Build a Gaming PC to Play Battlefield 3:
Purchase – Battlefield 3 [Download]
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Here are three different gaming PC builds for Battlefield 3. Yes this could have been done 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 the quality of these builds as powerful as possible when selecting BF3 specific hardware. BF3 has been massively successful and ever since the release 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. 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, but in the lower build I will ty to be the most budget conscious as people using this are trying to save on every penny. Keep in mind that the higher the resolutions you play, then the more stress you are putting on your graphics cards. If you are going to be playing on resolutions of 1920×1080 and higher you must have a card to match this.
Here at Newb Computer Build I usually recommend three builds for every gaming p build article: An introductory one that can play the game, but at lower graphics settings, a mid range that can play the game at an average level frame rate at higher and ultra settings and an ultra build one that can play the game at the maximum graphics settings at higher resolutions. I suppose I am going to manage these builds based on the assumption that you want to spend as little as possible to play, but I am going to also base these builds off of several benchmarks I have read on other sites. Here I will compile these and give an overall hardware synopsis of what I came up with. I will include references as well as an overall synopsis of what each of the three builds will be capable of in terms of graphics settings in BF3 and screen resolutions you can play at. For the most part, each of the three builds included here will be based on the graphics settings of 1920X1080, since this seems to be the current mainstream resolutions for gamers (right…? :P)
If you want to build a PC and have a lower budget and do not care too much about playing at the higher/highest settings (and the lower quality build here is not sufficient to your budget needs), then please leave a comment and I shall help you, or else visit the PC Requirements for Battlefield 3 here at Newb Computer Build to gauge the minimum hardware requirements (also posted below).
Battlefield 3 PC Build One: The High End Build (ULTRA SETTINGS) – 1920X1080
Price ~= $1996 USD
The third build will be able to play BF3 seamlessly at resolutions of 1920X1080 at ULTRA settings at frame rates with an average of >62 and will even be able to play up to resolutions of 2560X1600 if you wanted at average frame rates of up to 62. If you do want to play with higher frame rates at higher resolutions (which is for those insane gaming hardware enthusiasts), then you could always go with a Crossfire setup using two of either GeForce GTX 580 or GTX 590 graphics cards depending on your budget.
Battlefield 3 PC Build Two: The Mid Range Build (HIGH – ULTRA SETTINGS) – 1920X1080
Price ~= $1063 USD
The mid range build is always one that is capable of pushing boundaries. This build will be able to play BF3 on ULTRA graphics settings at resolutions of 1920X1080, although you will get smaller frame rates (around 49.25 – not bad!). Even at resolutions of 2560X1600 you will get frame rates around 28.80. For anyone with a mid range budget, there is nothing wrong in going with this build as you will be able to play BF3 just fine!
Battlefield 3 PC Build Three: The Low End Build (HIGH SETTINGS) – 1920X1080
The first build I am posting for BF3 is one for those on smaller budgets and do not mind buying the barbones of hardware parts in order to play BF3 very well at HIGH graphics settings. This build will be able to play BF3 well at HIGH settings on a monitor of 1920X1080 resolutions. Keep in mind that you could possibly play at higher graphics settings if you dial down the resolutions, but I am base lining with the 1920X1080 as stated above. This build is made cheap by only purchasing what you need for BF3 very well at the higher settings, nothing more!
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) |
Intel Core i5-2500K Processor
I use the Intel 2500K processor over and over for gaming PC builds and this is because it does the job plus some. I have included a wonderful corsair hyper 212 cooler to accompany this build so that one can utilize the Intel 2500K further by being able to overclock it easily (as the reputation of this processor is upheld!). To learn more about this processor please visit the information page for the Intel 2500K on the Newb Computer Build Wiki which includes all of the specifications.
