BF3 Beta Crushed my dreams...GFX upgrade time.

Y

y0bailey

Gawd
Joined
Mar 31, 2003
Messages
558
Alright...so BF3 beta brought my GFX to a hault. Currently running the once great but now super old AMD 4850.

I know it is time to upgrade badly, I just have been so happy with the card I haven't looked for ages. I have been doing some reading, but want to see some user opinions.

Current rig....Phenom X4 @4ghz. 4gb ram.

I have a roughly $300 budget or else I will be divorced. My last few cards have been AMD, but I can easily be swayed to NVIDIA. No SLI/Crossfire please...just single card solutions. I care nothing about heat/noise/power consumption due to my computer already being a hot loud disgrace.

I was between the GTX750 (1gb version) vs. the 6970 (2gb). Both can be had for right around $300 after rebates.

Which would you choose...specifically for BF3. Is the 1gb vs 2gb a game breaker? I hate these purchases!
 
A 6970/570 will still not be able to max out the settings with AA on at that resolution. Also, a lot of people are saying that the Ultra settings in the beta is just High settings. So in the final release, Ultra settings will be even more demanding + AA.
 
Yea I dont expect perfection, just want playable with most eye candy on. Now it is basically unplayable.
 
where ya get the beta at? Hopefully, GTX 460 SLI will be enough to run this game.
 
don't feel bad. my SLI280s can't run on high at 1680x1050 and be buttery smooth...

in debate now over 560ti SLI or a single 570
 
wait until the game is released, really.. who knows what optimization they may end up including.. or heck they may make it heavier.
 
{NG}Fidel said:
Honestly my 6870 runs BF3 fine. Ultra settings 4x AA at 1920x1080
Click to expand...

Yeah I doubt that. I have a 560ti overclocked 900mhz and a i5-2500k overclocked to 4.5ghz and I can't run BF3 at that resolution and specs over 30 fps. Unless fine for you is anything over 10fps
 
Phishy714 said:
Yeah I doubt that. I have a 560ti overclocked 900mhz and a i5-2500k overclocked to 4.5ghz and I can't run BF3 at that resolution and specs over 30 fps. Unless fine for you is anything over 10fps
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Yeah I think he misspoke...he has 2 6870's.
 
Ended up going with the GTX 570, just because in reality it is $50 cheaper (and a free game!) than the 6970.

I am pumped!
 
I'm not sure where the OP is seeing 6970s for $300. Lowest I see on Newegg right now is $330 after rebate.

You can get a GTX 570 for $270 after rebate. So I'm not sure that the prices are all that comparable.

EDIT: Just saw your post above...good choice IMO.
 
Just to chime in, I'm running 5770 @ 1900x1200 with the preview 11.10 drivers and it's coming through pretty well. Granted this is at stock medium + some adjustments towards high, but it is definitely playable and is actually running a lot more smooth compared to what BC2 ran. 35ish fps in the underground/foyer area and 32ish in the outside areas. This is white screen crashes and constant server dcs aside..
 
Everything on Ultra in game, and 8aa and 16AF and 8x supersampling with SLI GTX 460 1GB

Not bad, I would have gotten a FPS reading but I didn't know how lol
 
If your MoBo is capable of SLI or CFX I'd definitly consider it. A 6850 in CFX will cost less than a 6970 and decimate it in performance. I've seen them as low as $135 a pop. If your looking for single chip/card, go with a 6950 or ....$20 more than your limit you can get the GTX570 and get 3% more/less performance than the 6950. Another viable option is the GTX560/GTX560Ti.

Another option would be to track down a used 5870 or GTX480 in the forums. My 5850 in solo-mode is pretty great, and a 5870\GTX480 is much better!

On the cheap but still great you might want to turn your attention to a Single Radeon 6870 2GB cards. They exist and the 6870 isn't too far off of the 6950 and GTX 560Ti.

My Order of preference in your $300 or less price range would be:

Radeon 6850 in CFX
Geforce GTX460 in SLI
Radeon 6950 2GB
Geforce GTX560Ti
Radeon 6870 2GB
Geforce GTX 560
Radeon 6950 1GB
Radeon 5870
Geforce GTX480

I found a 6950 2GB on newegg for Just $260, sign up for Shopprunner and get free 2 day shipping on it. I did that for my 970x board and cancelled it. It also seems like a great service, very similar to Prime with Amazon.

