Here's how I got ARMA2 to perform smoothly using RAMDISK

[ranger1979 10]

Using RAMDisk on ArmA 2, good results.

<object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0Vju2OXZEU&hl=en_US&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0Vju2OXZEU&hl=en_US&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>

[S-M 10]

It is still stuttering though ?

[ranger1979 10]

Not at all in ArmA 2. With the 1.07 patch runs pretty good. I tried everything under the sun, putting Pagefile on another HD, using only highly used .pbos in RAMDisk, but the best thing I have found is running pagefile and the game from the same SSD. I will upload some AO footage later. The beta patch has helped, but it is still not as optimized as Arma 2 with the 1.07 patch.

Edited July 3, 2010 by ranger1979

[Wolfstriked 11]

Ranger what size pagefile you put on SSD?

[ranger1979 10]

In this video OS, pagefile, and game were all on the SSD.

Before I put 1000 - 2500 mb on the main OS SSD, and the rest (let windows manage feature) on the second, but I would get a 'low memory' warning during game.

[callaway 0]

How do I setup a ramdrive from OA? There are files in both common and expansion/addons. Which PBOs do I add to the ramdrive?

[DieAngel 0]

both, AO is setup in a way that the current 'world' is an expansion from the "base" system, so depending what you want to boost you will pick from both folders, personally i chose to put on my ramdisk the plants, trees, roads, islands and buildings.

[maruk 80]

I would say that with latest updated (1.07 for A2 or the latest beta for A2OA) benefits from using RAM disk should be insignificant (except for the first time loading of data).

If someone has any test case and hard data to be used please post it.

[Baff1 0]

Really noticed that improvement thanks Maruk.

Upped my FPS by about 25%.

I was very suprised! and pleased!

Looks like I must now go the whole hog and buy the full 8GB of RAM my motherboard will support.

(My benchmark mission 1 went from 28 FPS to 34 FPs I have 4 GB of system RAM, 2 GB of video RAM and run at 3480x1024).

Edited July 4, 2010 by Baff1

[Wolfstriked 11]

Maruk I am not getting these results.I go into the town map,sorry I forget the name,and it stutters like crazy.

WinXP64

3.6gig CPU

GTX480

8gig ram

I show 2.5gig ram usage and do not see the LAA benefit happening.Is the 2.5Gig actually LAA?

[callaway 0]

I'm not seeing more than 2-2.5G usage either. I get continual HDD activity and stutter with 8 gigs of ram.

[reconteam 19]

For combined ArmA2 + OA, how many gigs of RAM am I going to need?

[Flash Thunder 10]

For combined ArmA2 + OA, how many gigs of RAM am I going to need?

It really doesnt matter at the moment Largeaddressaware with 1.07 isnt working for the majority.

im only at 2.25gb ram usage and im on Vista 64 which means Arma 2 is using only 1gb :eek: :banghead:

I have 8gb myself

[ranger1979 10]

ALL SETTINGS MAXED, 10000 view distance, FRAPS on full record, entire game on RAMDisk. OS, game, pagefile on same RAID 0 SSD. Enjoy, best to watch in HD. I wish AO was as tweaked as ArmA 2 is, hopefully with time it will improve.

<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ah6D3DTAJ7g&hl=en_US&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ah6D3DTAJ7g&hl=en_US&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>

[DieAngel 0]

Care to share the other specs of your system?

i have:

-phenom X3 8750 2.4Ghz

-8gb of ram

-Geforce GTX 275

-windows 7 home premium x64

and even with a ramdisk, even with everything set to fucking low, my average fps in the benchmark never goes over 50.

Edited July 5, 2010 by DieAngel

[ranger1979 10]

i7 930 @ 3.5, X58 motherboard, 12 GB OCZ 1600 memory, 2 x 60 Vertez 2 Raid 0, 2 x 5870's in Crossfire using Dataram RAMDisk (entire game on RAMDisk). Fraps full screen record. Patch 1.07 (-winxp in shortcut)

[callaway 0]

The large address fix is definitely not working on my machine. It never goes past 2.5g, which on win7, means it's using less than 1g of ram out of 8.

