Recommended computer to play Rome 2 Total War?

[Incendio]

I recently started playing Rome 2 Total War and I found I really like it, is an amazing game. I have savings because I finally didn't purchase a gaming laptop. As I see, desktops are way more powerful and less expensive and now I can afford to have a desktop computer, I'd like to ask what is my best option to build a computer to play Rome 2 as the most bottleneck game I own and the most demanding one. Other games I own and demanding: Shogun 2, Napoleon and Empire Total War, the rest are Pike and Shot and other turn-based strategy games.

My question is if the new RTX 3060, 3070 cards are powerful enough to run games like Rome 2 TW with good fps and good graphic settings or it would be better to way until RTX 4060, 4070 arrives. I am not a tech savy, I have a budget of around 2,000 USD and I don't know if is enough to buy a good desktop computer to run Rome 2 Total War and enjoy the best I can do.

Thank you in advance.

[Gyrosmeister]

Well with 2000 USD you should be easily be able to build(I do not recommend pre-built PCs) a PC that runs Rome II on high graphics settings without any problems.

[Sir Adrian]

RTX 3060 can easily run Rome 2 at max settings. In fact I think it can run it 3 times over. Any decent modern computer should be able to run Rome 2. I was able to run it a max-ish settings on an i5 4400 with 16 gb of old ddr 3 ram and a geforce gtx 1050 ti. Aside for the graphics card, those are 2014 components.

Just remember that Rome 2 only knows how to use a single core, so go for an intel processor as it has better single core performance than amd, even if amd is better overall.

[Gyrosmeister]

RTX 3060 can easily run Rome 2 at max settings. In fact I think it can run it 3 times over. Any decent modern computer should be able to run Rome 2. I was able to run it a max-ish settings on an i5 4400 with 16 gb of old ddr 3 ram and a geforce gtx 1050 ti. Aside for the graphics card, those are 2014 components.

Just remember that Rome 2 only knows how to use a single core, so go for an intel processor as it has better single core performance than amd, even if amd is better overall.

Though I doubt that someone will only want to build a PC for Rome II, so I would still recommend an AMD CPU, since upgrading it in the feature is also generally more convenient regarding sockets etc

[Septentrionalis]

I am highly suspicious of gaming laptops and it is nice to hear that someone is going for a desktop. Like Gyromeister said, do not get a pre-built. Learning about all the setups is fun and that knowledge is sure to serve you well in the years to come when you develop and upgrade your setup.

The first thing that I want to recommend is not to get too small a case. A small case will make everything harder like fitting in all those stiff cables. It increases the risk of you breaking something delicate and it is no fun to realize that your GPU or power supply does not fit in there. Also keep in mind that there may come a time when you want to have a second GPU. The beauty of a good case is that it will not break really. It will serve you a long time.

Another thing is to make sure that the motherboard, memory, and processor are all mutually compatible. I "saved" by getting a mid-range motherboard but a fairly decent processor and 16 gb of good, fast memory. Then I saw the exact same memory on sale later on and got two more sticks (additional 16 gm) for future-proofing my machine, only to find out that my motherboard does not support more than two sticks IF it is using the processor I got. Annoying.

I like 4K gaming and run two graphics cards in parallel because none but the very latest, most powerful cards cannot handle those resolutions with ultra settings. I really wish I had a bigger case. The smallish mid-tower I have, in addition to being a pain to handle whenever I need to install something, does not really even circulate air well enough. So I have to remove the side panel for gaming so the inside of the case does not get too hot when running two cards at full load.

[Incendio]

The question is if I should invest more money in the CPU or the GPU as I am not familiar with the real requirements of Rome 2 to avoid massive fps drops in battles.

[Septentrionalis]

This question baffles me a bit. If you have as much as 2,000 dollars to spend, and I assume now that you are not so rich as to be able to budget that kind of money every year, you should build a solid foundation that will help you enjoy other games as well. If Rome 2 indeed uses one core, get a good Intel processor like Sir Adrian said and a good-quality compatible motherboard. In most other things, CPU nowadays is not the bottleneck, and if your processor is decent, it will serve you well a long time. Future proofing is a thing in my opinion.

Get memory that has a high RAM speed (3,000 Mhz minimum I would say, but maybe 3,600 would be advisable) and remember that combining different RAM sticks does not work like it used to back in the day. You may have a hard time finding compatible sticks later on if you want to add memory. I would say that 16gb is what you should go for unless you get a particularly good deal on an even bigger set.

And this one is important. An SSD drive as your system hard drive and your games installation drive is essential. Those old physical disk hard drives are only good for long-time storage of important files. An SSD for Windows will make your computer boot up in seconds and, for games, it will reduce loading times significantly. Unfortunately, I got a 256 gb SSD for Windows which was a mistake. Now I have to maintain it all the time by moving files to other drives and deleting savegames from C: so it doesn't get full.

The GPU usually is the biggest bottleneck, but that can also be easily exchanged later on as more powerful ones become affordable. However, if you lack in the memory, motherboard, or processor needs, you may find yourself having to replace two or all three because of the intricate compatibility issues.

And did I mention about the case size? Get as big as your significant other will allow you to carry into your home .

[Septentrionalis]

One more thing. If you intend to play games after you are done with Rome 2, having to upgrade your GPU sooner than you would like to is actually not the worst thing that can happen. It is good to have a spare GPU that can take care of most things. I have had my only relevant GPU (others being seriously antiquated) break, and the GPU market is fickle. If there is some kind of cryptocurrency boom going on that breakage can happen when GPUs are really hard to get and expensive.

