Graphics question.

[gypsymoth]

I have a new computer with this graphics card, a ZOTAC AMP! Edition GTX 980. I'd be very grateful for advice about settings, re. AA, etc.

I have FS9 with fuel compounds on some airfields (WW2) that have wire netting fences that shimmer. This doesn't happen in another machine with a 3GB AMD RADEON™ R9 280X where the fences are as smooth as silk. The difference can be seen here in grab 1 Radeon R9 & grab 2 the gtx 980.

I have nvidia Inspector that lists the options to change, but what do I change?

Computer specs are these:

Intel Core I7 5820K EXTREME 3.6Ghz HEX Core CPU Processor BX80648I75820K - Socket 2011
Gigabyte X99M-Gaming 5 Intel X99 (Socket 2011) DDR4 Micro ATX Motherboard
Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (4 x 4GB) Memory Kit PC4-22400 2800MHz DDR4 DIMM C16 (Blue)
ZOTAC AMP! Edition GTX 980 Graphics Card 4GB
CORSAIR PSU 850W CS GOLD MODULAR PSU
Corsair Carbide Air 240 Micro Mini ITX White Gaming PC Case
2 X Samsung 500GB 850 EVO SSD (one for OS, one for Flight Sim)
2TB HDD (for general file storage)
1 x Corsair SP120 PWM Air Series QUIET High Static Pressure 120mm Fan
Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 64 Bit

Thanks.

[Travis]

Pretty sure that fence problem is anti-aliasing.

When I install on a new machine (done it AT LEAST ten times) I max everything in the graphics option and then go fly around. If I can't fly through New York or Chicago with full sliders and 30+ FPS, I start bringing things down one at a time until it's smooth. However, I've noticed that any machine made after about 2012 will run FS9 with absolutely no problem on maxed graphics. (To find your FPS, press "Shift+Z" twice during simulation play, which will bring up a framerate counter in the upper-left corner)

[gypsymoth]

Yes, I realise it's an anti-aliasing problem but what?
If it doesn't happen with the AMD R9 why am I getting with the GTX 980?
What do I do to stop it?

Everything is maxed out with the R9 & the GTX would be even better but it's not.

[garymbuska]

Yes, I realise it's an anti-aliasing problem but what?
If it doesn't happen with the AMD R9 why am I getting with the GTX 980?
What do I do to stop it?

Everything is maxed out with the R9 & the GTX would be even better but it's not.

First of all did you uninstall the AMD R9 or did you just remove it.
If you just remove it make sure the drivers that it was using have been uninstalled as that could be giving you problems
This is a trial and error kind of thing
Keep changing your anti-aliasing until you get it working.
One other note Nvida has a program that will allow you to keep you drivers up to date as well as help you out with the settings
check out the link
I personally think this is better than the inspector by far as it lets you know of driver updates and makes installation a breeze.

http://www.techspot.com/downloads/5752- ... ience.html

[Jean Loup]

...I have FS9 with fuel compounds on some airfields (WW2) that have wire netting fences that shimmer. This doesn't happen in another machine with a 3GB AMD RADEON™ R9 280X where the fences are as smooth as silk. The difference can be seen here in grab 1 Radeon R9 & grab 2 the gtx 980... Thanks.

HELLO ALL!
That same problem I have with Nvidia graphic card & All Sliders on the Right- EXCEPT the Mip Mapping quality: has to be at 4 if I go higher, the same shimmer fenomena you describe hapens to my FS9. Turning Anti-aliasing ON does not cure it either.



With Mip mapping quality: 4 (lowers water effects slightly)


With Mip mapping quality: 8 (notice hangar roof & engine cilinders shimmering, noticeable on trees also)

[gypsymoth]

Hello gary.
The specs I put in my first post is a newly built machine with the GTX 980 for FS9. This is where the fences shimmer. Another computer with a AMD R9 doesn't shimmer...see the pics I added. I have Nvidia Inspector but this is my first Nvidia card & I don't know what to change to stop them shimmering. The Nvida programme you mention is Experience but the drivers are up tp date....the machine is only a week old so they should be.
I'm amazed a £490 video card is playing up. The R9 is so smooth.

