Hardware Issues: Tips/Tricks/Solutions

[-Puma- 2]

8600gt is 7600gt dx10, and I can tell u many ppl play with 7600/8600, including me.

[kklownboy 43]

8600gt is 7600gt dx10, and I can tell u many ppl play with 7600/8600, including me.

Actually the standard Nvidia nomenclature system has changed for this generation. A 8600gts >7600gt, 7600gt >8600gt. ..8600 GT =7600GS....

[EndersLoop 0]

Help me please. I don't wish to make new thread and waste space. This is my current PC. I know I need a new one but this is all I can use until I can get a job. I did search and went through 50+ pages for answers but didn't find much of anything useful.

Windows XP SP2

DirectX 9.0c

AMD 64 3500+ 2.25Ghz

1 GB Corsair XMS ELL

BFG 256 6800UOC AGP with 94.24

Audigy 2 ZS with 2.9.16

ArmA CO 1.06 retail

Here's my problem. When the first demo came out last year I could play the game fine for about 10 minutes until it crashed. Usually BSOD. When the second demo came out it stopped crashing but now it pauses/slows down for several seconds. Then it will stop but for only a few seconds before it begins again. I went out and got the retail cause I thought maybe it was just a demo problem. It's still there though.

I have done several things. Lowered resolution and turned all options to the lowest. I tried several tweaks that I found in this thread but none of them do anything. You know I'm very patient and am looking forward to solving this problem. Sorry to bother you.

With lots of love and respect,

EL

[-Puma- 2]

usually the stops etc. are caused by ur corrupted windows install/defragmented harddrive.

If u havent re-installe windows in a awhile(in 6 months??), do that and makesure u dont do fast format.

defragging helps too + killing unnecessary processes..

[EndersLoop 0]

Hey thanks for your help, I truly appreciate it. I tried that this morning and the problem is still present. It's cool though. I know I've been pushing it with this rig. It has served me very well over the years. I will wait for that new patch to come out and see if it helps. If it doesn't work I will just wait till I get my new rig later this year. Thanks Again!

Peace,

EL

[-Puma- 2]

every1 with weak systems, and others too here's a great tip for diabling unecessary processes:

http://www.tweakxp.com/article37047.aspx

the site has allso tons of other good tweaks, including how to disable pagefile and system cache properly...

btw I had 40+ processes running and after killing about 15 of them made arma run a little smoother...

[Bunks 0]

40 puma!? wow and I thought 18 was bad

EndersLoop-

I dont want to send you on a witch hunt, but I did have game pauses in the past. I did find my logitech mouse was causing it in the editor but the ones in game were sound driver issues. and I too had the sound card you have.

If you can, try uninstalling the drivers and then redoing them (and dont forget to put openAL back in the mix) but if it were me, id pull the sound card and try on board sound just to remove all doubt. But to me it sounds like you are not loading texture and audio data up whenever new objects, sounds or d data need to load up. Your system pauses momentarily to load these from your hard drive into RAM (often needing to remove some other information to fit it into RAM, and this info is written back into your pagefile)

So try sound first, pagefile fix (can be found in the tip,tweaks, and tricks thread) next, then maybe run a test on your memory if all else fails. You can use memtest86 if all other fixes find no help. Sorry to be so vague but its hard to tell what could be happening.

[EndersLoop 0]

Hey Bunks, thanks for replying. I tried what you said with my sound card but it didn't work. Completely uninstalled it and ran driver cleaner in safe mode. Tried my on-board audio but still had the problem. I switched cards from my other pc and the problem still remained. I decided to do a fresh install of windows. After all that I reinstalled ArmA. Still had the problems. One thing I havn't noticed until a few hours ago is that when the problem happens some objects will randomly change color to like pink, black and so on before the pause. I ran that memtest and it didn't find report any errors. I tried the original demo again and it still runs fine at low settings at the setting lower than 1280x1024.

I am going to download that new patch and see if it fixes anything.

Thanks again,

EL

[nobrainer 0]

One thing I havn't noticed until a few hours ago is that when the problem happens some objects will randomly change color to like pink, black and so on before the pause. I ran that memtest and it didn't find report any errors. I tried the original demo again and it still runs fine at low settings at the setting lower than 1280x1024.

Sure you don't have a thermal problem, like your GPU gets to hot. Because these things reminded meof some of my problems with a GPU that run hot and caused problems.

If you would like to go whichhunting, then atleast use nTune to check your GPU tempratures. And doublecheck your GPU stability.

If that dosen't help,you have atleast had fun for 30 minutes...

You could run 3DMark05 just to see if your GPU works OK or if it fails. Stress test it a little bit.

Good luck.

Best retard NoBrainer

[Jack-UK 0]

Same here, my screen used to flick differnet colours (tint of blue etc) and i realised my GPU was running too hot, the fans were choked with dust :S so i unclogged them and its dissapeared since then

[TheReddog 0]

Ok, Arma 1.08, I can run the game with most things high and it is smooth except there are certain bushes and vegetation that cause my frame rate to dive into single digits. It happens even with everything on low.