[Wolfstriked 11]

I think that is LAA.Without I see 1.9 and with the beta I get 2.5gig.Thats what I dont understand about the beta.Its supposed to benefit people with 64bit operating systems but LAA benefits people with 32bit also.Anything over 4g ram still isn't used even with a 64bit operating system.

I say DLC 64bit OA will be worthwhile for people who have 64bit OS to pay out for the increase in performance.

[Flash Thunder 10]

I think that is LAA.Without I see 1.9 and with the beta I get 2.5gig.Thats what I dont understand about the beta.Its supposed to benefit people with 64bit operating systems but LAA benefits people with 32bit also.Anything over 4g ram still isn't used even with a 64bit operating system.

I say DLC 64bit OA will be worthwhile for people who have 64bit OS to pay out for the increase in performance.

@Callaway

Same here bud.

Wolfstriked are you serious? Pay for performance.....

LAA is FUBAR ATM

[Wolfstriked 11]

@Callaway

Same here bud.

Wolfstriked are you serious? Pay for performance.....

LAA is FUBAR ATM

Dude...I am totally serious.They say that not enough people have 64bit OS so its not worthwhile to do the work.I'll pay for it BIS...is that worthwhile?

[Punisher5555 0]

Can you or someone else explain how the engine is using the LAA (Large Address Aware)? Does not have to be too technical.

I am just not seeing the game using more memory than before.

Is there some additional setting/parameter we might have to set?

I would say that with latest updated (1.07 for A2 or the latest beta for A2OA) benefits from using RAM disk should be insignificant (except for the first time loading of data).

If someone has any test case and hard data to be used please post it.

Edited July 5, 2010 by Punisher5555

[Flash Thunder 10]

Dude...I am totally serious.They say that not enough people have 64bit OS so its not worthwhile to do the work.I'll pay for it BIS...is that worthwhile?

Woops misunderstood you there.

No I would pay for 64bit support but not some kind of work around to using more ram like LAA which clearly aint working just yet.

@punisher thats what were waiting on.

[callaway 0]

Did some testing last night with low flyby's of all the major towns in a map.

Arma2 1.7 used 1,091,624 megabytes of ram out of 8G and continually trashed the HDD, the page-file grew larger and larger.

Arma OA beta used 1,047,664 megabytes out of 8G and trashed the HDD even more with some micro-stuttering.

[reconteam 19]

Ick. If I kidnap a bunch of people BIS can you put them to work optimizing the game?

[galzohar 31]

I don't think any optimization will ever solve this. The only thing I can think of that would be an absolute solution is to make a 64-bit version that will let you tell the game how much RAM it is allowed to use. That way, at least high-end systems would be able to run the game smoothly. Right now unless you have ramdisk like the OP or a very very fast HDD (just SSD doesn't even cut it to my understanding), no CPU/GPU will save you.

I use i7-920 and HD5850 and can max the game out in terms of FPS (60 FPS in open ground with lowish view distance, 30 FPS with 5000 view distance), but as soon as I move around a town with high view distance I keep getting stutters. Lowering view distance to 2000 or less greatly reduces that stutter but I still see textures popping all the time.

I have 4GB of ram and winXP 32 but that's only because I knew Arma 2 is a 32-bit application when I bought my PC and that Arma 2 is the only heavy game I'm going to run in the near-future. If BIS end up releasing a 64-bit version I sure as well would upgrade my OS and RAM, as it feels kinda silly to not be able to max out the game with a CPU and GPU that are more than capable for it. Some other people who did buy more RAM and use a 64-bit OS are probably even more frustrated with this.

And in case BIS read any of this, what's making it so hard to make a 64-bit version of Arma 2?