Honestly, if you loathe multicard configs (I love SLI and CFX) then the 2GB 6950 may be a no-brainer.

What ever you get, I hope you enjoy it!

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161368
 
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Slufa111 said:
Everything on Ultra in game, and 8aa and 16AF and 8x supersampling with SLI GTX 460 1GB

Not bad, I would have gotten a FPS reading but I didn't know how lol
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really and no hitching huh? What res? you dont mention resolution.
I find your claims hard to believe unless your running low res my cards at high with NO AA hbao and blur off are using 975mb of ram ALONE and run considerably smooth at 1920x1200

if I try to run ultra its just pegged at 1g of ram usage and stutters like no tomorrow.... even without AA or hbao or blur.... just saying it would be unplayable....
 
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Rattle said:
really and no hitching huh? What res? you dont mention resolution.
I find your claims hard to believe unless your running low res my cards at high with NO AA hbao and blur off are using 975mb of ram ALONE and run considerably smooth at 1920x1200

if I try to run ultra its just pegged at 1g of ram usage and stutters like no tomorrow.... even without AA or hbao or blur.... just saying it would be unplayable....
Click to expand...

I downloaded FRAPS and played for a bit. I normally saw in the 50FPS range....when spawning it spiked below 30FPS outside, however it did spike above 80FPS sometimes in the little subway spawn area.

I honestly have no reason to lie to you. In my Nvidia CP ALL settings are maxed as well as in game. My resolution is 1920x1080. My current rig setup is as followed.

My Setup:
Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz @ 4.5GHZ
ASUS P8Z68-V Pro Intel Motherboard
Hydro Series H80 Liquid Cooler
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
2 x Zotac Geforce GTX 460 OCed
64GB Kingston SSD (boot / most used apps)
500gb Barracuda 7200rpm Storage drive
ASUS 24X DVD Burner
XFX XXX Edition 650W PSU
ASUS VH238H Black 23" Full HD HDMI LED Backlight LCD Monitor
 
for what it's worth a single 580 at 925 mhz gives me a consistent 50 fps on ultra without the new drivers which supposedly give a 30% boost.
 
i7 930, 6GB Ram, 5870 @ 2560 * 1440

On "ultra" with AA and AS turned down to the bottom in game and my FPS dies outside in the trees.

Seeing how the new AMD/Nvida cards wont be out(or affordable) until next year, should I get another 5870 and rough it out :(
 
I would have said a 6950 Reference (they pop up often here and on ebay for $260) then unlock shaders so its a 6970. Thats what i have and i was SHOCKED at the results.
I play at 1920x1080 and i let BF3 auto assign my settings and it gave me ultra texture and high everything else, 16x AA and i am getting 50FPS outside in the park (Operation Metro) NEVER dipping below 45, sometimes as high as 70FPS. And inside the tunnels i get 80 average never dipping below 60FPS and sometimes as high as 90.


Not to highjack thread, but my friend has a E5200 (OC to 3.6ghz) 2Gb RAM, and a GTS 250 512mb (all within the minimum requirements of BF3) yet its unplayable. He put the res to 1680x1050, everything on its lowest setting AND isnt even playing full screen, yet it stutters like crazy. Yet he could play BFBC2 on high/medium settings at 1920x1080 fullscreen just fine with minimal stutter.
 
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BF3 recommends a card like this Nvidia EVGA GTX 560 or so. I think anything around that price should be good (give or take a little bit). A GTX460 minimum. And I suggest Nvidia from my experiences with both major brands
 
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Most of you would change your tune if you played caspian border. Metro is too easy on hardware.
 
I consider an FPS of 40 to be a smooth gameplay in BF3 beta. Anything lower is not good at all especially when things start to blow up. I wonder why people are contented with 30 FPS of gameplay. You guys need to lower the settings to have smoother gameplay.
 
My GTX460 runs @1920x1080 on medium with 60FPS. On high I get anywhere between 30-60. So anything above a 460 will do.
 
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