BFBC2: considering upgrade

[gmreplay]

I'm really enjoying BFBC2, but my system is having a difficult time keeping up on high settings. Where will I get the best bang for my buck in regards to upgrading? Would a new graphics card fix my problem, or am I going to be significantly limited by the CPU as well? I'm considering a total system upgrade, but I intend to wait for Intel's Sandy Bridge to drop before I do that.

My current system specs:
E8400 OC'd to 3.6GHz
4gb ram
EVGA GTX 260 core 216

 

[rolli59]

E8400 @ 3.6GHz should handle a more powerful GPU until you upgrade. I would not even hesitate going to GTX470 or HD6870 with that CPU.

 

[jjb8675309]

e8400 is still a good dual core especially with the overclock you have achieved, I would agree in getting a 6870/gtx 470 and will be a decent upgrade over a gtx 260, however bcbf2 likes a nice quad core and you can expect your minimums to go up as well as avg frames if you were to upgrade your cpu down the road with a new build, so basically the gpu upgrade will be good for now then when you upgrade your cpu bfbc2 should play even better with a quad or more.

 

[gmreplay]

I'm considering getting a 460 (this one, perhaps http://tinyurl.com/32rks52) because they are just so cheap. I could probably get 90 for my 260 on ebay, which means the upgrade is very manageable indeed. Would this put me in a good spot to SLI the 460 when I do a full system upgrade sometime next year? If so, I think this is a deal I just can't refuse.

 

[jjb8675309]

I'm considering getting a 460 (this one, perhaps http://tinyurl.com/32rks52) because they are just so cheap. I could probably get 90 for my 260 on ebay, which means the upgrade is very manageable indeed. Would this put me in a good spot to SLI the 460 when I do a full system upgrade sometime next year? If so, I think this is a deal I just can't refuse.

this sounds like a great plan, but I would definatley splurg a bit for the 1 gig model over the 768mb, it will be worth it now and when you sli them in the future, and gtx 260s are still gold on ebay,especially if you have all the original packaging and accessories sold mine for $110 just a month ago...

but if your mobo is crossfire capable, and for the price/performance I would go with 2 6850s, its cheaper, and would perform about the same if not better... and run a lot cooler

but then again since you are going for sandy bridge in the future 2 1 gig 460s is the way to go, since you want one small upgrade now with room to grow in the future, otherwise if budget was no option I would go for a gtx 570 now and then another waaayyy down the road, lol,

but all in all get a 1 gig gtx 460.... then sli when you go sandy bridge (or when you can afford it)... good luck

 

[gmreplay]

this sounds like a great plan, but I would definatley splurg a bit for the 1 gig model over the 768mb, it will be worth it now and when you sli them in the future, and gtx 260s are still gold on ebay,especially if you have all the original packaging and accessories sold mine for $110 just a month ago...

but if your mobo is crossfire capable, and for the price/performance I would go with 2 6850s, its cheaper, and would perform about the same if not better... and run a lot cooler

but then again since you are going for sandy bridge in the future 2 1 gig 460s is the way to go, since you want one small upgrade now with room to grow in the future, otherwise if budget was no option I would go for a gtx 570 now and then another waaayyy down the road, lol,

but all in all get a 1 gig gtx 460.... then sli when you go sandy bridge (or when you can afford it)... good luck

Going with a Sandy Bridge chipset/mobo wouldn't have any effect on which graphics cards I could use, would it? Why do you recommend the 460s over the 6850s if I'm going to use Sandy Bridge?

Thanks for the really quick and thoughtful replies!

 

[jjb8675309]

Going with a Sandy Bridge chipset/mobo wouldn't have any effect on which graphics cards I could use, would it? Why do you recommend the 460s over the 6850s if I'm going to use Sandy Bridge?

