Considering this $700-800 build for BF3

[hopfrog]

Hello all. My current build is going on three years old and I was thinking about an upgrade mainly due to Battlefield 3. Currently have an Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 3.16 Ghz CPU with a EVGA GTX 260 Core 216 and don't think that will cut the mustard for the upcoming generation of games. Plus I am looking to move up a resolution (currently have a 1280x1024 monitor).

Approximate Purchase Date: The coming months - would prefer to space it out to make it affordable. Let's say October-February.


Budget Range: $700-800


System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, specifically BF3 and the ilk


Parts Not Required: Keyboard, mouse, case (have an Antec 900 Midtower), HDD, optical drive, OS, PSU (currently have a PC Power and Cooling S75QB 750W ATX12V/EPS 12V SLI Certified Crossfire Ready 80 PLUS)


Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg, Tigerdirect (near a location), Microcenter


Country of Origin: USA


Parts Preferences: Prefer Intel processors, EVGA video cards and Gigabyte MB's, but whatever is solid is good with me.


Overclocking: Yes


SLI or Crossfire: Maybe


Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080


Additional Comments: None.


Here is what I have been looking at:

Intel Core i5 2500K
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0354589]

EVGA Superclocked GTX 560 Ti
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130610]

G.SKILL Ripjaws 4GB DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231277]

ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6 Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel MB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157271]

For monitors, a couple of options:

ACER S211HL bd 22" Class LED Monitor
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=6416892&CatId=5469]

HANNspree HF225DPB Black 21.5"
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824262011]

Hoping that I could wait until later in the fall to get a better price on a monitor.


So, how is it? I am looking for good to great performance at 1920x1080 on BF3, and I know the actual specs are not out yet, but could this handle it you think? I would also like to be able to cut costs where I can to maximize my purchases. Is there any item I could downgrade but not take too much of a hit in FPS and the like? Thanks in advance.

 

[aznshinobi]

Your GPU link is broken but I'd suggest this one.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127565&Tpk=560%20Ti%20OC
TBH I think you'll see pretty decent performance but it's hard to say. In Alpha the 560 Ti handled it fine, however Alpha isn't the full game nor is it Beta and many of the GPU options weren't available for Alpha. So... With that said, I think you can at least run medium, but maybe not maximum.

Either monitor looks good, the Acer seems a bit better for the price.

 

[hopfrog]

Your GPU link is broken but I'd suggest this one.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127565&Tpk=560%20Ti%20OC
TBH I think you'll see pretty decent performance but it's hard to say. In Alpha the 560 Ti handled it fine, however Alpha isn't the full game nor is it Beta and many of the GPU options weren't available for Alpha. So... With that said, I think you can at least run medium, but maybe not maximum.

Either monitor looks good, the Acer seems a bit better for the price.

Never used a MSI card before, I have had good experiences with EVGA which is why I picked it. Are there really concerns that a 560 TI would only handle it on medium? I thought DICE were meant to be optimizing it for lesser rigs.

 

[AdrianPerry]

Id recommend the Gigabyte 560Ti. Its factory clocked to 900MHz and is super-cheap at the moment (I presume its on a sale of some kind). It runs cool and very quiet. I own one personally and its clocked up with 1GHz with ease - just a few clicks in MSI's Afterburner and hey presto!

$205 after rebate according to the main list pricing
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007709%2050001314%20600094002%20600107147&IsNodeId=1&name=GeForce%20GTX%20560%20Ti%20%28Fermi%29

Link to actual card (doesn't seem to mention rebate on here unless i'm missing something - im not too familiar with NewEgg): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125363

 

[aznshinobi]

Well EVGA's cards are nice but the cooler/heatsink on the TFII is better IMO, one of the best. As for BF3, if you think that they will. Perhaps they might. It doesn't seem like it will though. Dice/EA reported that the 580 by itself couldn't handle BF3 at max but I don't remember resolution.

 

[genghiskron]

sorry, who to say that medium settings dont look really good? i find it ridiculous how often this is brought up. ideally, a new game release should be playable by lesser rigs, and maxed out by only the highest end rigs (if that), so that it has maximum graphics longevity. if they designed the game so it could be maxed out by a gtx 560 ti, the game wouldnt look as good as it does. period.

 

[aznshinobi]

^+1?

I was playing BC2 and although dropping the settings down to LOW/Medium help on FRAPS, it's actually quite harder to play. I don't know if people notice but smaller details like Snipers in camo become rather hard to separate from them and the landscape they are hiding it. With the High settings it's easier to separate them from the scenery. That's just me though, I don't like being flanked.

 

[AdrianPerry]

^+1?

I was playing BC2 and although dropping the settings down to LOW/Medium help on FRAPS, it's actually quite harder to play. I don't know if people notice but smaller details like Snipers in camo become rather hard to separate from them and the landscape they are hiding it. With the High settings it's easier to separate them from the scenery. That's just me though, I don't like being flanked.

Haha i usually find it the other way round High details means snipers blend in as they should and be more or less "invisible", on low details they stick out like a sore thumb. Mainly why I love CS:S so much - no bull£$#@ just skill

 

[aznshinobi]

Haha I feel like the unclarity of low settings makes them blend in easier, with the high you get distinct lines.

 

[008Rohit]

CPU : Intel Core i5 2500K - $220
MoBo : ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 - $125
HSF : CoolerMaster Hyper 212+ - $28
RAM : G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 - $52

GPU : MSI N570GTX-M2D12D5 GeForce GTX 570 (Fermi) 1280MB 320-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card - $270
http://newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127552

Monitor : Acer S211HL bd 22" Class LED Monitor - 1080p - $130 (tigerdirect)

Total : $825 after rebates

 

[Paincm]

CPU : Intel Core i5 2500K - $220
MoBo : ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 - $125
HSF : CoolerMaster Hyper 212+ - $28
RAM : G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 - $52

GPU : MSI N570GTX-M2D12D5 GeForce GTX 570 (Fermi) 1280MB 320-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card - $270
http://newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127552

Monitor : Acer S211HL bd 22" Class LED Monitor - 1080p - $130 (tigerdirect)

Total : $825 after rebates

Thats pretty good^^^

However, personally I'd put a little bit more into the motherboard.

 

[008Rohit]

Thats pretty good^^^

However, personally I'd put a little bit more into the motherboard.

What more do you want from a motherboard? Just because its not that costly doesn't mean its bad.
It SLI/Crossfires at x8/x8. Has two PCIe 3.0 slots and other Z68 features.

 

[genghiskron]

yeah im on board with rohit's build:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.733472
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.733471