultra Silent Fans- Black - Extreme Cooling Setup
System Cooling: ORIGIN FROSTBYTE 360 Sealed Liquid Cooling Systems
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-SLI
Processors: Overclocked Intel Core i5 4690K Quad-Core (4.0GHz-4.7GHz)
Power Supply: 850 Watt Corsair RM850
Power Supply Sleeved Cable Color: Black Individually Sleeved Cables
Graphic Cards: Dual 2GB NVIDIA GTX 760
Memory: 16GB ORIGIN PC powered by HyperX 1600Mhz (2x8GB)
Operating System: Genuine MS Windows 8.1 64-Bit Edition
Operating System Drive #1 (Primary): 1TB Seagate Solid State Hybrid Drive
Operating System Drive #2: None
Hot Swap Bay Drive #1: None
Hot Swap Bay Drive #2: None
Hot Swap Bay Drive #3: None
Hot Swap Bay Drive #4: None
Hot Swap Bay Drive #5: None
Hard Drive Cage: 5 Bay Hot-Swap Cage
Optical Drive One: 12X Blu-ray Reader and DVD Combo
Lower Unit: Cryogenic Cooling Support
Media Card Reader: 40-in-1 Media Card Reader
Audio: On Board Audio
Networking: Onboard Network Port
ORIGIN Maximum Protection Shipping Process: ORIGIN Wooden Crate Armor
Warranty: 1 Year Part Replacement and 45 Day Free Shipping Warranty with Lifetime Labor/24-7 Support
ORIGIN Recovery: ORIGIN Recovery USB3.0 Flash Drive
Evolve Part Upgrade Service: No Part Upgrade Service
Free ORIGIN T-shirt: ORIGIN PC G8 T-Shirt Large
Web Browser: Microsoft Internet Explorer
Web Browser: Google Chrome
Web Browser: Mozilla Firefox
Total: $2,641.79

will this run the graphics at extreme? I'm hoping the sli setup will allow me to max out the graphics and help in future games. I know the rome 2 doesn't use more than the quad core so an i7 is a waste right?
Is it better to have a gtx780 or two GTX 760s??

thanks for any input. Ps I really don't think I could build one myself.

[chris10]

.........
Total: $2,641.79

will this run the graphics at extreme?

sure it will run everything on the market on ultra extreme but does it really worth the effort ?

given the ever accelerating developement cycles of new hardware in recent years it seems a complete waste of money as in
relatively little time the rig will be obsolete...

I bet in only three years I can build a more powerful rig for half the money...

[oppaiO_O]

Hello I'm experiencing lag during sieges (common?) and big battles. I currently play on a mix of high and med settings but want to be able to max it all out plus be fool proof for the next game(s) I have some money to spend and was wondering should I upgrade my cpu or gpu? I have an Intel Dual-Core 3.2 ghz (came with the PC is 5 years old now should change?) and an AMD Radeon HD 6450 2gb. Should I upgrade one of these or just hold on save up a bit more and get the Extreme Enthusiast-Tier that I'm thinking on getting in a month or two once prices drop dramatically, i hope

[alQamar]

Hey oppai I will have a look on that. Could you please upload more of your specs. CPU should be fine enough, lags can happen in sieges when using towers. Be aware that lags can occasionally happen in Rome even on Extreme enthusiast tiers mostly due to pathfinding issues the game has.

[Kahvipannu]

HAve people had any problems with AMDs R9 290 serie with this game, based on the fact at release people had problems with higher-end cards more than mid-tier? (Saw reports of Titans and such lagging) Theyr prices are coming down, and I was considering an upgrade (HD 7850 2 gigs currently, but can't quite go to ultra with it with proper fps).

[SPARTAN VI]

will this run the graphics at extreme? I'm hoping the sli setup will allow me to max out the graphics and help in future games. I know the rome 2 doesn't use more than the quad core so an i7 is a waste right?
Is it better to have a gtx780 or two GTX 760s??

thanks for any input. Ps I really don't think I could build one myself.

Personally prefer single card solutions whenever the opportunity arises. Dual card solutions are often finicky with new releases, e.g. Rome 2 didn't launch with xfire or SLi support; they often require more power than a single card solution; dual cards often don't scale to double the gaming performance.

If you get a single GTX 780, you get comparable performance to SLI'd GTX 760s, more vRAM for antialiasing, textures, and higher resolutions (e.g. 4k), and still leave yourself open to adding a second GTX 780 as a cheap upgrade path some time down the line.

[Biggus Splenus]

@ Southern Irish - that is a good PC, but it's way over priced. Buy from a brand that isn't "premium" and you'll get a much better deal, with the exact same specs and reliability

@ oppai - you might want to upgrade your entire rig, I'm not sure though, you should post your full specs list. The CPU should definitely get updated before the GPU though, if it's really 5 years old.

@ Kahvipannu - R9 290 cards are very powerful, but they do produce a fair bit of heat and perform noticeably worse compared to Nvidia equivalents in Total War games. I do love AMD but I own an Nvidia card at the moment just because it makes more sense to me (the games I play run better on green).

@ Spartan - dual 760 perform much better than a single 780. Higher end cards do handle larger resolutions better, but at the moment a 4k monitor, or 21:9, or usually even 1440p monitors cost more than a high end graphics card, so it's not worth it right now. I still think a single 760 is the best buy someone can make at this moment.

[Kahvipannu]

@ Kahvipannu - R9 290 cards are very powerful, but they do produce a fair bit of heat and perform noticeably worse compared to Nvidia equivalents in Total War games. I do love AMD but I own an Nvidia card at the moment just because it makes more sense to me (the games I play run better on green).

HEat won't be a problem, I have that covered. Yeah, it is always the which one to go, you can't really go wrong with either one of them. In this price-range tought, I think AMD actually offers better performance compared to NVIDIA ones. This is the one I was looking atm to get, but I will wait a little bit to see how the prices stabilize. But I take it there isn't any specific problems with 290s and R2?

http://www.jimms.fi/tuote/CGAX-R9298O