MSI P67A-GD55 (B3) LGA1155 Intel P67 B3 DDR3 SATA3 and USB 3.0 A&GbE ATX Motherboard
This is a mobo that has it all for a phenomenal price now. Ever since all Z68 motherboard have come out, the P67’s have declined significantly in price, and this MSI P67 board is currently only priced at around $160 and has the following specifications:
- CPU: Socket 1155 Support Intel Sandy Bridge Processors
- Chipset: Intel P67(B3) Chipset
- Memory: 4x 240pin DDR3-2133(OC)/1600/1333/1066 DIMMs, Unbuffered, Dual Channel, Max Capacity Upto 32GB
- Slots: 2x PCI Express 2.0 x16 slots; 3x PCI Express 2.0 x1 slots; 2x 3.3v/5v PCI slots
- SATA: 4x SATA2 Ports; 2x SATA3 Ports, Support RAID 0/ 1/ 5/ 10
- Audio: Integrated Realtek ALC892 Flexible 8-channel Audio CODEC, w/ jack sensing
- LAN: Realtek 8111E PCI-Express Gigabit LAN Controller
- Memory: 4x 240pin DDR3-2133(OC)/1600/1333/1066 DIMMs, Unbuffered, Dual Channel, Max Capacity Up to 32GB
- Ports: 10x USB 2.0 Ports(8 rear, 2 by header); 4x USB 3.0 Ports(2 rear, 2 by header); 1x PS/2 Port; 2x IEEE1394 Ports(1 rear, 1 by header); 1x Optical S/PDIF-Out; 1x Coaxial S/PDIF-Out; 1x RJ45 LAN Port; Audio I/O jacks
2X EVGA GeForce GTX 580 1536 MB GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 2DVI/Mini-HDMI SLI Ready Limited Lifetime Warranty Graphics Card, 015-P3-1580-AR
(
Two GTX 580’s in SLI – To learn more about how to and what SLI is please visit the GeForce SLI website)
After reading benchmarks for Battlefield 3 it seems that the synopsis has been GTX 580’s in SLI being your best bet for playing BF3 on ULTRA settings at higher resolutions. If this is too large of a price for your budget, then do not fret one will do, however this is after all the highest settings BF3 pc build. If you are curious of the benchmark sources then please check out these BF3 benchmarks articles – Toms Hardware – Guru3d – GeForces Own Benchmarks for BF3.
Tom’s Hardware’s Benchmarks using 2X GeForce GTX 580’s in SLI: (At 1920X1080 Resolution)
Benchmark Results: Nvidia Graphics Cards, SLI – Toms Hardware
Some technical details on the EVGA GeForce GTX 580:
- GEForce GTX 580 with 772 MHz core clock
- PCI Express 2.0
- 1536 MB 384-bit 0.4ns GDDR5 memory
- 4008 MHz memory clock and 1544 MHz shader clock
- NVIDIA 2-way, 3-way and 4-way SLI ready
- 1536 MB 384-bit 04ns GDDR5 memory
- PCI Express 20
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 1333MHz DIMM PC3-10666 Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-8GBRL
I have always been a fan of the G Skill brand of RAM, and I am bringing them back into a build like this one since they have finally become a little more sensible in their prices. (For a while, I may have just been going crazy but their prices seemed inflated). 8GB should be sufficient for this build, and if you ever are feeling diligent in the future the MSI motherboard above will support up to 32GB.
Some technical details on the G Skill 8GB RAM:
- 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM
- 9-9-9-24-2N Unbuffered
- Dual Channel Kit
- Lifetime limited
Western Digital Caviar Blue 500 GB SATA III 7200 RPM 16 MB Cache Bulk/OEM Desktop Hard Drive – WD5000AAKX
I have again…and again chosen a 500GB Western Digital Hard Drive. Yes, I understand that I should have up the space for this build, however hard drive prices are still overly dramatic due to the Thailand weather problems some months ago. So in my opinion 500GB is plenty for this price. You cold always re-use and older drives you have right now as well if you wanted to save a buck, or put more towards a larger SSD as per recommended below.
