<img alt="" src="http://fc09.deviantart.com/fs40/f/2009/049/8/a/Arma_2___Razor_Team_by_thejohan.jpg" style="border:0px solid;"><br><br>

Hey guys.<br><br>

I read that many people have problmens with CF + SLi and low framrates in ArmA 2.<br><br>

I gathered various tricks from other forums and compiled them.<br><br><b>Few things before starting:</b><br><br>

- CPU OC helps much. From 2.6 GHz to 3.2 GHz I gained 10 FPS<br>

- Game can not use more than 2gb RAM<br>

- Beatiful engine, altough unoptimized<br>

- Game uses DX9 for XP, and DX9x for Vista<br>

- Apparantly the game runs better on XP and W7 than Vista<br>

- Game uses 4 cores of CPU, this is where high clock CPUs shine<br>

- Disable HT for i7 CPU's (HT confuses Arma 2 engine)<br>

- Download latest ATI drivers <a href="http://ati.amd.com/support/driver.html" target="_blank">here</a><br>

- Download NV drivers <a href="http://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx?lang=en-us" target="_blank">here</a><br>

- Official Demo download <a href="http://www.gamershell.com/news_79062.html" target="_blank">here</a><br><br>

First up is the specifications needed to run ArmA 2<br><br><div class="bbcode_code">

<div class="bbcode_code_head">Code:</div>

<pre>

<code>System Requirements



<b>Minimum</b>:



OS: Windows XP or Windows Vista

Processor: Dual Core CPU (Intel Pentium 4 3.0 GHz, Intel Core 2.0 GHz, AMD Athlon 3200+ or faster)

Memory: 1 GB RAM

Graphics: GPU (Nvidia Geforce 7800 / ATI Radeon 1800 or faster) with Shader Model 3 and 256 MB VRAM

Hard Drive: 10 GB free HDD space



<b>Recommended:

</b>

OS: Windows XP or Windows Vista

Processor: Quad Core CPU or fast Dual Core CPU (Intel Core 2.8 GHz or AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+ or faster)

Memory: 2 GB RAM

Graphics: Fast GPU (Nvidia Geforce 8800GT or ATI Radeon 4850 or faster) with Shader Model 3 and 512 or more MB VRAM

Hard Drive: 10 GB free HDD space</code>

</pre></div>

As you can see the requirements are pretty heavy for recommended.<br><br>

And at last before starting:<br><br><b><span style="font-size:large;">Patches.</span></b><br><br>

Download the official patches before trying anything of the below.<br><br><a href="http://www.armaholic.com/page.php?id=6007" target="_blank">1.2 - Armaholic.com download link</a><br><br><div style="margin:20px;margin-top:5px;">

<div class="smallfont" style="margin-bottom:2px;">Quote:</div>

<table border="0" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" width="99%"><tr><td class="alt2" style="border:1px inset;">Description:<br>

This file will update your Arma 2 installation to version 1.02. It updates both from 1.00 and 1.01 version.<br><br>

Version 1.02.58134 highleights:<br>

* Improved AI driving skills<br>

* Lowered enemy AI skills for regular and recruit difficulty levels<br>

* Improved Micro AI tactics, attack in pairs, path limiting to avoid passing through walls.<br>

* Fixed multiplayer session NAT negotiation<br>

* Improved game stability (various crash opportunities fixed)<br>

* Multiple save slots supported<br>

* Improved terrain shape beyond map borders<br>

* Various campaign and localisation fixes and improvements<br>

* Modules (F7) support added in the Mission Editor<br>

* Antialiasing enabled in Video options<br>

* Different logic of fillrate optimizer: separate settings for 3D Resolution and UI Resolution implemented instead<br><br>

...</td>

</tr></table></div>

<a href="http://www.armaholic.com/page.php?id=6704" target="_blank">1.3 - Armaholic.com download link</a><br><br><div style="margin:20px;margin-top:5px;">

