Hello, I am from Australia. I am looking to upgrade my pc for the new Battlefield 3 game. Here is what I am thinking of getting: CPU: i5 2500k $213 or i7 2600k $316 Mobo: Asus P8P67 Pro $195 GPU: Gigabyte 1GB 6950 $258 or Gigabyte 2GB 6970 $362 or Gigabyte 1.28GB GTX570 $362 RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws-X DDR3 1600MHz 8GB (4GBx2) $80 Buying from: MSY Technology or PCDIY (NOT NEWEGG) Monitor Resolution/Size: 1600x900 - 20" Budget: $950 What are your opinions on what I should get? Will I have to upgrade my Corsair TX-650? Thankyou!
I think the i5 2500k would be a great choice. Get a good aftermarket cooler like the Titan Fenrir and OC the balls off it. I'd wait on the videocard to see what is most appropriate for the game when it comes out. You can't really make any prediction yet since it's the first game on the FB3.0 engine, so there's nothing to compare it to. I'd just advise to wait so you can make an informed decision. Save some cash and get 4GB of RAM. I don't think you'll need 8GB unless you plan on having tons of other apps running in the background while you play, or need that much RAM for other activities you may be using your computer for. I hear the P8P67 Pro is a great board. I'd investigate the Gigabyte equivalent, though. I've heard good things. Someone else can probably help you more there. I'd suggest using some money saved to get yourself a decent monitor. My upgrade to a good IPS monitor (Dell U2311h) was one of, if not THE, best upgrade I ever did. It blows my old TN panel out of the water in every way and this monitor is actually extremely good in terms of response time/input lag for an IPS panel. That one down side is becoming less and less of an issue now. Another reason would be wasted potential. If you're spending almost 400 on a VC, you want to be able to push it to it's limit and at 1600x900 res you're barely stressing that hardware. It's a lot of wasted potential. If you can't afford an IPS panel, you can get a decent TN panel that would be great for gaming at 24" 1920x1080 resolution. It makes a world of difference in both gaming and in every day use with all that extra screen space. I'd highly recommend the Dell U2311h. It's an inexpensive monitor for an IPS and it has very good quality. Cheers!
Thanks for the advice, I am definately considering the i5 2500k now but it depends on what I am willing to spend at the time. Ill consider only 4gb of ram but I would like to go with 8gb. Lastly, I am happy with my monitor as it is right now, it performs well and it does everthing I want it to. If i did upgrade the cpu, mobo, ram and gpu would you suggest a upgrade to my Corsair TX-650? Thanks!
I would get a ssd and put BFC3 on that. I have a MSI P67A-GD53 and that was recommended by CPC and does everything I want it too and is a competent OCer
I started MY BF3 prep, not by upgrading any core components, but by getting a U2311H monitor and Corsair SP2500 speakers, and a Xonar DS to run them. This is because, as people have stated, we don't know what it'll be like, but I do know a good screen and amazing speakers will solve half the problem. Watching the Frostbite 2 trailer now sends shivers up my spine. So I'd suggest looking at it this way, ignore the core hardware, get good speakers and a god screen. Save for 2 months, then upgrade that core components as and when you need to
I am happy with my monitor and hard drive as it is at the moment but I am considering getting an SSD at some point in the near future. I think I am still gonna stick to the Asus P67 series because I have always like Asus motherboards and they have never failed for me. I dont think ill be upgradeing for quite a while anyway because I want to research on the components alot so I know I have made the right decision. I guess my main questions are: - Will the i7 2600k perform much different to the i5 2500k in games?. (i am planing on overclocking it as much as I can with my Thermaltake Frio) - Will I need to get a new PSU if I upgrade the gpu and cpu? - Can the Thermaltake Frio be installed on the Asus P8P67 Pro? Thankyou everyone for your advice it is greatly appreciated!
Get a good motherboard (gigabyte) then think about ram. It's a lot easyier to upgrade ram than it is to upgrade a whole new motherboard
1) Probably a little, but not at a noticeable level I'd think. 2) idk, what's your PSU's spec right now? If it's 350W then yes. If it's only got 1 PCI-E power connector then yes (depends on the GPU of course or you can get an adapter). If the amps on the +12V rail are horribly low (like <25) yes. Otherwise, probably not. 3) According to the logic that all LGA 1156 coolers fit on LGA 1155 yes
In response to: Question answer1: Thanks I have decided to choose the i52500k now.\. Question answer2: I have a Corsair TX-650 it has x2 pci-e 6 pin and 8 pin compatible. Question answer3: Very helpful, thanks!
i think the game looks amazing btw but its very hard to determine hardware to make it run like jelly before it comes out. i think the phrase 'how much of a crysis will it be ?' comes to mind
i think i could be the most intensive game graphically weve got but i hope it is well optimized for current and last gen cards, ive nearly got mine, just got to save up a 100 quid then sell my psu and by a better one then get a 2nd gtx 460
Thankyou to everyones advice, it is greatly appreciated! Here is what I have come to: i5 2500k $213 Asus P8P67 Pro $195 HIS 2GB HD6970 $333 Patriot Gamer2 DDR3 1600MHz $90 This is not going to happen for a while because I need to save up the money, so my decisions may change depending on prices and other comments. My only question is: - Will I have to upgrade my Corsair TX-650?
Judgeing by the way all other games are (BFBC2 and Medal of Honor) I'd be saying it will be well optimized. But I am probably wrong
I would say not, that seems like a competent supply, running just one GPU on air cooling, 650W is plenty. *EDIT: And then spend the money saved on a larger better monitor. Assuming it might run reasonably well on your CPU, if you were to stick to that monitor you could probably get away with just a graphics card upgrade to run that with all the bells and whistles at that resolution.
