Awful lag decent specs

[roelvvv 1]

Hey, I bought arma 2 a while ago but it really lagged so I didn't play it that much I had around 10-20 fps in dayz and 20 in singleplayer. On multiplayer it was like 15 fps.

My specs are:

AMD Phenom II x4 3,2ghz

Sapphire 7850HD (2GB GDDR5)

8GB Ram

120GB SSD

And still my arma 2 is lagging, even in dayz I get like 10-20 fps. I did alot of tweaks and they didn't help that much, I editted my options (no result) I'm using a 1900x1280 resolution.

Could anyone please help me?

Thanks in advance.

[MAVEN 1]

As a saying goes - Your internet is as fast as your computer is, and your computer online is as fast as your internet is.

In other words, if you have poor connection you will have bad framerates even though your system specs can back up everything maxed out. if internet speed and internet stability is not your issue, try this - http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?143792-General-System-Tweak-Guide

If even that doesn't help, then something is wrong with your system's hardware.

[roelvvv 1]

As a saying goes - Your internet is as fast as your computer is, and your computer online is as fast as your internet is.

In other words, if you have poor connection you will have bad framerates even though your system specs can back up everything maxed out. if internet speed and internet stability is not your issue, try this - http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?143792-General-System-Tweak-Guide

If even that doesn't help, then something is wrong with your system's hardware.

Thanks for the quick response :) Yes I did something with the vram and it improved my fps by 2-4. However I didn't quite understand the thing with the memory allocator and dll files and which one to use.

About the hardware, yes I have a few problems, everytime I start my pc it says CPU Fan error, however the cpu fan is running (this started happening after a bios update).

Also I was told my 7850HD wasn't working well with my AMD Phenom because the cpu clock was staying at 800mhz all time, I usually see it switching from 800mhz to 3200mhz even when I'm gaming. (Yes I turned of cool n quiet.)

[jw custom 56]

Lower your resolution, try mix other settings with normal/high.

Maybe upgrade your system, your cpu ain't fantastic and arma is quite a cpu fan.

[MAVEN 1]

Thanks for the quick response :) Yes I did something with the vram and it improved my fps by 2-4. However I didn't quite understand the thing with the memory allocator and dll files and which one to use.

About the hardware, yes I have a few problems, everytime I start my pc it says CPU Fan error, however the cpu fan is running (this started happening after a bios update).

Also I was told my 7850HD wasn't working well with my AMD Phenom because the cpu clock was staying at 800mhz all time, I usually see it switching from 800mhz to 3200mhz even when I'm gaming. (Yes I turned of cool n quiet.)

It seems like that your system hardware is conflicting, this happened to me few times when I upgraded my workstation setup's parts. You have to make sure that each hardware piece is compatible with other or you may get not only bad performance but permanent hardware damage or even failure. There's two tools you should try, Cpu Z for CPU information and GPU Z for your GPU information, from these you can monitor fan speeds, clock speeds, system detected data, temperatures, etc. If you spot anything suspicious then better fix it soon. Also note that BIOS upgrades may lead to such slowdowns if an incorrect version is applied.

As for memory allocators, maybe I can help you out, what OS are you using, XP, Vista, W7, W8 or dual boot?

[roelvvv 1]

I had an expert help me with the bios update, I'm pretty sure that should be ok. As for the hardware I'm pretty sure it's all working together because it was all double checked.

I'm using 64 Bit Windows 7 with a quad core, btw do you think upgrading to windows 8 would work?

[ProfTournesol 956]

I'm using 64 Bit Windows 7 with a quad core, btw do you think upgrading to windows 8 would work?

Not needed, my Win7 64 bit is running my quadcore (and ArmA2) very nicely. Did you defrag recently ?

[kklownboy 43]

.... Did you defrag recently ?

He has a SSD.

@roelvvv; In your CCC( AMD control panel) , 3Dperformance, Max the "Power Control Setting". It will go to 20.

Also a 7850, is really too light to run 1080p. Your in game settings need to be lowered. View Distance is a killer

[ProfTournesol 956]

Well, his config should run the game okay anyhow.