<div class="smallfont" style="margin-bottom:2px;">Quote:</div>

<table border="0" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" width="99%"><tr><td class="alt2" style="border:1px inset;">Version Highlights:<br>

* Major AI tweaking and balancing (especially AI infantry can hear much less)<br>

* Improved multiplayer and cooperative campaign (saving games, connection issues)<br>

* Numerous fixes and improvements in the Harvest Red campaign<br><br>

...</td>

</tr></table></div>

<br><a href="http://www.armaholic.com/page.php?id=7448" target="_blank">1.4 - Armaholic.com download link</a><br><br><div style="margin:20px;margin-top:5px;">

<div class="smallfont" style="margin-bottom:2px;">Quote:</div>

<table border="0" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" width="99%"><tr><td class="alt2" style="border:1px inset;">Version Highlights:<br>

* Mouse controls: Improved mouse handling and responsivness<br>

* Stability: Fixed CTD caused by Voice Over Net when many players were speaking simultaneously and other stability problems<br>

* Sound: Fixed speed of sould simulation and other improvements<br>

* Multiplayer: fixed scoring, multiple mission parameters added and various other MP-related improvements<br><br>

...</td>

</tr></table></div>

<b>Graphical corruption with large amounts of RAM</b><br><br>

This happens sometimes when more than 4GB is present. I'll explain in detail how to limit RAM so you can play ARMA without corruption.<br><br>

First, let's give Vcheez a big hug for finding this out <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/wink.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="Wink">.<br><br><div style="margin:20px;margin-top:5px;">

<div class="smallfont" style="margin-bottom:2px;">Quote:</div>

<table border="0" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" width="99%"><tr><td class="alt2" style="border:1px inset;">

<div>Originally Posted by <strong>VCheeZ</strong> <a href="showthread.php?s=4b5c745b70a061d0eb4ded62bba41b8f&p=7369962#post7369962"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="http://static.overclock.net//img/forum/go_quote.gif" style="border:0px solid;"></a></div>

<div style="font-style:italic;">This may sound weird, but can you do me a favor? Pull 4gb out of your system and try. My ArmA2 does the same thing when I run 8gb. NONE OF THE TEXTURES WILL LOAD if I have more than 4gb of ram installed. I want to see if you are having the same issue or if it is just me.</div>

</td>

</tr></table></div>

1. Open MSConfig (Start -> Run -> MSCONFIG)<br>

2. Go to "Boot" tab then proceed to "Advanced Options"<br>

3. Now you should see some options. Start by going into the memory size and limit it to 4093(untested) or 2047<br>

4. Reboot and play Arma 2 <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/smile.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="Smile"><br><br>

Picture of how it would look:<br><img alt="" src="http://i37.tinypic.com/wvv38j.png" style="border:0px solid;"><br>

(Don't mind the norwegian, should be located at same place on english Vista)<br><br><b>Config file tweaking</b><br><br>

The best way to setup graphics in ArmA2 is actually the config file.<br><br>

You can find it:<br><br>

XP: C:\\documents and settings\\user\\<login account>\\My documents\\ArmA 2<br>

Vista: C:\\users\\<login account>\\documents\\Arma 2<br>

Windows 7: C:\\users\\<login account>\\my documents\\Arma 2<br>

The filename is "ArmA2.cfg"<br><br>

Below is an example:<br><div class="bbcode_code">

<div class="bbcode_code_head">Code:</div>

<pre>

<code>language="English";

adapter=-1;

3D_Performance=-180000;

Resolution_Bpp=32;

Resolution_W=1680; (your desired resolution)

Resolution_H=1050; (same as above)

refresh=60; (refreshrate...doh)

Render_W=1680; (This adjusts your fillrate, set to same as resolution your screen is)

Render_H=1050; (Same as above)

FSAA=0; (Anti-Alising, I can't change this in-game so the CFG helped me)

postFX=2; (Post processing)

