NVIDIA video card(s) owners read here!

[special_air_service 10]

New NViDiA WHQL drivers 301.42 released on 22.05.2012

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

Have someone tried it ? or is this latest driver have some effect on ArmA II performance ? :D

[CHB68 10]

Just updated to 301.42 and everything works fine, but there is one thing I would like to know.

Does it make more sense to enable FXAA in the NVIDIA driver or in arma2oa.cfg? I assume it makes more sense in the config as the tuning is more optional, but I'm not sure.

What do you suggest ?

[MavericK96 0]

Just updated to 301.42 and everything works fine, but there is one thing I would like to know.

Does it make more sense to enable FXAA in the NVIDIA driver or in arma2oa.cfg? I assume it makes more sense in the config as the tuning is more optional, but I'm not sure.

What do you suggest ?

I'd recommend SMAA over FXAA anyway...

[CHB68 10]

I'd recommend SMAA over FXAA anyway...

I prefer a mixure of both. 2 x SMAA + 15 FXAA looks awsome. But unfortunately this does not answer my question.....:(

[Atkins 10]

What am I missing, I just can't see any improvement from neither FXAA nor SMAA, no matter what i choose from arma2oa.cfg. But when I enable FSAA in-game I can see a clear benefit (and gpu hit as well).

What is the difference with FSAA levels "Low to Very High" and "5 to 8"? Is it just a continuum of FSAA or what?

[MavericK96 0]

I prefer a mixure of both. 2 x SMAA + 15 FXAA looks awsome. But unfortunately this does not answer my question.....:(

I see. Well, the easy way would be to try both driver FXAA and in-game FXAA and see if there is any difference. :p

My guess is the in-game would be better in terms of not distorting the text as much (if at all) since it is integrated.

---------- Post added at 08:54 ---------- Previous post was at 08:53 ----------

What am I missing, I just can't see any improvement from neither FXAA nor SMAA, no matter what i choose from arma2oa.cfg. But when I enable FSAA in-game I can see a clear benefit (and gpu hit as well).

What is the difference with FSAA levels "Low to Very High" and "5 to 8"? Is it just a continuum of FSAA or what?

Are you setting FXAA and SMAA in the cfg? You have to enable it manually.

http://community.bistudio.com/wiki/arma2.cfg#ARMA_2:_Operation_Arrowhead

[CHB68 10]

I see. Well, the easy way would be to try both driver FXAA and in-game FXAA and see if there is any difference. :p

:D Sure, already gave it a try but there is no remarkable difference. But I think you are right with your conclusion as the in-game option is more optional.....and never change a running system :p

[Atkins 10]

I see. Well, the easy way would be to try both driver FXAA and in-game FXAA and see if there is any difference. :p

My guess is the in-game would be better in terms of not distorting the text as much (if at all) since it is integrated.

---------- Post added at 08:54 ---------- Previous post was at 08:53 ----------

Are you setting FXAA and SMAA in the cfg? You have to enable it manually.

http://community.bistudio.com/wiki/arma2.cfg#ARMA_2:_Operation_Arrowhead

Yes ofc. I've tried almost all PPAA settings according to the arma wiki page. I just don't see the benefit from either SMAA nor FXAA. FSAA is way superior.

[MavericK96 0]

Yes ofc. I've tried almost all PPAA settings according to the arma wiki page. I just don't see the benefit from either SMAA nor FXAA. FSAA is way superior.

Well, yeah, FSAA is probably always going to be superior in terms of image quality, but the performance hit is much more substantial with it over shader-based methods.

Personally, I use a mix of FSAA and SMAA to get a nice, smooth result.

As for your previous question about FSAA levels, I believe "Normal" is something like 2x MSAA, "Very High" is 4x MSAA, and then the numbers go up from there.

[Atkins 10]

Well, yeah, FSAA is probably always going to be superior in terms of image quality, but the performance hit is much more substantial with it over shader-based methods.

Personally, I use a mix of FSAA and SMAA to get a nice, smooth result.

