graphics bugs with ATI 4800 series (4850/4870/4890)

[soldier1969 10]

Wow removing my other 4 sticks of ram and tried with 4gb and the game runs just fine? Ive never heard of this. Is it something in the code that screws up the game with more than 4gb?

[mr reality 0]

I had this with NVIDIA 8800 GTS when the bug in drivers filled the VRAM.

Take note here people. This is not just an ATI problem.

I too had this problem in armed assault, and the problem only went when i had my graphics cards replaced under warranty. I put it down to heat, as when the artifacts started to appear, all my fans went ballistic.

I now get this problem in ArmA2, but only on chernarus. I have Nvidia cards installed, so it isn't an ATI issue.

On a side note, this problem only ever occured in armed assault and arma2. I could run any other game on max settings with no problems.

When you look at the screenshots posted, you'll see that the players character isn't distorted, it's always the island that causes this. The large islands consume a lot of gpu power and this together with different PC builds is what causes this problem.

[ubascouser 0]

Bush sig updated bought this after realising i made a mistake

OCZ 6GB (3X2GB) DDR3 1333MHz/PC3-10666 Gold XTC Triple Channel Memory

[d3lta 10]

I have a HD4870-512, Windows 7 and XP and I have poor performance with:

Textures and Video memory : normal = 7 FPS

But,

Textures and Video memory : low = 25-30FPS

Game Bug or Driver bug?

[householddog 10]

When you look at the screenshots posted, you'll see that the players character isn't distorted, it's always the island that causes this. The large islands consume a lot of gpu power and this together with different PC builds is what causes this problem.

What a load of crap. Read the thread properly. Its a memory issue, not a gpu issue.

---------- Post added at 02:04 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:03 PM ----------

Yes it is getting way beyond a joke. I cannot play the game any longer, I feel sick at the thought of even bother trying. I have spent hours trying to get this game going long enough to play through a mission SP or MP. No matter what I do it is just hopeless. All I do now everyday is read the forums, don't even load it up.

I do believe BIS are concerned and hunting these types of graphical leaks can be right in the core of the code, very hard to fix quickly and not break anything else. I am sure they are doing their best.

Have you tried lowering your graphics memory setting?

[mr reality 0]

What a load of crap. Read the thread properly. Its a memory issue, not a gpu issue.

---------- Post added at 02:04 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:03 PM ----------

Have you tried lowering your graphics memory setting?

Well then the title of the sticky thread is misleading, as it's not an ATI only issue. or as you say a graphics issue.

[householddog 10]

Well then the title of the sticky thread is misleading, as it's not an ATI only issue. or as you say a graphics issue.

Its a video memory issue.

Again if you read the thread, you would have known that.

It may well be an issue with Nvidia cards as well. But it has nothing to do with stressing the GPU.

If you think otherwise, go out and test it, come back and report your findings.

---------- Post added at 05:46 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:37 PM ----------

I have a HD4870-512, Windows 7 and XP and I have poor performance with:

Textures and Video memory : normal = 7 FPS

But,

Textures and Video memory : low = 25-30FPS

Game Bug or Driver bug?

No that is the way it should work. You are loading larger textures into memory in the first test. IE the transfer is going to take a longer time. Having more memory available is not make that transfer faster.

Unless you are going back to areas you have been to before. I don't think the benchmark does this well. Say you drive up a street, come back then drive down it again. Some of the scenery will be in vram already, so it does not have to be loaded again. This would give you increased performance.

I am not sure the benchies replicate this well.

If you are testing something, you really need to change one thing at a time. Changing too things proves very little.

[StefX 0]

Congratulations and that helps the rest of us in pain how?

take it easy, my post was just there to show that 4890/4870 dont always run in to bugs with Arma2.

[Alex72 1]

StefX:

That gave me hope at least. Im going for a 4890 and so far i have no issues, but need a more powerful card. Makes you wonder why some work and some dont.

Alex

[Conkermon 10]

Well then the title of the sticky thread is misleading, as it's not an ATI only issue. or as you say a graphics issue.

Based on what we've seen it seems to be an overwhelmingly ATI issue. There have been 2 or 3 reports of a similar bug with NVIDIA but it seems to be far more common with ATI cards for whatever reason.

[d3lta 10]

Dudes, I solved my problem (low fps).:D

Solution: Remove overclock from CPU ( E6400 here ).

Now: I'm playing very well with max config IQ..

\o/

Best Regards!!

