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

[Tankbuster 1744]

YAAB Ultra settings, 2560x 1440 monitor;

 

4790K OC to 4.7 16GB DDR3 = 39.5 FPS

9900K stock, 16GB DDR4 XMP profile (3333 MHZ) = 48.4 FPS

[Groove_C 267]

Look for "Enhanced Multi-Core Performance" option in Gigabyte BIOS, for all cores to boost to max boost frequency, which defaults to 5.0 GHz for 2 cores, instead of standard 4.7 GHz all cores. Overclock for free 🙂

[Tankbuster 1744]

Those results are the very first run after building the PC. I'll be tweaking some more, though 48 FPS is pretty fancy already.

[Groove_C 267]

All this £££ for 4 avg. FPS more in single vs. mine.

I'm glad to not have switched (yet).

Let's see the results at 5.0 GHz.

So you really have only 3333 MHz RAM? Not 3600?

[Tankbuster 1744]

21 hours ago, Groove_C said:

Let's see the results at 5.0 GHz.

So you really have only 3333 MHz RAM? Not 3600?

 

OC to 5 GHz and XMP profile 2 = 57.5 FPS.

Yes, the RAM is 3333. I couldn't get any 3600 at a decent price at the time.

[chrisb 196]

1 hour ago, Tankbuster said:

OC to 5 GHz and XMP profile 2 = 57.5 FPS.

Yes, the RAM is 3333. I couldn't get any 3600 at a decent price at the time.

Which benchmark are you running ?

[Tankbuster 1744]

1 hour ago, chrisb said:

Which benchmark are you running ?

YAAB

[Groove_C 267]

@Tankbuster

Which mainboard?

What have you done to reach 5 GHz?

RAM latencies?

[chrisb 196]

1 hour ago, Tankbuster said:

YAAB

 

Then those benchmarks look pretty healthy to me.. 😉

[Tankbuster 1744]

3 hours ago, Groove_C said:

@Tankbuster

Which mainboard?

What have you done to reach 5 GHz?

RAM latencies?

The motherboard is an Aorus Z390 Pro and the RAM is 3333 cl16. I used the proprietary Gigabyte software that came with the motherboard.

I'm not a proper overclocker - I use the supplied software, I don't fiddle with voltages and such like so I'm sure someone who knew what they are doing might extract some more performance from it.

The H115i cooler is slightly compromised because the radiator and the fans wouldn't fit in the case, the motherboard's various heatsinks got in the way, so currently, the radiator is inside the case and the fans are outside, working as exhaust. It's ugly, but the box lives under a desk, it's never seen.

[Tankbuster 1744]

7 hours ago, chrisb said:

 

Then those benchmarks look pretty healthy to me.. 😉

Don't forget, those are at 2560 x 1440.

[chrisb 196]

1 minute ago, Tankbuster said:

Don't forget, those are at 2560 x 1440.

 

I know.. You've said. 😉

[Groove_C 267]

@Tankbuster

With the Noctua NH-D15S air cooler, for 60€ less, you would have had exactly the same temp, no leakage risk, no pump failure risk, less noise (even if the one you have now is not that noisy) + you wouldn't have had any issues with your motherboard/RAM/case clearance when mounting the cooler.

With G.Skill Trident X 3200 MHz 14-14-14-34 for 65€ more, you would have had more FPS just by inserting it and choosing XMP profil in the BIOS.

 

Well, now you have what you have.

But I have good news for you as well!

Following my tips, you won't need any knowledge to "overclock" your CPU to stable 5.0 GHz at all times (except desktop 800 MHz).
You don't need any software installed in Windows to overclock your CPU to 5.0 GHz on all its 8 cores. And even if you do use it, it doesn't guarantee you, that all cores will be at 5.0 GHz or if, then may be not all the time when needed.

 

I have the filling, that right now, your CPU is not always running at 5.0 GHz (when told to), because once it hits power/current consumption default limit or when AVX CPU instruciton load is detected, it can clock lower than 5.0 GHz to stay within these artificial limits.

These artificial limits are set for the CPU to stay within 95 Watts max consumption and it's only possible by not exceeding 4.7 GHz on all cores, as the CPU is advertised by Intel as only 95 Watts TDP.

