Loving the new GTN 650 & 750 for V4

[jmig]

One of my favorite add-ons was the Flight 1 GTN series. It allowed me to punch in, vie my Elo touch screen monitor, com and nav freqs. It also gave me airport charts for taxi, etc.

Well Flight 1 has released the V4 version. I am back in the GTN saddle. Here is a picture of it in my new WIP cockpit.

[patful]

I was looking at this just for the 650 for my A2A aircraft, but reading the system requirements (i7???) makes me think it's a performance hog. How hard is it on frame rates? The default 400 only costs me 2-3 fps if even that.

Pat

[jmig]

I was looking at this just for the 650 for my A2A aircraft, but reading the system requirements (i7???) makes me think it's a performance hog. How hard is it on frame rates? The default 400 only costs me 2-3 fps if even that.

Pat

Pat, I can't answer that question. I have never seen it adversely affect my system, either in V3 or V4. However, I don't pay much attention to frame rates, unless they get so low I can't fly. That has never happened with V4. When I have checked FPS in V4, they bounce around between the mid forties to the mid twenties.

I usually fly with Orbx Open GL NA and Vector in the southeast. I have flown in Orbx's western scenery but not since I got the GTN units. I can try today and see what happens.

[patful]

Thanks, John. I only noticed the fps hit from the 400 while diagnosing P3D4 after it slowed/stuttered to a crawl when I installed MSI Afterburner. Once I uninstalled Afterburner, P3D was back to normal, and my frame counter is turned off again. I'm so happy with the smoothness I don't want to add anything that ruins it. Still haven't added a scenery or traffic program.

[jmig]

Thanks, John. I only noticed the fps hit from the 400 while diagnosing P3D4 after it slowed/stuttered to a crawl when I installed MSI Afterburner. Once I uninstalled Afterburner, P3D was back to normal, and my frame counter is turned off again. I'm so happy with the smoothness I don't want to add anything that ruins it. Still haven't added a scenery or traffic program.

Pat, I did an Orbx test. I took off out of Sacramento, CA (KSAC) and flew a C-210 to San Francisco (KSFO). I did notice and difference with the Flight 1 GTNs loaded. I maintained good FPS, 40-50 over the valley and 30-35 in the Bay area. At least on my system, I don't think it make much, if any, difference. I run most of the graphic sliders 2/3 to 3/4 over to the right.

[lownslo]

I run P3D4 with HT on and an AM of 252 (cores 2-7 for the sim). If I allow the GTN to run on any of the sim cores (with or without an AM) it freezes the sim and the GTN for long seconds at a time... it's all virtually unflyable. But running the GTN on core 1 (first virtual core) alleviates the pausing issues and keeps the gauge from using any of the cores intended for the sim. Very smooth and no FPS hit.

Greg

[jmig]

I run P3D4 with HT on and an AM of 252 (cores 2-7 for the sim). If I allow the GTN to run on any of the sim cores (with or without an AM) it freezes the sim and the GTN for long seconds at a time... it's all virtually unflyable. But running the GTN on core 1 (first virtual core) alleviates the pausing issues and keeps the gauge from using any of the cores intended for the sim. Very smooth and no FPS hit.

Greg

Interesting Greg. I don't use AM. I tried it but never found a mask that gave me better performance than the standard no AM PD3 V4. I did run some tests while watching the performance of the different cores. I found that PD3 V4 was using all of the six cores and the virtual cores. It seemed to do a good job of balancing everything. I just wish my CPU & MB would run at a higher setting. 4.2 is my max. anything above that and she crashes to the BSOD.

[patful]

Thanks, guys. I've never messed with Affinity Mask in FSX or P3D, pretty much over my head. So far I haven't seen anything in P3D that needs my tweaking, fingers crossed. I might pick up the 650/750 down the road, maybe Flight1 will have a sale. Heck, the GEP3D sale is the first I can remember from them, so maybe it's a trend.

