Computer Help

[gap97 0]

Im new to Day Z and after buying arma 2 i realized my computer isnt advanced enough to tun it without excessive lag. Here are my specs

Ram: 3G

Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad 6600

Psu: 600 Watts

Graphics Card: Nvidia GeForce 8600 GT

OS: Windows Vista Home Premium

If you know any graphics card upgrades that would work or any other suggestions please let me know

Edited August 13, 2012 by gap97

[Montrio 0]

Play with your graphics settings, you should be able to at least run the game with that hardware, though it won't be too pretty.

[Veramont 3]

Play with your graphics settings, you should be able to at least run the game with that hardware, though it won't be too pretty.

Indeed. If you turn everything down this should be playable, but it won't be the best. If I had to suggest an upgrade, I'd say just get a better graphics card. Nothing too crazy necessary. Overall your pc just seems a bit dated, i.e. most pc's run with at least 4 gigs of ddr3 ram these days. But honestly you don't need that to play this game really.

If you must upgrade, your graphics card is probably your biggest bottleneck. I'd go pick up a 460 or even a 550 gtx if you wanna go the Nvidia route. They aren't that expensive and that would be an enormous upgrade. Plus, it would help you with other games for quite awhile. Just my two cents.

[gap97 0]

Thank you so much! Iv posted this a couple times and your the first to give genuine help. yes my computer is outdated. i got it 5 years ago and im only 15 now so i dont know a lot about that kinda stuff, but im getting into it now. If i upgrade to a nvidia 550 there shouldnt be any problems with my psu or software should there?

[gap97 0]

Also i can get a nvidia 550 or a saphire radean 6870 which would you prefer?

[Citic 7]

Also i can get a nvidia 550 or a saphire radean 6870 which would you prefer?

Unless it's a 550TI, go with the 6870. The 6870 is better than the 550TI, but the 550Ti has more video memory which will help a lot since you only have 3gb of what i assume is ddr2.

[gap97 0]

If i only have a 600 W power supply will the 550 TI drain that too much or no? Also i could buy a couple gigs of ram as well right?

[Citic 7]

If i only have a 600 W power supply will the 550 TI drain that too much or no? Also i could buy a couple gigs of ram as well right?

A 600 watt power supply should be fine as the actual video card will only draw at MOST 200watts, that combined with what i assume in 1 hdd, should be fine.

If you are going to be buying the 550ti make sure you buy it from EVGA, they have the best support and have a trade up program where you can trade in your old card + pay the rest of the value of a newer video card should you decide to upgrade.

I can't tell you if you can buy more ram or not, can you tell me the make or model # of your motherboard?

[tweeter7483 4]

your CPU is more of a bottleneck i had that same set up with a q6600 and a 560gtx and i still didnt get desirable performance but when i upgraded to a new ivy bridge i5 quad it runs very well. also get off vista and onto windows 7 if at all possible.

Edited August 15, 2012 by Raven-Actual

[gap97 0]

Is the processor hard to install because I'm no computer wiz?

[AllMightyKnox 218]

Im new to Day Z and after buying arma 2 i realized my computer isnt advanced enough to tun it without excessive lag. Here are my specs

Ram: 3G

Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad 6600

Psu: 600 Watts

Graphics Card: Nvidia GeForce 8600 GT

OS: Windows Vista Home Premium

If you know any graphics card upgrades that would work or any other suggestions please let me know

Sorry to hear about the gfx card issue. Check out this website. You can run your PC to see if you will be able to play the game before you purchase it.

I know this website has helped me alot if the past and it will also tell you what you can update in order to run the game. Hope this helps.

http://www.systemrequirementslab.com/cyri/intro.aspx

[Citic 7]

Is the processor hard to install because I'm no computer wiz?

It's not hard, but very delicate.

Essentially you just open your case, take off the heatsink wipe off the thermal compound, take our the old cpu, put your new one in making sure not to apply too much pressure or you will bend a pin (It should just fall into the socket) Then you lock it in and reapply thermal compound.

The heatsink that comes with the cpu you buy should have thermal compound pre applied so you can swap out the heatsinks too, if you want.

The whole process should take less than 15 minutes.

Make sure to put some Isopropyl Alcohol (Rubbing Alcohol) on a cloth to take off the thermal compound.

Just make sure that there is thermal compound either on the processor or the heatsink before you put it back together or you computer will only boot for about 2 seconds before shutting off.

Edited August 15, 2012 by Sylex

[Veramont 3]

It's not hard, but very delicate.

