ArmA2 / OA (low) performance issues

[Bulldogs 10]

It all depends on the CPU you're using.

If you're using a Pentium 4 based CPU then disabling it will most likely decrease performance. If you're using a Core i7 based CPU then disabling it will most likely not drop performance in anything you are using but may lower power usage and fix what's called "cache thrashing" in Arma 2 and several other games and applications. If you're using a Core based processor (Core 2 duo, Quad Core) then HT won't have any affect and disabling it is probably best choice (Core based processors don't support HT)

The way HT works is that it creates a virtual core for each core of your CPU. What that means is that in the case of the single Core processors (Pentium 4) it creates a 2nd virtual core to simulate a dual core CPU. This is handy for single core CPU's but the i7's already have 4 cores so enabling HT and getting more cores isn't useful right now as nothing really fully utilizes more than 4 cores at this stage (at least, nothing you're likely to be using), it's mainly there for future proofing and server/render farms.

The downside of HT is that it can create cache thrashing syndrom, which is where your CPU's cache is thrashed drastically, as in the case of Arma 2 (hence the lag spikes), this not only lags the CPU but puts excessive strain on it and can cause overheating problems. Even Intel suggests disabling HT unless you plan to fully utilize it for something.

The Core CPU's (core 2 duo, quad core) never had HT built in as it was a process of emulating extra cores and it wasn't believed that people would need more than 2/4 cores.

[Sgt. Hugo Stiglitz 10]

Yep, classes just started so things are hectic, but I want to speak to the guys at Gateway again and get them to tell me how to unlock my BIOS, to disable HT.

[steverido 10]

CPU - Intel core 2 duo E6850

4GB Ram

2x EvGA 9800 GTX SSC

EvGA 680i Mobo

PC Cool & Quiet 1KW PSU

Display driver 8.15.0011

Vista 64 bit

I have setup SLI and installed the patch and SLI enhancement but I am only getting a maximum of 17fps in fraps.

Surely with 2 of these cards I should be getting much higher!!

The settings in the control panel are high except for antialiasing and anisotropic which are set to normal.

I have done exactly what it says in the Nvidia section apart from the recommended driver.

Is this all I can expect because it seems sloppier now I have added the second card and the fps are virtually the same.

Cheers for reading.

[Bulldogs 10]

The 9800 gtx is a bit of an old card now, even in sli it's unlikely to get as good performance as a 4870

---------- Post added at 10:40 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:39 AM ----------

That said, try lowering your graphics settings

[Tassadar 10]

I use

i7 processor 2.6 Ghz Quad

6 gig DDR3 ram

Colorful Nvidia Geforce 295 GTX

Intel motherboard

Vista 64 bit home premium (Yeah I hate bista but i had to and I will switch to 7 soon if it is better that is)

I run Utes on very high graphics on everything.

But in Chernarus I I have lag and I am runing a resolution of 1920x1080 widescreen 24 inch LCD monitor.

I bought this computer maybe 2 weeks ago and I thought I might urn ArmA 2 on full grahpics without lag but it seems impossible.

But I notice if I change the visibility a little lower than I use, i use maxed there as well. It improves the frame rates.

Could it be that my processor is to slow?:S

I've read that ArmA 2 runs best on a dual core. But when i bought my processor I thought that an i7 processor which was considered one of the best to be enough for this game.

But if ArmA 2 was optimized for a quad core processor. Would I have any lag then?

When Im playing ArmA 2 it's only using around 20-30% of its capacity.

[hotel 10]

Unfortunately the game lacks "general" optimization. Utes is the only map I actually play on because Cherno has a unfinished feel to it. Utes gets solid framrates along with no texture lag and I can run it Maxed with 10K draw with huge battles going on.

Cherno = Texture lag from hell, Poor performance and general unfinished feel (my opinion obviously and is prolly different for everyone depending on system and personal taste).

[Tassadar 10]

So what could Bohemia do to fix that. I like Chern alot since its so huge.

But I rather create my own world but is it becuase the textures requires alot or is it something else?

I mean if it is possible to run it in maxed graphics. What kind of hardware shoul you have then?

[Bulldogs 10]

It could be the processor or it could be a limiting factor of the engine (most new graphics cards are developed with directx 10/11 in mind but arma 2 uses directx 9)

[Jackdaniels 10]

Defunkt - What has the screen size got to do with anything? He has a 512 mb card and could lower the resolution.

