Will my PC Run this? What CPU/GPU to get? What settings? System Specifications.

[Nolegs 0]

I'd also build my own. If you've never done it you can find guides online or a friend that has. It really isn't that complicated when you follow the instructions. Most connections are labelled well or made to only fit a certain way...don't force anything and you'll be fine.

I built my first in '04 and I'll never consider buying a pc from a manufacturer, not after seeing the hardware list for a 2200 dollar dell totaling 1200 on newegg...

Anyways there are two ways to look at a budget build. Either you want the nastiest beast you can build for <1000 or you want to build a budget machine that has upgrading in mind to slowly get to an even nastier machine down the road.

I'd vote for option 1. Build the nastiest machine now and put 10.00 a week away from now and then build a upgradeable beast a couple years down the road.

You can really squeak out a ton of extra bang for buck out of the C2D's. I'd probably go with the E8400 as mentioned above. They can hit 4.0 Ghz fairly regularly. ArmA2 loves a FAST processor.

167.00

Then nock off the base hardware

dvd rw, for 23.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106289

Case w/free shipping 49.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119161

Power Supply 119.99 (99.99 after 20.00 mir)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171037&cm_re=power_supply-_-17-171-037-_-Product

Motherboard 59.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128372

Ram 52.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231144

Went with 2GB because this is a budget build. With the rest of this system I think it'll still fly.

now you drop some cash

Video Card 405.00

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150443

That leaves about 150.00 for a hard drive. Something I recently tried that made a huge difference to me in my ArmA2 performance was picking up a solid state drive.

I use a 40 gig for my operating system and ArmA2 and an old hdd for other programs and storage. Made a big difference in my system performance as well. They are pricey per gb but it does make a big difference in my ArmA performance. It won't increase fps but it sure smooths the visuals.

SSD for A2 109.00

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227505

HDD for OS and everything else 47.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136098

That might be a bit over because I think I forgot an OS. Though if you have a WinXP key, I'd just reuse that and save yourself the 100 bucks. SAme goes for any hardware you might have, such as case, dvd or hard drive. If you can reuse some stuff like that you'll save a couple hundred dollars.

You can drop the SSD and drop another 100. you'll want to be sure to overclock this chip to get the extra power.

Just some ideas of what I'd probably order if I were doing this tomorrow. good luck.

[Dead3yez 0]

Did this test.....

If only this were TRUE. LOOOOOL

[Leon86 13]

You can really squeak out a ton of extra bang for buck out of the C2D's. I'd probably go with the E8400 as mentioned above. They can hit 4.0 Ghz fairly regularly. ArmA2 loves a FAST processor.

Dont build a core2 system, the intel core i5-750 basically costs the same and is a lot faster. Even a core i3-530 is much faster than the e8400 if you really want to save money.

The only reason to buy core2 is if you can get it secondhand for next to nothing.

Edited February 26, 2010 by Leon86

[Nolegs 0]

He could go i5 or i3. But basically costing the same isn't what you are looking for when building a budget system. I chose the parts I did because I was going for bang for buck in a budget machine without building it with upgrading down road in mind.

A 1156 board will cost more, as will good DDR3 ram and the processor you mention is about 30 more. All those little chunks in extra cost will take away from other key components(ie, video card)

I'd prefer to save that money so I could dump it into the video card.

[Whoatherefatty 10]

Hi Beastxxwar!

with your budget(<$1000) you can build an excellent gaming pc.

only no complete system! choose singular best buy hardware components

and find a good experienced installer.