[kklownboy 43]

yes he can run the game at 16/10 but 19/10 is a strain, depends on the map (clutter on Cherno...) and his VD.

[MAVEN 1]

Since you are using W7, and several users suggested from tests, try this parameter in your A2/A2OA/A2CO shortcut:

-malloc=system

It should improve performance slightly, to remove this effect simply remove this parameter from the shortcut.

[chrisb 196]

There are a couple of others on the forum having problems with a Phenom, not sure why, it should run the game very well.

1920x1080 is the res I play in and my card, which is oc’ed to stock 7850 clocks (it’s a 5850 2gb), runs the game great, ran it well before oc’ing, even better after. So your card at stock should run it fine and there should be no problem res wise for 1920x1080, not sure regards your res there ‘1900x1280’..

Could do with seeing a screenshot of your in-game settings, also what benchmark do you get for E08?

Try the malloc, but if your having the problems you describe I can’t see it doing much for you.

I have win7 and run the 'system malloc', it improved a little upon, what was already, very good performance, so still worth trying.:)

[roelvvv 1]

Nope none of the fixes given proved working :( However I did notice that while playing arma 2 my frequency first is around 870mhz (It says the cores are 70% active) then suddenly it switches to 3200mhz(Then it says the cores are 90% active) this happens every few seconds.

I'm also getting CPU Fan error every pc boot but I got used to it.

[MAVEN 1]

Nope none of the fixes given proved working :( However I did notice that while playing arma 2 my frequency first is around 870mhz (It says the cores are 70% active) then suddenly it switches to 3200mhz(Then it says the cores are 90% active) this happens every few seconds.

I'm also getting CPU Fan error every pc boot but I got used to it.

This is interesting. Have you scanned your pc for viruses and adware/malware? If not, do a deep scan for both (Free alternatives AVG Antivirus and Microsoft Security Essentials, for viruses and AdAware or even better Spybot Search And Destroy for adware/malware, notice these two are different)

It may be that your system is infected and the infection is sending data or attempting to pack up data periodically. If you find nothing then it's probably your CPU's fault, in which case you should replace it.

[roelvvv 1]

It can't be a virus, I reinstalled my pc a dozen times over the year and every time arma 2 still lagged.

And I contacted AMD and the guy there said it's normal that it switches between those frequencies.

Any other help would be appreciated :)

[MAVEN 1]

In that case it's your cpu, what you can try is manual overclocking and settings, but this is for expert users only as it's very dangerous, so if you don't know anything about it don't try it.

About reinstalling OS and formatting drives lots of times a year, that's bad. I can't remember when did I last reinstall everything (hopefully wont need anytime soon, or at all) perhaps 4-5 years ago for one of test systems and over 6-8 years for my workstation (the few cases when I had to upgrade OS'es recently don't really count because it was just OS upgrade and not a complete reinstall, also hardware upgrades, I copy whole drive contents from one to another with special tools, make backups and then upgrade) The same goes for viruses, those pop only if you end up downloading awkward files, some may slip via legit channels although rarely.

But then again, I'm using OpenBSD, XP, Vista and Mac OS X (Design only, almost untouched) :p I also tried W7 and W8RT, didn't like them much, perhaps I will get W8 soon as it looks promising.

[roelvvv 1]

heres a picture of my settings: http://i46.tinypic.com/qstp8h.jpg

Everytime i start the game it says something about 3d performance config.. would that matter?

And here's what my config looks like:

Arma2OA.cfg:

Resolution_W=1920;

Resolution_H=1080;

Resolution_Bpp=32;

refresh=60;

winX=4;

winY=30;

winW=1899;

winH=1006;

winDefW=1899;

winDefH=1006;

Render_W=1920;

Render_H=1080;

FSAA=0;

postFX=0;

GPU_MaxFramesAhead=1;

GPU_DetectedFramesAhead=1;

HDRPrecision=8;

lastDeviceId="";

localVRAM=926799872;

nonlocalVRAM=926799872;

vsync=0;

AToC=0;

PPAA=0;

PPAA_Level=0;

Windowed=0;

