Budget Computer Help

[HopelessNoob]

Hey,

So I built a computer for my cousin a couple months ago and here are the "general" specs of it:

i7 ivy bridge (he wanted the i7 cause he doesn't pay for any of it -_-)
cooler master cpu fan
asrock z77 extreme4 motherboard
16 gbs of g.skill ddr3 RAM
a big full tower case
a 1tb 7200rpm WD hard drive
cheap optical drive

And I noticed that he was getting 60+ fps on ultra settings in battlefield 3.

Now here is my question.. I'm a poor college boy that is looking for a computer that can play battlefield 3 on HIGH settings with a minimum of 60 fps (I honestly cannot see the difference between ultra and high settings). How cheap can I go to get 60 fps on high settings? I am fine with going with an AMD build but am in need of help figuring out how low I can go with the price. I was hoping around $400 WITHOUT the graphics card and looking for a $300 graphics card that can suit my needs. Can anyone give me any input?

Thanks!

Mark


EDIT:

OR SHOULD I WAIT UNTIL BLACK FRIDAY? Will prices drop significantly?

And I do not need mouse, keyboard, monitor and OS. I only need the Desktop

 

[malbluff]

If you've got $300 for GPU, you don't need anything "super-special", for the rest of it, to achieve that sort of performance. How "do-able", depends on what your budget has to include eg Operating system, peripherals?

 

[HopelessNoob]

If you've got $300 for GPU, you don't need anything "super-special", for the rest of it, to achieve that sort of performance. How "do-able", depends on what your budget has to include eg Operating system, peripherals?

Hmmmm I forgot to list those I only need the Desktop I don't need keyboard, mouse, or monitor.

 

[obsama1]

You can get a 7870 for $250 that runs BF3 at Ultra and High. If you want to go cheaper and still run at high, get the 7850. I would maybe hold off the 7850/7870. I have a gut feeling that AMD will drop prices because of the 660/650.

 

[malbluff]

Hmmmm I forgot to list those I only need the Desktop I don't need keyboard, mouse, or monitor.

Operating system?
I mean, you can get decent CPU& mobo under $200, Case & PSU around $100, Drives under $100. $400 no big problem. Chuck in $100 for operating system, and it gets a bit more tricky.
On subject of GPU, GTX660Ti is worth thinking about, good for BF3 but depends what other games you want. Radeons can be better "all-rounders"

 

[HopelessNoob]

Operating system?
I mean, you can get decent CPU& mobo under $200, Case & PSU around $100, Drives under $100. $400 no big problem. Chuck in $100 for operating system, and it gets a bit more tricky.
On subject of GPU, GTX660Ti is worth thinking about, good for BF3 but depends what other games you want. Radeons can be better "all-rounders"

would the 670 be more worth the money than the 660? and i forgot to mention that i don't need the OS sorry!

 

[malbluff]

would the 670 be more worth the money than the 660? and i forgot to mention that i don't need the OS sorry!

Like for like, the 670 is a bit better, overall. Which is better VALUE, is open to debate. Best to see what's "left in budget", before deciding which is "best" graphics card. Main thing to decide first is whether you want to spend extra, say £60, out of budget to have the ability to overclock. That's down to whether you think you would be interested in getting into how it works, rather than just what it does.
I'm in UK also, so calling it a night, shortly. If one of the USA guys hasn't sorted anything for you, will have a look in morning.

 

[HopelessNoob]

Best answer selected by HopelessNoob.