X8X8X Posted April 9, 2019 Share Posted April 9, 2019 FSX suffers from FPS drops and stutters every few seconds on my - dated - laptop. My specs are: - Microsoft Flight Simulator X Gold (boxed, Steam version has similar issues) - Intel i7-4700MQ @ 2,4 GHz - NVidia GeForce GT740M - 16 GB RAM - 1 TB HDD - Windows 10 (64 Bit) Even on the absolutely lowest settings (and in pause!) the frame rate (of the default flight) sits around 180 only to drop to the 60s every few seconds. This issue is obviously compounded at medium or even low settings, making it utterly unplayable. I tried various fsx.cfg tweaks on the internet before, to no avail. Given that a - not inexpensive - 2013 laptop cannot run a 2006 game at any settings above the absolute minimum, and the issue (of the frame rate dropping by two thirds every few seconds) persists regardless of settings, something has to be wrong! Is there any fix for this issue? Best, X8X8X Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
f16jockey_2 Posted April 9, 2019 Share Posted April 9, 2019 Even on the absolutely lowest settings (and in pause!) the frame rate (of the default flight) sits around 180 only to drop to the 60s every few seconds. This issue is obviously compounded at medium or even low settings, making it utterly unplayable. You're yoking, right? Wim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
X8X8X Posted April 9, 2019 Author Share Posted April 9, 2019 I am not. Sure, I can set the settings low enough for the FPS to only drop to 60. But does this look like an enjoyable flight sim in the 21st century? To reiterate, my issue is not total FPS at lowest settings - it is great! My issue is the FPS dropping by roughly 2/3 every few seconds - no matter which settings! Even while the game is paused! Therefore, it cannot be any "usual" autogen or terrain loading issue, can it. This is why I am lost, and this is why I need the community's support. Best, X8X8X Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
f16jockey_2 Posted April 9, 2019 Share Posted April 9, 2019 Tried locking FPS at 30? Wim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jethrom Posted April 9, 2019 Share Posted April 9, 2019 Hi X8X8X, I imagine you have excluded FSX.exe and FSX Files and folders from being scanned by your AV program while the sim is running haven't you. Also that looks pretty stock FSX with ultra low settings, absolutely no autogen to be seen, but your ground textures are pixelated and the textures are horrendous on the cockpit (not sure what's going on there) have you recently updated your graphics driver. The sim looks rather basic, lacking in detail, no wonder you are seeing such high FPS (180's) and then dipping into the 60-80's. Perhaps your laptop hardware is truly struggling when put to the test. FPS is not a great indicator of overall sim performance, but smoothness is, even at locked 30 FPS. We may need to see your FSX.cfg to discover what erroneous settings and possible tweaks you have implemented. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
X8X8X Posted April 9, 2019 Author Share Posted April 9, 2019 Tried locking FPS at 30? Wim Thank you! I did. It works fine on minimal settings but as soon as the settings are slightly raised FPS drop below 30, accompanied by heavy stutter. Tomorrow I'll see which settings I can slightly raise before the stutters dip below 30 FPS. Regardless, the game will still look horrible and the reason for the stutter is not - yet - found. Best, X8X8X Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
X8X8X Posted April 9, 2019 Author Share Posted April 9, 2019 Hi X8X8X, Hello jethrom, Thank you! I did exclude the FSX folder and its contents from Avira's searches. I disabled bilinear filtering for testing purposes, with it enabled the textures look much better (which doesn't quite explain to me why they look that horrible in the first place). I'll reinstall my graphics driver tomorrow and report back (although I do not expect it to solve my performance issue). Capping the FPS to 30 on minimum settings works fine, the game runs very smoothly. But as soon as I rise them to a somewhat acceptable level (I shall try to increase them incrementally tomorrow and report back!) the FPS drops below 30 and the stutter becomes a true nuisance. The fsx.cfg should be as stock as they come, please find it below: [GRAPHICS] SHADER_CACHE_PRIMED_10=1693500672 SHADER_CACHE_PRIMED=1693500672 D3D10=0 TEXTURE_MAX_LOAD=64 NUM_LIGHTS=8 AIRCRAFT_SHADOWS=0 AIRCRAFT_REFLECTIONS=1 COCKPIT_HIGH_LOD=0 LANDING_LIGHTS=0 AC_SELF_SHADOW=0 EFFECTS_QUALITY=0 GROUND_SHADOWS=0 TEXTURE_QUALITY=3 IMAGE_QUALITY=0 See_Self=1 Text_Scroll=1 [sOUND] AmbientUIMusicVolume=-6.000000 PrimaryDevice={DEF00000-9C6D-47ED-AAF1-4DDA8F2B5C03} VoiceDevice={DEF00002-9C6D-47ED-AAF1-4DDA8F2B5C03} SOUND=1 SOUND_QUALITY=2 SOUND_LOD=0 UISound=1 AmbientUI=0 [Display] ChangeTime=4.000000 