70256-70313 - which gives you best performance?

[todayskiller 10]

Alright, about my Processor...which one do you think would be a good one to get? here is my mother board Gateway RS780 REV 1.0...(I think that is my mother board :D)

And another Question (sorry i'm a noob :D)...to open up the command line for Arma 2...where do i go? :)

Edited May 12, 2010 by todayskiller

[Yoma 0]

BIS is definately on to something with the new threading stuff.

For me option 3 seems to work best (Q9650, 4GB RAM, GTX285)

It seriously bumps up the minimum fps.

However at one time in an online game i did get one moment of ultralow fps while strafing something in an A10. It felt like something threadingwise cleaning up. This only happened after a 2 hour continuous "gun, land, reload, gun" in an A10 though.

Haven't tested with this latest beta, but the previous one did crash a lot when playing with ACEmod.

Keep up the great stuff Suma, Maruk and the rest of the team!

[no use for a name 0]

Both are about the same for me; but -exThreads=1 seemed slightly smoother. I'll test further

Edited May 13, 2010 by No Use For A Name

[Rexxenexx 0]

  -ArmAIIMark Benchmark Tests-

All settings Very High except PP=Low Shadows=Normal Res=1920X1200
[in order ran|spaces indicate application shutdown]

v1.05 = 1508

beta build70100 = 1981

beta build70184 = 1917

beta build70256 = 2003 (-exThreads not used in shortcut)

beta build70256 = 2030 (-exThreads=1)

beta build70256 = 2040 (-exThreads=3)

beta build70256 = 2205 (-exThreads=0)
beta build70256 = 2090 (-exThreads=0)

beta build70256 = 2037 (-exThreads=3)
beta build70256 = 2062 (-exThreads=3)

beta build70313 = 1828 (-exThreads=3)
beta build70313 = 2056 (-exThreads=3)

beta build70313 = 1983 (-exThreads=1)
beta build70313 = 1998 (-exThreads=1)

beta build70313 = 2168 (-exThreads=0)
beta build70313 = 2026 (-exThreads=0)

Between 0 and 3 they both gave good performance. 0 always seems to keep low LODS and Textures. 1 always gave me Studderfest 2010 and held no/blank textures for a real real loooong time.

[langgis08 10]

to open up the command line for Arma 2...where do i go? :)

on your beta-link click right mouse button and go for "properties" (I think that's it in english, in german it's "Eigenschaften").

An interface should open, look for the entry next to "Ziel" (="Destination" in the U.S./UK-Version ?), in my case it looks like this:

"C:\Program files\Bohemia Interactive\ArmA 2\beta\arma2.exe" -mod=beta -exThreads=3 -nosplash -world=empty

the famous command line begins right to arma2.exe", there you can separated by blanks set your parameters, as you see in my example -exThreads=3 is set

(btw: -nosplash starts your game without intro, so it's time saving for loading and -world=empty shows you instead of the aircraft carrier blank sea, that's for reducing loading time, also)

be sure that the game is being executed in your arma2-installation-folder, in my case it's "C:\Program files\Bohemia Interactive\ArmA 2" (next to "ausführen in", it's the 2nd line from above in the interface where you can make entries (otherwise you would get startup errors, anyway, I guess).

all in all, it's a job that takes a few seconds, indeed.

hope, you'll have success :)

[shuko 59]

i7 @ 4ghz, 12GB @ 1600mhz, HD5850

1920x1200, PP off, AA low

Very high: textures, video memory, anisotropic filtering

High: terrain, objects, shadows

Benchmark 1 and 2 gave same results (52 and 23fps) for all alternatives. So, I only include Arma2Mark and the Chernarus mission.

Ignoring numbers and just looking at the screen while doing the Chernarus benchmark, the exT = 3 was the worst of all betas. It caused stuttering, while 0 and 1 were a lot smoother. Only difference between them were minor LOD loadings.

