NVIDIA video card(s) owners read here!

[MJK-Ranger 0]

I have gone back to 301.42 as i think i had a bad install of the drivers (SLI split not working correctly). This version seems to work fine now.

Your specs are impressive and most likely give you that edge - anyway what in game settings do you use? Maybe i can replicate.

Hi.

It could be my CPU, but before i had a GTX 285 and it didn't run at 60 FPS.

And your GPU card kick my GPU down somewhere. The 590 is a very good card :)

You may take a look at this site, comparison between you card and mine.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/516?vs=598

And here is my ingame settings:

http://s9.postimage.org/cuqrgpn5b/arma2_settings.png (461 kB)

Edited June 14, 2012 by MJK-Ranger

[MiniGunDad 0]

It could be my CPU, but before i had a GTX 285 and it didn't run at 60 FPS.

I used to have two GTX285's and still had low FPS! So what settings are you using because no matter what i try including running CPU at 4.2GHz i am stuck at 30-60 FPS depending on environment. Also please run the E08 Benchmark and tell me what figure you get - i get around 45FPS. Edited June 14, 2012 by MiniGunDad

[MJK-Ranger 0]

I used to have two GTX285's and still had low FPS! So what settings are you using because no matter what i try including running CPU at 4.2GHz i am stuck at 30-60 FPS depending on environment. Also please run the E08 Benchmark and tell me what figure you get - i get around 45FPS.

And here is my ingame settings:

http://s9.postimage.org/cuqrgpn5b/arma2_settings.png (461 kB)

The E08 Benchmark i have 60 FPS.

Maybe you should try do disable HT (Intel HT Technology) in your BIOS if you have it enable and make sure you set (RESTORE) Global Profiles to default settings in your NVIDIA CONTROL PANEL.

Edited June 14, 2012 by MJK-Ranger

[MiniGunDad 0]

Before i disable HT in the BIOS i tried two scenarios with your exact same settings;

Both GPU's working with PhysX on Auto - E08 BM => 36FPS

One GPU doing all the work and PhysX on the other GPU - E08 BM => 57FPS

Maybe when both GPU's are running the memory use is too much - if that's possible?

By disabling hyper threading, what will that do exactly? I assume just 4 threads from 4 cores instead of 8 threads from 4 cores - but how does that help?

Ok disabled HT =>

VSync Enabled

Both GPU's working with PhysX on Auto - E08 BM => 54FPS

One GPU doing all the work and PhysX on the other GPU - E08 BM => 57FPS

VSync Disabled

Both GPU's working with PhysX on Auto - E08 BM => 42FPS

One GPU doing all the work and PhysX on the other GPU - E08 BM => 46FPS

VSync - adapative half refresh

Both GPU's working with PhysX on Auto - E08 BM => 49FPS

VSync - adapative

Both GPU's working with PhysX on Auto - E08 BM => 50FPS

I could go on and on here but wont bore you. I will experiement and give best results when done.

Edited June 14, 2012 by MiniGunDad
Various FPS figures added

[Pinecone 1]

ooohhhh

[MiniGunDad 0]

ooohhhh

Calm down dear! But since you are waiting with baited breath; My conclusion is summed up by saying i don't know why i can't get more than 50FPS on the E08 Benchmark. Even when i set the in game settings to 'Low' :eek: i still only get 51FPS. What is clear is that having my 590 running in SLI is a waste of time as it does not increase FPS in fact there is a slight reduction :( This leads me to think i have a CPU issue - maybe i need to get a better CPU? Or maybe an SSD? Who knows eh.

[MJK-Ranger 0]

Calm down dear! But since you are waiting with baited breath; My conclusion is summed up by saying i don't know why i can't get more than 50FPS on the E08 Benchmark. Even when i set the in game settings to 'Low' :eek: i still only get 51FPS. What is clear is that having my 590 running in SLI is a waste of time as it does not increase FPS in fact there is a slight reduction :( This leads me to think i have a CPU issue - maybe i need to get a better CPU? Or maybe an SSD? Who knows eh.

