Upgrade needed for BF3

[Silicor]

Hi,

I've been playing some BF3 on my 2008 gaming rig and It is clear I need to upgrade. on low quality it is playable but I hit stutters and think that my experience is suffering. I don't want to do a full rebuild, so I'd like suggestions to upgrade. Any chance I could just pop in a 560 Ti and all would be good?

Thanks!

Current system:
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Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit (6.1, Build 7601) Service Pack 1 (7601.win7sp1_gdr.110622-1506)
System Manufacturer: Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd.
System Model: EP35-DS3L
BIOS: Award Modular BIOS v6.00PG
Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Extreme CPU X9650 @ 3.00GHz (4 CPUs), ~2.7GHz
Memory: 4096MB RAM
Available OS Memory: 4094MB RAM
Page File: 5408MB used, 3649MB available
DirectX Version: DirectX 11
DWM DPI Scaling: Disabled

BFG Tech BFGR88768GTXE GeForce 8800 GTX 768MB 384-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support HDCP Video Card
Speakers (Creative SB Audigy 4 (WDM))
Thermaltake Armor Series VA8000BWS Black Aluminum / Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case
ZALMAN CNPS9700 LED 110mm 2 Ball CPU Cooler
CORSAIR DOMINATOR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X4096-8500C5DF
PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 EPS12V 750W EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready Active PFC Power Supply

 

[clutchc]

Yes. The 560ti will be a big improvement.
http://www.hwcompare.com/8974/geforce-8800-gtx-vs-geforce-gtx-560-ti/
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-graphics-card-gaming-performance,3042-7.html

Your aging quad core can still keep up with a GTX 560 Ti. But remember, the higher the resolution your monitor is, the harder your card has to work.

 

[Silicor]

I have a 24" display at 1920x1200. Will the motherboard be ok with pci 16 instead of pci 2. I read they are backward compatible. is 4MB memory adequate.

Thanks

 

[clutchc]

I have a 24" display at 1920x1200. Will the motherboard be ok with pci 16 instead of pci 2. I read they are backward compatible. is 4MB memory adequate.

Thanks

pci 16? pci 2? Don't understand.

4MB? Are you sure you don't mean 4GB? I thought you just did a typo...

 

[Silicor]

PCI express 2.0 on the graphics card...where older MB is PCI 1.x

4GB yes, typo

 

[eddieroolz]

A PCI-e 2.0 card will fall back onto PCI-e 1.x standard with backward compatibility, so it wouldn't be an issue if you plug a GTX 560 into your motherboard. I think it might be bottlenecked somewhat due to less bandwidth, though I can't be sure how severe it might be.

As for RAM, 4GB should be enough for BF3.

 

[calguyhunk]

^ Hi Silicor, what he means is that you don't need to worry 'bout PCIe X16 1/2/3 slots

You did not give a budget for your proposed upgrade. I can recommend you something once you state your budget, monitor resolution, the games you intend to play and also, where you're from.

 

[Silicor]

Hi Calguy,

I have a 24" display at 1920x1200. I was hoping to spend under $500 if possible. The most demanding game I'm playing is BF3.

 

[calguyhunk]

I cannot really see anything in your current build that has to go apart from the gfx card.

Seeing as you had a 8800GTX, a GTX 560Ti that you wrote about in your OP will see a huge improvement in gaming performance over your current set up. The rest of your specs are plenty good. You don't really need any more upgrades as of now.

But on your resolution, the 570 will come with a bit of future proofing.

$230 (After rabate): EVGA SuperClocked GeForce GTX 560 Ti

$350 EVGA SuperClocked GeForce GTX 570

Your PSU should be good enough for either card.

On your res, expect a few less frames.

P.S: The above links are from an US website. If you live elsewhere, get your chosen GPU (560Ti/570) from either EVGA/Asus/MSI/Gigabyte.

 

[Silicor]

Thanks for the advice

 

[calguyhunk]

You're welcome. Cheers

 

[Silicor]

One more question. I've decided that I don't want to spend 350, I'll probably do a major overhaul within 2 years. Would you get the 560 ti, or two 550ti in SLI. It is about the same price?

Would it be better to get the 560 ti 2MB vrs 1MB?

 

[clutchc]

A pair of 550ti's will be slightly faster than a single 560ti. But I would definitly go for the single 560ti over the 2 550ti's. Why? Because you can always add a 2nd 560ti later and really improve your framerate.
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2011/08/22/msi_n550gtxti_cyclone_ii_sli_video_card_review/1

 

[Silicor]

makes sense, what about the 2MB vrs 1MB card. I don't know if it will affect performance. I'll probably order the 2MB more for $40

 

[clutchc]

2MB cards are becoming more prevelent lately. Usually due to multi monitor setups or single monitors with 25xx X 16xx resolutions. The GDDR memory is solely used for frame buffers. The amount of GDDR memory above 1GB is mostly unused with 19xx X 10xx and lower resolution displays. But if you can afford it, go for the extra memory for future proofing.

 

[Silicor]

Thanks again, good info!

 

[calguyhunk]

+1 clutch