My system is as follows;

Intel Core2Duo E6600

MSI 965P

2GB Corsair Twinx2 DDR2 800Mhz

Gainward 8800 GTS 320

Any ideas?

[-Puma- 2]

Ok, Arma 1.08, I can run the game with most things high and it is smooth except there are certain bushes and vegetation that cause my frame rate to dive into single digits. It happens even with everything on low.

My system is as follows;

Intel Core2Duo E6600

MSI 965P

2GB Corsair Twinx2 DDR2 800Mhz

Gainward 8800 GTS 320

Any ideas?

I got that too, and I bet that majority here got it too. It has something to do with the way vegetation is coded(not using shaders,but something else i dont remember the of)

[TheReddog 0]

Ok, Arma 1.08, I can run the game with most things high and it is smooth except there are certain bushes and vegetation that cause my frame rate to dive into single digits. It happens even with everything on low.

My system is as follows;

Intel Core2Duo E6600

MSI 965P

2GB Corsair Twinx2 DDR2 800Mhz

Gainward 8800 GTS 320

Any ideas?

I got that too, and I bet that majority here got it too. It has something to do with the way vegetation is coded(not using shaders,but something else i dont remember the of)

Yeah but this is ridiculous, I have played this game firstly on a 6800GT and then on an x1950 (both AGP versions) and while it was never great on both the bushes never lagged me out this bad. Are the issues with ArmA and the 8800 series really this bad?

Honestly I think BIS need to take a long hard look at this engine because when I can fire up Oblivion, max it out and not have it drop below 30fps in a dense forest and then be dragged to 5fps looking at a single bloody bush in the middle of a desert in ArmA it spells one thing, BAD ENGINE!

It honestly just stupefies beyond imagination that in the middle of a city in a massive fire fight I get a smooth as butter frame rate but looking at a single bush cuts me down at the knees.

[MkH 0]

Ok, Arma 1.08, I can run the game with most things high and it is smooth except there are certain bushes and vegetation that cause my frame rate to dive into single digits. It happens even with everything on low.

My system is as follows;

Intel Core2Duo E6600

MSI 965P

2GB Corsair Twinx2 DDR2 800Mhz

Gainward 8800 GTS 320

Any ideas?

I got that too, and I bet that majority here got it too. It has something to do with the way vegetation is coded(not using shaders,but something else i dont remember the of)

Yeah but this is ridiculous, I have played this game firstly on a 6800GT and then on an x1950 (both AGP versions) and while it was never great on both the bushes never lagged me out this bad. Are the issues with ArmA and the 8800 series really this bad?

Honestly I think BIS need to take a long hard look at this engine because when I can fire up Oblivion, max it out and not have it drop below 30fps in a dense forest and then be dragged to 5fps looking at a single bloody bush in the middle of a desert in ArmA it spells one thing, BAD ENGINE!

It honestly just stupefies beyond imagination that in the middle of a city in a massive fire fight I get a smooth as butter frame rate but looking at a single bush cuts me down at the knees.

I'm having the very same problem. Bushes and trees just lag the sh*t out of my rig. My settings are not exceptionally high either - 1680x1050 (22" wide, other resolutions make the game look incredibly blurry), shaders at lowest, shadows at low, rest at normal or low. No AA/AF whatsoever.

As for now the game is completely unplayable - it's almost impossible to hit anything that moves because the drop in frames per second generates awful mouse-lag.

Other games run as well as they should - HL2, BF2: max settings, max fps.

C2D E6600

8800GTS 320Mb

2Gt 667MHz DDR2

Abit AB9 Pro

Integrated sound card

WinXP Pro

Newest Forcewares

Until the problem is fixed, I can't but let ArmA collect dust on the shelf.

[-Puma- 2]

I got to agree, just got 1950PRO, and get no performance increase at all (previous GPU 7600gt). Citys are joke with everything low 1280x1024 I get amazing 11 FPS

soon as I step out of city I get stunning 25 FPS. Yeah due to 1.08 everything is smoother, but that dosent really help, when ur at 11 fps. Drop AA off and I get 18, drop shadows I get 20. I mean the buildings dosent even look that friggin good

I dont usually complain but this is just fucking ridiculous, go prone in north and zoom in ur acog at enemy.....look up at ur fps ..and its

7. Before u can even drag the goddam crosshair to the enemy u've been shot, like 30 seconds ago

/end rant/trolling thank u

[TheReddog 0]

Well right now I have it sort of sorted out.

Running the game at 1280x1024 with everything on normal including AF and shadows the game runs pretty fine, seems post processing had the most effect on this laggy bush situation. I moved it from high to low and it made a huge difference.

Only problem is I get that weird strobing HDR bullshit at this setting. Do any of you chaps know if altering the HDR precision alone will leave all the post processing effects off and just bump up the HDR?

