Arma 3 and SLI/Xfire?

[Codeine 1]

Yes i searched dont burn me, But all the SLI questions topics are about arma 2 and i really dont want to go through 30 threads for a possible question for what i want to know.

What i really want to know is that will Arma 3 have proper support for SLI and crossfire? Right now Arma 2 is heinous at running SLI with my two 580's resulting in a need to disable SLI and run arma2 with just one card. Is this not gonna be a problem with arma 3? I would really rather not upgrade because 2x580's is still pretty beast.

Thanks guys and i only just bought arma2CO a week or so ago and im getting more interested in Arma3 but not so interested if it wont use my rig to its 100% or close to it.

Edited May 12, 2012 by Codeine

[james2464 177]

Good question I'd like to know the answer to this also, apparently you have higher FPS with only 1 card instead of 2.

[Dingo8 1]

A quick search of "SLI" on the Arma 3 forum yields the following as the third result:

http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?129609-Arma-3-amp-amp-Multithreading!!&p=2142062&highlight=sli#post2142062

[Codeine 1]

A quick search of "SLI" on the Arma 3 forum yields the following as the third result:

http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?129609-Arma-3-amp-amp-Multithreading!!&p=2142062&highlight=sli#post2142062

Thanks for the link, but that broken english makes it hard to understand what hes saying. Very confusing.

Is he saying that the developers arent responsible for increasing multi GPU performance but the hardware developers are?

Also said that not much can be done with multi GPU configs, which quite frankly i think is a load of bs. There are tonnes of other games that make good use of dual GPU's, Arma2 is a crippled pig running in SLI, i somehow dont think its all Nvidias fault even after releasing SLI fixes and new drivers to try help it along.

"Ivan Buchta:The engine has been capable of running on a multi-GPU setup since Arma 2" - is laughable.

[Dingo8 1]

Is he saying that the developers arent responsible for increasing multi GPU performance but the hardware developers are?

That's how I understand it.

Also said that not much can be done with multi GPU configs, which quite frankly i think is a load of bs. There are tonnes of other games that make good use of dual GPU's, Arma2 is a crippled pig running in SLI, i somehow dont think its all Nvidias fault even after releasing SLI fixes and new drivers to try help it along.

It's nice of you to state your beliefs, but it would be more helpful for you to back them up with some kind of logical and informed argument (and for you to be more respectful).

"Ivan Buchta:The engine has been capable of running on a multi-GPU setup since Arma 2" - is laughable.

"Capable" doesn't necessarily mean it will yield a very notable performance boost. It's also possible that your SLI setup is not configured properly.

[CameronMcDonald 146]

"Ivan Buchta:The engine has been capable of running on a multi-GPU setup since Arma 2" - is laughable.

Arma2 is a crippled pig running in SLI, i somehow dont think its all Nvidias fault even after releasing SLI fixes and new drivers to try help it along.

ArmA 2 works fine on my SLi. I know of at least 3 others who run SLi who find that it makes quite the positive difference ingame.

Perhaps it is a problem with your setup, or using the 580 in SLi, but rubbishing one of the main producers because your system has trouble with it is rather steep.

Submit a tech support request to NVidia, if you haven't already.

[Codeine 1]

rubbishing one of the main producers because your system has trouble with it is rather steep.

Submit a tech support request to NVidia, if you haven't already.

I have done that in half a dozen forums for support on trying to fix it, i've tried everything and all conclusions by comments of people say that it has issues with SLI, so its just not me. Every other game i play uses my GPU's perfectly from benchs in crysis to bf3 maxed out, flawless 100fps. Arma 2 different story. So i would consider yourself lucky that you dont have these issues, just because you dont have them doesnt mean the game is perfect.

I came here asking if Arma 3 would use multi GPU configs, and it looks like it doesnt. Which is unfortunate.

[CameronMcDonald 146]

Every other game i play uses my GPU's perfectly from benchs in crysis to bf3 maxed out, flawless 100fps.

That's a huge range.

I came here asking if Arma 3 would use multi GPU configs, and it looks like it doesnt.

A quote from Dwarden, a BIS member:

i would like to point (again) out that SLI and Crossfire support is from 99.9% in hands of the IHV , manufacturers of hardware and theirs drivers ...

they need to put usable profiles for each game, card type and generation which covers the type of mode the dual/triple/quad GPU system will use to render the game

there is no standard for multiGPU solutions

(except some DX11.1 bonus but that don't affect the basics and it's not finalized yet)

so while developer may optimize his engine to better support how the title behave on the multiGPU system or ensure it's stable that's all he can do ...

also note that we support NVIDIA's Surround and AMD's Eyefinity to some level from time theirs libraries were first released ...

[liquidpinky 11]

Yes i searched dont burn me, But all the SLI questions topics are about arma 2 and i really dont want to go through 30 threads for a possible question for what i want to know.

What i really want to know is that will Arma 3 have proper support for SLI and crossfire? Right now Arma 2 is heinous at running SLI with my two 580's resulting in a need to disable SLI and run arma2 with just one card. Is this not gonna be a problem with arma 3? I would really rather not upgrade because 2x580's is still pretty beast.

