Does any of you know how many CPU cores D4 utilizes? What is the minimum amount of DRAM for a smooth sailing? (Desktop PC)
You want 32GB RAM and all the CPU cores you can get.
With path tracing enabled and every graphic setting maxed my system is heavily CPU limited on 12 core 12700k.
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I’ll get an AMD CPU. I heard there were lots of performance problems after BIOS security updates on Intel chipsets in connection with hyperthreading.
Ok, 12 cores minimum with 24 threads and 64GB DRAM then. I’ll order them.
When I upgraded from 16GB RAM to 64GB, all my issues went away. And my video card is about 6 years old and my processor only has 8 cores. It’s all about the RAM.
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32 GB RAM is enough for gaming. Not sure you need 12 Cores. The bottleneck is usually the graphic card, especially if you are playing in high-res. That’s where you want to spend your money.
I am using a Ryzen 9 5900X in my system…12 cores but not only for gaming.
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Well, the 64GB are for future proofing with Windows 11 and other applications that run in parallel. Remember how 8GB was enough when Windows Vista was released?
The other thing, to make use of the quality of life of everything being fluid with multiple cores, you need RAM and NVMe. I was surprised by the first responder how much CPU path tracing requires. I thought I could get away with 8 cores and 16 threads.
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Path tracing is why you want all the CPU cores you can get. My 4090 is idling half of the time waiting for the CPU which is maxed out on all cores.
This is overkill just for D4 in all honesty, but if you got the money, go for it. Plenty of other games that’ll utilize this work horse better anyway. Don’t forget all of that is useless without an equally beefy graphics card, not to mention a monitor to support the resolution and fps.
Also just a heads up, D4 has been known to be hit or miss in terms of stability on higher end machines. You may have a bad-A machine and have the game crash every 30 minutes. Then again you could get no crashes. Right now it’s a gamble for D4.
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I’m not playing much except for D4 and the occasional action adventure like Resident evil, Horizon: Zero Dawn or Claire Obscure.
I usually buy the barebones ( cpu, dram, mainboard) for 5-6 years ahead. Only the GPU might be replaced in-between. I don’t touch the other components, not worth the time or money IMO. The rule is, whatever the current requirement may be, you need double of that to last 6 years. Worst thing you could do is to save on CPU and mainboard.
My monitor is Eizo Foris FS2735. I pay attention to my eyes 
CPU and motherboards are cheaper than graphics cards. I’m not saying you can skimp on them, just looking at costs mind you. The bottleneck occurs when you don’t have the components to match up. For example you have a great CPU but a mediocre GPU. Which is great if you’re multitasking and playing a game that doesn’t require as much from the GPU. However in these circumstances it won’t be the CPU holding your game back from performing.
In most modern games, the GPU will be the performance bottleneck, not the CPU, assuming the CPU is reasonably capable. That’s mostly what I’m getting at.
My GPU is good enough (RTX 4070, won’t go higher because too much electricity is wasted), the base is outdated. I still have intel 8700k.
Ah I see now… well there’s a few options depending on what you want.
Best overal:
- AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D
- Cores/Threads: 8/16
Best value:
- Intel Core i7-13700K
- Cores/Threads: 16 (8 Performance + 8 Efficient) / 24
Best budget:
- Intel Core i5-14600K
- Cores/Threads: 14 (6 Performance + 8 Efficient) / 20
Specifically to match up with your card mind you. If you’re only interested in AMD or Intel I can provide a different list.
Having more cores benefits in multi-threaded applications such as video editing, 3D rendering, and software development. However, these additional cores do not translate into better gaming performance, as most games do not leverage more than 8 cores (for now).
I have to say I am appalled by the inefficiency after 6 years. Top CPUs have got a thermal power design of 120 - 170W TDP and can become as hot as 95 degree celcius.
Only DDR5 has gotten better, runs at a lower voltage.
My favorite is Ryzen 9 7900 with 65W TDP.
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You should probably be more worried by the power dissipation of the GPUs.
That’s very easy. Limit FPS to 75 if 60FPS monitor or 144 for higher ones. The only games which offer a competetive edge by going higher are FPS shooters like counter strike or call of duty but then you also need a 22inch FHD monitor with a TN panel, highest refresh rate, reaction time under 1ms and a super fast LAN internet connection with low ping.
If you are not doing the later part, you’re wasting energy/making your PC components older for no reason.