What do I need to upgrade to play Arma 3?

[JSK100]

Hey everyone. Hopefully this is the right section to post this.

So I built my computer about 2 years ago. It's obviously out of date but I would like to know exactly what I have to do to upgrade it. I want to be able to run the new Arma 3 (alpha I believe?) on very good settings. I currently have 4 gigs of RAM, Radeon HD 5770, and a AMD Phenom II X4 945 Deneb 3.0GHz. I can play Arma 2 but not on the greatest settings. I'm hoping that all I need to do would be to upgrade my graphics card....what do you guys recommend? (What specific equipment should I get?)

I really don't know how good my processor is but I'm hoping that I won't need to upgrade it.

Thanks a lot!

 

[mokrunka]

Definitely going to need a newer/better video card.

I like the GTX670 if you're on a budget and want a single GPU card. What is your budget?

Since the game hasn't been released yet, it's tough to say exactly what will run it the best.

 

[wingman99]

I would purchase the GTX 670 or HD 7950. If you have a good budget HD 7970.

 

[JSK100]

I'm thinking around $300...I think maybe the 7950 costs that much? Just wondering..if I were to get it...how well would you think it will run with my specs? In terms of FPS?.... I just don't want to waste $300 to have to play low settings.

 

[wingman99]

With a HD 7950 you should be able to play at high settings, it's almost the top of the line card and your CPU should be fine it will not bottleneck the GPU.

Arma 3 PC Recommended System Requirements

OS: Windows Vista SP2, Windows 7 SP1
PROCESSOR: Intel Core i5-2300, AMD Phenom II X4 940
GRAPHICS: Nvidia GeForce GTX 560, AMD Radeon HD 7750
GPU: MEMORY 1 GB
DirectX: 11
RAM: 4 GB
HARD DRIVE: 25 GB free space
HARD DRIVE: (ALPHA) 20 GB free space
AUDIO: DirectX® compatible soundcard
OTHER: Internet connection and free Steam account to activate

 

[JSK100]

With a HD 7950 you should be able to play at high settings, it's almost the top of the line card and your CPU should be fine it will not bottleneck the GPU.

Arma 3 PC Recommended System Requirements

OS: Windows Vista SP2, Windows 7 SP1
PROCESSOR: Intel Core i5-2300, AMD Phenom II X4 940
GRAPHICS: Nvidia GeForce GTX 560, AMD Radeon HD 7750
GPU: MEMORY 1 GB
DirectX: 11
RAM: 4 GB
HARD DRIVE: 25 GB free space
HARD DRIVE: (ALPHA) 20 GB free space
AUDIO: DirectX® compatible soundcard
OTHER: Internet connection and free Steam account to activate

Others I've talked to said it might bottleneck the cpu?...I'm not even sure what bottleneck means in terms of CPU but I'm guessing it's something to do with having too powerful of a graphics card with a less powerful cpu. Anyways, do you think the 7950 would be the best option or possibly paying $400 for a CPU/Graphics card combo package on newegg? What would be more bang for its buck? Maybe this combo? http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1227253

 

[Conumdrum]

Just get the 7950. Try it you'll be fine. Bottleneck means the CPU must wait for the GPU. Your CPU will NOT bottleneck.

Umm that link is a 7800 series. We are talking 7900 series. Big diff dude. pay attention to the numbers.

 

[JSK100]

Just get the 7950. Try it you'll be fine. Bottleneck means the CPU must wait for the GPU. Your CPU will NOT bottleneck.

Umm that link is a 7800 series. We are talking 7900 series. Big diff dude. pay attention to the numbers.

...I know it's a 7800 series... I'm saying would it be better to spend around $300 for a 7950.. or around $400 for an upgraded CPU and decent graphics card (the 7800 series).... I just don't know how much of an upgrade the CPU is..

 

[wingman99]

...I know it's a 7800 series... I'm saying would it be better to spend around $300 for a 7950.. or around $400 for an upgraded CPU and decent graphics card (the 7800 series).... I just don't know how much of an upgrade the CPU is..

We already told you to go with the HD 7950 because your CPU is faster than the graphics card.

Your CPU has enough power to run 2 7800 series in crossfire mode.

The new CPU's do better with encoding not gaming.

 

[mokrunka]

All that said, remember to consider everyone's expectation of visual quality, settings, and screen resolution is different.

I'm playing the Alpha (I know, I know) on the rig in my sig (w/ a 690) and just for grins, maxed out every setting @ 2560*1600 resolution. In the more intense frames, even that card has trouble.

I guess what I'm saying is that unless you are buying the absolute best, you should have the expectation of making some compromises in visual quality (at least in terms of a bleeding edge game).

In general, stick with video card upgrades for boosting game performance, esp. if your CPU is less than 2-3 yrs old at this point. Spend as much as possible on the GFX card and you won't be disappointed.

Better yet, download the alpha and test out your rig now, and post in here and see how other users are doing with their rigs.

/Sorry for rambling