Thanks for the really quick and thoughtful replies!

sandy bridge should be both crossfire and sli capable, not 100% sure on that but most intel are... anyways the only reason I said that was because intel generally works well with nvidia, however there would be nothing wrong with an intel amd setup... but in the end most people like the fact that nvidia goes hand in hand with intel.. really either the 6850 or gtx 460 1 gig are valid choices

 

[yesitsmario]

Here's a 5850 for $170

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131386&cm_re=hd_5850-_-14-131-386-_-Product

 

[gmreplay]

Here's a 5850 for $170

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131386&cm_re=hd_5850-_-14-131-386-_-Product

Any reason to select this over a 460?

I've also asked about this on hardforum, and they have raised the issue of whether my E8400 will permit me to make full use of the 460's capabilities, specifically in BFBC2. Anyone have any thoughts on this? I know a quad core would permit the 460 to fly, but I still want the game to be playable on high settings with my current CPU.
Here's the thread I started at hardforum:
http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?p=1036621910#post1036621910

 

[jjb8675309]

6850 is a tad more expensive, can oc past 5850 levels and offers better tesselation and crossfire scaling, if you ask me aeither a gtx 460 or a 6850 is a much better buy especially when oc'ed... I would shy away from the power color as reviews indicate very little overclocking headroom and for ten bucks more you can get a 6850 which at stock is slower then a 5850 but when oced can match or surpass and its features and low power consumption is worth it imho, I would still go with the 460/6850

bottom line is for the general price bracket you should go with the newer tech

 

[gamerk316]

For BC2, I think you're more CPU limited at this point. Its close, but BC2 scales REALLY well with quads; even my QX9650 is at near capacity running it...

You'll still benifit from a new GPU, but you'll still probably be limited on the CPU side of things as well...

 

[Derbixrace]

BC2 is a very CPU heavy game, my x6 @ 3.6ghz has usage on every core when playing this game.

 

[jyjjy]

but in the end most people like the fact that nvidia goes hand in hand with intel..

In what way...? This is simply nonsense to be frank. Just because AMD bought ATI does not mean Nvidia magically becomes a better choice for Intel systems. The only way in which it is relevant is in regards to whether the motherboard chipset supports SLI and/or crossfire and even for Intel systems crossfire is still more prevalent. Any Intel board that can SLI will also be able to crossfire but not the other way around(short of hacked drivers.)

 

[jyjjy]

Even when CPU limited a better graphics card can help depending on the situation. Let's say the cpu is limiting you to 35 fps. Perhaps your GTX 260 can deliver those 35 frames per second but only with AA off. A better GPU will allow you to max out AA and still maintain the 35 fps. Most(but not all) high end graphic settings are very GPU intensive but don't put much stress, if any, on the processor. So a better GPU won't necessarily help increase performance so much as let you use more advanced settings while maintaining the FPS your CPU allows for.

 

[aznshinobi]

Just to stick some info into your upgrade.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/3871/the-sandy-bridge-preview-three-wins-in-a-row

http://www.lowyat.net/v2/intel-sandy-bridge-processors-and-mobos-spotted-at-local-retailer.html

Prices seem to resemble the current pricing. Boards have already been leaked by mobo companies, one being here. An enthusiast P67 board.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157217&cm_re=1155_motherboard-_-13-157-217-_-Product

That'd be a beneficial upgrade to an i5 2400S. Which is a quad performing at an i7's level for 200$ according to conversion by Malaysian pricing.

The 5850 is a great deal. But only depending on which 5850. The best 5850 is the DirectCu or the Twin Frozr II (The twin frozr was a fail because of a custom heatsink and still hotter temps than on a reference 5850). Since they have voltage tweaking, a single 5850 could OC to/past a 5870's level as I've done when I play BC2 on max settings. Runs fine. But the 5850 DirectCu is really expensive. So... IMO pickup a 6850. The 6850 defiantly isn't faster than the 5850 in single card form, but still OCs real good like the 5850. Still the only advantage the 6850 has is a lower price by a bit and better tesselation.

