Official specs from Steam

Battlefield 3 system requirements

Minimum and recommended PC specs as listed by the developer on Steam.

Minimum

OS *Windows 7 64-bit
Processor2 GHz Dual Core (Core 2 Duo 2.4 GHz or Althon X2 2.7 GHz)
Memory2 GB RAM
GraphicsGraphics card (AMD): DirectX 10.1 compatible with 512 MB RAM (ATI Radeon 3000, 4000, 5000 or 6000 series, with ATI Radeon 3870 or higher performance) Graphics card (NVIDIA): DirectX 10.0 compatible with 512 MB RAM (NVIDIA GeForce 8, 9, 200, 300, 400 or 500 series with NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT or higher performance)
DirectXVersion 10
Storage20 GB available space
Sound CardDirectX Compatible

Recommended

OS *Windows 7 64-bit
ProcessorQuad-core CPU
Memory4 GB RAM
GraphicsGraphics Card: DirectX 11 compatible with 1024 MB RAM (NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 or ATI Radeon 6950)
DirectXVersion 11
Storage20 GB available space
Sound CardDirectX Compatible

FAQ

What graphics card do I need for Battlefield 3?

Minimum: Graphics card (AMD): DirectX 10.1 compatible with 512 MB RAM (ATI Radeon 3000, 4000, 5000 or 6000 series, with ATI Radeon 3870 or higher performance) Graphics card (NVIDIA): DirectX 10.0 compatible with 512 MB RAM (NVIDIA GeForce 8, 9, 200, 300, 400 or 500 series with NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT or higher performance). Recommended: Graphics Card: DirectX 11 compatible with 1024 MB RAM (NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 or ATI Radeon 6950).

How much RAM does Battlefield 3 need?

Battlefield 3 needs 2 GB RAM at minimum, 4 GB RAM recommended.

How big is Battlefield 3?

Battlefield 3 requires 20 GB available space.

Does Battlefield 3 run on Mac or Steam Deck/Linux?

There is no native macOS version. There is no native Linux build (Proton compatibility may vary).