OCZ Technology 60 GB Agility 3 SATA III Solid State Drive AGT3-25SAT3-60G
The prices on SSD rives have been on a steady decline, so when purchasing gaming pc’s of this caliber there really is no escuse not to purchase one. The OCZ 60GB Agility 3 is a great boot up disk drive that can store your OS and perhaps a couple of game for quick booting. This SSD is one of Toms Hardware’s top rated SSD drives around this price range and is priced perfectly at around $100. Store Windows 7 and Battlefield 3 on here and you should be good to go!
Cooler Master Silent Pro M1000 Series Modular 1000W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified Active PFC Power Supply RSA00-AMBAJ3-US
I have also chosen this exact PSU for the January 2012 gaming pc builds of the month and this is because this is a well rated PSU at a great 1000Watts and further more it is modular!
The technical details:
- Eco-design for energy and money saving by Active PFC.(>0.99) / high efficiency (>85%).
- Single +12V rail for up to 80A for high demanding SLI
- Ultra-silent operation with intelligent 135mm fan speed control
- Flat modularized cables to eliminate the clutter and improve airflow inside the chassis
Corsair CC600TWM-WHT Special Edition Graphite Series 600T Mid Tower Gaming Computer Case – White
Corsair 600T Battlefield 3 Concept (Does not actually look like this)
The Corsair 600T Special Edition case has always been a great fit for any game specific build and I think it is due to the gaming concept designs I once saw and wrote about in a contest put on by a dutch hardware site. Just take a look at the Battlefield 3 concept to the left! Or if you like read the article here.
The Corsair 600T has user-swappable side panel window or mesh insert housing up to four 120mm fans
- Optimize airflow and keep your system neat and tidy using the intelligent cable management system.
- Front panel includes USB 3.0, USB 2.0, Headphone, Mic, and a four-channel fan controller.
- Install or upgrade your CPU heatsink quickly with the easy-access backplate cutout.
- Keep your system cool with the dual 200mm fans and rear 120mm fan
- Access your hardware faster than ever with easy side panel removal.
- Built-in compatibility for SSDs in the six hard drive bays gives you the flexibility you need.
- Easily accessible dust filters keep the cool air flowing over your valuable components.
LG Electronics GH22NS50 22X SATA Super Multi DVD+/-RW Internal Drive – Bulk with Software (Black)
Optical drives now have all become relatively similar and in my opinion do not vary too much. By choosing a reputable brand like LG at a price like this you cannot go wrong within budget. Really, the only improvements over a drive such as this is to go Blu-Ray and this is not needed in a gaming pc build such as this; unless you want it.
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) |
Intel Core i5-2500K Processor
The Intel 2500K is no stranger to any of the build I have included on this page. I have used this processor above in the ultimate build as well as this mid range one. It has been said time and time again that this processor does the job of getting any gaming PC to prime rates as it and mroe with its easily over clocked abilities. To learn more about this processor please visit the information page for the Intel 2500K on the Newb Computer Build Wiki which includes all of the specifications.