TransitionTime=4.000000 ActiveWindowTitleTextColor=255,255,255 ActiveWindowTitleBackGroundColor=0,28,140,64 NonActiveWindowTitleTextColor=255,255,255 NonActiveWindowTitleBackGroundColor=24,33,87,64 InfoUpperRightTextColor=255,0,0 InfoUpperRightBackGroundColor=0,0,0,0 InfoLowerLeftTextColor=255,255,255 InfoLowerLeftBackGroundColor=255,0,0,128 InfoLowerRightTextColor=255,255,255 InfoLowerRightBackGroundColor=255,0,0,128 InfoBrakesEnable=True InfoParkingBrakesEnable=True InfoPauseEnable=True InfoSlewEnable=True InfoStallEnable=True InfoOverspeedEnable=True BLOOM_EFFECTS=0 SKINNED_ANIMATIONS=0 TEXTURE_BANDWIDTH_MULT=10 UPPER_FRAMERATE_LIMIT=0 WideViewAspect=False [Main] User Objects=Airplane, Helicopter SimObjectPaths.0=SimObjects\Airplanes SimObjectPaths.1=SimObjects\Rotorcraft SimObjectPaths.2=SimObjects\GroundVehicles SimObjectPaths.3=SimObjects\Boats SimObjectPaths.4=SimObjects\Animals SimObjectPaths.5=SimObjects\Misc ProcSpeed=5233 PerfBucket=7 Maximized=1 Location=444,133,1476,904,\\.\DISPLAY1 HideMenuNormal=0 HideMenuFullscreen=1 [PANELS] IMAGE_QUALITY=1 DEFAULT_VIEW=0 QUICKTIPS=0 PANEL_OPACITY=100 PANEL_MASKING=1 PANEL_STRETCHING=1 UNITS_OF_MEASURE=0 [Weather] WindshieldPrecipitationEffects=1 MinGustTime=10 MaxGustTime=500 MinGustRampSpeed=1 MaxGustRampSpeed=200 MinVarTime=5 MaxVarTime=50 MinVarRampSpeed=10 MaxVarRampSpeed=75 TurbulenceScale=1.000000 WeatherServerAddress=fs2k.zone.com WeatherServerPort=80 WeatherGraphDataInDialog=0 AdjustForMagVarInDialog=1 DynamicWeather=0 DownloadWindsAloft=0 DisableTurbulence=0 CLOUD_DRAW_DISTANCE=3 DETAILED_CLOUDS=0 CLOUD_COVERAGE_DENSITY=5 THERMAL_VISUALS=0 [DISPLAY.Device.NVIDIA GeForce GT 740M.0] Mode=1024x768x16 Filter=0 [AccelerationPack] ControlsFirstRun=0 HomePageFirstRun=0 [CONTROLS] Controls_Default=Standard Controls_Current=Standard JOYSTICKS=1 KBDAIL=64 KBDELEV=64 KBDRUD=64 [TextInfo.1] Latitude=1,1 Longitude=1,2 Altitude=1,3 Heading=1,4 AirSpeed=1,5 WindDirectionAndSpeed=1,6 [TextInfo.2] FrameRate=1,1 LockedFrameRate=1,2 GForce=1,3 FuelPercentage=1,4 [TextInfo.3] Latitude=1,1 Longitude=1,2 Altitude=1,3 Heading=1,4 AirSpeed=1,5 WindDirectionAndSpeed=1,6 FrameRate=2,1 LockedFrameRate=2,2 GForce=2,3 FuelPercentage=2,4 [slewTextInfo.1] Latitude=1,1 Longitude=1,2 Altitude=1,3 Heading=1,4 AirSpeed=1,5 [slewTextInfo.2] FrameRate=1,1 LockedFrameRate=1,2 [slewTextInfo.3] Latitude=1,1 Longitude=1,2 Altitude=1,3 Heading=1,4 AirSpeed=1,5 FrameRate=2,1 LockedFrameRate=2,2 [DynamicHeadMovement] LonAccelOnHeadLon=-0.020000 LonAccelOnHeadPitch=-0.010000 RollAccelOnHeadLat=0.010000 YawAccelOnHeadLat=-0.100000 RollAccelOnHeadRoll=0.100000 MaxHeadAngle=5.000000 MaxHeadOffset=0.300000 HeadMoveTimeConstant=1.000000 [VirtualCopilot] VirtualCopilotActive=1 [uSERINTERFACE] PageID=1 OpenATCOnCreate=0 SHOW_MISSION_CAPTIONS=0 PAUSE_ON_LOST_FOCUS=1 PROMPT_ON_EXIT=1 SITUATION=FLIGHTS\OTHER\FLTSIM Map_Orientation=2 [ATC] ShowATCText=1 COMM_MSG_NONE_COLOR=FFFFFFFF COMM_MSG_ATC_USER_COLOR=FFB6FFB6 COMM_MSG_USER_ATC_COLOR=FFFFD21B COMM_MSG_ATC_AI_COLOR=FF00FF00 COMM_MSG_AI_ATC_COLOR=FFFF7840 AutoOpenAirTrafficWindow=1 UsePilotVoice=1 PilotVoice=0 [PointOfInterestSystem] CycleSetting=0 [sCENERY] LENSFLARE=0 DAWN_DUSK_SMOOTHING=1 IMAGE_COMPLEXITY=0 [TrafficManager] AirlineDensity=0 GADensity=0 FreewayDensity=0 ShipsAndFerriesDensity=0 LeisureBoatsDensity=0 IFROnly=0 AIRPORT_SCENERY_DENSITY=0 [TERRAIN] LOD_RADIUS=2.500000 MESH_COMPLEXITY=0 MESH_RESOLUTION=17 TEXTURE_RESOLUTION=22 AUTOGEN_DENSITY=0 DETAIL_TEXTURE=0 WATER_EFFECTS=0 [AContain] ShowLabels=0 ShowUserLabel=0 ShowLabelManufacturer=1 ShowLabelModel=1 ShowLabelTailNumber=0 ShowLabelDistance=1 ShowLabelAltitude=1 ShowLabelAirline=0 ShowLabelAirlineAndFlightNumber=0 ShowLabelFlightPlan=0 ShowLabelContainerId=0 ShowLabelAirspeed=0 ShowLabelHeading=0 LabelDelay=1000 LabelColor=FFFF0000 [iNTERNATIONAL] ASLAT=2 ASLON=1 MEASURE=0 [REALISM] PFactor=0.000000 Torque=0.000000 GyroEffect=0.000000 CrashTolerance=0.000000 General=0.000000 UnlimitedFuel=True AllowEngineDamage=False TrueAirspeed=False AutoCoord=True RealMixture=False StressDamage=False GEffect=False ManualLights=False GyroDrift=False CrashWithDyn=False CrashDetection=False AutoTrim=False [sIM] SYSCLOCK=1 [sTARTUP] DEMO=0 SHOW_OPENING_SCREEN=1 STARTUP_DEMO= LoadWindow=1 [FACILITIES] COUNTRY= STATE= CITY= GTL_BUTTON=4096 [Misc] Com_Rate=7 [MULTIPLAYER] condAccoutPassword=0 Best, X8X8X Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jethrom Posted April 9, 2019 Share Posted April 9, 2019 FSX.cfg Found in C:\Users\yourusername\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\FSX Also which version FSX are you running do you have SP1 2 or AccPack EDIT : you don't appear to have HIGHMEMFIX=1 in the [Graphics] section of your FSX.cfg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jethrom Posted April 9, 2019 Share Posted April 9, 2019 Taking a look at your config, I see a few things which may help, get back to you shortly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