Essentially you just open your case, take off the heatsink wipe off the thermal compound, take our the old cpu, put your new one in making sure not to apply too much pressure or you will bend a pin (It should just fall into the socket) Then you lock it in and reapply thermal compound.

The heatsink that comes with the cpu you buy should have thermal compound pre applied so you can swap out the heatsinks too, if you want.

The whole process should take less than 15 minutes.

Make sure to put some Isopropyl Alcohol (Rubbing Alcohol) on a cloth to take off the thermal compound.

Just make sure that there is thermal compound either on the processor or the heatsink before you put it back together or you computer will only boot for about 2 seconds before shutting off.

This guy knows his stuff. I agree with what he said about the power supply as well as this.

I'd just like to note that if you do plan on upgrading your processor/graphics card, make sure you're "grounded" if you decide to open it up and do it yourself. If you aren't properly grounded there is a very small chance you could potentially fry your motherboard. Not trying to scare you, because it really isn't that hard to prevent, I just think it is worth mentioning. A lot of people will tell you that it is a myth but no, I have built plenty of computers and I'm here to tell you that it can happen. It is a very small chance but it can happen. The best way to prevent it is to just simply touch the metal on the side of your case prior to doing anything to remove your static build up. Then you should be set. If you are super nervous you can buy a wristband that you connect to your computer and it will ground you but honestly I think that's really unnecessary. Up to you though, they're like 2 dollars. Just be careful, take your time putting in the chip/card, don't force anything, and all will end well. The only thing that may require a bit of force is the socket the CPU sits in, it can sometimes take a little pressure to shut down with the little lever. It differs though.

There are tons, and I mean TONS of youtube videos on how to "build your own pc" blah blah. There's no reason why you can't do it, it's super easy.

Patience, it's your friend. Good luck man. If you have any other questions feel free to PM me.

[dilorenzovictor@gmail.com 36]

could get a gtx 460, would be a huge upgrade.

[Mega_Death 23]

It's not hard, but very delicate.

Essentially you just open your case, take off the heatsink wipe off the thermal compound, take our the old cpu, put your new one in making sure not to apply too much pressure or you will bend a pin (It should just fall into the socket) Then you lock it in and reapply thermal compound.

The heatsink that comes with the cpu you buy should have thermal compound pre applied so you can swap out the heatsinks too, if you want.

The whole process should take less than 15 minutes.

Make sure to put some Isopropyl Alcohol (Rubbing Alcohol) on a cloth to take off the thermal compound.

Just make sure that there is thermal compound either on the processor or the heatsink before you put it back together or you computer will only boot for about 2 seconds before shutting off.

His information on a cpu installation/change is correct.

The problem is that's a LGA 775 motherboard, the Q6600 was the best processor you could get for it.

You cannot buy a cpu not designed for the 775 socket, it will not fit.

The Q6600 was a great cpu but it's days are done for some games, and Arma2 is one of them. A better graphics card will help, but as previously stated the cpu is quite old and is your main issue.

[ajbader@umich.edu 7]

Graphics card doesn't really matter too much. Arma 2 is a CPU heavy game. I have a 9800GTX+ (paired with Phenom II X4 965) and it runs fine if I turn antialiasing off.

Edited August 15, 2012 by whitetigerofmichigan

[gap97 0]

Should i just buy a new computer because there's too much wrong and not enough right with mine? I can buy a new graphics card and all that good stuff but is it worth it to save this cpu?

[MGreenwald 49]

Def. better graphics card... even an 8600 vs 8800 is like night and day.

[Veramont 3]

A new computer wouldn't be a bad investment as yours seems pretty out of date, but that's up to you. I'm sure if you upgraded the processor/graphics card you'd be set to play really whatever you wanted. It really just depends on how much money you are willing to spend on a pc.

[Senection 6]

graphicscard update is useless slow cpu!!! 550TI is a really really crappy graphics card . I have bought a new computer with an 550ti and it cant even run WORLD OF WARCRAFT with more than 40 fps. I changed it with my old gtx260+ and lool easy 300 fps, now i have upgraded a bit because of arma 2 to a gtx560ti oc from gigabyte.

so in case dont buy a 550ti its a desktop graphics card it wont work for gaming.

[sixbarns 217]

Im new to Day Z and after buying arma 2 i realized my computer isnt advanced enough to tun it without excessive lag. Here are my specs

Ram: 3G

Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad 6600

Psu: 600 Watts

Graphics Card: Nvidia GeForce 8600 GT

OS: Windows Vista Home Premium

If you know any graphics card upgrades that would work or any other suggestions please let me know

Try this first. Then tweak your graphics settings in game.

http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2782938

FPS lag fix:

Step 1: Go into your "My Documents" folder.

