1200$ PC build for Grand Strategy Games

[P.D]

Hello, can anyone build me a build for Hoi4 Ck3 Victoria 3 Eu4 Stellaris Factorio and Civ6?

 

[Kapone33]

I can't speak for anything else but a 5800X3D with the ASus X570 TUF and 32GB of Gskill 3600 RAM would be about $600-700. You could get 1 2 TB Kinsgton NV2 for $199 a Corsair or Thermaltake 850 W for $109-129 and a 3060 12GB or 6700XT for around $400 and put them in the Corsair 4000D for $99 if you don't have fans and the Deepcool Matrex 55 for $50 if you have fans. For a cooler go with the Inwin SR36 or 24 for $79-109 and be happy. You could replace that with a 12700K or 13600 with a MSI B660 board if you don't want a 5800X3D. That chip is exemplary in RPG Games like the one you describe. The 12th and 13th Gen are no joke though but the 5800X3D sips power compared to those. You could even get a 750W PSU and be good. The Thermaltake White 700 or 750 is good and inexpensive.

 

[ModEl4]

At 4K especially, VGA plays the most crucial part by far: 12400F+6700XT for 4K or 12600KF+6700XT for 1080p
and the rest choices accordingly to hit the target budget

 

[Count von Schwalbe]

What resolution? Do you want to include a monitor in that price? Do you prefer eye candy or smooth high refresh rate?

 

[P.D]

What resolution? Do you want to include a monitor in that price? Do you prefer eye candy or smooth high refresh rate?

I already have 1080p 144hz

 

[QuietBob]

In Factorio the 5800X3D beats the 7950X, 13700K and 12900KS while being much cheaper. Definitely worth considering.

Factorio 10x1000spm belt module benchmark results

 

[Hofnaerrchen]

For Paradox games (i have 7k+ hours in their games so far) you need foremost a CPU with good IPC. GPU is not really important - Victoria 3 might be different as it is the first game with a game ready driver as far as I know - because the games' FPS will be limited by the used game engine and the CPU in mid to late game. Every mid-range GPU should do the job. The 5800X3D is a great gaming CPU but AM4 is end of life so I'd rather go with the 7600X at the moment as you will have an upgrade path later on. Raptor Lake might be faster but the current platform is also end of life. There will most likely be no new CPUs for socket 1700 after this generation. Rather put the saved money in a motherboard that comes with PCIe 5.0 x16. You will not need it right now but if you'll keep the rig for more than a generation or two it might come in handy for a later GPU upgrade.

 

[Lei]

You better stay with ddr4 and invest more on gpu.
ddr5 ram and motherboard are expensive

If you get 12th generation intel, you can use ddr4 ram and mobo and has the potential to upgrade to ddr5 later without changing your cpu. That's not possible with 5800x3d.

Also 7600x doesn't support ddr4.

I think u should stay ddr4 and may be get a 1440p display, get the best gpu with your money instead of ddr5

@P.D

 

[Frick]

CPU first and foremost.
Second SSD storage for loading times.
Far down the list is GPU and RAM. For reference I have a Ryzen 2600x, 3060ti, currently 8GB RAM and the PDX games (Stellaris mostly) runs fine. Vicky3 is a lot heavier on the GPU (4K).

With the 5800x3d dropping in price I would honestly look into that.

 

[P.D]

CPU first and foremost.
Second SSD storage for loading times.
Far down the list is GPU and RAM. For reference I have a Ryzen 2600x, 3060ti, currently 8GB RAM and the PDX games (Stellaris mostly) runs fine. Vicky3 is a lot heavier on the GPU (4K).

With the 5800x3d dropping in price I would honestly look into that.

are loading times that important or is there something I am missing?

 

[Hofnaerrchen]

You better stay with ddr4 and invest more on gpu.@P.D

The games he wants the PC for - maybe apart from Victoria 3 - does not need a new GPU right now. His 1080 will do just fine. Paradox Games are limited by the used engine and thus the CPU. When Victoria 3 will see the GPU as bottleneck you still can reduce details. It's grand strategy games, the graphics are not super beautiful at all. So investing money in a dead platform might not be best idea.

 

[P.D]

For Paradox games (i have 7k+ hours in their games so far) you need foremost a CPU with good IPC. GPU is not really important - Victoria 3 might be different as it is the first game with a game ready driver as far as I know - because the games' FPS will be limited by the used game engine and the CPU in mid to late game. Every mid-range GPU should do the job. The 5800X3D is a great gaming CPU but AM4 is end of life so I'd rather go with the 7600X at the moment as you will have an upgrade path later on. Raptor Lake might be faster but the current platform is also end of life. There will most likely be no new CPUs for socket 1700 after this generation. Rather put the saved money in a motherboard that comes with PCIe 5.0 x16. You will not need it right now but if you'll keep the rig for more than a generation or two it might come in handy for a later GPU upgrade.

I dont plan to upgrade the cpu that frequently so is it still worth it?

 

[Hofnaerrchen]

are loading times that important or is there something I am missing?

No, loading times in those games do not benefit from a NVME SSD at all.

