Where Have All The Stutters Gone? Or, This Madness Has To Stop.....

[W2DR 1,859]

I've never really liked P3D. Somehow I'm always drawn back to FSX. But the VAS problems with FSX have been a big issue for me. So, I decided to try Steve's DX Fixer in the hope that I could get some savings in VAS and push on with FSX. Little did I know.....

 

After installing the Fixer the nagging stutters, both big and little, that have plagued me for years have gone. Disappeared. Vanished. Framerates are better, VAS useage is lower, and the stutters are simply not there.

 

I pushed all the sliders right just flew a quick flight with the PMDG 737NGX. KMRY-KSNS-KWVI-KHAF-KSFO-KSQL-KPAO-KSJC-KRHV-KSNS-KMRY. All low (2500msl) and all slow (250kts). And absolutely no noticeable stuttering of any type shape, or form....for the first time ever.

 

Am I a happy simmer? Yes? Will the euphoria last? Too soon to tell. Is what I've just seen an one-time-thing? I dunno, but I sure hope not.

 

Anyone else experienced this?

 

Doug

 

PS: And, how come it can be this good in FSX with DX10 while my P3Dv3.2 with DX11 is a stutter machine?

[Glynn 405]

Same here, my FSX/DX10 install simply runs better than my P3D 2.5 install even though it has more installed into it.

P3D v3.2 was even worse for me.

[StewartH 66]

Hi, there, fellas.  You should beware of preaching such heresy.  The P3D Moderators will be on you like white on rice. :Shame On You:

[lownslo 592]

You should beware of preaching such heresy.

 

LOL Indeed, Stew!  Like Doug I'm running stutter free in FSX.  Same CPU/GPU on an ASUS board but my memory is a bit faster.  I'm using the DX10 Fixer, too.  I'm lucky when it comes to P3D... I have a simming friend who has it and lives only 30 minutes away.  Tried it and not overwhelmed (enough to spend my money).  Nice sim but not worth my time making it work the way I want.  To each their own.

 

Greg

[hjsmuc 393]

If I had time to spend on even more tweaking and testing I'd give FSX another try. For me it never worked better than Prepar3D, starting with 2.0. If I remember correctly, 2.5 with some adjustments was the most smooth, 3.2 brought many improvements though and I won't ditch it for another experiment. But as always, if you are happy enjoy it.

[webranger 186]

Thought the fixer had been discontinued? Is it still available and where?

[fs4fun 366]

Seems to have been removed from flightsimstore where I had purchased it, the latest for purchasing it is here:

 

https://stevesfsxanalysis.wordpress.com/how-to-purchase/

[W2DR 1,859]

That's where I got it this afternoon. Just click the "Purchase" link near the top of the page. PayPal or credit card. The registration information was in my inbox less than 30 seconds after I hit the Buy Button.

 

Doug

[Jimm 437]

 

 

PS: And, how come it can be this good in FSX with DX10 while my P3Dv3.2 with DX11 is a stutter machine?

Without further information on how your P3D was installed and what aircraft you were using, determining a root cause is somewhat sketchy.  I currently use P3D v3, with ORBX scenery, REX textures, ActiveSkynext and Aerosoft's Airbus A318-A321 aircraft.  I have complete stability, even after a 2 1/2 hour flight.  My specs are in my signature, but one thing isn't shown:  I use a laptop.

 

I'd say something might not be set correctly in your P3D install.  With so many using P3D v3 with minimal issues, I doubt it's the fault of P3D.

 

-Jim

[W2DR 1,859]

It was installed very carefully Jim :smile:. Actually, everything was fine with P3D until the update to 3.2. The stuttering issue with 3.2 isn't all that uncommon and there are numerous references to the problem around the web. I rolled back to 3.1 and things were definitely better. But, now, I'm back to 3.2 and looking for a solution. Although, now that FSX is working so well, I'll probably slow down a bit on the "fix" for P3D. I'm using about the same as you (ORBX Regions, REX, and PMDG's 737). The only thing I haven't yet put onto the P3D install is ASN just because I think the stuttering would get a bit worse. Sometime in the next couple of weeks I'm going to blow away the whole P3D install and start again from scratch with a full 3.2 install (not the upgrade). Then by adding things back one-at-a-time maybe I can pinpoint the problem spot(s). Retirement is a wonderful thing. With all this flight sim stuff going I don't know when I'd ever find the time again to work......