I'm on Intel core I7 but in my opinion AMD platforms are clearly

superior in high performance budget system

some examples (prices from Newegg.com):

-Asus M4A79XTD Evo - $109.99 (best buy AM3 motherboard)

-AMD Phenom IIx4 965 BE 3.4Ghz - $179.99 (great for simple overclocking)

-G.Skill 2x2Gb DDR3 1600

Thermaltake W0319RU 850W - $204.99 (combo special price)

-Sapphire 5770 VaporX 1Gb - $164.99 (cool temperatures/very quiet)

-WD Digital Caviar Black 750Gb -$159.99 (2xraid0)

-Antec Nine Hundred 2BS - $109.99 (case)

total $930 + cost of building labor (maybe $100?)

just an example obviously!

bye all

ps:sorry for my english.

I have pretty much this system allthough I got it for $600 because I went with a cheaper 600watt psu, a $20 case, got a Cpu MoBo combo deal for $230 and a $99 seagate 1TB which is a little slow but workable. I've had some issues with the 5770 but it's performance is great. I would crossfire it but given that it still crashes on me at least twice a week I just can't bring myself to buy another one.

[Leon86 13]

He could go i5 or i3. But basically costing the same isn't what you are looking for when building a budget system. I chose the parts I did because I was going for bang for buck in a budget machine without building it with upgrading down road in mind.

A 1156 board will cost more, as will good DDR3 ram and the processor you mention is about 30 more. All those little chunks in extra cost will take away from other key components(ie, video card)

I'd prefer to save that money so I could dump it into the video card.

A core i3-530 is 60 euro's cheaper then a core2duo e8400. 4GB DDR3 is 15 euros more expensive then DDR2. The cheapest 1156 mobo is about 70 euro's, the cheapest 775 is 35. The i3 system is 10 euro's cheaper and faster, and when you want to upgrade you can just put in another processor, s1156 will be here for some time, as will DDR3.

[henno13 10]

Processor: Intel Pentium Dual Core E6500 2.93GHz

Processor Cooler: Intel Approved CPU Cooler

Case: Coolermaster Elite 335 Case - Black

Graphics Card: ATI Radeon HD 5770 1024MB

Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 500GB SATA-II 16MB Cache

Memory: Kingston HyperX 4GB (2x2GB) DDR2 8500C5 1066MHz Dual Channel

Motherboard: Asus P5QPL-AM Intel G41 Motherboard

Optical Drive: LG GH22NS30 22x DVD±RW SATA Dual Layer ReWriter

Power Supply: Corsair CX 400W ATX Power Supply

Sound Card: High Definition 7.1 OnBoard Sound Card

Will it run well? I'm just curious

[bangtail 0]

Processor: Intel Pentium Dual Core E6500 2.93GHz

Processor Cooler: Intel Approved CPU Cooler

Case: Coolermaster Elite 335 Case - Black

Graphics Card: ATI Radeon HD 5770 1024MB

Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 500GB SATA-II 16MB Cache

Memory: Kingston HyperX 4GB (2x2GB) DDR2 8500C5 1066MHz Dual Channel

Motherboard: Asus P5QPL-AM Intel G41 Motherboard

Optical Drive: LG GH22NS30 22x DVD±RW SATA Dual Layer ReWriter

Power Supply: Corsair CX 400W ATX Power Supply

Sound Card: High Definition 7.1 OnBoard Sound Card

Will it run well? I'm just curious

Yep, should be fine.

[forteh 11]

Have now fitted my gtx260 216 to replace my old 9600gt, fps hasnt really increased hugely because Im so cpu limited (A64x2 @ 2.6GHz) but I have been able to increase all details to very high without loosing any fps :)

With all settings on normal benchmark 1 is now 26fps as opposed 24, is still 26 with all on high/very high.

Gettin 25-30fps on the sealteam6 campaign Im working through, compared to 19-24 beforehand so more than acceptable :)

[CaptainChunk 0]

Hello all,

I was wondering if this computer, that I'm thinking of having assembled, will run Arma2.