[Septentrionalis]

I checked the local prices in my country at the moment and the kind of approach I talked about seems just about feasible with your budget with one exception. The kind of GPU availability crisis I mentioned seems to be at hand right now because so many people are investing in home entertainment. I am so happy to have invested in two 1070Ti GPUs when the going was good.

Also, please seek help on the Intel processors and motherboards online (or try to get someone to help here) because I do not know much about Intel setups.

[Condottiere 40K]

1. First of all, you have to have access to your preferred components.

2. Then you have to figure out if it's worth the money you plan to spend on it, because short of the Mainland invading Taiwan, this is probably the worst time to upgrade.

3. From online commentary, it seems that a prebuilt model might actually be the best option, at this time, since the sellers make enough money without needing to really rip you off.

4. I'm pretty sure I can't get a graphic card anywhere near suggested retail price, and stock of the five thousand series Ryzen appear to have dried up.

5. And even if they didn't, they are now premium price, and in theory, next year will debut a new socket AM5, which should be using DDR5 memory, so consider AM4 a deadend; I only upgraded because I had an expensive motherboard to begin with, and made an early calculation that Ryzen supply was going to be tight this year.

6. Intel is under new management, and seem inclined to make some price cuts to maintain market share, if not grab some back.

7. Considering that some seriously politically connected money is now investing in cryptocurrency, I doubt it's going to crash anytime soon, though it could slowly decline to maybe twenty or thirty kay bux.

8. In theory, Radeon could order fourteen nanometre five hundred series graphic cards from Samsung or Global, without cannibalizing their sales, but I suspect that the materials required to make any graphic card is in short supply, and are prioritized to the high end.

9. I'd wait, unless you really need to play these games at the highest settings, right now; give it three months, now that Chinese New Year is over.

[Septentrionalis]

...

What I said and all the things Condottiere said above (that I find interesting and as far as I can tell accurate) may make building a new desktop computer sound like a truly complicated and scary thing, but I would still like you Incendio to learn to build a computer and not get one of those gaming laptops. This just may not be the good time to do that. I have also waited patiently at times of market disruptions to make my move. With desktop computers, anything breaking usually leads to an affordable replacement that often also implies an upgrade at the same time instead of paying a lot to get your aging computer fixed.

[alhoon]

" My question is if the new RTX 3060, 3070 cards are powerful enough to run games like Rome 2 TW with good fps and good graphic settings "
Yes unless you have an insane resolution. R2TW is an old game.

[Ishan]

" My question is if the new RTX 3060, 3070 cards are powerful enough to run games like Rome 2 TW with good fps and good graphic settings "
Yes unless you have an insane resolution. R2TW is an old game.

Yeah 3060 is fine for 1080p/1440p. 3070 can even handle TWR2 at 4K.
It's more CPU bound but any modern day CPU handle it now easily.

[King Athelstan]

RTX 3060 can easily run Rome 2 at max settings. In fact I think it can run it 3 times over. Any decent modern computer should be able to run Rome 2. I was able to run it a max-ish settings on an i5 4400 with 16 gb of old ddr 3 ram and a geforce gtx 1050 ti. Aside for the graphics card, those are 2014 components.

Just remember that Rome 2 only knows how to use a single core, so go for an intel processor as it has better single core performance than amd, even if amd is better overall.

The Ryzen 5 series has a higher single-core performance than the current Intel CPU's.

[Ishan]

The Ryzen 5 series has a higher single-core performance than the current Intel CPU's.

Yes, but current 10700K etc are selling at discounts and are actually available, so it could be economical if there's a good deal. But if one can find a Ryzen Zen 3 in their budget, obviously opt for that.
Also leaks for rocketlake are out and while the 11900K\Intel regains its single core performance title, it does so by a small margin. Also multi-core performance is meh. So Zen 3 is still a beast. Zen 3 would be a very good choice even when Zen 3+ are released in late 2021.

[King Athelstan]

Aye, and seeing as he has a budget of 2000 dollars I think the little extra price is something that he can afford.

[NorthernXY]

Thanks y'all. Going to be building my own desktop here soon so am doing research on everything with the fervor only a chemist can. I know Intel, though admittedly not an expert, but nothing about AMD. More so than in the past I hear AMD is passing Intel. Trying to build one though is a easier said than done because so many of their chips aren't in stock. With the top GPUs also not in stock, it's hard to do even a "What if" build. Naturally want to "Future Proof" as much as possible, but would need help doing it with an AMD build. Will they support DDR5 next year? Should I just wait and pick up stuff like the case when it goes on sale?

[Ishan]

DDR5 is planned in 2022. But I haven't heard anything about actual release date. I think companies will milk on DDR4 till 2022 if the rumoured Zen3+ gets in between Zen 4 which is planned on DDR5.
You should definitely go for Zen 3 and try to get 5600X. AMD works great on higher RAM clock speeds.

[Incendio]

Thank you for your feedback. I realized gaming laptops GPUs have lower performance compared with their desktop counterparts and also is hard to find powerful CPUs. Gaming laptops with desktop CPUs are usually overpriced and really hard to find, I mean, CPUs such as i7 8700k or i9 9900k. For example, an Alienware area 51m with CPU i9 9900k is usually over 3,000$ so even pre-built desktops are way cheaper than laptops.

[Ishan]

Yeah laptops will always be very expensive when trying to compete with same level of desktop performance due to smaller compact size. Also thermodynamics restricts laptops to fully flex as due to insufficient cooling thermal throttling would kick in & they won't last much on battery, which is why most mGPUs downclock when not connected with AC Power Adapter.