new to games and I am an old fart - Help!

[BDG 10]

Hi,

I was told I have a fast computer. It is a qx9650 processor and I use a gtx285 video board running os xp 32bits with 8gb memory. My questions are as follows for anyone who can explain.

1. The game offers detail settings for anistropic and antialiasing and many others. My confusion is what do I set in the game and what do I set at the control panel level. I was told by my son that some things should be set at the control panel level, but I am not sure which ones.

I read in the forum to set verticle sync to off and also disable the phyx option which I have done.

Any help from you smart guys and gals out there would be very much appreciated.

I have done a little basic training in the game and I am having a ball, but I know I still need to optimize this game.

I am also using a wide monitor 22 inch I believe (Hannspree)

Regards

Bob

[kremator 1065]

Hey BDG,

Dont worry about being an old fart. Quite a few you here *COUGH*!

Anyway just choose the native resolution for your monitor, starting with everything set to normal with the exception of Postprocessing (off) and AA (disabled) and AF (disabled) and just see how it plays.

For the graphics force vsync off and have everything else application controlled.

Apart from that enjoy!

[kasaubon 10]

Hi,

I was told I have a fast computer. It is a qx9650 processor and I use a gtx285 video board running os xp 32bits with 8gb memory. My questions are as follows for anyone who can explain.

You do realize that your 32bit O/S can only address 4gb of your RAM, right?

Go 64bit.

[ubermachtig 0]

Hey BDG,

Dont worry about being an old fart. Quite a few you here *COUGH*!

Anyway just choose the native resolution for your monitor, starting with everything set to normal with the exception of Postprocessing (off) and AA (disabled) and AF (disabled) and just see how it plays.

For the graphics force vsync off and have everything else application controlled.

Apart from that enjoy!

Don't forget to give it a try with "Physics accelerator" switched off. This is a function that can be switched off in the Nvidia control panel. It boosted my frames per second with 5-10 frames or so:)

[Big Dawg KS 6]

I read in the forum...

You have already demonstrated superior intelligence over most newcommers to these forums. On top of that you made an intelligent, well prepared post. You have restored some of my faith in mankind which I had begun to lose eariler today. :)

[ICE-Raver 10]

I run............

1680 x 1050 (my native resolution yours may be different.)

1680x1050 100%

AA normal

AF normal

Shadows high

PP low

and all other settings to high.

Try that. If you get bad results lower AA & AF to low. If you still have bad results turn shadows down & maybe turn everything else to normal.

Remember to turn off headbob if you don't like all the shaking around.

Good luck.

[BDG 10]

Never expected such a great response. I was thinking a couple of days. I thought for sure everyone would be busy killing the bad guys! Well, OK. I will try the suggestions from everyone. Native resolution somewhat puzzles me though. My monitor book told me to run at 1900x1200. It stated this setting looks the best. This seems awful high as many posts I have read, folks are running much lower. I will try the suggestions here for the monitor anyway. I did try the game again before I read this post and had a problem. The screen went sort of white but I could see the outline of my gun sort of and other structures. Not sure what this means. One think I forgot was my video card driver version. I was running the gold one 19038 I think but I could not even load this game as I got a screen with a blue background and white letters. It went away so fast I could not read it. Tried to run again and same thing. My son said there was a newer driver called 19040, so this on at least allowed me to run the game and start basic training.

Ok everyone. I cant thank you enough for you time.

Bob

---------- Post added at 01:26 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:22 PM ----------

Well, dunno how intelligent it was but thank you. This computer stuff really gets me to think. Kindof nice doing this stuff rather than sitting around watching movies and snacking. You dont really have to think much these days if you dont want to. I am just amazed at these little machines. My wife thinks I am sending emails. I got the speakers blasting but she's half deaf anyway.

Thanks much

Bob

---------- Post added at 01:28 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:26 PM ----------

You do realize that your 32bit O/S can only address 4gb of your RAM, right?

Go 64bit.

Yes, now that you remind me. Not sure why I have so much. Maybe if something goes wrong I can use the other half. Maybe the computer place made a mistake. Not sure.

Thanks

Bob

---------- Post added at 01:30 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:28 PM ----------

I run............

1680 x 1050 (my native resolution yours may be different.)

1680x1050 100%

AA normal

AF normal

Shadows high

PP low

and all other settings to high.

