Ok.....can someone of you, honestly say that he/she can get

[saturn05]

20-25 fps or more CONSTANTLY, 100% traffic with any adds-on and very cloudy day (fluffy clouds like very common here in Seattle) even with default scenery???
No stuttering at all.....extremely smooth???? even during the take-off roll or in final approach???
Honestly I do not think so......I just do not think that exist a system that can perform like that....no matter what, P4 3.4 HT, 256 MB and bla bla bla....
As far as I'm concern, my next computer will be immediately tested in the above mentioned conditions and if doesn't perform smoothly as I expect (sorry no slideshows!!!) will be returned to the manifacturer...
For all the other needs my comp still can go on for another 10 years.....
I look forward for yoru answers...please be honest!! eheheh

P.S.

Video card overheating can significantly reduce performance???
If yes in what regard?? Stuttering?? Lockups???? (what means lockup anyway???)

[someone]

I have my frame rate locked at 25, and the few times I look at it, it's right there at 25. I only use default scenery, AT traffic @ 100% GA only. I always fly with real weather updating every 15 minutes, unless I want to practice IFR.

All sliders maxed out except these:

Scenery Settings:
Terrain Mesh Complexity = 70
Terrain Detail = Land Only (because Water Effects = High)

Weather:
Sight Distance = 80mi
Draw Distance = 40mi

Hardware:
Filter = Trilinear
Mip Map = 4

I run 1024x768x32, with 2xAA and 8xAF.

[Mojo2000]

The experience you seek cannot be had on personal computers. By the time the 10 GHz computer comes around that CAN run FS2004 at 25+ FPS under all conditions, FS2006 or higher will be out boasting even more realism.

Obviously, the only way to get full realism without loss of framerate is to fly a real plane yourself. It's up to you to decide how much money you want to spend, and to figure out the acceptable price/performance balance.

Yes, video card overheating can result in stuttering, artifacting (miscellaneous graphic glitches) and lockups (i.e. when the computer simply freezes and refuses to do ANYTHING until you shut it down - hence "lockup").


SIGLINE: "Stealth is where it's not." :D

[W2DR]

"As far as I'm concern, my next computer will be immediately tested in the above mentioned conditions and if doesn't perform smoothly as I expect (sorry no slideshows!!!) will be returned to the manifacturer..."

Methinks you will be returning lots of computers... :-)

Doug

[saturn05]

My only wish to the MS team: just give me 25 FPS CONSTANTLY either I fly without a cloud or in the middle of an hurricane!!!!
I could not care less that in some conditions I can get 70+ fps, just give me my damned 25 ALWAYS and I will be an happy man!!!!
The 3D clouds bring to their knees ANY system in the market and I do not believe that anyone can get 25 flying through those.......

[Subotai]

>> My only wish to the MS team: just give me 25 FPS CONSTANTLY

If Microsoft would do that they would have to throw out a lot of visual improvements. If it's too slow for you, just turn back the sliders.
It is always going to be a compromise between visual quality and performance. Thankfully everyone can individually adjust it to their preference.

25FPS constantly is definitely possible, just not with the visual detail you want.

[Phantoms]

>Video card overheating can significantly reduce
>performance???
>If yes in what regard?? Stuttering?? Lockups???? (what means
>lockup anyway???)

Video Card overheating can cause all kinds of problems, though they are usually in the forms of artifacts (dots, lines, wavy graphics, etc.) and lockups. A lockup is the same as a crash, in wear the computer crashes and you either have to reboot or Ctrl-Alt-Delete to fix it.

[zoynyne]

I just did. KSFO, 100% traffic (both kinds), major thunderstorm.

However, I have the low res clouds installed.

Also had terrain mesh complexity set to zero.

Had other graphics sliders around the middle.

Took video down to 16 bit, but kept it at 1280 x 960.

I killed AA and AF.

Visibility was so low that I really didn't need graphics cranked, and besides I was rather busy just keeping the plane under reasonable control.

But yes, your smooth 20 to 30 fps is plenty possible in the scenario you required.

[davidvoogd]

With my system I can get 25fps most of the time, except when there are heavy clouds.

The key factors for framerates I found were 1 - the new autogen memory leak (deleting the default.xml file fixes that), clouds of course (using FSW Clouds), and addon Scenery.

I find addon sceneries are the absolute worst culprit for hitting the framerates which is a shame because I enjoy them quite a bit. It really varies from scenery to scenery though.

[vanmulken]

The best advice on this issue I have read somewhere:

Switch of the framerate counter and enjoy the flight!

Think of all the time you have been trying to squeeze out this one extra fps out of your machine...... You could have been flying, flying, flying....And this is, what the sim is all about; not more fps!

Groeten,
Bruno