How to Run M2TW on Medium Settings, A Budget Build Guide

[Bella]

How to Run M2TW on Medium Settings, A Budget Build Guide

First off, let me remind the readers this solution worked well for me when testing the M2TW demo. While it is the demo, this setup did handle the game well on medium/high settings. Usually between 20 - 40fps. I know a lot of gamers out there are either in the process of or will soon be ordering new parts to handle this game decently. So I offer my knowledge to guide others towards a decent box that won't break your wallet but will still be able to handle M2TW on a decent level of detail.

Now, while I'm not saying you yourself should purchase this kind of setup, I will say it worked quite well for my specific needs. To each his own. This is meant to be a guide to parts needed to run the game on medium settings. This should not be treated as a checklist for parts, but rather a comparison guide to know what kind of parts for similar performance you'd need to handle M2TW on medium settings.

All of the following equipment can be purchased from newegg.com and I will provide links and current prices to each part.

First, we'll start with a good case.

KINGWIN SK-523SW Silver Aluminum front bezel, SECC chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail - $57.99
http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16811170022

Then an 939 Athlon64 mobo with PCI-E support.

ECS RX480-A (1.0) Socket 939 ATI XPRESS 200P ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail - $53.99
http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16813135009

Then let's grab our workhorse.

AMD Athlon 64 3700+ San Diego 2.2GHz 1MB L2 Cache Socket 939 Processor - Retail - $95.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103622

And our RAM.

G.SKILL 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail - $112.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231027

Now a decent, budget graphics card.

POWERCOLOR X800GTO256MBDDR3 Radeon X800GTO 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail - $86.99
http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16814131007

Then let's grab a good 19" lcd.

Rosewill R912E Black 19" 8ms DVI LCD Monitor 270 cd/m2 500:1 - Retail - $249.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824021019

Let's get a good hdd now.

SAMSUNG SpinPoint P Series HD160JJ 160GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM - $52.67
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...2E16822152020R

Then a good dvd/cd-rom combo drive.

SAMSUNG Black 16X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 16X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 5X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2M Cache ATA/ATAPI DVD Burner With LightScribe - OEM - $27.79
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...2E16827151118R

And a decent PSU to run everything.

COOLMAX V-400 ATX v2.01 400W Power Supply 100~132VAC or 200~264VAC FCC part 15 Class B, CIS PR 22 Class B - Retail - $19.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817159045

Final Total (without S&H) - $757.40 USD

You could also add in your own sound card to this, but the motherboard comes with Realtek ALC850 8 Channel onboard audio. So if you can deal with that, it'll work.

As I stated earlier, with this exact setup, I am able to run the demo on medium/high settings with a consistent 20fps, jumping to 35fps. So if you're looking for a good system for less buck to throw at Medieval2, I offer this as a guide to what kind of parts you should be looking for. Of course, if you've got the money, you can always go for God boxes. But those of us who would like to play M2TW for less than $1000 USD, this worked well for me.

Anyone else who can add to this thread and may have a better solution for cheaper or a few bucks more, feel free to add to this guide. I just want to help my fellow total war gamers get the best bang for their buck out of this installment of the franchise.



Also, as a footnote, games that this sytem can handle at max settings, that I've found, are:

Battlefield 2
Rome: Total War (Huge Unit Setting)
Half-Life 2
Oblivion (for the most part)
Company of Heroes
Caeser IV
Black & White 2

So it's a good budget box, in my experience. Although I'm sure Lee will call me crazy for the most part on this thread.

Good luck out there Total War fans.

[BeastG33]

Nice thread for anyone looking to upgrade entirely, or just a small part of their computer. Good guide.

[Pre]

Thats a nice system for the price. Mines just a little better and I payed twice as much But that was last November...amazing how fast technology moves these days.

[Censor]

This is all assuming you have the know how to use a screwdriver and handle electronics properly (as in not rubbing it on the carpet at least!).

It's not hard, just a bit time consuming and maybe scary if it's your first time.

Don't buy a dell, reap the rewards of your handiwork by building your own.

[Scarlett Letterman]

This is all assuming you have the know how to use a screwdriver and handle electronics properly (as in not rubbing it on the carpet at least!).

It's not hard, just a bit time consuming and maybe scary if it's your first time.

I'm debating whether to fork out the 100$ to get a pro to set me up. Maybe I should try myself. I know the basics of what goes into what, but i've no idea how to even mount the mobo.

[{nF}remix]

The x800 can't handle MTW II on high? I find that hard to believe. The demo really isn't a good indicator of how the game will run in retail. CA demo's have always been "incomplete" as in just having enough of the engine packed in to play the amount of soldiers provided in the historical battles. So everyone should get a significant boost in FPS when the retail version comes out.

[Bella]

The x800 can't handle MTW II on high? I find that hard to believe. The demo really isn't a good indicator of how the game will run in retail. CA demo's have always been "incomplete" as in just having enough of the engine packed in to play the amount of soldiers provided in the historical battles. So everyone should get a significant boost in FPS when the retail version comes out.

