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

[PuFu 4600]

I know the demo isn't the best way to test the PC, but I keep getting lag spikes when there's a lot of enemies clustered far away and I use the sniper scope to take a look.

this has been fixed in the 1.60 (and the later beta patches). Those fixes are NOT available in the demo.

While a SSD will improve the texture loading time, it will NOT fix the issue with network warping you are reporting.

@BangTail: i feel sad for you, i really hope AMD will be able to fix their issues. Might want to contact their support, i am pretty sure they are not well aware about a niche game such as A2 and your issues...

[Flash Thunder 10]

Why does Arma 2 OA 1.60 only use 850MB of my Video memory? I have 2048MB DDR5 dedicated.

Is it because I have a bottleneck with my CPU see my spoiler tag for specs.

But this happens with pretty much every game I have it never went more than 1100MB of vram usage, Im using afterburner to track the GPU usage in game.

It would sure be nice if Arma 2 used more of my vram.

[domokun 515]

Which other settings I could turn down to get a smoother game without loosing too much quality/details?

BTW, I'll get a Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus next week, and I'll try to OC the 2500K a bit, to see if makes a difference. :D

First up try these tried and tested settings.

That rig should definitely be able to play at 100% 3D.

And overclocking your 2500k will definitely help.

[GOLGO_13 10]

Thanks for the infos guys!

this has been fixed in the 1.60 (and the later beta patches). Those fixes are NOT available in the demo.

While a SSD will improve the texture loading time, it will NOT fix the issue with network warping you are reporting.

I was testing only on SP, I haven't tried MP or Coop yet.

I know the game lags quite a bit online, but I'll try it anyway. :D

First up try these tried and tested settings.

That rig should definitely be able to play at 100% 3D.

And overclocking your 2500k will definitely help.

I'll try out those settings as soon as I get home.

About overclocking the 2500K, I've been thinking about somenthing around 4.2GHz. Is it enough (and safe:D) to get a good performance boost?

I don't know much about overclocking, but I don't wanna make huge changes on the voltage(and end up reducing the lifespam of my CPU). That's why I'm wanna try to keep it at a low OC.

[bangtail 0]

@BangTail: i feel sad for you, i really hope AMD will be able to fix their issues. Might want to contact their support, i am pretty sure they are not well aware about a niche game such as A2 and your issues...

Yep, it's a shame.

There was a new driver today so I will give them another try over the weekend before returning them on Monday (should I not be able to resolve the problems).

It is a shame, but as HardOCP's article points out, and as I have said many times, great hardware but terrible CF drivers and since I need to run 2 cards for my res, I need the best solution and time and time again, that has been SLI.

I'm really hoping I can get this sorted over the weekend as these cards are very fast when they work.

*EDIT*: Unfortunately, after testing with the new driver, I've decided to return one and keep one for my second box as the single card performance is excellent.

7970 CF, on the other hand, is an unmitigated disaster area that I would advise anyone to avoid like the plague. Whenever I see an AMD user claiming flawless CF performance with every game, I have to admit I am highly sceptical.

In recent history I have tried 4870 CF (best experience with CF), 5870 CF (lots of problems), 5970 (Awful card), 6870 CF (Not so bad but issues remained), 6970 CF (Again, not on par with SLI but ok), 7970 (AVOID, AVOID, AVOID).

You can argue that they are new etc but when you've just spent $1200.00 on video cards, that isn't comforting, especially with AMD's track record vis a vis CF support.

I desperately wanted CF to work out this time, but yet again, it has let me down. I also found out today that the author of 'RadeonPro' (something like Nvidia Inspector) purchased an Nvidia card(s) and hasn't been heard from since.

People always say that SLI and CF have problems and while this is true, SLI is a far better and far more supported dual (or more) GPU solution. The problem with all these benchmarks that show the 7970 CF as being faster than 580 SLI, is that even though the 7970s may well be scoring higher, the way that translates onto the screen does not coincide with the numbers.

ArmA 2 is a prime example. With Vsync on, both CF and SLI will pin 60. The difference being that the SLI 60FPS is as smooth as glass and the CF 60FPS is a stuttering mess.

At any rate, as a single GPU, the 7970 is an amazing card and in CF, it is also amazing when it works properly, but sadly, CF still has a long way to go.

