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

[rohirrimelf]

I`m thinking my "old" gtx 580 has a decent chance to play this game allmost maxed out. Ive read somewhere that most tw game rely more on processing power anyway. Dont know for the real life battles. If a 670 cant run this game maxed out there is something wrong with this game, not the graphics card.

[Splatterfox]

Since we are on the topic of graphics, does anybody know what it takes GPU-wise to play Shogun 2 and Empire @1080p with all settings on Ultra and all effects enabled (SSAO, etc.), without lag at say 60fps? Because I have an AMD 6970 and Empire lagged if I turned all on, even without AA. I suppose the answer to this question would be similar to the one the OP is looking for.

Well, this isn't that easy to say all inclusive, since, different than other titles, RTS Games like TW don't have "the one" right specs, because huge battles always demand much more and are the main reason for issues. And the right GPU also depends on your used RAM and CPU.

I`m thinking my "old" gtx 580 has a decent chance to play this game allmost maxed out. Ive read somewhere that most tw game rely more on processing power anyway. Dont know for the real life battles. If a 670 cant run this game maxed out there is something wrong with this game, not the graphics card.

TW Games need quite a lot VRAM, too. Depending on your other specs, your 580 would definitely would definitely have more than just a chance to play it

[HigoChumbo]

I say that's completelly overkill (well unless you are playing in a 15000x9000 resolution screen).

That said, i have never been a big fan of Sli. I'd go for the 780 if those are your only options (and of course if price is not a matter for you)

If a 670 cant run this game maxed out there is something wrong with this game, not the graphics card.

This. Exactly.

[SamueleD]

Well, this isn't that easy to say all inclusive, since, different than other titles, RTS Games like TW don't have "the one" right specs, because huge battles always demand much more and are the main reason for issues. And the right GPU also depends on your used RAM and CPU.

Assuming that you are not CPU bound (you have the best available CPU, latest and best micro-architecture, with all the cores needed, which seems to be 2 for TW , running at say, 5GHz), you have all the RAM you need and more, it's high frequency and fast timings, you also have the best chipset, the best motherboard, etc. the only thing that remains is the GPU: which GPU configuration from both AMD and NVidia would you need to run Empire, Napoleon and Shogun 2, the Warscape games @1080p with all settings maxed (even AA) out and all effects enabled @ >=60 fps (and I'm not talking about 2 690s in quad sli, just the least powerful, and supposedly the cheapest, setup that can do that).
I'm asking out of curiosity, and speaking hypothetically, it's not a shopping advice.

Edit: also we are not speaking about my case with the 6970, as I am fairly certain that I am CPU bottlenecked in TW rather than GPU or RAM.

[boxleitnerb]

Difficult question! Depends on multiple factors.

VRAM: GTX 670 has 2 GB, SLI 670s 2 GB as well (VRAM isn't doubled in SLI or CF). Might be an issue if the texture resolution in the game is really high
Performance: An overclocked GTX 680 can dip in the low 40s at 1080p with the highest settings:
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/gra...roundup_9.html
Given that Rome 2 will probably scale well in the high end (CA said so), a single GTX 670 might not be enough in all situations.
Price: A 780 costs around 550 Euros, a second 670 only about 300. From a value perspective, the second 670 is a way better deal.
Microstuttering: In my experience (580 SLI, Titan SLI), microstuttering becomes an issue below about 50 fps. Personally I can live with it since I mostly play with 60 fps anyway, but if you want to crank up the settings and get like 40-50 fps, it might not be perfectly smooth.
Overclocking: The 780 seems to be an excellent overclocker. 25-30% should be no problem. As far as I know, the 670 isn't that good of an overclocker.

My suggestion:
Go with the 780, overclock it (or not ). Due to the 3 GB VRAM and the 50% higher bandwidth it definitely is more future proof than the 670 in SLI.

[Fedual]

I say that's completelly overkill (well unless you are playing in a 15000x9000 resolution screen).

That said, i have never been a big fan of Sli. I'd go for the 780 if those are your only options (and of course if price is not a matter for you)

Hello!


I would not be making this post if everything was fine and i would just be wanting something overkill

Difficult question! Depends on multiple factors.

