Set up AdviceUpgrade for demanding visual experiences?
Set up AdviceUpgrade for demanding visual experiences?
Hello there,
with the launch of City skylines 2, I've come across some concerns about performance and requirements. This isn’t just about this game; I’ve also noticed my PC struggling with older titles, especially those in the total war genre (especially with heavy modding). I’ve checked online to help decide better, but there are so many options for graphics cards, GPUs, CPUs, RAM... I feel a bit confused. So here’s what I’m thinking:
I built my system a few years ago without much knowledge of hardware. I asked for advice and got great recommendations and guides to help me assemble my first tower. Now, I want to upgrade, but I’m unsure where to start—should I replace everything or just focus on the graphics card and CPU? Should I add more RAM as well?
Here’s what I have right now:
MOTHERBOARD: Z370 TOMAHAWK (MS-7B47)
CPU: Intel® Core™ i5-8600K @ 3.60GHz
CPU COOLER: Noctua NH-U12S - 120mm
RAM: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB - PC4-24000 - DIMM (2x8GB)
GPU: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1070 Ti Windforce - 8 GB
SSD: WD_BLACK 2TB SN850X
SATA: Samsung 860 EVO M.2 - 250 GB / Western Digital Blue - 1TB (desktop, not sure which is correct)
Approximate purchase date: this week (the sooner the better)
Budget range: 1 to 1,500 euros, depending on how many parts I need
Primary use: Gaming, YouTube
Are you buying a monitor?
No
Upgrade items: Not sure
Do you need an operating system?
No
Best websites for parts: anything in the EU would be good, my previous purchase was at
https://www.paradigit.nl/
(they had many options)
Location: Netherlands
Preferences: none
Overclocking: Maybe
SLI or Crossfire: No clue
Monitor resolution: 1920 x 1080
Extra note: My hardware is aging, and I expect future games to be more demanding (most are already that case). Most importantly, why am I upgrading?
Low FPS in games, needing to compromise graphics quality for performance.
there are two choices, DDR4 RAM is available for B760 mobos and models like 14700 or 14600. however, you won't be able to upgrade to the latest CPUs. for around 70 euros you'd be investing in a platform that might still provide decent performance for 3 to 4 years. the alternative is choosing AM5, which offers future upgrades even after three years, ensuring your setup lasts at least eight years. you can also reuse the U12S CPU.
Cities Skylines 2 appears designed for PCs that don't yet exist. Until it gets optimized, running at 4K Ultra won't work. 1080p looks about average, and even lower settings aren't great. Creating a PC around it would likely be costly. I'm sure someone can help locate a suitable build.
I don’t fully grasp some sections of the video, but I understand the overall idea. Choosing the suggested Intel® Core™ i5-12600K, AMD® Ryzen™ 7 5800, or Nvidia® GeForce™ RTX 3080 (10 GB) or AMD® Radeon™ RX 6800 XT (16 GB) would total around 1000e, which is expensive but fits within my budget. However, before making the decision, I want to check if these options are also suitable for battle simulation games, especially Total War titles, and if they match my motherboard specifications. Honestly, the more I research graphics cards, the clearer it becomes about the variety and the challenges in choosing the best one. If this makes sense, I’ll consider what others recommend. Thanks a lot for your assistance!
Most of the CPU mentioned in the video aren't current generation, so I would guess the builds offered will be newer. Same applies for the GPU really.
Also, really good chance performance of game will improve in next few months so those cards should be able to provide more.
Are you going to keep using 1080p as that would assist in what GPU to offer.
CS2 is GPU heavy, I would have to guess Total war games are more CPU heavy given how many units in play. So you need a good CPU & GPU
what do you mean?
I thought both the CPU and GPU would need upgrading.
For my monitor, I’m considering an upgrade (it had a rough year, so I feel justified).
What I mean is I’m dealing with a lot of different graphics card options, from various brands, and my limited understanding of hardware makes it tough to judge the differences.
I find it both frightening and funny that a 4090 struggles to handle 1440p at ultra settings. I feel like I'm stuck with my RX 6800, even at 1080p, since the 6800 should be capable of 1440p in most games.
I won’t even attempt to break down which cards in both Nvidia and AMD lines suit each scenario, since I’m sure I’d misinterpret them.
For CS2:
With Nvidia, I’d consider anything above a 4080, especially for extra VRAM and current features.
With AMD, I’d focus on a 6800xt or better. The 7800xt offers newer specs and will have at least 16GB of RAM. I expect performance issues in these models to be resolved through game and driver updates.
Intel? Their graphics aren’t very strong yet,
CPU
Intel: likely need a 14600k (12600k is the better choice but it’s two generations old... it’s not much better than the 14 series...).
AMD 7800x3d is currently the top gaming CPU.
I’d still want to test the games with more hardware to confirm.
The RTX 4080 16GB averages around 1250 euros, while the 7800 XT is cheaper than 600 euros. This difference might be linked to performance issues you noted or not. If not, I’ll choose AMD for both graphics card and CPU, ensuring compatibility with my motherboard and other parts.