ArmA III Upgrade - Hardware & Software

I'm considering putting some cash into my computer in anticipation of ArmA III. What do you guys recommend? I'm thinking of picking up a 7850, but not so sure. Here's my speccy: [IMG]http://gyazo.com/a60242f27688f8b530875ec06975d44b.png?1362257056[/IMG] I have a 6850 right now, to specify. I run ArmA II at about 60 frames in non-intensive situations (IE: Sitting at a base with nothing happening, pretty much idle) and at about 30-40 in intense combat on Normal settings.

Yeah, probably a newer graphics card. But honestly, you'll still be able to run Arma III, I don't think the engine is going to change much graphics wise, maybe a little, if anything it'll be a bit more optimized.

I can run ArmA 2 fine enough now, but I'd like it to be a little better. Would it be worth it to upgrade my CPU or try to overclock it a bit and get some better cooling, or not bother and get a new GPU?

ArmA is a lot of RAM and CPU, and well, you definitely have the RAM. Cheapest smaller increase in FPS; graphics card. Larger expense and probably a larger increase in FPS; CPU.

I would pick up a 7870 and then a couple years on buy a second one for crossfire. The 7870 alone will run every game that is currently out on max settings at 1920x1080 provided you don't have anything bottlenecking which you don't and in a couple years when it is getting old and slow the second one will bring you back up to standard for a cheap price. Currently an MSi 7870 is only £180 so in a couple years you will be able to get one very cheap just before they discontinue it. [QUOTE=Kath;39776605]I can run ArmA 2 fine enough now, but I'd like it to be a little better. Would it be worth it to upgrade my CPU or try to overclock it a bit and get some better cooling, or not bother and get a new GPU?[/QUOTE] Your CPU is already top notch, as is your RAM. The only thing you can do with your CPU to get some kind of increase is to buy an aftermarket cooler and overclock it. My suggestion is as said above to buy a 7870 then you can upgrade cheaply in a couple years by getting a second one.

Alright. Would it be worth the extra $50-$60 to get a 7950? I could also just crossfire that down the road, too I suppose. I'm going to sell this card I have now to a friend so that'll cover the difference. Also; I have a SeaSonic M12II 520w PSU, that should be enough, right?

If you're doing this just to run Arma3 there is no need to go overkill, it has very low reqs.

[QUOTE=Kath;39776989]Alright. Would it be worth the extra $50-$60 to get a 7950? I could also just crossfire that down the road, too I suppose. I'm going to sell this card I have now to a friend so that'll cover the difference. Also; I have a SeaSonic M12II 520w PSU, that should be enough, right?[/QUOTE] If I were you I'd go the 7950, it'll help future proof your system, and you get crysis 3 instead of the new tomb raider (which IMO looks way worse in mechanics than I remember the old ones being)

I don't know if 520W is enough to crossfire 7870s, my guess is no, and it's definetely not enough to crossfire 7950s. Like I said one 7870 should be sufficient to run ArmA3 on max settings, the second would be good in a couple years if you want to play other new games. The requirements of new games in the next couple years are likely to go up faster than usual also because of the new console generation. So, if you are just gonna play ArmA3 and don't care much for maxing out games that come out in a couple years and just want to play ArmA3 then go for a 7950 but if you don't mind upgrading your PSU I would still get a 7870 and in a couple years when it's getting behind buy a second one. If you are upgrading your PSU I would get something around the 700W mark, corsair are my favourite brand. Something like this would be grand, but you would have to find a US Store. [url]http://www.scan.co.uk/products/650w-corsair-enthusiast-series-650txv2uk-85-eff-80-plus-bronze-sli-crossfire-eps-12v-quiet-fan-atx-v[/url]

Get a 7950 now, you can keep your current power supply and then just get a new one next time you decide you'll need another 7950 (which probably won't be for a very long time) By the way Scrappa, TX650's have a shitty value and are overpriced.