As for your previous question about FSAA levels, I believe "Normal" is something like 2x MSAA, "Very High" is 4x MSAA, and then the numbers go up from there.

Yepp, FSAA looks a lot better. It reduces the flickering of distance objects and things like cranes and electrical wires look like they actually have AA but with SMAA or FXAA it looks the same as without them :(

I wonder what kind of GPU(s) it takes to use FSAA > 4 in Chernarus cos I really can't set it higher than 1/2 (low/normal) without getting stutter when near the orange colored trees. And I am running 560 Ti SLI with 19x12 resolution. Could the 1Gb DDR5 be the culprit?

[MavericK96 0]

It is definitely possible, as anything over 4x FSAA (and even 4x itself) can be hard on a 1 GB or less setup. However I was running Very High FSAA on my GTX 570 SLI setup (1.25 GB VRAM) and it didn't have much of a problem. I think at that point (and still) I am CPU limited more than anything, since changing FSAA to Low and back to Very High didn't make much of a difference framerate-wise.

[bangtail 0]

FXAA/SMAA does not look as good as hardware AA but with A2, I'd much rather use it than FSAA as that annoying white outline that you encounter is just not acceptable to me at all.

Now that I am back to 4GB cards, I don't use FXAA in BF3 anymore as FSAA looks way better and that game does not have the 'white outline effect' (Not that I have seen anyway).

Edited May 25, 2012 by BangTail

[MavericK96 0]

You don't even need 4 GB cards to run 4x FSAA + FXAA in ArmA 2.

But yeah, that white outline doesn't bother me that much I guess.

[bangtail 0]

You don't even need 4 GB cards to run 4x FSAA + FXAA in ArmA 2.

But yeah, that white outline doesn't bother me that much I guess.

Yep, I should have said that you need 2.5 - 3GB for 1600P, I have yet to see ArmA 2 (or BF3) break 3GB so I apologise for not being clear on that.

The white outline really bugs me tbh.

I've used 4x FSAA @1600P (2GB cards) and it is ok in some places but in built up areas or heavily wooded areas, it starts to hit the VRAM limit and I get jerky gameplay (I never had this problem on the 3GB 580s and the VRAM usage often went as high as 2.7GB)

(That is using default memory settings, using Vhigh will limit the VRAM usage so it's not a huge problem although I notice less 'draw in' using default due to the increased VRAM usage)

Edited May 26, 2012 by BangTail

[kirkherbstreit 1]

I'm having problems with the game randomly minimizing. I've read that the issue is related to nVidia cards, so will the tools in this thread fix the problem, or is it still an ongoing issue? Please not everything else is working perfectly graphics-wise, except for this stupid bug.

[kingnl 0]

Did anyone try the new adaptive vsync yet? It's a god's blessing for me. I normally have around 45 to 50 fps, but it doesn't feel fluently. This is because the frame rate can go between 30 and 80 fps for me, making the game feel choppy.

With adaptive vsync you have the option to lock it to half fps. So vsync with 30 fps. This means no frame rate continuously changing between 30 and 80 fps making the game feel choppy, but constantly a smooth 30 fps.

[MavericK96 0]

You can also use regular VSync + Triple Buffering forced with a program like D3DOverrider + framerate cap of your refresh rate - 2 or so. That works flawlessly for me, better than Adaptive VSync because you don't get tearing regardless.

