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

[FallujahMedic -FM- 867]

As the former owner of a top of the line Alienware and then a Falcon-NW built PC and on a side note a former owner of a Cray CX-1, I can tell you that wasting money doesn't mean a better machine. Something better will always come along next year. And it certainly doesn't mean the best value. The best one could hope for is to buy "time". That is, invest in something that will last you a long time and keep you in the "sweet spot" the longest. I'm going to brag on my 3570K because it has done just that. Even when I eventually retire it, it will be repurposed for other dedicated tasks. 

What an individual does with their money is their business, I just want them to be aware that there are other options. As I've always said, don't chase the dragon. 

An old bull and a young bull
An old bull and a young bull were stood on a hillside overlooking a pasture. The young bull says to the old bull, “Hey, let’s run down there and "mount" one of those cows.” The old bull shakes his head in disapprovingly and replies, “why don't we walk down there and "mount" them all.”

[Tankbuster 1744]

That enormous explosion just came from Mastercard HQ. 🙂

[Groove_C 267]

@Tankbuster

i9-9900K is for absolute performance, not per $.

[Tankbuster 1744]

Just now, Groove_C said:

@Tankbuster

i9-9900K is for absolute performance, not per $.

And I can afford it, so that's the one I got.

[Groove_C 267]

@Tankbuster

Why not after all.

[Groove_C 267]

@Tankbuster

In 2014 I've bought the best available CPU (i7-4790K) and that's the reason I still can keep it until today (OCing it to the moon).

I could have bought an i5 or a cheaper i7-4770K instead.

[Tankbuster 1744]

Just now, Groove_C said:

@Tankbuster

In 2014 I've bought the best available CPU (i7-4790K) and that's the reason I still can keep it until today.

I could have bought an i5 or a cheaper i7-4770K.

As did I.

[Groove_C 267]

@Tankbuster

Which CPU cooler for the i9-9900K?

[Tankbuster 1744]

The non RGB version of this.

https://www.corsair.com/uk/en/Categories/Products/Liquid-Cooling/Hydro-Series™-H115i-PRO-RGB-280mm-Liquid-CPU-Cooler/p/CW-9060032-WW

[Groove_C 267]

@Tankbuster

This is the best one can get currently.

- very long and good warranty

- low noise pump and quality low noise static pressure optimized fans

- ~1°C worse than 360 mm H150i PRO

- possibility to decrease even further pump rpms (balanced) in Link software

[FallujahMedic -FM- 867]

Quote

i9-9900K is for absolute performance, not per $.

In the grand scheme of things, that doesn't mean very much in Arma. Not to mention, you're still reliant on the performance of the server you're playing on and your connection. Sports car and dirt road again. If you're just going to keep it offline and use it for ML, that's another story entirely. 

[Tankbuster 1744]

I managed to get the CPU for £389 and the cooler for £99 from a reputable supplier, so I'm happy with that.

 

I got one of the RMi range of Corair PSUs to use that sexy link software.

[Groove_C 267]

On 4/6/2019 at 11:55 AM, FallujahMedic -FM- said:

In the grand scheme of things, that doesn't mean very much in Arma.

In Real Virtuality 4 (A3) not much, sure.

But don't forget that he will still have it in 5 years.

Have seen Enfusion loading already +- equally 16 threads in DayZ, in its current state, using Enforce script instead of SQF, which puts load only on specific threads and everything is queued (vs. parallelized).

So...

[Tankbuster 1744]

1 minute ago, Groove_C said:

In Real Virtuality 4 (A3) not much, sure.

But don't forget that he will still have it in 5 years.

Have seen Enfusion loading already +- equally 16 threads in DayZ in its current state.

So...

Exactly. This is a 5 year purchase, as was the 4790k.

I'm proper chuffed at getting the CPU so cheap. It's getting on for £100 cheaper than other suppliers.I got the last one of their special offer stock. It moves the part onto a much more favourable part of that price/performance curve I was wibbling on about earlier.

[Groove_C 267]

34 minutes ago, Tankbuster said:

I got one of the RMi range of Corair PSUs to use that sexy link software.

Still have the AX860i platinum from 2012 which I had to pay 215€, thinking back then that I would use SLi. Never happened 🙂

[domokun 515]

14 hours ago, Tankbuster said:

I wonder how the i5 8400 would have done if it had the 3400 memory?

also, bear in mind the AMD part is overclocked. Although it's not specified, the i5 doesn't seem to be.