VRAM: GTX 670 has 2 GB, SLI 670s 2 GB as well (VRAM isn't doubled in SLI or CF). Might be an issue if the texture resolution in the game is really high
Performance: An overclocked GTX 680 can dip in the low 40s at 1080p with the highest settings:
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/gra...roundup_9.html
Given that Rome 2 will probably scale well in the high end (CA said so), a single GTX 670 might not be enough in all situations.
Price: A 780 costs around 550 Euros, a second 670 only about 300. From a value perspective, the second 670 is a way better deal.
Microstuttering: In my experience (580 SLI, Titan SLI), microstuttering becomes an issue below about 50 fps. Personally I can live with it since I mostly play with 60 fps anyway, but if you want to crank up the settings and get like 40-50 fps, it might not be perfectly smooth.
Overclocking: The 780 seems to be an excellent overclocker. 25-30% should be no problem. As far as I know, the 670 isn't that good of an overclocker.

My suggestion:
Go with the 780, overclock it (or not ). Due to the 3 GB VRAM and the 50% higher bandwidth it definitely is more future proof than the 670 in SLI.

I just really happy that you confirm what im saying here, a GTX 670 is not enough and you suggested a 780 wich i just bought so i hope that will run alot smoother, and i do not expect to be able to run Rome2 on all the highest settings.

Im basically aiming for all graphics on ultra and all the extra tick in boxes left out blank and not used at all, like tesselation, heat haze, etcetc, (if this is how Rome2´s options will look like). I hope you understand what im aiming for.

Best Regards, Fedual

[Lockcaps]

There's no PC in the world that will be able to run Rome II on full ultra with constant 60+ FPS - you WILL get FPS-drops when you zoom in very close and there are explosions or similar nearby. Maybe (and that's one big maybe) something like SLI Titans with the one of the new Haswell "X" CPU's (i can't remember what they're called, the ones that cost $1500) could enable you to have a smooth experience all the time.

[Semper_Fidelis]

A 670 is enough by itself for a 1920x1080 monitor although it may drop down low if you are using full anti aliasing and ultra shadows. I found shadows to be a bully to the GPU.

[The Teutonic]

I have a 670 and it's more then enough to run all the latest games on ultra. As long as you have a decent'ish rig to go along with the card then there should be no problem. I'm also investing in a 120hz monitor soon, using my 32" TV for my new house that I currently use and switching to a Acer 27" http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showpr...odid=MO-061-AC

Looking forward to it

[Birk]

GTX 780 is waste of money. I will be buying Zotac GeForce GTX 770 AMP, it has almost the same performance.

GTX 780 price £500 ($777)
GTX 770 AMP! price £350 ($466)
http://hexus.net/tech/reviews/graphi...0-amp-edition/

[simonsimons]

2x670 GTX. I have one and its perfect. Its problem the most rounded card out there.

[torongill]

Hello!


I would not be making this post if everything was fine and i would just be wanting something overkill



I just really happy that you confirm what im saying here, a GTX 670 is not enough and you suggested a 780 wich i just bought so i hope that will run alot smoother, and i do not expect to be able to run Rome2 on all the highest settings.

Im basically aiming for all graphics on ultra and all the extra tick in boxes left out blank and not used at all, like tesselation, heat haze, etcetc, (if this is how Rome2´s options will look like). I hope you understand what im aiming for.

Best Regards, Fedual

Fedual, don't forget that ETW and NTW are earlier titles, when the hardware available now was just an idea for the future. Shogun 2 has been reported to run much more smoothly than NTW, courtesy of the optimised engine. Another point is the fact that there won't be anything near the level of smoke or explosions in Rome 2. And last, but not least, I think that the reason why you get slowing might be due to the CPU having to calculate the hundreds of bullets flying around and their trajectories, whether they hit and if they hit whether they kill, combined with the fact that you mentioned two 40-unit armies fighting it out.
Personally I think that while on ultra-high the game might have slightly lower max fps, the sustained level might in fact be higher. But that's just my personal opinion.

[SavageDivision]

i5 3570k and gtx 670 makes a very good PC

i have 3570k but with AMD 6950, and i`m planning to buy a gtx 760ti (my card is getting slow in some new games) when it will be released. 760 is rumored to be a rebranded 670 but for 300$.

that said, i actually dont expect Shogun 2 to run a lot more better after an upgrade, because total war games are usually more intense on CPU, not GPU. And right now 3570k (and new 4670k) is probably best gaming CPU anyway: it performs equal to i7 processors, because a lot of games does not support hyper threading.

