Battlefield 3 Build - $2k

[fire r a g e]

Hey everyone. It has been a long time since I have posted on THG and a lot has changed since then (I have been keeping up with the updates). I have been researching a lot over the past few months, but I still don't think I can come up with a config on my own, so I need help from you all.

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Gaming (BF3, Skyrim, GW2), minor video editing, web browsing, watching youtube in 1080p quality.

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
$2k, although if REALLY necessary, I can stretch it a bit ($100 to $200 more)
3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
U.S. Dallas, TX

4) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
None.
5) Will you be overclocking?
Yes.
6) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
2560x1440; 27"
7) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
September 14 when my paycheck comes
8) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video (as a backup or main GPU)? UEFI? etc.
Maybe CF/SLI support, if I need it, USB 3.0, SATA 6GB/s, UEFI.
9) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
Yes, 64-bit W7 Home Premium.

Thanks!

 

[blazorthon]

But not in the same way as two separate cards.

The only difference is that the GPUs are closer and have a more direct PCIe link between them, but the SLI tech and method used is still the same. They can scale very slightly better and have very slightly less stutter, but again, it isn't a perceptible difference. Any issues with two graphics card in SLI would be present on the GTX 690. You're just paying more money for it to be on a single card.

 

[jacknhut]

I am no big fan of SLI, so that is the reason that I picked one GTX 690 instead of two GTX 670s.

You do realize GTX 690 is a SLI card in itself right?

 

[nafoni]

I do realize that it may suffer from the stuttering that some people report SLI setups do, but it's more efficent + it's only one card = less problems.

 

[blazorthon]

I do realize that it may suffer from the stuttering that some people report SLI setups do, but it's more efficent + it's only one card = less problems.

You're paying almost another $200 for about the same performance and power consumption. It should be compared it to GTX 670s, not GTX 680s. It is not more efficient than two 670s by much if at all (they're also significantly more efficient than a 680) and at that point, you're basically paying 20-25% more money just for it to be a single card that is also probably louder than two 670s.

 

[azeem40]

But not in the same way as two separate cards.

It is still considered SLI because it is a dual GPU card. It works in the same way as having two cards.
OP, I have a suggestion for you too.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 612 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($142.86 @ Newegg)
Memory: Samsung 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1.5TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Sandisk Extreme 240GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($154.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($419.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($419.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 500R Black ATX Mid Tower Case ($94.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1727.77
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-09-08 18:40 EDT-0400)

SLI 670s have more power than one 670 at about $200 less. The 500R is a great case that has better thermals than other Corsair cases.

 

[nafoni]

Well, this is all just my opinion. If I had a budget as high as this I would go with a GTX 690 myself, but it looks like he'll be going with 2x670s considering how many of you are against me

 

[blazorthon]

To the OP, since you plan to games at 2560-1440 res, I suggest you take a look at the Gigabyte HD 7970 OC Windforce 3 here:
http://www.amazon.com/Gigabyte-Radeon-Mini-Displayport-Graphics-GV-R797OC-3GD/dp/B00752QYLK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1347143759&sr=8-1&keywords=Gigabyte+HD+7970

The card costs 419 bucks after 20 MIR, which is very close to the price of GTX 670 but it is voltage unlocked and you can pretty much get to 1200 Mhz core without any voltage increase (1250-1300 Mhz core w/ voltage increase). Couple that with the 3 GB memory which can be overclocked to 7 ghz, you got yourself a better performing card than a GTX 670 at 1250 GPU/7 Ghz mem.

Look at this review of the similar clock HIS 7970 Turbo w/1180 Mhz Core at 2560 resolution
http://www.guru3d.com/article/his-radeon-hd-7970-x-turbo-edition-review/21

Yes, AMD is also considerable. It'd be more power consumption, but performance would probably be somewhat better in most games at this resolution. Also, a Radeon 7950 overclocks equally well to a 7970 that has the same cooler, especially when the PCB is the same too, so stepping down to the similar 7950 for even less money would be an even better idea for AMD.