No difference as the i5-8400 doesn't support over 2666.

Only Intel K series processors in a Z series motherboard support RAM frequencies over 2666.

[Tankbuster 1744]

Just now, domokun said:

No difference as the i5-8400 doesn't support over 2666.

Only Intel K series processors in a Z series motherboard support RAM frequencies over 2666.

But who has actually bought an 8400? In those days EVERYONE bought K processors on Z motherboards. I think your picture describes an Intel system that noone actually bought.

[domokun 515]

4 minutes ago, Tankbuster said:

But who has actually bought an 8400? In those days EVERYONE bought K processors on Z motherboards. I think your picture describes an Intel system that noone actually bought.

For the past 18 months the E8400  has been considered by many to be the best price-performance CPU for users who can't be bothered with/scared of overclocking.

It's a real leader in the most competitive market segment; mid-level gamer/content creator.

K processors and Z motherboard are great but expensive, i.e. less attractive on price-performance.

[Tankbuster 1744]

1 minute ago, domokun said:

For the past 18 months the E8400  has been considered by many to be the best price-performance CPU for users who can't be bothered with/scared of overclocking.

It's a real leader in the most competitive market segment; mid-level gamer/content creator.

K processors and Z motherboard are great but expensive, i.e. less attractive on price-performance.

The K equivalent is the same price, often cheaper than the non K. Only a fool would buy the non K.

[domokun 515]

11 minutes ago, Tankbuster said:

The K equivalent is the same price, often cheaper than the non K. Only a fool would buy the non K.

Official pricing shows that Intel sold K series CPU 10-20% higher than non-K equivalents for the past 8 years.

So it looks like a no brainer, right?

Except you'll realise that your shiny K series CPU is an expensive paperweight unless you cough up extra for a HSF (HSF included with non-K CPUs) and a Z-series motherboard (no overclocking on H-, B-, Q- nor P- series motherboards)

Clever strategy, eh? It's called price skimming.

[Tankbuster 1744]

It's only expensive if you can't afford it.

[domokun 515]

9 minutes ago, Tankbuster said:

It's only expensive if you can't afford it.

Willingness to pay for a product/service is indeed a key factor in purchasing decisions but so are alternatives.

If you can get more for less then a product/service will be considered expensive by rational consumers.

However you raise an often under-estimated aspect, brand loyalty for whom loyalty to a brand counts more than any financial logic.

[FallujahMedic -FM- 867]

Just seen this
 

Quote

From 30FPS with I5 3570k@4.3Ghz 2400CL12 and GTX1080@1440p to 59.2FPS with I9 9900k@4.7Ghz 3600CL16 and 2080ti

So, a 29.2 FPS difference. I think my entire PC build was under £700.... oh, and I have a GTX970, so that GTX 1080 is good for about 4 FPS 😂

[Tankbuster 1744]

Just now, FallujahMedic -FM- said:

Just seen this
 

So, a 29.2 FPS difference. I think my entire PC build was under £700.... oh, and I have a GTX970, so that GTX 1080 is good for about 4 FPS 😂

Yes. The 1080 is more about texture memory and post processing stuff than FPS

[oldbear 390]

Yes, you must always remember that for all Arma games the CPU is still the boss even if since Visual Upgrade the GPU has gain ranks in the hierarchy.

It's all related to the way Real Virtuality Engine works and nothing has changed [and can be changed] since Operation Flashpoint.

So the main point, when you are a dedicated Arma player thinking now about updating is to get the fastest and more efficient CPU you can get.

And, yes, at the moment, Intel can offer the best performers at a high cost.

 

But now, since Ryzen release, there is a big change for people being on a budget.

They can get an AMD Ryzen rig based and get a satisfying game experience, even with an entry level Ryzen 3 2200G or Ryzen 3 1300X.

But, from what I had experienced and seen, Intel i5-8400 and AMD R5 2600X are now, right on the  "soft spot", somebody has spoken about some time ago.

 

Speaking about GPU, before Visual Upgrade release on April 2016, a GTX 660 Ti or an HD 7870 [now in the GTX 1050/RX 560 range] were good enough to play on "Ultra" quality without many sacrifices.

Now, you must play a RX 590 or a GTX 1600 in order to get the same experience level.

A good GPU has now a high level impact on overall rig performance ... and that's a real change.

Edited April 6, 2019 by oldbear
English is not my maternal language, but you had already get it