Profile.cfg:

version=2;

blood=1;

singleVoice=0;

lastSPMission="07: Freedom Fighters";

class MainMap

{

class Compass

{

inBack=0;

position[]={-0.037400007,-0.035062499,0.2};

positionBack[]={0.005499999,2.2351743e-009,0.1};

};

class Watch

{

inBack=0;

position[]={-0.048510008,-0.036815621,0.20999999};

positionBack[]={-0.0060499986,2.4586915e-009,0.11};

};

class WalkieTalkie

{

inBack=1;

position[]={0.093999997,-0.043000001,0.25};

positionBack[]={0.28,-0.155,0.625};

};

class GPS2

{

inBack=0;

position[]={-0.016939996,-0.038568746,0.22};

positionBack[]={0.013199997,2.6822089e-009,0.12};

};

};

anisoFilter=0;

TexQuality=1;

TexMemory=4;

useWBuffer=0;

tripleHead=0;

class Difficulties

{

class recruit

{

class Flags

{

Armor=1;

FriendlyTag=1;

EnemyTag=0;

HUD=1;

HUDPerm=1;

HUDWp=1;

HUDWpPerm=1;

HUDGroupInfo=1;

AutoSpot=1;

Map=1;

WeaponCursor=1;

AutoGuideAT=1;

ClockIndicator=1;

3rdPersonView=1;

UltraAI=0;

AutoAim=0;

CameraShake=0;

UnlimitedSaves=1;

DeathMessages=1;

NetStats=1;

VonID=1;

};

skillFriendly=1;

skillEnemy=0.55000001;

precisionFriendly=0.99999994;

precisionEnemy=0.19;

};

class regular

{

class Flags

{

Armor=1;

FriendlyTag=1;

EnemyTag=0;

HUD=1;

HUDPerm=1;

HUDWp=1;

HUDWpPerm=1;

HUDGroupInfo=1;

AutoSpot=1;

Map=1;

WeaponCursor=1;

AutoGuideAT=1;

ClockIndicator=1;

3rdPersonView=1;

UltraAI=0;

AutoAim=0;

CameraShake=1;

UnlimitedSaves=1;

DeathMessages=1;

NetStats=1;

VonID=1;

};

skillFriendly=1;

skillEnemy=0.69999999;

precisionFriendly=0.99999994;

precisionEnemy=0.45999998;

};

class veteran

{

class Flags

{

HUD=1;

HUDWp=1;

HUDGroupInfo=0;

Map=0;

WeaponCursor=1;

ClockIndicator=0;

3rdPersonView=1;

UltraAI=0;

CameraShake=1;

UnlimitedSaves=0;

DeathMessages=1;

NetStats=1;

VonID=0;

};

skillFriendly=1;

skillEnemy=0.89999998;

precisionFriendly=0.99999994;

precisionEnemy=0.81999987;

};

class mercenary

{

class Flags

{

UltraAI=0;

DeathMessages=0;

NetStats=0;

VonID=0;

};

skillFriendly=1;

skillEnemy=1;

precisionFriendly=0.99999994;

precisionEnemy=0.99999994;

};

};

showTitles=1;

showRadio=1;

shadingQuality=0;

shadowQuality=0;

maxSamplesPlayed=32;

lastMPMission="DayZ Namalsk";

browsingSource="Internet";

class Filter

{

serverName="dayzero";

missionType="";

missionName="";

maxPing=0;

minPlayers=0;

maxPlayers=0;

fullServers=1;

passwordedServers=1;

battleyeRequired=0;

expansions=1;

};

browsingLatitude=9;

browsingLongitude=51;

customScheme=1;

trackIR=1;

freeTrack=1;

controller="Default";

sensitivity="Medium";

vibrations=1;

class ControllerSchemes

{

};

keyMoveForward[]={17,200};

keyMoveBack[]={31,208};

keyTurnLeft[]={30,203};

keyTurnRight[]={32,205};

keyMoveUp[]={};

keyMoveDown[]={};

keyMoveFastForward[]={273};

keyMoveSlowForward[]={};

keyMoveLeft[]={211};

keyMoveRight[]={207};

keyEvasiveForward[]={};

keyEvasiveLeft[]={16};