HDRPrecision=8;

lastDeviceId="";

localVRAM=924188672; (DO NOT CHANGE THIS, VARIES FROM TO PC)

nonlocalVRAM=1475895296;</code>

</pre></div>

After you have tweaked your CFG file:<br><br><b>REMEMBER TO SET THE FILE AS READ ONLY SO ARMA 2 DOES NOT CHANGE IT!!!!</b><br><br><span style="font-size:xx-large;"><span style="color:#00FF00;"><b><span style="text-decoration:underline;">Part 1. Let us take a look at NVIDIA performance.</span></b></span></span><br><br>

Many users have been reporting low framerates on a lot of NVidia chips, especially G80 chips (8800 GTS 320/640mb, 8800 GTX and 8800 Ultra)<br><br>

Let's start with single GPU configurations.<br><br><b>Something worth doing:</b><br><br><b>1.</b> Max pre rendered frames to 8 in the advanced 3d settings for global or ArmA 2. This improves performance vastly.<br><br><img alt="" src="http://i27.tinypic.com/29lok6b.png" style="border:0px solid;"><br><br><b>2. Disable PhysX</b>. Yes, many reports that PhysX actually does more harm than good in the ArmA 2 engine.<br><br><img alt="" src="http://i26.tinypic.com/97vhhe.png" style="border:0px solid;"><br><br><b>To disable PhysX:</b> Right click on desktop > NVIDIA Control Panel > Set Physx configuration > Select "Disabled" > Click on "Apply"<br><br><b>3. Force Vsync OFF</b><br>

Vsync doesn't play well in this game, so it's recommended it that you set Vsync to "FORCE OFF" in the Nvidia control panel.<br><br><img alt="" src="http://i30.tinypic.com/yzb7m.png" style="border:0px solid;"><br><br><br><b>4. Windowed Mode</b><br>

ArmA 2 actually playes a lot better with windowed mode with the 186.11 drivers than in fullscreen mode. Don't ask me why.<br><br><span style="font-size:x-large;"><span style="color:#00FF00;"><span style="text-decoration:underline;"><b>Part 2: SLI</b></span></span></span><br><br>

The next part is intresting for those with SLi setups.<br><br>

ArmA 2 did not support SLi out of box and this infuriated a lot of users with 295s. Altough some of the old tricks works.<br><br>

A lot of people have reported that the EVGA SLi Patch gives them a lot of FPS. Download link is in attachments. I haven't confirmed the patch works with other brands but it is definality worth a try.<br><br><div style="margin:20px;margin-top:5px;">

<div class="smallfont" style="margin-bottom:2px;">Quote:</div>

<table border="0" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" width="99%"><tr><td class="alt2" style="border:1px inset;">Enable SLI in the latest games - NOW!<br>

EVGA has now released the first version of the EVGA SLI Enhancement! This unofficial patch enables temporary SLI support in the latest games. In order to quickly enhance SLI Profile issues that come up with any new demo or game release; EVGA has decided to publicly release this update to patch add any SLI profiles so you can take full advantage of SLI right now!Check this page often for any updates or support for the latest games and demos!<br>

Version 13 (06.26.09) - Based on NVIDIA 186.18 Driver<br>

Changelist:<br><br>

New SLI profiles from EVGA SLI Enhancement Patch:<br><br><b>Enables SLI support for ArmA 2 game and demo</b><br><br>

Supports Windows Vista 32/64bit and Windows XP 32/64bit<br><br>

FAQ:<br>

How does this enhancement work?<br>

New games/demos are released all the time, and often times they need an SLI profile in order for SLI to work, the goal is to create a 1 day turnaround time from new demo release, to SLI enhancement so you can be gaming in SLI as soon as possible.<br>

Do I need this enhancement if I do not play the above games?<br>

No, you only need this enhancement if you run SLI, and are playing one of the above games.<br>

I have a single dual GPU card (7950GX2, 9800GX2, GTX 295) should I use this enhancement?<br>

