PC Replacement Parts

[cleber_oro]

The best advice I can do is: watch your CPU, GPU and RAM consumption while the game is running (I use MSI Afterburner + Riva Turner) and see what is your bottleneck.

I though my main problem was CPU, but after carefully monitoring my PC discovered I need improve GPU.

[TwinShadow]

What exactly is the problem? From the specs I'm seeing, they should be fine for regular gameplay of ATS and ETS2. Jumping from the 4460 isn't going to net a whole lot more performance since Intel has been getting absolutely destroyed by AMD lately and it was proven they're just inflating prices when they came out with the 10980XE CPU after the 9980 before that for the half the cost.

[TwinShadow]

This game doesn't utilize multiple cores very well. It kinda does, but mostly doesn't. Your best bet is focusing on CPU's with a high core clock really... The 970 is still a fairly competent GPU even by today's standards.

I have everything ticked on high, and I only get a few frame dips in some cities which is common between both games. And I have a mid-high end system.

[Deezle]

I want to play everything ultra at 60 FPS, including mirror distance. What order of parts do you indicate to exchange?

All of them, in that case.

If it were my rig, I'd replace the CPU (~4.5GHz at least) and double the RAM first.

[TwinShadow]

Let me break it down a little.

Code: Select all

Case: Corsair 760t
PSU: Corsair AX860 860W
Motherboard: ASUS Maximus VIII Hero
CPU: Intel Core i7-6700k
CPU Cooler: Noctua DH-14
RAM: G.Skill Ripjaw 4 - 32GB 3000MHz
GPU: ASUS GeForce GTX1070 Strix OC
SSD1: Samsung 950 Pro - 256GB
SSD2: Samsung 850 Evo - 250GB
HDD1: WD Green 1TB
HDD2: WD Black 1TB
HDD3 & 4: WD Black 2TB

That is my entire system. I still get frame dips here and there with every setting turned up, including hood mirrors. Your biggest framerate hit are going to be those very mirrors. If you don't run the ones on the hood, you can save some frames doing that.

For a 4460 versus an 8700k, you may see a little improvement in a few areas, but as far as this game is concerned, I honestly don't think you're going to see a big bump. For one, if you're going to go that route, you'll be changing out half of your parts because not only are you going to need a new motherboard, you will also need new RAM. (4th gen Intel DDR3 vs. 8th gen Intel DDR4 support) With the recent transition to DX11, some people, including myself, have noticed a bit of a gain in performance over that of DX9 that used to run the game for years (I'm including ETS2 in this).

So, it's going to be a matter of how much are you willing to spend to get more FPS out of the game. Depending on the gamer, 8GB is actually still the norm for RAM these days. However, a more heavier gamer would benefit more having 16GB minimum.

[Some newbie driver]

If it were my rig, I'd replace the CPU (~4.5GHz at least) and double the RAM first.

Double the RAM? For what purpose? I've never see my ETS2 to reach even 4GiB of consumed RAM after loooong game runs and I'm playing fullHD almost everything at ultra with FPS over 40 99% time. The only resource-eater option I don't use is the super-scalling over 100% as a sort of alternative to a proper AA. If he wants more RAM, it could be for the sessions of browsing with Chrome more than for to play ETS2.

Also, GTX970 is more than capable to move that game (and will be so for 5 more years, probably)

The only component he needs to change to improve at this very moment is CPU. He doesn't have the option to install 5th gen Intel Core on that motherboard; that could be a cheap way to have a bit of improvement. So, he will need to do a full CPU + motherboard + RAM replacement.

So, considering actual platforms on sale, a Ryzen 5 3600, a decent B450 chipset motherboard and 8GB of 3200MHz DDR4 memory with low latency (a lot better than regular latency RAMS with higher speeds) would be a big improvement with a not so costly budget. Of course, Intel i9 (or maybe some high-end i7, don't know) of 9th gen would have more raw power on single core than AMD; but at double the cost of the whole AMD upgrade. The i9 of 10th gen is just a joke. Also for aprox 150$ more he could take a Ryzen 7 3700X and a motherboard with X570 chipset instead of B450 and be prepared to replace in a year or so that graphic card for another with newer PCIe gen4. That would blow away any actual game at high settings.

[Deezle]

@Some newbie driver I consider 16GB minimum, if you can get by with less, then I guess good for you, I find myself frequently using more than 16GB in my rig. I'm sitting here at 12.2GB as I type this without having a game running.

But to be sure, he should at least check his RAM usage, I suspect it is quite quite high.

[Some newbie driver]

@Dezzle, with all respect, I've been professional IT for a LOT of years and I can guarantee you that your case is one between a ten thousands being generous. The immense majority of people will never consume more than 8GiB of RAM on their normal daily usage of computers. Yesterday when I answered you I was consuming 4GiB with audio player on, a few programs, Office applications running and more than 20 browser windows. That's already more that the vast majority of people will do occasionally, not even usually, and I was consuming 4GiB on a non-optimized windows install. Even if I had ETS playing on the background, I wouldn't have reached 8GiB.

More than 8GiB of RAM is for professionals (or high enthusiasts) of design, image, media, IT or CAD/industrial programs. Also for some high-end resource-hogger video-games where ETS2/ATS are not in the list (unless you load TONS of mods). Or for people that, for any reason, don't like to close anything and end having hundreds of windows opened in their rig (something that can be done but that has ZERO utility).

But that's not the case, otherwise he would not being here asking how to make a regular video-game going a bit faster on a regular PC. If the OP would need performance for that kind of uses, he would had been asking in other places. He's asking for a rig that could improve his use in not-AAA video-games. There's no need to waste money purchasing an excess of RAM and, more important, there's always time to easily upgrade from 8 to 16 (or more) GiB if the user notices that in his case he really needs it. But nobody would return his money back if he realizes that he had purchased way too much RAM.

The money spent in those 8GiB extra RAM you suggested him could be better invested on a good cooler for the CPU, a good 80 bronze or better power supply or other things that could improve their rig overall eprformance or durability. Or also those bucks could be saved for another time; that every penny is hard to obtain but they fly pretty fast.

Regards

[Deezle]

I'm sitting here at work and my work PC is using 6.1GB with just a couple programs and a browser open. With ATS it would likely exceed 8GB, IME, RAM usage is higher for most people than you believe/claim it is.

[Some newbie driver]

It has no sense to keep going this discussion. You can say what you want, I know what has been part of my work for more than 15 years (and part of my knowledge from several years more). I'm not going to advice a user to purchase more RAM only "if because"; specially considering (as I already said) that RAM can always be easily increased if an specific user REALLY needs more.

I'm playing with worse graphic card than OP and with the 2 to 3GiB RAM consumption at almost the same specs the user wants: fullHD, all ultra, fairly 60FPS (that his better graphic than mine will suffice to keep it at 60 once he improves his bottleneck). So, the advise he needs is clear: invest only in CPU. If the user has excessive RAM consumption, that would not be neither for the game or the performance he requested. If their requests and provided info change, then my advise would too. If that would be the case, you would have nailed it just by pure luck, not because you were doing a good advise from the beginning. I don't like to nail it by luck because then I would had been toying with his money, very unprofessional.

So, this doesn't pretend to be a pun; take it as a friendly suggestion if you wish.

Regards and merry Christmas.