New build for BF3 - help me finish?

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jckstein

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Hello everyone.. with the release of BF3, it has struck me that my PC is in need of a rather large upgrade. The computer that once could pretty much max out crysis now struggles to play bf3 smoothly on low-medium settings.
Ive been working with a friend in trying to gather a parts list for my setup upgrade, but i think my best bet at this point is seeking some advise from all of you. So, please help me finish this setup and provide some good info.. Thanks

CPU: SNB i5 2500K 3.3GHz or SNB i7 2600K 3.4GHz - im really stuck between these two. Its nice that the i5 is $100 cheaper, but will i loose alot compared to the i7?

Motherboard: ASRock P67 EXTREME4 GEN3 LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard - would this work? if not, what would you recommend?

GPU: Geforce GTX 580 or Radeon 5970 - its basically down to these two for me, but once again.. im stuck between the two. Please help me choose which would be the best.

RAM: Aiming for 8GB (2x4) but still not sure what the best bet would be.

PSU: Nothing specific yet but im guessing ill need about a 750W?


Thats about it for now. Please help me narrow down my options for what would be the best setup for bf3. Would i be looking at running on all high settings with a setup like this?

Thanks in advanced.
 
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jckstein

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Wow, thats quite the data.. Any place in there you recommend i look at specifically?

Looking at the GTX 580 section, it looks like if i went with that card and maybe the i7 2600K, i would be looking at full game all high settings. Then, depending on the performance i get out of that, adding another 580 at a future point would greatly boost the performance, without needing any change in the rest of the system.

Ive been looking at a few benchmarks, and the 580 looks to be one of the best cards for this game at the moment. I know the 5970, or some of the newer 6000 series cards are also good. Any thing in particular that should lead me to sway to one side (nvida or radeon)?

And i guess im still stuck between the i7 2600K and the i5 2500K. Some of the benchmarks ive seen show the i7 significantly out preforming the i5, while others show them on par. With the i5 being $100 less, i would really like to know if the i7 is worth the extra cash.

I know im still throwing alot of questions out there, but please.. anything you can do to answer these would be a great help.

Thanks
 
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genghiskron

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the i7 is not worth the extra cash, thats the one solid piece of advice i can give. if i had to do it all over again, it would be just like this (i5-2500k + gtx 580):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139020
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157271
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.723510
http://www.amazon.com/MSI-PCI-Express-N580GTX-TWIN-FROZR/dp/B004L9MBEY/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1317306538&sr=8-6

the gtx 580 is the best single gpu available and the i5-2500k isnt going to bottleneck it. Is it the best price/performance available? no. but that loss disappears if you are prudent with your other purchases. Im always disappointed to see people knock the value of the gtx 580 and then tout the wonders of a modular power supply and a $150 case.
 
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jckstein

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Great,thanks for the info.

One more thing.. id like to keep the system open for adding another 580 down the road (running SLI), so i think its a good idea to get a big enough PSU for that right now. What size PSU would i need to run this system with two 580's

CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072
Motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157265
GPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130587
RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233144
Monitor: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236052
PSU: waiting on info


So yeah, thats the system as it stands. Everything look alright? Will i be able to run the bf3 beta on ultra (high for the full release hopefully?)
Anything that blatantly needs changing, or something i can change to cut the price a bit without looking performance?
thanks
 
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irock97

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You would need 800w+ to SLI A GTX 580.
 
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jckstein

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alright thanks, I'll add that to the list.

overall, how is this setup though? still looking for thoughts on how it would handle bf3? I'm hoping for maxed out on the beta, and at least all high for the fill game. 1920x1080 res btw.


thanks
 
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jckstein

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Yah, i guess we just have to wait and see what the full game is really like. Any prediction to see how my computer would stack up against the beta at-least? I want to make sure im headed down the right path.

Also, whats the deal with the MSI Twin Frozr GTX 580. Any significant advantage over the EVGA GTX 580?
 
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aznshinobi

aznshinobi

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TBH You don't need a 580. The 560 Ti from what I've heard plays BF3 beta just fine at max @ 1920x1080. With that said.