I would also add that FXAA/SMAA are worlds better on Nvidia hardware.

Edited January 22, 2012 by BangTail

[domokun 515]

I'll try out those settings as soon as I get home.

About overclocking the 2500K, I've been thinking about somenthing around 4.2GHz. Is it enough (and safe:D) to get a good performance boost?

I don't know much about overclocking, but I don't wanna make huge changes on the voltage(and end up reducing the lifespam of my CPU). That's why I'm wanna try to keep it at a low OC.

Any luck with those settings and/or software tweaks?

As for overclocking your 2500k, 4.3-4.4 Ghz should be possible without increasing voltages.

Any yes it will make a significant difference.

[GOLGO_13 10]

Any luck with those settings and/or software tweaks?

As for overclocking your 2500k, 4.3-4.4 Ghz should be possible without increasing voltages.

Any yes it will make a significant difference.

I spent the weekend playing the demo mission, just learning the controls and stuff. :)

My PC is running everything on Very High and 3D res @ 100%, Post Processing disabled, VD 3000m and getting around 50fps (25-30 fps with a lot of AI in a city).

It's weird because the game was laggy before with the same settings, but after turning it down and turning up again, it's working well. LOL!

I can't wait to get a SSD and OC the 2500K(specially now I know I won't need to change the voltage).

BTW, which is a "safe" CPU temperature when playing? (I'm getting around 73 C @ 3.7GHz, using the stock cooler).

About OCing the GPU, is it safe?(my GTX 570 has an OC feature, but I'm scared of messing with it). :D

[Leon86 13]

Overclocking isnt that hard, just remember to always do extensive stability testing, otherwise you might end up with strange lockups or corrupted files.

Good programs to test are prime95 (do the blend test for 8 hours straight). LinX is very heavy on the cpu, might not want to do that more than 15 minutes, but it''s a good way to gauge if you're close to stability. If it passes 15 mins LinX start prime.

Gpu overclocking is mainly altering clockspeed with a program like msi afterburner. Problem is there's not many proper stability tests. Dont bother with furmark, many gpu's are furmark stable but crash in 3dmark. Maybe let the unique heaven benchmark loop overnight, might be a good test. Dont expect huge overclocks on the gpu, they're closer to their max potential than cpu's.

[RSF TheCapulet 59]

Im running about 70 degress underload, but for me its a little too warm.

Im running at 4GHz with an akasa venom HS with an air penetrator fan in pull formation. Cant have pushpull because of the ram and height of the HS.

I want to push for 4.5Ghz possibly 5GHz. Im not at home at the minute, but Ill get some CPUz and temp shots soon as I get home.

Ive never really tweaked around with voltages, but ive pushed the multiplyer beyond 40 and my pc decided to shit itsself on me.

I'm sitting at 67 celcius at 4.7 Ghz, on a cheap $30 coolermaster HS. So either something is wrong with your HS application, or the akasa venom sucks real bad.

And don't plan on hitting 5 Ghz. It's not sustainable, even if you got lucky and got your hands on a chip capable of it.

[GOLGO_13 10]

Overclocking isnt that hard, just remember to always do extensive stability testing, otherwise you might end up with strange lockups or corrupted files.

Good programs to test are prime95 (do the blend test for 8 hours straight). LinX is very heavy on the cpu, might not want to do that more than 15 minutes, but it''s a good way to gauge if you're close to stability. If it passes 15 mins LinX start prime.

Gpu overclocking is mainly altering clockspeed with a program like msi afterburner. Problem is there's not many proper stability tests. Dont bother with furmark, many gpu's are furmark stable but crash in 3dmark. Maybe let the unique heaven benchmark loop overnight, might be a good test. Dont expect huge overclocks on the gpu, they're closer to their max potential than cpu's.

Thanks dude!

I've already got my CoolerMaster Hyper 212 Plus(that thing is huge, lol!), now I'm waiting for the Thermaltake TG1 Thermal Compound. It'll help to low the temp a little further. I'll try to set 4.2GHz, do the tests, and see if it works well.

About the GPU, I'll only OC it if it's really necessary, considering they're almost maxed out anyway.

[domokun 515]

I run CO on an C2D overclocked to 4GHz, with 4890 and 4GB of DDR2 RAM.

As my E8400 runs off a P35 mobo, I'm stuck with DDR2.