So my summary is: 5850 is a good deal, but depending on the 5850. But will be more than enough to handle BC2 on somewhat high settings without stuttering. The OC to 1000mhz defiantly helps though to play on MAX settings. But if you plan on dual carding, pick the 6850.

The 6850 would be a great buy as the DirectCu model is only 200$ and can OC past the 6870's level. Later you'll be able to CF with better later on. Good future proofer. Here's the 6850's CF perf: http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ATI/Radeon_HD_6850_CrossFire/4.html

DirectCu 6850: http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ASUS/Radeon_HD_6850_Direct_Cu/31.html

 

[wh3resmycar]

people have been going back and forth about cpu A holding back gpu B but never did ask the ts on what resolution he's playing at.

 

[jyjjy]

people have been going back and forth about cpu A holding back gpu B but never did ask the ts on what resolution he's playing at.

This is a very good point. Whether the GPU or CPU will be the limiting factor is highly dependent on resolution. If your resolution is low you will see little benefit from a card better than your GTX 260.

 

[phenom90]

i think you can get this model....

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125345

yes a quad core cpu + a faster gpu will running bfbc2 faster but i think it still ok with your e8400 + gtx 460....

if you really eager to upgrade your whole system i suggest wait some more time because in the upcoming 6 months both intel and amd will release new cpus and chipsets so there will be more choice for you...

for the time being... gtx 460 alone should be enough....

 

[Derbixrace]

to be honest you should upgrade both CPU and GPU to get the best experience. if you cant afford upgrading both i think its best to save up for both CPU and GPU. i dont see any point in upgrading only GPU or only CPU because the performance difference would be minimal.

that is because your system is pretty balanced. if you change one part the other part will be the bottleneck.

 

[jyjjy]

i dont see any point in upgrading only GPU or only CPU because the performance difference would be minimal.

He isn't running a P4, he has nicely OCed C2D. He has stated plans to upgrade everything but he will still see a very worthwhile benefit from upgrading the GPU in the meantime if he is running at high resolutions, expect perhaps in the more extreme CPU dependent games.

 

[Derbixrace]

He isn't running a P4, he has nicely OCed C2D. He has stated plans to upgrade everything but he will still see a very worthwhile benefit from upgrading the GPU in the meantime if he is running at high resolutions, expect perhaps in the more extreme CPU dependent games.

well i had only BC2 in mind when i said that in crysis for example a GPU upgrade would do wonders. it just depends on the game.

 

[nvidia1]

http://www.legionhardware.com/articles_pages/battlefield_bad_company_2_tuning_guide,3.html

everyone is wrong your gtx 260 is enough to run the game.As you can plainly see going from a dual core to a quad core with a gtx 260 got an 11fps benefit.In this game your cpu is holding you back.The game loves quad cores.I have a gtx 260 1792mb and I play the game maxed out with 4XAA with no drops below 35.However my processor is a Intel core i7 920 at 2.8ghz.If I overclock my cpu to 4ghz the game runs silky smooth

 

[Derbixrace]

http://www.legionhardware.com/articles_pages/battlefield_bad_company_2_tuning_guide,3.html

everyone is wrong your gtx 260 is enough to run the game.As you can plainly see going from a dual core to a quad core with a gtx 260 got an 11fps benefit.In this game your cpu is holding you back.The game loves quad cores.I have a gtx 260 1792mb and I play the game maxed out with 4XAA with no drops below 35.However my processor is a Intel core i7 920 at 2.8ghz.If I overclock my cpu to 4ghz the game runs silky smooth

it was 22fps actually

 

[nvidia1]

the point is that a gtx 260 is more than enough to run the game

 

[Derbixrace]

yeah but he is talking about HIGH settings. the 260 is too weak for high settings and so is his CPU too.

to run the the game smoothly in 1080P with maxed settings 8 x MSAA i recommend a i7 950 OCed or a phenom X6 OCed and a HD5870/GTX 470 or better GPU.