X8X8X Posted April 9, 2019 Author Share Posted April 9, 2019 Thank you very much! I run the boxed edition of FSX Gold, so it should be the Acceleration standard (which does include SP2, I believe). I have to go to bed now (being European), so no need to hurry! I'll try them as soon as I can tomorrow and report back. Best, Brett Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
il88pp Posted April 9, 2019 Share Posted April 9, 2019 .. [sIGPIC][/sIGPIC] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
il88pp Posted April 10, 2019 Share Posted April 10, 2019 There are some things wrong in your fsx.cfg a bit too much to explain every item to fix instead: Close FSX go to folder: C:\Users\YOURUSERNAME\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\FSX where you find the FSX.cfg file rename that file to: FSX-Old.cfg (that way there is no file there any more called fsx.cfg) Start fsx there may be some messages at the start, click OK to those. Try a flight first. Maybe adjust settings with the sliders later. Do not try changing things in the fsx.cfg manually. At least not for now. After the flight you will see FSX has created a new fresh fsx.cfg file. I think you'll see quite a change in flights. (if so I can try to later explain why it made a difference if you want.) Happy Flights!:D [sIGPIC][/sIGPIC] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jethrom Posted April 10, 2019 Share Posted April 10, 2019 I was going to suggest what il88p recommends, because there are some odd settings and some missing important essential tweaks not (usually written by default). Do illy's recommendation first that would set the benchmark for the appropriate basic setting entries, adjust your sliders in FSX settings then test your sim. Please make sure your FSX screen resolution mirrors your native Desktop resolution. I have made some conservative edit notes to your above config, if you need to make changes or add the missing entries, but be sure to choose "save" when making edits. Best to begin with a fresh config, (Save a backup copy) adjust your sliders close, FSX then make your edits. Below is the edited config text notes: Red = Entries to be edited or added Green = Brief description and rational suggestion, no need to add the Green text to the config [GRAPHICS] HIGHMEMFIX=1 add this line to your config (essential line not added by FSX boxed versions) ******** SHADER_CACHE_PRIMED_10=1693500672 SHADER_CACHE_PRIMED=1693500672 D3D10=0 TEXTURE_MAX_LOAD=64 change this TML to =1024 NUM_LIGHTS=8 AIRCRAFT_SHADOWS=0 AIRCRAFT_REFLECTIONS=1 you could set this also to =0 if you only fly in cockpit, saves cpu cycles COCKPIT_HIGH_LOD=0 LANDING_LIGHTS=0 AC_SELF_SHADOW=0 EFFECTS_QUALITY=0 GROUND_SHADOWS=0 TEXTURE_QUALITY=3 IMAGE_QUALITY=0 See_Self=1 Text_Scroll=1 [sOUND] AmbientUIMusicVolume=-6.000000 PrimaryDevice={DEF00000-9C6D-47ED-AAF1-4DDA8F2B5C03} VoiceDevice={DEF00002-9C6D-47ED-AAF1-4DDA8F2B5C03} SOUND=1 SOUND_QUALITY=2 SOUND_LOD=0 UISound=1 AmbientUI=0 [Display] ChangeTime=4.000000 TransitionTime=4.000000 ActiveWindowTitleTextColor=255,255,255 ActiveWindowTitleBackGroundColor=0,28,140,64 NonActiveWindowTitleTextColor=255,255,255 NonActiveWindowTitleBackGroundColor=24,33,87,64 InfoUpperRightTextColor=255,0,0 InfoUpperRightBackGroundColor=0,0,0,0 InfoLowerLeftTextColor=255,255,255 InfoLowerLeftBackGroundColor=255,0,0,128 InfoLowerRightTextColor=255,255,255 InfoLowerRightBackGroundColor=255,0,0,128 InfoBrakesEnable=True InfoParkingBrakesEnable=True InfoPauseEnable=True InfoSlewEnable=True InfoStallEnable=True InfoOverspeedEnable=True BLOOM_EFFECTS=0 SKINNED_ANIMATIONS=0 TEXTURE_BANDWIDTH_MULT=10 set this to default =40 UPPER_FRAMERATE_LIMIT=0 set this to =30 locked framerate WideViewAspect=False Set this to =True you have a widescreen [Main] DisablePreload=1 add this line to the config User Objects=Airplane, Helicopter SimObjectPaths.0=SimObjects\Airplanes SimObjectPaths.1=SimObjects\Rotorcraft SimObjectPaths.2=SimObjects\GroundVehicles SimObjectPaths.3=SimObjects\Boats SimObjectPaths.4=SimObjects\Animals SimObjectPaths.5=SimObjects\Misc ProcSpeed=5233 PerfBucket=7 Maximized=1 Location=444,133,1476,904,\\.