Will-my-pc-run-Arma3? What cpu/gpu to get? What settings? What system specifications?

[Sneakson 1]

Hey Bravo, you recommend a GTX 650 for decent framerate -- what framerate is that?

I've got a 560 Ti Hawk and I'm wondering if it would be a good idea to only upgrade my mainboard and then get a processor for about $400 perhaps. Too much money? Too little? I want to stay cost efficient and not necessarily make a monster rig.

Anyways I'm wondering if my 560 Ti Hawk would terribly slow down a modern processor and if I would get a significant actual performance increase if I got a 650 or whatever other card is the most cost efficient by summer.

A 650 only seems to cost $150 by the way... sounds damn cheap. Perhaps $400 for a processor is way too much if I want to be cost efficent lol? :D

Perhaps I can get away with $4-600 worth of upgrades in total.

[Bravo_Two_Zeroq 10]

@Juutas

It's your resolution of 1980*1080 pixels which is not yet properly supported :P. I think you're in the same situation as Sneakson where the processor might limit performance which becomes apparent in multiplayer sessions. If you would open task manager and look for your CPU load during an online session, you might get a more definitive answer there. Other than that, also consider that it's still Alpha and performance optimizations still have to take place. Your GTX 560 Ti should be able to give a higher frame rate, which indicates to me that something is limiting its performance.

@Sneakson

It's a bit early for me to say how much FPS exactly will A or B give, since nobody has properly benchmarked the game yet. A GTX 560 Ti Hawk is not a terrible gaming card, should offer more than decent performance. I myself consider 30 fps for Arma good enough although it has less to do with frame rates and more to do with frame times, which is recently becoming a hot issue (search for "frame times" and "techreport" if you want to have more background info on this). But anyway, a performance-value wise good investment for a new graphics card would atm be something around a GeForce GTX 650 Ti to a GeForce GTX 660 Ti, but you're coming from the GTX 560 Ti meaning there is not so much difference. In fact, the GTX 650 Ti is about as fast as your GTX 560 Ti, while the GTX 660 Ti does offer a more substantial improvement of roughly 30-60% depending on the game but is also quite more expensive.

I suspect however that your processor may already be limiting the game as the architecture and design are already quite old. PCgamershardware did some processor testing of Arma 2, and if the results are anything to go by for Arma 3, it may be worthwhile to invest in a new processor. Unfortunately that also means new main board and new memory. With the graph below keep in mind that the top processor there, is currently being outperformed by mid-range processors such as the Intel Core i5 3570K. To see if it is a good choice for you, open "task manager" and look for "performance" of CPU. If the processor load is constantly high (almost 100%) and peaking while playing Arma 3, a processor upgrade is worth it.

Edited April 3, 2013 by Bravo_Two_Zeroq

[Juutas 1]

Bravo_Two_Zeroq

It's your resolution of 1980*1080 pixels which is not yet properly supported :P. I think you're in the same situation as Sneakson where the processor might limit performance which becomes apparent in multiplayer sessions. If you would open task manager and look for your CPU load during an online session, you might get a more definitive answer there. Other than that, also consider that it's still Alpha and performance optimizations still have to take place. Your GTX 560 Ti should be able to give a higher frame rate, which indicates to me that something is limiting its performance.

Ahaa! Heureka! Dropped to "HD ready" resolution and it works like charm in multiplayer. MSI Afterburner shows 35-40fps while dying. :o

And yes AMD prosessor that i have was "old" when i bought it, should've got Intel. Well next computer will be better but i have to suffer with this like a year. Then my wife graduate from University and get a real job. Then we maybe have little cash to put on rig.

[Bravo_Two_Zeroq 10]

Mmm... I was actually joking a tiny bit as 1980*1080 doesn't exist as resolution, you made a small typo as you meant 1920*1080 pixels (Full HD), hence the smiley :P. Lowering your resolution does work as the job for the graphic card becomes easier and as long as you stick to an aspect ratio of 16:9 which is the native ratio of your monitor, the image quality shouldn't be distorted too much, although you do lose detail of course in the image. I'm flabbergasted however that your GeForce GTX 560 Ti would have a low performance of 20 FPS in multiplayer, with everything on low. I have a Radeon HD 4890 (older and slower than your GTX 560 Ti) and run the game at 30 frames per second in multiplayer with every setting on high, even 4x AA (which wasn't even possible in Arma 2 for me). In singleplayer I get about the same frame rate, so hardly any difference for me between singleplayer and multiplayer.

As you have MSI Afterburner, perhaps have a look at GPU load as well while playing the game... it would be shocking if the GTX 560 Ti would deliver 20 FPS with low settings while having a full load of 100%.

