EA and DICE have released the specs for the PC version of Battlefield 4. And, hey, guess what. It’s demanding.
Let’s ignore the minimum specs, and head straight to the more interesting stuff: what the developers think you’ll need to really get the game singing.
Seems you’ll need a 3GB video card, a 4/6-core CPU, a whopping 30GB of hard drive space and… Windows 8? That’s… weird.
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44 responses to “Battlefield 4’s PC Specs Prefer Big Rigs And… Windows 8?”
The reason for windows 8 is DirectX 11.2 having some propriety features that are only enabled for Windows 8. I don’t know how important or noticeable they’ll be, but that’s the (assumed) reason.
I did not see anybody mention this so I thought I would. Windows 8.1 will support DX11.2 which has some new APIs that allows your on board memory to store rendered textures to work in collaboration with your GPU. It sounds almost to good to be true but we will have to wait and see. That would explain the GB VM for recommended setting in conjunction with Windows 8.1. This demo I linked below has a GTX 770 using DX11.2
Guessing Windows 8 will be an easy way to ensure people are running 64 bit, as well as newer versions of Direct X.
Anything that will run on a cpu made in 2005 (8 years old at this point) is hardly demanding. its like saying a ps3 game is demanding because it wont play on your ps2.
Errrr… the capacity for a game to be demanding has nothing to do with that. The engine in the game can use extra resources to produce an extremely high quality graphical experience.
Conversely they can turn all the fun stuff off and you can play Battlefield 4: Minecraft Edition.
So much wrong with that comment.
LoL yeah. I don’t play that many PC games nowadays but I’m still well aware of what minimum specs look like. It’s less “I can play this game now!” and more “technically it runs on my machine, sort of…”
Time to buy a second 7950! WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!
sold my two 7950s and got another Gtx780! WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!
Anyone with a gaming rig should already have all these things, except maybe Windows 8. That being said I’ve only just not long ago got a 3GB GPU.
I don’t have these things, yet my PC can still run games that are released.
You don’t have 30GB of HDD space?
Very well, I have one of those things……Mr. Tricky.
lolMr. Tricky win the internet
If by “anyone”, you mean “most people”, then yes probably. But just because someone is predominantly a PC gamer and plays this kind of game, doesn’t mean they go all out on hardware. (I have all that stuff except the GPU [got a 660Ti])
My gaming rig is running a GTX560 Ti OC not a GTX660.
This is the first time my PC hasn’t met the recommended requirements.
I’ll probably pick up a new GFX card for xmas and make the 560 a phyx card.
Why is recommending Windows 8 weird? not only latest Direct X version, but Windows 8 is faster, more efficient and performs superior to Windows 7.
Any PC owner worth his salt would upgrade to Windows 8/8.1. Even if you don’t like Metro on your desktop, this is the future of computing and its now time to get on board (or you can use ModernMix/Start8 if you don’t like change)
One good thing about getting old is I can barely tell the difference between bleeding edge visuals and a minimum set up these days. My eyesight is fine, my brain just doesn’t really care anymore.
I thought this was just me…
I had the same with Crysis3. Thought “WOWSA this looks good!” on full settings. Scaled it back to get some speed and it really didn’t look that much different
It’s about time that people start properly respecting Windows 8 as an Operating System. Feedback across varying communities has ranged from mixed to ‘we completely hate it’, and the truth is, Windows 8 has a very similar architecture to Windows 7, and hey, if you don’t like the fancy start menu, you don’t have to use it.
Admittedly the flat-design can take a while to get used to, but Windows 8 is a completely valid operating system, and I’m glad to see a respected company/game actually saying ‘hey guys, you should use this’.
Also, wow, I think my little gaming laptop might just die if I tried to play this…I have 2gig nVidia 630M, and a Core i7, 4GB ram (with an 8GB ReadyBoost to try and crank a little more out of it). Still debating whether or not to jump the gun and buy it…does Origin do summer sales like steam does?
Windows 8 is fine for a tablet, but for a PC, why bother?
Faster booting, better security and better power management (which in desktops, means less draining on power, and less wear-and-tear on PSU’s and the like)
I found this article from last year: http://www.extremetech.com/computing/138177-under-the-hood-of-windows-8-or-why-desktop-users-should-upgrade-from-windows-7
I’m not saying everyone needs to upgrade, but I think Win8 has been unfairly criticized and labelled as ‘just for tablets’, when the truth is, it’s a perfectly respectable architecture/OS upgrade IMO.
Have to agree 100%. Ever since it launched it’s had this reputation of a crap OS that’s only good for tablets; after having spent quite a while with it, I can say without doubt that’s not the case.