I'd go with this setup.
i5 2500K + MSI 560 Ti TFII OC (Equals 570) $449 ($20 MIR)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.717978
Asrock Extreme3 Gen3 Z68 $125
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157271
G.Skill 8GB DDR3 1600 $48
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231426
Lepa 850w $120
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817194093&Tpk=Lepa%20850
OR
OCZ ZS 750w $90 ($25 MIR)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341049
 
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jckstein

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Ok, good to know.. ill look into it.

Im sorry, and i really hate myself for continuously asking this, but i would really like to know a ballpark estimate for what sort of BF3 performance i would be getting, even if its just in the beta. It would just like overall reassurance and proof that this system is going to achieve its goal.
 
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jckstein

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hmm i think im gonna stick with a 580.

Also.. what is the difference with the Z68 and the p67 motherboard? Which would be the best for me?
 
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rwayne

rwayne

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If you are building with the interest of BF3 I would say you would HAVE to go with NVidia.
Being an AMD fan I hate to say that but I can't ignore the facts.

The Last Nvidia Driver improved performance in BF3 by 38%
From what I have read AMDs upcoming driver states it 'improves performance' but gives no specifics.

Also Nvidia has been working closely with DICE on the development of this game.

BF3 will be a PHYS-X game.

Plus The GTX 500 series renders DX11 significantly better than AMD.
 
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aznshinobi

aznshinobi

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rwayne, you're incorrect. BF3 will not have Physx.
If anything BF3 uses AMD's "Physx" engine which is Havok. BF3 has a similar look to what the Havok physics produce so It's more likely NOT a Physx game.
Also until benchmarks are seen you cannot slant a game to a certain company. Full game isn't even out yet.
 
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rwayne

rwayne

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Per this video by motherboards.org:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHBx15oSAX8&feature=channel_video_title

Nvidia does have Phys-x in Battlefield 3.

I am trying to verify this on Nvidia's website but I have not found any evidence yet.

Check this out...this is pretty cool. Let me show you what I did find:

On Nvidia's game page they have a performance preview chart for BF3.

They list their past few generation of cards then they document how they perform in the game.

What really gets me is that they have the 8800GT / 9800GT listed as only able to run the game on 'low graphic settings' at 1280 x 1024 resolution. That is impressive. Because the 9800GT although dated is still a decent card.

Here is the performance breakdown by Nvidia:
http://www.geforce.com/Optimize/Guides/battlefield-3-beta-performance-guide

Scroll down the page midway to the section titled "Optimal Playable Settings For Popular Cards" and you will see the chart.
 
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aznshinobi

aznshinobi

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They don't even know what they are talking about. The guy says "6930 or above" That is so BS cause that's not a card. Also the guy says "they've thrown a lot of effort into BF3" That doesn't flat out mean they will have Physx. The Beta doesn't even have the Physx option on it.

Nvidia may say that, but that doesn't mean it'll run smoothly. I will say right now until we see benches I don't believe any BS AMD or Nvidia puts out straight from there sites.
 
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J

jckstein

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By the looks of things my setup should play perfectly at high settings.. but i may need a second 580 down to road to really crack into Ultra.


Last thing for me to decide is which rebrand of the GTX 580 to go with. At the moment i have been planning on going with the EVGA one (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130587) but ive heard alot about the MSI twin froza. I like the clean look of the EVGA one so i would rather go with that, but if the MSI one is alot better, maybe it will be the best bet.
 
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Jackharrer

Jackharrer

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its a beast at cooling compared to the reference evga card. I don't know if it overclocks better than the evga or not but I do know that the dual fan setup + gg non reference cooler = plenty of cooling to handle any oc you throw at it.

I own two MSI Twin Frozr III 6950 2GB and my top card runs @ 64C max load with my bottom card running at 60C in a 75F room.
Click to expand...


Damn, in a few days i'm getting my parts and those include an i5 2500k and the same MSI Twin Frozr III 6950 2GB as you, however only one.

I ordered hoping to get good performance on BF3 with the 1 6950 card. Any indication if i'll be able to run on high with low AA and AF?

Would hate to have to dish out another 300 on another vid card.
 
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jckstein

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hmm i see that..
#292 on the chart is running Ultra at 1920x1080 with the i5 2500K by the looks of it, and is getting 75+ fps.. seems a bit strange. I should be able to do the same with a 580 though right?
 
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