Need Advice on Upgrades for BF3 PC

[jtyler09]

I currently have the following setup, and want to get a few upgrades to hopefully run Battlefield 3 at higher settings (if possible). Right now I can comfortably run on the 'Medium preset' with decent FPS. ('High preset' gets too low FPS)

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 3000 BX80623I52500K
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072

MOBO: GIGABYTE GA-Z68A-D3H-B3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128502

GPU: EVGA 02G-P3-1386-KR GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130611

RAM: CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9B
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145345

HDD: Seagate Barracuda ST31000524AS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148697

PSU: Rosewill Green Series RG630-S12 630W Continuous @40°C,80 PLUS Certified, Single 12V Rail, Active PFC "Compatible with Core i7,i5" Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182200

COOLER: CORSAIR H70 Core High Performance Liquid CPU Cooler
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835181019

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Approximate Purchase Date: 1-2 weeks
Budget Range: $400-600
Preferred Website for Parts: newegg.com
Country: USA
Overclocking: Yes, have not done so yet though
SLI or Crossfire: Maybe, if necessary?
Monitor Resolution: 1920x1200

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Do I have any major bottlenecks here?
Is this system worth upgrading?

 

[Why_Me]

Do you already own a 460 and are looking to go with SLI?

 

[jtyler09]

Thanks for the reply!

Yes, I already have everything listed above. I'm just looking to maybe upgrade a few parts to hopefully get me running on higher settings in BF3.

Would getting another GTX 460 be the way to go? Or would just buying a whole new GPU be more beneficial? Also, would I need a bigger PSU with SLI?

 

[Why_Me]

Thanks for the reply!

Yes, I already have everything listed above. I'm just looking to maybe upgrade a few parts to hopefully get me running on higher settings in BF3.

Would getting another GTX 460 be the way to go? Or would just buying a whole new GPU be more beneficial? Also, would I need a bigger PSU with SLI?

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/314?vs=305 <---- this might help. That's a difficult decision imo. I mean one nice card would be good, but 460's in SLI is no slouch either.

 

[bdbeall]

Since you have the 2GB version of the card, to buy a new one is about $200 if you can even still find it new. Plus to run two of them you would need a new psu
Maybe like this one : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139021

At this point you are $320 in which you could buy a single 570, or wait a till the beginning of June and buy a GTX 660 for $250. But with the budget you are proposing, just get a GTX 680 and pwn everything, and if someone tries to tell you that your pci-2.0 lanes with bottleneck the 680, kick them in the teeth.

 

[Isaiah4110]

Honestly I think your best bet (since you can afford it) would be either a GTX 680 or an AMD 7900 series card. If you want the best possible gaming performance out of your PC then those are the cards to get. Ranking them by what I would expect for performance (all money aside) I would recommend the GTX 680 first, the 7970 second, and the 7950 third. You may or may not have to wait as they are all out of stock. If you prefer not to wait and don't have to have the "best of the best" then grab a 7970 or 7950.

As a side note, if you prefer not to spend the entire $400-600 and don't have to have one of the top two cards then a 7870 should give you roughly the same performance as a 7950 and is about $30 cheaper.

As far as brands go, I'm not an OCer, but my preferred video cards brand is XFX when possible. They give a lifetime warranty if you register the card on their website. After that, I've always heard ASUS and MSI make quality products, and I've had pretty good success with EVGA cards. I don't have personal experience with any other GPU brands.

 

[Why_Me]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127662 $369.99 - $349.99 after mail-in rebate card FREE SHIPPING 5% off w/ promo code MSI425, ends 4/30
MSI R7870 Twin Frozr 2GD5/OC Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 Video Card

http://www.overclockers.com/msi-r7870-twin-frozr <----- review w/benchmarks of that MSI 7870

or...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125418 $359.99
GIGABYTE GV-R787OC-2GD Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card

http://www.guru3d.com/article/gigabyte-radeon-hd-7870-oc-review/ <----- review w/benchmarks of that Gigabyte 7870

or...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121624 $349.99
ASUS HD7870-DC2-2GD5 Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ASUS/HD_7870_Direct_Cu_II/ <----- review w/benchmarks of that Asus 7870

 

[jtyler09]

So it sounds like a GPU upgrade is the way to go... and maybe work on getting the CPU OCed.

Appreciate all of the input!!

 

[bdbeall]

With that cooler you could pull 4 GHz easy.

 

[Why_Me]

With that cooler you could pull 4 GHz easy.

http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Hyper-212-RR-212E-20PK-R2/dp/B005O65JXI/ref=sr_1_6?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1336024816&sr=1-6 $34.95 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO CPU Cooler (RR-212E-20PK-R2)

 

[jtyler09]

Best answer selected by jtyler09.