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

[Leon86 13]

Hm, maybe it's something else then. Vsync and triple buffering are both off?

[Shadow NX 1]

Whats also very intresting is that Powercolor soon sells the HD6950 PCS++ which looks exactly like the Club 3D one only with a few new stickers.

Yet the PCS++ is faster ( nearly HD6970 specs ) and according to reviews cooler and a good bit quiter than the reference design.

So it puzzles me, how can two cards looks exactly same but be so different?

I start to think i got a typical "Monday" card...

[Leon86 13]

All cards look the same because ati or nvidia design them, manufacturers just assemble. Only difference might be the cooler. Sometimes there's custom pcb's but they usually take a while.

[Shadow NX 1]

Powercolor HD6950 PCS++

Club 3D HD6950 CGAX-69548F

As you see these two are almost exact lookalikes from different companies that also differ quite a bit from the reference design as they are shorter with different PCB ( which also is a tiny bit thinner ) layout and feature new cooling solutions.

All i wonder about is if the PCS++ is really much more silent and cooler than the Club 3D if the base is identical.

Different Fan profiles alone shouldnt make that much difference as i couldnt get my Club 3D one much quiter under load.

Edited February 10, 2011 by Shadow NX

[flattermann 12]

The Club 3D has a bit more plastic around the fans. Maybe the noise comes from the vibrating / oscillating flimsy plastic frame on the Powercolor? Hmm, probably not, IDK

[Antigoon 10]

Hi all,

Looking for a recommendation.

As I am not always at home, I'd like to get a laptop for editing purposes. I will not require high graphical performance, just simply be able to run Arma CO in the editor and test missions while I work on them. Low texture quality etc.. is completeley acceptable for me, while away from my usual pc.

Cheaper would be better ofcourse. So basically the cheapest laptop that can run Arma2 CO at low/low medium settings. I have absolutely no experience in laptop-hardware, so any suggestions are welcome...

[Shadow NX 1]

As i sent back my HD6950 due to its loudness i use a GTX460 for now but encountered a problem:

Picture is amazingly good compared to the HD6950 and trees are very nicely filtered on distance... yet on closeup this looks a lot less amazing and i have no idea which of the many driver settings is to blame.

Tried a few AA options but with no real result.

Anyone has the slightest idea?

Edited February 15, 2011 by Shadow NX

[Leon86 13]

Hi all,

Looking for a recommendation.

As I am not always at home, I'd like to get a laptop for editing purposes. I will not require high graphical performance, just simply be able to run Arma CO in the editor and test missions while I work on them. Low texture quality etc.. is completeley acceptable for me, while away from my usual pc.

Cheaper would be better ofcourse. So basically the cheapest laptop that can run Arma2 CO at low/low medium settings. I have absolutely no experience in laptop-hardware, so any suggestions are welcome...

For laptops the most important thing is getting one with a decent gpu, laptops with a gpu fast enough for arma will almost always have a cpu that's powerfull enough as well.

the gpu hierachy chart has some mobile gpu's in it. Look for gpu's in the top 14 or something.

There's also a site called notebookcheck. Look for gpu's like the gt330m or higher ranked ones.

Ofcourse performance will be terrible compared to a desktop of the same price but that shoudn't be a surprise.

[lozz08 10]

Shadow NX, I believe the latest betas have been using a different form of transparency filtering for the trees. You could try rolling back to an earlier beta to see if that is to blame.

[Shadow NX 1]

That might be, need to check that although it makes you wonder how that could not be noticed.

On distance it definatly looks great but upclose not so, yet it only seems present on some trees and bushes and not always that visible.

---EDIT2---

Indeed it is caused by the beta and whatever BIS did here i hope they will develop this furter as image quality is so much better and if the can get rid of the weird effects around some bushes and trees then this will be a awesome addition for the next big patch.

-----------

While were at it, anyone else that recently played ArmA2 on current Nvidia and AMD / ATI cards and also has a dramatic difference in picture quality?

Last plan was to wait for the Gainward GTX560 Phantom with 2GB and overclock it a bit but if i compare the price / power ratio to the Powercolor HD6950 PCS++ then im unsure if i should sacrifice image quality and less noise for lot more frames per Euro...

From the HD6950 stock version i know it runs ArmA2 very well on very high settings, on the GTX560 i have to guess if it really is that much stronger in ArmA2 than the GTX460 ( OC to 715Mhz ) which has a beautiful picture quality but also i get lots of lod blending ( on mainly middle quality settings with less viewdistance ) there which the HD6950 definatly didnt have.

Anyone has a GTX560 here by any chance and can tell us how well it works? Bonus points if he had a GTX460 before :p

Decissions, decissions... meh

Review HD6950PCS++

Review GTX560 Ti Phantom

---EDIT---

After reading this:

Techpowerup Review of the PCS++

It gets even more confusing as there is a up and down between the 560 and the 6950s all the time depending on the benched game so a first hand info from someone who uses a 560 would be more than welcome.

On the other hand from what i gather there the cooler on the PCS++ is indeed 99% the same as on the Club 3d HD6950 card ( which was definatly too loud ) i had tested before which basicly eliminates the card right away.

