BF3 Settings Help

IanSammiches · 12 Apr 2012 at 00:37

I've been playing BF3 a whole lot recently, but my PC is not up to the recommended requirements. (My GFX (560 SE) Is a tiny bit off, but my CPU (E6600 Dual) is WAAAAY off).
With everything on ultra on 720p (I always play 720p because it suits my eyes best) I get around 25-35 FPS but it sometimes drops as low as 20 FPS
What settings could I change to give me higher FPS without an upgrade (yet)?
I tried AA off but it didn't make a massive difference. Only about 5FPS increase.
Please help

IanSammiches · 12 Apr 2012 at 01:32

Anyone?

ThomBassmonkey · 12 Apr 2012 at 01:39

The three big things that always seem to make the most distance are shadows, draw distance and AA. I can't remember what options BF3 has off the top of my head though.

Shadows often make a HUGE difference and have minimal impact on gameplay. Try turning those down/off first. The only time they can affect gameplay is if you see a shadow coming around a corner, that's very rare though and you'll still see it with the lowest quality shadows anyway.

Draw distance can make a big difference too but obviously it might put you at a disadvantage if you can't see someone shooting at you because they're too far away.

You say you've tried turning down AA, so you know the effects of that. If you're dropping to 20fps, that extra 5fps sounds like it's worth having though.

IanSammiches · 12 Apr 2012 at 01:42

ThomBassmonkey said:
The three big things that always seem to make the most distance are shadows, draw distance and AA. I can't remember what options BF3 has off the top of my head though.

Shadows often make a HUGE difference and have minimal impact on gameplay. Try turning those down/off first. The only time they can affect gameplay is if you see a shadow coming around a corner, that's very rare though and you'll still see it with the lowest quality shadows anyway.

Draw distance can make a big difference too but obviously it might put you at a disadvantage if you can't see someone shooting at you because they're too far away.

You say you've tried turning down AA, so you know the effects of that. If you're dropping to 20fps, that extra 5fps sounds like it's worth having though.

Yeah, BF3 doesn't have draw distance. I will try turning shadows down though.

Thanks for the reply

IanSammiches · 12 Apr 2012 at 01:42

Could anyone explain what aspects of the game affect my CPU, as it is so weak?

Westie · 12 Apr 2012 at 01:50

Bf3 does have draw distance its called mesh quality! Just turn everything off I play on a top PC and still run bf3 on low settings!