 

[jacknhut]

To the OP, since you plan to games at 2560-1440 res, I suggest you take a look at the Gigabyte HD 7970 OC Windforce 3 here:
http://www.amazon.com/Gigabyte-Radeon-Mini-Displayport-Graphics-GV-R797OC-3GD/dp/B00752QYLK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1347143759&sr=8-1&keywords=Gigabyte+HD+7970

The card costs 419 bucks after 20 MIR, which is very close to the price of GTX 670 but it is voltage unlocked and you can pretty much get to 1200 Mhz core without any voltage increase (1250-1300 Mhz core w/ voltage increase). Couple that with the 3 GB memory which can be overclocked to 7 ghz, you got yourself a better performing card than a GTX 670 at 1250 GPU/7 Ghz mem.

Look at this review of the similar clock HIS 7970 Turbo w/1180 Mhz Core at 2560 resolution
http://www.guru3d.com/article/his-radeon-hd-7970-x-turbo-edition-review/21

 

[fire r a g e]

To the OP, since you plan to games at 2560-1440 res, I suggest you take a look at the Gigabyte HD 7970 OC Windforce 3 here:
http://www.amazon.com/Gigabyte-Radeon-Mini-Displayport-Graphics-GV-R797OC-3GD/dp/B00752QYLK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1347143759&sr=8-1&keywords=Gigabyte+HD+7970

The card costs 419 bucks after 20 MIR, which is very close to the price of GTX 670 but it is voltage unlocked and you can pretty much get to 1200 Mhz core without any voltage increase (1250-1300 Mhz core w/ voltage increase). Couple that with the 3 GB memory which can be overclocked to 7 ghz, you got yourself a better performing card than a GTX 670 at 1250 GPU/7 Ghz mem.

Look at this review of the similar clock HIS 7970 Turbo w/1180 Mhz Core at 2560 resolution
http://www.guru3d.com/article/his-radeon-hd-7970-x-turbo-edition-review/21

So should I get two 670s or one? Cuz the benchmarks on Anandtech say that one 670 can run at 2560x1600 with 60fps.

 

[blazorthon]

So should I get two 670s or one? Cuz the benchmarks on Anandtech say that one 670 can run at 2560x1600 with 60fps.

It depends on what you want to do. If you play at higher settings than what Anand did in their review, then you can make use of your greater performance if you go for a second 670.

 

[sherlockwing]

Well, this is all just my opinion. If I had a budget as high as this I would go with a GTX 690 myself, but it looks like he'll be going with 2x670s considering how many of you are against me

670 SLI($800) is only 5% less in FPS than a single 690($1049) and $250 less, when the difference is as big as a 256 GB top tier SSD you have to balk at the that price.

@OP, if you are going to game at 1440P+ realm you do want the Readon 7970's Vram advantage. 670 & 670 SLI's sweetspot is 1080p & 120Hz.

 

[fire r a g e]

I am getting so many mixed replies that Idk what to choose. Also, I don't care if the power consumption is higher. The 7970 can't be too much worse in power consumption.

 

[fire r a g e]

Well, this is all just my opinion. If I had a budget as high as this I would go with a GTX 690 myself, but it looks like he'll be going with 2x670s considering how many of you are against me

Actually, if the fps is good enough with one 670/7950/7970, I will just get a single card. Those anandtech benchmarks use the latest NVIDIA drivers, and www.hardocp.com/article/2012/08/23/galaxy_gtx_660_ti_gc_oc_vs_670_hd_7950/ uses the most current AMD Catalyst drivers. At 2560x1600, it seems one 670/660ti/7950 runs fairly well.

 

[blazorthon]

I am getting so many mixed replies that Idk what to choose. Also, I don't care if the power consumption is higher. The 7970 can't be too much worse in power consumption.

It isn't much worse. It's only somewhat worse. Before we make recommendations between AMD and Nvidia, you could tell us what games you play. If you play games that tend to favor Nvidia, then you would have a good reason to choose Nvidia even if you don't personally favor either company. If you play games that don't favor Nvidia, then AMD is a more practical and cheaper option that can generally overclock better, so it would probably be better to go for AMD if your games don't favor Nvidia.

