Is AOE a more CPU or GPU intensive game? (Computer Purchasing help)

[Darwin_]

To start it off, I would like to say that my knowledge of computers is limited, so please forgive me for any misnomers.
My question is, is AOE a more CPU intensive or GPU intensive game. I am currently running a Razer Blade Stealth laptop (i7 processor 2.5/3.1 Ghz with hyperthreading and an Intel HD 520 graphics chip (not sure if this is integrated or dedicated)). I can run the game on low/medium settings as 2k resolution (2560 x 1440) with around 100-120 FPS, and very high settings on the same resolution for around 40 fps (which is honestly good enough). The razer blade stealth has this separate thing called the Core which can house a desktop Graphics card, and it costs 400 usd + 100-200 usd for the GPU. Will spending those 600 dollars improve my FPS reading to what I get with low settings(100-120)? Any ideas, comments or concerns welcome.

[gibson]

The Intel 520 is an integrated graphics card. Getting a real gpu will definitely allow you to run the game at higher fps especially if you can use a desktop gpu. A 980 or 1080 should be able to run anything aoe can through at it.

[Darwin_]

The Intel 520 is an integrated graphics card. Getting a real gpu will definitely allow you to run the game at higher fps especially if you can use a desktop gpu. A 980 or 1080 should be able to run anything aoe can through at it.

How much of a performance boost would it be?

[gibson]

The Intel 520 is an integrated graphics card. Getting a real gpu will definitely allow you to run the game at higher fps especially if you can use a desktop gpu. A 980 or 1080 should be able to run anything aoe can through at it.

How much of a performance boost would it be?

It would be an insane performance boost. You'd be able to run brand new games on high graphics with decent fps..... You'd probably have to buy a cooling pad or some other sort of cooling system or you'll laptop will be insanely hot.

[Darwin_]

@gibson

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You legit want me to buy a $500 dollar Gpu? How much of a boost would a more moderate card give me (thinking 780 ti)?

[gibson]

@gibson

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You legit want me to buy a $500 dollar Gpu? How much of a boost would a more moderate card give me (thinking 780 ti)?

Didnt you say you were gonna spend 600 bucks? Really any moderate desktop graphics card should be able to handle anything aoe3 related

[irr3alist]

Games=Gpu Streaming = cpu

save ur 500 dollars to buy a second hand desktop. I would sell mine to anyone for 300. (i5-650ti) you could still use your laptop screen i think or use ur TV. Its the same tech. btw 650 is old card but runs aoe3 @

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max

[knusch]

as a previous poster wrote, spending 500$ for that is a waste. on the other idk anything about your financial situation, so might aswell just let it rain

Games=Gpu Streaming = cpu

save ur 500 dollars to buy a second hand desktop. I would sell mine to anyone for 300. (i5-650ti) you could still use your laptop screen i think or use ur TV. Its the same tech. btw 650 is old card but runs aoe3 @

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max

donate it to hazza! #nomore1minutewaitintoloadgame

[irr3alist]

I could donate my even older i3 asus 280, but seems to me more like his RAM prob, cuz Aoe runs 10-15% cpu load and !2~16kBps, his bottle neck is freeing up mem.

[iNcog]

I made a post about this once

[iNcog]

here it is: viewtopic.php?f=19&t=2625&hilit=CPU+GPU

[sirmusket]

I could donate my even older i3 asus 280, but seems to me more like his RAM prob, cuz Aoe runs 10-15% cpu load and !2~16kBps, his bottle neck is freeing up mem.

I had an asus i3 4 something, 4th gen, before just saturday getting a brand new laptop,
i7 6500U , 2gb Nvidia 2gb 940mx, 8gb of ddr4 ram, pretty nice, but you dont need this for aoe3 ofc , i intend on playing some overwatch, and i got it for a great deal, it was 1300 AUs and it was on sale for 850 aus so pretty good =P

[momuuu]

I bought a 750ti, which is a great budget card, and if that's over any concern in your setup, very power efficient (it was a slight concern for me). It runs aoe at like 80 fps on high settings no problem, it also runs almost all modern games at medium-high settings usually at at least 30 fps (usually more competitive games run at 60 fps at medium settings, for rpgs like the witcher I go down to 30 fps at medium-high). It does pair well with my processor, since I think that one exceeds playstation 4 (I think 750ti is playstation 4) quality which means I can basically run any modern game + some other programs like chrome at the same time.

[Dolan]

The studio who made AOE3 (Ensemble) used to make games optimised for running on CPU mostly, because back in the early 2000s GPU memory was much more expensive than today. So a lot of their programming effort for AOE3 went into making sure the game could be played by almost anyone with a decent CPU. Most of the game logic probably runs on the CPU, including game engine stuff like selecting large numbers of units at the same time without lag. I'm 100% sure that the physics in the game (building explosion, ballistics, ragdoll effects) are handled by the CPU.

I believe AOE3 may use the GPU to some extent, especially for the eyecandy stuff like shaders, blooming, texture quality, antialiasing. But, it all depends on whether the game recognises your GPU. Many people reported that the game couldn't find a GPU, so they had to run the game exclusively on CPU. For the graphics effects, the game defaulted on a very basic shader profile, so you can still see some eyecandy, but not as much as your GPU would allow you to. This is because AOE3 tries to identify your GPU based on a number of pre-made profiles, which only featured GPUs made around early 2000s. So, if your GPU doesn't match the capabilities of those profiles, somehow the game falls back on a default shader profile and you don't get the maximum out of your GPU.

So, the story is a bit more complex.

[iNcog]

when the game has lots of units running around and fighting, what really matters is your CPU

zo

[sirmusket]

when the game has lots of units running around and fighting, what really matters is your CPU

zo

really i thought it was GPU interesting ...

[iNcog]

It depends on what's going on in game.

If there are a lot of units running around and fighting, then pathing and damage calculations mean that the CPU is the bottleneck.

If there are few units and they aren't doing much (early game), then the GPU is the bottleneck.

This is assuming that you're maxed out on graphic settings. I can get like 300 fps on a Skylake i5.

[noissance]

@gibson

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You legit want me to buy a $500 dollar Gpu? How much of a boost would a more moderate card give me (thinking 780 ti)?

Wait for amd radeon rx 480, will be around 200$ and really good for 1080p gaming (besignes from aoe 3). It is also within VR specifications (supposedly), so try going for that. 1080 is uselesss imo, you'd be better off waiting for 1080 TI or AMD Equivalent.

If you want to play games like league and aoe3 exclusively, go for geforce gtx 950 or 960, as it will be good enough for most games lol.

[iNcog]

for budget cards get the best price:performance

which should be the RX 480?

[momuuu]

750ti is still great. But I guess there will be newer budget cards out in the market.