I dont plan to upgrade the cpu that frequently so is it still worth it?

In that case I would go for the 13600k. The 5800X3D might be faster in most modern AAA games but I doubt that it's IPC is higher than Raptor Lake.

The question is and I probably did mistake you mentioning "1080 144 Hz" for the GPU but I think now you ment your display. Don't know what GPU you are using at the moment but you will not see much benefits in grand strategy games from high refresh rates. If your current GPU can handle 1080 well, it will also do with the new PC. Something to consider: Getting a display with higher resolution, maybe even 21:9, it will enhance your experience playing strategy games more than a faster GPU. I was using a standard non-FE RTX 2070 for 3.5 years on a 3440x1440 display and it did work very well in CK3, Civ6, Hoi4, EU4 or Stellaris. As I said: In mid to late game you will be CPU limited nontheless.

 

[P.D]

No, loading times in those games do not benefit from a NVME SSD at all.



In that case I would go for the 13600k. The 5800X3D might be faster in most modern AAA games but I doubt that it's IPC is higher than Raptor Lake.

Does DDR5 matter?

 

[Lei]

The games he wants the PC for - maybe apart from Victoria 3 - does not need a new GPU right now. His 1080 will do just fine. Paradox Games are limited by the used engine and thus the CPU. When Victoria 3 will see the GPU as bottleneck you still can reduce details. It's grand strategy games, the graphics are not super beautiful at all. So investing money in a dead platform might not be best idea.

He is at 1080 resolution, not Geforce 1080
I think he better go 2k and I doubt he will stick to same games for the coming 3~4 years....

I just said ddr5 is not good investment.

In that case I would go for the 13600k. The 5800X3D might be faster in most modern AAA games but I doubt that it's IPC is higher than Raptor Lake.

I agree with intel. On a ddr4 system....

I'm against reducing graphic details for the sake of 13th gen cpu on a ddr5 mobo.

are loading times that important or is there something I am missing?

Not really for games. But make sure you run your os on ssd.
Please upgrade your monitor, lol 1080p is so old school tbh

Does DDR5 matter?

No matter, except for upgradability. It would be hard to find ddr4 in 3~4 years.
That's why I'm saying get a 12th gen intel and a ddr4 ram/mobo
If you go AMD path, you'll need to change your cpu for ram later....
But with intel, you'd only change mobo/ram if you wish.

 

[dgianstefani]

Intel i5 13600K
32 GB 3800/16 DDR4
B660 Asus DDR4
any SSD, PSU, Cooler, Case, GPU from our editors choice that fits your budget. You'll need about 750 W PSU unless you're going with a 80/90 tier NVIDIA GPU, which isn't necessary for strategy. https://www.techpowerup.com/review/?category=&manufacturer=&editorschoice=1&pp=25&order=date

Also look at upgrading your monitor to 1440p.

 

[P.D]

Please upgrade your monitor, lol 1080p is so old school tbh

To get a better resolustion I can upgrade my glasses xd. but tbh ty.

 

[Lei]

To get a better resolution I can upgrade my glasses xd. but tbh ty

Resolution is not just about how clear you see, but how much you see. The field of view.
Even most 15" laptops are higher than 1080p nowadays
Score/time/map/instructions take so much of the space, there's nothing left to see on a 1080 resolution

Intel i5 13600K
32 GB 3800/16 DDR4
B660 Asus DDR4
any SSD, PSU, Cooler, Case, GPU from our editors choice that fits your budget. You'll need about 750 W PSU unless you're going with a 80/90 tier NVIDIA GPU, which isn't necessary for strategy. https://www.techpowerup.com/review/?category=&manufacturer=&editorschoice=1&pp=25&order=date

Also look at upgrading your monitor to 1440p.

Agree, I'd try to pick a second hand 12th gen though. Less money more perf

 

[Hofnaerrchen]

I'm against reducing graphic details for the sake of 13th gen cpu on a ddr5 mobo.

Just did a test in CK3 with max. settings at 120% render resolution vs. med. settings at 80% render resolution at 3440x1440. I doubt you will see much differences in this kind of game but believe me, the difference is approx. 150-200W in terms of GPU power usage. Had to cut the screen shots because of size.

I would not combine a 13600k with DDR5 either. It would have been neccessary for AM5 but not for the intended usage. When P.D does not want to upgrade the PC at all getting 32mb of DDR4 in the range of 100 bucks should be more than enough for the next few years.

I dont plan to upgrade the cpu that frequently so is it still worth it?

Question is: Do you want to upgrade the CPU in 3-4 years time? In case of AM4 and LGA1700 you will also have to get a new MB and RAM if you go with DDR4. If you decide to go AM5 it is more than likely you will have at least the option to get a Zen5 CPU, maybe even Zen6. That was the reason I did suggest AM5, even it will be more costly now.

 

[Vario]

Would do the 7700X Microcenter special if you are near to one.