[MavericK96 0]

Finally I am back at my computer and can test out the new betas, yay! :cool:

I haven't done any serious gameplay testing yet, but only the _TEST_FPS6 one so far:

[b]Version         Avg  AvgLow  Max  Low[/b]
[b]1.05 [/b]           35   24      51   8

[b]70100  [/b]         38   27      52   10

[b]70256 (exT=0)[/b]   37   26      52   11
[b]70256 (exT=1)[/b]   36   25      52   10
[b]70256 (exT=3) [/b]  37   27      52   10

[b]70313 (exT=0) [/b]  37   26      52   13
[b]70313 (exT=1) [/b]  36   25      51   12
[b]70313 (exT=3)[/b]   37   26      52   10

Basically, I had to conclude that 70313 with exThreads=0 was the best performance for me. For whatever reason, exThreads=3 on both 70256 and 70313 had worse stuttering than all of the other options. :confused: Or rather, I got a lot more noticebly long stutters with exThreads=3. I will do some more testing (e.g. my low flyby of Chernogorsk) to confirm, but as of right now it seems like 70313 with exThreads=0 is the best choice overall.

EDIT: Did some quick flybys with 70313 and exThreads=0 and exThreads=3. exThreads=0 definitely seemed smoother overall. Framerate-wise, they seemed about the same, but I definitely got some longer, harder stutters on occasion with exThreads=3. It wasn't really anything major, but it was still noticeable because I was looking for it. LOD-wise I couldn't say, I didn't really see a difference between any of the exThreads options, but LOD thrashing seems improved in general.

EDIT 2: Forgot to add, one good thing so far about the new betas is that I haven't gotten a crash yet! :D

---------- Post added at 09:40 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:10 AM ----------

Spoke too soon. Played online for about a half hour and got this crash again:

Memory store: Failed mapping, already mapped 4692 KB, error 8
Virtual free 25989120 B, page free 4294967295 B, physical free 3186573312 B
Memory store: Failed mapping, already mapped 4696 KB, error 8
Virtual free 25989120 B, page free 4294967295 B, physical free 3186573312 B
File read error: addons\plants2_tree.pbo,ERROR_NOACCESS
Error 3e6 reading file 'addons\plants2_tree.pbo'
ErrorMessage: There’s a problem with the disc you’re using. It may be dirty or damaged.

Same issue with 70100. I was running 70313 with exThreads=0. I will try playing with exThreads=3 and see if that makes any difference.

Luckily, though, the game crashed when I was servicing an aircraft, and I was flying for the entire half hour with no crashes. :cool:

---------- Post added at 10:17 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:40 AM ----------

Played 70313 w/ exThreads=3 for about a half hour, got an "Out of Memory" error. *sigh* :(

I had hoped the Out of Memory stuff was fixed by now.

Edited May 13, 2010 by MavericK96

[no use for a name 0]

Tested further and found that =1 is a LOT smoother and seem to avg better FPS. However, there seems to be LOD and texture issues with this as it seemed to take a little longer for both to switch.

With =3 I get micro stutters, and seems laggy when moving around. The weird thing is when I'm in a vehicle I get decent FPS; but when I'm on foot my FPS drops to almost single digits...very confusing. Didn't have the LOD/Texture issues as with =1

I still prefer the smoother FPS even with LOD/texture lag

[darthmuller_cro 10]

Tested further and found that =1 is a LOT smoother and seem to avg better FPS. However, there seems to be LOD and texture issues with this as it seemed to take a little longer for both to switch.

With =3 I get micro stutters, and seems laggy when moving around. The weird thing is when I'm in a vehicle I get decent FPS; but when I'm on foot my FPS drops to almost single digits...very confusing. Didn't have the LOD/Texture issues as with =1

I still prefer the smoother FPS even with LOD/texture lag

Try to use other configuration in cfg file to avoid sutterers, like GPU_MaxFramesAhead=4;

GPU_DetectedFramesAhead=3; it helps lot on my rig .

For me last beta is best so far and is most playable with exThreads=3.

Edited May 14, 2010 by darthmuller_cro

[todayskiller 10]

I haven't tried out the older Betas...but, I can tell you that with the new Beta patch with -exThreads=3 active, I get 1-2 FPS better...and it seems like the textures load quicker then with exThreads=1 or 2, and a lil bit faster than 1.05.

[Vipera 10]

I've tested 70313 with -exThreads=3 and i can say 'Waw'! I've lost fps a bit but overall performance is incredible! I took helicopter and flew over the Chernarus in editor. Gameplay is very smooth and constant. I can't see fps drop when I use zoom even if I zoom to big city! And I was not able to crash ARMA2 in my test mission where I was able before. But I still use RAM disk for some files. I'm HAPPY today and I will test MP tomorrow. Thanks a lot dev team and keep moving forward!

