Right GPU for RTS/RPG gaming

[grahamstock]

Hi
Looking at buying a new PC for work and gaming. Important bits something like below (will add 32GB RAM and additional 1GB PCIe4 M2 SSD myself)

Case
FRACTAL DEFINE 7 BLACK QUIET MID-TOWER CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 9 5900X 12 Core CPU (3.7GHz-4.8GHz/70MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX X570-F GAMING (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
4GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 2400MHz (1 x 4GB)
Graphics Card
10GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3080 - HDMI, DP, LHR
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SEAGATE FIRECUDA 530 GEN 4 PCIe NVMe (up to 7300MB/R, 6000MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Processor Cooling
Corsair H115i RGB PRO XT Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Operating System
NO OPERATING SYSTEM REQUIRED
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 13 to 16 working days
Price: £2,280.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/sTGe9KpCmS/

My question is I don't really know what is "right" for gaming in terms of GPU. I play mainly RTS (Total War, Mount and Blade), RPG (BG3 might be an future example) or something like Elite Dangerous. I don't ever play FPS games like COD Warzone. I'm currently playing on an 6 year old PC so 1080p sub 60 fps. Ideally I'd want to the new machine to deliver 4k at 120 fps. I don't see the point really above that, so no interest in 240Hz monitor etc.

It seems though that even a 3080Ti can only run Total War: 3K at 50-55 fps in 4k or 100-105 fps at 1440p and that's a game from 2019. So I'm sort of wondering is there any point buying a 3080 Ti or 3080 at all if they still aren't up to it. Instead just buy a 3070 that can do 1440p at 60 fps and wait for the 4000/5000 etc. Plus perhaps the benefit of higher frame rates than 60 fps for RTS/RPG games is just so minimal there is no point even aiming for that.

Are the 3080 and 3080 Ti really just aimed at FPS gamers?

 

[AgentCooper]

It seems though that even a 3080Ti can only run Total War: 3K at 50-55 fps in 4k or 100-105 fps at 1440p and that's a game from 2019. So I'm sort of wondering is there any point buying a 3080 Ti or 3080 at all if they still aren't up to it.

I’m betting that the prerequisite of those benchmarks is that everything is on ‘ultra’.

If my theory is correct then you’ll really need to take those figures with a pinch of salt. Chasing ultra is a mugs games and one that costs you an absolute fortune in the long run. Changing a few settings makes a huge difference to your frame rates without sacrificing barely anything that’s noticeable.

I don’t currently have any Total War games installed to test it but I can use an example from my recent gaming history. I have a 3070 and an ultrawide (3440x1440) monitor and played through Control the other week. That’s a game that can crush any GPU if you really crank it up but with a few tweaks I had a gorgeous game with ray tracing that averaged 90-100 FPS.

(For your gaming uses, I reckon an ultrawide would suit much more than a 4K screen. The extra real estate you get is really impressive and hella immersive 👍)

 

[SpyderTracks]

Total War is more CPU bound anyway as with most RTS games. You want a 5900x really, that's the bit that will make the difference, then pair with something like a 3070

 

[AgentCooper]

Total War is more CPU bound anyway as with most RTS games. You want a 5900x really, that's the bit that will make the difference, then pair with something like a 3070

Good point! Whilst the newer Total War titles are better looking and are going to hit the GPU those huge scale battles have always required some serious processor muscle to keep things moving smoothly.

I’m tempted to redownload Total War: Warhammer and give it a run out, that title literally killed my old Intel PC so I’m wondering how the 3800X and 3070 would cope with it.

 

[grahamstock]

@AgentCooper. I'm not unwilling to dial down settings to some degree. CPU wise I'm going for a 5900 since it's useful for work, so that's a done deal.

I think the issue is I can afford a 3080 Ti and it's also nice to buy something top of the range (3090 seems over the top). Reviews constantly say the 3080 Ti is a right card for 4K but it's not clear to that it will really deliver a 4K experience on the games I play. If it isn't then essentially I've just wasted £500+ vs a 3070.

The card choice is also mixed up with the monitors. Currently I'm using a 4x24" 16:10 1080p monitors (3 on the bottom and 1 on top). I plan to replace them with the PC. For work, I'd like to buy 2x32" 4K monitors. But a 60Hz 4K may not be ideal for gaming while 27" 1440p 165Hz is not as ideal for work! And will I even notice the difference between 60Hz and 165Hz on the games I play. I go round in circles on all this.

Thanks anyway.

 

[DarTon]

@grahamstock. I do feel your pain but if you're willing to dial down from Ultra to High settings on most TW games you can achieve about 30% better frame rates at 1440p and up to 50% better at 4K. I hardly notice the difference. I'm also not sure TW games really benefit that much from 120+ fps. A solid 60 fps is good enough.

The problem is that speccing a system to play TW is like pushing on string. It's a bit of a monster. These benchmarks and the frame rates they achieve aren't a good representation of actual games. Fine for skirmishes. When you have 4 stacks of 20 units, each with 200+ soldiers, the frame rate will ticking along at 100+ and then it just suddenly collapses to 20 and starts to grind. Yes, it's partially GPU and it's partially CPU but it's also a lot to do with the rather old Warscape engine. In that sense, you can't ever spec the perfect hardware.

My feeling is that a 5800X/3070 will get you a very good 1440p TW experience and even at 4K with downtweaked settings. I went for a 5900X/3070 but I don't see huge use right now of the extra 4 cores but I'd keep it anyway. On a 2017 game like TW: ToB at 1440p, I get 110 at Ultra and 145 at High. At 4K that drops to 60 and 105. Clearly on newer TW games that drops but 1440p is just fine.

A 3080 system at £211 more, should give you up to 30% frames on average but CPU and engine issues will mean you'll still get big drops. It might be worth the money. A 3080Ti might get another 10% on the average and adds £326. That just isn't good value.