MSI P67A-GD55 (B3) LGA1155 Intel P67 B3 DDR3 SATA3 and USB 3.0 A&GbE ATX Motherboard
As per used above as well, this motherboard is at a great price with all of the features you need to over clock the Intel 2500K processor included in this mid range build, as well as ever since all Z68 motherboard have come out, the P67’s have declined significantly in price, and this MSI P67 board is currently only priced at around $160 and has the following specifications:
- CPU: Socket 1155 Support Intel Sandy Bridge Processors
- Chipset: Intel P67(B3) Chipset
- Memory: 4x 240pin DDR3-2133(OC)/1600/1333/1066 DIMMs, Unbuffered, Dual Channel, Max Capacity Upto 32GB
- Slots: 2x PCI Express 2.0 x16 slots; 3x PCI Express 2.0 x1 slots; 2x 3.3v/5v PCI slots
- SATA: 4x SATA2 Ports; 2x SATA3 Ports, Support RAID 0/ 1/ 5/ 10
- Audio: Integrated Realtek ALC892 Flexible 8-channel Audio CODEC, w/ jack sensing
- LAN: Realtek 8111E PCI-Express Gigabit LAN Controller
- Memory: 4x 240pin DDR3-2133(OC)/1600/1333/1066 DIMMs, Unbuffered, Dual Channel, Max Capacity Up to 32GB
- Ports: 10x USB 2.0 Ports(8 rear, 2 by header); 4x USB 3.0 Ports(2 rear, 2 by header); 1x PS/2 Port; 2x IEEE1394 Ports(1 rear, 1 by header); 1x Optical S/PDIF-Out; 1x Coaxial S/PDIF-Out; 1x RJ45 LAN Port; Audio I/O jacks
EVGA GeForce GTX 570 1280 MB GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 2DVI-I/Mini-HDMI SLI Ready Limited Lifetime Warranty Graphics Card, 012-P3-1570-AR
I have chosen this one GeForce GTX 570 graphics card for one reason; it has performed very well in all benchmarks performed specifically for BF3 that I have read. For examples please check out the following articles:
Benchmark Results: Nvidia Graphics Cards, What Do I Need For Ultra Quality?
Those are actually the three main articles that I have read and based this article of pristine Battlefield 3 PC Builds on. This is because they provide an in-depth overview of comparisons of many graphics cards against the performance of the game. Trust me, if I had this budget I would be all over these kind of results, however sadly I do not so I love to compartmentalize these well known statistics and results.
Some technical details on the EVGA GeForce GTX 570:
- GEForce GTX 570 with 732 MHz core clock
- PCI Express 2.0
- 1280 MB 320-bit 0.5ns GDDR5 memory
- 3800 MHz memory clock and 1464 MHz shader clock
- NVIDIA 2-way and 3-way SLI ready
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 1333MHz DIMM PC3-10666 Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-8GBRL
I do have a love for G Skill ram and have even used this RAM in my gaming PC for quite the while. 8GB should be sufficient for this build, and if you ever are feeling diligent in the future the MSI motherboard above will support up to 32GB. (As seen in the above ultimate BF3 gaming pc build)
Some technical details on the G Skill 8GB RAM:
- 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM
- 9-9-9-24-2N Unbuffered
- Dual Channel Kit
- Lifetime limited
Western Digital Caviar Blue 500 GB SATA III 7200 RPM 16 MB Cache Bulk/OEM Desktop Hard Drive – WD5000AAKX
Yes the 500GB 7200RM Western Digital Hard Drive again! Well, this is actually a fantastic hard drive at a great speed and rating. Because of the Hard Drive inflated price market right now, I only suggest a maximum usually of 500GB since prices are insane. I have mentioned that several times in the last few builds and I am sure any regular readers are sick of hearing this, but it is of my opinion that you should re-use and old hard drives when you can or purchase ones as low as you need until you need more physical hard drive space.
Antec 750W Power Supply (EA-750 Green)
I have recommended the Antec 750 Watt PSU before, and can still do so solely dependent on its reputation Time and time again this power supply has rated high in user ratings and can be easily one of the top PSUs of this wattage. The only thing I frown upon is the basic look of this PSU, but do not fear its performance and furture proofness out weigh any look! (Unless you indeed do like the look!)
The technical details:
- 750W Continuous power
- 80PLUS Bronze certified – up to 88% efficient
- NVIDIA SLI Ready certified
- ATI CrossFireX certified
- Up to 100% power available on +12V rails
- 135mm double ball bearing fan delivers quiet, reliable cooling
- Universal input – works on any 100v – 240v grid
Z9 Plus Atx Mid Tower
- First off…I love the Z9 Zantec computer case and please before I say anymore read my review of this case here. If you did in fact read the article you will see that I actually currently use this computer case and have been way more than happy with it because of its value for price. It honestly has amazing cooling capabilities (came with 4 large cooling fans spread out through the case), light blue glow, easily taken apart and upgradeable, LED temp display and a fan speed control system!
