PC for best performance in CK3

[Estense]

I am going to build a new PC and I would like to know which are in your opinion the things which are more important for the performance of CK3.

- CPU is it more important the frequency and single core or is more important the number of cores?
- for gaming in 1440p with full details is it enough a RTX 4060 or better go with a 4070?

Do you think EU5 should have more or less the same requirements of Ck3?

 

[Scanz]

16gb vram .
8 core cpu

 

[Furleppe]

For CPUs, best would likely be AMD with 3D cache, 7800X3D and similar. 3D cache has proven advantages in simulation heavy games, just google some tests in the net. Overall strong single core performance rules but core count is also desirable with diminishing results.

For GPUs anything modern that can handle PDX newest graphics like Victoria 3. Both 4060 and 4070 are a lot more than enough.

 

[frostbiyt]

16gb vram .
8 core cpu

I'd bump that up to 24gb or 32 if you've got the money, I'm pretty sure CK3s ram usage has gone up recently and I find that having a few browser tabs plus whatever garbage windows is running while playing nearly maxes out my 16gb.

Edit: reading is hard

 

[Scanz]

I'd bump that up to 24gb or 32 if you've got the money, I'm pretty sure CK3s ram usage has gone up recently and I find that having a few browser tabs plus whatever garbage windows is running while playing nearly maxes out my 16gb.

im say VRAM on video card. not RAM

minimum RAM in 2024 for games is 32gb obvsly

 

[kouccarter]

Left up you can see RAM needed for big controlled zone. And my VRAM is full too. In the next time I will buy graphic card with at least 12GB VRAM for this game, because it is lagging/freezing all the time. Right now on the screenshot you can see 41 FPS, but very often it drops down to 1-5 and then back to ~40 FPS. I only guess more VRAM can solve this.

my setup:
motherboard: MSI A520M-A PRO
GPU: nvidia 2060 Super 8GB
CPU: amd 5700X3D
RAM: kingston 2x16GB DDR4 3200MHz
HDD: NVMe Transcend's PCIe SSD 220S, Gen3 x4, 2TB, 3,500/2,900 MB/s
I play at max graphic settings at 1920x1080 resolution.

 

[Willy Waggler]

I play at max graphic settings at 1920x1080 resolution.

Funny i get similar performance on legion go, with only 12gb ram and 4g vram.
I get by with lossless scaling frame generation, but fps drops are hellannoying.
And on settings any less that max, except msaa, game looks like ass.

 

[kouccarter]

Funny i get similar performance on legion go, with only 12gb ram and 4g vram.
I get by with lossless scaling frame generation, but fps drops are hellannoying.
And on settings any less that max, except msaa, game looks like ass.

Lossless Scaling frame generation? What It is specifically? I am looking into the settings, but i don't see something similar to it.
And if you are talking about some Nvidia stuff in driver.. I don't use it at all. I prefer nvidia drivers in default. The only thing i change in my driver is G-sync ON for display, but that has nothing to do with lagging/freezing when player controls 1/3 of the map.

 

[Willy Waggler]

Lossless Scaling frame generation? What It is specifically?

3rd party software https://losslessscaling.com/

 

[_Perun_]

Left up you can see RAM needed for big controlled zone. And my VRAM is full too. In the next time I will buy graphic card with at least 12GB VRAM for this game, because it is lagging/freezing all the time. Right now on the screenshot you can see 41 FPS, but very often it drops down to 1-5 and then back to ~40 FPS. I only guess more VRAM can solve this.

my setup:
motherboard: MSI A520M-A PRO
GPU: nvidia 2060 Super 8GB
CPU: amd 5700X3D
RAM: kingston 2x16GB DDR4 3200MHz
HDD: NVMe Transcend's PCIe SSD 220S, Gen3 x4, 2TB, 3,500/2,900 MB/s
I play at max graphic settings at 1920x1080 resolution.

The drops in fps most likely results from the number of admin titles in your game and the inheritance related calculations. It is quite common and widely recognised problem that has less to do with your specs and more to do with poor optimisation of the game (although on older rigs the game freezes for few seconds every now and then).
Officially, the problem is acknowledged by the Devs but not confirmed that it is about the admin titles. They "do their best" to fix it but doesn't seem to be a priority.

 

[kouccarter]

3rd party software https://losslessscaling.com/

3rd party software https://losslessscaling.com/

ah, thank you. I all time forget about this software.

So, when you control for example 1/3 of the map or more this software can help you? Because, I really don't care about controling One Empire, or two - it is really tiny zone and my setup can run smooth and nice and without any laggs... I just have problems when i control too much empires, just like at my screenshot.

 

[kouccarter]

The drops in fps most likely results from the number of admin titles in your game and the inheritance related calculations. It is quite common and widely recognised problem that has less to do with your specs and more to do with poor optimisation of the game (although on older rigs the game freezes for few seconds every now and then).
Officially, the problem is acknowledged by the Devs but not confirmed that it is about the admin titles. They "do their best" to fix it but doesn't seem to be a priority.

Ok ok. So, what do you think is the best setup for this game (just like we can see in the title of this page)? Or, Do you think there is no way until the devs fix the problem with "player is controlling too much of the map..." ?

 

[Scanz]

CK3 has poor optimization 3d portrait .
i has 7500f and 7800xt and got 90 fps when start playing time :<

 

[EU3NOOB]

I had a Acer Predator Helios 300 from 2018 that ran CKIII just fine and my Steam Deck runs it just fine too.

I assure you, any computer you get with parts released within the last 5 years will run CKIII just fine.

Paradox games, ignoring mods, generally aren't that taxing on performance, not that you won't see improvements with higher end hardware,, but if you can only get low end hardware, you'll be relatively fine.

My advice for these kinds of questions are inevitably to get the most amount of performance you can afford, even if that's only a $600USD laptop. It may not run great, but it will run.

Also, you shouldn't feel like you need 1440p. Higher resolutions without UI scaling just makes the UI hard to read, but with UI scaling you can barely tell the difference between 1440p and 1080p. I'm speaking as someone with a 1600p display (basically 16:10 1440p).