Currently DDR2 is x2-x3 more expensive than DDR3 (8GB = €100 vs €40).

So I'm wondering what would be the most cost-efficient upgrade? (highest "bang for buck")

a) 4x2GB of DDR2 for 12GB RAMdisk? for OA pbos?

b) 64GB SSD for OS, OA + paging file? Crucial M4?

c) mid-range (€200) gfx card? 6950? or 560ti?

Given that I game 1920x1200 (24" TFT) and I can't afford the ubiquitous 2500k/560ti/16GB-DDR3 combo.

[Leon86 13]

I run CO on an C2D overclocked to 4GHz, with 4890 and 4GB of DDR2 RAM.

As my E8400 runs off a P35 mobo, I'm stuck with DDR2.

Currently DDR2 is x2-x3 more expensive than DDR3 (8GB = €100 vs €40).

So I'm wondering what would be the most cost-efficient upgrade? (highest "bang for buck")

a) 4x2GB of DDR2 for 12GB RAMdisk? for OA pbos?

b) 64GB SSD for OS, OA + paging file? Crucial M4?

c) mid-range (€200) gfx card? 6950? or 560ti?

Given that I game 1920x1200 (24" TFT) and I can't afford the ubiquitous 2500k/560ti/16GB-DDR3 combo.

Well, maybe take a look on the secondhand market. I got an i5-750 + motherboard for 150 euros. 40,- for 8GB ram. Then I sold my old stuff so it only cost me 90,-

Also, a 2320 with a P67 mobo is much cheaper and will still allow you to overclock to about 3.5 Ghz, still quite fast, about what you'd get with an i5-750 on 4Ghz.

Edited January 24, 2012 by Leon86

[npk 16]

So I'm about to complete the purchase of my new computer. Yet I cant set my mind on which GPU to get. So I'm hoping you guys will help me.

Seeing as I'm on a budget, I've boiled it down to 2 choices;

A GTX560 Ti (2GB preffered)or a HD6950 (Unlockable and 2GB). Yet I can't make up my mind.

I hope you are able to help me make up my mind.

The rest of the system is;

i5-2500k

GIGABYTE GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 Sandy Bridge

8GB Corsair Vengeance 1600MHZ

Will buy a proper PSU.

I'm currently playing BF3, ArmA2 and Skyrim (With Hi-Res Tex packs)

Edited January 26, 2012 by Npk

[domokun 515]

So I'm about to complete the purchase of my new computer. Yet I cant set my mind on which GPU to get. So I'm hoping you guys will help me.

Seeing as I'm on a budget, I've boiled it down to 2 choices;

A GTX560 Ti (2GB preffered)or a HD6950 (Unlockable and 2GB). Yet I can't make up my mind.

I hope you are able to help me make up my mind.

The rest of the system is;

i5-2500k

GIGABYTE GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 Sandy Bridge

8GB Corsair Vengeance 1600MHZ

Will buy a proper PSU.

I'm currently playing BF3, ArmA2 and Skyrim (With Hi-Res Tex packs)

Get the 6950.

Although the 6950 is slightly more expensive, it is faster than the 560Ti in OA and most other games.

Moreover it offers the possibility of flashing up to 6970.

However 6950 won't offer you PhysX physics processing, nor 3DVision nor CUDA (parallel processing).

Whilst these features aren't important for most users, if they're vital for you then the 560Ti would prolly be a better choice.

Also if you ever want to run a multi-card (SLI/Crossfire) setup for OA, you're probably better going with an NVidia card.

Finally, I can suggest Corsair's CMPSU-650TX as a "proper PSU" because it is powerful enough, reliable, efficient, widely available and not too expensive.

[RSF TheCapulet 59]

Get the 6950.

Although the 6950 is slightly more expensive, it is faster than the 560Ti in OA and most other games.

Moreover it offers the possibility of flashing up to 6970.

However 6950 won't offer you PhysX physics processing, nor 3DVision nor CUDA (parallel processing).

Whilst these features aren't important for most users, if they're vital for you then the 560Ti would prolly be a better choice.

Also if you ever want to run a multi-card (SLI/Crossfire) setup for OA, you're probably better going with an NVidia card.

Finally, I can suggest Corsair's CMPSU-650TX as a "proper PSU" because it is powerful enough, reliable, efficient, widely available and not too expensive.

