upgrade advice

[Grunt 70]

Guys...Like most I'm looking for more fps from ArmA. The game runs fairly well in most settings but like most it really slows down when I'm in the trees. I'd greatly like to eliminate this and I've tried innumerable iterations with my settings. I think I've got it about as good as it's going to be.

I'm drawn to the new Core 2 duo intel chips on the market but going that route buying just about all new components.

But--I'm also drawn to the idea of just a new vid card...but a kick butt vid card. I've been looking at either the 8800GTS (see here http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16814130071)

or the 8800GTX (see here http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130072)

The vid cards are expensive...for the money they are charging I can almost build a core 2 duo machine and stick with the vid card I have now.

My instincts tell me go for the best vid card I have now and stick with the skt 939 components. I know this is all quite subjective but I thought I'd throw this out to the community and see what comes back.

I'd especially appreciate any input from those that are running similar rigs with one of the cards I've noted above.

PS...and this is meant for those game players who are strugging on lower settings....I know I'm spoiled but I worked hard for it.

Thanks.



Current rig

Asus A8n5x Motherboard
2 X 1 GB Corsair XMS @ 2-3-3-6
EVGA 7900GT KO 256MB
Athlon 64 X2 4800 (2.4 ghz -not overclocked)
Antec 550 Trupower PS
Western Digital 74GB Raptor
Windows XP
Logitech G5 Mouse
Logitecth Multimedia Keyboard

[=Sarc=]

I think most of the tree problems is the shading detail graphics option. If you set shading detail to "low" it might help. I just did that and I'm running a 7900GT, but with a E6400 @ 3.0 Ghz. I'll see how well it runs when I'm in among trees. I still have to try out different settings for performance.

[boudreux]

grunt, there really is no reason to upgrade from the system you have. The only weak point is your video ram. I read a few months ago a threat on the BI forums. Someone asked what video card would give them the best performance, and Marek Spanel (lead guy) said the 7900GTO gives the best performance, even over the 8800's as they are now.

[Dick Blonov]

Grunt, do you have transparency anti-aliasing enabled ?

I run an ATI card, and if I enable the equivalent feature called adaptive anti-aliasing, the game is unplayable around trees.

DB

[JollietJake]

Grunt I just bought an EVGA 8800GTS 320mb from NewEgg for $279 and its an awesome card. you might want to that way and save $100.


MSI P6N 650i Sli mb
Intel E6420 C2D
2x1 gb G-Skillz DDR2 800mhz
EVGA 8800GTS 320mb

[TheBigC]

The video cards out today have issues with pushing ArmA, so unless you go over the top you still may not get what you want unless you adjust the settings.

My second machine had a set of 7900s in them and I was gettin great (60+) FPS, without a Core 2 Duo. But that would require a MB upgrade and a second card for you. But that is a whole lot cheaper than getting a 8800 anything.

BTW, if you decide to go with the 8800 GTX, you may have serious power issues. That card is a hog. I had to get a a 1000W power supply to run a pair of them. The GTS is a bit better on power, but still sucks some juice and you will notice it with a 550w power supply.

[curtagain]

Hey Grunt! Talk to me later. I built this machine and went from much computer drama with BF2 to 99 continual FPS lol and after much Arma specific issues/tweaking and thanks to all the forums around got it working great with Arma. Obviously my FPS is less with Arma(about 40-50) but I think you only need 30 for great gameplay.
System Specs:
Asus P5N32-SLI SE Deluxe MoBo
Socket 775 Intel Core 2 Duo 6600@ 2.40 GHz not overclocked!
2 GB Corsair Ram
BFG Nvidia 7950GTOC not overclocked
Creative Audigy 4 gamer (disabled till next Arma patch!)
Aluminum Thermaltake case
320 GB SATA Western Digital HD with 16 mb cache
Windows XP professional
My 2 cents is if your positive you've done all the tweaking possible(Nvidia control panel app controled etc.) it's time for needed upgrades! Although as we're seeing with Windows Vista (and as Boudreux posted)you don't need to buy the newest to get the best performance out of your choosen apps!

[Grunt 70]

Food for thought fellas...thanks for the input...I'll keep collecting info as I won't be ready to pull the trigger for 3 or 4 months anyhow.

thanks again and keep it coming if you have more input.

Geezh...I'd hate to buy one of those expensive vid cards and not get a big improvement...now that'd be a letdown...too bad they didn't ahve a try it befor you buy it program. I guess I could always return it but you are looking at a restock fee from newegg for that.

[JAMerica]

Originally Posted by Grunt 70

Food for thought fellas...thanks for the input...I'll keep collecting info as I won't be ready to pull the trigger for 3 or 4 months anyhow..............

In 3-4 months everything will be outdated and you can replace it all

Hopefully by then we'll have better drivers for the 8800's. I'm guessing that it might be a worthy upgrade then.

[ANGELofDEATH]

yep.. In 3-4 months the 8800s will be half price.. Like all parts do :/

[=Sarc=]

After a bit of testing with settings, the biggest hit was antialiasing. Usually, my 7900GT can handle it in other games but ArmA seems to be a beast. I turned off the transparency antialiasing but it's still a big performance hit. By turning it off completely, I get smooth fps in bushes. It's a bit jaggy but worth the performance.

Originally Posted by ANGELofDEATH

yep.. In 3-4 months the 8800s will be half price.. Like all parts do :/

Or it stays roughly the same price but they are harder to find. All you'll see is the next best card on the market. It's one of the reasons using SLI as an ugprade path isn't very sensible. You'd still pay the same amount as if you went SLI in the first place but lose all the time you could actually have SLI.

[AMosely]

Grunt, I'm pretty much running the same system as you except for the processor - I'm using an Intel P4 3.2GHz and really don't have any fps issues (though obviously I'm not running at ultra-high, and use low AA). For ArmA, I think it's all about the processor (and memory) much more than its about the GFX card. I'd say go for a Mboard/processor upgrade first. Later on you can invest in a GFX bump.

[curtagain]

If your card has 128 mb of video mem that is def a prob.

[Grunt 70]

I think its got 256 on board video memory. I can't see how the ubercards of the 8000 series wouldn't perform better, with so much more video ram. I mean 768 or 540 vs 256. Holding off for now though...thanks for the info again.

[tHa_KhAn]

Driver issues and compatibility are the main reason the 8800's don't perform better. They are designed for DX10 games which are beyond Armed Assault or most current games.