Ps. My config: E6400/4870-512/4GB/Windows7/XP

Edited July 13, 2009 by D3lta

[mr_centipede 31]

Can anyone else confirm D3lta findings? is it because CPU overclock? I have ATI 4870 518mb too, and as stefx I dont have these artifacts. And as D3lta, I dont overclock my CPU or GPU. other than that, I have PCIe 2.0. could it also because of different version of PCIe? (ie, a PCIe 2.0 card slotted in a PCIe 1.0 motherboard)

[d3lta 10]

Can anyone else confirm D3lta findings? is it because CPU overclock? I have ATI 4870 518mb too, and as stefx I dont have these artifacts. And as D3lta, I dont overclock my CPU or GPU. other than that, I have PCIe 2.0. could it also because of different version of PCIe? (ie, a PCIe 2.0 card slotted in a PCIe 1.0 motherboard)

For this problem (artifacts), test the Catalyst 9.7 beta or wait oficial, by now...

Edited July 13, 2009 by D3lta

[householddog 10]

Can anyone else confirm D3lta findings? is it because CPU overclock? I have ATI 4870 518mb too, and as stefx I dont have these artifacts. And as D3lta, I dont overclock my CPU or GPU. other than that, I have PCIe 2.0. could it also because of different version of PCIe? (ie, a PCIe 2.0 card slotted in a PCIe 1.0 motherboard)

I think he was talking about a problem with low FPS, rather than the artefact issue.

I use PCIe 1.1 (or 1 can't remember). I get the issues as well.

9.6 came out with some improvements to memory fragmentation. My guess is that BIS used some sort of, non Kosher, work around, that fails to work with the new drivers.

[thr0tt 12]

...and I use AGP and also have the issue so that covers all the bus options. Are we going to get back on to overclocking and overheating I wonder ?

[householddog 10]

Tell you what Thr0tt, if i am not around to yell them down, you have a go.

I think its safe to say the problem occurs on every I/O bus used in the last 6 years though.

[mr_centipede 31]

So we're not just discussing artifacts issue only? Sorry then, last time I check this thread it was artifacts issue.

I dont have artifacts nor low fps problems. dont know why... so I cant really help. and I'm using vista 64 too.

q9550 @ 2.83ghz; radeon 4870 512mb; asus p5ql pro mobo; 4gb kingston ram; 1280*1024 reso monitor (sorry my monitor is crap)

[householddog 10]

It was cobble together from 3 other threads, all talking about graphics artefacts occurring after 10 minutes.

D3lta really doesn't sound like he knows what he is talking about IMHO.

He certainly has no idea about testing methodology.

If his overclocked CPU did the trick for him, fantastic. Mind you, somebody who thinks raising the texture details should increase his FPS, probably doesn't know how to overclock, either.

[Cornstar 10]

Signed up for the forums, just to say I have the same issues. Massive graphical glitches all over the place. Chernarus Island is unplayable for me.

[thr0tt 12]

Cornstar, please also post specs otherwise we don't know on what system you have / GPU etc., thanks for input.

[dynamic.zman 10]

Signed up for the forums, just to say I have the same issues. Massive graphical glitches all over the place. Chernarus Island is unplayable for me.

Try setting textures and video memory to normal. That takes care of it for me usually. If I try to put it higher than that I get the terribly blinding artifacts. As for someone who mentioned overheating/overclocking, my card never gets above 60C when playing Arma II, so it is not the problem. Plus it goes away once I set the textures to normal.

E6750 @ 2.7ish ( I don't exactly remember haha)

4870 512MB with 9.6 Catalyst drivers

2GB

Windows XP 32bit

[Albert Schweitzer 10]

Just upgraded from a 8800GTS SSC to a 4890 TOP and arent impressed with the improvement at all. Do I have to erase the ArmA2.cfg so it starts to gather new informations again?

[Cornstar 10]

Cornstar, please also post specs otherwise we don't know on what system you have / GPU etc., thanks for input.

Sure thing.

Intel Duo Core E8400 @ 3.00 GHz

4 gig RAM

ATI Radeon HD 3870x2

ATI Catalyst 09.6

Win XP Home

* edit 1 and playing on most things on normal and Video Memory on Very High. The glitches appear quicker with higher settings, but in the ends I start seeing funny things and the whole thing goes funny. The SHIFT+-+flush does help a bit for a while. Sometimes.

* edit 2 upgraded ATI Catalyst to beta 09.7 with same results

* edit 3 used both -winxp and -maxmem=2047 addition to .exe, with same results

Edited July 14, 2009 by Cornstar

[ginger mcale 11]

@Bohemia: Have you guys been able to reproduce the artifacts bug on your rigs?

@Moderator: It would be great if you guys could update the thread name, the bug happens on more ATI cards then only the 48xx series.

[asmorrey1 10]

Hope you don't mind me commenting in this thread. I have a sapphire 4870 HD and noticed you were talking about temperetures early in the thread. Just standing my GPU is at 63 degrees celsius so god knows how high it gets when playing. Do you think increasing fan speed could improve game performance for me?

Core 2 e8200 2.66ghz, 2GB Pny Ram, 1GB saphire 4870HD

running the game on windows 7

thanks :)