Looking to upgrade my PC for Battlefield 4, any help?

[Colinjbro]

Hello there,

I am very looking forward to the new iteration of Battlefield. Battlefield comes out at the beginning of November here in the UK. I have decided not to get the new iPhone and instead maybe get myself a small upgrade for my computer so that I can play this game smoother.

My current build can be seen below by clicking the button underneath my name.

I would like to know what areas are weakest with my build. I know that it is not the best build in history as it is a bit old at this point.
The Battlefield 4 requirements can be seen below.
http://http://www.stageselect.com/N5324-battlefield-4-bf4-pc-system-requirements-3gb-video.aspx


Any suggestions on what would be a very nice upgrade for my PC would be much appreciated.

 

[Dude]

I would go for hitting the recommended video card with 3gb. Have a look at this one Addram posted

http://www.sevenforums.com/pc-custo...e-heaven-benchmark-scores-51.html#post2519693

 

[paulpicks21]

Yeah I think a new GPU is the way to go too, how much have you set aside to spend on an upgrade Colin?

 

[Colinjbro]

Hey guys,

I guess I don't really have a budget per se. I could spend a couple of hundred or so. Are you guys saying that the weakest thing in my build would be my Graphics card? I thought it was one of my strengths. The build is a couple of years old I know but the graphics card is probably the newest thing I have there. Plus it would also be the most expensive to upgrade.

 

[paulpicks21]

Hi Colin, it's not the weakest thing in your rig, obviously if money was no object I would say get a new CPU/Mobo and GPU.

The stuff you have is fine as it is to play the game, but obviously not on the highest of settings. If you upgraded the GPU I don't think that your CPU would bottleneck it too much and with one of the latest GPU's you could run at the highest settings.

 

[Colinjbro]

Hmmm nice man. Ill have a look at what GPUs I could get. Any suggestions?

 

[Boozad]

I would go for hitting the recommended video card with 3gb.

I find it quite funny that neither of the cards recommended for BF4 are available in 3GB version.

 

[kbrady1979]

I'm not thrilled with how GPU manufacturers have started going with 2/4GB models for the most part. There are still some cards with 3GB of RAM, but for the most part, it's 2/4. I think 2 is really pushing it for 1080p gameplay, and 4 is overkill for it, but great for 1440p or multiple monitors. Also, when looking at PC specs, I totally disregard the minimum specs because that just lists what you need to actually turn on the game, it doesn't mean the game will be playable by today's definition of playable. I would start out at the recommended specs or better for smooth, enjoyable gameplay.

That said, there are quite a few AMD cards around $250-300 that have 3GB RAM, such as the Radeon 7950 and the 7970. On the other side, Nvidia has a 4GB GTX 760 for about $300, which is what I'm thinking of getting.

 

[Dude]

Here is a good card for close to 200

Newegg.com - SAPPHIRE 100352-3L Radeon HD 7950 3GB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card

 

[paulpicks21]

I assume seeing as you are based in Ireland that you can order stuff from England with no trouble, here is a powerful card, it's available to pre-order and has just had a massive price cut -
Asus HD 7970 DirectCU II TOP 3072MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card [90-C1CRM1-U0UAY0BZ]

 

[Dude]

I would go for hitting the recommended video card with 3gb.

I find it quite funny that neither of the cards recommended for BF4 are available in 3GB version.

View attachment 285928

There are some available

Amazon.com: EVGA GeForce GTX 660 SIGNATURE2 3072MB GDDR5 DVI mHDMI DP Graphics Card 03G-P4-2667-KR: Computers & Accessories

 

[Colinjbro]

Thanks for the replies. Ill have to check out some of the cards that were linked.

 

[logicearth]

2 GB of VRAM is more then enough for 1080p, heck its more then enough for 1600p (2560x1600 which I have). The VRAM only becomes a real bottle neck when you go beyond a single 120Hz monitor, i.e. triple 3D screens. Unless you have a triple monitor setup for gaming, you DO NOT need more then 2 GB of VRAM.

I played Crysis, 2, 3 all at 2560x1600 with a GTX 690 which only has 2 GBs per GPU, nothing has ever gotten close to maxing out my VRAM. Then again, I also do not play with a stupid amount of Anti-Aliasing, just a minor level of AA is enough.

 

[madcratebuilder]

If you can order from AmazonUK take a look at the Sapphire 7950 with 3gb ddr5. They are on sale at Amazon USA, these cards are a beast.

 

[smarteyeball]

2 GB of VRAM is more then enough for 1080p {sic} Unless you have a triple monitor setup for gaming, you DO NOT need more then 2 GB of VRAM.

There are a few games that will hit the 2GB mark @ 1080P, but they are in the minority. (Metro springs to mind)

But yep, 2GB is certainly adequate - even with triple screens. 2GB hasn't really been an issue for me either as long as the AA is reasonable like you said. Having a 3GB card isn't really going to be a magic FPS bullet.

OP, you're still going to have lower a few details anyway - but for the best chance of higher visuals with the highest FPS, aside from the extra Vram, a gtx 660 isn't really that much of an upgrade from your 570.

A gtx 760, 770 or 7970 is what you really need to be looking at for the best quality and gameplay.

 

[Tonsgaard]

I would go for hitting the recommended video card with 3gb. Have a look at this one Addram posted

http://www.sevenforums.com/pc-custo...e-heaven-benchmark-scores-51.html#post2519693

That is the exact same card as I have decided to buy, and that is after a lot of research.
It has really good reviews.

EDIT: I am getting the 2gb version but nevertheless, still an awesome card.

 

[boogieboy]

get a GTX 770