[Juutas 1]

Strange!? Playing in servers with 60 players and night or low light scenarios my fps are 20 or lower but daytime missions it runs 40 with all ultra. And yes i ment full HD resolution. Tried again with full ress and yes it looks ofc much better and sharper but fps are worse. Maybe my overclocking does harm some way? I use MSI and got 950MHz and 2200MHz clocks and 1100mV settings. Gonna try lower setup later today. CPU prosessor is about 60-70% load while playing single or multiplayer and heat is normal. 12Gb memory shows 30% load. (1333MHz only). But Yes i know this is Alpha version so i am not too worried. It's some way fun to try different setups. :D

[Tankbuster 1746]

Guys,

I'm on the hunt for a gaming laptop. I don't want anything with blistering performance as I won't be playing A3 proper on it, it's more to use as a player to join my server to test multiplayer stuff. So, I'd be running it at medium to low settings.

I was wondering what the minimum specs for a laptop graphics card you would suggest in this circumstance? I'm not fussed about a big 17 inch screen, I'd be happy with a 15 incher.

This one for example, has a GT635M and is almost affordable for me.

[Gregory 1]

I only have an AMD A10 5700 APU with 7570 and I run it on low @ 1080p with 20/30 frames max.

[SlightlyMad 1]

Hi

will arma 3 alpha work on my pc? Will i be able to run it on low or medium and with how many fps? I know no one can say for sure, but at least some estimates.

I have c2d E6550 ocd to 3 ghz, 4gb ddr2 and gtx 650 1gb (non ti). I play on 1920x1080.

I was a huge fan of original ofp and i played it for years. Didnt buy arma 2 because my pc couldn´t handle it, so i hope i can get arma 3 with reasonable fps. I have no intentions to upgrade my pc in a near future, so if its like 20 fps ill skip it for now,

which i hope wont be the case.

[JarlBalgruuf 1]

Hi

will arma 3 alpha work on my pc? Will i be able to run it on low or medium and with how many fps? I know no one can say for sure, but at least some estimates.

I have c2d E6550 ocd to 3 ghz, 4gb ddr2 and gtx 650 1gb (non ti). I play on 1920x1080.

I was a huge fan of original ofp and i played it for years. Didnt buy arma 2 because my pc couldn´t handle it, so i hope i can get arma 3 with reasonable fps. I have no intentions to upgrade my pc in a near future, so if its like 20 fps ill skip it for now,

which i hope wont be the case.

I've got a GTX 660 Ti from MSI(Overclocked), and an i5 3570k, and i'm getting 70-90 fps on medium/high settings. Read this guide, it helped me alot: http://www.day0.com.au/forum/arma/70-arma-3-alpha-performance-tweaks-and-settings-guide

Also, grab Game Booster.

[white 1]

I'm pretty hopefull that it will run nice on a i7 and my 570gtx and 12 gig of ram

I've only just got the CPU and arma 2 runs sweet as a nut with everything max right out apart from view distance

will probably run about the same as arma 2, slightly worse, it does for me.

stuff going on inside a city = 15-30 fps

nothing going on walking in open terrain = 45 fps (arma 2 actually goes to about 80 for me here)

an i7 cpu at 4ghz or higher my gain about 10-15fps more over mine.

might be worse depending on the server and how many ppl are on. check my sig for my specs.

[WingsOfDeath 19]

Intel i7 920 @ 2.6 Ghz

GTX 295 2GB

12GB DDR3 Ram

Any chance of high settings?

[Tr51 1]

Hi,

I have a

i7.950 @3,500GHz\ASUS RAMPAGE III EXTREME\sapphire VAPOR-X HD 7970 GHz Edition 3GB\6 GB,DDR3 1600 Dominator Triple channel\ Samsung T220 @ 1680x1050

V-sync = Disabled

AA = 2x

PPAA = FXAA standard

ATOC = Disabled

HDR = Standard

AF = Ultra

Postprocess = Normal

PIP = low

Dynamic Lights = high

View distance = 1900

Object = 1200

Shadow = 101

Texture Quality = Ultra

Objects Quality = Ultra

Terrain Quality = Standard

Cloud Quality = standard

Shadow Quality = high

Particles Quality = high

after the second patch, get 90-130 fps

without the V-sync, known a little Screen tearing

and use the string: -noSplash -cpuCount=2 exthreads=7 -maxMem=4096

-

[fn_Quiksilver 1636]

How about mine? ;)

HP Pavilion dm1 (notebook pc)

Processor: AMD E-350 1.60GHz

RAM: 4GB

In all seriousness, what is a good low-budget robust system to run this game reasonably?

I don't mind mixing and matching parts, I've done it a long time ago but been deployed with just a laptop for some time now.

Alternatively, a good/high value modular system that I can add some good components to in the future would be ideal.

