Base FSX woking better than FSX Accel

[flyinjake]

I am at the point where FSX will look better on the shelf. It has never worked properly on my new machine and I am tired of looking for a fix. The performance is so bad I would not call it stuttering. I would cause it repeatedly pausing and frame rates are all over the place. I recently tried a fresh install on a seperate HD and the problem is worse. I can install Base FSX and the game performs beautifully ( limit to 40 and it tops off there or stays high 30s) but after installing Aceleration the performance stinks (40 to single digits). When all this is going on the sim is unflyable.

Wasn't acel suppose to improve performance? I have searched and tried all the different tweaks I think are relative and nothing makes a difference? The only thing left is to try SP2 which I understand is basically the same. Am I wrong?

Anyway, does someone have an off the wall idea?


Q9550 OCed to 3.4
DDR2 1066 4gb
4870X2
XP

Thanks

[MCDesigns]

Sorry FSX isn't working out for you. Your PC has plenty of power for a good experience, so something must really be off.

yes, SP2 is part of acceleration and yes, there are many, many fixes and performance was one of them. So you say your sim works fine without acceleration? If so, then stick with SP1 and no acceleration, you'll be missing some things and a few addons might have issues but for the most part you can still enjoy it, many have stopped using acceleration for various reasons.

best of luck!

[Reddog]

Sorry FSX isn't working out for you. Your PC has plenty of power for a good experience, so something must really be off.

yes, SP2 is part of acceleration and yes, there are many, many fixes and performance was one of them. So you say your sim works fine without acceleration? If so, then stick with SP1 and no acceleration, you'll be missing some things and a few addons might have issues but for the most part you can still enjoy it, many have stopped using acceleration for various reasons.

best of luck!
And with just SP1 installed look at all the FS9 a/c you can port over:jump:

[MCDesigns]

And with just SP1 installed look at all the FS9 a/c you can port over:jump:

LOL, running Accel and SP2 and half my addon aircraft are ports. :applause:

[Lionheart]

Accelleration put my computers into slow motion. I dont know what it is. Sp1 works fine, but FSX Accel is not allowed on my computer anymore. This was done on 2 different computers.

Maybe its a thing with ATI GC's...?


Bill

[HippyEd]

Not an ATI problem I don't think. I'm running one and it runs great. One thing that will kill FSX is backround programs. Might try killing all you can and see if that works. Good luck.

[Rezabrya]

One thing I have noticed is that with FSX, Framerates are not everything anymore. It is a matter of smoothness. Acceleration/SP2 was never meant to increase your framerates... it was meant to make it smoother. For instance, on just RTM of fsx, on unlimited fps I would get about 60 or so yet it was very jittery. With Accel, I get about 40 fps on unlimited yet is is much more smooth. I have my fps locked at 36 and it hardly ever sways even with complex addons like the Aerosoft F-16 and Catalina. FSX is a beast for sure but at least we know it's lightyears ahead of FS9 :kilroy:

[2Low]

flyinjake I've tried all kinds of different tweaks but the one post that got me going good was this one by NickN
http://www.simforums.com/forums/forum_posts.asp?TID=29041

He knows what he's talking about.

I have 2 ATI cards as well (4850's) but disable Crossfire for FSX. I lock my FPS at 23, followed all his tips and have smooth flight.

[Snuffy]

there is really a simple answer ... turn your overclocking down.

The only people I ever hear having problems with computer programs are people who insist that they have to overclock. Standard computer system bus speeds are sufficent for all programs to function normally.

Try it.

[DaveKDEN]

Not sure what it is, but my system runs way better after installing Accel than before. I couldn't imagine going back to base FSX.

[GT182]

I thought XP would only allow 2GBs of RAM to be recognized. I see you have 4 Jake. Maybe that's a problem too?

I'm running a 4 year old XP computer with an Intel P4 3.2 processor, GF6800XT 512MB DDR2 graphics card, and 2GBs of DDR2 RAM. FSX with SP2 and Accelleration has been running just fine.

[txnetcop]

there is really a simple answer ... turn your overclocking down.

The only people I ever hear having problems with computer programs are people who insist that they have to overclock. Standard computer system bus speeds are sufficent for all programs to function normally.

Try it.

Snuffy, this would only apply to an improper OC. I run at 4.2GHz on E8600 and FSX runs in the high 40s locked everywhere. A lot of guys just bump the FSB up without considering proper voltage settings-that is not an overclock. The other issue is a poor PSU that is not 83% efficient at high temps and heavy load graphics cards.

However you are correct. Improper OCs mess up Acceleration and improper BIOs settings as well.
Ted

[peter12213]

Not sure what it is, but my system runs way better after installing Accel than before. I couldn't imagine going back to base FSX.

Same here I agree!!

[Bjoern]

The only people I ever hear having problems with computer programs are people who insist that they have to overclock. Standard computer system bus speeds are sufficent for all programs to function normally.

I run almost the same config as Jake with everything overclocked and don't have a single problem in FSX.

And why stick to a stock car engine when you can have 'em superchrged for free? ;P

[harleyman]

I have put Acceleration on many new built machines..I have never liked Acceleration on any stock or OCed machines.

I have found that Acceleration pulls performance on every computer ..No matter the specs or CPU clocks..

[mjrhealth]

Actually GT183,XP 32 bit can use up to around 3.2 Gig of ram if you do it right, its an issue with memory placement. but xp 64 can use all 4. Simple thing with FSX is if you want it to play well then you need to learn about your pc, just like when you want the best performance from your car, youll buy the manual and play. Frame rates mean little in fsx. it can be smooth down to 15 fps if you get it right, but if you become fps focused youll never be happy. Follow Nic ns advice and you should do well. And as for overclocking, every MHz helps in fsx, im just not going to overdo it.

