What would be the best slider settings for my computer?

[n612ua]

Hello I got a new computer a few weeks ago to meet my flight sim needs. I posted a message here and asked people for help on what the best parts would be. After that message was up for a while gave the list of what I wanted to my uncle who built me the computer. Here are the specs

Win XP Pro service pack 2
AMD athlon 64 processor 3500+
2.21 GHZ, 1.00 GB RAM

Graphics card GeForce 6600

80.0 GB hard drive
I am useing the onboard soundcard

Here are the current FS04 settings

Under diplay scenery

terrain mesh complexity:60
terrain texture size:medium
terrain detail:land only
water effects:low
dawn/dusk texture blending that is checked
special effects detail:high
scenery complexity:dense
auto denseity:normal
addon dynamic scenery: dense
sun glare/ lens flare are both checked

Under settings aircraft
virtual cockpit gauge quality: low
reflections/ aircraft cast shadows/ landing lights are all checked

Under settings Hardware
Target frame rate: Unlimied
Display resolutions 800x600x32
Render to texture is checked
transform and lighting is checked
Filtering: bilinear
mip maping quality: 4
Hardware rendering lights: 6
global max texture size: medium

I ahave the airtraffic denseity set to 65%

The reason I am asking this question is because no matter where I am when I get close to the ground 5,000FT and less with great weather or poor weather does not matter I get real bad FPS. I can hardly land it is just as bad when I am taxing. I use free addon A/C I have tried with differnet slider settings and it is all the same bad FPS.
If anyone can help that would be great thanks Mike

[DK8290]

What are your weather settings in the display settings. I have my sight distance and cloud redraw distance very low but 100% 3d clouds. I found clouds to be some of the biggest hits on frame-rates. If you have sight distance and cloud redraw toi far distances, it can have a frame-rate effect

Looking at your system, I'd up most of your sliders (including terrain texture and mesh complexity) and have higher screen resolution. Most of your's are really very low in my opinion and I'm surprised you have low frame-rates anywhere.

Perhaps lower the sound quality in fs2004 as you are using onboard sound.

Do you have antialiasing turned on in fs2004 ? I turn it off there and go into the graphics card display settings (right click desktop, properties / settings tab / advanced button and look for 3d .. maybe you have AA and other levels set really high in there.


I have frame-rates set to 25 and get about that most times ... some dips around busy traffic, complex addon scenery or thick clouds.

[n612ua]

DK8290 Thanks for the fast reply I turned down the sight distance and cloud redraw. You also said " and have higher screen resolution" What resloution setting would you suggest to use? Would you also go into a little more detail this "graphics card display settings (right click desktop, properties / settings tab / advanced button and look for 3d .. maybe you have AA and other levels set really high in there" what exalcty am I looking for?

Thamks mike

[DK8290]

"What resloution setting would you suggest to use?"

Well I have mine at 1024 x 768 which is the resolution of my 15" LCD monitor. It's best to set an LCD at it's proper physical resolution (it has that many pixels across and up).

Anyway, it was just a suggestion. It will look better at higher than 800x600 for sure. Going to high will cause more frame-rate hit because it has to figure ut and draw for many more pixels.

I can't see how you are getting bad frame-rates with everything you said. Maybe you have stuff running in the background taking up a bunch of resources ?


As for the graphics card display properties, perhaps you have an icon for it in the corner of your task bar you can click and get the display settings I mentioned. I have an ATI card so it's not the same. You should be able to get your card's advanced display settings and look through the tabs on the window by doing what I mentioned above. Since I don't have the same card I can't say what tabs you'd have.

Maybe you don't have a tab called "3D" but something else where you can adjust the antialiasing and other 3d features.

Probably not much help. Maybe someone who has a similar card can help.

[NonCon]

I'd turn off Aircraft Cast Shadow and Render to Texture. I wouldn't use the default clouds either. Download Chris Willis clouds, they look great and won't drag your framerates down like the default clouds. They are located here:

http://fsw.simflight.com/FSWdownload.html

KJ

[W2DR]

Mike -

There seems to be a system problem of some sort. The problem certainly isn't with the FS9 settings. With the settings you have listed the framerate should be very good. Ask your uncle is he installed the latest video driver and, more importantly, the chipset drivers for the motherboard. It's almost acting like the mobo chipset drivers may be the issue. I don't know anything about AMD, but on a new Intel system acting that way I'd look at the drivers first.

Doug

[n612ua]

Hello NONCON use active sky for my weather the Chris Willis clouds you talked about will they work with active sky?

W2DR I have all the vid card drivers up 2 date I also have the chipset drivers up to date.

Thanks mike

[roytc]

I had similar problems when I bought ULTIMATE TRAFFIC.
When I pointed the aircraft at the airport (it happened to be LONDON HEATHROW) the framerates dropped to about 5 or 10, from the usual 50 plus. I was operating with my new upmarket DELL 9100, and all of the mod cons including an ATI RADEON X850 PE.
It was only when I uninstalled the AI traffic, that things got back to normal.
I have just been getting a few figures for you as an example.
I have VFR PHOTOGRAPHIC SCENERY, and GARY SUMMERS BRITISH AIPORTS.
With the framerate set at unlimited I get between 60 and 90 when flying around LHR, but I normally set it to 50, where it remains very steady.
If I go to fs9 OPTIONS, and select SETTINGS and TRAFFIC DENSITY, then select zero%, I still get a steady framerate of 50.
If I then change the TRAFFIC DENSITY to 100%, the framerate decreases to between 12 and 25, with considerable STUTTER.
I now always fly with a TRAFFIC DENSITY of zero, and avoid all of the problems that you describe.
I do however envy those guys who can sit at the holding point of the runway and watch all of the wonderful AI TRAFFIC landing.
This is something that I would really enjoy, but at least, I dont now suffer with low framerates, and Stuttering.
Try it Mike, it might help. roytc.

[n612ua]

Hello roytc O also have ULTIMATE TRAFFIC I have the traffic set to 65% I am getting ready to fly KPHL - KCLT I will set it to 0% on that flight to see whatwill happen.

Mike

[n612ua]

Hello thank you all for the wonderfull help I have got my computer where it runs better FPS some.

Thanks mike