Processor: AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz

Case: COOLER MASTER Storm Scout SGC-2000-KKN1-GP Black Steel

Graphics Card:: XFX Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP

Hard Drive: Western Digital 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5"

Memory: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666)

Motherboard:ASUS M4A78T-E AM3 AMD 790GX HDMI

Optical Drive: SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 22X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA DVD Burner LightScribe Support

Power Supply:ZEPHYR ZEPHYR650 650W Continuous @ 40°C ATX12V V2.2 / EPS12V V2.91 SLI Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Retail

Sound Card: Creative 7.1 Channels 24-bit 96KHz PCI Interface Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer -

I would be very open to suggestions on how to trim costs off of this while getting performance and proper ventilation/cooling throughout the system. A bit concerned about the video card. Wondering if I should pay up for a Radeon 5000 series, like 5850.

Suggestions wanted.

Thanks!

Edited March 2, 2010 by CaptainChunk

[bangtail 0]

Hello all,

I was wondering if this computer, that I'm thinking of having assembled, will run Arma2.

Processor: AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz

Case: COOLER MASTER Storm Scout SGC-2000-KKN1-GP Black Steel

Graphics Card:: XFX Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP

Hard Drive: Western Digital 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5"

Memory: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666)

Motherboard:ASUS M4A78T-E AM3 AMD 790GX HDMI

Optical Drive: SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 22X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA DVD Burner LightScribe Support

Power Supply:ZEPHYR ZEPHYR650 650W Continuous @ 40°C ATX12V V2.2 / EPS12V V2.91 SLI Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Retail

Sound Card: Creative 7.1 Channels 24-bit 96KHz PCI Interface Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer -

I would be very open to suggestions on how to trim costs off of this while getting performance and proper ventilation/cooling throughout the system. A bit concerned about the video card. Wondering if I should pay up for a Radeon 5000 series, like 5850.

Suggestions wanted.

Thanks!

Get a 5 series, and if you are concerned about cooling/ventilation, the HAF932 is a better case although I can't see it being a problem with only one video card.

Cheers

[Leon86 13]

Such a system should run arma 2 just fine. If you want a dx11 card you could put in an ati 5770, a bit faster then the 4870 an not that much more expensive.

[CaptainChunk 0]

Thanks, appreciate the feedback. What sort of settings (in game) might I be looking at, just out of curiosity?

[bangtail 0]

Thanks, appreciate the feedback. What sort of settings might I be looking at, just out of curiosity?

A mix of mid to high with 2-3K view distance I'd say @ 1680 x 1050 but you always have to play around to get the performance you are happy with.

[Vick 19]

I have pretty much this system allthough I got it for $600 because I went with a cheaper 600watt psu, a $20 case, got a Cpu MoBo combo deal for $230 and a $99 seagate 1TB which is a little slow but workable. I've had some issues with the 5770 but it's performance is great. I would crossfire it but given that it still crashes on me at least twice a week I just can't bring myself to buy another one.

nvm, dont know how to delete posts either

Edited March 2, 2010 by Vick
was going to delete

[rosentorf 12]

What I got...

Core2Duo E8400 2x3.0GHz

4GB RAM

ATI HD4870 1024MB

...and how much could a...

Intel Core2 Quad Q9550 4x2.83GHz

...or...

Intel Core2 Quad Q9650 4x3.0GHz

...do for me? How big would the difference be?

[bangtail 0]

What I got...

Core2Duo E8400 2x3.0GHz

4GB RAM

ATI HD4870 1024MB

...and how much could a...

Intel Core2 Quad Q9550 4x2.83GHz

...or...

Intel Core2 Quad Q9650 4x3.0GHz

...do for me? How big would the difference be?

TBH, they probably won't bring much to the table.

[rosentorf 12]

TBH, they probably won't bring much to the table.

