Performance help plz

[xenforo]

My specs:
GPU:GeForce 8800 GT 512MB
CPU: Intel e8400
RAM:2GB

This is well above the recommended specs paradox asks

yet there is no difference between speed 3 and higher
a day at speed 5 takes like 2 seconds. I want to be able to play 10 years (non-war)in 30 minutes like i see those youtubers do. Now it takes me on average 4,5 hours.

Will upgrading from HDD to ssd really give me that or is it something else i can do?


All of my components are almost brand new despite of it being old release date.

 

[mag_zbc]

Not much you can do, except replacing the computer entirely. EU4 is very CPU heavy, and yours is quite outdated, not to mention very little RAM. Upgrading to SSD will make little to no difference, except loading times.

The recommended specs are from the release date (and that was over 4 years ago), and since then the game has received plenty of updates - new tags, mechanics and a lot of new provinces.

 

[xenforo]

Paradox should update the recommended specs. I now don't know what to buy.

I'm thinking about upgrading my pc just for this game. Any recommendations on how i would get the best performance at the lowest cost JUST for this game.

I'm thinking about buying this:

CPU:AMD Athlon X4 950 ~55€
GPU: GeForce GTX 1080 Ti~ I will have to work part time for a few months for this as im still a student but atleast I'll be able to run at speed 5 right?
RAM: 4GB DDR3 that should be enough

I won't buy an ssd as it doesn't seem necessary you said

 

[mag_zbc]

I'll be able to run at speed 5 right?

No, definitely not.
1. There's no point going for GTX 1080 if you want to couple it with such weak processor as Athlon X4 - not for EU4, not for any game for that matter
2. 4GB DDR3 is definitely not enough

You should much rather go for weaker GPU (like GTX 1050) and faster processor.

 

[xenforo]

No, definitely not.
1. There's no point going for GTX 1080 if you want to couple it with such weak processor as Athlon X4 - not for EU4, not for any game for that matter
2. 4GB DDR3 is definitely not enough

You should much rather go for weaker GPU (like GTX 1050) and faster processor.

So even double the Ram and double the cpu strength won't even cut it?!? As you see I have no Idea what I'm doing here.

EDIT: By reading a bit people say Eu4 is bad at multi threading so i should look at a cpu with max 4 cores and a high single thread performance?

 

[Vetgirig]

EDIT: By reading a bit people say Eu4 is bad at multi threading so i should look at a cpu with max 4 cores and a high single thread performance?

They did a fix for that in last patch and made the game more multi threaded.
But still its the CPU that is the bottleneck for most people.

So yes you need a fast CPU.

 

[Vulkandrache]

The 1080 Ti is among the newest and most expensive graphic cards you can buy right now.
Do you even plan to play any sort of new AAA game that would require even parts of its performance?

AMD Athlon X4 950 ~55€

With such a cheap one the 1080 might not even be able to go with its full potential, getting bottlenecked by the CPU.

I will have to work part time for a few months for this as im still a student but atleast I'll be able to run at speed 5 right?

For the price of a 1080Ti you can get well over half of a really nice, well budgeted PC with new part all around, especially if you have a monitor and can reuse parts of your old machine like the case or the PSU.

As you see I have no Idea what I'm doing here.

I bought a new PC a bit over a year ago, and it took me 4 weeks of gathering information, catching up on news and deciding the best combination of price, stuff i want and stuff i need until i finalized the first ordering of parts.
You are trying to move way to fast, especially for someone on a tight budget.

 

[JohanC1]

Considering you want PC only for EUIV go for:

CPU: Intel Pentium G4560, 3.5GHz - the guide price : € 64,90 with dispatch.
GPU: Gigabyte GeForce GT 1030 2GB - the guide price: € 86,90 with dispatch. Some older cards can be even better, like GTX 7x series but they are rather more expensive.
RAM: GoodRam Iridium DDR4 8GB 2133MHz CL15 or similar - the guide price: € 96,90 with dispatch.

Motherboards:
MSI H110M PRO-D - you will have to update bios - the guide price: € 43,90 with dispatch.
or
MSI B250M PRO-VD - ready to go. - the guide price: € 52,90 with dispatch.

All the parts are very cheap and EU IV will run smoothly. I think the most expensive will be RAM. Ale the prices my vary depends on your country. Anyway, all the parts are new and will cost you around 350 - 380 Euro which is like 700 Euro cheaper then the price of GPU alone you mentioned (GTX 1080Ti).


And its my first post ever on PDX forums so Hello everyone.

 

[Cataphract887]

You could replace that CPU with something like a Q9550 for around 30$. Any LGA 775 quad core on ebay is going to improve performance but its a budget route and wont give 100% more performance, as noted single-cpu strength is of utmost important.

The video card you choose is highly irrelevant. GTX 750 Ti level of performance will do fine. (I had an equivalent card and upgraded to a 1060 6gb...made no difference at all)

More RAM might help the overhaul experience but wont make the game run faster if its not getting hung up there. 2GB RAM sounds brutal...even my living room prebuilt media PC has double that... 0.o

An SSD will help with loading times and save game times but nothing else. I found upgrading to a SSD to make a world of difference in overall PC experience but the game speed wont go by any faster with a good SSD.

 

[Cataphract887]

You mentioned building a new PC with all new parts including the 1080 Ti, an insanely overpriced card for what we want. I built a cookiecutter EU4 machine for 620$. The video card is a generic 1030 and can be replaced with any other card. I recommend a 1050 Ti instead if you go with this build, the 1030 is very lightweight in other games.

CPU: Intel - Core i3-8350K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($169.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG - H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI - Z370-A PRO ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Crucial - 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($83.89 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Seagate - Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Asus - GeForce GT 1030 2GB Video Card ($74.16 @ Amazon)
Case: Cougar - MX330 ATX Mid Tower Case ($43.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair - Builder 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $621.88

 

[superscunk]

EU4 does not require a dedicated graphics card. If you are short on money you may want to skip this part.
I use the internal GPU of my i5 4690k and EU4 runs perfectly.