Call of Duty: WWII; 50+ FPS @ 1080p

Hey guys,

Here’s what I’m running right now:

i5-3450 @ 3.10 GHz
Nvidia GeForce GT 640 ASUS B75M
ASRock B75M
8 GB Random Access Memory

This setup is a few years old. I want to know if I can play Call of Duty: WWII on medium settings at 1080p with 50+ FPS just by swapping out the graphics card.

If that's doable, which GPU should I look for, and can I find one by $333?

I know Call of Duty isn't dropping until the end of the year unless there's a delay, but since it's built on Unreal Engine just like Star Wars Battlefront, the performance requirements shouldn't be drastically different from that game.

As far as I know, we still haven't seen the official system requirements for Call of Duty, so it’s a bit hard to say for sure. Your CPU should still be doing its job just fine, but when it comes to $333, you aren't exactly spoiled for choice with graphics cards. The best new card you could realistically pick up would be a GTX 750 Ti, or maybe find a used GTX 950. If you're willing to shell out a few hundred dollars more, you might even score a used GTX 960...
What kind of power supply are you running? Honestly, that's the most important factor here.

It's honestly a bit premature to be debating a game that hasn't even hit the shelves yet. Your CPU seems solid and everything else looks fine—though you should probably specify the exact model of that power supply just to be safe.
If this isn't a massive leap in requirements compared to the last Call of Duty click you should be able to get by using that GTX 750 Ti 2GB.

Power supply:
MS PRO-550, 550 W

What’s the deal with Random Access Memory? Is 8GB actually enough for modern titles like Star Wars Battlefront?

Also, could I squeeze a small 120GB SSD onto this power supply setup?

How am I looking on internet speeds? Right now I'm getting 5 Mbps or 500 kbps—should I upgrade to 10 Mbps, or is this plenty?

That power supply is total junk. 😁 Honestly, I wouldn't dream of hooking a decent GPU up to that thing. Sure, a GTX 950 or a GTX 960 doesn't pull massive amounts of power, but I still wouldn't take the gamble if I were you.

8GB is still plenty for what you're doing, and it's easy enough to upgrade once you actually hit a wall.

Instead of blowing your budget on an SSD—I'm guessing you were looking at a cheap 120GB model for maybe $117—you'd be much better off putting that money toward a reliable unit like a Fortron Hex 400 w 80. If you get a solid PSU, you can drop a graphics card in there and actually sleep at night. Grab the SSD down the road; it won't change your gaming performance one bit.

Your internet connection seems fine. The only issue you might run into is if download speeds feel sluggish because modern games are getting massive, in which case you might want to look into a faster plan.

Man, you might want to swap out the power supply too. It’ll probably handle a GTX 750 Ti, GTX 950, or even a GTX 960, but... honestly, it's just some cheap junk from $67.

Random Access Memory should be fine.

For an SSD, you could grab a 128GB SanDisk Z400s for about $110 or a 256GB one for roughly $177.

Look, if the game isn't dropping until the end of the year, just wait until the next generation of cards hits the shelves. Save your cash and grab an entry-level gaming GPU once they actually launch. Word is they’ll probably perform around the level of a GTX 960 and pull about 75W (same deal with AMD), so you won't even need a new power supply. Just stash away roughly $500 and buy the card when the game finally comes out.

I don't know, man. Personally, I wouldn't advise him to pair a brand-new GPU with an old Microsoft power supply, especially one that’s been sitting around for years. Sure, it might run fine at first, but who knows how long it'll actually last? Even worse, if that thing pops, it could take other components down with it. In my book, it's just not worth the risk when you can grab a decent new power supply for maybe $50 or $60. My advice? Tell him to pick up the PSU now and just save up for the graphics card through the end of the summer. Then he can install everything with total peace of mind.

It’s honestly a crime that anyone is even selling builds featuring an i5 paired with a Microsoft power supply 😬

Either way, he’s better off waiting until both the game and the new cards are actually out

And does he need a new power supply? Yeah, sure, it wouldn't hurt, but for a total draw of maybe 150-200W, he could probably get away with some junk—at least while the GPU is still under warranty.