\DISPLAY1 HideMenuNormal=0 HideMenuFullscreen=1 [PANELS] IMAGE_QUALITY=1 DEFAULT_VIEW=0 QUICKTIPS=0 PANEL_OPACITY=100 PANEL_MASKING=1 PANEL_STRETCHING=1 UNITS_OF_MEASURE=0 [Weather] WindshieldPrecipitationEffects=1 MinGustTime=10 MaxGustTime=500 MinGustRampSpeed=1 MaxGustRampSpeed=200 MinVarTime=5 MaxVarTime=50 MinVarRampSpeed=10 MaxVarRampSpeed=75 TurbulenceScale=1.000000 WeatherServerAddress=fs2k.zone.com WeatherServerPort=80 WeatherGraphDataInDialog=0 AdjustForMagVarInDialog=1 DynamicWeather=0 DownloadWindsAloft=0 DisableTurbulence=0 CLOUD_DRAW_DISTANCE=3 DETAILED_CLOUDS=0 CLOUD_COVERAGE_DENSITY=5 THERMAL_VISUALS=0 [DISPLAY.Device.NVIDIAGeForce GT 740M.0] Mode=1024x768x16 set this to the native resolution of desktop screen res, also choose the 32bit colour res Anisotropic=1 add this line to the config or select it in the sim Graphics settings dont use bilinear or trilinear Filter=0 Set this to AntiAlias=1 [AccelerationPack] ControlsFirstRun=0 HomePageFirstRun=0 [CONTROLS] Controls_Default=Standard Controls_Current=Standard JOYSTICKS=1 KBDAIL=64 KBDELEV=64 KBDRUD=64 [TextInfo.1] Latitude=1,1 Longitude=1,2 Altitude=1,3 Heading=1,4 AirSpeed=1,5 WindDirectionAndSpeed=1,6 [TextInfo.2] FrameRate=1,1 LockedFrameRate=1,2 GForce=1,3 FuelPercentage=1,4 [TextInfo.3] Latitude=1,1 Longitude=1,2 Altitude=1,3 Heading=1,4 AirSpeed=1,5 WindDirectionAndSpeed=1,6 FrameRate=2,1 LockedFrameRate=2,2 GForce=2,3 FuelPercentage=2,4 [slewTextInfo.1] Latitude=1,1 Longitude=1,2 Altitude=1,3 Heading=1,4 AirSpeed=1,5 [slewTextInfo.2] FrameRate=1,1 LockedFrameRate=1,2 [slewTextInfo.3] Latitude=1,1 Longitude=1,2 Altitude=1,3 Heading=1,4 AirSpeed=1,5 FrameRate=2,1 LockedFrameRate=2,2 [DynamicHeadMovement] LonAccelOnHeadLon=-0.020000 LonAccelOnHeadPitch=-0.010000 RollAccelOnHeadLat=0.010000 YawAccelOnHeadLat=-0.100000 RollAccelOnHeadRoll=0.100000 MaxHeadAngle=5.000000 MaxHeadOffset=0.300000 HeadMoveTimeConstant=1.000000 [VirtualCopilot] VirtualCopilotActive=1 Set this to =0 setting this to on or =1 can induce stutters ******** [uSERINTERFACE] PageID=1 OpenATCOnCreate=0 SHOW_MISSION_CAPTIONS=0 PAUSE_ON_LOST_FOCUS=1 PROMPT_ON_EXIT=1 SITUATION=FLIGHTS\OTHER\FLTSIM Map_Orientation=2 [ATC] ShowATCText=1 COMM_MSG_NONE_COLOR=FFFFFFFF COMM_MSG_ATC_USER_COLOR=FFB6FFB6 COMM_MSG_USER_ATC_COLOR=FFFFD21B COMM_MSG_ATC_AI_COLOR=FF00FF00 COMM_MSG_AI_ATC_COLOR=FFFF7840 AutoOpenAirTrafficWindow=1 UsePilotVoice=1 PilotVoice=0 [PointOfInterestSystem] CycleSetting=0 [sCENERY] LENSFLARE=0 DAWN_DUSK_SMOOTHING=1 IMAGE_COMPLEXITY=0 set this to =5 [TrafficManager] AirlineDensity=0 GADensity=0 FreewayDensity=0 ShipsAndFerriesDensity=0 LeisureBoatsDensity=0 IFROnly=0 AIRPORT_SCENERY_DENSITY=0 [TERRAIN] LOD_RADIUS=2.500000 set this to =3.500000 or Medium in Settings > Scenery MESH_COMPLEXITY=0 set this to =100 or Max in Settings > Scenery MESH_RESOLUTION=17 Set this to =22 or 10m in Settings > Scenery, ok for low to mid mesh resolution TEXTURE_RESOLUTION=22 Set to =27(30cm) This is ok for lower to mid range texture resolution AUTOGEN_DENSITY=0 Set this to =1 (Sparse)or =2 (Normal) DETAIL_TEXTURE=0 Set this to =1 WATER_EFFECTS=0 This is ok if you like featureless water but setting of =2 for Mid 1x would be adequate [AContain] ShowLabels=0 ShowUserLabel=0 ShowLabelManufacturer=1 ShowLabelModel=1 ShowLabelTailNumber=0 ShowLabelDistance=1 ShowLabelAltitude=1 ShowLabelAirline=0 ShowLabelAirlineAndFlightNumber=0 ShowLabelFlightPlan=0 ShowLabelContainerId=0 ShowLabelAirspeed=0 ShowLabelHeading=0 LabelDelay=1000 LabelColor=FFFF0000 [iNTERNATIONAL] ASLAT=2 ASLON=1 MEASURE=0 [REALISM] PFactor=0.000000 Torque=0.000000 GyroEffect=0.000000 CrashTolerance=0.000000 General=0.000000 UnlimitedFuel=True AllowEngineDamage=False TrueAirspeed=False AutoCoord=True RealMixture=False StressDamage=False GEffect=False ManualLights=False GyroDrift=False CrashWithDyn=False CrashDetection=False AutoTrim=False [sIM] SYSCLOCK=1 [sTARTUP] DEMO=0 SHOW_OPENING_SCREEN=1 STARTUP_DEMO= LoadWindow=1 [FACILITIES] COUNTRY= STATE= CITY= GTL_BUTTON=4096 [Misc] Com_Rate=7 [MULTIPLAYER] condAccoutPassword=0 [/QUOTE] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
il88pp Posted April 10, 2019 Share Posted April 10, 2019 No. Do not go making changes. Renaming the fsx.cfg file is all that is needed. It will fix any important settings that need fixing. And also recreate all the missing settings. Use the sliders only for now. Set resolution in fsx settings sliders to 1024x786x32 set framerate to 25 go fly and see. Then report back. After that there may be one or two tweaks that can help. I will give those then. [sIGPIC][/sIGPIC] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jorgen.s.andersen Posted April 10, 2019 Share Posted April 10, 2019 The sliders are a graphical representation/interpretation of fsx.cfg. Better work with the real thing. Jorgen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
il88pp Posted April 10, 2019 Share Posted April 10, 2019 The sliders you cant mess up. Work with that for now. It will give a fine result. His fsx will be usable again. There are then one or two edits to the file that are usefull. And I will gladly give them once everything is running ok again. But let's get it running ok first. Jethrom only listed a few things to change. He missed a lot of errors in the file. Renaming the file and starting fsx will fix everything. And Jorgen, the sliders set the settings just fine. There is no need to do it manually. Especially not with a laptop like his. And anyway, first things first. Let's get his fsx running before anything else. [sIGPIC][/sIGPIC] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
