Mixed feelings after installing SP2...read on...

**Thunderbird8** · 04-16-2008, 04:47 AM

Hi,

After experimenting for a few weeks with a totally clean install of FSX with SP1 (specs in sig) (no add-ons) I decided to install SP2 last night and give it a whirl. This is what happened:

1. Yay! My 'loading terrain data' freezes (see another post by me) stopped completely! One up to Microsoft.

2. Boo! St-st-st-st-st-stutters are FAR more frequent now and that is very annoying indeed. I tweaked the display settings from min to max and back again and it still seems to happen even on low settings.

3. Boo! There is a horizontal 'shimmery' line similar to a water effect that goes across the screen when panning sometimes, don't like that either.

So - in conclusion, the sim itself as a program is more stable. The graphics performance is not. To be honest I would rather have to restart the sim for every flight ('loading terrain data' freeze) than put up with the stutters.

So, when my new VFR scenery arrives it's goodbye current installation, re-do with SP1 and I'm leaving it at that until I upgrade my Windows OS to Vista 64 - as you can see below mine is XP32 which will not see my extra RAM.

**munnst** · 04-16-2008, 06:32 AM

I'm not installing sp2. Can't see the benefit. Too many negative posts.
My FSX setup runs real nice on sp1. Nope. Don't want it, don't need it.
It's an upgrade for sakes sake.

**Thunderbird8** · 04-16-2008, 06:40 AM

Hi

I am a bit annoyed that I have experienced a benefit from it in a way, I would rather it be all negative then I could just trash it and walk away. I am still wondering what the experience would be if I was running Vista 64.

I can't run XP 64 as it isn't supported properly by BootCamp.

**munnst** · 04-16-2008, 06:54 AM

I guess it's an individual setup thing rearly.
I don't experience any graphic loading problems with all sliders maxed and flying payware craft like the RealAir Spitfire. I do have very slight judders when taxing but it rearly is very slight and hardly noticable. Once rolling it's as smooth as silk. I have been tempted to try sp2 but too many people complain of broken things that I just can't force myself to do it.

**vortiz56** · 04-16-2008, 09:40 AM

Mixed feelings are part of life, no? Can't live with it. Can't live without it.

**Thunderbird8** · 04-16-2008, 09:44 AM

Like women.

**vortiz56** · 04-16-2008, 09:50 AM

Wellllll, drinking could help the women thing.

**kagazi** · 04-16-2008, 10:37 AM

I've only come across a couple of small quirks with sp2. My fps remained about the same but the stability and graphical improvements were well worth it IMO.

**Thunderbird8** · 04-16-2008, 12:34 PM

Originally Posted by kagazi

I've only come across a couple of small quirks with sp2. My fps remained about the same but the stability and graphical improvements were well worth it IMO.

Do you have a 64 bit version of windows running may I ask? And how much RAM?

**kagazi** · 04-16-2008, 01:27 PM

XP.2 32 bit with 4 gigs of ram. My vid card is an ATI 3870 and so far (knock on wood) I haven't experienced any strange lines or white-outs. The only graphics issue I had when I first installed fsx.2 was corrupted ATC window fonts. Those were corrected by setting my mipmap texture to max.

My overall experience with fsx.2 has been very positive. I think a lot depends on your cpu, graphics card/drivers as well as your fsx settings to match your system. My system is rather average and most of my settings are in the middle (a couple left and a couple right). I lock at 19 fps, which I can attain most of the time.

It sounds like some of your issues may be driver and fsx settings related, though I'm no computer guru so I can't say for certain. But I know simmers with less system specs (including myself) that are not experiencing your graphics and stutter issues.