Hi.

Even when i set the in game settings to 'Low' i still only get 51FPS.

Yeah that is strange. Maybe if you can, try to not run in SLI. Only use one GTX 590 and test again. I can send you a image of my NVIDIA CONTROL PANEL settings. I think it still on default.

http://s9.postimage.org/6ct5pbarz/image.png

http://s9.postimage.org/d4o65wp5b/image.png

In the NVIDIA CONTROL PANEL, you can try to change "Power Management Mode" from ADAPTIVE to Prefere Maximum Performance.

Prefere Maximum Performance: maintains the card at it's maximum performance state when 3D applications/games are running regardless of GPU usage, which can

increase power consumption.

And when i'm running the E08 Benchmark. My CPU don't work much, Core 0 = 90%, Core 1 = 20 - 40%, Core 2, 40 - 70% and Core 3, 40 - 70% and my GPU load is around 30 - 60%

This leads me to think i have a CPU issue - maybe i need to get a better CPU?

Well i know that ARMA2 love CPU power :) But you had yours OC to 4.2Ghz? And it should not be so much different from 4.5Ghz.

And look at this: http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/99?vs=288

It's not much different from your CPU and my CPU at stock speed.

Edited June 15, 2012 by MJK-Ranger

[[frl]myke 14]

@Pinecone

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[MiniGunDad 0]

Maybe if you can, try to not run in SLI. Only use one GTX 590 and test again.

Ok i saw a slight error in my last post=> by SLI i meant my 590 (i only have one) either in multi or single GPU mode (NVCP) as in essence it is two cards in one. Right i used MJK-Ranger's images to set the NVCP - i see you rely on the Global Settings not the Program Settings (Ques: does one override the other?). Some slight differences for me is that NVCP recognises my monitor and offers refresh rate either app controlled or highest available - neither made much difference! On the same 'line' the VSync option IGS (In Game Setting) does not give much difference apart from on ArmA2 menu screens where framerate is double to 250(variable) instead of 120(static). So i am always 'disabled'.

Now, however.... i have fiddled with the 'pagefile' - oh yes i am a naughty boy. Firstly i increased it from "6135 W7" managed to "9216 - 10240 Custom" == no FPS difference. And also PF to "500 - 600", this setting gives me a noticeable difference upping my average FPS and on the E08 BM i'm between 45 & 55 depending on action. However, as ArmA2 only uses a max of 2048 RAM why would it use the PF and not the RAM - i checked performance manager and the actual mem use was 1935. Also surely using the BM rather than a map entices lower mem use and thus no read/write from HD?

Well i know that ARMA2 love CPU power But you had yours OC to 4.2Ghz? And it should not be so much different from 4.5Ghz.

And look at this: http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/99?vs=288

It's not much different from your CPU and my CPU at stock speed.

I would leave my CPU at 4.2GHz but the FPS change was nothing more than a few frames. I tried other OC'ing incl memory up at 2000MHz but it BSOD'd and frames were not great either. Current setting is OC memory at 1800MHz and CPU at 3.5GHz. On my mobo i can choose various presets or individual settings but as i'm not getting a eureka moment i have decided to leave "as is" for now. Also i have now spent 4hrs benching rather than gaming :(

Apart from questioning my sanity i'm starting to think that i'm missing something simple here OR am i expecting to much from my PC?

[EDcase 87]

I think the benchmark scenes are good to test your entire system but don't use it to tweak settings because it stresses too many components all at once so its too hard to tell which is the problem.

There are 3 main areas that ARMA uses which can be bottlenecks: (assuming you have at least 2GB RAM free for ARMA to use)

Better CPU: more AI

Better GPU: higher graphics settings and higher resolution

Faster HDD/SSD: Better landscape streaming reducing stutter when turning quickly or flying.

If you want better fps then don't put gfx settings high for everything.

Settings which I don't think make a huge difference to the look but help increase fps:

Texture Detail=NORMAL

Terrain Detail=LOW

HDR quality=NORMAL

Resolution a bit lower than native can still look good.

