Quick Answer

Use ReShade first; ENB-style effects are only worth it when the game community supports them cleanly. For Factorio, a clean preset with sharpening, colour correction and mild ambient occlusion is the sensible target, usually costing 5-15 fps. A PC around R18,000-R32,000 with 8-12GB VRAM is enough if you keep the preset lighter than the texture pack stack.

Preset Choice

Start with a light ReShade preset: sharpening, colour balance, contrast and a small ambient-occlusion pass. For Factorio, useful references are Krastorio 2, Space Exploration and Alien Biomes rather than a random all-effects preset. Keep screenshots honest by testing the same night, indoor and outdoor scene before saving the preset.

Performance Targets

Expect a 5-15 fps cost for light post-processing and more if depth effects or heavy bloom are enabled. Factorio performance is about UPS, CPU cache and memory speed; texture packs barely matter if the factory is already simulation-bound. AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D, Ryzen 5 7600, Core i5-14400F, 32GB DDR5 and a 1TB NVMe SSD are practical reference parts for this class of build. Use a quality 650W PSU for this GPU class and check case clearance before buying a long triple-fan card. Broad local GPU pricing around R18,000-R32,000 is a planning band, not a live quote.

SA Buyer Setup Notes

For co-op factories in SA, stable fibre and low-latency routing are more useful than an expensive graphics card. Confirm DisplayPort or HDMI support for your monitor, especially if you are moving from 1080p 144Hz to 1440p or 4K. Keep the old save folder backed up before changing texture packs, shader files or mod managers.

FAQ

Will your GPU run these Factorio mods smoothly?

Yes, if the mod list is restrained and the target resolution matches the card. The danger is stacking several 4K packs, lighting presets and UI changes until VRAM or the CPU becomes the limit.

How much RAM and VRAM should I plan for?

Plan for 16GB system RAM and about 4-8GB usable VRAM for this kind of setup. Older games can run on less, but the extra headroom helps with texture packs, browser tabs and mod tools.

What should I test after installing the mods?

Test one busy scene, one indoor scene and one save reload before adding more files. If frame pacing drops, reduce shadows, bloom, grass or texture size before replacing the GPU.

TIP

Pro Tip