Battlefield 3, can my pc be upgraded

[nseibel9]

I currently have a Dell inspiron pc my specs are
Intel Pentium Dual Core E5800 Cpu @3.20ghz
It has integrated graphics(Intel hd 3000) can I upgrade to a new graphics card?
6gb of ram
64 bit Windows os
What do I have to upgrade so I can play bf3, and other pc games

 

[jcox26]

You can upgrade a pc. But i would highly reccomed selling it and getting a brand new build. Anything over 3 years of age should not be upgraded.

 

[nseibel9]

Could you tell me what pc I should get, and pretty much everything to build it?

 

[jay2tall]

You can upgrade a pc. But i would highly reccomed selling it and getting a brand new build. Anything over 3 years of age should not be upgraded.

I agree as well. BF3 is one of the most demanding games out there. A Pentium E5800 may have issues even with an upgrade video card. Also, with those OEM's you will definitly have to upgrade the power supply as well. You will also have to make sure everything fits in the stock case. Sometimes it's more hassle than it's worth. Sometimes its better just to sell it on craigslist, or somewhere, take that money and upgrade.

As far as parts list, we sort of need a starting point. I'd start off with an i5, 8GB RAM, at least a GTX560Ti, 500W+ power supply, and about $1000 to get you started. You can probably do things on the cheap, but we will need a budget to work with. Also, will you need a new monitor, keyboard, mouse, etc? Are you actually looking to build or just buy prebuilt?

 

[Gallarian]

Could you tell me what pc I should get, and pretty much everything to build it?

The official recommended specs for running BF3 are:

CPU: Quad Core
RAM: 4GB
GPU: Nvidia GTX 560 or AMD 6850


If you add all the other bits you need, your looking at a spend of around £700


In regards to learning how to build a PC, the first rule is the more research you do the better. Dont just follow one persons, or one guides advice. Youtube videos are a great resource, but make sure you back it up with detailed guides.

Though, to get a BF3 ready PC, you dont have to build it yourself. If your in the UK. the pre-built systems from Scan.co.uk would be more than suitable, for example:

http://3xs.scan.co.uk/ShowSystem.asp?SystemID=1346


You could run it on a less expensive system, but I wouldnt advise it.

 

[Blahman11]

Just some forewarning, BF3 is unfortunately becoming a bit of a play to win game. There are all the shortcut packs and Premium. BF3 is a good game but I think it's starting to be let down a bit by it's parent company who seem to be pushing dice to introduce these things (or they would have done it when the game was released). If you can deal with all the Premium guys with the better weapons then thats ok for you. Anyway this isn't the subject so I'll stop before a flame war starts.

A new graphics card would enable you to play it but the CPU is woefully incapable of 64 player multiplayer. You need a quad core at least, so a new build is in order really. Get something along the lines of an LGA1155 core i5 with a GTX560ti or equivalent AMD/ATI model and you'll be fine.

 

[jay2tall]

^ you mean PAY to win, not play.

I stopped playing BF3 when the Premium pack came out. They are not milking more money out of me for a game I already paid $60 for. PC games used to give us additional content for free as part of updates. However, I guess Battlefield will forever now be just like COD became. Battlefield 2142 was the last true Battlefield game to be released. Bad Company 2 was pretty fun, not a full fledged Battlefield game, but I accepted it for what it was and it was fun.

 

[Blahman11]

^ you mean PAY to win, not play.

Yup that was what I meant sorry about that :L. I'm probably gonna get BC2 I played it round a friends house and it is far more fun. It looks better too in my opinion. About premium I dunno whether the people who buy it are the pros or something meaning that they're better shots, but it seems that those with premium kill faster with the same weapon than those who don't. At least I'm not alone on thinking that premium's a rip off though. Anyway I'll stop now this isn't really the subject of the question.