Yes, this enhancement will benefit dual GPU cards as well.<br>

I have created custom SLI profiles, will this enhancement remove them?<br>

This enhancement will reset all the profiles, so it is recommended to either not use this enhancement, or re-create any custom SLI profiles after this has enhancement has been installed.<br>

Do I still need this enhancement when a new driver is released?<br>

Often times a new driver can add the profiles needed, this page will be updated when this is done, or if any new games need an SLI profile.<br>

What drivers do I need to install to use this enhancement?<br>

Although it is possible that this enhancement may work with older drivers, it has not been tested, thus is only recommended to use with the above driver.<br>

How do I remove this enhancement?<br>

If for whatever reason you need to remove this enhancement, please uninstall your display drivers from Add/Remove programs, then reinstall.<br>

If I apply this enhancement are the drivers still WHQL certified?<br>

No, if this enhancement is applied, the drivers are no longer WHQL certified.</td>

</tr></table></div>

<b><span style="text-decoration:underline;">-OR-</span></b><br><br><div style="margin:20px;margin-top:5px;">

<div class="smallfont" style="margin-bottom:2px;">Quote:</div>

<table border="0" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" width="99%"><tr><td class="alt2" style="border:1px inset;">Version: 1 BETA<br>

Release Date: 2009.07.07<br>

Operating System: Windows Vista, Windows 7 64-bit, Windows XP, Windows 7<br>

Language: English (UK)<br>

File Size: 0.23 MB<br><br>

This version of the NVIDIA SLI profile patch should be used with v186.18 display driver. It adds support for the following PC games:<br><br>

•Anno 1404 (Dawn of Discovery)<br>

•ARMA II<br><br>

Supported by: All NVIDIA SLI PCs<br><br><a href="http://www.nvidia.co.uk/object/nvidia_sli_...e_patch_uk.html" target="_blank">http://www.nvidia.co.uk/object/nvidi..._patch_uk.html</a></td>

</tr></table></div>

(Courtesy of jimbonbon, thanks for link <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/thumb.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="Thumb">)<br><br>

Please only use with the 186.11 or newer drivers, or unexptected results will occur <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/tongue.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="Stick Out Tongue"><br><br>

I have found a rumour that NVIDIA is working on new drivers with a large performance boost to ArmA 2.<br><br><span style="text-decoration:underline;"><b>Known Issues(NVIDIA)<br></b></span><br>

- White trees (FIX: Turn Vsync OFF, update drivers)<br>

- Many random CTDS (no FIX)<br>

- Menu crash (FIX: Update drivers)<br>

- Very low FPS on G80 cards (no Fix yet, but some of these tips might do the trick as Phat_fail pointed out)<br><br><img alt="" src="http://game-server-hosting.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/ARMA2_1.jpg" style="border:0px solid;"><br><br><span style="font-size:xx-large;"><b><span style="text-decoration:underline;"><span style="color:#FF0000;">Part 3: ATi/AMD GPUs single + CrossFire</span></span></b></span><br><br>

There has been numerus problems to NVidia GPU's but ATI hasent had the same fate tough. As for single GPU I haven't seen any troubles, but the CF setups I have seen a lot tough.<br><br>

Since ATI doesn't have any fast solution patch like NVIDIA. We need to do it the hard way.<br><br><b>New information regarding ATI Crossfire</b><br><br>

ATI released the 9.7 drivers which added native Crossfire for ATI card.<br><br>

WHQL ATI 9.7 dl <a href="http://ati.amd.com/support/driver.html" target="_blank">here</a>.<br><br>

It increased my FPS a LOT.<br><br>

Worth downloading and checking out, it really helps.<br>

Thanks to MakubeX for beta links.<br><br><br><br><b>DISCLAIMER: This is the OLD method. Use on older driver then 9.7. This fix oosts FPS on HD 4870 and HD 4870 X2 configurations most (CF + single) Also works a bit for HD 3K series, and little to no effect on HD 2K</b><br><br><b>For those who bought ArmA 2 at Steam:</b><br><br>