The 6950 in crossfire won't perform it's best in Arma2, but it does scale much better than Nvidia in most other games.

And if PhsX is a deal breaker for you, you can always cough up another 30-40 bucks later and put in a gt240 or something similar in, and use the hacked PhsX drivers to run both cards at the same time. I'm currently using this method with a gs220, and can max out nearly any PhsX settings in games that use it.

And I agree with the Corsair 650TX suggestion. I'm running the very same one, and it's perfect.

[cjph 0]

I'm a 6950 user, which is flashed to 6970 shaders and clocks, with a mild current overclock to 910/1400 (with power up 5% in CCC). It is an original reference 6950 which are very rare now so you should be aware many of the new models may not unlock. I believe the twin fan Sapphire model is possible and has a dual bios feature, but this isa not guaranteed so best do a lot of research beforehand. I run eyefinity across three 1680x1050 screens, and average 25-35fps in all the Arma2 games and missions I play, so a single screen should offer much better performance.

I have a Corsair 650 (not sure if its a TX) and it performs fine for the spec below.

I hope this helps. Both models are capable, and I would recommend 2Gb memory models for some future proofing.

cj

[bangtail 0]

The 6950 in crossfire won't perform it's best in Arma2, but it does scale much better than Nvidia in most other games.

And if PhsX is a deal breaker for you, you can always cough up another 30-40 bucks later and put in a gt240 or something similar in, and use the hacked PhsX drivers to run both cards at the same time. I'm currently using this method with a gs220, and can max out nearly any PhsX settings in games that use it.

Quite simply not true.

CF is nowhere near as well supported as SLI, and even if the FPS are higher on review sites, it doesn't matter when the results on screen are a stuttering disaster.

I just tried CF again and I was not impressed, it lasted less than a week in my box.

I'd avoid hacked PhysX drivers, they don't always work properly (and I believe you need to use a much older version although I could be wrong about that as it's been a while), not that Physx is so prevelant that it is a reason not to buy AMD.

When CF works properly, it's great but get ready to wait for support (months in some cases) or to turn CF off to get acceptable performance.

I would stick with SLI for 'Nvidia Inspector' alone (a program that allows you to customize profiles to get games working with SLI (on the rare occasion that Nvidia doesn't provide a profile). AMD has a weak equivalent (RadeonPro) but the author bought Nvidia cards and stopped developing it.

This isn't a fanboy issue, it's a 'what works best' issue and the CF that I had to endure using 7970s in ArmA 2 was, in a word, awful. I had trouble with it in other games as well (Skyrim BSOD, TDU2 Stuttering, Take on Helicopters BSOD, Black Shark No CF).

The 7970 (and most other single GPU AMD cards) are a great choice, I even kept one of the 7970s I bought because I liked it so much but CF is nowhere, and I mean nowhere near as good (or as well supported) as SLI.

Edited January 26, 2012 by BangTail

[humvee28 10]

Does anyone know if the new Sandy i7`s getting extreme hot under Load with OC, like the previous Nehalems?

[bangtail 0]

Shouldn't be if you have adequate cooling.

[humvee28 10]

Atm i´m cooling my whole System (Q9650 @ 4 Ghz, Mobo, HD5870) with one 360 Radiator, but i´m planning to bring on another, external 360 for the hot Times.

[bangtail 0]

Provided you aren't doing any insane OCing, you should be ok

Check out the Corsair H series coolers, I've been very happy with them.

Edited January 26, 2012 by BangTail

[RSF TheCapulet 59]

Quite simply not true.

CF is nowhere near as well supported as SLI, and even if the FPS are higher on review sites, it doesn't matter when the results on screen are a stuttering disaster.

I just tried CF again and I was not impressed, it lasted less than a week in my box.

I'd avoid hacked PhysX drivers, they don't always work properly (and I believe you need to use a much older version although I could be wrong about that as it's been a while), not that Physx is so prevelant that it is a reason not to buy AMD.

When CF works properly, it's great but get ready to wait for support (months in some cases) or to turn CF off to get acceptable performance.

I would stick with SLI for 'Nvidia Inspector' alone (a program that allows you to customize profiles to get games working with SLI (on the rare occasion that Nvidia doesn't provide a profile). AMD has a weak equivalent (RadeonPro) but the author bought Nvidia cards and stopped developing it.

