Need CPU advice for ARK Survival Ascended, for a friend

[jlags]

For starters he's wanting to get this upgrade kit from evetech (I know..) Evetech Custom Computer Systems, Gaming Computers, Desktops Gaming PCs

CPUs I'm considering for him: (Wootware prices)
R5 5500 -R2200
R5 5600 -R3300
i5 12400F -R3450
R5 7500F -R3900 (mobo+RAM=$$$)
R7 5700X -R4600
R5 7600 -R5400 ($$$)
I can't find much info on how CPU dependant this game is.

But I think 32GB RAM would be good idea.

Will try find him a 1440p monitor for a good price.

And I'm thinking of trying to find him an RX 6700XT, 6800, or RTX 3070 or something, here on Carbonite with some remaining warranty.

 

[goldfritter]

What is the budget?

What does he already have? (including screen, peripherals etc.)

Why 32GB RAM? Does the game run faster with 32GB than 16GB?

 

[jlags]

What is the budget?

What does he already have? (including screen, peripherals etc.)

Why 32GB RAM? Does the game run faster with 32GB than 16GB?

Not 100% sure on his budget yet
But he doesn't want to spend more than he needs to to get decent performance.

I don't think he has anything yet. Maybe just a mouse.

More and more new games are starting to benefit from more than 16GB RAM.
Especially if you're building big bases and such.

 

[goldfritter]

I don't think he has anything. Maybe a mouse.

OK. And the budget?

More and more new games are starting to benefit from more than 16GB RAM.
Especially if you're building big bases and such.

Got any evidence of this? I haven't seen any tests that show improved frame rates with 32GB over 16GB. But I'm happy to be proven wrong.

 

[jlags]

OK. And the budget?

Got any evidence of this? I haven't seen any tests that show improved frame rates with 32GB over 16GB. But I'm happy to be proven wrong.

I just edited my previous comment. Not sure on his budget.

I've personally seen my RAM usage go above 14GB when I have 32GB in my system.
That means windows and everything is using a lot more than 16GB.
And it's better for your SSD longevity.

Average fps might not be much higher, but will get less stutters & dips in fps

 

[goldfritter]

I just edited my previous comment. Not sure on his budget.

OK. Do you maybe have a target resolution and frame rate in mind? I see you mention a 1440p monitor - are we targeting 1440p 144fps at ultra settings in all modern AAA games, or is 60fps at medium settings fine?

I've personally seen my RAM usage go above 14GB when I have 32GB in my system.
That means windows and everything is using a lot more than 16GB.

RAM usage in monitoring software does not always equate to performance impact. Many programs allocate empty RAM space without actually using it. Hence, benchmarking with actual FPS numbers is the only way to prove a performance improvement.

And it's better for your SSD longevity.

Again, going to need a source for this.

Average fps might not be much higher, but will get less stutters & dips in fps

And this.

Tbf RAM isn't very expensive nowadays so it's not a big deal to go for 32 over 16. But if you're on a budget then it makes more sense to spend money on things that will have a true impact on performance, not a theoretical impact.

 

[AresFaithfull]

What are his current specs that he wants this upgrade from?

 

[goldfritter]

What are his current specs that he wants this upgrade from?

👇

I don't think he has anything yet. Maybe just a mouse.

 

[jlags]

@goldfritter I think he's fine with 70-100fps in ARK. Big complex base builds and stuff can get difficult to run smoothly though.

@AresFaithfull he's coming from a potato laptop

 

[AresFaithfull]

👇

Ah🧐 well Imma just let you take it from here I am clearly going to be of no help ahahahaha

 

[Marcell1992]

Got any evidence of this? I haven't seen any tests that show improved frame rates with 32GB over 16GB. But I'm happy to be proven wrong.

I play 7 Days to die. RAM usage often times hit the 24gb mark. If on a server with other players, the server can hit 64gb RAM usage.

The game isn't optimized and is a different type of builder game, but Ark also isn't optimized.

 

[goldfritter]

@goldfritter I think he's fine with 70-100fps in ARK. Big complex base builds and stuff can get difficult to run smoothly though.

@AresFaithfull he's coming from a potato laptop

OK sure.

Maybe to get an idea of the specs he needs, try review benchmarks where people compare different CPUs and GPUs in the game. If you can't find any from the tech review people then maybe try search YouTube for "ARK CPU benchmark" or even the specific model of CPU. Same for GPU. Then see what the "minimum" is to hit your target res and FPS.

You should be able to get an idea of which CPU and which GPU are needed to get 70-100FPS at 1440p.

Maybe you can even find a RAM capacity benchmark

This is probably the approach I'd take since A) you're focusing on a specific game and B) budget doesn't seem to be too fixed.

 

[AresFaithfull]

@goldfritter I think he's fine with 70-100fps in ARK. Big complex base builds and stuff can get difficult to run smoothly though.

@AresFaithfull he's coming from a potato laptop

Bad news my build is probably what is spec'd to do 1440p low settings on ark Ascended.

Edit: i dont own the game but what i have seen this is what will do 70-100 low preset 1440p

 

[goldfritter]

I play 7 Days to die. RAM usage often times hit the 24gb mark. If on a server with other players, the server can hit 64gb RAM usage.

The game isn't optimized and is a different type of builder game, but Ark also isn't optimized.

Sure. But again it could be allocation rather than usage. You'd need to measure FPS and see if it actually drops when you use 16GB instead of 32GB.

Servers are a different story of course. If OP's friend wants to run a server then the specs requirements would be quite different, I expect.

 

[AresFaithfull]

 

[Mk1MiLAN]

do 5800x3d buld coz fast

 

[NI∀ƆOƆ‾⊥ᴚ∩ʞ]

do 5800x3d buld coz fast

Do 7800X3D coz faster!