 

[jay2tall]

Actually that gives me a suggestion to the OP. If you are willing to upgrade your video of your current PC and maybe the power supply. You could probably play Bad Company 2 and some older games. But to play some of the more modern games, especially DX11 games, you will need to start with a new machine. I've seen a trend with many people keeping their older machines, upgrading the video, and playing some of the older cheaper games. STEAM has really made a lot of this possible as the older games can be purchased for $5-$10. They are still really fun if you haven't played them. Just a thought if you are not in a position to purchase a new a machine.

A side note to Blahman. I have no idea. I think it's people that play the game hours upon hours, mostly kids that have no other obligations. I'm sure a lot just ask their parents who just buy it for them. Dang spoiled kids these days. Not all of them, but alot more than when I was younger. I remember saving my allowance to buy games. Add sugar and caffeine and you have an amped up youngster with quick reflexes. *slight rant*

 

[jay2tall]

Bad Company 2 is visually easier on the eyes to me.
It plays very well on lower specs, but you must use a Quadcore CPU (will show you why in another post)

BF3 is indeed now Call of Duty Modern battlefield, so to speak.

It is for the jumped up people out there... mostly kids.

Everytime i play, you get people raping the uncap, and there is also alot of flaming in the chat box, with people doing their own thing, instead of team dedication and team work.

BFBC2 is still a damn good game.

I dispute the quad core because when it came out most of my buddies had dual cores and it ran fine. I actually ran it on low settings on my parents laptop with a T6600 (dual core) and an ATI 4650M. A dual core sees both cores pretty well hammered, a quad core sees spread utilization somewhere around 50%.

+1 for COD Modern Battlefield. Totally agree with that.

+1 as said above it's hyper kids amped on sugar an caffeine who don't adhere to many of the unwritten rules of previous Battlefield games. Stay out of uncaps, don't camp bases, don't bunny hop like a turd, and stay with your squad.

+1 BFBC2 is definitely still a good game. It's not BF2 or BF2142, but I did like it quite a bit. Something is satisfying about repair tooling someone

 

[stant1rm]

The OP might want to consider looking on craigslist for a good deal on a decent gaming PC. I live in the Ann Arbor area and a lot of college students sell their old rigs freakin' cheap. I picked up a i5 2500K with a Corsair H80 Water Cooler, ASUS Sabertooth motherboard, 16GB G.Skill RAM, 850W Cooler Master Silent PRO, legit Windows 7 Ultimate, 2 300GB Velociraptors, Radeon HD 5770, all in a decent little thermaltake mid tower case for $500.

Not every deal will be that good, and some people might try and cheat you, but if you're patient and do a little research you can find some good deals. One near me right now is Core 2 Quad 2.66GHz, 8GB RAM, 640GB HDD, and GTX 280 for $180.

 

[wr6133]

I dispute the quad core because when it came out most of my buddies had dual cores and it ran fine. I actually ran it on low settings on my parents laptop with a T6600 (dual core) and an ATI 4650M. A dual core sees both cores pretty well hammered, a quad core sees spread utilization somewhere around 50%.

+1 for COD Modern Battlefield. Totally agree with that.

+1 as said above it's hyper kids amped on sugar an caffeine who don't adhere to many of the unwritten rules of previous Battlefield games. Stay out of uncaps, don't camp bases, don't bunny hop like a turd, and stay with your squad.

+1 BFBC2 is definitely still a good game. It's not BF2 or BF2142, but I did like it quite a bit. Something is satisfying about repair tooling someone

I've played BF since BF-Vietnam and I have to disagree with alot of that.

Uncap rape has always happened

Base camping always occured (though BF3 makes it easier)

Bunny hopping is in ANY FPS that doesnt actually have a mechanism to stop it (like RO2 does)

Squad play has alway been crap on public servers... this is made a bit worse in BF3 with assignments and unlocks meaning people go off to do their thing

Its the same as any prior BF you want the more "tac" experience you need to play in a clan/squad of friends you want a authentic military sim you need to play ARMA. I think the difference is this BF has more players than older ones so these things are magnified, couple that with the fact alot of the BF "vets" have very selective memories about all the issues and things that happened in prior games. BF2 was buggy as hell and full of issues till many many many patches later and they never ever patched launchable tanks in BF-Vietnam

 

[flaminggerbil]

+1 for COD Modern Battlefield. Totally agree with that.

