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BF3 GPU Upgrade (CPU Limited?)

videogames101

videogames101

Diamond Member
After 3 impressive years, this system has finally met it's match in Battlefield 3. Would an upgrade from the HD4870 to a 6870 or 6950 or 560ti make the game playable on high?

I know the game is extremely CPU-hungry, so my question is how much can I spend on a GPU for BF3 before becoming completely CPU limited with my Q9550? I game at 1680x1050. Ty for responses.
 
toyota said:
get a 6950 2gb and oc your cpu a little.
Click to expand...

^This

If and when you upgrade your CPU/MB/RAM, you can keep the 6950, add another for Crossfire, or sell it to fund a GPU upgrade.

A 2GB 6950 breathed new life into my Q6600@3.0ghz system. It was a substantial improvement over the 4890 I was running before.
 
I was looking into a 6950 and it is just a bad value imo. For a little more you could get a 570 which beats a 6970. The 570 would smoke the 6950.
 
You don't necessarily have to buy a latest-gen card. Instead of looking at the GTX 500 / HD 6000 series cards, picking up a GTX 400 / HD 5000 series card on the cheap could hold you over until you decide to start from scratch.
 
OILFIELDTRASH said:
I was looking into a 6950 and it is just a bad value imo. For a little more you could get a 570 which beats a 6970. The 570 would smoke the 6950.
Click to expand...

Cheapest(EDIT: In stock) is 290 AR, and that is just a little more then I'd like to spend. Even the 6950 might be stretch, such is college life.

I used to have it OC'd to 3.6, but I got lazy when I made some system changes, so that will help some for BF3. BF3 uses the 2GB of VRAM I assume?
 
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should be a Galaxy gtx570 that goes in and out of stock all the time for 260 AR plus it come with the Batman game. at 1680x1050, 1.25 gb of vram should be sufficient for that level of card.
 
Your CPU is fine. BF3 just needs a decent quad core, around 3.2 to 3.4ghz range from C2Q Or PhIIs. I played caspian borders fine at 1080p, no major slowdown on my cpu.
 
videogames101 said:
Cheapest(EDIT: In stock) is 290 AR, and that is just a little more then I'd like to spend. Even the 6950 might be stretch, such is college life.

I used to have it OC'd to 3.6, but I got lazy when I made some system changes, so that will help some for BF3. BF3 uses the 2GB of VRAM I assume?
Click to expand...

Eh, if you're on a budget, skip the pricey 6950 models. Here's a perfectly good one for $240AR/FS/Code(DOVE): http://www.superbiiz.com/detail.php?name=AT-6950_3R

Comes with free Dirt3 and Deus Ex too. Good deal, perfect upgrade for BF3. Get your CPU up to 3.2 or so and you'll be golden in that game.
 
I'm also a student on a budget and I'm looking heavily at the 6870. The 6950 only really gives a few more FPS i mean.. its better but is it 100$ noticeable? That's half the price of a 2500K
 
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