exThreads

[l mandrake 9]

Suma, is there any thread optimizations/switches slated for arma2server.exe?

I'd like to know this as well. My single-core remote server keeps crashing during large Warfare missions (hundreds of AI), when I told my hosting company they assigned a second core to my server to try to help AI computations, but if arma2oaserver.exe can only utilise 1 core then I guess this was a waste of time?

[VariousArtist 19]

Ive never heard that the arma server can only utilise 1 core.... How did you get this idea??

[maddogx 13]

Ive never heard that the arma server can only utilise 1 core.... How did you get this idea??

The server definitely uses multiple cores. Especially in the latest patches, the dedi server was optimized for quad cores, as mentioned in one of Maruks posts.

[kuIoodporny 45]

My CPU is well below minimum requirements - 2GHz AMD Athlon 64 X2, just enough for Notepad++ and GIMP.

I have experienced an interesting issue while using -exThreads=7 (yes, I'm that stubborn). When many different models are present ingame, some of them always stay in lowest Resolution LODs. Oddly enough, empty RPG-7 model might be shown correctly, while loaded RPG-7 model that consists of proxy to the same model as previous and proxy to rocket grenade stays in lowest LoD and never gets loaded, no matter of ViewPilot and such extra LoDs.

I wouldn't have reported this if I witnessed this behaviour in ArmA2 1.07.

http://dev-heaven.net/issues/12296

Edited September 10, 2010 by zGuba

[Dwarden 1125]

that's because the engine overloads the cpu so threads stall ...

please try drop the value to 5 or 3

yet ofcourse it might be another issue

[prysk 10]

so in curent version of OA i dont need to put cpucount and exthread anymore?

thx

[ast65 10]

If you have a quad core no, otherwise use cpu count (i.e. 2, 3 or 6).

[Ripsaw5165 10]

Can there be added a new value that threads geometry and textures but not files, or must files always be threaded with either geo and/or tex due to a need in the coding?

[Spayker 10]

What is the max cpucount of arma 2? Does arma 2 can use 16 cpu's?

[suma 8]

ArmA 2 can use up to 31 cores in theory, but experiments have shown that with most scenes the gain above 4 cores is small and above 8 cores unmeasurable.

The explanation is Amdahl's law - only parts of the application is using all cores. See Real Virtuality Going Multicore blog.

---------- Post added at 13:58 ---------- Previous post was at 13:54 ----------

In build 76122 and newer the default for dualcores will be changed to -exThreads=3 based on user feedback.

We have also changed the cpu core detection, therefore depending on how many logical cpus are present, default -cpuCount values will be as follows:

1 1

...

6 6

7 7

8 4

9 4

10 5

11 5

12 6

13 6

14 7

....

Some day hopefully we will find a time to provide a proper HT detection, but until then I think the above provides quite reasonable default settings.

Edited November 26, 2010 by Suma
typo

[ericfr 0]

What has changed in the engine after 74630 beta, you've spent time in finding "a solution".

For me with a dualcore exthreads = 7 is the Best.

[Dwarden 1125]

EricFR remember that default for dualcore was 0 until b76122 and now will be 3

yet there are several reasons why 5 or 7 might work for You and some others with dualcores

1. fast CPU (lot of ops / cycle) usually 3.6/4 GHz or more

2. lot of L1/L2/L3 cache compared to cheap dualcores

3. Fast system in overall (fast FSB, fast memory transfers, low latency memory, fast GPU-CPU and CPU-GPU ops etc)

all these will play reason why sometimes some dualcore is good or better than some slow / cheap quadcores ...

ofcourse no dualcore will match way faster and newer quadcore or better

[ericfr 0]

I know all this, but why until beta 74630 exthreads=0 or no sartup parameters worked fine and after 74630 i have to put exthreads=7, something has changed in the engine but nothing in my hardware

[vasmkd 12]

I have a dualcore E8400 @ stock speed of 3GHz (specs on signature)

What would u guyz recommend i have my exthreads on for starters since iv'e never played with this?

