Thanks for the 'memory'...maybe?

Hello, and greetings to all!

For just over a year I've been playing FSX, X Plane 11 and Aerofly FS on the Steam platform. My 'gaming' laptop (specs below) came with 16gb of RAM. Like many of you, I've been constantly tweaking settings in order to achieve a better frame rate and stop the stuttering graphics. All the tweaking got old so recently I increased the RAM to 32gb with the hope and dreams of a smooth running simulator with improved graphics and performance. X Plane 11 and the Aerofly FS sim, from the little bit I've run them, are improved but FSX is a whole different matter!

In the past, I've run FSX with the scenery settings not maxed out but not set to minimums either and had a somewhat adequate flying experience. A lot depended on the complexity of the aircraft I was flying and the corresponding scenery area I was using as to how 'smooth', without stuttering I could achieve. At least with the 16gb of RAM it might not have been a great flying experience but at least I was flying!

I was so excited to load up FSX to see what the RAM increase would do, but that excitement was quickly dashed! FSX would load initially with aircraft and location selected but as soon as I began the takeoff roll, it freezes with this message..."Your computer has run out of memory. Please restart Flight Simulator and select different graphics, scenery or traffic settings."

I've tried starting it up with the scenery setting set lower than I had them before and still the same. I've brought up the Task Manager to see how much memory is being used when I first load FSX and it's only 12%!

So, my fellow simmers, does anyone have any suggestions? I would greatly appreciate your input! Thanks in advance!

John

HP Pavilion 15-au147cl

Intel i7-7500U CPU @2.70ghz

GeoForce 940MX Video Card with 4GB DDR3 RAM Dedicated

32GB RAM

Hi John,

First, you don't say what OS you are running - i.e Win Version and bit rate (32 or 64). Using a 64-bit based OS can offer advantages over a 32-bit version.

Second, The message you are seeing is caused by FSX hitting the 4Gb limit of what is termed Virtual address Space (VAS) memory. This is because FSX is a 32-bit application and, like all other 32-bit based applications, it can only access a maximum of 4GB of VAS. This is irrespective of how much RAM is fitted.

By having more RAM above the 4Gb limit only means that when running FSX (and it is using all of its available 4Gb VAS limit) your rig will be able to continue to run other essential/common background tasks without having to 'steal' memory from the FSX allocation.

For example, if you only have 4GB of RAM fitted, once the OS has taken its share to be able to run its background tasks, you will only get around 1.5 to 2Gb of free memory available for FSX to use. If you have more than 4Gb then it is more likely that FSX will always get its full 4Gb share.

OOM errors with FSX is most frequently caused by a combination of factors relating to very high detail settings in FSX itself. For example, simultaneously using very complex and highly-detailed aircraft with very complex and/or very dense scenery.

Google is your friend here - use the phrase "FSX OOM VAS" or "FSX Out of Memory error" and you will find lots of information about how to "fix" or, some may say, live with the problem.

Read my Sig. on OOM errors.

FS is a CPU-based game, and to make matters worse it's only single thread capable. Your CPU is going to be your limiting factor, NOT the amount of RAM you use.

Laptops are just not meant to be used as a gaming platform. Especially with FS. You can do it, but your performance is going to suffer greatly. Hence the stutters. Heck, you can even get stutters on a desktop. The main two things here is the add-ons you have installed and your FS settings. I wouldn't use HD clouds or HD anything. Even on a desktop. I don't use HD clouds with Active Sky Cloud Art and they look perfectly fine. I also have updated airport hangers and buildings for GA airports and the add-on offers HD textures. I didn't use that, and the hangers and buildings still look nice.

You really have to limit yourself on what you use in the Sim since the Sim is largely CPU-based. You also need to make the necessary FSX.CFG tweaks. There is a sticky here in this subforum on that. This game is pretty damn old, and the only flight Sim that has caught up with the modern era of gaming is X-plane. But I looked into X-plane and while nice with its graphics and what have you, it's still lacking a lot. Especially ATC which is a shame. The night vision mode is a nice touch though. I saw that while trying the demo. But I feel X-plane can be so much better. Especially since it's a new Sim.

Anyway, if you are a heavy Simmer like I am and fly at least one hour a day, then I'd invest in a good desktop. Laptops are just asinine to use for this old beast. Unless you want to blow a few thousand on a new laptop. But I have my doubts laptops have better single thread capability more so than a desktop CPU. You need all the single thread capability you can muster. Look here on single thread CPU ratings. https://www.cpubenchmark.net/singleThread.html

some may say, live with the problem.

I never EVER live with problems. I absolutely HATE problems. I apply this logic to everything I do and create contingencies to mitigate them or straight up fix them through research and what have you. I apply this to my website as well. Every once in a while I scan the entite FTP directory for any error_log and if found I fix the situation as soon as possible. All of my computers are encrypted and periodically get cloned to external HDDs. And then the clones are encrypted and all stored in two fireproof safes. I even have a mechanism that backs up my current FSX install every time I boot my computer. And of course my clones contain a FSX backup as well. Plus another HDD with yet another FSX backup.

So malware or some hacker can do his/her worst and it be no problem. I'd fix that situation right quick and clone right back. LOL Like nothing ever changed.

I have two motto's:

Trust no one.

and

All problems have solutions.

After all, everything is mathematically related and is universal truth. No matter how complex the problem is, it can be solved.

I wouldn't mind the "Trust no one" phrase inscribed on my headstone. And I'd like a solar powered voice chip that plays my voice with a touch of a button embedded in the headstone. LOL I'd say something like, "Boogy! boogy! I'm standing behind you right now! BAHAHAHA!" LMAO!

Trust no one, not even your closet friends & family. Especially if you win the lottery