Battlefield 3 (BF3) System Build Guide - What you need to succeed
1920x1080 - High Settings
You have a modern 1080p display and you are a hardcore PC gamer: you definitely want to get the best image quality possible out of BF3 since you don't want to be seeing the same garbage those console gamers are getting. Building a gaming system is probably a yearly tradition OR you haven't upgrade your system in a LONG time and want to be sure that you have a system that can get you into the next couple years as well. You want 60 FPS and you want High image quality settings. This is the Battlefield 3 system for you.
CPU: Core i5-2500k - $219
MB: MSI Z68A-GD65 (G3) - $189
Memory: 2 x 4GB Corsair Vengeance DDR3-1600 - $47
While the processor from the Medium system still finds its way up to the High settings configuration the memory and motherboard have shifted. I chose the cheapest MSI Z68 motherboard that is also ready for PCI Express 3.0 graphics cards and processors (Ivy Bridge) once they are released and pumped up the memory to 8GB since it is only going to cost you another $15 or so (!!).
Again, for only $169 you can grab the Phenom II X4 980 3.7 GHz processor and easily pick up a 990FX motherboard for the $140 range that will get you running and more than adequate speeds for BF3 and prepare for the pending launch of AMD's Bulldozer 8-core CPU. As I mentioned on the first page the CPU platform of choice doesn't really make much a difference in the performance of this game but we like you to be prepared for future titles as well that just MIGHT use the CPU more heavily.
GPU: MSI R6970 Lightning 2GB (overclocked) - $386
Reaching the Ultra settings with either the Radeon HD 6970 or the GeForce GTX 580 at 1080p resolutions was a pretty tough task but both seemed more than capable of handling High settings at the same resolution and nearly staying over 60 FPS. And while both can do it, the HD 6970 is a noticeably cheaper graphics card as we were able to find this overclocked MSI card for $386 on Newegg.
GPU alternative: ASUS ENGTX 580 1.5GB DirectCU II - $469
There are lots of reference clocked GTX 580 graphics cards on the market but if you want one that you can push a bit further with overclocking, then the triple slot cooled ASUS cards are probably one of your best bets. As I mentioned above, this card will be more than capable of hitting 60 FPS on High image quality settings at 1920x1080, but it is just more expensive than the Radeon HD 6970.
But, if you count that free copy of Batman: Arkham City, the virtual cost does come down.
Base Components Cost: $841
For about $250 more than the 1680x1050 - Medium configuration you can run BF3 at High settings and at the 1920x1200 or 1920x1080 native resolution of your display.
PC Perspective Upcoming Events
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I would buy Battlefield 3 if it wasn't for the horrible piece of crap software that is Origin.
"Wake up"
i feel the exact same way.
i will NOT get BF3 UNLESS its on steam, and i DONT have to install Origon
Yeah, I completely agree. Steam is a pain, but Origin is AWFUL. Just like I want to get BC2's Vietnam, but would have to go through Origin to get it (as I bought the physical copy of BFBC2). I've currently been having a blast of a time (heavy sarcasm) with Origin, having the 'pleasure' of trying to download the beta :/
Just relax, they are trying to fix it. And they have got the Origin "stable" for now^^
Thank you sir. This cuts a lot of my homework out of the way.
Geosys
Glad to help!
Hey Ryan,
How does this run on your Alienware m17x? I have one with a 580m and would like to know what the performance is going to be like.
It ran great on our at 1080p resolution, though we are using a Radeon HD 6990m.
Does the higher latency on the RAM not really make much of a performance difference?
Not for gaming, nope.
Alright. Saves me a few dollars then. Thanks for the quick reply Ryan!
Hey what is the difference between high and ultra? Other than AA being turned on. I have heard rumors that dice did not include the actual ultra settings in the beta.
Also quick question HBAO vs SSAO? I know HBAO is more intensive, but I can't tell the difference.
Thanks for the article Ryan. I guess I will have to get a second 570 :-\
Check out my previous BF3 articles for some IQ comparisons.
I've been thinking about going for a 6870 Trifire setup. Using the 6870 X2 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131446) and single 6870 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102948) the cost would be around $600. Any thoughts as to how this would perform in BF3 and Rage?
I would think 2 6970s would be better for that kind of money, VRAM doesnt scale as in 2 1gig cards does not equal your pc having 2gigs usable vram (so Ive been told)
BF3 is said to use about 1.3gigs of vram ps
If Andrew's cost comment is right, I think that is a better choice. Two GPUs will scale better (in terms of cost/FPS) than three GPUs will.
I wanted to be sure so I looked into it and found an article on Toms Hardware:
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/245454-33-crossfire-faqs
Do SLI or CrossFire double the memory ?
No.Adding another card with more memory doesn't double the overall memory of your cards.
Agreed, 2 GPUs will almost always have a better FPS per dollar ratio than 3. However, I used to run a 4870x2 + 4870 setup and was surprised at just now well tri-fire scaled.
Will we be seeing BF3 included free with any new cards?
(for us cheap thrifty bastards)
Doesn't look like. It appears the new Batman is the pack in of choice for the fall.
The 6950 Dirt 3 comes with Dirt 3 and Deus Ex:Human Revolution which most AMD cards come with still. That was the GPU route i went last month, I plan on running two of those eventually so i can get more than the 30fps i'm getting now in Caspian Border on Ultra lol.
Thanks for the article! I'm running an older Asus 4870x2 with an i7 2600K, Maximus IV Extreme-Z, Vertex 3, and 16GB of Vengeance DDR3-1600. I upgraded recently except for the GPU b/c waiting for the upcoming 28nm GPU's. Any idea when to expect them? Is this a good idea in your opinion? I'm not dissatisfied with the 4870x2 on the demo - it's running in "high" mode. But really looking forward to seeing how a 28nm multi GPU card will do.
i ran beta with 6770 5770 xfire phenom x4 965 8 gig of crucial 1333 ram at 2048X1154 on whatever settings they recommend (not the highest but must categories were up all the way)and i got 60 fps on fraps, note: it does drop in the 40s at some points but others its up in the 90s.
This game rocks
How is the game's memory usage using 3 1920x1200 monitors? ARMA2 absolutely eats VRAM and 1.5GB isn't enough. Is BF3 much less demanding even with ultra settings?
Great article, thanks for all the in-depth info.
I have a 5850 do you think if I add another for the small additional price I will be able to play BF3 on high settings 1080p? or am I still going to be held back by 1gb of VRAM on this game at that res?
I have 6gb RAM and an i7 920 also.
2x 5850 will be plenty if you arent playing eyefinity.
Guess my old Q6600,750i FTW and 570 may not cut it. lol though I do have a brand new P55 Mobo I won from EVGA almost 2 yrs ago. Don't know if I'd be better off with an i7 or i5. Been trying to build a new machine since I got the board, but damn life keeps getting in the way and sucking up extra funds :)
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