Guild Wars 2

Hi

I am concidering upgrading my computer (perhaps buy a new one) but i do not know these kind of things so i humbly ask anyone responding to this thread to talk to me like i was 6 years old.

What do i need to get this game run smoothly and have the greatest quality possible?

does it depend on the motherboard, the Graphics card?……… what does it depend on?

Any recomendations? (Budget is ~~ 1000 euro)

I have an older i5 from 2012 (although it is clocked to 4.2GHZ), 8GB of DDR3 RAM, and a Geforce GTX 970, and I get zero slowdown on any part of the game. This includes during WvW and world bosses when there are 50 to 100 people all throwing particles about.

It’s a catch-22, if you are confused on builds I would say buy a PC. But I really hate saying buy one, because I’m such an avid fan of building (way cheaper and you learn stuff).

Well gw2 runs on two cores so you want the highest clock speed there and your gfx card just needs to be modern mid-range to be playable. A basic anything out of the box will do.

I would suggest an SSD to improve loading times.

Simply said:
You need a basic computer with

• highest a speed per core as possible with ~4 REAL cores…
• enough RAM to play the game (8Gb or -maybe- more)
• an SSD for fast load times, (this is a chip based storage unit whcih can replace your HDD, if you store a lot I’d suggest a secondary Hard drive)
• The graphics unit is less important, but a Nivida Geforce GTX1060 (or GTX960) would be perfect note that this still a mid to high end GPU provided you play on 1920*1080 pixel screen(s)

CPU: Central processor (a.k.a. your computer.) (framerate limiter for GW2, the faster the CPU in gw2: the more images the game can provide and consequently: the more fluent it looks, this is quite abnormal.)
Intel i5 or i7 (fastest clock available, within budget) you could choose a i5 6600 K or 17 6700K version but you would likely need to invest in a gaming/enthousiast motherboard

MoBo: (neccesary to join components together)
A motherboard compatible with your CPU, (4th generation is said to be easier to overclock compared to the 6th generation)If you do not want this get a 6600 or 6700. A 6th gen will have all new features (m.2, USB 3.1, DDR4) . Gaming motherboards and high/enthousiant gear can enable overclocking if your processor is unlocked (K thingy) If you do not want to overclock, do not overspend on your motherboard.

RAM: Volatile storage (your computers short term memory, very fast but instantly empty without power(allows the use of your computer)
Check your amount and TYPE of DDR slots! This as the Dimms need to physically fit)
(also important when thinking about coolers…)
min 8 Gb ram (16 optional but not really neccesary) 4th generation was dependent on old hardware if I’m right DDR3 memory and newer on DDR4.
Memory allows for more or bigger programs to be ran.

STORAGE: You computers long term memory… (allows long time storage of your computer)
min 256 GB SSD ( well more if you want to do more on the PC other then playing gw2) M.2 SSD’s will use a direct buss connection and will be significantly faster then basic SATA SSD’s (about a factor 3-4 speedgain in transfers. transfers also dictate you loading times in map. For storage of personal files like photo’s, audio(music) or movies I’d recommend a HDD, as HDD’s are still cheaper per megabyte.

GPU: Graphics Processor (neccesary for images on your screen & Framerate-limiter on all games BUT GW2)
DO NOT DEPEND ON THE INTEGRATED GPU in your CPU!
I’d suggest a Geforce GTX960/1060 or AMD comparable (= for 1920*1080 (full HD)
(GTX 970/1070 if you have a 1440p (2560*1440) or a 980/1080 for a 4k screen. (3840*2160 UHD)) prices will go up rapidly (200-240 for a 960/1060, 400-450 for a 970/1070 , 650-700 for a 980/1080) if you are only playing gw2 for the next 5 years you could get away with a GTX 950 or comparable GPU as well I guess.

in importance for GW2:
CPU>SSD>GPU>MOBO>RAM
in importance for nearly all other games
GPU>CPU>SSD>MOBO>RAM

Lastly: Of course you still need a box to put it in, a fan for cooling you CPU and a powersupply capable to run you PC…

Res. 1080p? I have a i3 6100 – yes 2 cores/hyperthreaded. A GTX 960 4GB. 3100 DDR4 RAM 8gb. And an SSD. I have high res char, high settings; and it runs smooth as butter cream. In huge WvW fights hundreds of players I turn off high res models; but it runs fine. This IS a 4 year old game, it looks fantastic for one, and IS a CPU hog > GPU.

Just remember your monitor’s RESOLUTION/FRAMERATE MATTERS 1080p 60hz vs 2k/4k, you wont be running this game high settings with my CPU and GPU at 4k. But 1080p esp if you’re capped at 60 frames or close it’s perfect.