keyEvasiveRight[]={18};

keyEvasiveBack[]={};

keyStand[]={46};

keyCrouch[]={45};

keyProne[]={44};

keyLeanLeft[]={16,524291};

keyLeanRight[]={18,524297};

keyLeanLeftToggle[]={272};

keyLeanRightToggle[]={274};

keyWalkRunToggle[]={298};

keyWalkRunTemp[]={42};

keyToggleWeapons[]={33,131074};

keySwitchWeapon[]={};

keyFire[]={487653376};

keyDefaultAction[]={65536,131072};

keyReloadMagazine[]={19};

keyLockTargets[]={15,131073};

keyLockTarget[]={65537};

keyRevealTarget[]={65537};

keyTempRaiseWeapon[]={};

keyToggleRaiseWeapon[]={-1660944365,285};

keyPrevAction[]={26,1048580,131078};

keyNextAction[]={27,1048581,131076};

keyAction[]={28,65538,131077};

keyActionContext[]={65536,131072};

keyHeadlights[]={38};

keyNightVision[]={49};

keyBinocular[]={48};

keyHandgun[]={39};

keyCompass[]={37};

keyCompassToggle[]={293};

keyWatch[]={24};

keyWatchToggle[]={280};

keyMiniMap[]={};

keyMiniMapToggle[]={-1660944334};

keyShowMap[]={50};

keyHideMap[]={50};

keyHelp[]={35};

keyTimeInc[]={13};

keyTimeDec[]={12};

keyOptics[]={82,65665};

keyOpticsMode[]={181};

keyPersonView[]={156};

keyTacticalView[]={83};

keyZoomIn[]={78,131075};

keyZoomInToggle[]={334};

keyZoomOut[]={74};

keyZoomOutToggle[]={330};

keyZoomContIn[]={524299};

keyZoomContOut[]={524293};

keyZeroingUp[]={201};

keyZeroingDown[]={209};

keyLookAround[]={56};

keyLookAroundToggle[]={55,312};

keyLookLeftDown[]={79,262149};

keyLookDown[]={80,262148};

keyLookRightDown[]={81,262147};

keyLookLeft[]={75,262150};

keyLookCenter[]={76};

keyLookRight[]={77,262146};

keyLookLeftUp[]={71,262151};

keyLookUp[]={72,262144};

keyLookRightUp[]={73,262145};

keyLookLeftCont[]={524289};

keyLookRightCont[]={524295};

keyLookDownCont[]={524288};

keyLookUpCont[]={524294};

keyPrevChannel[]={51};

keyNextChannel[]={52};

keyChat[]={53};

keyVoiceOverNet[]={314};

keyPushToTalk[]={58};

keyPushToTalkAll[]={};

keyPushToTalkSide[]={};

keyPushToTalkCommand[]={};

keyPushToTalkGroup[]={};

keyPushToTalkVehicle[]={};

keyPushToTalkDirect[]={};

keyNetworkStats[]={23};

keyNetworkPlayers[]={25};

keyDSInterface[]={905969689};

keySelectAll[]={41};

keyTurbo[]={};

keyVehicleTurbo[]={42};

keyWalk[]={};

keyHoldBreath[]={65537};

keySalute[]={43};

keySitDown[]={40};

keySurrender[]={};

keyGetOver[]={47};

keyAimUp[]={1048578};

keyAimDown[]={1048579};

keyAimLeft[]={1048576};

keyAimRight[]={1048577};

keyAimHeadUp[]={1048578};

keyAimHeadDown[]={1048579};

keyAimHeadLeft[]={1048576};

keyAimHeadRight[]={1048577};

keyIngamePause[]={1};

keyMenuSelect[]={};

keyMenuBack[]={14,65665};

keyForceCommandingMode[]={57};

keySwitchCommand[]={486539321,221};

keyHeliUp[]={16};

keyHeliDown[]={44};

keyHeliLeft[]={1048576};

keyHeliRight[]={1048577};

keyHeliCyclicLeft[]={30,203,196616};

keyHeliCyclicRight[]={32,205,196608};

keyHeliRudderLeft[]={45,211};

keyHeliRudderRight[]={46,207};