[Tassadar 10]

Yeah I've changed a few things in ArmA 2 to see if ti makes a differnce and it does actually.

But when ArmA 3 comes out I will proably have a good enough computer then:P

If i can't max this game becuas eof the fact my card and processor are developed for the future so to speak.

[deathyacht 10]

Hi all,

I'm a fairly new recruit, and I really tried for several days to search, do the expirements refferred to on the forums, and get this game to perform, but I'm afriad I'm at my wits end!

I'm using Rivatuner to monitor FPS and I'm seeing an average of 40FPS with a low end of 30. I know this is good, but I ahd to turn all the settings way down to get there, I was hoping there was something I could tweak to get some of the graphics renabled.

My specs and settings are below, any advice any of you more experienced types could give would be appreciated!

My Arma 2 command line is:

"C:\Program Files\Bohemia Interactive\ArmA 2\beta\arma2.exe" -mod=beta -maxmem=2047 -cpuCount=4 -winxp -nosplash

It's not running in any "XP or Vista compatibility mode" just as administrator under Windows 7.

-First, my system specs, everything is stock clocked:

Windows 7 Enterprise 64 Bit

EVGA X58 SLI Micro Motherboard

i7 950 3.07 Ghz

6GB RAM, three channel

7200 RPM 1.5TB SATA 3 HD

Gigabyte GTX 285 2GB Video card (when Arma 2 is running, the temp stays around 80-90 Deg C.)

-Now my settings for the video card:

-here's some relavent settings from the NVDA control panel, everything else is either applicaiton controled or I didn't think was relavent.

Ambient Occlusion - off

Antialiasing - Gamma Correction - off

Antialiasing - Transparency - off

Conformant Texture clamp - Use hardware

Maximum pre-rendered frame - 8

Muli-display/mixed-GPU acceleration - Single display performance mode

Power Management Mode - Prefer maximum performance

Texture filtering - Anisotropic sample optimization - on

Texture filtering - Megative LOD bias - Allow

Texture filtering - Quality - High Performance

Texture filtering - Trilinear optimization - On

Threaded optimization - Auto

Triple Buffering - Off

Vertical Sync - Force off

[Display]

Processor: Intel® Core i7 CPU 950 @ 3.07GHz (3052 MHz)

Operating System: Windows 7 Enterprise, 64-bit

DirectX version: 11.0

GPU processor: GeForce GTX 285

Driver version: 190.62

Stream processors: 240

Core clock: 660 MHz

Shader clock: 1505 MHz

Memory clock: 1200 MHz (2400 MHz data rate)

Memory interface: 512-bit

Total available graphics memory: 4859 MB

Dedicated video memory: 2048 MB

System video memory: 0 MB

Shared system memory: 2811 MB

Video BIOS version: 62.00.5E.00.02

IRQ: 16

Bus: PCI Express x16 Gen2

[Components]

nvCplUIR.dll 2.5.383.06 NVIDIA Control Panel

nvCpl.cpl 2.7.130.30 NVIDIA Control Panel Applet

nvCplUI.exe 2.7.130.30 NVIDIA Control Panel

nvWSSR.dll 8.15.11.8618 NVIDIA Workstation Server

nvWSS.dll 8.16.11.9062 NVIDIA Workstation Server

nvViTvSR.dll 8.15.11.8618 NVIDIA Video and TV Server

nvViTvS.dll 8.16.11.9062 NVIDIA Video and TV Server

NVSTVIEW.EXE 7.16.11.9062 NVIDIA GeForce 3D Vision

NVSTTEST.EXE 7.16.11.9062 NVIDIA 3D Vision Test Application

NVSTRES.DLL 7.16.11.9062 NVIDIA 3D Vision Module (4512197)

nvDispSR.dll 8.15.11.8618 NVIDIA Display Server

NVMCTRAY.DLL 8.16.11.9062 NVIDIA Media Center Library

nvDispS.dll 8.16.11.9062 NVIDIA Display Server

NVCPL.DLL 8.16.11.9062 NVIDIA Compatible Windows7 Display driver, Version 190.62

PhysX 09.09.0814 NVIDIA PhysX

NVCUDA.DLL 8.16.11.9062 NVIDIA CUDA 2.3 driver

nvGameSR.dll 8.15.11.8618 NVIDIA 3D Settings Server

nvGameS.dll 8.16.11.9062 NVIDIA 3D Settings Server

-I'm playing both 1.03 and the latest Beta patch, not much difference that I can tell.