X8X8X Posted April 10, 2019 Author Share Posted April 10, 2019 Dear il88p, jethrom and jorgen, Thank you very much for your help!! I will test all your solutions as soon as possible. Unfortunately my hardware "situation" has gone from bad to worse overnight, as my laptop now refuses to start... As I write these lines, Windows is being reinstalled. I shall report back as soon as the laptop itself is running again. Best, X8X8X Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
llivaudais Posted April 10, 2019 Share Posted April 10, 2019 Since you are rebuilding windows, you're gonna be awhile getting all the peripheral software loaded - updates, and C++ runtimes etc, I'm gonna recommend Nick's 'bible' guide to installing windows and FSX. I used it when I built this machine in 2015 and it has been pretty smooth sailing since then. Some may have a different opinion but I found his guide to be well thought out and sensible. I'm a 'believer'. Loyd Hooked since FS4... now flying: self-built i7-4790 at 4 GHz; GA-Z97X mobo; GTX 970; 16GB gskill; quiet, fast and cool running. Win 7/64: 840 EVO OS; 840 EVO (500G) game drive; Win10/64: 850 EVO (500G) for OS and games A few Flightsim videos on YouTube at CanyonCorners Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
X8X8X Posted April 10, 2019 Author Share Posted April 10, 2019 Thank you all very much! Dear llivaudais, I roughly followed "the Bible" when reinstalling FSX and Windows. However, the issues do not appear to be fixed. Dear jorgen, I first tried to change only the in-game settings, then the fsx.cfg manually. The latter gave better results; FPS drops are still present, however. Dear il88pp, This is my new FSX.cfg, having renamed the "old" one (when first starting FSX to fsx_old.cfg): [GRAPHICS] SHADER_CACHE_PRIMED_10=1693500672 SHADER_CACHE_PRIMED=1693500672 TEXTURE_MAX_LOAD=1024 NUM_LIGHTS=8 AIRCRAFT_SHADOWS=1 AIRCRAFT_REFLECTIONS=1 COCKPIT_HIGH_LOD=1 LANDING_LIGHTS=1 AC_SELF_SHADOW=1 EFFECTS_QUALITY=2 GROUND_SHADOWS=0 TEXTURE_QUALITY=3 IMAGE_QUALITY=0 See_Self=1 Text_Scroll=1 [sOUND] AmbientUIMusicVolume=-6.000000 PrimaryDevice={00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000} VoiceDevice={00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000} SOUND=1 SOUND_QUALITY=2 SOUND_LOD=0 UISound=1 AmbientUI=1 [Display] ChangeTime=4.000000 TransitionTime=4.000000 ActiveWindowTitleTextColor=255,255,255 ActiveWindowTitleBackGroundColor=0,28,140,64 NonActiveWindowTitleTextColor=255,255,255 NonActiveWindowTitleBackGroundColor=24,33,87,64 InfoUpperRightTextColor=255,0,0 InfoUpperRightBackGroundColor=0,0,0,0 InfoLowerLeftTextColor=255,255,255 InfoLowerLeftBackGroundColor=255,0,0,128 InfoLowerRightTextColor=255,255,255 InfoLowerRightBackGroundColor=255,0,0,128 InfoBrakesEnable=True InfoParkingBrakesEnable=True InfoPauseEnable=True InfoSlewEnable=True InfoStallEnable=True InfoOverspeedEnable=True BLOOM_EFFECTS=0 SKINNED_ANIMATIONS=1 TEXTURE_BANDWIDTH_MULT=40 UPPER_FRAMERATE_LIMIT=20 WideViewAspect=False [Main] User Objects=Airplane, Helicopter SimObjectPaths.0=SimObjects\Airplanes SimObjectPaths.1=SimObjects\Rotorcraft SimObjectPaths.2=SimObjects\GroundVehicles SimObjectPaths.3=SimObjects\Boats SimObjectPaths.4=SimObjects\Animals SimObjectPaths.5=SimObjects\Misc ProcSpeed=6309 PerfBucket=7 Maximized=1 Location=440,129,1480,908,\\.\DISPLAY1 HideMenuNormal=0 HideMenuFullscreen=1 [PANELS] IMAGE_QUALITY=1 QUICKTIPS=1 PANEL_OPACITY=100 PANEL_MASKING=1 PANEL_STRETCHING=1 UNITS_OF_MEASURE=0 [Weather] WindshieldPrecipitationEffects=1 MinGustTime=10 MaxGustTime=500 MinGustRampSpeed=1 MaxGustRampSpeed=200 MinVarTime=5 MaxVarTime=50 MinVarRampSpeed=10 MaxVarRampSpeed=75 TurbulenceScale=1.000000 WeatherServerAddress=fs2k.zone.com WeatherServerPort=80 WeatherGraphDataInDialog=0 AdjustForMagVarInDialog=1 DynamicWeather=2 DownloadWindsAloft=0 DisableTurbulence=0 CLOUD_DRAW_DISTANCE=3 DETAILED_CLOUDS=1 CLOUD_COVERAGE_DENSITY=8 THERMAL_VISUALS=0 [DISPLAY.Device.NVIDIA GeForce GT 740M.0] Mode=1024x768x32 [AccelerationPack] ControlsFirstRun=0 HomePageFirstRun=0 [CONTROLS] Controls_Default=Standard Controls_Current=Standard JOYSTICKS=1 KBDAIL=64 KBDELEV=64 KBDRUD=64 [TextInfo.1] Latitude=1,1 Longitude=1,2 Altitude=1,3 Heading=1,4 AirSpeed=1,5 WindDirectionAndSpeed=1,6 [TextInfo.2] FrameRate=1,1 LockedFrameRate=1,2 GForce=1,3 FuelPercentage=1,4 [TextInfo.3] Latitude=1,1 Longitude=1,2 Altitude=1,3 Heading=1,4 AirSpeed=1,5 WindDirectionAndSpeed=1,6 FrameRate=2,1 LockedFrameRate=2,2 GForce=2,3 FuelPercentage=2,4 [slewTextInfo.1] Latitude=1,1 Longitude=1,2 Altitude=1,3 Heading=1,4 AirSpeed=1,5 [slewTextInfo.2] FrameRate=1,1 LockedFrameRate=1,2 [slewTextInfo.3] Latitude=1,1 Longitude=1,2 Altitude=1,3 Heading=1,4 AirSpeed=1,5 