Try that. If you get bad results lower AA & AF to low. If you still have bad results turn shadows down & maybe turn everything else to normal.

Remember to turn off headbob if you don't like all the shaking around.

Good luck.

Well, the shaking around is what I do normally but not too bad these days. It is a little bit of a challenge though. My experience with weapons tells me these guys that made this game really did their homework.

Bob

---------- Post added at 01:32 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:30 PM ----------

Don't forget to give it a try with "Physics accelerator" switched off. This is a function that can be switched off in the Nvidia control panel. It boosted my frames per second with 5-10 frames or so:)

Yes indeed, I do have this off. I thank you for that bit of information.

Bob

[ICE-Raver 10]

1680x1050 is the native res of my monitor.

What is the make and model of your monitor? If it is picking 1900x1200 that is probably its native resolution but a quick google check can tell you for sure.

[BDG 10]

Hey BDG,

Dont worry about being an old fart. Quite a few you here *COUGH*!

Anyway just choose the native resolution for your monitor, starting with everything set to normal with the exception of Postprocessing (off) and AA (disabled) and AF (disabled) and just see how it plays.

For the graphics force vsync off and have everything else application controlled.

Apart from that enjoy!

I will give it my best. Thank you Sir! My son makes jokes about my age. His favorite joke is this: Yea, Dad's favorite game as a kid was "Name the 3 presidents".. Actually pretty clever joke.

Thanks

Bob

---------- Post added at 01:36 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:34 PM ----------

1680x1050 is the native res of my monitor.

What is the make and model of your monitor? If it is picking 1900x1200 that is probably its native resolution but a quick google check can tell you for sure.

Hi there!

Hannspree 22 inch

I dont see the model number on it though. Looked everywhere. Bought this from the Best Buy store.

Bob

[jaundiced 10]

welcome Bob :)

when considering using lower resolutions it is important to consider aspect ratio (at least to me). if you select lower resolutions with the same aspect ratio you will not suffer any distortion (read stretching).

your native resolution of 1920x1200 is a 16:10 aspect ratio resolution.

the following resolutions are also 16:10 resolutions, so if you pick these as your render resolution you will have an image that maintains the proportions of your native display - much easier on the eyes:

1680 x 1050

1440 x 900

1280 x 800

you may also want to consider disabling post processing. it gives a cleaner image and increases performance. if you like the blur effects keep it on.

let us know how it goes :) good luck.

Edited July 29, 2009 by jaundiced

[BDG 10]

welcome Bob :)

when considering using lower resolutions it is important to consider aspect ratio (at least to me). if you select lower resolutions with the same aspect ratio you will not suffer any distortion (read stretching).

your native resolution of 1920x1200 is a 16:10 aspect ratio resolution.

the following resolutions are also 16:10 resolutions, so if you pick these as your render resolution you will have an image that maintains the proportions of your native display - much easier on the eyes:

1680 x 1050

1440 x 900

1280 x 800

you may also want to consider disabling post processing. it gives a cleaner image and increases performance. if you like the blur effects keep it on.

let us know how it goes :) good luck.

Great! This is good information. I found my monitor model number.

It is an HF289. It is actually a 28 inch not 22. I understand the video system works harder the higher the monitor setting. So I think I should probably lower mine. I have not seen anyone running at this setting before. I will try the 1280 setting. I could not find on the google anything about native resolution. I am looking for the book now.

Thank you very much

Bob

Edited July 29, 2009 by BDG

[ICE-Raver 10]

FYI your native resolution is 1920x1200.

Just run a 16:10 ratio and all is well. Unless you like stretched images.

[SWAT_BigBear 0]

Hi Bob,

You do want to run the game at the same resolution as the monitor. Look in the game video options, and match the 3D res also (100%).

With large monitors, the game will looks it's best.

[wooly-back-jack 10]

hi there, I did reply earlier here

you can download Windows 7 from microsoft for free and use until march at least (its officially released in october this year so you can buy it before trial is up)

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/get/download.aspx

[nem 10]

Hi Bob,

You do want to run the game at the same resolution as the monitor. Look in the game video options, and match the 3D res also (100%).

With large monitors, the game will looks it's best.

So true.

If you run the game below the native resolution of the screen, then the screen will not be able to give the best picture.

It will become less crispy, lines and dots will not be 100% clear etc.