[Alexraptor]

Reason we overclock for FSX is because if we dont have a top end Core i7 it is a necessity for good performance and visuals.
But i agree, improper overclock will definatley cause issues. Chugging along at 3ghz on my E6700 no problem :)

[deathfromafar]

Geez, I am running FSX Gold on a 4 year old P4 Single Core @ 3.2ghz, 2gb & a 512 MB HD2600 Pro. Nothing is overclocked or overly tweaked other than my processes are kept at a bare minimum to save memory. I set things at 25fps and run at that speed in most models with smooth rendering. My more powerful duo core all tricked out always seems to have issues with FSX. I am keeping what I have until I am forced to buy a new machine.

[flyinjake]

"Accelleration put my computers into slow motion".
@ Lionheart, Exactly, and that is my frustration since it was my understanding it was to help whether through higher frame rates or smoothness.

"One thing that will kill FSX is backround programs"
@ HippyEd, Now I tried that manually but if any perofrmance was gained I could not notice it. The FPS kept jumping all over the place along with the constant stuttering.

"One thing I have noticed is that with FSX, Framerates are not everything anymore. It is a matter of smoothness. Acceleration/SP2 was never meant to increase your framerates... it was meant to make it smoother".
@ Rezabrya, Yes smoother is great as I feel I have some frames to give and still be good. Problem is with Accell I have more stutters.

@ 2Low, I will give his ideas a shot before putting it to rest.

"there is really a simple answer ... turn your overclocking down".
@ Snuffy, I will be the first to admit my OC could be all wrong. I will go back to stock and see what happens. I had OCd before I purchased ACCELL so I do not know how it acts without the OC.

"I'm running a 4 year old XP computer with an Intel P4 3.2 processor, GF6800XT 512MB DDR2 graphics card, and 2GBs of DDR2 RAM. FSX with SP2 and Accelleration has been running just fine".
@ GT182, That does not suprise me. My dad ran a P4 3.0 and I was always amazed at how well it did.

"Snuffy, this would only apply to an improper OC. I run at 4.2GHz on E8600 and FSX runs in the high 40s locked everywhere. A lot of guys just bump the FSB up without considering proper voltage settings-that is not an overclock. The other issue is a poor PSU that is not 83% efficient at high temps and heavy load graphics cards. However you are correct. Improper OCs mess up Acceleration and improper BIOs settings as well".
@ Ted, lol...no comment about the OC as it is my first attempt. PSU should not be a problem for me.

"I run almost the same config as Jake with everything overclocked and don't have a single problem in FSX".
@ BJoern, lol...kicking a man when his horse is down is just not right!

"have found that Acceleration pulls performance on every computer".
@ harleyman, and here I always thought it was suppose to help since it included SP2.

"if you want it to play well then you need to learn about your pc".
@ mjrhealth, DING DING DING. I am tired of playing with the computer. I want to play games!


I appreciate the help and ideas. I just need to take a break and come back to it later with a fresh look. Take a week or so away and then get back into it.

Thanks
Jake

[harleyman]

I aleays see FSX and SP1 to be great..Add Acceleration and it can stutter and get trees shimmering...


It can be your OC too..That can be fixed...

[Bjoern]

Reason we overclock for FSX is because if we dont have a top end Core i7 it is a necessity for good performance and visuals.

I would even overclock an i7 EE with DDR1667 Ram and two GTX295s.

It's a matter of principle and as I said: Free supercharger. :d



@ BJoern, lol...kicking a man when his horse is down is just not right!

Can be a wake-up call or at least provide a glimpse of hope.

Done any fault-finding yet?
Drivers, BIOS, OS up-to-date?

[txnetcop]

I just set up a little experiment on my own. I setup FSX on another computer I am building using the same equipment except the power supply on the build is an Antec Earthwatts 650 but everything else is the same as my unit. Gigabyte X-48 DQ6, Patriot Extreme DDR2 1200 memory, Nvidia Zotac 8800GT,

The new setup is using FSX with SP1 and of course mine uses Acceleration. All units OC'd at 4.2Ghz. This is set with Fraps so I can get an average fps. All sliders full right, except autogen very dense. Traffic Airline 50% GA 100%, no tweaks in the FSX.cfg. Default FSX no addons except Mills textures.

Three sceanarios-all with identical weather, time/season, aircraft:
One over water at Pago Pago
Two over New York
Three over British Columbia's forested land

Pago Pago New York City British Columbia

Mine(Accel) 35 30 35

Build(SP1) 36 24 38


I don't understand why New York was substantially lower in SP1. I am not even sure what it all proves, at least not yet. I may go and do a test with SP2 vs Accel and see what the differences are if any. Remember these are avgs. The one thing that was a constant was that FSX was very smooth no jerkiness or microstutters in either computer. Higher overclocks(done properly and stable) provide better game play, period....oooooohhhh, uh, I mean simulation.
Ted

It is strange how your fps meter says you are getting 40+ fps but your average is lower with fraps.

[flyinjake]

I have not had a chance to make any changes. I work Friday Saturday and Sunday, and during that time I am not at home. It appears that OCing works to some degree. If it can be done without an emormous amount of money and improves performance then I want it.

I plan to unclock the machine and see how it performs. If I were to see lower but a more stable FPS then this may indicate the OC needs some work. My question around that would be. Why is it stable with base FSX but all over the place with Accel?

We shall see...