FrameRate=2,1 LockedFrameRate=2,2 [DynamicHeadMovement] LonAccelOnHeadLon=-0.020000 LonAccelOnHeadPitch=-0.010000 RollAccelOnHeadLat=0.010000 YawAccelOnHeadLat=-0.100000 RollAccelOnHeadRoll=0.100000 MaxHeadAngle=5.000000 MaxHeadOffset=0.300000 HeadMoveTimeConstant=1.000000 [VirtualCopilot] VirtualCopilotActive=1 [uSERINTERFACE] PageID=1 OpenATCOnCreate=0 SHOW_MISSION_CAPTIONS=0 PAUSE_ON_LOST_FOCUS=1 PROMPT_ON_EXIT=1 SITUATION=FLIGHTS\OTHER\FLTSIM Map_Orientation=2 [ATC] ShowATCText=1 COMM_MSG_NONE_COLOR=FFFFFFFF COMM_MSG_ATC_USER_COLOR=FFB6FFB6 COMM_MSG_USER_ATC_COLOR=FFFFD21B COMM_MSG_ATC_AI_COLOR=FF00FF00 COMM_MSG_AI_ATC_COLOR=FFFF7840 AutoOpenAirTrafficWindow=1 UsePilotVoice=1 PilotVoice=0 [PointOfInterestSystem] CycleSetting=0 [MULTIPLAYER] condAccoutPassword=0 [sCENERY] LENSFLARE=1 DAWN_DUSK_SMOOTHING=1 IMAGE_COMPLEXITY=4 [TrafficManager] AirlineDensity=20 GADensity=20 FreewayDensity=20 ShipsAndFerriesDensity=40 LeisureBoatsDensity=40 IFROnly=0 AIRPORT_SCENERY_DENSITY=3 [TERRAIN] LOD_RADIUS=4.500000 MESH_COMPLEXITY=75 MESH_RESOLUTION=20 TEXTURE_RESOLUTION=25 AUTOGEN_DENSITY=3 DETAIL_TEXTURE=1 WATER_EFFECTS=7 [AContain] ShowLabels=1 ShowUserLabel=0 ShowLabelManufacturer=1 ShowLabelModel=1 ShowLabelTailNumber=0 ShowLabelDistance=1 ShowLabelAltitude=1 ShowLabelAirline=0 ShowLabelAirlineAndFlightNumber=0 ShowLabelFlightPlan=0 ShowLabelContainerId=0 ShowLabelAirspeed=0 ShowLabelHeading=0 LabelDelay=1000 LabelColor=FFFF0000 [iNTERNATIONAL] ASLAT=2 ASLON=1 MEASURE=0 [REALISM] PFactor=0.000000 Torque=0.000000 GyroEffect=0.000000 CrashTolerance=0.000000 General=0.000000 UnlimitedFuel=True AllowEngineDamage=False TrueAirspeed=False AutoCoord=True RealMixture=False StressDamage=False GEffect=False ManualLights=False GyroDrift=False CrashWithDyn=False CrashDetection=False AutoTrim=False [sIM] SYSCLOCK=1 [sTARTUP] DEMO=0 SHOW_OPENING_SCREEN=1 STARTUP_DEMO= LoadWindow=1 [FACILITIES] COUNTRY= STATE= CITY= GTL_BUTTON=4096 [Misc] Com_Rate=7 Even locked at 20 FPS, the game stutters horribly at these settings. Dear AMjethrom, I implemented the your highlighted changes to the fsx.cfg above, if they were not already defaulted according to your suggestions. The game looks and runs better now. However, FPS still drop from 30 to 20 every few seconds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
il88pp Posted April 11, 2019 Share Posted April 11, 2019 Again some serious errors in there. Also a new thing. Your sound card is not recognised. Have you installed the sound card driver? And are the other mainboard drivers all installed? Do that. Also, in: Control Panel -- System and Security -- System What does it say on the "Processor" line? (all of that line please, including the numbers at the end.) Thanks. -- After all that is fixed you wil need to recreate the fsx.cfg file again. Because there are some serious errors in it. And that needs to be fixed before you can try tweaking for best results. Fixing those errors is not a matter of simply editing the fsx.cfg file. The main serious errors I see are: ProcSpeed=6309 (That should be higher with your processor I think. But editing the number won't help. Getting the processor running better (and then refreshing the fsx.cfg) probabbly will help.) PrimaryDevice={00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000} VoiceDevice={00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000} (No audio card) --- Also there are some lines missing. (Were from the first cfg file as well.) ------ ------ Open any folder, on the top-left, click: "Organise" click: "Folder and Search Options" at the top click the: "View" tab" Make sure that there is no check-mark in front of: "Hide Extensions for Known File Types" (If there is one click the check mark to remove it.) ---- (because in folder: C:\Users\YOURUSERNAME\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\FSX are two files. fsx.cfg and fsx.cfg.txt an if Windows hides the .txt (known file type) then the two files look the same.) [sIGPIC][/sIGPIC] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jethrom Posted April 11, 2019 Share Posted April 11, 2019 FSX suffers from FPS drops and stutters every few seconds on my - dated - laptop. My specs are: - Microsoft Flight Simulator X Gold (boxed, Steam version has similar issues) - Intel i7-4700MQ @ 2,4 GHz - NVidia GeForce GT740M - 16 GB RAM - 1 TB HDD - Windows 10 (64 Bit) Hi X8X8X, il88pp, From the above quote, it would seem that there is a conflict between the FSX.cfg in Boxed FSX Gold and the Steam FSX:SE FSX.cfg, (it would appear that X8X8X has installed both at some stage) this may explain the discrepancy where things are not being written properly to the FSX.cfg in the boxed version. As il88pp states, your most recent FSX.cfg still has some errors and missing entries. (I did not miss anything I only made edits to a clipped FSX configuration, as noted by the [Trusted] section