Is it best i just type -exThreads=? in config file? The ? ofcourse been 1,3,5,7 etc

Edited November 28, 2010 by vasmkd

[old_painless 182]

I've got an Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550. What would you recommend for exThreads setting? Most advice I come across relates to dual-core, not quads like mine.

Cheers,

OP

[fruity_rudy 16]

I've got an Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550. What would you recommend for exThreads setting? Most advice I come across relates to dual-core, not quads like mine.

Cheers,

OP

Default for quad should be =7 but you can try out what gives you best performance.

On the first page of this thread you see the table with the exThreads=n. There you can see which thread is doing what..

---------- Post added at 01:37 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:35 PM ----------

Is it best i just type -exThreads=? in config file? The ? ofcourse been 1,3,5,7 etc

Not in the config file, in the command line of the .exe of arma2, oa or combined operations. i don't know if you're using an arma-launcher, but you have to edit the command line to -exThreads=n (n=1,3,5,7)

Understood?

Dismissed...

[vasmkd 12]

Yes using ARMA II launcher. I'll just at it to the target line on the exe's for OA and ARMA2

[=-A*C-=NicO 10]

Here is what I posted about the latest beta patch :

Hi everyone,

I'm a member of the French team Air Commando =[A*C]=.

So let's talk about performance : since the release of the 1.55 patch, we've been really angry towards Bohemia since our client side part of the game has became quite unplayable, with many FPS drops and a real loss in reactivity). We've tried many tweaks, we lowered our graphic specs, deleted the CFG, but we couldn't get the smoothness of the 1.54. Until yesterday.

I own a core2duo 6400 and an ATI 4890 (not bleeding edge I admit, but powerfull enough for many things) as a lot of my teammates, and totally lost, I tried the -exThreads=7 option, as a last try before giving up. Although it is not recommanded on a dual core, that was my only remaining option. And guess what ? I was running the 1.55 on a 15 FPS basis with many drops, and know after a few tests, I can say that it is now twice the previous value : 25-30 FPS (with even 60 sometimes !!! and for the lowest 15-20 in a few zones). It is WAY MORE ACCEPTABLE THAN BEFORE. My game is now playable again!

What I understood after a few readings is that -exThreads=7 cannot be handled by some low end dual core, but the 6400 is powerfull enough to cope with that. Other people who tried it with me told me the same, huge gain in smoothness, and in some cases in FPS too.

Does any dual core owner can confirm this?

[fruity_rudy 16]

I can confirm, that it doesn't matter which exThreads i use, i don't have the performance like on 1.54..

and that makes me angry

fyi, i have E8500 and it was great on 1.54 ..since texture popping, things are only screwed up...

[vasmkd 12]

@Fruity Rudy

What are ur full system specs?

And drivers for video card etc

Is ur HDR set to normal, high or highest in the video options?

[suma 8]

I can confirm, that it doesn't matter which exThreads i use, i don't have the performance like on 1.54..

and that makes me angry

fyi, i have E8500 and it was great on 1.54 ..since texture popping, things are only screwed up...

I am sorry for this and I will do my best to identify the issue. That said, things like this are often hard to solve. Often a seemingly innocent chance causes unexpected results in rare situations. While 1.55 was definitely a lot worse than 1.54 on many systems, so far I was unable to reproduce this issue with 1.56, which makes solving it a lot harder.

[fruity_rudy 16]

It's ok, i will find a solution for myself..

[Tom1 10]

my 6x cpu (1090T) (AMD) is only letting me play wth all settings on normal on 1920x1080 res (100% 3d res), which is the same as before i upgraded from my dual core, here is an example of my command line: arma2OA.exe" -cpuCount=6 -mod=@CBA;@ACE;@ACEX; (etc etc), what does 'exthreads=7' do and should i use it?

[Ripsaw5165 10]

exthreads = 7 sets threading accross 4 cores.

[dmarkwick 261]

exthreads = 7 sets threading accross 4 cores.

Isn't it the case that, with the recent patches, it's no longer necessary?