 

[jacknhut]

So should I get two 670s or one? Cuz the benchmarks on Anandtech say that one 670 can run at 2560x1600 with 60fps.

I suggest 2 Gigabyte HD 7970 OC linked above for the same price as the 2 GTX 670. At high resolution (2056-1440 or higher), the HD 7970 has the advantage especially when you start overclocking them.

 

[fire r a g e]

Sorry for double post.

 

[blazorthon]

Actually, if the fps is good enough with one 670/7950/7970, I will just get a single card. Those anandtech benchmarks use the latest NVIDIA drivers, and www.hardocp.com/article/2012/08/23/galaxy_gtx_660_ti_gc_oc_vs_670_hd_7950/ uses the most current AMD Catalyst drivers. At 2560x1600, it seems one 670/660ti/7950 runs fairly well.

If you play at similarly intensive settings to Anand, then one card is the better way to go than two. If you want to play at much higher settings, then two cards isn't unreasonable, especially if you have the budget for them.

 

[fire r a g e]

It isn't much worse. It's only somewhat worse. Before we make recommendations between AMD and Nvidia, you could tell us what games you play. If you play games that tend to favor Nvidia, then you would have a good reason to choose Nvidia even if you don't personally favor either company. If you play games that don't favor Nvidia, then AMD is a more practical and cheaper option that can generally overclock better, so it would probably be better to go for AMD if your games don't favor Nvidia.

BF3
Skyrim
GW2
Metro 2033

I plan on playing with no AA or AF as I cannot tell the difference between it turned on or off.

 

[blazorthon]

BF3
Skyrim
GW2
Metro 2033

I'd go AMD given your game choices for Metro 2033 (favors Radeon 7900), Skyrim (trade blows), and BF3 (trade blows), but I'm not sure of which way GW2 goes.

 

[jacknhut]

Actually, if the fps is good enough with one 670/7950/7970, I will just get a single card. Those anandtech benchmarks use the latest NVIDIA drivers, and www.hardocp.com/article/2012/08/23/galaxy_gtx_660_ti_gc_oc_vs_670_hd_7950/ uses the most current AMD Catalyst drivers. At 2560x1600, it seems one 670/660ti/7950 runs fairly well.

You can run 2560-1600 res with single card, but the minimum fps won't be pretty. Don't be surprised to see minimum fps to drop to the 20s when there are lots of actions, especially in BF3 with Ultra Graphics. Thats why I suggest dual card to get the minimum to stay in the 50-60 fps.

 

[fire r a g e]

I'd go AMD given your game choices for Metro 2033 (favors Radeon 7900), Skyrim (trade blows), and BF3 (trade blows), but I'm not sure of which way GW2 goes.

I hear GW2 favors NVIDIA over AMD.

 

[fire r a g e]

That's also a good point. However, minimums are unlikely to dip that low if OP overclocks, especially with AMD (Radeon 7900 has good minimums, undoubtedly related to its memory bandwidth).

Yes, I plan to OC my card(s). How do I know what voltages to use if I go beyond the OC the cards get at stock voltage?

 

[JamesSneed]

Dont have to worry about GW2 a single GTX 670 can play the game at very high FPS with everything maxed. I play GW2 with a single GTX 670 usually pulling 80+ FPS with everything maxed.

EDIT: It is just not a very demanding game.

 

[fire r a g e]

Dont have to worry about GW2 a single GTX 670 can play the game at very high FPS with everything maxed. I play GW2 with a single GTX 670 usually pulling 80+ FPS with everything maxed.

Is that at my res?

 

[blazorthon]

You can run 2560-1600 res with single card, but the minimum fps won't be pretty. Don't be surprised to see minimum fps to drop to the 20s when there are lots of actions, especially in BF3 with Ultra Graphics. Thats why I suggest dual card to get the minimum to stay in the 50-60 fps.

That's also a good point. However, minimums are unlikely to dip that low if OP overclocks, especially with AMD (Radeon 7900 has good minimums, undoubtedly related to its memory bandwidth).