Smooth

[G.K.]

......as you're probably aware, P3D is now on version 2.4. I've only been using it since 2.2 and have been pleasantly surprised with the performance on my machine.

i5-4430 @3 Ghz
Gt 640 for panels monitor
GTX 750 Ti for main monitor
Dedicated HD for P3D
8 gig ram
win 7

I'm not saying it's perfect but compared to some folks (who have better rigs) I've been lucky. Some sliders maxed, most others toward the high end. No hdr or terrain shadows. I can't have much traffic either, my CPU being the bottle neck.......I now get 30fps in most situations and it drops to mid 20's at Heathrow and over London. I was running vanilla but have now installed ORBX England. My flying tends to be VFR in slower aircraft.

2 niggling problems I've had with my setup have been consistent micro stutters and texture lag, only slight but irritating non the less. I tried everything: turning sliders right down, different aircraft, drivers, cfg tweaks but they remained. I tried diagnostic software, switching off useless start up progs and services......many of these things helped slightly but I couldn't get rid of the issues completely.

Today I started back tracking on how I set the machine up when I built it, after a couple of hours I found the issue

The CPU I have will turbo boost to 3.2 ghz.........I didn't have turbo boost switched on in the bios....doh. My P3D is now running like a swiss watch, smooth as a babies bum

[OldAirmail]

I agree. When they put out V2.1 they kept saying that you had to have the fastest computer system possible - BULL DINKY!

As you said, the thing that hit my "no longer high end" system was the shadows. Particularly cloud and scenery shadows.

But most of the other things, like the scenery & vegetation, were set to the max with little if any noticeable slowdown, vis-à-vis the FPS.

......

Today I started back tracking on how I set the machine up when I built it, after a couple of hours I found the issue

.....

I'd do the opposite. I'd move all of the settings as low as possible.

THEN move those settings that mean the most to you, ALL THE WAY UP. Now check how they effect your FPS.

One by one you'll find the settings that you want, and the ones that have little effect.



Flying low & slow, I like watching cars, busses, and trucks "driving" on the highway. That, to me, makes the world looked "lived in". But increasing them to the max would be too much.

Ditto harbor traffic, airport vehicles.

But buildings, vegetation - MAX!



With the add-ons of today, FSX is better than ever.
With the add-ons of today, for FSX, Prepar3d is getting ever better.

It's a win-win situation for us all.

[G.K.]

Very true OldAirmail

......Now, please don't laugh or call me stupid because of what follows:

I downloaded a hard drive tester from Western Digital to test C drive yesterday......It failed all tests....... I ran chkdsk repair......I figured it wasn't operating too bad so there can't be much wrong with it....... It did it's stuff......


.....it has trashed the file system and rendered the C drive useless. All my downloads, operating system, photos, the lot. In 20yrs I have never had a HD go sour on me before.

Heed my warning: Backup, backup, backup. I was complacent.

I have installed another HD and re installed windows. The offending HD is on my desk and I suspect it is having a quiet digital laugh. I'm not sure but I don't think there is any mechanical damage.

Quick question, can anyone recommend a free Data Recovery prog?

[Daube]

Hmm, the HD problems are always a very scary problem :/
Instead of reinstalling Windows and your games on regular HDs, you should have taken the opportunity to invest in SSD drives. Of course, they are more expensive than regular HDs, but they are also way faster and robust. And defrags will be a thing of the past

[OldAirmail]

Got it covered;

256 SSD for the OS

WD Blue 1 TB Desktop Hard Drive: 7200 RPM, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64 MB Cache for normal data - $49.

256 SSD for Prepar3d.



As to the price of an SSD - SanDisk Ultra Plus 256GB SATA 6.0GB/s 2.5-Inch 7mm Height Solid State Drive - $99.

BTW - if your system can handle SATA 6, and your old HD is of lesser speed, then you just may want to spend that $50. That too will make a nice difference.

Sell your blood, if you have to, and then and You Too can have an SSD.

And, personally, I think that it makes a huge difference in FSX or P3d. FAR more than extra memory.

[G.K.]

Yes Daube and Old Airmail, I have thought long and hard about SSD's. They are still a wee bit pricey for me, they are currently about 9x more expensive per terabyte if I buy a 240 gig one.

What benefits do they bring apart from quicker boot and program load up times? specifically what benefits are visible during flight in P3D?

[Daube]

Yes Daube and Old Airmail, I have thought long and hard about SSD's. They are still a wee bit pricey for me, they are currently about 9x more expensive per terabyte if I buy a 240 gig one.

What benefits do they bring apart from quicker boot and program load up times? specifically what benefits are visible during flight in P3D?

The prices of SSDs vary a lot, depending on the brand.
A 500 GB Western Digital Velociraptor HD is about 120 euros.
A 500 GB Samsung 840 evo SSD is about 210 euros.
That not really 9x more expensive at all. Barely 2x...

The load times alone are already a "no way back". But in general, it's all about the reactivity of the whole computer. Each time a program needs to access some files, that access is way faster than any regular HDD. In flight, this basically means less micro stutters due to more efficient file loadings.
Of course, this doesn't mean that you won't get any micro-stutters. You will still get some. But not because of file loading.

[G.K.]

Ah, my comparison was a little more modest. 1 TB, 7200 rpm, 64 mb cache Seagate £47.00

[logjam]

Transcend TS750GSJ25M2 750Gb on Amazon $110 bucks inc shipping.