Very glad to see a big games company making it the recommended OS. 🙂
Eh they’re really just recommending it on a “recommended because it’s the newest most up to date failsafe” basis, not because they actually like it.
It is essentially windows 7 but modded… In a worse way then what actual people can mod windows 7.
Who ever says its safer – my desktop has run on Windows 7 for 2years without a single virus or malware, my sisters HP laptop brand new with windows 8 had 120 infections pop up in malwarebytes after the first 2months of use.
It comes down to the user not the OS.
It’s not like I am happy it’s there because I think it’s gives a game performance boost or anything; Just that as more developers recommend it, it gradually gets taken more seriously as a alternative to Win7 (which IMO it deserves to be).
And it being a bad Win7 mod is debatable. After 9 months of living with it, the look, feel and performance make it better than anything I experienced with Win7 mods. Granted I don’t know if I would go pay over $100 for it when I already own Win7; but as a cheap upgrade (like that $15 deal) or buying it for a new computer, I would say it’s worth it.
But each to their own; that’s just my opinion on it, everyone has their own preferences.
I have a Mac and Windows 8 machine at work, and a Windows 7 machine at home. Although I agree that there are performance benefits of windows 8, that doesn’t change the fact the interface is really difficult to work with. Even just turning the damn thing off is this convoluted mess of steps.
I click an icon on my desktop… How is that a convoluted mess of steps?
Did you make that icon yourself? Cause its not on the desktop I use.
Oh sweet vindication.
how much $$ for a ‘recommend’ rig
$1500
Bah, fuck Windows 8 just for DX11.2 or what ever version it is.
windows 8 is shitloads faster than previous windows. I can understand this completely.
My body (and rig) is always ready.
Interesting that they haven’t specified SSD for the hard drive in the Recommended list.
cause it doesnt impact gameplay only load times
so EA/DICE recommends an HD 7870 or GTX 660….. but 3GB of gpu memory???
last I checked both these cards runs 2GB at reference…
Maybe they’re recommending you have both! 😛
imagine the looks on the faces of people who try to run both in SLI/CF 😛
‘where can I find an SLI to Crossfire bridge adapter?’ *snicker*
I believe EVGA have a 3gb 660, as for myself I’ve got the 660ti with a i7 870 sits at 100+ degrees playing bf3, seriously considering a new pc case for more fans and better air flow with a high end i5 for my occasional pc gaming needs
that’s another thing to mention, the odd few cards in the 660/ti and 7870 flavours, do actually have multi-gpu configs that manufacturers sell for ‘enthusiasts’ and do similar things like these:
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=416&products_id=24886
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=193_1309&products_id=21626
otherwise you’d be hard-pressed to find a reference card to those specs at all 😛
I’d check out one of these 2 cases for your situation:
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=25_961&products_id=20561
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=25_961&products_id=23241
For my recent upgrade I ended up going a bit all out:
CPU: Intel i7 4770k
Mobo: Gigabyte GA-Z87X-UD3H
CPU Cooler: Swiftech H220 (AIO customizable loop liquid cooler)
RAM: Corsair Vengeance LP (2x4gb) 1600mhz CL9
Case: BitFenix Colossus (window, lit up with BitFenix Alchemy 300mm White LED strip)
GPU: Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 Dual-X OC
everything else basically needs upgrading, but all in good time! 😉
Suddenly the 4Gb GTX770 doesn’t look so stupid.
I barely ran BF3 at maximum settings in Nvidia Surround (7680×1440), so I have no hope of running this, I might just have to suck it up and play on one screen.
or lower the resolution (or increase the windows built in DPI)
for some reason this increased my framerates while maintaining aspect ratio with only a marginal loss in detail
In my experience using anything less than native resolution causes major blurriness, it’s just like stretching out a video. Sharpness is a big factor for me.
Running a GTX 680 Lightning ATM, and my crrent game?…. Gamedevtycoon LOL
Good to go, Looking forward to tweaking what I guess will be many gfx settings.
DirectX 11.2……. that’s all there is to it. Not exactly exactly surprising, or even obscure information, really.
if ya havin driver problems i feel bad for you son,
i got 99 problems windows 8 ain’t one.
If you run Windows 8 then yes you will need the recommended settings. because of new direct X ect.
but if you have win 7. then the recommended will probably max everything out, and run beastilly
Haven’t come across a game that my 2 7970s can’t handle on max at 2560×1600. Then again, $900 worth of GPUs would want to do that. Add the new beta drivers with enhanced CrossfireX, I shouldn’t need a new GPU.
A heck of a lot of people don’t have a 3Gb GPU. I saw this coming and recently grabbed a 4Gb GTX770…..new games are going to need the memory people.