1. Right click ArmA 2 in Steam<br>

2. Go to properties<br>

3. Press "Set Launch options"<br>

4. Add the following parameters:<br><div class="bbcode_code">

<div class="bbcode_code_head">Code:</div>

<pre>

<code>-winxp -maxmem=2047 -cpuCount=4 -nosplash</code>

</pre></div>

5. Press "OK"<br><br>

Sceenshot of how it would look:<br><br><img alt="" src="http://i31.tinypic.com/14b2bub.png" style="border:0px solid;"><br><br><b>For those who bought ArmA 2 boxed:</b><br><br>

1. Copy Arma2.exe and rename it to Crysis.exe<br>

2. Make a shurtcort to crysis.exe<br>

3. Add the following parameters:<br><div class="bbcode_code">

<div class="bbcode_code_head">Code:</div>

<pre>

<code>-winxp -maxmem=2047 -cpuCount=4 -nosplash</code>

</pre></div>

<b>NOTE</b> "-cpuCount=4 or 2" depending on CPU (for I7 use 4, not more)<br><b>UNCONFIRMED:</b> I havent tested this method on NV cards, but should work.<br><br>

Sceenshot of how it would look: (don't mind the norwegian)<br><br><img alt="" src="http://i43.tinypic.com/2mhabrk.png" style="border:0px solid;"><br><br>

After this fix I saw load on both my GPUs, which means it worked. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/smile.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="Smile"> The FPS increased by a whole 30 fps.<br><br><span style="text-decoration:underline;"><b>Known Issues(ATI)</b></span><br><br>

- Arma 2 sees 4870 X2 as one GPU (no FIX yet, wait for newer drivers/patches)<br>

- White trees (Turn V-sync off, or use older drivers, 9.5 works like a charm)<br><br>

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br><span style="font-size:large;"><span style="color:#800080;"><span style="text-decoration:underline;"><b>ArmA 2 benchmarking</b></span></span></span><br>

Want to stress test your system with ArmA 2 engine? Download the ArmAmark II <a href="http://www.armaholic.com/page.php?id=5809" target="_blank">here</a>, and post you're scores.<br><br><br><br>

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br>

My config is the following while gaming, avrage around 20-30<br><br><img alt="" src="http://i26.tinypic.com/2nn1gw.png" style="border:0px solid;"><br><br>

Thanks for reading guys, hope this helps you/benefits you. Most of this stuff is not mine or my fix. I just compiled it all to ease of convinience.<br><br>

Also, got ANY type of problem with ARMA2 engine wise I'd be happy to help. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/smile.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="Smile"><br><br>

And at last, feel like I missed anything? Info uncorrect? Feel free to post and correct me<img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/tongue.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="Stick Out Tongue"><br><br>

Also, visit the <a href="http://www.overclock.net/pc-games/530103-arma2-club.html" target="_blank"><span><span style="font-family:'Arial Black';"><b><span style="font-size:large;">**ArmA2 Club**</span></b></span></span></a> by VcheeZ.<br><br><b>Credits:</b><br>

Big thanks to:<br><br>

- <a href="http://www.overclock.net/member.php?u=90740" target="_blank">Phat_Fail</a> for G80 testing<br>

- <a href="http://www.overclock.net/member.php?u=82467" target="_blank">Harrier</a> for NVIDIA CPL screens<br>

- <a href="http://www.overclock.net/member.php?u=85416" target="_blank">jimbonbon</a> for NVIDIA SLi patch<br>

- <a href="http://www.overclock.net/member.php?u=74342" target="_blank">MakubeX</a> for ATI drivers which fixes CF<br>

- <a href="http://www.overclock.net/member.php?u=55934" target="_blank">VCheeZ</a> for the <a href="http://www.overclock.net/pc-games/530103-arma2-club.html" target="_blank">**ArmA2 Club**</a> and graphical corruption fix.<br><br>

And the rest of you that gave me such warm toughts <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/smile.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="Smile">