On the other hand the power consumption on the GTX560 especially with overclock makes me worry about my next energy bill...

Edited February 16, 2011 by Shadow NX

[bangtail 0]

While were at it, anyone else that recently played ArmA2 on current Nvidia and AMD / ATI cards and also has a dramatic difference in picture quality?

There isn't much in it tbh. I'd say Nvidia has better AA than ATI and it is usually better implemented through Nvidia's drivers.

[-DirTyDeeDs--Ziggy- 0]

I documented my latest game performance, for reference.

Arma2OA v1.57

E08: Benchmark

126 @ Lowest

82 @ Normal/Low

56 @ High/Normal

28 @ Very High

63 @ settings I use

OS Win 7 Ultimate 64bit

Intel Core i7 CPU 930 @3.8

SLI GTX 275 v266.58

6Gb ram

1600x900 (22")

74GB 10k WD HDD OS

300GB 10k WD HDD games

1TB WD HDD storage

http://valid.canardpc.com/show_oc.php?id=1659532

Edited February 16, 2011 by [DirTyDeeDs]-Ziggy-

[Leon86 13]

Does sli do much with that resolution?

edit: guess it does as with my single gtx260 I get nowhere near 60 fps on those settings.

Edited February 16, 2011 by Leon86

[-DirTyDeeDs--Ziggy- 0]

Does sli do much with that resolution?

good question. I know it does, nearly 2x framerate, but I have no current benchmarks to show it.

i just scored 32 with SLI disabled using my current settings as compared to 63 with SLI enabled

Edited February 17, 2011 by [DirTyDeeDs]-Ziggy-

[Hiikeri 10]

Shadow NX, i just replaced my GTX460 to GTX560Ti. And when i get 1st time to Windows desktop, my jaw dropped! WOW! Picture quality was absolutely better than 460!

560 is about 10% faster than 460 with same clocks in OA, but only 1-2% faster in original Arma2. Did you see my tests on page #660?

But as you see my tests, 460 is pretty enough if you have CPU power to top level, like a Intel i7 Sandy Bridge @5Ghz.

You are waiting 2Gb 560Ti card? Why?

More memory only helps when yours cards, lets says 1024Mb memory ends! Arma2 in my 1920x1080 + Very High settings takes about 850-900Mb so 2Gb card dont help a single frame.

With more memory in card means you can play it sharper resolutions, but if you wanna play 2560x1920 resolution, 560Ti:s dont play that resolution even a 10Gb memory becouse its GPU isnt fast enough those resolutions + details.

More memory DOESNT make yours card more powerful, GPU only means.

But if you play those 2560x1920 resolution + Very High details in 1Gb card and yours memory ends those settings and fps is, example 30 and yours playing is cut-ting-in-the-pieces, sry i dont know how to say that, i mean in 30fps you should be a pretty smooth gaming and game is still cutting-in-the-pieces...

..becouse yours card memory ends and that example you will get smoother gaming experience with 2gb memory, but still same 30fps.

Hard to say what i mean, i hope you understand.

Think, you play old Quake3 with low-details and 640x480 resolution and you will get 200fps. All that details with that resolutions data are yours card memory, let's say it takes 300Mb.

And then you buy 2Gb card, and same resolution and details you WILL get same fps, extra memory didnt help at all, nothing!

[bangtail 0]

-Ziggy-;1857371']good question. I know it does' date=' nearly 2x framerate, but I have no current benchmarks to show it.

i just scored 32 with SLI [i']disabled[/i] using my current settings as compared to 62 with SLI enabled

Yah, I love it when people try to tell me SLI doesn't work in A2.

Such a crock of BS.

CF is another story altogether mind you.

[Leon86 13]

That's amazing, near 100% scaling even at 1600x900.

[Shadow NX 1]

Shadow NX, i just replaced my GTX460 to GTX560Ti. And when i get 1st time to Windows desktop, my jaw dropped! WOW! Picture quality was absolutely better than 460!

560 is about 10% faster than 460 with same clocks in OA, but only 1-2% faster in original Arma2. Did you see my tests on page #660?

But as you see my tests, 460 is pretty enough if you have CPU power to top level, like a Intel i7 Sandy Bridge @5Ghz.

You are waiting 2Gb 560Ti card? Why?

More memory only helps when yours cards, lets says 1024Mb memory ends! Arma2 in my 1920x1080 + Very High settings takes about 850-900Mb so 2Gb card dont help a single frame.

With more memory in card means you can play it sharper resolutions, but if you wanna play 2560x1920 resolution, 560Ti:s dont play that resolution even a 10Gb memory becouse its GPU isnt fast enough those resolutions + details.

More memory DOESNT make yours card more powerful, GPU only means.

But if you play those 2560x1920 resolution + Very High details in 1Gb card and yours memory ends those settings and fps is, example 30 and yours playing is cut-ting-in-the-pieces, sry i dont know how to say that, i mean in 30fps you should be a pretty smooth gaming and game is still cutting-in-the-pieces...

..becouse yours card memory ends and that example you will get smoother gaming experience with 2gb memory, but still same 30fps.

