Battlefield 3 - Gaming Computer Builds
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BF3 PC Build Overview
Check out the original article at Newb Computer Build - Battlefield 3 Gaming PC Builds
In this article I will discuss three different gaming PC builds for Battlefield 3; yes I could have done this much earlier when the game was initially released, however I have now been able to compile benchmark results from various hardware site sources, which makes his article powerful when selecting the proper hardware specifically for Battlefield 3. This game has been massively successful and ever since the release of BF3 on October 25, 2011 the reviews have been over the top - IGN: "It delivers a scorching multiplayer... - Metacritic: "89/100" - Gamespy: "5/5 Stars" - 1up.com: "A-" - Gamespot: "8.5/10".
BF3 is both a primarily a GPU dependent game, although having a good CPU does help, so finding a build to play this game at ULTRA / HIGH settings is a high quality hardware goal. Even though this build is primarily for BF3 there is no point including a processor less than an Intel i5 2500K for the higher builds since you may eventually want to play other more PCU demanding games, however in the lower build I will ty to be the most budget conscious as people using this are trying to skimp on every penny. Also, keep in mind that the higher the resolutions you play, then the more stress you are putting on your graphics cards, so if you are going to be playing on resolutions of 1920x1080 and higher, keep in mind you must have a card to match this.
Minimum PC System Requirements for Battlefield 3:
| Processor: Core 2 Duo @ 2.0GHz |
| Operating system: Windows 7 or Windows Vista |
| Memory: 2GB RAM |
| Hard Disk Space: 15 GB for Disc Version / 10 GB for Digital Version |
| Graphics Card: DirectX 10 or 11 compatible NVidia or AMD ATI Card |
Recommended PC System Requirements for Battlefield 3:
| Processor Quad-core Intel or AMD (Quite high!) |
| Operating System: Windows 7 64-bit |
| Memory: 4GB RAM |
| Hard Disk Space: 15 GB for Disc Version or 10 GB for Digital Version |
| Graphics Card: DirectX 11 NVidia or AMD ATI Card, GeForce GTX 460, or Radeon HD 6850(with Graphics card memory of 1 GB) |
Gaming PC Build Recipe: BF3 High End Build (ULTRA SETTINGS) - 1920X1080
This is the build for anyone wanting to play BF3 at the highest settings with a great performance at resolutions of 1920X1080. The performance will be flawless and you c an even go higher in resolution easily. Below you will see the Intel i5 2500K processor and SLI GeForce GTX580 (that is two GTX 580's!) make a great. NVIDIA GeForce cards are the preferred card for BF3 based on the benchmarks over at Toms Hardware.
| Estimated Price: $ 1996 (Prices will vary and are accurate as of January 2012) |
Gaming PC Build Recipe: BF3 Mid Range (ULTRA - HIGH SETTINGS) - 1920X1080
The mid range build is generally your typical gamer build. It has enough spunk to pull out ULTRA settings and will play BF3 at high settings phenomenally. The biggest different between the high end ULTRA settings build for BF3 above, is that the mid range build includes only one GeForce GTX 570 1GB graphics card. This will allow you to play BF3 at ULTRA settings still at frame rates of about 56.06 at ULTRA settings and frame rates of about 70.34 at HIGH settings according to the Toms Hardware benchmarks for BF3.
The mid range build also includes the Intel i5 2500K processor (like the build above) and I was initially debating whether or not to include the Intel i7 2600K however to me there is no point as it seems this would not contribute to BF3 game quality much and does cost about $100 more. The fantastic qualities of the Intel i5 2500K processor can be seen with its over clocking capabilities so you will never be sold short in price per performance. This build is probably your best best in terms of bang for your buck, so if you are trying to save as much as possible this should be it! *Keep in mind that you can always add a Solid State Drive later (or now if you can afford it), up the RAM and up the hard drive space. The build as is however, will play Battlefield 3 t ULTRA settings on a high resolution 1920X1080 resolution monitor.
| Estimated Price: $ 1063 (Prices will vary and are accurate as of January 2012) |
Gaming PC Build Recipe: BF3 Low End Build (ULTRA - HIGH SETTINGS) - 1920X1080
Do not let the name "Low End Build" fool you, as this build is still capable of playing BF3 at HIGH settings, and since the game is not so much CPU dependent as it is graphics card dependent, you can still purchase a lower end CPU to play the game well. As Toms Hardware stated in their BF3 benchmarks article stating
"Looking back at my notes for the Bulldozer launch AMD was very enthusiastic about FX’s performance in Battlefield 3 (multiplayer beta, at the time). And no wonder—Battlefield 3's single-player campaign doesn’t care if you’re using a $130 Core i3 or $315 Core i7. It doesn’t care if you come armed with two Hyper-Threaded cores or four Bulldozer modules. It just. Doesn’t. Care."So in the end the Intel i3 2105 processor will fit the bill just fine saving a huge amount of dough on the processor as it only comes in at around a current $135.
The Low End Build for Battlefield 3 will be capable of playing the game at frame rates around 52 at resolutions of 1920X1080 playing the game at HIGH SETTINGS. If you wanted to play the game in ULTA you would achieve frame rates much lower. If you are planning on doing this I would splurge a little now for an Intel 2500K processor instead as this would make your build more future proof in terms of "general gaming" instead of specifically a BF3 pc build.
Overall, the "Low End Build" is still a fantastic build; especially for those wanting the barebones to still play Battlefield at HIGH settings really well while saving money in the meantime. The two biggest differences again is the downgrade in processor, slight decrease in graphics card and 4GB RAM instead of 8GB as per the "recommended requirements" for Battlefield 3 listed at the top of this article.
For all of you budget conscious people, remember with hardware parts like RAM it is simple to add 4GB more RAM a few months down the road, so do not fret about splurging everything at once; buy what you need now and upgrade IF you need to.
| Estimated Price: $ 695 (Prices will vary and are accurate as of January 2012) |