Guys, thanks a lot for the input. You’ve been a huge help.

I'll check back in once they drop the system requirements for Call of Duty: WWII, which should happen at CES in mid-June.

If you ask me, just grab the power supply now and stash the rest of your cash away. Start saving up specifically for a GPU while we wait for the game to actually drop. Honestly, any card you pick right now is going to be a gamble, and it’d be a total mistake 😁 to trust some off-brand, bottom-tier power supply 👍.

It’s really just about grabbing that graphics card and an SSD—you just install a fresh version of Windows, and then later on, once a game actually comes out and if you've saved up enough cash for a better GPU, you just buy it, plug it right into the PCIe slot, and you're good to go.

Larry Ortiz5 said:That’s exactly it—just grab a decent GPU and an SSD. Get a fresh install of Windows on there, and then down the road when a game you actually want comes out, if you’ve got the cash for a better graphics card, you just pop it into the PCIe slot and call it a day.

Are you thinking PSU and an SSD? 😁

Adam Moore3 honestly, if you aren't obsessed with read/write speeds, just pick an SSD that at least comes with a solid 60-month warranty.

swiftfalcon89 said:Are you thinking PSU and an SSD? 😁

Adam Moore3 well, if you aren't really worried about read/write speeds, maybe just look for an SSD that comes with a solid 5-year warranty

oops, my bad—yeah, PSU and an SSD

What else am I supposed to look for in an SSD besides R/W speeds? 😬 I honestly thought that was the only thing that mattered. If one Intel 535 hits 540/480 while a SanDisk 3 times slower on writes, it seems weird that you wouldn't notice the difference during actual use. But hey, if you guys say so, then fine.
And yeah, I assumed HyperX Fury would be faster than that; turns out the write speed really is just 120 😲
I'm trying to stay under $133 for the SSD because I also need to pick up a caddy to swap out my laptop's optical drive, which is another $15 or so. So Intel is out; I'd prefer a Samsung, but damn, they're over $500.

Kimberly Gomez34 said:Actually, that Z400s with the lowercase 's' is specialized for laptops, so even if the speeds aren't super impressive, its power consumption is way better than other SSDs, meaning longer battery life.

I HAD NO IDEA. You basically just made the decision for me, thanks a ton for the info! 🙂

So, they finally made it official: the next Battlefield isn't actually called "5." Instead, they’re going with Battlefield 1, and it's set during World War I.
They didn't give away much during the live presentation, but they did drop a trailer and hinted that this might be their most demanding title yet. I’m guessing they’ve beefed up the Unreal Engine, or maybe they're even moving to something totally new.
We should get a lot more details when things kick off at CES next month.

If you're looking to pick up a GPU specifically for this game, honestly, if I were you, I'd try to hunt down a used GTX 950.

Drew Sanchez82 said:They just officially announced the new Battlefield, and instead of calling it "5," they’re going with Battlefield 1, set during World War I.
They didn't reveal much during the live presentation, but they did show a trailer and hinted that this will be their most demanding title yet. I'm assuming it'll run on an upgraded Unreal Engine, or maybe something even newer.
We should get more details next month at CES.

Regarding picking up a GPU for this game, if I were you, I'd try to find a used GTX 950.

Where can I actually find used graphics cards?

There isn't much variety on Craigslist, and everything on eBay is mostly brand new and priced just as high as what you see locally.

You’ll see them pop up on eBay too, usually at a decent price if you catch them fast—assuming it's not some shady scam, of course. You’ll run into them all over the place lately, on forums or sites like CNN. Honestly, you’re about to be flooded with them because so many people are upgrading to the latest gear and offloading their old stuff. Just hang tight; you'll stumble onto a good deal eventually.

Right now, you’ve got that NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 on Craigslist with a warranty for $433, though I bet you could talk someone down to $400 if you play your cards right. Then there's that older GTX 950 you've had for two and a half years, with a warranty running until 1.3.2018, listed for $383 (that should move easily for $333).
But honestly, don't even bother looking at any of that until you swap out your power supply. Unless, of course, you're looking to get yourself crowned the next 🙂
.