[Zipper5 74]

I've just noticed that there's an issue in the recent beta patches when recording video with Fraps, at least for me. It will record ok for a couple seconds but then the FPS will just drop down to 1 and won't move until I stop the recording. I've made a video about it, which you can see below. This specific video was made using 70313.

Shortcut target line:

"C:\Program Files\Bohemia Interactive\ArmA 2\beta\arma2.exe" -nosplash -exThreads=3 -mod=beta

System specs:

Windows 7 Ultimate 32bit

Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 3.00GHz

nVidia GeForce GTX 280 1GB

2GB DDR2 RAM

Video settings:

http://zipper5.armaholic.eu/pictures/ArmA2_graphics_settings.jpg

tGuXltJAmtM

[Yoma 0]

Since the latest beta's I keep running into "headless" troops at certain distances.

(Just the beta without any addons at all)

Anyone else seeing this?

[jw custom 56]

Since the latest beta's I keep running into "headless" troops at certain distances.

(Just the beta without any addons at all)

Anyone else seeing this?

I've seen that in all versions beta/final. I think the higher you have objects detail set the less you experiencing it.

[mosh 0]

I think -exThreads=0 will be most likely preferred, once it is working again (it should work in 70313, but it is not tested much yet).

I'm assuming not using -exthreads command is same as using -exthreads=0?

I have been testing without it in my command line (brief tests with 1 and 3 resulted in no noticeable difference). I have been using just vanilla sometimes, but usually a shitload of mods (ACE, Visual pack, Soundmix, 10+ GB Island pack, Favorites folder, GL4, etc). I have tested on many different islands.

Performance is very good, but it's hard to say if it's better than 63826.

[kroky 1]

After some more testing I have to say that 70313 without any exthreads parameter runs very smooth for me!

[langgis08 10]

same here: smoother gameplay and best fps with 70313 WITHOUT any exThreads parameter for me, so I'll remove -exThreads from my command line ...

at the moment 70313 without ' -exThread=x' leads to best gaming feeling compared with any previous builds.

and so I'll vote :)

[turin turambar 0]

Beta 313, in Core 2 Duo E6850 3.0ghz @ 3.6ghz, 4GB Ram, Ati 4890, Windows 7 64 bits.

Benchmark 1 (with AI)

ExThreads=0 31fps, =1 33 fps, =3 33 fps.

Benchmark 2 (with AI)

ExThreads=0 11fps, =1 11 fps, =3 12 fps.

Benchmark Test6-FPS (without AI)

ExThreads=0

Avg 25, Avg min 19, Max 33, Min 2

Ext=1

Avg 26, Avg min 19, Max 37, Min 11

Ext =3

Avg 28, Avg min 20, Max 41, Min 12

ExThreads=3 still wins.

[Protegimus 0]

70313 with -ExThreads=3

As I mentioned before, 70313 also makes maximum use of the internal file cache with -maxmem=2047

In common with Vipera, I get the absolute best performance; pretty much perfectly fluid gameplay when using a Ramdrive.

For anyone experiencing the serious stutter - are you playing a a disc in your DVD/CD drive? If so, remove it and try again.

Protegimus

[MavericK96 0]

70313 with -ExThreads=3

As I mentioned before, 70313 also makes maximum use of the internal file cache with -maxmem=2047

In common with Vipera, I get the absolute best performance; pretty much perfectly fluid gameplay when using a Ramdrive.

Couple of questions for you:

1) Does the maxmem=2047 actually make a quantifiable difference? Like do you have any benchmarks/screencaps to back it up?

2) What size RAMDrive do you use, and what .pbos do you have on it?

I'm not saying you're wrong at all. I just want some more info on these two things to help my game run better as well. :cool:

[Vipera 10]

2) What size RAMDrive do you use, and what .pbos do you have on it?

May I answer? I have next files on RAMDisk:

buildings.pbo

buildings2.pbo

buildings2_Ind_CementWorks.pbo

chernarus.pbo

chernarus_Data.pbo

plants2_Bush.pbo

plants2_Clutter.pbo

plants2_misc.pbo

plants2_Plant.pbo

plants2_Tree.pbo

rocks2.pbo

structures.pbo

-----------------------------

Total 2.2 Gb

[frag85 10]

I will be using -exThreads=3.