- Technical Details:
-
- Motherboard Support – ATX, ATX
- Fans Support – 7
- Fans Install – 4
- 2-Channel Fan Controller and Temperature Display
- External 5.25 Bays – 3
LG Electronics GH22NS50 22X SATA Super Multi DVD+/-RW Internal Drive – Bulk with Software (Black)
As per usual the lame optical drive…(You probably still need it though!) Optical drives now have all become relatively similar and in my opinion do not vary too much. By choosing a reputable brand like LG at a price like this you cannot go wrong within budget. Really, the only improvements over a drive such as this is to go Blu-Ray and this is not needed in a gaming pc build such as this; unless you want it.
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 Bulldozer Review: FX-8150 Gets Tested), 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) |
Intel Core i3-2105 Processor
The Intel i3 2105 Sandy Bridge processor may be no Intel 2500K, but believe it or not you will be ripping through BF3 at HIGH settings really well with this one, as the game does seem to be highly graphics card dependent.
Processor Details: 3.1 GHz (31 * 100 MHz), LGA 1155, 3 MB Shared L3, Hyper-Threading enabled, Power-savings enabled
MSI LGA1155/Intel P67 B3/DDR3/SATA3&USB3.0/A&GbE/ATX Motherboard P67A-C43 (B3)
Throughout the BF3 builds in this article I have used a similar line of MSI motherboard. The only major difference between this one and the ones in the higher builds is that you can only have one graphics card in this one as it only has the one PCI Express 2.0 x16 Slot. This is not a problem though as with this build you will only be installing the one anyways, and if you do have a higher budget you might as well go with the Mid Range Build, otherwise this MSI mobo is great.
Technical Details:
- CPU: Socket 1155 Support Intel Sandy Bridge Processors
- Chipset: Intel P67 (B3) Chipset; Memory: 4x 240pin DDR3-2133(OC)/1600/1333/1066 DIMMs, Dual Channel, Max Capacity Upto 32GB
- Slots: 1x PCI-Express 2.0 x16 Slot; 3x PCI-Express 2.0 x1 Slots; 3x 32-bit 3.3V/5V PCI slots; SATA: 4x SATA2 Ports, Support RAID 0/1/5/10; 2x SATA3 Ports, Support RAID 0/1
- Audio: Realtek ALC892 Flexible 8-channel Audio Codec, w/jack sensing; LAN: Realtek 8111E PCI-Express Gigabit Ethernet Controller
- Ports: 12x USB 2.0 Ports (8 rear, 4 by header); 2x USB 3.0 Ports; 1x PS/2 Port; 1x Optical SPDIF-out; 1x Coaxial SPDIF-out; 1x RJ45 LAN Port; Audio I/O jacks; Power Connector: 1x 24pin main power connector, 1x 8pin CPU power connector
EVGA GeForce GTX 560 1024 MB GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 2DVI/Mini-HDMI SLI Ready Graphics Card, 01G-P3-1460-KR
If you have been reading through this entire article, then you have probably noticed a trend in the graphics cards; they have basically been decreasing increments of the GeForce GTX series of cards. This is because this line of cards seem to have pulled through highly in all BF3 benchmark articles I have read, which I have linked below (as I did above):
Benchmark Results: Nvidia Graphics Cards, High Quality
You should be able to play Battlefield 3 at resolutions of 1920X1080 with frame rates of around 52 at HIGH settings using the GeForce GTX 560. They did not include the card playing at ULTRA settings, but this build should be primarily used to play BF3 at HIGH settings for optimal play quality.
