Very low fps on an overqualified computer for the game.

[asd123 1]

First at all, i know there's already a huge thread about the performance issues in this game.. but it's too large for me to get anything useful from there.

I bought the game when it was an alpha, it was running terribly because it was only using about 40% of the cpu (I think that's the reason), and what that i really don't understand is that on the store page it says these are the

RECOMMENDED (not minimum) requirements: OS: Windows 7/ 8 (64bit)

Processor: Intel Core i5-2300 or AMD Phenom II X4 940 or better

Memory: 4 GB RAM

Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 or AMD Radeon HD 7750 with 1 GB VRAM or better

DirectX®: 11

Hard Drive: 25 GB free space (SSD/Hybrid HDD/SSHD storage)

Sound: DirectX®-compatible

These are my specs:

OS: Windows 7/ 8 (64bit)

Processor: Intel Core i5-3570K overclocked to 4.3 GHz (Obviously way better than the recommended cpu)

Memory: 8GB (1600mhz)

Graphics: SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 6850 1GB (better than the recommended graphics card)

DirectX®: 11

Hard Drive: Running the game on SSD, but doesn't affect the gameplay.

okay, so before i bought the game i was checking the system requirements and i realized that i should have pretty decent fps, but i dont.

so here's my question: Is there any way to fix this ? i'm guessing that the problem is that the game uses only about 40% of the cpu.

[zyg0tic 12]

Is this for multiplayer or singleplayer? Multiplayer has notoriously lower framerates, with server performance impacting it. Only on low pop, low load servers will you get high frames.

View and object distance, and shadows will also kill your frames. Grass can also be an issue.

[St. Jimmy 272]

Sounds normal to me.

[phronk 898]

If you're running mods, you'll get lower frames, especially if it is an old addon or coded poorly. Also, sometimes lag or stuttering is caused by a sloppy-made mission or a sluggish server. If people are loading addons that aren't on the server, especially if it adds weapons, uniforms, attachments, etc. then the server gets slowed down with errors that it cannot find the files for them (Because they aren't on the server) and impacts the server's performance, which in turn effects everyone else's performance regardless of hardware they have. First step is to only run the addons you NEED enabled, rather than just everything.

Secondly, try starting around these settings in Video Settings:

Sampling: 100% (Higher values make GPU work)

Textures: Very High (Higher values make GPU work)

Terrain: Standard (Relies on CPU)

Terrain View Distance: 2000 (Relies on CPU)

Objects: Standard or High (Relies on CPU)

Object View Distance: 2000 (Lowering this improves performance further; (Relies on CPU)

Shadows: Very High (Higher values make GPU work)

Shadow Draw Distance: 100 (The lower, the better framerate. Higher settings hit performance in forests.[/b]

Particles: High

PIP: Disabled (Mirrors, thermal MFD screen in HMG hunter seat or Comanche helicopter, etc.)

Clouds Quality: Ultra (Doesn't hit performance at all)

Dynamic Lights: Ultra (May want to turn this down if you get poor performance at night)

HDR: Standard (Low performs better, but looks worse)

Window: Window Borderless

Vertical Sync: Disabled

Bloom: 0

Motion Blur: 0

Radial Blur: 0

Depth of Field: 0 (Can cause weird artifacts with certain sights)

Sharpen Filter: 0 (Giving any value higher hits performance, slightly)

Anti Aliasing: Disabled (Depends on your video card)

PPAA: Disabled (Depends on your video card)

Anisotropic Filtering: 16x

Caustics: Enabled (Might effect performance when in, over, or near water, but I have yet to notice it)

AToC: All Trees

If you have a pimped out monitor like me, which is an ASUS 23" monitor that has 144 Mhz and 1ms response time, you can adjust the refresh rate in your "My Documents\ArmA 3\ArmA.cfg" and other settings. Example of mine:

steamLanguage="English";
language="English";
forcedAdapterId=-1;
detectedAdapterId=0;
detectedAdapterVendorId=4318;
detectedAdapterDeviceId=5058;
detectedAdapterSubSysId=828380258;
detectedAdapterRevision=161;
detectedAdapterBenchmark=38;
displayMode=2;
winX=16;
winY=32;
winWidth=1024;
winHeight=768;
winDefWidth=1024;
winDefHeight=768;
fullScreenWidth=1920;
fullScreenHeight=1080;
[b][color="#00FF00"]refresh=144;[/color][/b]
renderWidth=1920;
renderHeight=1080;
multiSampleCount=8;
multiSampleQuality=0;
particlesQuality=2;
GPU_MaxFramesAhead=1000;
GPU_DetectedFramesAhead=3;
HDRPrecision=16;
vsync=0;
AToC=14;
cloudsQuality=4;
pipQuality=5;
dynamicLightsQuality=4;
PPAA=9;
ppSSAO=6;
ppCaustics=1;
tripleBuffering=0;
ppBloom=0;
ppRotBlur=0;
ppRadialBlur=0;
ppDOF=0;
ppSharpen=0;

There's also some ArmA 3 launch parameters you can set to utilize memory better and optimize how the game runs, but you should look that part up on your own.

