What should I upgrade for BF4?

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Razerium

Razerium

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Aug 16, 2013
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Hey everybody,

I'm looking to upgrade my PC, so I can record and play BF4 at ultra settings 120fps .
Here is my current setup:
Intel i7-2600K CPU @3.4 GHZ 4 Cores (64 Bit)
16gb RAM-Super Talent
AMD Radeon HD 7970
230gb SSD
1,000gb HDD
Corsair CX600 Power Supply
LG Optical Drive

I have a budget of $1,000. What are the upgrades I can do? Please tell me. I'm going to be recording AS WELL AS playing BF4 ultra settings 120fps Help me out!

PS: no processor overclocking!!
 
Solution
J


Well, as said, we don't have the properly-cooled 290xs yet, so I can't give you an exact figure, but based on current information, it would appear that you'd get around a 30-40% improvement over a 7970. Honestly, as said, a second 7970 would be cheaper and give better performance than a single 290x, though admittedly it would be less upgradeable.



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Well, it's definitely not impossible, though recording at 120 is pretty damn intensive. My first inclination would be a pair of R9-290s, swapping the stock cooler with Arctic's Accelero Xtreme III, as Chris Angelini did in TH's 290 review (http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-r9-290-review-benchmark,3659-19.html). Unfortunately, two 290s and two Xtreme IIIs pretty much wipes out your budget on its own, and you'd definitely want a much larger PSU for a 290 CrossFire (I'd favour 1000w+, myself), and it doesn't make good use of your current hardware. Your most efficient option would be upgrading your PSU to something around 750-850w (I tend to err on the high side, myself) and adding a second 7970 in CrossFire.

Edit: I should note, 2 x 7970 definitely will not allow 120fps recording, and almost certainly will not allow 120 fps gameplay.
 
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depending on your motherboard



PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1Y1gN
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1Y1gN/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1Y1gN/benchmarks/

CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($77.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($514.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($514.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic M12II 850W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1207.95
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-11-05 20:25 EST-0500)
 
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Based on the OP, it doesn't seem that processor overclocking is on the table, so we can leave off the NH-D14. Beyond that, my Xtreme III + 290 CrossFire option would actually be slightly cheaper and give higher performance, though both are over budget when PSU is factored.
 
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Ah, yes, Shadowplay. Very interesting feature. I've looked at it for my own recording rig. I'm not sure if it compensates for the potential of a 290 with a good cooler on a less efficient recording option (the 290 review showed some quite impressive numbers), but fair point nonetheless. That said, two 780s definitely isn't overkill for 120 fps. A single 780 only gets a little over 60 fps, at least in the section Tom's benchmarked for the 290 review: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-r9-290-review-benchmark,3659-6.html



+1 on that. As someone who records himself, I'd generally consider 3TB to be the minimum I'm comfortable with. Given that most sites that host video don't support 120 fps (in fact, many only support 30), grabbing a second 7970, a better PSU, and a larger HDD or two might well be the best option.
 
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So my best option is to grab a better PSU, and a second 7970? Will that up my FPS at all?
 
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i would never recommend crossfire cause of frame rate issues that plagued the 7000 series. there will be noticeable micro stutter and dropped frames if you put two amd cards together.

your in a tough spot, you could go this route with msi lightning 770's and overclock the sh3!* out of them to get near stock 780 performance for $400 less total dollars and a seasonic psu which keeps you in budget. record with shadowplay and you should be good to go. if you sell your 7970 you could recoup $200 probably so it will end up being a $550 upgrade. 770's seem sto scale extremely well with battlefield 3 but after a quick search i couldnt find bf4 results. long story short you will do well with 2 770's and stay within your budget and not have to worry about weird crossfire issues..

http://wccftech.com/msi-geforce-gtx-770-lightning-benchmarked-sli/

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1YqeY
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1YqeY/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1YqeY/benchmarks/

Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($334.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($334.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: SeaSonic M12II 850W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $769.97
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-11-06 17:37 EST-0500)
 
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Well, your most efficient option is to grab a better PSU and a second 7970. Best is something you'll need to decide for yourself. It will definitely increase your fps, though the exact amount will vary by game. I play and record with a pair of 7970 GHz Editions, and never have issues in either regard, with the exception of very poorly optimized or CPU-bound games.