 

- Enter the BIOS of your GIGABYTE Z390 AORUS PRO motherboard

- Press "F" to switch to Classic BIOS UI

- in the "M.I.T." tab -> "Advanced Frequency Settings"

- simply enable "Enhanced Multi-Core Performance" in order to force all 8 cores to boost to 5.0 GHz (instead of only 2 cores boosting to this value and otherwise all 8 cores to only 4.7 GHz)

- in the "M.I.T." tab -> "Advanced Frequency Settings" -> "Advanced CPU Core settings"

- set "AVX Offset" setting to 0 (so the CPU doesn't clock down to values lower than 5.0 GHz if programs/games that supposedly use AVX instruction are detected)

- set "Package Power Limit1 - TDP (Watts)" to the max possible value (so the CPU can consume as much Watts as it needs to maintain 5.0 GHz frequency and doesn't clock down to values lower than 5 GHz if it reaches default 95 Watts consumption)

- set "Package Power Limit2 (Watts)" to the max possible value (so the CPU can consume as much Watts as it needs to maintain 5.0 GHz frequency and doesn't clock down to values lower than 5 GHz if it reaches default 95 Watts consumption)

- set "Platform Power Limit1 (Watts)" to the max possible value (so the CPU can consume as much Watts as it needs to maintain 5.0 GHz frequency and doesn't clock down to values lower than 5 GHz if it reaches default 95 Watts consumption)

- set "Power Limit3 (Watts)" to the max possible value (so the CPU can consume as much Watts as it needs to maintain 5.0 GHz frequency and doesn't clock down to values lower than 5 GHz if it reaches default 95 Watts consumption)

- set "Core Current Limit (Amps)" to the max possible value (so the CPU can receive as much current as it needs to maintain 5.0 GHz frequency and doesn't clock down to values lower than 5 GHz if it reaches default current limit)

- set "Turbo per Core Control" to whatever the option/value available that states that it will maintain the turbo for each core at 5.0 GHz

- disable "Energy Efficient Turbo" (to maintain the turbo at 5.0 GHz)

- enable "CPU EIST Function" (Enhanced Intel Speed Step Tecnhology) (to allow the CPU to clock down up to 800 MHz and lower its voltage when you're not playing/using progs that put load on the CPU)

[verstand3n 13]

On 4/6/2019 at 2:26 PM, 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.

 

I am pretty sure this is not correct. While I never tested it myself, a quick google search brought some results. So if you pair your non-k CPU with a Z Board you can oc your ram. If this makes sense is a different question of course.

 

What are important parameters to check before submitting yaab results here to compare them with yours. I would like to add my 6700k 4,4ghz all core, 3200Mhz DDR4 system.

[Tankbuster 1744]

The overclocking software says it was forcing all core to 5 GHZ and performance monitor did show that but I'll try all that soon. I'm AFK until next week. 🙂

There was no cl14 memory available when I was buying, not even 3200 MHZ. I would have got some if there was. There was some cl15, but it was from a non-entity manufacturer that I didn't fancy.

I don't see water cooler reliability as an issue. The H50i that was on the old PC ran faultlessly for 4 years. There's no reason to suspect it was about to fail. It was only replaced because it didn't have an 1151 header attachment ring. The Noctua stuff is great _I've got a load of their fans, but the aircooler is dumping the heat into the case, the H115i dumps it outside the case.

Some owners of the 9900k report stable results higher than 5GHZ, some as high as 5.5, which would be nice, but to be honest, I plan to spend my time playing the game and making my mission, not fiddling with the CPU and BIOS.

[Tankbuster 1744]

6 minutes ago, verstand3n said:

What are important parameters to check before submitting yaab results here to compare them with yours. I would like to add my 6700k 4,4ghz all core, 3200Mhz DDR4 system.

3

What I did what start the game, set video options to Ultra preset, subscribe to the YAAB mission on Workshop then run it. Be sure to show what your screen res when you post your results.

[verstand3n 13]

do you press "s" when the benchmark starts? that improves my fps by a bit as well...

[domokun 515]

17 minutes ago, verstand3n said:

 

I am pretty sure this is not correct. While I never tested it myself, a quick google search brought some results. So if you pair your non-k CPU with a Z Board you can oc your ram. If this makes sense is a different question of course.

 

What are important parameters to check before submitting yaab results here to compare them with yours. I would like to add my 6700k 4,4ghz all core, 3200Mhz DDR4 system.

You're right and I stand corrected. You can OC RAM on Z- boards but you certainly can't OC your non-K on Z- boards which is where you'll likely find the highest gains.

BTW what voltage are you running your 6700k at 4.4?

I've got mine running at 4.6 but it took 1.36V which is a little high for my liking.

 

[Groove_C 267]

27 minutes ago, verstand3n said:

What are important parameters to check before submitting yaab results here to compare them with yours. I would like to add my 6700k 4,4ghz all core, 3200Mhz DDR4 system.

Are you sure that your CPU doesn't clock lower than 4.4 GHz and perfectly maintains this frequency during the load?

What is the cache/uncore frequency of your CPU (default is 4.0 GHz (40x))?

How many RAM sticks do you have and what are the timings?

