Optimizing FSX Performance on High-End Gaming PCs: Overcoming Stutter Issues

Pro Member Trainee
ggray1979 Trainee

Hello, I recently purchased the PC SPECIALIST Vortex ST-S Gaming PC, equipped with an Intel® Core™ i7 processor, RTX 2070 Super graphics card, 2 TB HDD, and 256 GB SSD. Despite these seemingly robust specifications, I'm experiencing stuttering in the graphics while running Microsoft Flight Simulator X. Are these components adequate for FSX, and what steps can I take to optimize performance and reduce graphical stuttering? Additionally, could there be any settings or configurations within FSX that I might adjust to improve the smoothness of the simulation?

Answers 3 Answers

Jump to latest
Pro Member Chief Captain
RadarMan Chief Captain

Looking good!

Set up FSX and then start adjusting the slides that control how the Sim looks.
A few of the slides use the most power of that machine.
Autogen, shadows, clouds and AI use the most.
The lower that you can set them the better the sim will work.
Lock it at 30fps.

Radar

Pro Member Trainee
Ian (MyNameisIan) Trainee

I have a much smaller PC set up than yours, (i5, GTX 1050 low profile and 32 Gb RAM) but I can play no problem with everything maxed out. The one thing I do do is make sure that nothing else is running on my PC while I play (no social media app's etc), I do have Steam running of course as I am using the FSX SE version which is 64bit. This is the only thing I can think of that may effect your fps as your beastie would eat mine for breakfast if we were to test them side by side.

Keep flying S&L,

Ian.

Pro Member Captain
Ian Stephens (ianstephens) Captain
Ian Stephens is an expert on this topic. Read his bio here.

It sounds like you've got quite a powerhouse with the PC SPECIALIST Vortex ST-S! Given the specs you've listed, your system should generally handle Microsoft Flight Simulator X (FSX) quite effectively. However, graphical stuttering can still occur due to a variety of factors. Let's troubleshoot this together and enhance your flight simulation experience.

1. Graphics Settings Adjustments:

  • Adjust the Frame Rate Limit: Capping your frame rate within FSX can greatly reduce stuttering. Experiment with setting this limit just below your average FPS during gameplay.
  • Lower Scenery Complexity and Autogen Density: These settings are highly demanding. Reducing them can often alleviate performance issues without significantly detracting from the visual quality.
  • Optimize Texture Resolution: High-resolution textures can strain your GPU. Try setting the texture resolution to medium to see if it improves your frame rates.

2. Hardware Optimization:

  • Ensure Drivers Are Up to Date: Outdated graphics drivers can lead to poor performance. Make sure your RTX 2070 Super's drivers are the latest version available from NVIDIA's official website.
  • Manage Background Applications: Close unnecessary applications that might be consuming system resources during your flights.

3. SSD Utilization:
Transferring FSX to your SSD can dramatically improve loading times and reduce in-game stuttering. SSDs provide faster data access speeds than HDDs, which is crucial for large-scale simulations.

4. Tweak FSX.cfg:
Editing the FSX.cfg file can unlock further performance improvements. Consider adding or modifying the following lines under the [GRAPHICS] section:

TEXTURE_MAX_LOAD=1024
[b]BUFFERPOOLS[/b]=1
[b]PoolSize[/b]=10000000

These changes can help manage how FSX utilizes your GPU's memory, potentially smoothing out performance issues.

5. Monitor Your System’s Performance:
Use tools like MSI Afterburner to monitor your system's GPU and CPU usage while running FSX. If your CPU usage is high, it might be bottlenecking your GPU, leading to stuttering.

By addressing these areas, you should see a noticeable improvement in FSX's performance on your system. Remember, each setup is unique, so some experimentation with settings might be necessary to find the perfect balance for your rig.

If you continue to experience issues, feel free to ask more detailed questions here. Happy flying!

Still does not answer your question? Ask a new question!

If the question and answers provided above do not answer your specific question - why not ask a new question of your own? Our community and flight simulator experts will provided a dedicated and unique answer to your flight sim question. And, you don't even need to register to post your question!

Ask New Question...

Search

Search our questions and answers...

Be sure to search for your question from existing posted questions before asking a new question as your question may already exist from another user. If you're sure your question is unique and hasn't been asked before, consider asking a new question.

Related Questions

Flight Sim Questions that are closely related to this...