Choice of GPU for ArmA 3?

[bboy 11]

Hi people! Please, help me with assembling my computer for ArmA 3.. ;) Right now.. my comp is made of:

- Intel Dual Core E5200 2.5Ghz

- 4Gb ram ddr2 800Mhz

- sata hard disc 80Gb

- GA-945GZM-S2 motherboard

First off all, i know that everything from this is old... but, it is what it is! Right now, i dont have money to change complete machine... For now, i only want to change my graphic card and to run ArmA 3 on some medium settings.. And if i tell you that i played for years ArmA 2 and i finished ArmA 3 first campaign on my laptop, Intel Core Duo 2 2.0Ghz, 4gb ddr2 ram 800Mhz, Ati Mobility Radeon 4650 1gb ddr3 128bit (it's a Samsung laptop.. R522).. in that case... i think it's possible! Well, right now i have posibility to by for some good money an old but strong graphic card! The model is: Ati Radeon 4850 1gb ddr5 256 bit. I googled to find informations about this gpu, and i found that this gpu does not support nothing above direct x 10.1... But in other cases is strong i think? Well, can you people with more knowlege and experience tell me how much is that direct x important for ArmA 3 and, if i buy this gpu, would i have good enough performace playing ArmA 3 on my machine? Expecting your fast answer, cos' i am about to buy this gpu... Thank you! Or in other case... write me here your sugestions of some good enough gpu with less money... ;)

[ratszo 17]

Best to ask in this thread:

http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?147391-Will-my-PC-run-Arma3-What-CPU-GPU-to-get-What-settings-What-System-Specifications

Tho, cpu power is king in this game.

[christianmo 10]

Look at this benchmark chart:

http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/

I would look under best value and find a card fitting of your budget.

From what i have heard AMD cards tend to be cheaper compared to Nvidia cards, on the other hand they are hot and noisy, especially the old ones.

Remember to check if the card is compatible with your motherboard.

[Sgt Griss 10]

I run a HD 6770 1g. Nothing to shiny however its temps stay around 30-35C while in Arma3. The mistake people make with Radeon Cards is that the default catalyst control center settings have the cards fan speed set to 40%. The cards temp will soar and the auto fan control kicks in and cools the card down. This basically shortens the cards life as it gets extremely Hot and then cools down constantly. If you buy a Radeon Card go into the Control center and set it to manual fan control and cut the fan speed to 100%. The card will perform Much better and the cards life will last much longer.

[mamasan8 11]

I run a HD 6770 1g. Nothing to shiny however its temps stay around 30-35C while in Arma3. The mistake people make with Radeon Cards is that the default catalyst control center settings have the cards fan speed set to 40%. The cards temp will soar and the auto fan control kicks in and cools the card down. This basically shortens the cards life as it gets extremely Hot and then cools down constantly. If you buy a Radeon Card go into the Control center and set it to manual fan control and cut the fan speed to 100%. The card will perform Much better and the cards life will last much longer.

Really, 100%?

I can barely stand 50% fan speeds noise on my 7870. In Arma it is usually 40-43%. Remember also that Radeons are made to withstand 80-90 celsius. Mine doesnt even go over 50 celsius most of the time. Not in Arma 3 at least.

My curve is setup so the fan spins at 30% when below 40 C and for every ten degrees, fan speed gets upped by 10 also.

Even that is a bit overkill. But make sure the curve is linear and not staggered (like stairs).

I dont use CCC but in MSI afterburner you can switch between those two , linear/staggered, by double-clicking in the fan-curve window.