What is your GPU?

What is your monitor resolution?

[verstand3n 13]

I bought this one used recently and am using the previous owner's settings as I am too lazy to start testing myself. Undervolted to 1,259V (incl. +0,015V adaptive) I can safely run 4,4 allcore stable.

 

did a testrun:

no mods, ultra settings, standard in yaab, 1920x1080, system specs: 6700k@4,4Ghz allcore, 2x8GB@3200Mhz DDR4cl14, 1080ti, game on ssd: 49,3fps

[Tankbuster 1744]

18 minutes ago, verstand3n said:

do you press "s" when the benchmark starts? that improves my fps by a bit as well...

No, what does that do?

[Groove_C 267]

@verstand3n

For YAAB results submissions, please click here.

[verstand3n 13]

@Groove_C

are you talking about the cpu multiplier? just ran another yaab with cpu-z and hwmonitor on my second monitor and multiplier stayed at x44 all the time. Just the bus speed varied by +/- .05Mhz which I guess in relates to the +/- 5Mhz changes all my 4 cores did around the 4,4Ghz mark.

 

Where do I find the cache frequency?

 

will do your benchmark marathon next 😉

 

 

[Groove_C 267]

18 hours ago, Tankbuster said:

The overclocking software says it was forcing all core to 5 GHZ and performance monitor did show that but I'll try all that soon. I'm AFK until next week. 🙂

If so, then good - less hassle for you.

18 hours ago, Tankbuster said:

I don't see water cooler reliability as an issue. The Noctua stuff is great. I've got a load of their fans, but the air cooler is dumping the heat into the case, the H115i dumps it outside the case.

There is no point to pay more for same temp and more noise (pump+corsair fans) + there is always a potential leakage/failure risk.

Only the GPU dumps significant amount of hot air into the case, which can increase CPU temp by 3-5°C.

CPU cooler dumps much much less hot air into the case + one always has exhaust fans.

You could also have waited for 1-2 months more for i9-9900K price to drop even more than what you've paid for it, because of Ryzen 3XXX presentation/release. There was 100% no strong need to upgrade exactly right now.

18 hours ago, Tankbuster said:

Some owners of the 9900k report stable results higher than 5GHZ, some as high as 5.5, which would be nice, but to be honest, I plan to spend my time playing the game and making my mission, not fiddling with the CPU and BIOS.

As you say, you're not one of them.

So... even less reasons in bying the i9-9900K vs. Ryzen 3XXX, as you still would have bought only 3200/3333 MHz RAM (not 4000-4600 MHz supported by Intel), which is easily supported by Ryzen, simply by plugging the sticks in the motherboard and selecting the XMP profil in the BIOS (as for Intel) and you still wouldn't have overclocked it to 5.2-5.3 GHz because of the cooling and knowledge.

Ryzen 5 3600X will cost only 230$ and will have same 8C/16T and will automatically boost to same frequency as the i9-9900K, but will be in 7 nanometers (vs. 14 for Intel) and will have 4 times the cache of the i9-9900K, which will result in even more performance and more gameplay smoothness.

For only 330$ one will be able to buy 12C/24T (5.0 GHz).

For 500$ one will be able to buy 16C/32T (5.1 GHz).

 

But anyways, I think that you're more than happy about your purchase.

+ already equipped for ArmA 4 😉

 

@verstand3n

In CPU-Z open the "Memory" tab and there you will see NB frequency (north bridge), which is the cache/uncore frequency. Very important as well. Adds some more FPS, increases a little bit read/write/copy bandwidth of RAM and CPU cache and decreases a little RAM and CPU cache latencies.

So if one has a CPU like i9-9900K, its default cache frequency is only 3.6 GHz, but can be increased to at least 4.5 GHz and even 4.7-4.9 GHz.

If one increases CPU core frequency to lets say 5.0-5.3 GHz, cache frequency stays at its default 3.6 GHz (if not increased separately) and it's a real performance loss to overclock only CPU core frequency, but leave CPU cache frequency at its default.

[verstand3n 13]

YAAB v1.00 (Jan 17th 2019) | patch 1.90.145471 | 1920x1080 | SSD + v-sync disabled
i7-6700K (4C/8T) @ 4.4/4.1 GHz core/cache | DDR4 3200 MHz CL14 XMP | GTX 1080 TI
54.5|54.0|55.1| =  FPS standard preset
50.1|51.8|51.0| =  FPS high preset
48.4|44.4|50.4| =  FPS very high preset
41.7|42.6|42.3| =  FPS ultra preset

 

stole your layout from April 7th 😉 compared to your results mine seems a little low. Wondering if that is just Arma 3 arbitrariness or if there is a way to fix it.