If you have low fps then turn on 'Tripple Buffer' in NVidia settings to make it smoother. (you do not need to turn on vsync)

Edited June 15, 2012 by EDcase

[MavericK96 0]

Triple Buffering enabled in the nVidia CP will do nothing in ArmA 2 because that setting is for OpenGL only, and ArmA 2 is a DirectX game. You can, however, use a program like D3DOverrider to force DirectX Triple Buffering.

Texture Detail shouldn't make much difference unless you are VRAM limited, but those other two settings definitely make a difference. The other setting that makes the largest difference is View Distance.

[MiniGunDad 0]

Better CPU: more AI

Better GPU: higher graphics settings and higher resolution

Faster HDD/SSD: Better landscape streaming reducing stutter when turning quickly or flying.

If you want better fps then don't put gfx settings high for everything.

Settings which I don't think make a huge difference to the look but help increase fps:

Texture Detail=NORMAL

Terrain Detail=LOW

HDR quality=NORMAL

Resolution a bit lower than native can still look good.

If you have low fps then turn on 'Tripple Buffer' in NVidia settings to make it smoother. (you do not need to turn on vsync)

EDCase many thnaks for your input. I have tried these settings and oustside of the BM i have seen some improvement. I think overall i am now settled with the settings i have chosen (a mix of all the replies i have had) and just need to get in a couple of hours hard gaming in so that i can see how it 'plays in the real world'.

Many thanks to all who have responded with ideas and i hope this can help others. I have bookmarked this page as it has many other interesting posts and i will return occasionally to see what gives.

---------- Post added at 17:53 ---------- Previous post was at 17:49 ----------

Texture Detail shouldn't make much difference unless you are VRAM limited, but those other two settings definitely make a difference. The other setting that makes the largest difference is View Distance.

Thanks for additional input. I had already reduced VD to 2200 from 3600 but what is a good 'middle of the road' setting? And another question what is HDR?

[MavericK96 0]

HDR means High Dynamic Range (Lighting). It has to do with the lighting effects such as bloom, over-saturation, etc. To be perfectly honest, I haven't seen much visual difference between Normal and Very High, so I leave it at Normal since maxing it out is a fairly big performance hit.

As for VD, I personally go with 3600, but I would say no more than 4000 depending on your hardware. Best thing to do is just run FRAPS and get in a low FPS area (around Chernogorsk maybe?) and start upping it until the framerate becomes unacceptable to you. For me I found a good balance of performance and visual quality was around 3600 so I stick with that. That number will vary depending on your system.

[rollingthunder5001 1]

This game used to run great on my old graphics card (Nvidia 9600GSO), but after upgrading to the Nvidia 560 GTI w/ 1gb DDR5, I'm only getting about 10-15 fps, regardless of the graphics quality settings -- doesn't matter if it's ultra low, windowed mode, or maxed-out. My GPU meter shows that it's using about 30% of the GPU processor and less than 10% of the graphics memory. The CPU meter sits around 60%. I've tried running this with vsync disabled and PhysX disabled, to no avail. My drivers are the latest available version.

My current setup is: Nvidia 560 GTI 1gb DDR5, Intel I3 2120, 8gb DDR3. I'm running Windows Server 2008 R2 as a workstation (basically Vista 64). I can play every other game I own on maxed-out settings.

Edited June 16, 2012 by rollingthunder5001

[MiniGunDad 0]

Just by chance i was reading some forums and i had a Eureka moment => my PSU is an Everest 1200 Pro and the 12v Rails kick out 20A, the GTX590 needs 50A does it not? Maybe this would explain no more than 40% usage when both GPU's are enabled. Suppose i need a different PSU?