Now, if your eyesight is abit bad then you might not notice this :)

Also you are correct that the graphics card have to work harder with higher resolutions. Lowering the resolution will most likely give you a better performance..

Good luck with the game. (as for the 64bit OS.. you will not notice alot of difference unless you run alot of programs alongside with the game. the game will not use more than 2gb ram regardless of 32bit or 64bit OS)

Ill keep an eye on this thread for a few days.

[BDG 10]

hi there, I did reply earlier here

you can download Windows 7 from microsoft for free and use until march at least (its officially released in october this year so you can buy it before trial is up)

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/get/download.aspx

Hi Sir!

Well, you are not the first one that I have talked to that has mentioned another windows. My son has a version of windows xp 64 bits. Is this what you are talking about? I am having difficulty in the game as my screen gets funny colors then the menu text cannot be read. It is like it deteriorates the longer I play. I tried setting everything to low even and still have issues. Also turned off anostropic and antialias, and that did not help either.

Many are having problems with different video driver versions I have read. I am not sure what is wrong. Maybe my problem is this 19040 driver from nvidia.

Thanks

Bob

[RAYtracer 10]

"I was told I have a fast computer. It is a qx9650 processor and I use a gtx285 video board running os xp 32bits with 8gb memory. My questions are as follows for anyone who can explain."

People will argue with me about this but I think your best course of action is to just install windows7.. It's what I would tell my Mom to do if I ever let her call me for tech support again.. "shudder"

If you were a seasoned vet of computer taking apartness.. i would say get a copy of xp 64bit and watch the frames fly by in arma2 slighty faster than win7.... but then you are sorta playing with fire since it's an aging OS and you are getting all mechanical doing all that work for one computer game.. You have nice parts and spend more time not gaming so upgrade to the new girl on the block.

Get the free version of windows 7 that is out there. It is really easy to install goes on quick and it pretty much takes care of everything for you.. ie: the general public.. It will do updates automatically for your video drivers to the newest reliable flavor and you can go from there. Of course backup important stuff you have in case rabid chickens attack during the process.. Start to finish took about hour/ hour n a half for me.. was a breeze.

When I went from vista 64-win7 64 everything pretty much stayed the same for me it moved all my programs and files over and I didn't have to reinstall much ... I don't know if your sad clown screensaver from 1998 will work there but he needs to be put down anyways. Microsoft screwed up on vista so they want everything to go smooth for windows7.. plus it's free right now and your going to have to do it sooner or later anyways.

I've been there man..with xp 32bit/ 4gigs of ram for 2 years.. Weird problems all around.. Bleeding images.. blurry crap.. stuff that cant be explained. You have a Frankenstien machine like I did. 64 bits will fix it.

Goodluck on ya!

Edited July 30, 2009 by Placebo

[ICE-Raver 10]

Question on windows 7.

I just upgraded my pc this month and I got 64 bit vista from newegg and it came with a free upgrade to windows 7.

I went to Microsoft and filled out everything and I was informed that my upgrade is on order and will arrive in mid october-december 5th.

If I install the demo windows 7 do you think there will be issues when the full version gets to me? Or do you think I should just wait?

[Placebo 29]

Well the main issue is the possibility that you will need to do a fresh install when the retail version is out, rather than being able to install it over the top, so of course that takes some time configuring and installing all your old programs and such, but as long as you remember to copy over your C:\Users\Your Username\AppData folder then you should retain all settings and history and such for your programs, so it should take no more than a couple of hours.

[Reticulum 10]

---------- Post added at 01:28 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:26 PM ----------

Yes, now that you remind me. Not sure why I have so much. Maybe if something goes wrong I can use the other half. Maybe the computer place made a mistake. Not sure.

Thanks

Bob

You have so much RAm because you were ripped off by the people that built your PC. 32bit operating systems can only use about 3.25gb of RAM.

You need a 64bit OS to use the full 8GB.

[ubermachtig 0]

You have so much RAm because you were ripped off by the people that built your PC. 32bit operating systems can only use about 3.25gb of RAM.

You need a 64bit OS to use the full 8GB.

He has a valid point there, Your current computer can't handle 8GB's of ram. I don't want to push to buy a new windows version (when windows 7 will be released this might be the best moment to do this switch), but you'll definitely see an increase in performance in both games and 3d development programs (if you use them).