Thanks for the response BangTail. I had assumed that with stronger CPU Power I could extend the viewing range a little more as I read some where that this is mostly due to CPU. In your opinion what should the next step be to improve my AmrA2 experience? ...and don't say get a rig like mine!! ;) (assuming you own the machines in the "spoiler" in your signature)

Edited March 3, 2010 by rosentorf

[forteh 11]

Also good to hear, Ive been offered a 3Ghz E8500 C2D for sensible money. It seems to make sense as quad cores dont seem to greatly increase performance as much as processor speed from reading on here :)

[Baz 0]

thinking about buying an alienware M11x just wondering how well it would run arma 2

[MRLEGEND 10]

Okay I'm trying to make a decision on graphic card

I was initially going to get a ATI 5870

then I saw they have just released the 5970

BUT I just saw a 5970 arma 2 video on youtube that says basically arma 2 does not support xfire

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6lXzfa990M

I researched and found that a lot of last summer threads were talking about the same thing

THEN I figured I would just get the 5870, and if I wasn't satified I would just get another one... BUT I just saw another youtube video with 2x 5870's and the fps was like 29...WTF

Have they patched this or is it just not worth it...let me know because it's a $300 difference.

Thanks in advance

[Leon86 13]

The single 5870 will give you the best price/performance for sure.

I doubt crossfire is completely useless, 5870's are still in high demand so if you can get 2 of them and it turns out performance didn't increase you could always sell one off for 90% of the original price.

Or you could just get the single 5870 and enjoy the performance.

Edited March 3, 2010 by Leon86

[rowdied 44]

What I got...

Core2Duo E8400 2x3.0GHz

4GB RAM

ATI HD4870 1024MB

...and how much could a...

Intel Core2 Quad Q9550 4x2.83GHz

...or...

Intel Core2 Quad Q9650 4x3.0GHz

...do for me? How big would the difference be?

I have both and the q9550 is better but if you aren't going to overclock either of them then going with a newer i7 mobo will increase performance more. Check this article out. Offers a good comparison of amd and intel.

http://www.behardware.com/articles/778-11/giant-roundup-131-intel-and-amd-processors.html

---------- Post added at 07:27 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:20 PM ----------

Okay I'm trying to make a decision on graphic card

I was initially going to get a ATI 5870

then I saw they have just released the 5970

BUT I just saw a 5970 arma 2 video on youtube that says basically arma 2 does not support xfire

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6lXzfa990M

I researched and found that a lot of last summer threads were talking about the same thing

THEN I figured I would just get the 5870, and if I wasn't satified I would just get another one... BUT I just saw another youtube video with 2x 5870's and the fps was like 29...WTF

Have they patched this or is it just not worth it...let me know because it's a $300 difference.

Thanks in advance

I have a 4870x2 which I ran in crossfire and YES it DID WORK with all driver versions 9.9+ and now have a 5870 which gives around the same fps as the old 4870x2. Seriously, just get the 5870 and forget crossfire or sli. For what you pay you dont get that back performance wise in arma.

[andromedagalaxe 10]

What I got...

Core2Duo E8400 2x3.0GHz

4GB RAM

ATI HD4870 1024MB

I have the same setup as you and I overclocked to 3.6, installed a new heatsink (for just $30) and got a huge performance boost. I would try that before investing in the new hardware. I run everything on normal (except low AA and PP, which are on low) and I get 49 FPS on benchmark 1 which has made the game playable in almost every situation.

I put in a cooler master hyper 212 and my cpu never went over 49 C in stress test (I have a huge coolermaster case .. thing is bulky but the 3 fans keep things under control pretty well). Thinking about taking things up to 3.8 or 4.0 but don't really need to. The problem now is not frames but pop-in, which I gather can't really be fixed.

Edited March 3, 2010 by andromedagalaxe

[fireballs619 10]

Ok guys treat me like I know nothing about computers (even though I do [a little bit]).

I am looking to build a PC to run Arma 2 for around $1000 (give or take a few $100). The most important thing for me is FPS, which I am looking to get about 25-30. I would like to be able to run it on med settings while maintaining around those frames, but High settings are of course preferred. I am open to any suggestions for specs. I have some ideas in mind, but I just wanted to see what the general opinion is.

Thanks