-Here is my Arma Config:

language="English";

adapter=-1;

3D_Performance=-4194304;

Resolution_Bpp=32;

Resolution_W=1920;

Resolution_H=1200;

refresh=60;

Render_W=1920;

Render_H=1200;

FSAA=0;

postFX=0;

HDRPrecision=8;

lastDeviceId="";

localVRAM=2147500000;

nonlocalVRAM=2147500000;

-And the relavent sections of my profile:

version=2;

blood=2;

singleVoice=0;

shadingQuality=100;

shadowQuality=4;

soundEnableEAX=1;

soundEnableHW=1;

anisoFilter=0;

TexQuality=3;

TexMemory=4;

useWBuffer=0;

tripleHead=0;

armoryPoints=280;

mouseSmoothing=0;

mouseSensitivityX=1;

mouseSensitivityY=1;

floatingZoneArea=0;

teamSwitchOffsetX=0;

teamSwitchOffsetY=0;

headBob=2.9802322e-008;

sceneComplexity=1000000;

viewDistance=10000.001;

terrainGrid=12.5;

volumeCD=5;

volumeFX=5;

volumeSpeech=5;

gamma=1;

brightness=1;

fovTop=0.75;

fovLeft=1.2;

uiTopLeftX=0.27083334;

uiTopLeftY=0.22499999;

uiBottomRightX=0.72916663;

uiBottomRightY=0.77499998;

IGUIScale=0.55000001;

So can anybody help me get this thing to perform?

[Bulldogs 10]

Try the 1.4 patch, other than that, some people notice better performance in XP over Win 7, and some vise-versa.

[Sgt. Hugo Stiglitz 10]

An interesting tidbit of information; (Win Vista 64) going to Control Panel -> Performance Information and Tools -> Adjust power settings, I changed it to prefer maximum performance and minimum energy saving, and I noticed a SIGNIFICANT performance boost in ArmA II and a few other higher-end games.

However, the ****ing stuttering is still happening, so that hasn't been resolved.

It seems to have gotten BETTER; before, it was every 1-2 seconds, now it's back to every 4-5 seconds. Still unplayable, but some progress is being made...?

[Tassadar 10]

Oh....I will test hat out today then:)

I did not think it could make any notable difference.

[dizzyt 10]

System Name: System Product Name

Processor Name: AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 4400+

Videocard Name: NVIDIA GeForce 9600 GT

Installed Memory: 2,047.47 MB

Guys this is what I've got and when running Arma 2 I get this high pitched whistle - which is driving me battie - any ideas - I just updated to the new graphics card and a new power supply - according to the game this should be adequate

Edited September 16, 2009 by DizzyT

[Bulldogs 10]

My guess is that your CPU or graphics card is running too hot and the fan is running at full speed to compensate.

Run some monitoring programs to check your temps and fan speeds while playing

[Sgt. Hugo Stiglitz 10]

OK - Bulldogs, Hotel, and anyone else that has been following my situation or has a similar one, or anyone who might have it but hasn't read the other posts:

MY PC:

intel i7 920 @ 2.67 GHz, 12 GB DDR3 RAM, NVIDIA GTX 285

MY SITUATION:

The game itself ran with very nice fps (~40-50), but it stuttered horribly. That is, it would run very nicely, but every 4-5 seconds it would have a little "blurp" causing a momentary hold-up, which was BAAAD in combat situations.

Nothing at all seemed to help; defragging, adjusting video settings, turning of V-Sync and PhysX, etc.

POSSIBLE SOLUTION?

I just installed Patch 1.04 and tried the -cpuCount=4 thinger in my ArmA II properties (has a similar effect to disabling Hyperthreading on i7's, which effectively read the PC as having 8 cores instead of 4). I booted it up and ran the same scenario I used to test all my other possible resolutions. The result? A breakthrough! NO STUTTERING! Turned all graphics up to High... NO STUTTERING! Now, my PC seems to kind of work in waves; GTA IV will run amazing one night, and not work for another week, then run amazing for a night. So I'm going to restart my PC now, and try running ArmA II again. If I get the same result, adding the -cpuCount=4 shortcut will be a MAJOR HELP to i7 users experiencing problems.

