PC requirements

Battlefield 3 System Requirements

Battlefield 3 needs at least 2 GHz Dual Core (Core 2 Duo 2.4 GHz or Althon X2 2.7 GHz) and 2 GB RAM. For the recommended experience you want Quad-core CPU, 4 GB RAM and Graphics Card: DirectX 11 compatible with 1024 MB RAM (NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 or ATI Radeon 6950) graphics.

Verified Sources: Steam store listing
Battlefield 3 minimum and recommended PC specifications
Component Minimum Recommended
Operating system Windows 7 64-bit Windows 7 64-bit
Processor 2 GHz Dual Core (Core 2 Duo 2.4 GHz or Althon X2 2.7 GHz) Quad-core CPU
Memory 2 GB RAM 4 GB RAM
Graphics — Graphics Card: DirectX 11 compatible with 1024 MB RAM (NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 or ATI Radeon 6950)
DirectX Version 10 Version 11
Storage 20 GB available space 20 GB available space
Additional notes DirectX Compatible DirectX Compatible
Not sure how your PC compares? Use the Can I Run It checker — pick your CPU and GPU and it tells you which column you land in.

Other platforms

Battlefield 3 is also available on these systems, where hardware is fixed and no per-PC check is needed:

Quick answers

Running Battlefield 3 on PC

Can my PC run Battlefield 3?
Compare your CPU, GPU and RAM against the minimum column below. If your parts match or beat every minimum row, the game will launch — though you may need to lower settings. Matching the recommended column is what gets you 60fps at 1080p.
How much storage does Battlefield 3 need?
20 GB available space
What is the difference between minimum and recommended specs?
Minimum means the game starts and is playable, usually at 30fps on low settings at 1080p. Recommended is the developer's target for a smooth 60fps experience at high settings.