+1 as said above it's hyper kids amped on sugar an caffeine who don't adhere to many of the unwritten rules of previous Battlefield games. Stay out of uncaps, don't camp bases, don't bunny hop like a turd, and stay with your squad.

+1 BFBC2 is definitely still a good game. It's not BF2 or BF2142, but I did like it quite a bit. Something is satisfying about repair tooling someone

Funny that all of those things happened on previous BF games then.

I'd say BC2 was overrated, the maps especially were quite poor (not to mention sniper balance issues).
BF2142 on the other hand was very underrated, there was a huge amount of potential in that one but it lacked the players.


Also on the subject of 'pay to win', rubbish. The close quarters weapons are no better then the standard ones, just slight variations. The option to unlock gear early is fine by me as well, if a new player wants to waste his money on unlocks just so he can skip half of the leveling process, fine. Wont make him any better.

 

[trogdor796]

I also don't understand the hate for Battlefield 3 here. I don't see it as pay to win at all. The weapons aren't really better, they are just different. I have premium and I don't even use the premium weapons for my main kit(assault).

Premium is just a bundle for all future expansions. They could have gone the CoD route and forced you to pay $15 for each expansion. Instead, you have a way to save $15 and get all the map packs, which look awesome. Close Quarters is fun, and added a new style to the game. And after watching the Armored Kill trailer, I cannot wait for September to arrive!

 

[jay2tall]

I think the difference is this BF has more players than older ones so these things are magnified, couple that with the fact alot of the BF "vets" have very selective memories about all the issues and things that happened in prior games.

You are probably right. I'm getting old and forgetful. I think going from Battlefield to COD for a little while and back to BF I may notice it more. All these younglings playing these days maybe as well.

BF2142 on the other hand was very underrated, there was a huge amount of potential in that one but it lacked the players.

This was one of my favorite games of all time. I played it on and off for 5 or so years. I still fire it up now and again. There are still servers out there. If they remade this with better graphics and less glitches, I'd be ALL over it.

 

[jay2tall]

I also don't understand the hate for Battlefield 3 here.

My hate is because Battlefield is starting to turn into COD and is going the route of DLC at a cost. My expectations were high for this game and the first few months were great until at some point it seemed that the majority of the playing style changed from Battlefield to COD. It happened right around the time where you could purchase the "Shortcut Bundle" or whatever it was called. You could pay money to unlock all items. That just really got my goat.

PS. My apologies to the OP. This thread kinda got hijacked. Hopefully we sort of answered your question. If not, please yell.

 

[wr6133]

My hate is because Battlefield is starting to turn into COD and is going the route of DLC at a cost. My expectations were high for this game and the first few months were great until at some point it seemed that the majority of the playing style changed from Battlefield to COD. It happened right around the time where you could purchase the "Shortcut Bundle" or whatever it was called. You could pay money to unlock all items. That just really got my goat.

PS. My apologies to the OP. This thread kinda got hijacked. Hopefully we sort of answered your question. If not, please yell.

Lack of ability to mod I think is the killer that will bite EA the hardest the shortcut bundles tbh largely make me laugh some lev 1 noob trying to use a bolt action sniper rifle when they havn't even mastered the controls yet to walk properly. Premium I bought as I would have got the DLC's (albeit begrudginly) anyway there's nothing really in them thats pay to win unless you count extra double XP events but lets be honest after about level 45 XP and rank up is pointless its just a figure and 1 step closer to the sh*tbucket jokes. Ok you get the guns early for the DLC's but the Close Quarters guns are the most lazy assed DLC weapons ever they really are just slightly altered and reskinned guns from the main game after getting the unlocks on each one I stopped using them. Oh and the premium knife which looks like a saftey box cutter given to supermarket employees is just a reskin it has no special powers.

sorry OP for the hijack

 

[shanky887614]

talking about team players

is it odd when i say the most fun ive had in a fps was in amerca's army a couple years ago

cause everyone worked together in a team

 

[nseibel9]

Its okay and fortunately I'm not spoiled I'm only 16, I have around 250 saved right now , and when i sell a drumset I used to have I should have around 450-500 not mention that I'm starting a job next month.
So would you guys recommend an i5 2500k with a gtx 550/560, just to start?