[MiniGunDad 0]

I'm experiencing a drop in framerate and also a problem with one GPU running at 5-11% while the other is at 95-98% whilst using the 301.42 driver. I left the NVCP settings at default. I lived with the low frames for a few days then did some NVCP tweaks and in game tweaks and the situation got worse. Finally reinstalled 296.10 driver and hey bingo everything back to normal;

Example of problem (no seetings changed in game between two scenarios just a restart of ArmA2);

Driver 301.42

Run ArmA2 OA with Lingor & Isla Duala MODS

Open screen video 13FPS

In game (LAN Warfare Duala) 22-25FPS at deployed HQ Swonto Airport scrub/desert with small buildings

GPU SLI split 95% - 11% (appx)

Driver 296.10

Run ArmA2 OA with Lingor & Isla Duala MODS

Open screen video 65FPS

In game (LAN Warfare Duala) 38-45FPS at deployed HQ Swonto Airport scrub/desert with small buildings

GPU SLI split 35% - 35% (appx)

Is it me or are there some issues with the version of the NVIDIA driver? I'm goning to reinstall 301.42 just to confirm and post again - in the mean time any comments greatly appreciated.

[SWAT_BigBear 0]

MiniGunDad: Try the new Vsync options. Mine defaulted to "Adaptive-half refresh rate".

I prefer "Adaptive", but you should try all options.

[MiniGunDad 0]

Just tried with 301.42 again and the SLI split seems to be sorted but FPS still only 25-35. So i set up a UTES map with one man running from wood to Kamenyy;

D 301.42 FPS 25 upto 37 in - town threw smoke just before buildings GPU's work harder FPS not much change

D 296.10 FPS 30 upto 45 in - town threw smoke just before buildings GPU's work harder FPS not much change

So i'm thinking a CPU issue? But there is a differnce in FPS for the two drivers.

Try the new Vsync options. Mine defaulted to "Adaptive-half refresh rate".

I prefer "Adaptive", but you should try all options.

Hmmm this is not in the 296.10 driver so will install 301.42 (again :icon_rolleyes:) and do some more tests!

---------- Post added at 11:26 ---------- Previous post was at 10:43 ----------

Just tried with 301.42 again - UTES map with one man running from wood to Kamenyy;

D 301.42 VSync Half Refresh Rate

FPS 30 constant - town threw smoke just before buildings GPU's work harder FPS constant 30

Look at sky 30 FPS

Look at ground 30 FPS

D 301.42 VSync On

FPS 25-45 - town threw smoke just before buildings GPU's work harder FPS variable to max 45

Look at sky 60 FPS

Look at ground 60 FPS

D 301.42 VSync Off

FPS 25-45 - town threw smoke just before buildings GPU's work harder FPS variable

Look at sky 140 FPS

Look at ground 110 FPS

To be honest i'm always gonna have VSync off - i brought a 120Hz monitor to use it not restrict it ;) - also i've played Takistan maps and had frames over 60, which is an advantage when online (well anything above 40 is!!). An i forgot to mention my settings are mostly V High and High. I did try some lower settings but the view is not so pleasing - once you've had grass you don't like to lose it :p plus all the other beautiful details that this game gives. Overall i think i need to tweak the in game settings and bump my CPU speed up. I will give this a go and report back later today.

---------- Post added at 12:19 ---------- Previous post was at 11:26 ----------

CPU Level Up to 3.75GHz

D301.42 again - UTES map with one man running from wood to Kamenyy;

D 301.42 VSync Off

FPS 39-47 & more - town threw smoke just before buildings GPU's work harder FPS variable

Look at sky 154 FPS - unbelievable FPS?

Look at ground 110 FPS

Conclusion

Not sure why all of a sudden i was having FPS issues - maybe the new driver but this is inconclusive. One thing is for sure bumping up the CPU has improved FPS by at least 30% (30FPS to 40FPS). However, during general PC use i see that the CPU temp is up by 2-3C, once in full flow on a warfare map i will monitor temp. I also intend to give the CPU a full work out at it's max of 4.2GHz though during my brief tests the CPU reached 3.9GHz. So to wrap up => tweak it, tweak it again, and of course tweak it until you are happy :D

Edited June 13, 2012 by MiniGunDad
FPS VSync On - had to look at screenshots

[hiper 1]

Arma 2 1.60 player, two setups, same problems.