AMD Ryzen 7 7700X Raphael AM5 4.5GHz 8-Core Boxed Processor - Heatsink Not Included - Micro Center

Get it now! Welcome to the new era of performance. AMD Ryzen 7000 Series ushers in the speed of Zen 4 for gamers and creators with pure power to tackle any game or workflow on the digital playground.

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[Lei]

I would not combine a 13600k with DDR5 either. It would have been neccessary for AM5 but not for the intended usage. When P.D does not want to upgrade the PC at all getting 32mb of DDR4 in the range of 100 bucks should be more than enough for the next few years.

Okeydoke
13th intel ddr4
I need my gpu to warm me up in winter. My toes are chilly.

Would do the 7700X Microcenter special if you are near to one.

AMD Ryzen 7 7700X Raphael AM5 4.5GHz 8-Core Boxed Processor - Heatsink Not Included - Micro Center

Get it now! Welcome to the new era of performance. AMD Ryzen 7000 Series ushers in the speed of Zen 4 for gamers and creators with pure power to tackle any game or workflow on the digital playground.

www.microcenter.com

We don't want a 400$ cpu that only runs on ddr5 on a 1200$ budget

 

[Frick]

No, loading times in those games do not benefit from a NVME SSD at all.

Not specifically NVME SSDs maybe, but when one is spending money anyway spending a few dozen extra dollars more for much better general performance isn't a bad idea (compared to a SATA SSD). HDD loading times are slow for those games. As in many minutes slow. As in pop off for a cup of tea while it's loading.

Just did a test in CK3 with max. settings at 120% render resolution vs. med. settings at 80% render resolution at 3440x1440. I doubt you will see much differences in this kind of game but believe me, the difference is approx. 150-200W in terms of GPU power usage. Had to cut the screen shots because of size.

My big thing in that regard is keeping the fan speeds low.

are loading times that important or is there something I am missing?

Depends on how you use your computer. I don't play for long stretches of time and I like to shut down the computer when I'm not using it, and waiting for >5 minutes for a game to load for a short session after work is a drag. Since I got the 2TB SSD I play more games because of this.

Resolution is not just about how clear you see, but how much you see. The field of view.
Even most 15" laptops are higher than 1080p nowadays
Score/time/map/instructions take so much of the space, there's nothing left to see on a 1080 resolution

That is down to personal tastes. For these games I sort of regret getting a 32" 4K, as I have to scale the UI to be comfortable, and specifically EU4 does not handle it very well.

 

[Vario]

Okeydoke
13th intel ddr4
I need my gpu to warm me up in winter. My toes are chilly.


We don't want a 400$ cpu that only runs on ddr5 on a 1200$ budget

$400 CPU that comes with a free 32GB DDR5 5600 kit and an instant $50 off the motherboard.

 

[Why_Me]

I already have 1080p 144hz

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Rear exhaust fan for that case.

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ARCTIC P12 PWM 120mm 4-Pin Case Fan $9.48

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GIGABYTE B660M DS3H DDR4 B660 Intel LGA 1700 M-ATX Motherboard with DDR4, Dual M.2, PCIe 4.0, USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C, 2.5GbE LAN - Newegg.com

Buy GIGABYTE B660M DS3H DDR4 B660 Intel LGA 1700 M-ATX Motherboard with DDR4, Dual M.2, PCIe 4.0, USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C, 2.5GbE LAN with fast shipping and top-rated customer service. Once you know, you Newegg!

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GIGABYTE B660 GAMING X AX DDR4 $139.99

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Intel Core i5-12400F $159.99

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Thermalright Assassin X 120 SE CPU Cooler $19.90

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Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 3200MHz 32GB (2x16GB) CL16 89.99

PNY CS1030 2TB M.2 NVMe SSD

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PNY CS1030 2TB M.2 NVMe SSD $129.99

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MSI RTX 3060 Ventus 2X OC 12GB Graphics Card $369.48

Total: $1098.80

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A better look at those components.

https://phanteks.com/Eclipse-G360A.html

https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/B660-GAMING-X-AX-DDR4-rev-10

https://ark.intel.com/content/www/u...2400f-processor-18m-cache-up-to-4-40-ghz.html

i5 12400 / 12400F gaming benchmarks.

 

[P.D]

Just did a test in CK3 with max. settings at 120% render resolution vs. med. settings at 80% render resolution at 3440x1440. I doubt you will see much differences in this kind of game but believe me, the difference is approx. 150-200W in terms of GPU power usage. Had to cut the screen shots because of size.

I would not combine a 13600k with DDR5 either. It would have been neccessary for AM5 but not for the intended usage. When P.D does not want to upgrade the PC at all getting 32mb of DDR4 in the range of 100 bucks should be more than enough for the next few years.



Question is: Do you want to upgrade the CPU in 3-4 years time? In case of AM4 and LGA1700 you will also have to get a new MB and RAM if you go with DDR4. If you decide to go AM5 it is more than likely you will have at least the option to get a Zen5 CPU, maybe even Zen6. That was the reason I did suggest AM5, even it will be more costly now.

https://www.guru3d.com/articles-pages/intel-core-i5-13600k-review,8.html the ipc is not that different, am I missing something?