keyHeliForward[]={17,200,1048579,196617};

keyHeliBack[]={31,208,1048578,196609};

keyHeliFastForward[]={18};

keyAutoHover[]={299};

keyAutoHoverCancel[]={43};

keyHeliThrottlePos[]={};

keyHeliThrottleNeg[]={};

keySeagullUp[]={16,1048579,196609};

keySeagullDown[]={44,1048578,196617};

keySeagullForward[]={17,200};

keySeagullBack[]={31,208};

keySeagullFastForward[]={18};

keyCarLeft[]={30,203,196616};

keyCarRight[]={32,205,196608};

keyCarWheelLeft[]={1048576};

keyCarWheelRight[]={1048577};

keyCarForward[]={17,200,196617};

keyCarBack[]={31,208,196609};

keyCarFastForward[]={18};

keyCarSlowForward[]={16};

keyCarAimUp[]={1048578};

keyCarAimDown[]={1048579};

keyCarAimLeft[]={1048576};

keyCarAimRight[]={1048577};

keyCommandLeft[]={30,203};

keyCommandRight[]={32,205};

keyCommandForward[]={17,200};

keyCommandBack[]={31,208};

keyCommandFast[]={18};

keyCommandSlow[]={16};

keySwitchGunnerWeapon[]={486539297};

keyVehLockTargets[]={15,131073};

keySwapGunner[]={};

keyHeliManualFire[]={40};

keyTurnIn[]={45,46};

keyTurnOut[]={44};

keyCancelAction[]={};

keyCommandWatch[]={56};

keyTeamSwitch[]={20};

keyTeamSwitchPrev[]={21};

keyTeamSwitchNext[]={22};

keyGear[]={34};

keyGetOut[]={};

keyEject[]={};

keyLandGear[]={-1660944350};

keyLandGearUp[]={-1660944350};

keyFlapsDown[]={-1660944347};

keyFlapsUp[]={-1660944346};

keyLaunchCM[]={19};

keyNextCM[]={486539283};

keyBuldSwitchCamera[]={210};

keyBuldFreeLook[]={76};

keyBuldSelect[]={57};

keyBuldResetCamera[]={82};

keyBuldMagnetizePoints[]={63};

keyBuldMagnetizePlanes[]={64};

keyBuldMagnetizeYFixed[]={65};

keyBuldTerrainRaise1m[]={24};

keyBuldTerrainRaise10cm[]={22};

keyBuldTerrainLower1m[]={38};

keyBuldTerrainLower10cm[]={36};

keyBuldTerrainRaise5m[]={25};

keyBuldTerrainRaise50cm[]={23};

keyBuldTerrainLower5m[]={39};

keyBuldTerrainLower50cm[]={37};

keyBuldTerrainShowNode[]={35};

keyBuldSelectionType[]={31};

keyBuldLeft[]={203};

keyBuldRight[]={205};

keyBuldForward[]={200};

keyBuldBack[]={208};

keyBuldMoveLeft[]={1048576};

keyBuldMoveRight[]={1048577};

keyBuldMoveForward[]={1048578};

keyBuldMoveBack[]={1048579};

keyBuldTurbo[]={42};

keyBuldUp[]={201,16};

keyBuldDown[]={209,44};

keyBuldLookLeft[]={75};

keyBuldLookRight[]={77};

keyBuldLookUp[]={72};

keyBuldLookDown[]={80};

keyBuldZoomIn[]={78};

keyBuldZoomOut[]={74};

keyBuldTextureInfo[]={20};

keyDiary[]={36};

keyUser1[]={17};

keyUser2[]={31};

keyUser3[]={30};

keyUser4[]={32};

keyUser5[]={16};

keyUser6[]={44};

keyUser7[]={72};

keyUser8[]={80};

keyUser9[]={75};

keyUser10[]={77};

keyUser11[]={42,54};

keyUser12[]={57};

keyUser13[]={210};

keyUser14[]={211};

keyUser15[]={};

keyUser16[]={};

keyUser17[]={};

keyUser18[]={};

keyUser19[]={};

keyUser20[]={};

revMouse=0;