Especially more requiring games like ArmA 2 can perform better with the high amount of ram you have build in your computer. I'm sure this advantage will increase while ArmA 2 gets updated and optimized:)

[WILLUR 10]

Well you can force win xp to use the extra buffer although most likely to restrict the system to 4gig, I have a similar system and although running vista 64 bit and win 7 64bit, drivers are the 190 versions. I suggest old fat bastards like us to use nhancer to fix some problems with Crashes to desktop and other BSOD's, physx off, and when playing don't leave on menu too long seems to cause a memory leak when you save.

Win 7 is a RTM and will be released to the public sometime around xmas.

I have found win 7 more stable.

[-TwK-Danny 0]

I would agree with the poster who suggested Windows 7 64bit RC for free until windows 7 is released. That way he wouldnt have to buy an OS (vista) that is replaced in october 22nd by Windows 7.

As for performance, try keeping "Terrain detail" at normal (gives a pretty good performance boost. Object detail at normal will also boost performance without any major loss in imagequality. Anti Aliasing (multisampling) should be off or low for decent performance really.

Rest of the settings dont do much to performance on higher end cards (at least my HD4890 was not affected at all), so you could just put those at veryhigh without worrying too much.

[paragraphic l 2]

Hi Sir!

Well, you are not the first one that I have talked to that has mentioned another windows. My son has a version of windows xp 64 bits. Is this what you are talking about? I am having difficulty in the game as my screen gets funny colors then the menu text cannot be read. It is like it deteriorates the longer I play. I tried setting everything to low even and still have issues. Also turned off anostropic and antialias, and that did not help either.

Many are having problems with different video driver versions I have read. I am not sure what is wrong. Maybe my problem is this 19040 driver from nvidia.

Thanks

Bob

Do you know how to check your systems temperature? It might be caused by an overheating videocard or other part. ArmA has this effect a computers it asks more than most. But if you are overheating you get strange artifacts in your game and it shows in all kinds of ways, offcourse this gets worse the longer you play on. So it could be that.

If you haven't overclocked anything on your system be sure to put it in a place where there is enough air circulation, so don't place it in a closed cabinet under your desk. If it isn't allready you might have to get some beter cooling units in your PC. If it's overclocked, try and get back to default settings.

Hope this helps

[Akilez 10]

Hi Bob from a fellow 'old dude'..

Don't sweat the 8 GB of RAM. I'm not sure I understand the recommendation to go to a x64 system as every report I've seen shows ArmA 2 running the fastest on XP. More RAM will most definitely not help ArmA 2 run better and folks with more RAM are generally forced to limit it to 2 GB or so with the -maxmem switch. You're fine where you are my friend.

ArmA 2 is a 32 bit application and can't use anything that Vista 64 or Win 7 64 bring to the table. Installing a new OS prior to the initial (and inevitable) Service Pack is something I could not recommend. The Release Candidate (may have gone RTM when I wasn't looking) status of Win 7 assures you that it's not something you want to mess with unless you just love chasing gremlins through your computer and is totally unsupported in this status. Stay with XP 32 and enjoy this amazing game.

Maybe uninstalling, cleaning (Driver Sweeper in Safe Mode) and then re-installing the driver set may help if you've changed drivers recently. By just running the driver auto-installer each time you almost always leave remnants behind and is generally not recommended. Get Driver Sweeper for free at Guru3D-->http://downloads.guru3d.com/Guru3D---Driver-Sweeper-(Setup)_d1655.html. Also the 190.56 beta drivers are around somewhere I hear.

Definitely run 1900x1200 if that is the native resolution of your monitor...always looks best, and runs most efficently this way.

Best of luck good sir and I hope you thoroughly enjoy the experience this 'game' brings to the table..

.

.

Edit: Almost forgot to tell you that the game is prone to detect your video cards memory improperly. Most folks are setting this manually by editing the ArmA.CFG file with a text editor (eg Notepad). Make sure you convert your megabytes to bytes (eg 1GB=1048576000 Bytes) before entering (use an on-line calculator). The nonlocalvram should be the size of your Page File (look in Task Manager) and is also in bytes. Once finished set this ArmA.CFG file to 'read only' (right click - Properties) so the game doesn't overwrite your now correct settings.

.

.

Edited August 4, 2009 by Akilez
If it wasn't for typos my life would be damn near perfect.