geforce 8800 and FSX

1.Update Windows
2.Update the video card drivers.
3.Ensure you have the latest Direct X version(9c).

CRJ is absolutely correct.
I installed my 8800GTS 640meg about 6 months ago and thought I would see blinding improvement............................NOT...........................

It's more of realizing that FSX is a CPU resource hog and that you must work with the sliders to get a decent fps rate...................

There are very good "tweaks" you can make to your config file that help, other add-ons such as GEX, UTX, and others really help OVER existing FSX terrains, sky, etc...............really do increase fps's.

In my case, I upgraded to a quad - BUT, still had to overclock to get my fps's up....................now at LAX - 23 - 33 fps..................in air - 44 - 70 fps.......but ALL we really need is a constant 29 fps to be very happy with all of the eye-candy we can handle...........................

I'm not advocating overclocking because that's a whole new arena and one must be very careful........................but it solved my problems....

Finally, I do NOT have all of my sliders maxed...............still can't do that.........but as an average, they're up there at an average of 80%.

cthiggin

Good that you are here cthiggin 👍 , I can only give basic advice since I don't have the card in question.

how do you over clock your card? I have a 8600 GT but I don't know if it can be overclocked.

I can get 29 fps at the best of times, but at busy airports it drops down to single digits at night especially.

You also mentioned chanegs to the config file. What would you suggest changing?

Thanks !!

Pent D isn't Pent Duel core2

IF you do have a single core - NOT much you can do to increase fps's but to lower sliders -BUT, you can still get a good experience...........remember, 20 fps is still good - we ALL are trying to achieve IMO, 30 SOLID fps's with all sliders maxed...................

You have to download nTune from nVidia and install it....then under GPU, you can overclock....................

cthiggin

Hi when bought my pentium D computer from pc world over a year ago
they told me it was duel core.
When i look at my system info it shows their are 2 cpu

That's GOOD - Single cores just can't handle FSX too well.

My suggestion - defrag / work with sliders / consider some add-ons that give you great eye-candy and in most cases will increase your fps's some - download nTune and oc your GPU -

There are several folks here using duo cores that are getting over 100 fps - BUT, THEY ARE SO OVERCLOCKED that they, including me, have to run liquid cooling to keep the cpu from frying...............again, whole new arena.............................

Patience is the killer here - I about lost my mind working / tweaking / etc. until a great simmer friend made some very valuable suggestions and put me on the path I needed to be................but, I am finally very happy with my experience.........................still can't use DX10 Preview with my Vista due to bad shimmers, but DX9 is GREAT IMO.

cthiggin

thanks for you help and suggestions cthiggin. I've downloaded nTune and all looks good. Under GPU the core and memory bus are at factory settings:

Core - 540
Memory - 700

Not wishing to fry my system quite yet, how far should I move the sliders? I can also change the fan from automatic to direct control.

Thanks again.

MAKE SURE you set your fan @ 100% - Start in small increments of around 10 for each one - there WILL be a point that you may get a lock up - when this happens, just back off a little till you are stable.
The nVidia cards (8800's) are built like tanks, so IF you start in small amounts, you won't hurt a thing.......................please remember, oc'ing the gpu is NOT going to give you too much in way of fps, but it will help with the texture rendering............slow, but SURE.........have fun........

cthiggin

CTHIGGIN, I downloaded ntune and now have the nvidia tweak tray control panel, and it has the boxes that I checked to have overclocking, but how do you actually see any numbers? How do you 'set' the speed or fan? Thanks

I just played with it tonight so I'll see if I can help. Click on the NVIDIA Control Panel. On the left side of the opening screen you should have a menu list. Click on PERFORMANCE and then you get a sub-menu. If this is the first time doing so, you'll probably have to read a disclaimer first. Click on Adjust GPU Settings. Click on Custom Clock Frequencies and you'll be able to move the slide bars for both core and memory bus. Just to the right of each bar you have a number.

Below that you'll have GPU Fan Settings. Click on Direct Fan Control then slide the bar all the way to the right to get 100% if you plan on changing any of the factory settings.

Hope that helps!

try these settings from nvidia
http://www.nzone.com/object/nzone_fsx_techtips.html

Splitdog - Rowcoach is absolutely right - sorry I forgot to mention the sub-menu...............

To chad_ryan86 - When I first installed my 8800GTS, that's where I went for help............I tried those settings and was getting like 10 fps..........they're just too high ......................guys, from my humbling experience...........................FSX, is great as it is, just brings a CPU to its knees.................even my quad, 4 gig OCZ memory, Swiftech Apex Cooler, and I am overclocked to a stable 3.4ghz, memory is overclocked, and as stated before, I can get 70 upwards to a 100 fps, I CANNOT get this with all sliders MAXED............no way............not yet.............maybe when the newer quads come down in price.......................BUT, again, if you can consistently get 29-30 fps...................that's where's it's at........I made the mistake of thinking the higher the better..........ok, I can get them.........but, video, tv, hdtv, is at I think 29.97 fps............so, getting a 100 fps, quality is no better than setting a consistent 30 fps...........at 30fps, you get beautiful eye-candy, great smooth movements and flight.........so, search for a consistent 30 fps...........and you will NOT get it with just an 8800 GPU..................it helps, makes everything prettier, but thats it........................
Be PATIENT, work with your sliders to reach that "magic spot" for YOUR COMPUTER..................each and everyone of our pc's is different......even identical ones...................some have more fragmentation, more tsr's running, and so on........................