 

[wr6133]

That would be a sound beginning mid next month the gtx660ti is slated to release maybe save towards that along with an i5 and you should be all set.

 

[flaminggerbil]

Or you could go for a 3570k, better then the 2500k in some ways, worse in others.

I'd also wait for the 660 to be released, might be a bit on the expensive side but it's only a matter of weeks until it's out (so the rumours say) so I'd still hold on for now, especially considering it's supposedly going to be more powerful then the 580.

 

[flaminggerbil]

My hate is because Battlefield is starting to turn into COD and is going the route of DLC at a cost. My expectations were high for this game and the first few months were great until at some point it seemed that the majority of the playing style changed from Battlefield to COD. It happened right around the time where you could purchase the "Shortcut Bundle" or whatever it was called. You could pay money to unlock all items. That just really got my goat.

PS. My apologies to the OP. This thread kinda got hijacked. Hopefully we sort of answered your question. If not, please yell.

As someone who's played a lot of both the battlefield series and CoD, the gameplay is still very much different in it's style. Although I am still a little mad that they removed the commander feature, it added so much more tactical depth to BF2/2142.

If we didnt pay for the DLC we wouldnt get any, although EA are greedy bastards I can at least appreciate that developing new content is expensive. It also adds a bit more longevity to the game, although this might sound a bit ironic now that BF4 has been announced...

 

[jay2tall]

Its okay and fortunately I'm not spoiled I'm only 16, I have around 250 saved right now , and when i sell a drumset I used to have I should have around 450-500 not mention that I'm starting a job next month.
So would you guys recommend an i5 2500k with a gtx 550/560, just to start?

I would continue to save and get what you really want. A good base system will last you quite a while for gaming. I still have my i7 920 Nehalem and it's over 3 years old, just had to swap out graphics cards a few times to keep up. The i5 2500K is a great chip, but I'd probably go for an Ivy bridge since it's the newer chip. As mentioned there are pros and cons to that. Basically the Ivy Bridge heats up more as you overclock. I'd still go for it though which would make your cpu the 3570k. Also mentioned is the GTX660TI should be coming out in August sometime. That would be WELL worth waiting for. The 600 series Nvidia cards are fantastic. It should be around $299 for that card. If that is out of your price range I am sure deals will be around for the higher end 500 series cards. One thing to do when you are ready to build is spend time on Newegg and look for the combo deals. I've pieced together systems and my just looking on the combo list and being a little flexible with case, motherboard, power supply, and ram, you can really save some money.

 

[jay2tall]

Although I am still a little mad that they removed the commander feature, it added so much more tactical depth to BF2/2142.

I loved being the commander! You felt like you were really keeping the entire team alive at times. It wasn't as action packed at being in the battle, but you had so much riding on your ability to point out units, launch UAVs, launch EMPS, and Arial Bombardment. YES!!!

I also think in BF3 the value of a vehicle is completely gone. Remember when the walker would spawn and it was GO TIME! They were powerful and took out a lot of people. However, when they were destroyed you had to wait at LEAST 5 minutes for it to spawn? There was no vehicle insta-spawn. BF3 seems like you drive in, kill as much as you can, die in your vehicle, spawn at your base and grab the same vehicle you were just blown up in. I've noticed some people are using the jets as Scud missiles.

 

[Guest]

Anyway back on topic, OP your better off just building a new system. But make sure you do plenty of research first or you could end up with a "Failom" II 1100t like mine.

I've only started PC gaming since March last year (I'm 28 lol) but I've learned a boat load since then and I would choose an Ivy bridge 3570K and a GTX 670 in a heart beat if i was in your shoes right now.