Using i3 7100 and gtx 1050 ti

[Amiel]

Hello Total War players. I'm planning to build a new pc for Rome II. Can I play this game at 1080p using i3 7100 and gtx 1050 ti without any issue?

[Mile pro Libertate]

Postat inițial de eliam78:

Hello Total War players. I'm planning to build a new pc for Rome II. Can I play this game at 1080p using i3 7100 and gtx 1050 ti without any issue?

It would work fine.

You'd be better off with a 4 core processor though as you move into the future, and if you plan to play any of the newer or upcoming TW games (Warhammer, Thrones of Britannia, Three Kingdoms).

The i3 is a 2 core with limited threading ability and a small, 3 mb of cache, which is going to really hamper it going forward.

Another problem with the i3 7100 is it uses the old LGA 1151 socket and the old chipset, so your upgrade path will be limited to that generation of processors, which means even if you upgrade to an i5 or i7 down the road, you'll be stuck at 4 core and 4 threads, and slower RAM speeds. The new TW games are going to want more threads than that.

Now, obviously you are going for a budget rig, so I have three general, recommended paths how to do that which are better than getting the i3 7100.

- A: If you simply need a rig asap for as little money, that will get you the best performance possible for your budget in Rome 2, consider buying a used i5 (it will cost the same as a new i3 if you search for deals). This would be a good path if you plan to build a better rig a year or so from now with a larger budget. In other words, the used i5 will get you through just fine till you can build that better rig. Really, anything more than an i5 goes to waste in Rome 2 and the other, older TW games because they are single threaded and 32 bit.

- B: If your situation is like "A," but you don't like the idea of buying used parts, or you plan on building a newer rig within a year from now, consider buying a new Pentium G4560, G4600 or G4620. These can be had from $78 USD to $92, so you're saving money over the i3 7100. Performance wise, they will do just as well. The last generation of Pentium has 2 cores, but with SMT threading. Their performance is actually great in the current TW games such as Rome 2. Clockspeed is slightly less than the 7100 (3.7 ghz for the G4620 versus 3.9 for the i3 7100) , but would only mean like 2 to 3 lower fps. Cache size is identical. If all you need is something to get you through for a year or less time, and you will be playing Rome 2, this processor will do that identical to the i3, but for $24-$40 less, which might be crucial for you if you're on a tight budget right now.

- C: If however you don't want or plan to build a new rig a year from now, you want a rig that will last you for a while, and still fit in a smaller budget, then skip Intel altogether and get a Ryzen 3.

Ryzen 3 is $119 now, within a couple dollars of the i3 7100, but that is only because of supply and demand: when more Ryzen 3 were in stock a couple days ago, they were going for only $99 on Amazon, about $20 less than the i3, so you should be able to get one for $100-$110 brand new, no problem.

In contrast to either the i3 7100 or the Pentium, the Ryzen 3 has 4 cores and 4 threads, just like all the pre-Coffee Lake generation i5.

It also has a large 10 mb cache. It clocks in at 3.1 ghz but is unlocked, which means you can type in a couple values into the BIOS and you're at 3.8 ghz no problem, and with fine tuning you may even get it to 4.0 ghz.

Now, in contrast to going with the used i5 option, you aren't on a dead socket/dead upgrade path. The AM4 socket and chipset for Ryzen 3 will also be used for the future Ryzen processors through 2020.

So if you are planning to keep this rig for a while, and you are on a small budget now, you can go for the $100 Ryzen 3, then easily slap in a newer Ryzen next year or after if you find you want to play later TW games than Rome 2. And you won't need to buy a new motherboard or new RAM to do so, so you'll save money down the road as well.

[Amiel]

Thank you so much!

[Mile pro Libertate]

Postat inițial de eliam78:

Thank you so much!

Sure thing.