header completely missing along with some other entries that do not appear until utilised for the first time (ie; [VisualFX], [WeatherMap], [RWW_WEATHER_MAP], [aidebug], and if FSX SDK is installed -[TrafficExplorer], [FlightPlanMap], [MAPVIEW_MAP] and their corresponding entries are missing). (something is still preventing FSX: boxed version from writing an un-corrupted FSX.cfg) Having Boxed and Steam FSX on the same computer can become a complicated mess as far as configuration files being acknowledged by the system registry and written. This can continue even after you remove one version in preference for the other because the registry still contains info for both versions. When users originally tried Steam FSX:SE alongside FSX boxed version these complications occurred, someone finally worked out how to perform a co-existence between the two and wrote a how-to guide on the subject, there was even a small guide on how to completely remove FSX boxed version in favour of FSX:SE without leaving registry conflict. (possibly can be found on the Orbx FAQ sub-forum) Look up FSX:SE Co-existence. You may find the "FSX Registry fix tool" invaluable where a conflict exists between Steam and Boxed versions, in conjunction with the FAQ - FSX Co-existence guide, even if you no longer have both versions installed on your current setup. X8X8X, As far as the current FSX.cfg edits as in my last post the ones you implemented in [Terrain] are significantly different to my conservative estimates, eg; =7 (max 2x) for water Effects, I believe I advised =2 (mid 1x) for your under powered laptop, other entries are not as indicated in my edit text. I had good reason for those numbers, and added entries, and believed they might serve to stabilise your FSX experience and deliver you a better visual experience using your current dated laptop hardware. I 'am now struggling to propose a solution for your FSX issue, given that you have now reinstalled the OS to correct a system stability issue (non boot), and are still experiencing config conflicts with a fresh install of FSX with a (fresh OS & system registry). How can this be, there should be nothing now able to interfere on a new setup with FSX configuration unless a pre-requisite program, file, or element is yet to be installed via Win Update. Perhaps as il88pp states, your IO and chip drivers have not yet been installed (un-enabled Audio entry) or perhaps some other VisualC++ , MSXML 4.0, DirectX9c runtime, update has not yet been installed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
X8X8X Posted April 12, 2019 Author Share Posted April 12, 2019 Dear il88pp, Thank you! It says "Intel® Core i7-4700MQ CPU @ 2,4GHz 2.40 GHz". My audio is working fine, but I (re-) installed the Conexant Audio Software. I unchecked the "Hide Extensions for Known File Types" box but appear to have posted the "true" .cfg before. Dear jethrom, Thank you! You are onto something here, I recall having bought the Steam edition of FSX, having heard that it ran better. It did not and I refunded it. While I cannot recall, it is entirely possible that I had both the boxed and the Steam edition of FSX installed simultaneously. I did implement the changes you highlighted on the second test run but posted the fsx.cfg that was written by default. They did indeed improve performance! As of now, I will try to reinstall fsx once more and see if my issues will be fixed. I shall report back as soon as possible! Best, X8X8X Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
X8X8X Posted April 14, 2019 Author Share Posted April 14, 2019 I have reinstalled FSX once again now and applied jethrom's fixes. The missing sound device does not seem to be fixed, despite the sound working absolutely fine and me installing the Conexant driver manually (according to the device manager, my audio devices already ran the latest drivers before). More importantly, FSX now runs stable-ish (FPS occasionally drops to 20-25 without noticable stutter) when locking FPS to 30 FPS, and stable when locking FPS to 24! However, with third party aircraft of various quality (freeware Ercoupe, payware Bf 108, payware J-3 test pending) the stutters and noticable FPS drops reappear. This is my current fsx.cfg: [GRAPHICS] HIGHMEMFIX=1 ForceFullScreenVSync=1 SHADER_CACHE_PRIMED_10=1693500672 SHADER_CACHE_PRIMED=1693500672 TEXTURE_MAX_LOAD=256 NUM_LIGHTS=8 AIRCRAFT_SHADOWS=0 AIRCRAFT_REFLECTIONS=0 COCKPIT_HIGH_LOD=1 LANDING_LIGHTS=0 AC_SELF_SHADOW=0 EFFECTS_QUALITY=0 GROUND_SHADOWS=0 TEXTURE_QUALITY=3 IMAGE_QUALITY=0 See_Self=1 Text_Scroll=1 D3D10=0 [sOUND] AmbientUIMusicVolume=-6.000000 PrimaryDevice={DEF00000-9C6D-47ED-AAF1-4DDA8F2B5C03} VoiceDevice={DEF00002-9C6D-47ED-AAF1-4DDA8F2B5C03} SOUND=1 SOUND_QUALITY=2 SOUND_LOD=0 UISound=0 AmbientUI=0 SOUND_FADER1=0.500000 SOUND_FADER2=0.500000 SOUND_FADER3=0.500000 SOUND_FADER4=0.500000 