I think the x800 I have 'could' handle M2 on high graphic settings. Like I said, that setup seems to run the demo well on medium/high settings, but pretty much guaranteed on all medium at the least. But this setup is also only using 1GB of pc3200 ram. 1GB should be the standard minimum to use, but the more the better, of course. The cpu is also one of the mid-range Athlon64's. So if you add a little punch and get one of the faster 64's, that would help as well. I should also note that all these parts are running at stock speeds. No overclocking was used on my test machine. So if you have the extra cooling capacity to bump some speeds up, go ahead. But you do so at your own risk, of course.

And yes, going this way (rather than the "Dude, you're getting Dell" way) does require knowledge on how to piece together a system yourself. Which turns out for the best anyways because you're getting more bang for your buck without all the manufacturing costs and hellish dell performance.

[Germanicus75]

I think the x800 I have 'could' handle M2 on high graphic settings.

I've got the X800 XL 256MB PCI-e and combined with an Athlon64 3800+, my system is rather laggy on details maxed out...

[Rex Armeniae]

I think the x800 I have 'could' handle M2 on high graphic settings. Like I said, that setup seems to run the demo well on medium/high settings, but pretty much guaranteed on all medium at the least. But this setup is also only using 1GB of pc3200 ram. 1GB should be the standard minimum to use, but the more the better, of course. The cpu is also one of the mid-range Athlon64's. So if you add a little punch and get one of the faster 64's, that would help as well. I should also note that all these parts are running at stock speeds. No overclocking was used on my test machine. So if you have the extra cooling capacity to bump some speeds up, go ahead. But you do so at your own risk, of course.

And yes, going this way (rather than the "Dude, you're getting Dell" way) does require knowledge on how to piece together a system yourself. Which turns out for the best anyways because you're getting more bang for your buck without all the manufacturing costs and hellish dell performance.

I have an radeon x800xt and I have everything on High! No lag whatsoever. I can have shadows etc. everything checked without lag.

[BeastG33]

The x800 can't handle MTW II on high? I find that hard to believe. The demo really isn't a good indicator of how the game will run in retail. CA demo's have always been "incomplete" as in just having enough of the engine packed in to play the amount of soldiers provided in the historical battles. So everyone should get a significant boost in FPS when the retail version comes out.

I have an X850 XT PE and I do think that can handle the game on high but my 3200+ slows me down.

[Ulyaoth]

what wrong with rubbing your computer on a carpet? Mines been rubbed around my carpet for years and is fine...


I'm just waiting for the next bunch of Athlons to come out, I'll be saving up and just use my free A64 3500, build a top of the line comp when DX10 and everything comes out.

[Ulyaoth]

While you're talking about this, do you guys think my computer should run the game fine? My internet's been being annoying so I couldn't download the demo yet. I've got a Athlon 3500, 768mb RAM, and a Radeon X850pro. I'm guessing the low RAM's gonna be a pain, but I don't feel like getting more now.

[Bella]

you're definitely going to need some more ram. i wouldn't touch M2 without at least 1GB at the ready. your cpu should be alright for now and your gpu is fine.

[Clibby]

While you're talking about this, do you guys think my computer should run the game fine? My internet's been being annoying so I couldn't download the demo yet. I've got a Athlon 3500, 768mb RAM, and a Radeon X850pro. I'm guessing the low RAM's gonna be a pain, but I don't feel like getting more now.

Yeah. Mine runs the demo just fine on medium settings and I have:

P4 2.6 Ghz
1GB Kingston ValuRAM @ 333mhz
XFX 6600GT 128mb AGP (stock speeds)

[Ulyaoth]

Wait, they said if you could run RTW on high you can run MTW2 right? If that's right then I'm set.

[Oddball_E8]

actually... i think the SSE2 thingy will stop you... its just a standard athlon you have right? those dont work IIRC...

check out the SSE2 thread...

[Spart]

^Nope, that's Athlon 64. It will work nicely.

[the_mango55]

I would definatley advise people to spend more than $20 on a power supply, the reviews for that one look pretty bad.

I reccomend you google up some power supply reviews and get a PSU that gets a good reveiw from an actual computer hardware site.

Something like this: XClio 450BL ATX 450W Power Supply, $45.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817189003

[Spart]

^So true, the_mango55. What's the use of having an uber-pc if it explodes because of crappy psu... Here's some good psu's I found in finnish forum:


Q-Technology (Not Q-Tec!)
HEC
Fortron ~ Nexus ~ Zalman ~ Aopen
Chieftec = Seventeam
Antec Neo HE
Seasonic
BeQuiet
Enermax
Enlight = Sirtec

And some bad ones, if I remember correctly, Q-Tec, Codegen, Macron, Altis...
So when upgrading, don't get a power supply you have never heard of. Pay a bit more so your pc will be safe.

[SPARTAN VI]

^So true, the_mango55. What's the use of having an uber-pc if it explodes because of crappy psu... Here's some good psu's I found in finnish forum:


Q-Technology (Not Q-Tec!)
HEC
Fortron ~ Nexus ~ Zalman ~ Aopen
Chieftec = Seventeam
Antec Neo HE
Seasonic
BeQuiet
Enermax
Enlight = Sirtec

And some bad ones, if I remember correctly, Q-Tec, Codegen, Macron, Altis...
So when upgrading, don't get a power supply you have never heard of. Pay a bit more so your pc will be safe.

QFT

And NEVER EVER EVER NEVER EVER NEVER NEVER EVER use the PSU that comes with your case! That's one of the first rules when building a PC!