---------- Post added at 12:01 AM ---------- Previous post was Yesterday at 11:49 PM ----------

Update: HAHAHAAAA, success! SUCCESS I SAY! EUREKIA!

Very very veeery minimal stuttering. I don't even think it classifies as stuttering, it's probably just the game loading textures as I run, because it's a fraction of a fraction of a millisecond and only occurs every 30-40 seconds or so.

It is AMAZING! The game is playable! Beyond playable! THANK YOU B.I.S., FOR ADDING THIS FUNCTION!

For anyone else with an i7 high-end rig, experiencing fps/stuttering issues, right click your ArmA II desktop icon -> properties -> Target: "C:\Program Files\Bohemia Interactive\ArmA 2\arma2.exe" -nosplash -cpuCount=4

Ohhh baby. Tomorrow after classes I'll attempt to fiddle around with the -maxmem= setting, and see if it makes any noticeable difference as well.

Thanks to everyone who helped me; it would appear by limiting my cpu count that it was probably something along the lines of Hyperthreading causing the issues.

[Pranne 10]

Ok i will try it today.

I have a i7 950 and GTX 295...not so fast i had expected.

[Bulldogs 10]

Good to hear Hugo, sounds like it was definitely a case of cache thrashing. Specifying 4 has basically had the same effect as disabling hyperthreading and ignored the virtual cores.

[desertjedi 3]

To finally get Arma 2 pretty much playable, I did the following:

- set terrain detail to Very Low

- use the SAP Clutter mod

- use the Proper LOW Vegetation mod

Even with that, there's still too much vegetation in Arma 2 IMHO but now the game is actually playable for me.

[Pranne 10]

Can someone tell my how i can see the FPS in the game?

[niQ® 0]

Can someone tell my how i can see the FPS in the game?

Download Fraps a program that allows you to see the fps

bye

[Pranne 10]

Hm, ok thank you.

[sanitysedge38 10]

i dont know if people have tryed this (or if it even matters ) but i used my nvidia control panel added arma 2 to the games list and changed settings for the game thru the manage 3D section and changed the settings to override the application i also noticed arma 2 was using 2 monitors so changed that to one monitor and got better results. I found that the dogs of war level improved a bit and was bit smother. my specs are core2duo E6320 2GHz 2 gig ram BFG 8800 GT OC 512Mb (i think) so i wasent expecting much but it seems to work

try it?

[King Haggis 0]

I got a new TFT monitor this week. It's a Samsung 2233RZ with a 120Hz. refreshrate. I bought this monitor to get smoother gameplay and must say ArmA 2 looks a bit smoother now. I still get the same framerate, of course, and it's never near 120 fps (hovers more around 30 - 45 fps when playing offline) but it DOES give a more fluid ArmA 2 experience. Also practically removes screen tearing issues so you can keep playing with Vsync off. The mouse works smoother now too. For me, 120Hz. is a huge step forward in TFT technology. With my old monitor, gameplay with 45fps in ArmA 2 looked kinda smooth but with the same framerates on my new monitor, ArmA 2 looks super fluid. Don't know how to explain it any better, but it really helps improve gameplay smoothness even when your GPU doesn't crank out 120 frames per second. A 120Hz screen won't give you a higher framerate but it will look smoother, at least, that's my experience.

A friend of mine still plays with a 85Hz. CRT screen and games always used to look better than on my PC even though I got higher frames than he did. That's why I bought the 120Hz screen and I'm glad I did. Highly recommended to make your ArmA 2 experience a little bit smoother.

Be warned though, if you're interested in the Samsung monitor, I don't find it as sharp as my old monitor. It's smoother and faster but picture quality isn't superb, at least not on mine. In a few months, expect to see more 120Hz. screens on the market with better prices and better quality. Anyway, thought I'd let you guys know in case. Some have a 2000$ PC and still get crappy framerates. Maybe 120Hz. is the last overlooked piece of hardware that may actually give the final edge to a smooth gameplay experience.

Edited September 19, 2009 by King Haggis