keep us posted.

cthiggin

I replaced a 3ghz Pentium D with a 2.4ghz duel-core and fps increased & cpu temp decreased, with no other changes on this computer;

Intel DP965LT ATX mainboard (P965express chipset)
Intel onboard Azalia sound & 82566c LAN
intel Core2Duo E6600@2.4ghz
Generic intel approved thermally advantaged ATX case
Thermaltake 775D copperbase heatpipe cpu cooling fan
Corsair 4x1gb duel channel DDR2@667mhz
Gigabyte nVida 8800GTX w/768mb DDR3
Memorex DVD-CD R+RW drive
Western Digital 1600YS SATA hardrive
Antec NeoHe 500watt power supply
Samsung 215TW 21" widescreen (1680x1050) DVI LCD
Samsung CX213TW 13" DVI LCD
CH Flightstick Pro usb & Ch control manager V4.2
winXp SP2

Since installing FSX Sp2, I've been adjusting FSX setting sliders for more eye candy at the same mostly 30fps I had before Sp2.

I've found that the biggest "effect-or" on fps is the detail radius slider, because it's Low - Medium - High and it sets the distance from the view point at which graphic objects are displayed. Setting it to High drops my fps to 17 without any other changes!

Here are all my current FSX settings, I'm seeing an average of 30fps.

GRAPHICS
Target frame rate: 30
Full screen res: 1680x1050x16
Filtering: Anisotropic
Anti-aliasing: on
Global texture resolution: Very high
Lens flare: off
Light bloom: off
Advanced animations: off
Informational text: Continuous
AIRCRAFT
Default cockpit view: 3-D virtual cockpit
Show cockpit ToolTips: on
High-resolution 3-D virtual cockpit: on
2-D panel transparency: 0%
Aircraft cast shadows: on
Aircraft casts shadows on itself: off
Aircraft landing-lights illuminate ground: off
SCENERY
Level of detail radius: Medium
Mesh complexity: 100
Mesh resolution: 1m
Texture resolution: 7 cm
Water effects: None
Land detail textures: on
Scenery complexity: Extremely dense
Autogen density: Extremely dense
Ground scenery shadows: off
Special effects detail: Low
WEATHER
Cloud draw distanse: 60mi / 96km
Thermal visualization: None
Simple clouds: on
Download winds aloft data with real-world weather: off
Disable turbulence and thermal effects on aircraft: off
Rate at which weather changes over time: Medium
TRAFFIC
Airline traffic density: 0%
General aviation traffic density: 100% GA Traffic addon doubles traffic
Airport vehicle density: 0%
Road vehicles: 51%%
Ships and ferries: 0%
Leasure boats: 43%
Show aircraft labels: off

I'd say that 3ghz Pentium D is inhibiting the potental of your nVida 8800 gpu, but ambitious sliders can make it worse.

Hi cthiggin your posts have been most helpfull and to everone else that has repled.
I will download ntune and see if that will help, does SP2 help with performce. I have read here that vista also give a slight increase in fpm so might install that after xmas.

Hi oldsamer i will try some of your settings you have recomened

Re: Vista - In my case, Vista did not increase fps at all, but did not lower. Vista works FINE for me, but many simmers just hate the word Vista.......but, you have to have at least 2 gig memory, preferably 3 gig, because of Vista's layering, more ram is called for.............I've turned off UAC in Vista, and again, Vista is "superb" for "me".

Oldsamers settings are much different than mine............the first two sliders are maxed...........and special effects are almost maxed.........for me, I don't like to look out at the horizon and see blurries............BUT, like I mentioned, IMO, you must take YOUR pc setup and find the happy medium with sliders............what is smooth and looks good FOR YOU.......oh gosh, it's so subjective..................it would be "nice" to "flip one switch for everyone" and all is great................just doesn't work that way............................I'll guarantee you - take the top ten "happy camper simmers", that have their FSX tweaked just perfectly, and all ten will have some variation in their set-ups.

Please just be patient and work with "your" setup....................and one other thing....................make notes so you'll remember what you've done. It's so easy to make changes and forget what you had to go back to.

cthiggin

Among other suggestions I would recommend to U to check if your “Duo” is working by turning off your full screen mode, start task manager and see if both CPU’ s WORKING.
Remand U that in some patch “I don’t remember which one " there is a “taking care” on that matter. In the previous\first edition it did not worked.

You have to add a line to your fsx.cfg file - Affinity Mask =
For a quad its 15 - don't remember what it is for a duo........do a search on this formum for "Affinity Mask" or "Tweaks" or Duo Core and you'll find it.............

cthiggin

Rowcoach, CTHiggin, thanks for your help. After I deleted Ntweak, I was able to install Ntune and I am starting to adjust things. I just want to overclock a wee bit and get a small performance increase. thanks again.

Glad things are starting to work out..............

WORDS OF CAUTION.......................

IF you're going to overclock a "wee bit"................download Core Temp at www.alcpu.com/
When you overclock, your temps will rise...................and could damage your cpu......................make sure "under-load", a safe temp on the high side is 60C.....................IF you go above that, back down your overclock.......until temps don't rise above that.....................My rig is overclocked to the max, BUT to keep temps down, I spent almost a day installing a liquid cooling system and modding the case............my temps under load run an average of 54C................
When oc'ing, little changes at a time in bios................IF you go too far, the pc will not boot/post.............or, when you start FSX or other programs, you may receive the ol' BSOD...........no big deal, just back down the oc.

Keep us posted.

cthiggin