This isn't a fanboy issue, it's a 'what works best' issue and the CF that I had to endure using 7970s in ArmA 2 was, in a word, awful. I had trouble with it in other games as well (Skyrim BSOD, TDU2 Stuttering, Take on Helicopters BSOD, Black Shark No CF).

The 7970 (and most other single GPU AMD cards) are a great choice, I even kept one of the 7970s I bought because I liked it so much but CF is nowhere, and I mean nowhere near as good (or as well supported) as SLI.

Why am I not surprised to see you here spouting your typical green team fanboism, bang? :P I'd show you dozens of charts from half a dozen reputable tech journalism sites, but I know you'd just deny what they say as well. lol.

I won't deny that ATI has been late to the game with Xfire support on the last couple major releases. But ATI, with their most recent drivers, also started supporting user made Xfire profiles.

As always, we'll just agree to disagree.

[bangtail 0]

Why am I not surprised to see you here spouting your typical green team fanboism, bang? :P I'd show you dozens of charts from half a dozen reputable tech journalism sites, but I know you'd just deny what they say as well. lol.

In response to your charts etc, I very clearly stated that every site says that 7970CF is the fastest thing going, and if you go by FPS, that's generally true. My contention was that FPS is not the bottom line when it comes to multi GPU setups. ArmA 2 pins 60 in SLI and CF, CF is a stuttering disaster with white dots everywhere, SLI is smooth as glass with no white dots. Same FPS, vastly different experiences

I won't deny that ATI has been late to the game with Xfire support on the last couple major releases. But ATI, with their most recent drivers, also started supporting user made Xfire profiles.

As always, we'll just agree to disagree.

Yah, I recently spent $1200.00 on AMD cards (and thousands before that on countless other ATI/AMD cards) because of my 'green team fanboyism' :rolleyes:

I buy what's best, that's why I have a 7970 in my other box, fastest single GPU card and a great card (there goes my 'green team fanboyism' again).

Tech sites mean shit to me these days, most of them are bought and paid for (and that works both ways).

Nvidia is up to it's usual PR bullshit at the moment, and I don't care for it, from either camp!

I don't need charts from 'reputable' sites, I have the damn cards in my house.

As I keep pointing out, higher FPS does not automatically equal a better gaming experience (especially in the case of CF).

I'm not agreeing to disagree, I'm stating my own personal experiences with every CF config 1xxx, 2xxx, 3xxx, 4xxx, 5xxx, 6xxx and 7xxx vs my experiences with every iteration of SLI (that dates from the 1st 3DfX cards).

I'm not here to mislead people and I certainly wouldn't be spending thousands of dollars on AMD hardware if I were so firmly ensconced on the Green team's bench.

I suggest you reassess your claims of 'fanboyism' as I am not the one who has mindlessly defended one company since he arrived here.

I buy hardware from whomever makes the best gear, regardless of which company's name is on the packaging.

Cheers

PS: The ability to create 'user made' profiles has existed for years with Nvidia and AMD's attempt at it is farcical compared to something like Nvidia Inspector.

RadeonPro is a poor man's substitute but is no longer supported, because as far as I know, the developer purchased Nvidia cards and stopped working on it :D

Edited January 27, 2012 by BangTail

[Leon86 13]

Man, not another one of these Bangtail vs ati supporter flamewars.

I guess the problem is nobody except Bangtail is rich and stupid enough to buy 2 7970's and try to play arma with it. :)

but the skyrim crossfire disaster is pretty well documented right? anyways, that's not a real problem since skyrim runs just fine on a single card.

[bangtail 0]

Thing is, I was 'stupid' enough to buy 580 SLI the day it was released and SLI in ArmA 2 worked perfectly right out of the box ;)

Skyrim is trouble free on SLI, has been ever since a few days after launch. It was constantly BSODing me with CF, happened whenever there was loading.

I'm an AMD supporter so how can I be against them?

I'm just recounting my experiences but fanboys on either side get mad when you say disparaging things about whatever company they happen to be advocating for :rolleyes:

I've said what I had to say, but I won't be entering into another flamewar so you can rest easy Leon, I'm working on filling up my ignore list more than I can be bothered arguing.

Edited January 27, 2012 by BangTail