1:

Intel Quad 4x2,4ghz, 3GB

GForce 8600GTS - 1280x1024

low quality

New drivers

city - 4-8fps

wood - 10-30fps

busy of CPU as hell :(

2:

Intel Quad 4x2,4ghz, 3GB

GForce GTX560 - 1280x1024

high quality / low quality

New drivers

city - 5-14fps

wood - 15-60fps

busy of CPU as hell (no different) :(

What You calculating(???) in CPU where user is in city where see much simple scenery, or user is in staircase (see few walls) but this is in factory, and CPU wanna burn, fps very low, graphic card waiting for CPU.

This is not logic.

In wood (very many trees, many polygons) I have much much more fps.

Moving under wall in some city/factory and i see much less objects, simple walls, have only few fps, CPU wanna burn.

I have only one idea, You calculating some interaction/phisics for this all polygons objects in city/insdustrial, even there are no any action, so this killing CPU.

And in wood You calculating interaction/phisics only for trunk of wood and ground (and other objects if they are), so CPU have much less work to do.

Don't You think this is very good idea to optimize this? ;)

Game will be much much faster.

Arma2 need such many POWER of my CPU like no any other game before.

Today I'll check: ftp://downloads.bistudio.com/arma2.com/update/beta/ARMA2_OA_Build_93701.zip

So if this help me, I'll will write!

Edited June 13, 2012 by hiper

[MiniGunDad 0]

hiper .. i think you just need to experiment with various settings. These forums have many many many posts and it is hard to find something useful but try these

http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?101124-Operation-Arrowhead-performance-optimizations-comparisons/page39 or

http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?85124-ArmA2-OA-%28low%29-performance-issues&p=2081466#post2081466

Inside both these pages are different threads with various ideas and also further links - try the simple things before thinking about Beta patches and other downloads. Also there are benchmark testers inside the Single Player Scenario menu in the game - these can provide a constant test each time you make a change.

It is frustrating shutting the game down and restarting but perseverance is the key.

[MJK-Ranger 0]

Hi.

This is strange, i'm sure you should go back to v.296.10 WHQL.

I don't have any problems with 301.42 WHQL, and i'm running ArmA2 at 60 FPS all the time.

[hiper 1]

...

I don't have any problems with 301.42 WHQL, and i'm running ArmA2 at 60 FPS all the time.

I think You have very fast CPU Liku You wrote: CPU: Intel® Core i5-2500K @ 4.5 Ghz

I see like my CPU have very big problems, where I'm going in to some house/factory/ or i'm on street, and few house around me.

Yesterday I make few test. I see like my graphic card waiting for CPU. Don't You think this is very strange, when I looking on:

- horizont width buildings and have ~32 FPS

- looking very close on some wall, and have same ~32 FPS, my head have horizont and buildings on center BUT behind wall so this calculating something what i don't see

- but in this same place I looking on sky have 80 FPS, and looking on ground have ~78 FPS.

I can OFF all graphic high and normal quality to low and very low or disabled, but only where I set objects and terrain details to low, have incrase of FPS from 32 fps go up to 55 fps. This is not good solution, Arma looking very poor. So I make few test again, and:

- no special different if Vsync is off / on

- monitoring my CPU and FPS when I run in to some building

and I see like my CPU going hot and fps going down if i have on screen some objects buildings, so this is clear, CPU make a lot of work for objects... :(

sooo... fast CPU make fast calculate for objects, and graphic card don't need waiting for data, but I have a lot of power, 4x 2,4 GHZ, and it going hot up to 82*C in arma... only, and where we clearing buildings from any enemies, or running on street I have 11-20 fps.... funny :(

I'll try beta, for test, but if some developer will not fixed thread about objects calculating in CPU, it will be waste of time.

And I can't understand what is calculating for this objects, because they are simple, not hi-poly, they are low-poly, and very big different in FPS when from low-poly go in to lower-poly (objects go from normal to low).

I think there is some much much more where this option will be changed.

Edited June 14, 2012 by hiper

[MiniGunDad 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.

i'm running ArmA2 at 60 FPS all the time.

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

Edited June 14, 2012 by MiniGunDad