I'm sorry, but that's just plain out of date. Unless OP intends to play on a multiple monitor setup, he shouldn't experience any more issues with a multi-GPU arrangement than he would with nVIDIA. Beyond that, the microstutter issues, though definitely extant, were always overhyped. I used a CrossFire of 7970s prior to the fix, and the issues weren't all that bad, though you could definitely tell once they fixed it.

I'd agree that 770s would be a good option, were it not for the fact that OP already has a 7970. There's no point wasting a solid GPU (we can't assume that he'd find a buyer) due to resolved issues.

Edit: Incidentally, OP, what is the exact 7970 you have, and what motherboard are you using?
 
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I'm sorry, but that's just plain out of date. Unless OP intends to play on a multiple monitor setup, he shouldn't experience any more issues with a multi-GPU arrangement than he would with nVIDIA. Beyond that, the microstutter issues, though definitely extant, were always overhyped. I used a CrossFire of 7970s prior to the fix, and the issues weren't all that bad, though you could definitely tell once they fixed it.

I'd agree that 770s would be a good option, were it not for the fact that OP already has a 7970. There's no point wasting a solid GPU (we can't assume that he'd find a buyer) due to resolved issues.

Edit: Incidentally, OP, what is the exact 7970 you have, and what motherboard are you using?[/quotemsg]





actually the frame rating issues were never resolved with the 7000 series, they were made better with the r series but still not what sli is.

not sure if you have heard of pcper.com but they are one of the few to actually be measuring frame times and according to them, the frame rate issues with the 7000 series in crossfire were still occurring pretty much to the same extent since the catalyst drivers were released which was on aug 1, a couple months ago. amd didn't correct this issue with the 7000 series. the r series are better as i said though.

i thought this was more common knowledge than it is appearing to be.

http://www.pcper.com/reviews/Graphics-Cards/Frame-Rating-Catalyst-138-Brings-Frame-Pacing-AMD-Radeon/Radeon-HD-7970-GHz-C


so as it stands, i cant recommend crossfire to anyone cause i wouldn't want to have to deal with it for the life of the cards or 1-2 years myself.
 
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So my best option is to grab a better PSU, and a second 7970? Will that up my FPS at all?
[/quotemsg]

Well, your most efficient option is to grab a better PSU and a second 7970. Best is something you'll need to decide for yourself. It will definitely increase your fps, though the exact amount will vary by game. I play and record with a pair of 7970 GHz Editions, and never have issues in either regard, with the exception of very poorly optimized or CPU-bound games.



I'm sorry, but that's just plain out of date. Unless OP intends to play on a multiple monitor setup, he shouldn't experience any more issues with a multi-GPU arrangement than he would with nVIDIA. Beyond that, the microstutter issues, though definitely extant, were always overhyped. I used a CrossFire of 7970s prior to the fix, and the issues weren't all that bad, though you could definitely tell once they fixed it.

I'd agree that 770s would be a good option, were it not for the fact that OP already has a 7970. There's no point wasting a solid GPU (we can't assume that he'd find a buyer) due to resolved issues.

Edit: Incidentally, OP, what is the exact 7970 you have, and what motherboard are you using?[/quotemsg]

How do I check exactly which parts I have?
 
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What about 3-way 7790? so body from another thread said would be the best of options.
What do you guys think of a GTX Titan?
And what exactly is the difference between a GPU and a graphics card? I thought I had a normal graphics card.

And my processor? Would it cope?
 
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frame rating issues were never resolved with the 7000 series, they were made better with the r series but still not what sli is.

not sure if you have heard of pcper.com but they are one of the few to actually be measuring frame times and according to them, the frame rate issues with the 7000 series in crossfire were still occurring pretty much to the same extent since the catalyst drivers were released which was on aug 1, a couple months ago. amd didn't correct this issue with the 7000 series. the r series are better as i said though.

i thought this was more common knowledge than it is appearing to be.

http://www.pcper.com/reviews/Graphics-Cards/Frame-Ratin...


so as it stands, i cant recommend crossfire to anyone cause i wouldn't want to have to deal with it for the life of the cards or 1-2 years myself.
 
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Simplest option would usually just be to take the side off your case and look. There's software to check these sorts of things, but in my experience it's quicker to open a case than to download and run a program.