Thanks guys and i only just bought arma2CO a week or so ago and im getting more interested in Arma3 but not so interested if it wont use my rig to its 100% or close to it.

Runs great on my SLi 580s, the problem may be at your end.

Although I won't bash you as it ran crap when I had 285s in SLi and everyone else had it working no problem.

Sometimes it seems like random dumb luck.

[Codeine 1]

That's a huge range.

A quote from Dwarden, a BIS member:

Thanks thats good info, there must be multiple users on the dwarden account, coz that is so much easier to read :D lol

[CameronMcDonald 146]

Although I won't bash you as it ran crap when I had 285s in SLi and everyone else had it working no problem.

Oh the irony, I've got 285s and it runs fine. Anyway Codeine, glad that info helped.

[grillob3 11]

SLi in arma 2= -winxp

Add that (-winxp) in your shortcut and then you will see double of performance! i had a trifire 5970+5870 and now sli gtx 680 and both setups works very good!

[-=seany=- 5]

Yeah SLI works well in arma2 GTX295 here. The only real problem is that the Arma is a game that can switch from begin GPU limited to CPU limited in the blink of an eye. And when your CPU limited it don't mater how many GPUs you have strapped on :) .

As Grillob3 said -winxp is also worth a shot. Also leave the nvidia control panel set at "nvidia recommended" don't try to force AFR2 etc.

But I do also think it's a bit of a "fob off" to say that it's all down to hardware makers. I know a few devs that have decided to add mulitgpu to their games and it was more than just waiting for the hardware guys to add support. There are things that can be changed in the code to make the game more optimal to work with MultiGPU. Also the developers can contact nvidia etc to work on multigpu support.

A good example of this is Rise of Flight. This game technically already supported SLI (there was an nvidia profile and SLi was providing a boost). Then, to my surprise, the developers said they where adding Multigpu support and in the next update there was a new check box in the options called "MultiGPU" and I got even more of a performance boost thanks to this work by the RoF devs.

Edited October 3, 2012 by -=seany=-

[ruhtraeel 1]

Arma 2 runs less than stellar on my machine with Crossfire. If I turn HDR effects to normal and Post-Processing to low/medium, I can get around 60 all the time. But when I turn either of the options up one more notch, it tanks to around 25-40.

[kklownboy 43]

that 1GB of vram is what is hurting you

[ruhtraeel 1]

that 1GB of vram is what is hurting you

Apparently people run it with GTX 285's and stuff fine, and they also have 1GB VRAM

My rig runs BF3 maxed out with slightly lower AA and has no problems

Also, I prefer to keep post-processing down a bit cause it makes everything look too blurry maxed out I think

And TBH if it can max every other game out right now, I'm going to hold off on upgrading till DX12 comes out

Edited October 4, 2012 by ruhtraeel

[Leon86 13]

Well, there's just not that much a game developer can do to improve multigpu performance.

making sure a frame is independant of previous frame (so alternate frame rendering isn't bogged down)

implementing an optional fps limiter (please do this devs)

[-=seany=- 5]

Well, there's just not that much a game developer can do to improve multigpu performance.

As I said:

A good example of this is Rise of Flight. This game technically already supported SLI (there was an nvidia profile and SLi was providing a boost). Then, to my surprise, the developers said they where adding Multigpu support and in the next update there was a new check box in the options called "MultiGPU" and I got even more of a performance boost thanks to this work by the RoF devs.

[Leon86 13]

^^^

well, that was probably the frame independant of previous frame thing.

[kklownboy 43]

As of 10.8(actually 9.12) driver there was, is, a CF profile for AMD/ATI. If the betas or /1.59-1.62+ have borked that i dont know, havent ran a CF for awhile(1.57-1.59 then bought a new card), but when i did it always worked. maybe ill put the old 4870X2s back in and test.

[pathetic_berserker 4]

Finaly shuffled the GTX285 along for a GTX690, nvidainspector graphs show second GPU going pound for pound with the primary one.

Don't see SLI has any problem.

[Azza FHI 50]

you cant really put a dual gpu card in the same boat as 2 cards in sli as it is 1 card which is garanteed to work with 2 gpus. 2 cards on the other hand can have alot of problem for some people weather its the motherboard, drivers or the game.

ive never had issues running sli in arma since i can remember (june last year was first sli setup). it just takes some research, commands like -winxp or tricking drivers into thinking they are playing another game where sli/cf is officially supported etc.

[Dwarden 1125]

as i have repeated myself many times on this subject i cut it short

NVIDIA and AMD must provide support for SLI/Crossfire , it's driver driven profile feature

not standard or something with API/SDK ...

Edited October 10, 2012 by Dwarden

[giorgygr 61]

as i have repeated myself many times on this subject i cut it short

NVIDIA and AMD must provide support for SLI/Crossfire , it's driver driven profile feature

not standard or something with API/SDK ...

..IMO on the other hand YOU as developers can convince them really better then us (*unrelevant-random-strangers) begging for a driver.

[Shagulon 1]

Perhaps the more popular dayz will mean that the profiles for BIS games will perhaps move up in priority for the two card manufacturers? Time will tell.

I had issues recently running a couple of 6970's in x-fire (random flashing/strobing). I've since sold them and moved back to nvidia (not in SLI) and everything is great.