Edited April 5, 2013 by MDCCLXXVI

[Tankbuster 1746]

I've ordered one of these and will report back on how it performs when I get it next week. I've got the i5 version.

[XenoN585 1]

Hey guys if someone could please help me what would be great...

im currently running arma 3 on low fps (20 FPS) everything on low !

Specs..

CPU-Intel Quad Core Q8200 2.33 GHZ overclocked 5% to 2.55GHZ

GPU-GTX 460SE 1GB DDR5

RAM-4GB RAM

WINDOWS 7 Ultimate 64 BIT

I have everything set to low and im still only getting 20 fps its very laggy and barely playable with my friends.. any help on getting my fps increased would be appriciated ...

in single player everything is perfectly smooth high fps no lagg...when i get into multiplayer 10-20 FPS !!

[JarlBalgruuf 1]

Remember: This is still an alpha. The game isn't fully optimized yet.

Also; if you have a Nvidia card (MSI preferably), download MSI Afterburner. It gave me a steady 10-30 fps boost. You just need to find the right settings, and you'll definitely see an fps increase(Assuming you have decent CPU that won't bottleneck). Afterburner is also one of the safest overclocking software available, as long as you don't play with the voltage. There are tons of guides, just google it. And as i stated in my previous post: I highly recommend Game Booster. It will close any unnecessary applications that may slow you down. You may also want to lower the Nvidia Control Panel settings (under "Manage 3D Settings").

You can also Ctrl + alt + delete and open the Task Manager, then right click on Arma3 and set the priority to high. Don't use Realtime, though.

[Bee8190 10]

How about mine? ;)

HP Pavilion dm1 (notebook pc)

Processor: AMD E-350 1.60GHz

RAM: 4GB

In all seriousness, what is a good low-budget robust system to run this game reasonably?

I don't mind mixing and matching parts, I've done it a long time ago but been deployed with just a laptop for some time now.

Alternatively, a good/high value modular system that I can add some good components to in the future would be ideal.

You would preferably aim for the midrange in desktops. Intel i5 3450 and higher (i5 3570-K) paired with at least HD 7850 or GTX650 Ti with future in mind. Hard to to say as you haven't mentioned your budget but perhaps even one of the higher clocked i3's CPU would run the game alright

[ruhtraeel 1]

IMO a cheap decent gaming build would be like

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=7640368&CatId=5294

http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/MX40872

and a hard drive of your choice.

Would end up being around $600 and could probably play most games maxed out or close (maybe not ARMA 3 due to engine issues)

[purkka_fin 0]

hi

i did upgrade my ati5850 to gtx670 and fps didnt improve at all. also ArmA3mark0.7.Stratis gives about same result

1920x1080

CPU: Intel Core i7920@3.8

Motherboard: X58A-UD3R

Ram: 6GB DDR3

GPU: GeForce GTX670 2GB. Base Clock 1006MHz Memory Clock MHz 3054MHz

edit: after another boot and adding start up parameters -cpuCount=4 -exThreads=7 -high -maxMem=4096 -noPause -noSplash -world=empty

it runs very smoothly all maxed out except Postprocess disabled and cant even compare to the old 5850 because now it rocks about 30-45fps during online mp play

---------- Post added at 22:35 ---------- Previous post was at 21:12 ----------

russian guys have made very good comparsion about all know cards and cpus in arma3

google translate it

http://gamegpu.ru/action-/-fps-/-tps/arma-iii-alpha-test-gpu/all-pages.html

Edited April 6, 2013 by purkka_FIN

[sproyd 2]

I've ordered one of these and will report back on how it performs when I get it next week. I've got the i5 version.

Sorry - its not going to run well. The 555M will probably be your bottleneck, my 650M is the bottleneck for my system below and its 67% faster than your card.

I'm running an Asus laptop too - an i7 3.2GHz plus 650M 2GB overclocked +135MHz , I get usually average 30fps in MP which I'm happy with but when it drops into mid 25s it gets a bit choppy. SP is higher but haven't played much SP since that recent update that improved FPS across the board. However performance vs quality I'm happy. Once the game launches and is stable and optimized I will probably go back to a desktop once we work out the optimal specs to play on the main island. It is just too hard to tell at this stage with optimizations and the island where 90% of stuff is going to take place in the campaign yet to come.