Three-way CrossFire and SLI has a lot more issues than two-way, and I consequently don't recommend it. Beyond that, 2 x 7970 is absolutely fine for recording max-settings gaming, something I can personally attest to.
The GTX Titan is exceptionally overpriced for the performance it gives, and is solidly beaten by two 7970s, 770s, 290s, or 780s, all of which cost less for the pair than for a single Titan.
A GPU is the literal processor on your graphics card. Your graphics card includes more than just a graphics processor (VRAM, the cooler, the printed circuit board itself, etc.), though most people use GPU and graphics card interchangeably, which while not technically correct is close enough not to bother about usually.
Your CPU should be fine. The 2600k is a solid processor, and is only a little behind the 4770k for performance. As a general rule, CPU doesn't factor much into gaming. So long as it's not holding back your GPU(s), you're in good shape.



The article you linked shows that there have been drastic improvements in the frame pacing issue. In the Closing Thoughts section, Ryan specifically commends AMD for working to address the issue. While it's not quite on par with SLI, it is only slightly behind. What's more, as someone specifically using the exact setup I am recommending for OP, I can attest that I do not experience any noteworthy issues with microstutter.
 
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yup, drastic improvement. the orange wall is dropped frames. which is really bad compared to the sli. i dont know where you got your conclusion on that but i disagree and dont want to press the issue.
 
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If you're referring to this chart (or others like it in the article), http://www.pcper.com/image/view/29123?return=node%2F58055 , the orange wall reflects the PRE-13.8 frametime variance. The markedly smaller black line reflects the 13.8 variance. So, for the pre-fix drivers, you're spot-on. The issue is massive. However, as the chart specifically shows, there is a huge difference between that and the current drivers. That is literally what that article is about. I too don't want to draw this out, but I want to make sure that nobody is confused about the facts.

Edit: Incidentally, you are correct, SLI is still better, as this chart shows: http://www.pcper.com/image/view/29156?return=node%2F58058
However, as Ryan concludes in the article (and I agree), the difference, though once massive, has been shrunk to the point that it merely constitutes an advantage for nVIDIA, as opposed to a massive failing for AMD.
 
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Happens to the best of us, no worries. That's the utility of having a forum, it can set you straight when you misunderstand things. For about a month after the 760 came out, I was under the misimpression that it outperformed the 670, for example.
 
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Okay, well I'm kind of getting lost here... What do you guys recommend? Dual 7970's? Single GTX 780ti? Or...

Thanks for you feedback guys but all these links, "Orange walls" et cetera I'm totally lost..

Just give me some nice and simple answers on what would be best for very high FPS intensive gameplay.
Thanks :)
 
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Yep, sorry about that. Most of that exchange was a debate as to whether CrossFire was a viable option between Sheag and I, ultimately resolving in the conclusion that it is.

Assuming that your motherboard will support it properly (which is why I was inquiring about your motherboard) and that your case can sufficiently cool it, I would say that getting a bigger PSU and a second 7970 would be the best option.

If your motherboard can't properly support a CrossFire (for example if it has only a single PCIe 3.0 x16 slot), your best option would probably be waiting for the non-reference cooler R9-290xs (which should be out later this month), and replacing your 7970 with one of those, if the single 7970 can't meet your needs.

Assuming that your motherboard can support CrossFire, you wish to get the absolute most performance possible within budget, and you're willing to wait a couple of weeks, a pair of non-reference cooler R9-290s and a 1000w PSU (I would recommend a SeaSonic or XFX, preferrably SeaSonic) would be the highest-performing option, though that would likely be twice as expensive as adding a second 7970 and improving your PSU.

At current prices, none of the nVIDIA options are terribly appealing for your needs (a pair of 770s would be on the table if you didn't already have a 7970, but as stands that wouldn't be at all efficient), and the 780 Ti in particular looks to be drastically overpriced relative to its performance.

I hope this helps, if you need any clarifications I would be happy to provide them.

Edit: Regarding Shadowplay, while I agree that it's a really cool idea, and it has a lot of potential, my research indicates that it only works with GeForce Experience-compatible titles (http://www.itworld.com/personal-tech/380442/nvidia-adds-shadowplay-game-recording-geforce-experience), which is enough to for me to consider it less than useful. A nice feature, to be sure, but not enough to buy a card specifically for recording for.
 
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