Some technical details on the EVGA GeForce GTX 560:
- GeForce GTX 560 with 810 MHz core clock
- PCI-Express 2.0
- 1024 MB 256-bit GDDR5 Memory
- 4008 MHz Memory Clock and 1620 MHz Shader Clock
- 128GB/sec Memory Bandwidth
- 45.4 GT/s Texture Fill Rate
- Microsoft DirectX 11 Support
- NVIDIA 2-way SLI ready
Corsair TW3X4G1333C9A XMS3 4 GB Memory Kit fro PC3-10666 1333mhz 240-pin Dual Channel DDR3
The bare minimum requirements of memory to play BF3 is 2GB but the recomended requirements are actually 4GB, so I have chosen to include this 4 GB (2 X 2GB) Corsair RAM modules. This will be enough to play the game and if need be you can always wait for a sale and stick in another 4GB to make it 8GB later on.
Technical Details:
- Latency of 9-9-9-24 for maximum reliability and performance
- Each memory module is individually tested to give you Peace of Mind that it Will Not Fail, Guaranteed!
- Industry Leading Lifetime Warranty
- 2 X 2GB PC3-10666 1333MHz 240-pin DDR2 Timing: 9-9-9-24 1.5v
Western Digital 250 GB Caviar Blue SATA 6 Gb/s 7200 RPM 16 MB Cache Bulk/OEM Desktop Hard Drive – WD2500AAKX
I have generally used Western Digital Hard Drives and this build is no exception. The only difference between the Low End BF3 build and the top two higher end builds, is that I made this one 250GB. This is because I was trying to slim the prices as much as possible on this one while keeping with almost the minimum you would need to play BF3 flawlessly at HIGH settings. Not that a hard drive will achieve this, but 250GB is plenty for an Operating System, Battlefield 3 and many more games.
Corsair Enthusiast Series 650-Watt 80 Plus Bronze Certified Power Supply Compatible with Intel Core i3, i5, i7 and AMD platforms – CMPSU-650TXV2
One of the amazing Corsair Enthusiast Series 650-Watt PSU’s; you can never go wrong. These power supplies are built to last and with 650 Watts you do not need any more juice to get the lower end BF3 build up and running.
Technical Details:
- 80PLUS Bronze certified, delivering up to 85% energy efficiency at real world load conditions.
- Over-voltage and over-current protection, under-voltage protection.
- An ultra-quiet double ball-bearing fan delivers excellent airflow at an exceptionally low noise level.
- High-quality Japanese capacitors provide uncompromised performance and reliability.
- A dedicated single +12V rail offers maximum compatibility with the latest components.
- A five year warranty and lifetime access to Corsair?s legendary technical support and customer service.
- Short circuit protection provide maximum safety to your critical system components.
- The latest ATX12V v2.31 and EPS 2.92 standards and it is backward compatible with ATX12V 2.2 and ATX12V 2.01 systems
- Universal AC input from 90~264V. No more hassle of flipping that tiny red switch to select the voltage input!
GAMMA Classic Series ATX Mid Tower Interior Steel Chassis (Black)
- The GAMMA Classic Series cases have always been my g to case when shopping for a true budget gaming PC case. They look sleek, have numerous of great reviews and have everything you need.
- Technical Details:
-
- 6 fan capability ( one rear 120mm included )
- Black Interior
- Wire routing: motherboard punched holes allows for quick CPU bracket removable and optimal wire routing, turned HDD also helps with managing cables
- High end graphics card support, the Gamma features space that is especially designed to fit longer 10.5-Inch cards
LG Electronics GH22NS50 22X SATA Super Multi DVD+/-RW Internal Drive – Bulk with Software (Black)
As said in the above two builds…
“Optical drives now have all become relatively similar and in my opinion do not vary too much. By choosing a reputable brand like LG at a price like this you cannot go wrong within budget. Really, the only improvements over a drive such as this is to go Blu-Ray and this is not needed in a gaming pc build such as this; unless you want it.”