Finally, there's always the option to upgrade your PC more! With my PC, I average on Altis between 30 and 60 frames, sometimes higher. Average framerate is usually higher on maps like Takistan.

Here's what I use to play ArmA 3:

OS: Windows 7 Ultimate

PROCESSOR: i7-5820K - @3.30 GHz (I don't have a good cooler to overclock)

PSU: 850W Corsair

RAM: 8 Gigs of DDR4 RAM - Not overclocked

GFX: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 - 4 Gigs of VRAM

MONITOR: Pretty sure this is it

RESOLUTION: 1920x1080

REFRESH RATE: 144 Hz

Hope this helps.

[Nicholas 5]

The ArmA 3 Launcher offers an easy way to set up parameters and even describes what each one does. It's a pretty nice launcher.

I used to have an AMD 1100t as well as an AMD 6970. I usually played with my settings set to "Standard" with the default view distance.

[asd123 1]

If you're running mods, you'll get lower frames, especially if it is an old addon or coded poorly. Also, sometimes lag or stuttering is caused by a sloppy-made mission or a sluggish server. If people are loading addons that aren't on the server, especially if it adds weapons, uniforms, attachments, etc. then the server gets slowed down with errors that it cannot find the files for them (Because they aren't on the server) and impacts the server's performance, which in turn effects everyone else's performance regardless of hardware they have. First step is to only run the addons you NEED enabled, rather than just everything.

Secondly, try starting around these settings in Video Settings:

Sampling: 100% (Higher values make GPU work)

Textures: Very High (Higher values make GPU work)

Terrain: Standard (Relies on CPU)

Terrain View Distance: 2000 (Relies on CPU)

Objects: Standard or High (Relies on CPU)

Object View Distance: 2000 (Lowering this improves performance further; (Relies on CPU)

Shadows: Very High (Higher values make GPU work)

Shadow Draw Distance: 100 (The lower, the better framerate. Higher settings hit performance in forests.[/b]

Particles: High

PIP: Disabled (Mirrors, thermal MFD screen in HMG hunter seat or Comanche helicopter, etc.)

Clouds Quality: Ultra (Doesn't hit performance at all)

Dynamic Lights: Ultra (May want to turn this down if you get poor performance at night)

HDR: Standard (Low performs better, but looks worse)

Window: Window Borderless

Vertical Sync: Disabled

Bloom: 0

Motion Blur: 0

Radial Blur: 0

Depth of Field: 0 (Can cause weird artifacts with certain sights)

Sharpen Filter: 0 (Giving any value higher hits performance, slightly)

Anti Aliasing: Disabled (Depends on your video card)

PPAA: Disabled (Depends on your video card)

Anisotropic Filtering: 16x

Caustics: Enabled (Might effect performance when in, over, or near water, but I have yet to notice it)

AToC: All Trees

If you have a pimped out monitor like me, which is an ASUS 23" monitor that has 144 Mhz and 1ms response time, you can adjust the refresh rate in your "My Documents\ArmA 3\ArmA.cfg" and other settings. Example of mine:

steamLanguage="English";
language="English";
forcedAdapterId=-1;
detectedAdapterId=0;
detectedAdapterVendorId=4318;
detectedAdapterDeviceId=5058;
detectedAdapterSubSysId=828380258;
detectedAdapterRevision=161;
detectedAdapterBenchmark=38;
displayMode=2;
winX=16;
winY=32;
winWidth=1024;
winHeight=768;
winDefWidth=1024;
winDefHeight=768;
fullScreenWidth=1920;
fullScreenHeight=1080;
[b][color="#00FF00"]refresh=144;[/color][/b]
renderWidth=1920;
renderHeight=1080;
multiSampleCount=8;
multiSampleQuality=0;
particlesQuality=2;
GPU_MaxFramesAhead=1000;
GPU_DetectedFramesAhead=3;
HDRPrecision=16;
vsync=0;
AToC=14;
cloudsQuality=4;
pipQuality=5;
dynamicLightsQuality=4;
PPAA=9;
ppSSAO=6;
ppCaustics=1;
tripleBuffering=0;
ppBloom=0;
ppRotBlur=0;
ppRadialBlur=0;
ppDOF=0;
ppSharpen=0;

There's also some ArmA 3 launch parameters you can set to utilize memory better and optimize how the game runs, but you should look that part up on your own.

