FSX a study in futility

I bought FSX including the Acceleration Expansion Pack at least eight years ago. My computer at that time had a 2.7 GHz processor

and an unknown, imbedded in the motherboard video card. Of course there was problems with FSX frame rates. Although FS9 ran well.

 

Recently I bought a new computer. This one has a 3.9 GHz processor and a NVIDia GeForce GTX 750 video card. FS9 ran unbelievably

fast with all video setting set to max giving frame rates of 35 to 93 fps.

 

I decided to try FSX and the expansion disk again. This huge program was nearly 11 Gigabytes larger than FS9. After the installation

the video settings were set to half of maximum. The frame rate was a very slow 12 to 24 fps anywhere I went. I was disappointed with FSX's performance.

 

My main reason for buying the Acceleration Expansion pack was to get the Carrier Ops package. Their is no 2D panel instead you

get an HUD. The F-18 is parked on the Flight Deck short of #2 catapult. The documentation for the expansion pack was a quarter page .pdf file with four keyboard commands listed. All of the commands used multiple keys that were sometimes hard to reach.

 

Looking at the complexity and the huge number of files that FSX uses I believe that Microsoft spent a large amount of money on FSX's

development and the return on this investment was poor. A company that could write the wonderful FS9 has the capability to do

a better job. Particularly with non-existent documentation.

 

It is no wonder that FSX was the end of Microsoft Flight Simulators.

 

- jrog

Well, all the thousands of virtual pilots who've made FSX the most popular and successful flight simulator in history would disagree with you. Not to mention a big, vibrant, active community of commercial and freeware developers, too. Microsoft shifted its focus to Xbox and console games (forgetting their stillborn release of Flight). Running a pc-based simulator program does require pc skills, no getting around it. If you've made no effort to tweak, configure, and optimize your new system, then it's no surprise your FSX performance isn't what you hoped it to be. Do some research, if you want to make the effort to make it run better. There's different strategies to improve frame rates, documented in detail, throughout this forum and at other sites.

What Microsoft did or did not do is their problem.

 

What jrog - and a few others - thinks about FSX or not is HIS PROBLEM.

 

The real issue is that those whiners do not DO anything about what they see as their problem.

 

They're just happy to have a problem, and wants everyone else to have the same problem, and wants everyone else to feel so sorry for them.

 

But you know what? I am sick and tired of that attitude. As far as I'm concerned, they can park that attitude you know where.

 

Fortunately, the vast majority of the participants in this august forum are people who don't just sit on their behinds and look at their own bellybuttons feeling sorry for themselves, but people who get out the (digital) screwdriver and wrench and DO SOMETHING to improve things. And the really wonderful part is that people here share their tips and tricks, so that everyone can reap the benefits.

 

Everyone can reap those benefits. But for some, it will take a real major attitude change to do it, because it involves learning and work - two major and apparently show-stopping obstacles (for them).

 

That was my ramble for the day - I hope.....

 

Jorgen

You have to take the time to tweak, or "adapt" FSX to your system,

and, vice-versa, "adapt" your system to FSX.

With a 3.9ghz processor and a GTX 750, you sure will be able to pull

better fps with default sceneries at mid range settings.

Like Dave suggested, take the time to search and learn how it works.

As you have a NVidia graphic adapter, I suggest you to look for NVidia Inspector.

A great tool and it could be a good beginning... There's also some tweaks to

add in the cfg file of FSX (HIGHMEMFIX, usepools, etc..) that surely can help.

Do a search for kosta's guide. It will give you an idea of how it works.

Believe me, believe us, It Worth It !

Where M$ left off Prepar3d started...

jrog - I think you may have a system problem rather than an FSX problem. There is no way FSX framerates, with those settings, should be that low on a 3.9Ghz CPU. What are your full system specs? Given those, maybe the folks here can offer suggestions to make things a little better.

 

As Daniel T. wisely said, take a look at Kosta's guide. It's a good read and will provide some valuable insights. You can find it here https://kostasfsworld.wordpress.com/fsx-software-and-hardware-guide/ .

 

Doug

Doug,

 

Given the tone and attitude in the OP's posting, I seriously doubt that we'll get a response.

 

It should surprise me pleasantly if we do, because then we can turn an obviously negative experience into a positive one.

 

We've seen it before, last time only a couple of days ago (the thread about stuttering), that when a tone like that is struck, it's virtually impossible to do anything.

 

I had a situation back in my professional days with computer backup hardware tech support, where a customer said that our equipment was pure bovine byproduct, and in the future he would get his from Dell or IBM. Little did he know that he would get exactly the same equipment, just with a Dell or IBM label on it, as both of those OEM'ed the equipment from us.... it was hard not to laugh.

 

Jorgen

Doug,

 

Given the tone and attitude in the OP's posting, I seriously doubt that we'll get a response.

 

Jorgen

 

Jorgen, you ain't seen nothing yet! Don't know if you monitor AVSIM or not, but I responded to a new guy over there when he questioned "why is it when I let go of my joystick, the plane won't stay flying straight and level?" "How and why should I have to use trim?" I gave him my reasonable, as usual, response and he responded back "Well. I have a PPL and I know better than that!"

 

So much for anymore responses from anyone else!

I have been running fsx since it was released and installed acceleration as soon as that was released. I have a PC running at 3.4 ghz and a gtx8800 video card.

 

My system runs over 30 fps most of the time with max settings on most sliders (I keep traffic at around ten percent ).

 

So my advice would be as the other posters say, do some reading and with a bit if tweaking your system should run fsx fine.

 

Cheers

Stinger

 

Sent from my SM-A300FU using Tapatalk

Stinger, you're absolutely right.

 

Given decent hardware, and with a lot of reading and experimenting with your settings, listening to and trying out the advice you get, in time you can get away with bloody murder, FSX-wise.

 

My starting point - on my second FSX system, on my first I didn't really didn't know much - has always been Kosta's tweaking guide, and back in 2013 Kosta himself helped me out with a couple of crucial tips. I got this system, an i3 with a GT640 graphics card, which is what I could affordably get in the Philippines, to run decently.

 

The third system, here in Merkelsheim, is somewhat more leading-edge, an i7 6700 at 3.4 GHz, with a GTX960 graphics card, and it really sings. I am not at this system right now, but if anyone is interested, I can certainly post the FSX.CFG here for fun and games.

 

I stand on the heads and shoulders of all the others in this community and their collective experience and knowledge, and will give my own - sometimes biased - experience back, given the opportunity. And that's where my frustration with the OP came out - you cannot do anything if you have a closed mind.

 

So I went rambling again - oh well....

 

Jorgen

The reason I felt compelled to comment is that over the years there have been so many people knocking fsx without doing their homework first and any newcomers reading would instantly be put off, thus weakening our great community. At the end of the day fsx is a 10 year old program still giving a lot of people great pleasure. You have to ask how many others are out there doing the same.

 

Cheers

Stinger

 

Sent from my SM-A300FU using Tapatalk

Jorgen -

 

I hope he comes back. I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt as just being another really frustrated simmer. We've all been there for one reason or another. I remember my first try at FSX...I uninstalled it and didn't touch it again for almost a year. I think the OP has a system issue that can be fixed if he just applies a little effort.....Doug