BF3 Budget Build

[Anton]

Hi guy's, this is first post :) based on a month of solid research this was the best build i could come up with that was within my budget.

Hardware:

CPU: AMD Phenom II x4 965 BE @ 3.4GHz

GPU: MSI GTX 660 TI Power Edition OC

RAM: 8GB (2x4gb dual channel) DDR 1600mhz Corsair Vengeance

PSU: Corsair TX650w 80+ etc.

MOTHERBOARD: ASUS M5A 78L-M USB3 (M ATX)

COOLING: Air all stock fans etc.

HDD & Optical: who cares... lol

Monitor:

DELL U2312HM 1080p IPS

CASE:

Aerocool TT (old case can't remember the exact model)

OS: Windows 8

So basically this build was built for BF3 in mind. After 5 days of playing with the new machine i can say, compaird to my old rig (cpu e6550, xfx gxt 260 215, asus p5ql pro mobo) i can say the difference truly is like night and day! Playing BF3 @ 1080p on ultra before the upgrade was impossible! but now! it runs butter smooth! I would also like to take the opportunity to dismiss any concerns people might have about the CPU i have picked out bottle necking gpu's in BF3 (at least not in windows 8), as when i was researching to build my new rig it was a big concern of mine. I don't know the exact CPU usage numbers that it uses in BF3 but i will post them here later when i have time along with pics of my setup.

The GTX 660 TI Power Edition is a beast for the price! i haven't even attempted to OC it yet as it already comes OC'D from the factory but man! playing BF3 in ultra on maps like Albotraz Mountains and Bandahar Dessert is just bliss! Also as a side note, i don't play on ultra, i play on high, i don't see any difference between ultra ans high, so i though if i am getting any frame loss through putting it on ultra i would get it back by sticking it on high, i can honestly say i see NO! difference between the two settings in this game. But to clarify if you want to play the game on ultra with a rig like this is is very much possible and playable!

Lastly i would like to talk about the OS, windows 8. I have been using it off and on since the beta and it has grown on me, i also here from reviews and benchmarks etc that it helps a little bit with over all system performance! the way i see it if u don't like metro, don't use it, you can disable it fairly easily using little tricks etc and can get you're win 7 style start menu back and forget all about metro.

If any of you guy's have any questions about the setup or any hardware mentioned in it then reply and i can give you my opinion.

Cheers, - Anton.

P.s. Pics to follow soon.

[Thedarkhaze]

Yea i have a i5 3570k with a EVGA 660Ti superoverclocked and it runs battlefield 3 soooo good, never dips under 60 on max

[Kruziik_Kel]

I wouldnt have gone for a 660ti at that price a 7950 delivers far better performance regardless still a good card and not a bad set up overall but id consider swapping to an FX4300 if you have the spare cash at any point in the near future

[Shrubpig]

I wouldnt have gone for a 660ti at that price a 7950 delivers far better performance regardless still a good card and not a bad set up overall but id consider swapping to an FX4300 if you have the spare cash at any point in the near future

That would be a huge downgrade from a 3570k to an FX 4300...

[Takefear]

I wouldnt have gone for a 660ti at that price a 7950 delivers far better performance regardless still a good card and not a bad set up overall but id consider swapping to an FX4300 if you have the spare cash at any point in the near future

Why an FX4300? Wouldn't that be a downgrade?

[Anton]

Hey guy's thanks for the reply's. I did look at both the 4100 4300 6100 and the 6300 as well as the phenom ii x6 and 960t (but they are holding there prices pretty good atm). Basically the x4 i have in the system at the moment is more than enough for BF3, I have no bottle necks what so ever (the only reason i play on high instead of ultra is because i want that, i guess you could say mental competative edge that the game may be running faster even though i can see for feel it lol).

The price for any thing above a 960 BE does not justify the FPS that i would be gaining through it, hence when i got the 960 and spent more on the gpu, sure if you're not a budget and are an enthusiast and what the squeeze every little fps out the game that you can i would go intel but again, BF3 Budget Build lol. That aside any of you guys play bf3? add my on origin or battle log: Anton2k

- Anton.

[KennethChow]

nice build, quit bf3 because of a patch a while back that pissed me off.

[Lexzt]

Hey, I aint too sure about this, But I think I read somewhere that BF3 is yet to support windows 8 fully and people are still having some problems here and there. Just my point of view.

Other than that, Hardware wise, looks good to me. =D. buuuuuut, I aint an AMD fanboy so cant say much bout that CPU. xD

[Kruziik_Kel]

I wouldnt have gone for a 660ti at that price a 7950 delivers far better performance regardless still a good card and not a bad set up overall but id consider swapping to an FX4300 if you have the spare cash at any point in the near future

Between Phenom II and the Bulldozer chips there was no change yes but with the latest FX chips they have upped their game a bit they are still behind intel but they are now a viable option for gaming and much cheaper but the CPU's are still GPU bottlenecked anyway

[Anton]

Thank's for the reply's guys, i try not to be a fan boy my self lol i do like nvidia and intel but i am very happy with this new amd cpu! or old i guess you could call it, new for me though lol

[Ryan.L]

I would recommend getting a motherboard that supports SLI if you want to make your build a bit more future proof.

[Ryan.L]

Yea i have a i5 3570k with a EVGA 660Ti superoverclocked and it runs battlefield 3 soooo good, never dips under 60 on max

I have the exact same specs and on armoured kill on max i get some fps drops below 60. but if you turn the AA down to two, you will be just fine!

[Darell3]

Build sounds alright. :D