Pat

[lownslo]

I found that PD3 V4 was using all of the six cores and the virtual cores. It seemed to do a good job of balancing everything.

I'm seeing much the same on my 4 core/8 thread system, John. P3Dv4 runs more efficiently than FSX, and indeed my Win7 64 bit OS is very quiet while the sim is running... noticeably less activity than when FSX was running.

I always had great fortune with FSX for the almost 11 years I ran it. But it's already gone from my hard drive (an image archive )... the future is here, and I'm lovin' it! Now if you'll excuse me I have a flight planned into my GTN 750 equipped RealAir Lancair...

Greg

[patful]

Still seriously thinking about getting the 650/750. I looked at my core usage last night, 100% on 0, 20-30% on 1, and 10-20 on 2-3. i5 7600k, no hyperthreading available. No stuttering, great frame rates now, but how can I change the cores P3D (or the 650) uses if I do buy it?

Pat

[jmig]

Still seriously thinking about getting the 650/750. I looked at my core usage last night, 100% on 0, 20-30% on 1, and 10-20 on 2-3. i5 7600k, no hyperthreading available. No stuttering, great frame rates now, but how can I change the cores P3D (or the 650) uses if I do buy it?

Pat

Pat, My understanding of affinity masks, and I could be wrong, is that when you set it in PD3's config file, you are telling it to use certain cores. The other programs will be forced to run off the unused cores. The numbering is done in binary and then converted to base 10 or digital. A 0 means the core is off and a 1 means the core is on. Using a binary to digital converter you either turn on or off cores in PD3. Most people will turn off the first one or two cores and leave on the others. AVSIM & Flightsim.com both have threads on affinity masks with settings people are using.

As I said in another post on this thread, I found that PD3 handled everything perfectly well. The AM was more useful in FSX where you primarily operated on a single core. PD3, especially V4, is more capable of using all the cores available and distributing the load among them.

[patful]

Thanks, John, will definitely look into it.

Pat

[lownslo]

100% on 0, 20-30% on 1, and 10-20 on 2-3. i5 7600k, no hyperthreading available. No stuttering, great frame rates now, but how can I change the cores P3D (or the 650) uses if I do buy it?

The configuration tool that comes with the GTN series allows you to set the affinity. Given your posted results, I'd try setting the affinity of the GTN to core 2 or 3. You seem to have some headroom to work with.

Good luck,

Greg

[patful]

The configuration tool that comes with the GTN series allows you to set the affinity. Given your posted results, I'd try setting the affinity of the GTN to core 2 or 3. You seem to have some headroom to work with.

Good luck,

Greg

Thanks, Greg. Just got UTX USA and GEP3D World installed, P3D is still cruising along nicely, barely a nick on my frame rates. Your info about the config tool just about seals it, think I'll be getting the GTN.

Pat

[patful]

Woohoo, this thing is sweet! Smooth as butter, no stutters. I turned the frames back to unlimited just to check, zero fps hit versus 2-3 for the default GPS. Thanks for the info, John and Greg, much appreciated. Now if only somebody would release a nice ATC/traffic program for P3D4...

Pat

[lownslo]

Congrats Pat!! It is quite a tool, one I find myself not wanting to fly without. Here is a simple but effective tutorial by BruceAir: https://onedrive.live.com/view.aspx?...58&app=WordPdf

Greg

[patful]

Good stuff, Greg. Thanks!

[YoYo]

In which models of v4 this GTN works now ok in virtual cockpit, not 2D screen only?

[AussieMan]

I switched to the GTN750 a couple of months before P3D V4 was released and therefore I am still learning how to use it. A lot of **** involved.

[patful]

In which models of v4 this GTN works now ok in virtual cockpit, not 2D screen only?

None of the default aircraft from what I can tell. A2A has integrated them into the VCs of their P3D aircraft as well as their civilian Mustang.