BF3- What should I upgrade ?

[Hellcat1992]

My rig is I3-2100 3.1Ghz, HD7770 vapor-x, 4GB RAM and running on 1366x768 res monitor
When I set MESH quality to HIGH, fps drop heavily when changing view in all DLC map (B2K, CQ,AK and also AM )
The vanilla map pack is OK.
I have some budget to upgrade. I wonder I should spend it on the new GPU 7850 + PSU 500W or new CPU i5 2500k
All I need is running the game @high mesh quality for long range and air spotting

 

[3870x2]

OC your i3 if possible and get either another 7770. If not the 7850 seems like an alright choice. Mind telling us your operating budget?

there are some people selling great cards here, don't count them out. There is a 6950 going for $125, which is just crazy low, and a 470 for $90 which is alright also.

6950 will max BF3 out at that resolution, but I still wouldn't count on much AA.

This might be a good time to fill out your system specs (blue bar at top > quick links > Edit your Details)

Welcome to TPU!

 

[Crap Daddy]

No OC on the i3. Check your RAM usage, BF3 likes to go over 4, I'd say for starters get another 4GB.

 

[Wrigleyvillain]

Yeah it doesn't actually need a full 8 but it definitely benefits from more than 4.

 

[3870x2]

No OC on the i3. Check your RAM usage, BF3 likes to go over 4, I'd say for starters get another 4GB.

I forget it doesn't OC much. That seems very odd to me, historically all levels of CPUs overclocked pretty well to a certain extent. Any reason why the i3 wont?

Also, I have been able to play BF3 maxed out (minus AA) on 4GB, though BF3 was the only weighty process running. That is only the original, not the premium or any of the expansions though.

 

[Hellcat1992]

When BF3 in full operation
CPU and RAM usage: 100%, GPU: 70-80 %

 

[EarthDog]

It wont overclock well because it doesnt have an unlocked multiplier and you can only use bclk (limited to 105ish give a couple more maybe) and its turbo multiplier if it has one.

That said, I would upgrade ram, overclock the CPU to what you can and see what happens. You game at 1368x768 so that is a CPU limited res.

 

[Sir B. Fannybottom]

Do what the other are saying, upgrade your CPU, and add some more ram. If you can find some AMD quadcore it will still be better. For that resolution the 7770 is more than enough, I've played on high with a 5770 at 1360x768

 

[Jetster]

Ram > 7870 > CPU >i5

 

[3870x2]

Looks like RAM and GPU for me too. The decision is unanimous. Goforth and Conquer, son.

 

[Crap Daddy]

and its turbo multiplier if it has one.

It doesn't. Also depends on the mobo's chipset if he can adjust the BCLK. Anyway he say 100% usage CPU and RAM and 70-80% on the GPU. BF3 multiplayer is hard on the CPU but before you jump on expenses (an unlocked i5) you should really try to put more RAM (it's cheap!) and see if it's better.

 

[LightningJR]

Yes, another 4GB of RAM first. You'll be surprised how much it helps. Then a CPU, BF3 is very CPU intensive and 4 cores is recommended. The GPU should be fine at that low of a resolution.

 

[TC-man]

Hi,

According to Techspot's CPU scaling test the Core i3 2120 @3.3 GHz (Your Core i3 2100 is 3.1 GHz) does okay in Battlefield 3, even in 1920x1200 resolution; it's on par with the Core i5 750 @2.67 Ghz, just a little slower than the Core i5 2500K with stock speed and that's with high quality settings for the graphics in Battlefield 3.

See for yourself: http://www.techspot.com/review/458-battlefield-3-performance/page7.html

But that's with a GTX 580. So I guess hyper-threading helps in this game.

So what you need is a better videocard and more ram for the bigger maps.

 

[Crap Daddy]

According to Techspot's CPU scaling test the Core i3 2120 @3.3 GHz (Your Core i3 2100 is 3.1 GHz) does okay in Battlefield 3, even in 1920x1200 resolution; it's on par with the Core i5 750 @2.67 Ghz, just a little slower than the Core i5 2500K with stock speed and that's with high quality settings for the graphics in Battlefield 3.

That test and the majority if not all reviews done on BF3 mean absolutely nothing when you engage on a 64 player large map in multiplayer. But I do agree that a Sandy Bridge i3 with hyperthreading should keep up to a point.

 

[Dent1]

My rig is I3-2100 3.1Ghz, HD7770 vapor-x, 4GB RAM and running on 1366x768 res monitor
When I set MESH quality to HIGH, fps drop heavily when changing view in all DLC map (B2K, CQ,AK and also AM )
The vanilla map pack is OK.
I have some budget to upgrade. I wonder I should spend it on the new GPU 7850 + PSU 500W or new CPU i5 2500k
All I need is running the game @high mesh quality for long range and air spotting

You don't need a CPU upgrade. Heck I can max it out on an Athlon II X4!

A quad core would help but your main bottleneck is the GPU and the RAM. If you are still unhappy then look into a CPU, but I doubt you'll need it.

Just drop in a 7850 and up the ram to 8GB and you'll be able to max it out easy. You are only running 1366x768 so it doesnt need anything special.

Edit:

On second thoughts. You are only running 1366x768, I think your 7770 is enough. I would go for the RAM upgrade and take it from there.

 

[Frick]

I forget it doesn't OC much. That seems very odd to me, historically all levels of CPUs overclocked pretty well to a certain extent. Any reason why the i3 wont?

Am I misunderstanding you or have you missed that you pretty much cannot overclock "normal" Intel CPU'd nowadays?

 

[Sir B. Fannybottom]

Am I misunderstanding you or have you missed that you pretty much cannot overclock "normal" Intel CPU'd nowadays?

You can, but it's hard to go very far. It's like the PII non black edition chips. It's also a bitch to get it stable above 4ghz

 

[Hellcat1992]

Thankyou all
I'll get the 8GB RAm upgrade first

 

[MxPhenom 216]

When BF3 in full operation
CPU and RAM usage: 100%, GPU: 70-80 %

um no. You have it the other way around.

Wait if thats how your BF3 runs on your rig. Thats wierd. it really should be 50-60% CPU about 65% memory and 99% GPU. Thats how it is on mine.

 

[Crap Daddy]

um no. You have it the other way around.

Wait if thats how your BF3 runs on your rig. Thats wierd. it really should be 50-60% CPU about 65% memory and 99% GPU. Thats how it is on mine.

He is on a much lower resolution. The CPU is stressed more plus he's on a two core hyperthreaded chip running at lower speeds than yours.

 

[irlandezul]

Thankyou all
I'll get the 8GB RAm upgrade first

Let us know the result .

 

[NC37]

You aren't pushing high resolutions. Unless you plan to get a better monitor, throw out the advice on GPU upgrades. Heck don't even think about Crossfire. Most SLI/Crossfire setups aren't worth the money till you get into 1080p resolutions.

Your looking at RAM and CPU being the most benefit right now.

Now if you want to push Ultra textures and such, you might want something with 2GB VRAM.

 

[Hellcat1992]

Let us know the result .

Maybe few weeks later I'm on Final now

 

[Hellcat1992]

Just upgrade a Corsair Vengeance Blue 8 GB (2X4 GB)1600, the fps doesn't change much but some low fps screen (35-40) get smoother, and the system monitor record no use of > 4096 MB just only 3100MB were used when game playing,don't know why