Jean,
The settings are the same in both machines: mip mapping is 4. With AA off it's awful so AA is on.

[garymbuska]

Hello gary.
The specs I put in my first post is a newly built machine with the GTX 980 for FS9. This is where the fences shimmer. Another computer with a AMD R9 doesn't shimmer...see the pics I added. I have Nvidia Inspector but this is my first Nvidia card & I don't know what to change to stop them shimmering. The Nvida programme you mention is Experience but the drivers are up tp date....the machine is only a week old so they should be.
I'm amazed a £490 video card is playing up. The R9 is so smooth.

Jean,
The settings are the same in both machines: mip mapping is 4. With AA off it's awful so AA is on.

You really should down load the Nvida Experience It will automatically set up your card to your Games so you do not have to worry about that.
It is really the way to go it takes all of the guess work out of it.
Even if the program does not see the game you are playing it allows you to alter the settings just as the inspector does.
If this does not work I would look at the settings you had with the AMD R9 and try to match them.
One other thing I do know is that Nvida does things a little different than RADEON does
But all I know is that I had problems with a different game that had similar issues and they stopped after I installed the Nvida Experience
And I no longer have to worry about the fact are my drivers up to date and do i need to update them. This solves all of that for you.

[gypsymoth]

The machine came with Experience & everything is up to date....It's only a week old.

Experience doesn't help. FS9 isn't recognised so none of the settings I see have any relevance to it. I don't know what to alter & I'm looking for advice & help in this department. I've put a ? on the Nvidia site but there are lots of views but no suggestions.

My settings match those with the AMD R9. I regret listening to the machine makers steering me to the GTX.

If by the weekend I cannot see an improvement I'll swap to an AMD card. At least they don't make fences shimmer. I really cannot produce a video for these people with shimmering fences.
If no suggestions are forthcoming I'll dump it on ebay. I'm so unhappy that an expensive thing like this doesn't work. Getting help from Nvidia is impossible.

[garymbuska]

I just realized what might be causing your problem I could shoot myself for not thinking about this sooner
Have you looked in your FSX CFG file lately Inside that file you will see a line that shows what kind of graphics card you are using and unless you had FSX create a new FSX CFG file after you switched cards it will still have the other card there and odds are that the drivers for your old card are still on your system so FSX it using the drivers from your old card on the card you now have. Like I stated earlier there are some differences between the two cards and one of those has to do with anti alising. The solution is simple just RENAME the current FSX CFG file to FSX.BAK I would not delete it as you will loose some of your settings like your start up location. Once renamed just start FSX and will will build a new file See if that solves your problem.
Once you have the new file all you have to do is to copy the lines that has to do with your start up location from the old file to the new file and any other lines you might have created
One line you should add to FSX CFG is the line HIGHMEMFIX=1 to your cfg in the [GRAPHICS] section
This line is a must have for high ram video cards

[gypsymoth]

I read about that cfg addition elsewhere in my travels but I have FS9..............mine is a brand new built don't forget.

I have altered so many settings but nothing works. I can see myself getting an AMD card in the end just to get fences that don't shimmer like lemetta in the wind.

I hear news of a Radeon R9 Fury X which is whetting my appetite. I could always wait for that

[Travis]

I have used multiple platforms to run FS9 in the past (6 rigs and 3 Windows versions) and the only time it ran without ANY issues was using NVidia cards. Every other time it has resulted in strange things happening, like glitchy and choppy graphics.

[OldAirmail]

I have used multiple platforms to run FS9 in the past (6 rigs and 3 Windows versions) and the only time it ran without ANY issues was using NVidia cards. Every other time it has resulted in strange things happening, like glitchy and choppy graphics.

It's amazing how a card in one system will work great, whereas that same card in a different system will perform poorly.

In this case the OP, gypsymoth, is saying that his NVidia card is the problem, and that the AMD card works better for him.



What's funny is that on the Prepar3d sites a large percentage of people have been having problems due to NVidia cards. Again - not all people.

