Question from a new Arma player...

[SpiderCenturion 10]

Hey everyone,

I just picked up ARMA 2 after realizing that it's really the only large military sim out there. Like most people though, I wish my computer would be able to run it a bit faster and better. The optimization guides have helped out quite a bit so far, but I'm still only running smoothly on Low setting at 1024/768 resolution.

I'm not good at knowing what upgrades will help me the most. So I was hoping that some of you veterans would be able to look at my specs and tell me where my money would be best spent. (Thank you in advance)

Vista 64-bit

Intel® Core2 Quad CPU Q6700@2.66GHz 2.67GHz

4.00 GB of ram

NVIDIA GeForce 8600GT

(I'm at about 30FPS on low settings)

[Rogue_Trooper 10]

Keep your money for the moment mate till thext few patchs out till they get ARMA 2 settled down a bit.

[InFireBaptize 0]

as suggested above, but i would upgrade to windows 7

[-TwK-Danny 0]

Only a graphicscard upgrade is needed. You have a QuadCore wich is very powerful. 4GB of RAM is also plenty (ArmA2 at maximum uses 2GB).

However, the Geforce 8600GT is a really weak card. This is the only part of your PC that needs an upgrade.

If you are used to nvidia, and do not want to change brand.. i suggest you check out Geforce GTX 275 cards, or even GTX 285 cards.

If you dont mind changing brands, ATI Radeon HD4890s are a tad cheaper and perform the best in ArmA2.

http://www.pcgameshardware.de/screenshots/original/2009/05/ArmaA2-GPUs-1280-normal.png

As you can see in that chart, the 8800GT is about twice as fast as your current 8600GT. And theres a pretty big diffrence between those and the 4890s/GTX285s.

EDIT: Though as suggested above, the game suffers from low performance on virtually any computer out there and your best bet would be waiting for patches.

[SpiderCenturion 10]

Thanks for the quick responses. I am assuming that with each patch, I will gain some in the way of FPS. However, knowing that my card is quite outdated, what type of card would you recommend?

Also, is there an easy way to know which cards will be compatible with my computer? I don't know what type of power I have going to the current card now....

(thanks again for the help)

[wooly-back-jack 10]

that's a point.

Have a look at the back where teh power cable goes in. If no details are there, take a side panel off and have a look (with PC unplugged!)

If it is pre-built dell/packard bell etc, just google the machine number, it should come up with detailed specs.

[Razorman 10]

Don't go for graphics upgrade 1st, it's cpu speed that is most important with Arma 2, your cpu is too slow, 3.2ghz min will give better performance.

[wooly-back-jack 10]

don't talk cack, his main weakness there is EASILY the graphics card.

[InFireBaptize 0]

Don't go for graphics upgrade 1st, it's cpu speed that is most important with Arma 2, your cpu is too slow, 3.2ghz min will give better performance.

too slow? what are you talking about? you know what quad is? all he needs is a graphic card, GTX260 Core 216 should do it or Ati 4870, depends on his budget.

[nominesine 0]

Also: upgrading the GPU is easily done. Upgrading your processor is not and besides your quad core is way above what's needed. Go for a GPU if you must upgrade. But I play ArmA2 at higher resolution than you do, on an outdated rig. All in-game settings are on normal wich gives me 15-25 FPS.

Intel dual core @6600 2,3 Ghz

Nvidia 7900 GS (256 MB)

4 Gb RAM

I get 15-25 FPS in every situation. The game runs smooth at all times with no stuttering whatsoever. Bear in mind that an animated movie doesn't give you more than 24 frames per second.

[Binary 0]

Also check out the various FPS increasing mods.

Like this one.. Got me from ~25 to ~45 FPS

http://www.armaholic.com/forums.php?m=posts&q=7146

[nyran125 10]

Yep its the graphic card. That card you have, has alot of problems on heaps of high end games. You should of got the 8800 GTS or higher when you bought it , i know more expensive but the performance is a hell of a lot better than the 8600 series. That 8600 card you have actually performed worse than the ATi 1900xt's of 3 and a 1/2, 4 years ago. And the 1900 ati series was older almost a year older than the 8600, yet performed better. Heaps of people made the mistake in getting the 8600. But it comes down to finances. But arma 2 i would get today's latest graphic card technology, just think what kind of systems the actual GAME was made on. I have a 8800GTS 512mb came out in 2006 with the 8600 line up, and it runs Arma 2 on normal at about 35 fps average and a intel core 2 duo, and 2 gb ram. Runs fine on normal. Im going to upgrade with the next generation of Graphic cards after the 295 Gtx's. Because right now its just not really worth it for me because Arma 2 is the ONLY game that i have (Crysis runs a hell of alot better on max settings than Arma 2 does on my system on medium settings, personally i think Crysis has WAY better textures than Arma 2, just doesnt look as realistic). but anyway Arma 2 is the only game that has to be toned down in graphics on my system for it to run properly so its just not worth me upgrading system at the moment just to play 1 game. Next year should bring some cards that should run Arma 2 on max settings easy. But if you want to play Arma 2 badly then its time to give your 8600 nividia card to your mother so she can play Backgammon on the internet while you play Arma 2 on a Brand new Gcard.:):):):)

Edited August 1, 2009 by nyran125

[Bulldogs 10]

The fact that he's pulling 30 fps on low shows that it's most likely the graphics card, and that he's not likely to be suffering from the performance issues that many other here are suffering from (and anyone who knows about benchmarks will tell you that the card he's using is a major weak point)

A new card should give you a performance boost, but unless you're planning to overclock your CPU by a lot (or planning for the future) then don't go to overboard with your spending on a new card, something along the lines of a Ati 4870 or nVidia 275 should do well.