Finally, there's always the option to upgrade your PC more! With my PC, I average on Altis between 30 and 60 frames, sometimes higher. Average framerate is usually higher on maps like Takistan.

Here's what I use to play ArmA 3:

OS: Windows 7 Ultimate

PROCESSOR: i7-5820K - @3.30 GHz (I don't have a good cooler to overclock)

PSU: 850W Corsair

RAM: 8 Gigs of DDR4 RAM - Not overclocked

GFX: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 - 4 Gigs of VRAM

MONITOR: Pretty sure this is it

RESOLUTION: 1920x1080

REFRESH RATE: 144 Hz

Hope this helps.

I'm aware of how each video effect affects the FPS, the parameters that matter the most are the shadows and the view distances that I keep low.

again, I don't want to upgrade my computer because I know that it's strong enough to run a game that looks like Arma 3, the problem is that the game's engine only uses 30% of my CPU, if i'll find a way to make the game use my entire CPU or even close to entirely, i will have good fps, that's why I'm asking if anyone here knows to fix it.

---------- Post added at 20:24 ---------- Previous post was at 20:21 ----------

The ArmA 3 Launcher offers an easy way to set up parameters and even describes what each one does. It's a pretty nice launcher.

http://i.imgur.com/jUiFpWA.png

I used to have an AMD 1100t as well as an AMD 6970. I usually played with my settings set to "Standard" with the default view distance.

Thanks for the advice, I'll see how I can take advantage of these options and post the results soon :).

edit: btw, what is malloc and how do i use it ?

Edited March 5, 2015 by asd123

[DGeorge85 10]

I think expectations may be a little high. The reality is that a 6850 should hardly be labeled as "overqualified" for this game. In fact, even at 1080p resolution I would place a 6850 at the bottom end and will likely require running no AA and reducing most graphical settings a fair amount to achieve smooth, playable frame rates in any situation.

I'm using my own system and performance for reference, as I too have a powerful CPU (4790k @ 4.4ghz) paired with a dated HD5870 GPU that I haven't yet replaced. I'm only running 1680x1050 and to maintain a vsynced 60fps MOST of the time I can only run 2xAA/Standard FXAA with most detail/quality settings turned down a fair amount with only 2000/1600 view/object distance.

Of course a combination of certain mods, amount of AI/units placed and how much schitt is hitting the fan will quickly change the scene and tip the performance into a CPU bottleneck, even with a heavily CPU biased system, where better utilization would raise the minimum FPS, but there is still no doubt my GPU, which happens to actually be a couple tiers above yours, requires me to keep my graphic settings in check. It is still fair to say better CPU utilization would give either of us higher frames in some cases, but considering my own experience, I feel safe in saying your GPU is going to hold you back a fair amount especially if you aren't keen on sacrificing graphical quality. Point is, if you can't achieve playable frames by lowering graphic settings, then there is a specific problem here, otherwise take note that CPU utilization is a hindrance for all of us.

[forteh 11]

I would agree with the gpu not being man enough, I have an i5 750@4ghz and a gtx660 and can pull 60-80 fps on an empty altis in editor at very high settings; multiplayer tends to be about 30-40 fps with dips down to 20-25 in the big cities (pyrgos/kavala). Whilst it is cpu bound you still need a big enough gpu to push it along when the cpu isn't holding it back; my gpu usage is about 30% when the cpu is bottlenecking and up to 95% when it's able to do it's job and is pulling the top end of the fps range.

[fn_Quiksilver 1636]

You mention your FPS is low, but, as usual with threads like this, you provide zero ability for us to reproduce your conditions.

1. SP or MP?

If SP, what mission?

Any mods running? If so, which ones? Versions?

If MP, what server?

What mission?

Any mods running? If so, which ones? Versions?

How many players in the server at the time?

Etc.

Your post is comes off as just a whine/rant without steps for us to reproduce.