So i dont think OP should upgrade his CPU, and he probably could have waited with buying a gtx 780. Who knows, maybe CA this time will make a proper 4 cores support, and i5 with 670 will bee enough for high settings. They promised good pefomance even for ultrabooks. On steam page one of the features says: Extremely scalable experience, with gameplay and graphics performance optimised to match low and high-end hardware alike.

sorry for my english

[talljoe]

No point in upgrading CPU. The 3570K with a reasonable OC is nearly identical in gaming performance to the haswell cpus, including the x series 6 cores. Shogun 2 bottlenecked on the CPU hardcore. I had an i7 950 at 3.7ghz and a GTX 680, and i'd get FPS dips into the high teens during big melee fights, especially in castles. Massive CPU bottleneck because Shogun 2 only uses one core. The big, end-all question for Rome 2 will be whether or not they've figured out how to utilize modern CPUs. My GTX 680 would sit at 50% usage while the CPU struggled for its life.

TLDR? no processor upgrade needed if you already have a 3570k. Invest in a 250gb + ssd if you don't have one. Makes a big difference in TW games.

EDIT: OP, I have SLI 670s and the ANNIHILATE most games. (Minimum FPS in BF3 absolutely maxed was 97 on 64p multiplayer). BUT: out comes the Company of Heroes 2 Beta, which is a PC exclusive game, which does not support sli!! It's insane, but true. I get 29fps min, 45 avg. and that's not even maxed, partially because game can only use one 670. (really it's not to blame on the 670 or sli.... it's freakin Relic which has some serious explaining to do on this front)

So SLI isn't without potential issues. But for TW I had 2x 460's in sli and they worked great.

[GasMask]

Just wait until the game comes out first assess your gaming performance then decide on a graphics card purchase.

[rohirrimelf]

Gasmask,

No need to do that. any pc which cost more then 1200 euro`s will play this game maxed out. Maybe a bit cheaper. OP just needs to prioritize wether he wants to pay bragging rights for a pc that will only be topnotch for a month or 2. Or pay for a pc that cost less money but will be more cost effective. 1000-1400 euro range pc. This is still a very good pc.

Since he doesnt care much about what he wants to spend on it. He can pay it now wait for the pc to get assemled in a month and a half, probably just before release. And shouldnt worry to much about updating anything in the next 5 years.

[ashbery76]

I am looking at the GTX 770 near release.

[Birk]

i5 3570k and gtx 670 makes a very good PC

i have 3570k but with AMD 6950, and i`m planning to buy a gtx 760ti (my card is getting slow in some new games) when it will be released. 760 is rumored to be a rebranded 670 but for 300$.

that said, i actually dont expect Shogun 2 to run a lot more better after an upgrade, because total war games are usually more intense on CPU, not GPU. And right now 3570k (and new 4670k) is probably best gaming CPU anyway: it performs equal to i7 processors, because a lot of games does not support hyper threading.

So i dont think OP should upgrade his CPU, and he probably could have waited with buying a gtx 780. Who knows, maybe CA this time will make a proper 4 cores support, and i5 with 670 will bee enough for high settings. They promised good pefomance even for ultrabooks. On steam page one of the features says: Extremely scalable experience, with gameplay and graphics performance optimised to match low and high-end hardware alike.

sorry for my english

No the new 4770k isn't much better than Sandy-bridge or Ivy-bridge. 4770k is 5%+ faster than Sandy-bridge i5-2500k. Which means it won't be noticeable in games. The reason why is games don't use hyperthreading or more than 2 cores. So if you have Sandy-bridge or ivy-bridge you still have a top notch CPU when it comes to gaming. Anyway both Ivy-bridge and Haswell have temperature problems, which means you will have difficulty to overclock them. This is how you fix the temperature problem.

[Stoferr]

Just a question, has anyone made some in depth tests of SLI in Shogun 2 and how much you gain? I remember testing Empire back in the days when I had two 8800's but enabling SLI would make performance worse than just using a single card.

[talljoe]

Just a question, has anyone made some in depth tests of SLI in Shogun 2 and how much you gain? I remember testing Empire back in the days when I had two 8800's but enabling SLI would make performance worse than just using a single card.

I'll check it out tonight.