Hard to say what i mean, i hope you understand.

Think, you play old Quake3 with low-details and 640x480 resolution and you will get 200fps. All that details with that resolutions data are yours card memory, let's say it takes 300Mb.

And then you buy 2Gb card, and same resolution and details you WILL get same fps, extra memory didnt help at all, nothing!

Thanks mate, saw it before but forgot about it.

Saddly CPU wise i can only offer a old Phenom1 X4 9850 so i need a fairly good card to make up for this for now while i wait what bulldozer will bring and then decide for it or a sandy bridge when building a new PC.

So far it seems to me that ArmA2 is rather a AMD / ATI game as the increase with the HD6950 was amazing while with the GTX460 it isnt that big so i assume 1-2 to 10% wont make a extreme difference.

If there only were a HD6950 card with a relative silent and well cooling fan setup it would make the decission easier.

As that doesnt seem to happen i guess it will be the GTX560 Phantom with a slight overclock.

About the 2GB, yes im aware of that but today there are many games where you can easiely fill 1GB Vram at high AA / AF settings or with high res texture packs and such.

Idea here is to have a card that will be ok enough for at least 2 years.

[lozz08 10]

shadow, I really don't think it would be a good value proposition to go from a 460 to a 560. I would save more and later get a gtx 570.

Also, don't rule out looking at second hand options. You could potentially get a gtx 570 now for the price of a 560 and get a card you know you won't have to rma.

[-DirTyDeeDs--Ziggy- 0]

or ! get another 460 ;)

[Hiikeri 10]

I dont recommended SLI in this game, many problems, but if you cant solve that, it peaks yours FPS pretty nicely. Or maybe not.

Shadow, you will get 50% fps:s if you change your CPU to Sandy Bridge @4-5Ghz...

What ever yours GPU are!

Go a shop, buy a 2500k+MB and OC it to 4.4-5.0Ghz and buy a GTX570 and you will se awesome sharp 2d desktop and then this games rolling something like me, 1920 x Very High Details 60-80fps @OA BM08, in game it means ~60-100fps, alltime! These details! :bounce3:

Edited February 17, 2011 by Hiikeri

[-DirTyDeeDs--Ziggy- 0]

SLI works for me.

I'm satisfied with the performance of my two nvidia 2xx series gfx cards in SLI

using these video settings

E08 Benchmark

SLI DISABLED score 32

SLI ENABLED score 63

Edited February 17, 2011 by [DirTyDeeDs]-Ziggy-

[Leon86 13]

Saddly CPU wise i can only offer a old Phenom1 X4 9850 so i need a fairly good card to make up for this for now while i wait what bulldozer will bring and then decide for it or a sandy bridge when building a new PC.

You're running a phenom I ??? There's no such thing as making up for that with a good gpu. That cpu will be a big bottleneck in nearly every mission.

As for the whole sli thing, you'd have to have a good reason to do it. One reason is triple-screen gaming. Another is getting an identical card to the one you already have for a cost-effective upgrade. A 570 is roughly twice the card a 460 is, and not that much more expensive. Preferable to a dual 460 in a new system for sure. but if you already have a 460 and your mobo has decent 2x pci-e x8 sli suppport just get the 460.

Another reason is ofcourse if you have plenty of money and just want the best possible performance. In that case a dual gtx580 is pretty much unbeatable.

Edited February 17, 2011 by Leon86

[Shadow NX 1]

Yeah, indeed a Phenom 1 from 2 1/2 years ago ( or was it more? ) where no Phenom II existed :(

I know the GPU will never be able to work on full power with it which also clearly shows by Benchmark scores which are usually a good bit lower for me than in the Test with the same cards.

Yet the GPU definatly makes a big difference especially with not so AI heavy missions, for example -as i mentioned before- with a stock setting HD6950 i could set all options to High / Very High ( exept the post processing which looks silly ) 3500 meters viewdistance and if i regulary defragged my A2 folder it had nearly zero texture or lod pop.

The GTX460 definatly is a improvement over my aged HD4870 512MB but i have to set it to mainly Normal settings and still have occasional lod and texture pop, maybe even more than on my HD4870 but cant really be compared as instead the HD4870 often had very nice graphical errors instead when the Vram was full which happens very often.

@lozz08

Bought the GTX460 ( Gigabyte OC variant ) just 2 weeks ago used for 130 and i think i can sell it for nearly that again so that shouldnt be a problem.

About SLI, no sure, my Board is a crossfire board with AMD Chipset so i assume SLI wouldnt work anyway.

The GTX570 Phantom was also on the potencial buy list before but the high price ( around 70 Eur more than planned ) and especially the high power consumption made me wonder if a GTX560 with a lil bit OC wouldnt be the better choice.

Idea is to build a new PC somwhere mid of this year so the card -whatever it will be- wont have to worry about having a fast CPU as partner.

Just need to see how the new Bulldozer CPU fares in the first Tests.

Edited February 25, 2011 by Shadow NX

[Leon86 13]

You can make sure your new board has sli of course. Or use a naughty sli hack, although its better to just to pay the little bit extra and have a board with decent sli support.