Tweak guides...we all use them, we have all printed them, and we have all exchanged views on them on countless forum posts, and to some degree we all have a love/hate relationship with them. I am sure I am not the only one who had to do a full FSX reinstall after trying to emulate a tweak guide which included playing with the CFG file. But all in all they help make our flightsim experience more enjoyable.
Personally I didn't even know what a tweak guide was till FSX came around. My father never let me own a Nintendo, Atari, or any console game, so the deal was I always had the best computer in the market. This deal assured me I could always run the latest version of MSFS with no problems. Once I left home and went on my own FS2004 was coming out and my system still did it no problem, it wasn't till FSX came along that I found out the hard way no matter how much money you spent on your computer you were going to need to get creative to get FSX working at my usual high standards.
So the love/hate relationship with tweak guides began with the very first time I ran FSX on my old system, and ended only about two weeks ago. I saw FSX Booster advertised on the FS Pilot Shop and the product caught my attention immediately. First of all because I have my computer so overloaded with add-ons my FSX was starting to feel the weight, my frame rates were starting to suffer, and most importantly my system was running out of memory and closing FSX in the middle of flights (this only happened with VERY demanding aircraft) I was already contemplating doing a full system erase and start from scratch, fully reinstalling my OS and FSX. Something told me let's give this product a chance before going through that pain, and it turned out it was a wise decision. After two updates and a couple of emails thanks to FSX Booster my frame rates have increased around 35% and my system is running better.
The software is available through direct download at the Pilot Shop. It comes in a 7393 KB compressed folder and download is a breeze on a semi good connection. The software comes complete with its own installer making installation a breeze and after maybe ten minutes from download to finalized installation you should be ready to go. First time you run the program you will get the activation procedure, just have your license number ready and you should be good to go.
The software requires for you to have SP1 and SP2 installed, runs on XP, Vista or Windows 7 (32 or 64 bits), you will need .Net Framework 3.5 and an internet connection. You need to run FSX Booster prior to running FSX every time. Best thing to do is to run FSX Booster (you will see an icon for it) and then execute FSX directly from FSX Booster on the booster menu. Only thing to keep in mind is that if you need to change any settings make sure you do it when Booster is not running because FSX will not remember the changes. Other than that it should be business as usual as long as what you see on the screen is concerned.
From looking at their release notes, the product had a rocky start. It seems the very first version was not well designed and was not doing its job of "boosting" the frame rates in FSX. I originally downloaded the second version, and while I was working on this review they released a third (version 1.2.9.6) which has continually improved the performance of my system.
FSX Booster is a piece of software that analyzes your computer's hardware, and makes thousands of calculations depending on the results of this analysis. The values then are "tweaked" automatically permitting FSX to run the best way it can utilizing your system's strengths and weaknesses. The software already includes many documented (and undocumented) tweak guides as part of the analysis it does on your system, all in the interest of improving your frame rates.
Tweak guides have one inherent problem, they were designed for a specific system, or a specific set of systems. We all know we have tried tens of them, and some work better than others. Well in this case this tweak guide is specially made for your system, and the best part is that all you have to do is double click your mouse for it to automatically work. Furthermore, the analysis is done every single time you run the program, so in a way it adjusts its settings to changes in your computer. According to the developer the analysis the software does on your system uses very complex mathematics to create final values that make FSX adapt to the best of your system's ability.
In my particular case the product worked. I had some problems at the beginning upgrading my version to the newest, but I got to tell you these guys have the best customer service I have seen of any developer. The response times for my questions were almost immediate, and the very first times I used their customer service I did not mention I was going to write about their product. The help was quick and effective and I was up and running at no time.
I run FS Passengers, Squawk Box (for VATSIM) and the latest (and not so latest) payware aircraft. I run with most of the sliders in the middle, with frame rates of around 18 - 22 FPS depending on the situation, airport and aircraft. After using FSX Booster I am running at 28 - 33 and for some reason the system seems more stable. I am not getting as many problems as I was getting before I installed it (when I was thinking of doing full OS and FSX reinstall) and the heavy aircraft are running at better rates. I remember there were times in heavy airports where switching camera views took the paint off the airplanes. With FS Booster this doesn't happen.
The software is priced at $30.95 which in our world is hovering at the higher end of the price ranges. In my case I think it is worth it without a doubt. For starters, in the worst case scenario it saved me of a full OS and FSX reinstall, it improved my frame rates significantly, at least 40%, and made the virtual flying process more enjoyable.
Highs - Can't beat getting FPS improvements of 40% - 50% without moving a finger.
Lows - It started out in the wrong foot since the initial releases had some problems but they were all fixed in an efficient and timely fashion.
The Verdict - On the pricy side but I would recommended to anybody who either has too low FPS with their current system, or anybody who would like to give their FSX performance an extra kick.
MSFS FSX SP2
Windows 2000 / XP / Vista 32 or 64 / Win7 32 or 64
Net Framework 3.5
Microsoft Flight Simulator X (SP2)
Windows 7
3.22 Quad Core Extreme Processor
4 GB High Speed RAM
526 MB Nvidia graphics accelerator with DirectX 10.
Gustavo Mercado
gusifer@gmail.com
Learn More Here
Other Reviews By Gustavo Mercado:
Feelthere Embraer Regional Jets
FS2Crew 737 Wilco Voice Commander Edition
Air Hauler
Zinertek Ultimate Airport Environment X
FSX Missions Eurowings CRJ-700
Captain Sim Boeing 757