[asd123 1]

I have to agree about the GPU not being the best, but it's still better than the recommended one, And I still think I should have higher fps

[domokun 515]

It seems like your PC is good (CPU strong but GPU moderate) and you seem fairly informed (so bad configuration is unlikley).

So if we are to help you (beyond the usual platitudes) the questions are:

a) what is your framerate when you say "i should have pretty decent fps"?

b) in SP? and in MP?

c) what settings have you defined under Advanced Video Settings?

[DGeorge85 10]

I have to agree about the GPU not being the best, but it's still better than the recommended one, And I still think I should have higher fps

Where your video card lies in respect to the recommendation means little to nothing at this point and with what you've provided (very little despite people asking for more information), it doesn't appear there is an issue here to troubleshoot, but rather a case of inflated expectations like I said before. Anyone who has been PC gaming for awhile will tell you not to base your expectations on these recommendations.

The reality is that these published hardware recommendations are far from universal and are tailored for marketing purposes more than anything else. Someone running 1440p who demands smooth gameplay with maxed video settings is obviously going to need a much more robust recommendation than the guy gaming on an old 1280x1024 monitor who is ok with standard/high settings, a relatively low view distance and frequent dips below 30fps. In either case, performance on a given machine is what it is, regardless of what the box says (I know, nobody buys their games in a box anymore). It's harsh, but just because one's GPU is marginally faster than the developers published recommendations doesn't make it "overqualified" in reality, so I would start getting in the habit of browsing the web for benchmarks before purchasing a game to be sure you can expect the performance to meet your standards.

[asd123 1]

on 60 slot CTI server I had 30-40 in a calm area, I'm gonna check for SP frames later.

here are my video settings:

http://cloud-4.steamusercontent.com/ugc/709653592636337638/96C2C3B25AA4A1D173C4709959C2C8490FC4D0CD/

http://cloud-2.steamusercontent.com/ugc/709653592636338497/B0CC7D2365B606DF6C276579BA4F85F315E2473B/

http://cloud-4.steamusercontent.com/ugc/709653592636338916/A85BCBC136B7BC1DEE566ED927DB78DAA681730B/

[EDcase 87]

on 60 slot CTI server I had 30-40 in a calm area, I'm gonna check for SP frames later.

here are my video settings:....

Sorry to say that your expectations are not realistic then

30-40 fps is actually very good especially given your specs.

Don't compare to other games. We can all agree that ARMA is not the best optimized but its also the biggest and most complex so lets just hope BiS can squeeze a few more fps given time. (update 1.4 made it a bit better)

Your settings look ok.

I would suggest shadows up to HIGH to switch them to GPU. (Low uses CPU)

Try texture detail on HIGH. VERY HIGH needs 2Gb card.

Also check graphics driver settings in windows. (I have Nvidia so can't help u there)

Edited March 10, 2015 by EDcase

[DGeorge85 10]

on 60 slot CTI server I had 30-40 in a calm area, I'm gonna check for SP frames later.

here are my video settings:

http://cloud-4.steamusercontent.com/ugc/709653592636337638/96C2C3B25AA4A1D173C4709959C2C8490FC4D0CD/

http://cloud-2.steamusercontent.com/ugc/709653592636338497/B0CC7D2365B606DF6C276579BA4F85F315E2473B/

http://cloud-4.steamusercontent.com/ugc/709653592636338916/A85BCBC136B7BC1DEE566ED927DB78DAA681730B/

Go to the editor on whatever map, spawn your player and whatever else and save it (don't load any opposing forces, we don't want anything moving around or engaging for consistency). When you load, check FPS before moving your player/view. This way we have a consistent base to measure FPS.

Shadows - On my system "Standard" is the sweet spot. Going down to "Low" or up to "High" drops my FPS by 3-4.

AO - I personally don't feel much in the way of image quality is gained by this so I run with it disabled to gain a few FPS.

HDR - Setting this to "Low" should grant you 5+ FPS. I think I actually like the way Low looks better than Standard, so the performance boost made this an easy choice for me.

Aniso. Filtering - You should be able to max this out with little to no impact to frame rate.

As for everything else, our settings are very similar and we run the same resolution. With texture quality, I know the guy above mentioned lowering it, but my 1GB HD5870 handles "Very High" just fine, in fact lowering it to "High" doesn't change my FPS any- I've found 1GB VRAM to be plenty at 1680x1050 resolution and only 2xAA, but test this for yourself.

With the stuff I mentioned above, you will likely get a solid 10FPS increase, and as long as you don't mind the different lighting of the low HDR setting, you won't be giving up any quality.