[SpiderCenturion 10]

Thanks for the advice guys. I'm curious though, does anyone know a good source of information on graphics cards? My problem is that I don't know which cards will fit my computer, if I have the right 'plugs' or power source for a new card. Any way I can find out for sure if a card will fit my rig before I plunk down $200 +??

[Bulldogs 10]

Check your motherboard manual or look at your old graphics card. Almost all motherboards only take 1 type of card connection. There are 3 different types. Pci (very old, you don't have that), agp (old, but you could have that), pci-e (express, newer, you could also have this type.

That's for connection type, as for power, many cards require a modular power connection. Most power supplies come with it, many come with the card itself, and if not you can always buy one for a few dollars.

The only other concern is how powerful your power supply is, you should be fine there but just for reassurance, if your power supply is over 500w then you should be fine

[Akilez 10]

Wait a sec....

Don't buy a 9xxx or 2xx video card without knowing for sure your mobo has a PCI-e 2.0 compliant slot for it (780i chipset or newer). If you do the card will run but at 50%. This is okay for a while if you're working your way through a total upgrade but knowing what your dealing with will minimize the stress surprises.

PSU will almost certainly need upgrading before a GPU upgrade will work (and then only with a mobo that can handle it).

So far you're looking at a PSU, GPU and MoBo which only leaves the CPU/RAM, drives and the case so you're talking about a significant investment.

Try overclocking that CPU as that wil be inexpensive (assuming you don't blow it up...lol) and you may learn some things along the way that will point you in the direction of the major upgrade that you really want and may need.

Good luck and OC with extreme caution..

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.

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

[kklownboy 43]

Hey everyone,

...

...

Intel® Core2 Quad CPU Q6700@2.66GHz 2.67GHz

...

...8600GT

There isnt a 775 socket that is able to run Q6700 That has AGP. And there isnt a 8600Gt AGP.

Open up your cases and read the branding on it, then read the info on your PSU, and notice the connectors. Should have a few if its any good....Google can help you with type of connectors you have. bet your borderline, and can use a 9800gtx or even a 48701gb.

Edited August 4, 2009 by kklownboy

[Plumb-82nd- 0]

I have the GTX 285 and I highly recommend it for ArmA II. It works great! Definitely worth the extra buck.

[Albert Schweitzer 10]

upgraded from a 8800GTS to a 4890 TOP and it didnt make a huge difference. Save the money and wait for the next patch. ARMA is about gameplay and not about graphics. Guess why so many people still play OFP! What counts for you is to find the right servers that fit best your preferences and not how to increase view distance.

[InFireBaptize 0]

i would wait for more patches before i upgrade anything, if BI optimized performance then your rig may be ok! be patient.

[Bulldogs 10]

It's a good idea to wait for the next patch.

As a side note, your CPU is fine, it's pushing far beyond your graphics card so I wouldn't worry too much about that. And you shouldn't need a new powersupply, and if you do you don't need to replace your motherboard for a new powersupply. The only case that would be is if you were running an old AT power supply, which you're not, unless you're running a pentium 2 from mid 90's.

[vasmkd 12]

I'm running this ok on my system, see signature

utes flies

Chernarus dropps to about 27-28fps in places with lots of buildings but averages 30-40fps. I do get 60fps in emptier places

Id'e say once this is optimized everything will be ok

I play with ,view distance on 2508, textures and vid mem high

AA off

resolution/3d res at 1680x1050

Everything else is on medium

[chuckles 10]

For most games your graphics card would be the issue. In ArmA 2 the graphics card is probably still the issue, but while ArmA 2 does use quad-core, from what I've seen and read, it uses one of the cores more heavily than the rest (my guess is main game loop on one core, offloaad AI routines onto the others?).

Simple upgrades you could try would be switching to Windows 7. I went from Vista 64-bit to Win7 RC 64-bit and it cleared up a lot of my problems, but my problems were more stability than performance. (The upgrade the win7 is free until next March/June and from Vista it's a pretty painless experience).

Another one you could try if you're feeling up to it would be overclocking your processor; lots of stuff can go wrong, but if you're careful and do it right you can wring a nice bit of performance out of it.

If neither of those help, then consider either upgrading your graphics card or waiting for more patches. (I'd probably upgrade your video card regardless, as it's pretty date by this point.)

Cheers

[novafluxx 10]

As others have said already, the graphics card is the bottleneck in that setup. I'd suggest ATI as they are usually cheaper then nVidia cards, so more bang for your buck.

I just picked up a 4890 myself, and it performs exceedingly well for me.

As has already been stated, ArmA 2 only uses 2GB of memory at the moment, so a memory upgrade wouldn't have much of an effect, especially if you're running a 32-bit OS.

I'd say video card is the best choice, but don't go overboard, remember, top of the line items drop price pretty fast!

Also, within the next few patches, we're all hoping to see some more optimizing and performance increases.

[SpiderCenturion 10]

Well, I've installed the new patch and have seen a definite improvement. I don't really have any glitches or bugs to speak of, but it is apparent that my main problem is that my comp is definitely struggling when I bump up the settings.

I'm going to get a new GPU, (and will have to upgrade my power supply of 375w to 500). Could you guys advise which graphics cards you would recommend for my specs? I hear good things about the 4870 and 4890 by ATI...

I don't know all of the correct speeds and stats for GPU's tho...could someone maybe link me to a GOOD 4890 (meaning all the numbers look good, processor, shader stuff...yada yada).

Thanks again for all the help. Impressed with the Arma community...