AmbientUIMusic=FSX01 [Display] ChangeTime=4.000000 TransitionTime=4.000000 ActiveWindowTitleTextColor=255,255,255 ActiveWindowTitleBackGroundColor=0,28,140,64 NonActiveWindowTitleTextColor=255,255,255 NonActiveWindowTitleBackGroundColor=24,33,87,64 InfoUpperRightTextColor=255,0,0 InfoUpperRightBackGroundColor=0,0,0,0 InfoLowerLeftTextColor=255,255,255 InfoLowerLeftBackGroundColor=255,0,0,128 InfoLowerRightTextColor=255,255,255 InfoLowerRightBackGroundColor=255,0,0,128 InfoBrakesEnable=True InfoParkingBrakesEnable=True InfoPauseEnable=True InfoSlewEnable=True InfoStallEnable=True InfoOverspeedEnable=True BLOOM_EFFECTS=0 SKINNED_ANIMATIONS=0 TEXTURE_BANDWIDTH_MULT=40 UPPER_FRAMERATE_LIMIT=30 WideViewAspect=True [Main] DisablePreload=1 User Objects=Airplane, Helicopter SimObjectPaths.0=SimObjects\Airplanes SimObjectPaths.1=SimObjects\Rotorcraft SimObjectPaths.2=SimObjects\GroundVehicles SimObjectPaths.3=SimObjects\Boats SimObjectPaths.4=SimObjects\Animals SimObjectPaths.5=SimObjects\Misc ProcSpeed=6716 PerfBucket=7 Maximized=1 Location=440,129,1480,908,\\.\DISPLAY1 HideMenuNormal=0 HideMenuFullscreen=1 [PANELS] IMAGE_QUALITY=1 QUICKTIPS=1 PANEL_OPACITY=100 PANEL_MASKING=1 PANEL_STRETCHING=1 UNITS_OF_MEASURE=0 DEFAULT_VIEW=0 [Weather] WindshieldPrecipitationEffects=1 MinGustTime=10 MaxGustTime=500 MinGustRampSpeed=1 MaxGustRampSpeed=200 MinVarTime=5 MaxVarTime=50 MinVarRampSpeed=10 MaxVarRampSpeed=75 TurbulenceScale=1.000000 WeatherServerAddress=fs2k.zone.com WeatherServerPort=80 WeatherGraphDataInDialog=0 AdjustForMagVarInDialog=1 DynamicWeather=0 DownloadWindsAloft=0 DisableTurbulence=0 CLOUD_DRAW_DISTANCE=3 DETAILED_CLOUDS=1 CLOUD_COVERAGE_DENSITY=6 THERMAL_VISUALS=0 [DISPLAY.Device.NVIDIA GeForce GT 740M.0] Mode=1920x1080x32 Anisotropic=1 AntiAlias=1 [AccelerationPack] ControlsFirstRun=0 HomePageFirstRun=0 [CONTROLS] Controls_Default=Standard Controls_Current=Standard JOYSTICKS=1 KBDAIL=64 KBDELEV=64 KBDRUD=64 [TextInfo.1] Latitude=1,1 Longitude=1,2 Altitude=1,3 Heading=1,4 AirSpeed=1,5 WindDirectionAndSpeed=1,6 [TextInfo.2] FrameRate=1,1 LockedFrameRate=1,2 GForce=1,3 FuelPercentage=1,4 [TextInfo.3] Latitude=1,1 Longitude=1,2 Altitude=1,3 Heading=1,4 AirSpeed=1,5 WindDirectionAndSpeed=1,6 FrameRate=2,1 LockedFrameRate=2,2 GForce=2,3 FuelPercentage=2,4 [slewTextInfo.1] Latitude=1,1 Longitude=1,2 Altitude=1,3 Heading=1,4 AirSpeed=1,5 [slewTextInfo.2] FrameRate=1,1 LockedFrameRate=1,2 [slewTextInfo.3] Latitude=1,1 Longitude=1,2 Altitude=1,3 Heading=1,4 AirSpeed=1,5 FrameRate=2,1 LockedFrameRate=2,2 [DynamicHeadMovement] LonAccelOnHeadLon=-0.020000 LonAccelOnHeadPitch=-0.010000 RollAccelOnHeadLat=0.010000 YawAccelOnHeadLat=-0.100000 RollAccelOnHeadRoll=0.100000 MaxHeadAngle=5.000000 MaxHeadOffset=0.300000 HeadMoveTimeConstant=1.000000 [VirtualCopilot] VirtualCopilotActive=0 [uSERINTERFACE] PageID=1 OpenATCOnCreate=0 SHOW_MISSION_CAPTIONS=1 PAUSE_ON_LOST_FOCUS=0 PROMPT_ON_EXIT=1 SITUATION=FLIGHTS\OTHER\FLTSIM Map_Orientation=2 ShowAllACPaintSchemes=0 SelectAircraftManufacturer=All SelectAircraftPublisher=All SelectAircraftType=All [ATC] ShowATCText=1 COMM_MSG_NONE_COLOR=FFFFFFFF COMM_MSG_ATC_USER_COLOR=FFB6FFB6 COMM_MSG_USER_ATC_COLOR=FFFFD21B COMM_MSG_ATC_AI_COLOR=FF00FF00 COMM_MSG_AI_ATC_COLOR=FFFF7840 AutoOpenAirTrafficWindow=1 UsePilotVoice=1 PilotVoice=0 [PointOfInterestSystem] CycleSetting=0 [sCENERY] LENSFLARE=0 DAWN_DUSK_SMOOTHING=1 IMAGE_COMPLEXITY=2 [TrafficManager] AirlineDensity=0 GADensity=0 FreewayDensity=0 ShipsAndFerriesDensity=0 LeisureBoatsDensity=0 IFROnly=0 AIRPORT_SCENERY_DENSITY=0 [TERRAIN] LOD_RADIUS=3.500000 MESH_COMPLEXITY=50 MESH_RESOLUTION=20 TEXTURE_RESOLUTION=25 AUTOGEN_DENSITY=1 DETAIL_TEXTURE=1 WATER_EFFECTS=0 [AContain] ShowLabels=0 ShowUserLabel=0 ShowLabelManufacturer=1 ShowLabelModel=1 ShowLabelTailNumber=0 ShowLabelDistance=1 ShowLabelAltitude=1 ShowLabelAirline=0 ShowLabelAirlineAndFlightNumber=0 ShowLabelFlightPlan=0 ShowLabelContainerId=0 ShowLabelAirspeed=0 ShowLabelHeading=0 LabelDelay=1000 LabelColor=FFFF0000 [iNTERNATIONAL] ASLAT=2 ASLON=0 MEASURE=0 [REALISM] PFactor=1.000000 Torque=1.000000 GyroEffect=1.000000 CrashTolerance=1.000000 General=1.000000 UnlimitedFuel=False AllowEngineDamage=False TrueAirspeed=False AutoCoord=False RealMixture=True StressDamage=False GEffect=True ManualLights=True GyroDrift=False CrashWithDyn=False CrashDetection=False AutoTrim=False [sIM] SYSCLOCK=1 [sTARTUP] DEMO=0 SHOW_OPENING_SCREEN=1 STARTUP_DEMO= LoadWindow=1 [FACILITIES] COUNTRY= STATE= CITY= GTL_BUTTON=1242 [Misc] Com_Rate=7 [MULTIPLAYER] condAccoutPassword=0 Despite this, you helped me out tremendously - thank you all! Best, X8X8X ps: I realised my "procspeed" line was not consistent between the various fsx.cfg I uploaded. You are right, il88pp, something is - very - wrong here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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