The Battlefield 3 Gaming PC Builds Conclusion:
My hopes are that if you were looking to build a pc to play Battlefield 3 that you found this article helpful. All three builds have been well laid out to accompany both an individuals budget needs and want to play BF3 at the highest possible settings. Therefore the High End build costs the most and can play the game at ULTIMATE settings, while the mid range build can play ULTIMATE settings well & HIGH settings very well and the Lower Build can play the game primarily at HIGH settings well.
I wish you luck when purchasing your hardware for Battlefield 3 and if you need any pointers or help choosing the right hardware pelase leave a comment below or get in contact with me via the comment form.
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Battlefield 3 Overview Video
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Build a PC to Play Battlefield 3 @ Newb Computer Build
Comments 15
Why not i7 instead of i5 ?
Is it possible to add more memory to this build?
Author
Hey John,
All of the builds in this article can support up to 32GB of memory.
Hey corey, How is this build ?
i5 2500k – How much can i overclock to without buying a cooler?
Asus p8Z77-M-PRO motherboard
G.skill 8GB Rip Jaws 1600Mhz
Seagate 1TB Barracuda 7200, 12.
Sapphire ATI HD 7850 2GB
Corsair 650W psu 80+
Windows 7 Home Premium.
Thats about it and corey could you just check if these specs are compatable please, i wanna triple check before buying. Also could you suggest me some Gaming cases for these specs please. Thanks Hope you help me! (i wanna get this right im buying in a few more days).
THanks again
Author
Hey Sif,
You could probably get to 4.0Ghz overclocked rather easily, but I would recommend at some point getting one if you plan to play around with overclocking.
Other then that, that build looks fantastic. As for a case I would go with something like the Zalman Z9 or Zalman Z9 Plus depending on prices (I really like those cases)
lol sorry came out twice.
Author
And no problem about the twice, it seems to happen allot and I am not sure why, perhaps it takes too long to load after submitting a comment?
Hey Corey, For the low end bf3 build , if it could run it on high – ultra then wouldn’t mean it can run most other games on high or better in ultra ?
Thanks
Author
Hello again Sif,
You bet and it is very similar to the $500 this month. I would expect very good gameplay at high and you will be able to play on Ultra in BF3 with this one. The only major difference would be the 8Gb of RAM vs the 4GB of RAM. It does make a difference, but not overly so if it changes your mind in price. You can always add 4 more GB later for cheap. I have also just read your other comment just now, and will try to respond sometime tomorrow with an AMD build, but I can assure you that the Sandy bridge processors have been proven better for BF3.
And just to double check is $700 that max you have for a build? And when are you expecting to purchase?
ok so my question was from last comment was if you can list me a AMD gaming build under $700. purchase would be in a week or so. Also could you try to fit in a 500gb storage.
And include the OS please. Thanks
Hey Corey, For the low end bf3 build , if it could run it on high – ultra then wouldn’t mean it can run most other games on high or better in ultra
Im learning though.Thanks
Hwy , i have a question to you..,
Is i3 enough for bf3 ? Cause in recommended settings there says quad-core.
Author
Hey Costel,
Yes the i3 will be sufficient for BF3. I know the recommended settings do say quad-core, but the graphics card will be of a greater concern for overall game performance and FPS. If you are concerned though, you could always go for an Intel 2400 and a GTX 560Ti depending on your budget since they have gone down in price. To give you a rough impression of this check out this YouTube Video –
Let me know if you have any more questions
Hi Corey,
Do you have a DIY PC build video you could link to monthly build pages?
Author
Hey there John,
Hope all has been well. No I do not have a DIY PC build per say, I just have been trying to put together some hardware overview ones. However I have had this sort of video on my agenda for the future. If you go to the “choosing your gaming pc hardware” page I do have a video done by Carey Holzan who did one a while back if you would be interested. (Just scroll to the bottom) – https://newbcomputerbuild.com/what-do-you-need-to-build-your-own-pc/