Edited June 17, 2012 by MiniGunDad
Removed image - possible EVGA glitch

[MiniGunDad 0]

What a Noob! :rolleyes: My PSU (Everest Pro 1200) has six 12v outputs (3x6 Pin & 3x8 Pin) each giving 20A so when using two of these (2 of the 8 Pin) the card is only getting 40A max. The PSU manual says it will give a max over current of 35A so not sure why my 590 would not suck it to the limit. Still I have just used a 2x6 Pin to 8 Pin adapter thus giving up to 60A, there is a noticeable FPS averaging at least 10FPS more on three tests i have done. Also used memory has gone from 800MB to 1300MB, so convincing me that this was a PSU issue. Right now i'm considering a new PSU as this PSU will only give a max of 90A on the 12v lines, so if i get another card i'll need a beefier one.

[pauliesss 2]

New NViDiA Beta drivers 304.48 released on 18.06.2012

http://www.nvidia.com/Download/Find.aspx?lang=en-us

[meade95 0]

Curious, what Temp's are other GTX 590 card owners experincing when running A2/OA. My card is reaching mid 80c's (with Fan profile reaching 90%). Seems way too high. My system just RTM my video card for a new one.....But I'm just curious what others are showing for GPU Temps..... Thanks

[gunso 10]

Curious, what Temp's are other GTX 590 card owners experincing when running A2/OA. My card is reaching mid 80c's (with Fan profile reaching 90%). Seems way too high. My system just RTM my video card for a new one.....But I'm just curious what others are showing for GPU Temps..... Thanks

That seems normal if the gpu have been running at 100% all the time. It also depends on your room temp. I use aircond to cool my room if i want to reduce my gpu temp. if it seems too hot.

But when i play arma2 online, my GPU is usually just at 30-40% at my native monitor resolution (1920 x 1080)

[MavericK96 0]

80 C at 90% fan speed seems hot to me. Maybe check on your case cooling. Does it get that high with other games as well? (BF3, Crysis, etc.)

[Atkins 10]

Or just run Unigen Heaven benchmark few times and compare the temps to A2.

[larsiano 12]

Dont forget that highend card are not famous for being quite. Ive got exactly the same temps wth my 590 and thats with a brand new card with in an open case, The problem with ArmA2 is that it like to keep the fans running even in the menu's and maps making the noise guite bad and irregular... maybe i will watercool mine if i get the chance :)

[meade95 0]

Thanks for replies. I think 80's'c is just too high (espeically with fan speed at 90%). I watch reviews on youtube and it does ever seem to be getting that high.

I have a new 590GTX on shipment to me. Dell agreed to RTM my card for a new one because of the Temps.

Let me ask, what Driver version are others using (all Nvidia card ownerrs). Which works best with A2/OA..... I believe the latest ones I read were having issues with Arma2/OA. I'm currently running the 285 version.

[gunso 10]

Curious, what Temp's are other GTX 590 card owners experincing when running A2/OA. My card is reaching mid 80c's (with Fan profile reaching 90%). Seems way too high. My system just RTM my video card for a new one.....But I'm just curious what others are showing for GPU Temps..... Thanks

ah, but my casing have 3 big fans sucking out the air from the casing. Maybe you just need a better airflow for the casing.

Thanks for replies. I think 80's'c is just too high (espeically with fan speed at 90%). I watch reviews on youtube and it does ever seem to be getting that high.

I have a new 590GTX on shipment to me. Dell agreed to RTM my card for a new one because of the Temps.

Let me ask, what Driver version are others using (all Nvidia card ownerrs). Which works best with A2/OA..... I believe the latest ones I read were having issues with Arma2/OA. I'm currently running the 285 version.

currently i'm using the latest beta. Dont really see any problem, been playing the game everyday online since the latest beta updates.

[RedSnt 1]

If you're experiencing high GPU temperatures and you have more than one monitor hooked up to your system try changing "Multi-display/mixed-GPU acceleration" to "Multiple display performance".

When I was running ArmA2 with the "Single display performance mode" my GPU was at 100% usage all the time and according to MSI Afterburner the GPU was about 100 degrees celsius hot most of the time. Now it's down to about 70-80 degrees, and average usage around 40%.

I'm running the Nvidia beta driver version 304.79.