I get the same frame rates for ArmA2Mark, _TEST_FPS6-Chernogorsk.Chernarus, and my own benchmark. The variation in the frame rates are consistent of what I have observed running the benchmarks are different times. I would have to guess this is because my GPU is the bottleneck when looking at pure frame rates.

That said, -exThreads=3 is incredibly SMOOTH for test 5 of ArmA2Mark and when flying at high speeds. All other tests looked the same and any difference in game play was negligible. For my system the game has always run relatively smooth with very few hic-ups at all compared to how some people have made the game's performance out to be, although I believe this is due to having ArmA2 on a WD Raptor hard drive that is kept very optimized for only A2.

The only issue that I have noticed with this latest beta patch is that with -exThreads=3 the game will quit out with the following error:

---------------------------
ArmA 2
---------------------------
Out of memory (requested 3 KB).
 footprint 642542242 KB.
 pages 16384 KB.

---------------------------
OK   
---------------------------

This occurs when I have <=3GB of ram free (out of 6GB). Closing some background programs that are using up a few hundred MB of ram prevents this, though.

System Specs:

i7 920 @ 4.2ghz HT OFF

6GB DDR3 1600mhz CL8

GTX275 (stock)

WD Raptor (ArmA 2 drive)*

WD Black 1TB (System)

WD Black 640 (Swap/Fraps)

*Defragged with Ultimate Defrag, placing all ArmA 2 content on the 'outside' of the drive where access time is <2ms.

Edited May 15, 2010 by frag85

[MavericK96 0]

The only issue that I have noticed with this latest beta patch is that with -exThreads=3 the game will quit out with the following error:

---------------------------
ArmA 2
---------------------------
Out of memory (requested 3 KB).
 footprint 642542242 KB.
 pages 16384 KB.

---------------------------
OK   
---------------------------

This occurs when I have <=3GB of ram free (out of 6GB). Closing some background programs that are using up a few hundred MB of ram prevents this, though.

I get the same issue, and I typically have at least 4 GB free out of 6 GB. Someone reported something similar and I posted about it in the Community Tracker, you should do the same. :cool:

[Protegimus 0]

Couple of questions for you:

1) Does the maxmem=2047 actually make a quantifiable difference? Like do you have any benchmarks/screencaps to back it up?

Less in 70256-70313 than with earlier betas. Most benefit loading textures, but using the Ramdrive offers a greater overall improvement and lessens the effectiveness of -maxmem.

Testing with/without -maxmem is the easiest way to observe any difference. You've mentioned before that you see no improvement which is fair enough, others might and it's free performance if you've XP and 3-4GB RAM in your system.

2) What size RAMDrive do you use, and what .pbos do you have on it?

The details are listed here in the ArmA 2 I/O analysis results thread.

I'm not saying you're wrong at all. I just want some more info on these two things to help my game run better as well. :cool:

lol, everyone's an expert, eh MavericK96? Bottom line is it's what works for you.

It's well documented that ArmA II gives better performance running on XP 32bit, I'd try that rather than fanny about with RAM optimisations. 7's jewellery comes at a price soldier...

Protegimus

--

After extensive testing, build 70256 offers consistently better performance for me - less stutter than 70313, especially when turning the player.

I'd love to know the changes between these two versions, as it was intimated that it was a bugfix for -ExThreads=0

Edited May 15, 2010 by Protegimus

[langgis08 10]

at the moment 70313 without ' -exThread=x' leads to best gaming feeling compared with any previous builds. and so I'll vote :)

I have to quote myself, because I just let run the Benchmark Scenarios #1 and #2 with those for my rig challenging 'test-settings': all very high except vidmem=default, vd=3848m, AA=high, 3dres 1280x1024 (100%)

-exThreads | FPS @bench#1 | FPS @bench#2

=0 | 23 | 8

=1 | 23 | 9

=2 | 23 | 8

=3 | 24 | 10

So it seems I did my voting yesterday out of the blue -> the data above tells a different story :D

So -exThreads=3 seems to make a good job, for my system, too.

Edited May 15, 2010 by langgis08