[-Puma- 2]

I got to agree, just got 1950PRO, and get no performance increase at all (previous GPU 7600gt). Citys are joke with everything low 1280x1024 I get amazing 11 FPS

soon as I step out of city I get stunning 25 FPS. Yeah due to 1.08 everything is smoother, but that dosent really help, when ur at 11 fps. Drop AA off and I get 18, drop shadows I get 20. I mean the buildings dosent even look that friggin good

I dont usually complain but this is just fucking ridiculous, go prone in north and zoom in ur acog at enemy.....look up at ur fps ..and its

7. Before u can even drag the goddam crosshair to the enemy u've been shot, like 30 seconds ago

/end rant/trolling thank u

I take my words back. Did format, made 10 gig partition for pagefile, 50 gig partition for arma and other games, and game runs nice now with normal settings 1280x1024, AA low, shadows low and AF normal. No i get 30 fps in cities, and up to 44 in everywhere else in evolution MP.(havent tested in north yet tough)

[killerwhale 1]

Hello friends, My Graphic card is X1950XT ATI 512mb, I didnt want to permanently unlock the Overdrive option, just wanted to check, but once I did, i cant lock it . Is there anyway to lock this crap, I am afraid it will screw my PC, i dont like to mess with options like these

[TheReddog 0]

Having it unlocked won't mater at all unless you increase the settings past default.

[ArmaVidz 0]

Athlon 6000+ X2 @ 3.0Ghz 2x1mb Cache

eVGA Geforce 7950GT KO Superclocked 512MB DDR3

2x1GB DDR-800 OCZ SLi RAM

Asus M2n-SLi Deluxe

WD Raptor 74GB 10K RPM 16MB Cache 5.2ms Seek

WD Raptor 36GB 10K RPM   8MB Cache 5.2ms Seek (2nd HD)

Creative Soundblaster Audigy2 ZS

20" Acer LCD @ 1400x1050

600W OCZ GameXstream PSU

In bushes to the south-west of the Paraiso airport(near the end of the runway) I get single digit FPS. Hell, I get single digit FPS all the time (more-so when I'm frapping).

It's better with the pimped out hardware, but, still, not nearly what I expected. I have an ATi Radeon X1900XTX 512MB as well, but I won't bother moving it because people say the same about the performance right across the board.

Engine~diffic~ulties...

PS: Don't underestimate the legitimacy of your powersupply. It can make or break a system as if your CPU, VGA and HDD subsystems start suckin power back, and it can't supply enough power, you get decreased performance.

[Jack-UK 0]

@ ArmaVidz: Try fiddling with the Post processing function... it seems to be causing a lot of bush lag in 1.08... which i didnt really notice in previous versions

[ArmaVidz 0]

@ ArmaVidz: Try fiddling with the Post processing function... it seems to be causing a lot of bush lag in 1.08... which i didnt really notice in previous versions

Will that affect the effects? Like blurring and translucency etc?

[Jack-UK 0]

Not too sure about translucency, but without post processing u wont have the blur effects... personaly i only enable it to take photos or to do videos (which by your name it seems you do quite frequently )

Post processing also modifies the lighting slightly, its really cool for some 'eye candy' but if you're playing multi or single player and have no need to take screenshots it can save u a lot of FPS and stop the bush lag.

Otherwise: the other solution is to keep post processing on but lower the Shading detail, but im not sure if it will have a huge effect while post processing is on. Just fiddle with the settings

[ArmaVidz 0]

Actually I sat there for about 6.5 hours last night fiddling with this and that to try and gain FPS. I changed every setting one by one then evaluated the difference. The only I can discern is that when "all" the "eye candy" is on, the "dips" in fps go down further, and yet the highest FPS remains roughly the same. This including tweaking everything from the texture clamp "Optimizing for quick removal/performance" for my SATA drives. Nothing helped.

It didn't matter what resolution I was on, or how low the graphics were set "Very Low," the maximum FPS really didn't change a whole lot. Sure you get 60-70 FPS looking at the sky, but then again, who doesn't?

Finally, I changed to the newest Nvidia Forceware 94.24's and looked in the registry under the HKLM>Software>Nvidia Corporation>NVTweak>NvCplAppNamesStored and deleted the Nvidia Control Panel profile (deleted from the NV Control panel AND the registry) I had created (ARMA.exe) a while back while troubleshooting the shitty fps under recommendation from another thread here. Also, there was another key with a default profile loaded for arma, which even when deleted from the Nvidia control panel, was still in the registry and attached the same way, to ARMA.exe.

My FPS is a hell of a lot better now (not great tho). Dips  rarely ever go into single digits and most times the FPS stay above 15.

My settings are: 1400x1050 Everything "Very High" including AA/AF except for Terrain Detail which is High. Blood: High View Distance is 4300ft. I'm a much happier man today.

Edit Typo in the screen res - it's 1280x1024 not 1400x1050.

[Jack-UK 0]

Great to hear!