What setup would you suggest?
What setup would you suggest?
The build mentioned in some previous posts has a very low chance of providing satisfactory performance at 1080p with high settings. It should function, but you can anticipate minimal settings. For better value, consider searching for used prebuilt components or parts. This setup is expected to work well in AOE4 and most other titles:
PCPartPicker Part List
CPU: Intel Core i3-13100F 3.4 GHz Quad-Core Processor
($83.00 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus B760M-AYW WIFI D4 II Micro ATX LGA1700
($99.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: TEAMGROUP T-Force Vulcan Z 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16
($32.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Klevv CRAS C910 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME SSD
($56.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: PowerColor Fighter Radeon RX 7600 8 GB
($229.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Cooler Master Q300L V2 MicroATX Mini Tower
($38.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: ASRock Steel Legend SL-650G 650 W (80+ Gold Certified, Fully Modular ATX)
($79.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $621.94
Shipping, taxes, and available discounts are included
Generated by PCPartPicker
2025-08-23 23:11 EDT-0400
Some affordable upgrade ideas for this configuration include:
CPU: Intel Core i5-12400F 2.5 GHz 6-Core Processor
($116.00 @ Amazon)
Memory: TEAMGROUP T-Create Expert 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16
($56.99 @ Newegg)
These small computers (beeswax wasp-link or similar) could be more suitable for you! (Do your own research)
PCPartPicker Part List
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 4500 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor ($68.00 @ B&H)
Motherboard: ASRock B550M-HDV Micro ATX AM4 ($69.98 @ Amazon)
Memory: TEAMGROUP T-Force Vulcan Z 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 ($32.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Patriot Burst Elite 120 GB 2.5" SSD ($12.49 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Asus Phoenix Radeon RX 6400 4 GB ($118.36 @ Amazon)
Case: Cooler Master Q300L V2 MicroATX Mini Tower ($38.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Montech APX 750 W 80+ Certified ATX ($54.90 @ Amazon)
Total: $395.71 (includes shipping, taxes, and available discounts)
Generated by PCPartPicker
2025-08-24 04:46 EDT-0400
120 GB SSD isn't enough for OP use case.
Win10 alone takes up 20GB minimum. While with user data and applications, it's 30-40GB.
Win11 needs even more, 64GB (actual OS is 25-30GB).
If you look AoE4 sys reqs (linked by punkncat), then there is a requirement where when downloading the game, it needs 93GB of free space.
And 120 GB SSD isn't actually 120GB. Instead usable space on it is 111GB.
Whereby it is best to keep 20% of drive's max capacity free at all times, rather than filling it to the brim.
So, OP will be short on storage space.
Thanks for the suggestions. The issue is I have some components for an AM4 build and a PC I already own that's also AM4, which includes good parts like the motherboard and power supply unit.
My PC setup is:
AMD 3200G
Asus B450 Strix Gaming II
2x8GB 3200 Kingstong Fury
128GB Kingston NVMe
Coolmaster NVM 750 Gold
And a decent case.
The parts I have are:
AMD 4100
120GB Kingston SATA
2x4GB 2444 Crucial
And an old case.
My plan is to use some of these for a gaming PC and another one for my office.
I’m wondering if the 4100 is suitable for AOE 3 and AOE 4, or if I should upgrade to a better CPU. Also, which GPU would be best for this game?
I’m not sure if it’s better to go cheap and upgrade to AM5 in the future or stick with AM4 since I play older games.
So your current PC includes the following components:
Amd 3200g
Asus b450 strix gaming ii
2x8gb 3200 kingston fury
128gb kingston nvm
Coolmaster nvm 750 gold
And a decent case.
For upgrades, you might consider these parts:
Ryzen 5 4100
120gb kingston sata
2x4gb 2444 crucial
And an older case.
If this is the situation, you could update the motherboard BIOS, install the Ryzen 5 4100, discard the two 4gb DDR4 modules, and buy a budget GPU. A model like GTX 1660 or RX 580 8GB would handle these games easily.
If you have an FX 4100, it’s outdated, slow, and not useful for AM4 systems—consider recycling it.
Yes, I require a new GPU for the gaming PC and a PSU and motherboard for the office PC (3200G). I'm unsure if upgrading to an older model like AM5 is worthwhile given the outdated games. Also, should I consider replacing the 4100 with a better one such as 5500 or 5600?
The 4100 won't be significantly quicker than your existing setup with the 3200G. I believe opting for a 5600, 5600X or 5700X (based on cost) would meet your CPU requirements. Once you reach that level, invest in the top video card available within your budget. Upgrading to a new platform will largely depend on your financial situation.
It offers double the threads, a 200mhz quicker base clock, and twice the L3 cache. The improvement won’t be drastic, but it will noticeably increase speed, particularly in multithreaded scenarios. Regardless, this title requires a Ryzen 5 1600 or "3.6 GHz 6-core (Intel i5)" as its suggested CPU, with a minimum of an I5 6300U or Ryzen 5 2400G. The Ryzen 5 4100 exceeds the baseline and comes closer to the recommended configuration. This is particularly relevant given the Intel 6 cores mentioned (8th and 9th gen) which are similar to a quad-core with hyperthreading. It would be cost-effective to switch to the Ryzen 3 4100 and install a more recent GPU. Later, you could upgrade to a Ryzen 7 5000 series CPU to fully optimize system performance. I see this as the ultimate aim, though timing remains flexible.
You might also consider selling unused components, retaining the 3200G, enhancing your GPU, and then upgrading your CPU later. Your current CPU is sufficient for playing AOE 3 and 4; you just need a better graphics card initially. If purchasing a new GPU, an RTX 3050 or RX 6600 would be adequate. Alternatively, if buying used, there are many options available—GTX 1660, RTX 2060, 2070, 2080, 3060, or RX 5700 (XT), 6600 (XT), 6650 XT, 6700 (XT). Or for drivers-free setups, GTX 1060, 1070, 1080, or RX 480 8GB, 580 8GB, Vega 56, Vega 64.
You can find more details here:
https://www.cpu-world.com/CPUs/Zen/AMD-Ryzen 3 3200G.html
https://www.techpowerup.com/cpu-specs/ry...4100.c2757
The same cache TPU's database is incorrect. The boost clocks are identical, so increasing the base clock won't yield significant benefits. The solution lies in improving the CPU architecture and increasing the thread count by double. They also aimed to reach maximum settings (at 1080p), with detailed requirements available here: https://support.ageofempires.com/hc...he...Empires-IV
Choose the most affordable am5 upgrade option so your PC remains capable of running these games at high resolutions for years to come, offering excellent value. A Ryzen 5 7600 paired with a solid GPU setup would be ideal.