mouseSensitivityX=1;

mouseSensitivityY=1;

floatingZoneArea=0;

mouseSmoothing=30;

joystickSensitivity[]={0.5,0.5,0.5,0.5,0.5,0.5,1,1,0.5,0.5,0.5,0.5,0.5,0.5,1,1};

headBob=1;

sceneComplexity=150000;

viewDistance=508.95563;

terrainGrid=50;

volumeCD=6.5;

volumeFX=8.5;

volumeSpeech=5.5;

volumeVoN=6.5;

vonRecThreshold=0;

gamma=0.9734357;

brightness=0.96578574;

fovTop=0.97500002;

fovLeft=1.5599999;

uiTopLeftX=0.30416664;

uiTopLeftY=0.26499999;

uiBottomRightX=0.69583333;

uiBottomRightY=0.73500001;

IGUIScale=0.47;

And some other cfg file:

version=1;

blood=1;

singleVoice=0;

gamma=1;

brightness=1;

sceneComplexity=0;

shadingQuality=0;

shadowQuality=0;

viewDistance=500;

terrainGrid=10;

volumeCD=6.5;

volumeFX=6.5;

volumeSpeech=6.5;

volumeVoN=6.5;

Edited January 16, 2013 by roelvvv

[MAVEN 1]

Seems like your OA copy is using only 800MB of both GPU and local RAM (you have 2 GB for GPU and 8 GB for local, so it should use at least 1 GB GPU and 4 GB local RAM) you might want to tweak this, also, try lowering your resolution, resolution size does matter a lot, and can in fact kill performance with weaker CPU's.

[ast65 10]

it looks your cfg files are pretty messed up, delete both cfg and profile,

they will be written new at next startup;

and ye, missing 3d performance indicates a broken cfg.

[roelvvv 1]

could you please tell me how to do that?

Lowering resolution did not help. And in OA Singleplayer I get around 25-50 fps with 1600 visibility.

Edited January 16, 2013 by roelvvv

[MAVEN 1]

could you please tell me how to do that?

In same place you found those entries, that cfg file (ArmA2OA.cfg I think) can be deleted.

[NeMeSiS 11]

Nope none of the fixes given proved working :( However I did notice that while playing arma 2 my frequency first is around 870mhz (It says the cores are 70% active) then suddenly it switches to 3200mhz(Then it says the cores are 90% active) this happens every few seconds.

I'm also getting CPU Fan error every pc boot but I got used to it.

Yeah i guess that this is the core of the problem. Try disabling cool&quiet or something similar in the BIOS, and any programs that may mess with your CPU or its fan.

Also, CPU temperatues idle and while playing could give us an indication about what is wrong.

[tonygrunt 10]

Delete arma2oa.cfg, run game and redo your settings. Exit and post your new arma2oa.cfg.

If you delete your profile file you will have to redo your keybindings.

Your GPU memory (localVRAM) should be 2147483647, older versions of arma had problems with identifying the correct amount but maybe this bug resurfaced on your system setup.

Are you running the latest beta?

Version of your catalyst drivers?

[roelvvv 1]

Yes I'm running the latest OA beta and these are my amd engine control center specs:

Driver Packaging Version 9.01.8-121202a-150272E-ATI

Catalyst Version 12.11

Provider Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.

2D Driver Version 8.01.01.1278

2D Driver File Path /REGISTRY/MACHINE/SYSTEM/ControlSet001/Control/CLASS/{4D36E968-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}/0000

Direct3D Version 9.14.10.0942

OpenGL Version 6.14.10.11995

AMD VISION Engine Control Center Version 2012.1202.303.5362

AMD Audio Driver Version 7.12.0.7708

Cool N Quiet is turned off, I have no programs that would mess up my CPU, HOWEVER I do use a fan controller, which I never use but I've been using it for years and it's not running on any software.

[Horus 83]

Connect CPU fan into the motherboard CPU fan header or disable CPU fan control in BIOS if use fan controller to fix CPU Fan Error. Delete ArmA2OA.cfg from C:\Users\your_name\Documents\ArmA 2, start game redo settings, exit and post new ArmA2OA.cfg.