I really don't know if this makes a difference (there are conflicting reports everywhere) but I use launch parameters;

-nosplash -world=empty -skipinto -cpuCount=4 -exThreads=7 -maxMem=7168 -nopause

1080p

VSync - No

AA - FXAA High, no MSAA

PP - No

HDR - Std

AF - Std

PIP - No

Dynamic Lights - Std

Texture - V. High

Objects - Std

Terrain - Std

Cloud - Runs better disabled by 1-2FPS, looks better enabled low/med

Shadow - Std (DO NOT PUT THIS ON LOW - YOU WILL LOSE FRAMES AND A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF DETAIL)

Particles - Std (I can't even consider turning this down it looks so amazing)

Edited April 6, 2013 by sproyd

[billz4money 1]

I have found a Computer these are

Processor 3rd generation Intel® Core™ i7-3630QM processor (6MB Cache, up to 3.4GHz w/Turbo Boost 2.0)

Operating System Windows 8, 64-bit, English

Memory3 12GB4 DDR3 SDRAM at 1600MHz

Hard Drive 1TB 5,400 RPM SATA 3Gb/s

Optical Drive Slot-Loading Dual Layer Blu-ray Reader (BR-ROM, DVD+-RW, CD-RW)

Video Card 2 GB GDDR5 NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 650M with Optimus™the specs below.. And would they be able to run Arma 3 at least Very high Settings with 60 FPS?

Edited April 9, 2013 by Billz4money

[Bravo_Two_Zeroq 10]

GT 650M? No. Don't expect any laptop configuration to run Arma 3 fluently. It's doable to play Arma 3, but I wouldn't hope for more being either high settings or 60 fps.

[metsrule08 10]

Hello,

I accidentally made my own thread earlier without seeing this thread [thanks Messiah for pointing this out and Rhodite for closing my thread]. Anyway, I will be heading off to college next fall [on the complete opposite coast, 3000 miles away], and I have not had a working windows PC in several years. I was wondering if the following laptop from cyberpowerpc.com would be able to run Arma II and Arma III well:

Product Name: Fangbook X7-300

ADAPTER:Full Range AC adapter 180W, AC in 100~240V ~ 2.5A 50~60Hz, DC output 19.5V, 9.5A

BATTERY:9-Cells Lithium-Ion battery pack 11.1Vdc 7800mAh 87Wh

BLUETOOTH:Built-in Bluetooth

CD:8X DVD±R/RW/4X + DL Super-Multi Drive (NB-FANGBOOK-DVDRW) [-37]

CPU:Intel® Core™ i7-3740QM Mobile Processor 2.70 GHz 6M Smart Cache, Max Turbo Freq. 3.70 GHz [+144]

FLASHMEDIA:Built-In 4in1 Media Reader

HDD:64GB SanDisk SATA III 6.0Gb/s SSD - 490 MB/s Read & 240 MB/s Write (Single Drive)

HDD2:750GB 7200RPM SATA300 Hard Drive [+1]

INVERTER:None

MEMORY:16GB (4GBx4) DDR3-1600 SODIMM Memory [+0] (Corsair Vengeance Gaming)

MOTHERBOARD:Intel HM77 Express Chipset Mainboard

MSSD:None

NETWORK:Built-in Killer E2200 10/100/1000 Mbps Network Card

NOTEBOOK:CyberPowerPC FANGBOOK 17.3" FHD LED-Backlit 1920x1080 Display w/ Red backlit performance keyboard with programmable keys, Built-in 720p HD webcam, HDMI Port, Li-Ion Battery, & Universal AC Adapter

OS:Microsoft® Windows 7 Professional [+31] (64-bit Edition)

RAID:Non-RAID Storage

SOFT1:Free Microsoft® Office® 2010 STARTER EDITION (Reduced-Functionality versions of Word and Excel that include advertising) [+0]

SOUND:Built-in 3D Premium Surround Sound

SPEAKERS:Built-in Stereo Speakers System

USB:Built-in 2x USB2.0 Ports + 3x USB3.0 Ports

VIDEO:NVIDIA GTX 675MX 4GB PCIe Video (NB-FANGBOOK-675)

WNC:Built-in Intel N2230 (WLAN802.11b/g/n + Bluetooth4.0) Combo Card

WTV:None

I hope this is enough information, there is probably a lot of unnecessary info in there. Thanks in advance!!!

P.S. A desktop would be difficult for me seeing how far I am traveling and also because the rooms in the door I hope to be staying in seem to only have a small desk tightly packed into the corner, without much more space in the room to either study or move the desk. Thanks again

[billz4money 1]

Processor 3rd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-3770 processor (3.40 GHz with Turbo Boost 2.0 up to 3.90 GHz)

Operating System Windows 8 Pro, 64-bit, English

Memory3 32GB4 at 1600MHz

Hard Drive 2TB 7200 RPM SATA Hard Drive 6.0 Gb/s + 256GB SSD SRT Enhancement

Monitor NA

Optical Drive Blu-ray Combo Drive (BD-R, DVD+/-RW), Write to CD/DVD

How well will this Work?

[Bravo_Two_Zeroq 10]

@metsrule80

Laptop should be sufficient to play, but don't expect high settings or high frame rates.

@Billz4money

That will not work for Arma, you lack a graphics card so only the internal GPU can be used of the i7-3770.