Step 2: Open "ArmA 2" folder.

Step 3: Look for the following lines in ArmA2.cfg, ArmA2OA.cfg, and any other ArmA versions you have.

GPU_MaxFramesAhead=1000;

GPU_DetectedFramesAhead=3;

Step 4: Change them to:

GPU_MaxFramesAhead=1;

GPU_DetectedFramesAhead=1;

Profit. This should dramatically help your FPS lag. Now for the mouse lag.

Mouse lag fix:

Step 1: Open ArmA 2.

Step 2: Open your control settings for whatever profile you use.

Step 3: Drag mouse smoothing to zero.

[Senection 6]

I am scared how the the user here in the forum give you so bad informations!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THE WORST INFORMATIONS EVER!!!!!

[Banicks 55]

I'll throw in a 580, good card. Unless you want to wait for the next release of dual gpu from nVidia.

Probably not best to early adopt though seeing as their first attempt could burn eggs.

[Citic 7]

Should i just buy a new computer because there's too much wrong and not enough right with mine? I can buy a new graphics card and all that good stuff but is it worth it to save this cpu?

The issue is that your current motherboard is limited to older hardware. You can't use DDR3 ram which is cheap as dirt, you can't get better processors as Mega_Death has stated (Actually, you could get a Q8300 which is around the same class) I have personally ran Day Z on my Q8300 processor in my spare coputer with my extra gtx 260 and pull out with about 50 FPS on High settings using that optimization guide floating around here on the forums.

The problem is the q8300 is discontinued as all LGA 775 processors are. So keep your eyes open if this is the route you want to take.

Alternatively you can get a computer (I assume you're buying pre built) that uses amd. Just make sure the motherboard can handle AM3+ (Socket Type) and any board that uses the AM3+ socket uses DDR3 memory. Then you can buy whatever video card you want for it. Some people will laugh at you for buying an AMD processor (Mainly Intel fan boys) but that's just because AMD got a bad rap with there Athlon x2 line of processors. Now it's really the only option unless you have a LOAD of money to spend on Intel. As of right now, price/performance AMD is miles ahead of intel. It's really not worth it anymore to go with intel. Not to mention Intel releases a new socket for almsot every processor now so if you buy intel your stuck not being able to upgrade.

Make sure the processor is a quad core, the FX-4100 comes into mind - It's a really good buy) and buy your own ram clocked at 1600mhz in dual channel.

Edit: Also if you're going to go with the new computer route, go with the 6870

If you're going to buy Nvidia cards make sure to only get one from (From best to worst): EVGA, MSI, Gigabyte

Alternatively if you're going to buy AMD make sure to buy from (Best to worst): Sapphire, XFX, HIS

Ram manufacturers (Best to worst): Corsair, Kingston, Crucial, Patriot

graphicscard update is useless slow cpu!!! 550TI is a really really crappy graphics card . I have bought a new computer with an 550ti and it cant even run WORLD OF WARCRAFT with more than 40 fps. I changed it with my old gtx260+ and lool easy 300 fps, now i have upgraded a bit because of arma 2 to a gtx560ti oc from gigabyte.

so in case dont buy a 550ti its a desktop graphics card it wont work for gaming.

The 550ti performs close to the gtx 460. It sounds like you didn't do a clean install of your drivers before you updated your video card resulting in poor performance. The 550TI is miles ahead of the gtx 260+ (About 20% better performance). Please don't spout off your nonsence and most everyone here has had some form of a usefull comment and you're displaying your lack of knowledge in the situation.

Edited August 15, 2012 by Sylex

[Senection 6]

The 550ti performs close to the gtx 460. It sounds like you didn't do a clean install of your drivers before you updated your video card resulting in poor performance. The 550TI is miles ahead of the gtx 260+ (About 20% better performance). Please don't spout off your nonsence and most everyone here has had some form of a usefull comment and you're displaying your lack of knowledge in the situation.

gtx550ti

15. Mrz. 2011 GF116 24 4 192 32 900 1800 1024 2052 (1026) GDDR5

192 Bit

gtx 260

22. Dez. 2008 GT200b 28 9 216 72 576 1242 896 999 GDDR3 448 Bit

The only differnce is the " newer " but not better gpu it only got a little more mhz. The shader cluster are more at the gtx260 like the other stuff. A hardware noob like you wouldnt recognize the 192 and 448 bit.

448 bit against 192 bit, and you are telling me the gtx550ti is better ?

xD NOOB