Time to upgrade?

[Tuqui-tuqui]

Hey guys,

BF4 is right around the corner (beta in a week), so I want to get my system ready.

BF4 Recommended
Quad core CPU (Intel Core i5 or i7) at 3 Ghz
4 GB memory (8 GB for 64-bit operating systems)
A modern DX11 graphics card with 2+ GB of video memory, GeForce 600 series or Radeon 7000 series
Windows 7 64-bit operating system (Windows 8 is supported as well)
30+ GB of free harddrive space

My system
CPU Intel i5-2500k 3.3GHz LGA 1155 Boxed Processor
Memory 4GB G.Skill Ripjaws F3 4GB 12800 DDR3 x2
GeForce GTX 560 Ti (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI
Motherboard Gigabyte GA-Z68A-D3H-B3

Going one by one:

- My CPU seems to be a perfect fit for the system. I can OC the CPU to maybe 3.6GHz but I want to get a CPU fan. It currently does not need/use one.

- I currently have 8GB of RAM and I doubt upping it to 16GB will do anyone any good.

- My biggest concern is the video card. What do you guys recommend for someone in a budget ($250 - $300)?

- I also want to get a 120GB SSD exclusively for BF4. That should help with loading times.

The question remains: do I really need to upgrade? What do you guys think?

[juneau]

Looking at your current system Tuqui, I'd just go with the SSD for now. It'll give a massive boost to your system. Then after BF4 comes out, decide whether your graphics card is up to the task.

I recommend the new Samsung EVO 840 drives.

[Dead...Again]

I am facing a similar dilemma. I have a 2500k, 16GB memory, 128GB SSD, GTX570. I'll probably test the game out with my current config and upgrade the GPU as necessary.

[Brian is Huh?!{CLR}]

test everything with your current builds for the beta and when it releases to FULL, i would upgrade then.. BETA graphics wont be fully optimized to full release.

@Tuqui: what do you prefer AMD or Nvidia?

AMD's 79xx series are on sale due to the 8XXX series being released soon
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_no...k%3Aamd%207950
the 7950's are 3gbs
i just bought my sapphire 7990 6gb
but then again ive always been a AMD fanboy :P just cause of the budget but it gets my gaming done.

[Tuqui-tuqui]

Okay, will wait until release of game. Hopefully the unoptimized beta will not kill my card as I test it. Juneau, thank you for the recommended SSD.

Brian, I have always used Nvidia. They were my first pc part purchase so I kinda stick to it (same with Intel).

[AmazingRedd]

the recommend spec for GPU Vram is 3GB.

there are a few gpu gtx 700 series on sale at newegg atm.

[Tuqui-tuqui]

the recommend spec for GPU Vram is 3GB.

And that is crazy! I think it was a bit too much of a jump. AMD yesterday announced their new cards based around BF4 needs. I mean, how much does your game need that a video card has to be built around it?

[juneau]

Okay, will wait until release of game. Hopefully the unoptimized beta will not kill my card as I test it. Juneau, thank you for the recommended SSD.

Brian, I have always used Nvidia. They were my first pc part purchase so I kinda stick to it (same with Intel).

Don't count AMD out. They're best bang for buck as usual. I'm currently running a HD7850 which is my first AMD card since my old 9800Pro years ago, and I'm hard pushed to find a reason to ever go back to Nvidia, ever.

[FrOgM]

they are putting ram loads on card now ? lol so your computer ramm can chill? lol

[NateTheBrewer]

Keep in mind that the more GPU RAM you have, the more Windows will provision from your system RAM to support the video card as needed:

SysVidMem.PNG

More memory is always better - even system memory in this case. And this isn't just Windows provisioning it either. Tom's did some testing and showed increased 'popup' on distant objections in certain engines when they scaled back on the memory the card was provisioning from the system.

[WalkinTarget]

3.6 out of that 2500k is hardly making it break a sweat. I have mine at 4.1 default voltage under a Corsair H80, but 4.1 is do-able with something as basic as a CM Hyper 212 Evo which is a cheap $30 on Newegg right now.

I would START my overclocking at 4.1 default voltage on that 2500k, then set a goal of 4.5 with a slight voltage bump, then run OCCT on a 4 hour loop to see if the temps are good. It's been a while since I used a burn-in utility, so someone update me if OCCT is no longer valid.

[Dead...Again]

Yeah, I have my 2500k running at 4.2. Thought about upgrading to Ivy Bridge, but it isnt worth the money.

Picked up an EVGA GTX760 off Newegg. Should be arriving on monday.