Oh. The funny part? They, almost all, say how the best cards are the ones that they're complaining about.

I'm not going to post the pictures again, but I've had exceptional results running a five monitor setup with AMD Eyefinity cards.



Gypsymoth, I really don't know if this will help, but NVidia has, or is about to, come out with new drivers to work better with Prepar3d.

It's possible that there could be some collateral improvements in FSX & FS9.

[gypsymoth]

OK.......new drivers? I hope it happens soon because I want a resolution to the problem.
This problem new machine is in a white Corsair Carbide Air 240 case & the makers tell me the R9 290 I suggest replacing the GTX 980 with is too big to fit. BUT, I've just read AMD now have the R9 FuryX on sale soon so I might just have that fitted......

However, the makers are going to remotely check the setting of the GTX this morning so we shall see......watch this space. If they don't fix it then out it comes.

I return to my mantra of the AMD graphics I've had so far have never had problems with rending these wire fences on my airfields like this nvidia GTX does.

Cheers for now.....
Oh they told me to steer clear of the Inspector as it's a hackers tool & not an offial nvidia item.

[gypsymoth]

The graphics guru from Awd-it the maker, remotely fiddled with the nvidia settings, repeating what I'd already tried, but the fences still shimmered. He pronounced the fault was with the fence texture & was too old for the modern GTX to render & I must either get another fence or remove it. I reminded him the R9 280X does a fine job but he slandered AMD graphics & said I must put up with the GTX as it's the best money can buy.
I've news for him & his company....unless they change it for R9 280X I want my money back. I think they forget that I'm the customer paying lots of dosh & not getting what I want. What this space.

[OldAirmail]

"He pronounced the fault was with the fence texture & was too old for the modern GTX to render &" I must either get another fence or remove it.



So have you called a fence company yet?

Personally, I'd have the fence company replace the old fence with something that the terrorists would have more problems getting through.


Seriously, no two companies will write the same code to handle the same situation. Simply put, video cards from different companies may handle a graphics problem differently.

But most of the time it isn't going to make a noticeable difference.


"...I reminded him the R9 280X does a fine job but he slandered AMD graphics..."

"... & said I must put up with the GTX as it's the best money can buy."

This is standard procedure in heavily competitive fields. He probably believes it, and if he didn't before he got his job he would have had it pounded into him during sales training. S.O.P.

Believe me. I've been there a time or two.


"I've news for him & his company....unless they change it for R9 280X I want my money back."

If it's more than 30 days old - sell it on eBay.

If you bought it from Amazon and it's 30 days or less, just tell them that it isn't compatible with software on your computer. They'll email you a shipping label - no questions asked.

You might consider building another computer system and use it in that?



Now for a couple of points

First, I'm not slamming you. It's natural to want the best.

But most people don't look at it from all of the angles.


If the main game that you use on your computer is FS9, then even your old card is FAR beyond the needs of FS9.

FS9/FS2004 was released in (drum roll) - - - - 2004.

Even if your R9 280X had existed in 2004, almost no one would have considered incorporating it into their software.

Simply put, for the most part FS9 can not take advantage of the power in your card.


On the other hand, if you play a lot of the newest cutting edge games, then the guy was, probably, right: the newest Nvidia card MAY be the best card available. It all depends on what criteria you're using.

But here's something that most people don't consider: IF YOUR COMPUTER IS MORE THAN A FEW YEARS OLD YOU WILL NOT GET THE FULL ADVANTAGE OF THE LATEST Nvidia CARD!

Think about it in the extreme; do you really think that the latest graphics card would be fully utilized in a 10 year old computer? No way.

Oh, it might work. About as well as a Maserati would in a crowded parking lot.


My AMD R9 280X with 4GB of DDR5 ram is a case in point. My motherboard, with it's Sandy Bridge chipset, is incapable of getting the most out of that R9 280X card.

The reason that I bought it was because Prepar3d is starting to farm out some processes to the video card (where & when possible). And THAT the Sandy Bridge chipset can do.