 

Doug

 

PS: That's a great laptop by the way. If my wife ever found out they made one like that I'd be out a few more bucks. But, then again, nothing is too good for the Google Queen.....A happy wife is a happy life.

[zmak 331]

For further VAS savings pair it with FSX-SE they work extremely well together :wub:

[Glynn 405]

 

 

I'd say something might not be set correctly in your P3D install.  With so many using P3D v3 with minimal issues, I doubt it's the fault of P3D.

 

Jim, I had exactly the same experience with v3.2, it went back for a refund.

However v2.5 runs well here, not as well as FSX/DX10 but still quite fluid with very few stutters.

Nothing I tried would get 3.2 to perform well especially in clouds, this included throwing a GTX980 in there along with my 4.7Ghz overclock.

May buy it again towards the end of the 3 series though.

[Jimm 437]

Jim, I had exactly the same experience with v3.2, it went back for a refund.

However v2.5 runs well here, not as well as FSX/DX10 but still quite fluid with very few stutters.

Nothing I tried would get 3.2 to perform well especially in clouds, this included throwing a GTX980 in there along with my 4.7Ghz overclock.

May buy it again towards the end of the 3 series though.

So you have a system that outperforms mine, but my P3D works and yours doesn't...something is not right.

 

-Jim

[Glynn 405]

 

 

So you have a system that outperforms mine, but my P3D works and yours doesn't...something is not right.

 

Jim, I suppose it depends on what level of performance you are happy with.

I need to see a stutter free 30fps using vsync, (TrackIR user) I get this with FSX/DX10 along with better AA.

Like I said v2.5 works fine but 3.2 just had poor performance in cloud using 4xSGSS and this is with exactly the same OS and hardware. what certainly did not help around the time I installed 3.2 was REX altering the size of the clouds without telling anyone, I suspect this was the real culprit behind the cloud performance and is why they will never see a penny more from me.

 

With FSX/DX10 all I am missing is the cloud shadows, cockpit shadows are the same in both sims but I do seem to have better water and cloudscapes than P3D can provide, I also find that the coloration of the FTX Global textures and EU Olc autogen looks better in FSX

[Jimm 437]

Jim, I suppose it depends on what level of performance you are happy with.

I need to see a stutter free 30fps using vsync, (TrackIR user) I get this with FSX/DX10 along with better AA.

Like I said v2.5 works fine but 3.2 just had poor performance in cloud using 4xSGSS and this is with exactly the same OS and hardware. what certainly did not help around the time I installed 3.2 was REX altering the size of the clouds without telling anyone, I suspect this was the real culprit behind the cloud performance and is why they will never see a penny more from me.

 

With FSX/DX10 all I am missing is the cloud shadows, cockpit shadows are the same in both sims but I do seem to have better water and cloudscapes than P3D can provide, I also find that the coloration of the FTX Global textures and EU Olc autogen looks better in FSX

No offense Glynn, but did you take the time to read over the documentation that REX released about the clouds?  I too had issues with them, but finally understood how it all worked, I made the appropriate settings in REX and now clouds are no longer an issue.

 

The color and look of textures in P3D can easily be adjusted through the HDR settings (which FSX natively doesn't have).  I agree that a "stock" install of P3D makes textures appear washed out but again, a simple movement of the sliders and your textures will look a whole lot better.

 

I'm not trying to say you did wrong by turning your back on P3D and I'm certainly not trying to get you to go back but your claims of certain things being wrong, or didn't work are hardly a reason to ditch P3D.  I run my sim on a laptop, so I am already at a disadvantage.  If anyone should have issues with P3D, it should be my system, but I don't have anything wrong right now.  Granted, I sacrificed a little bit of eye candy, but since I fly tubeliners now, I really don't have a need to see what color car is driving below me or that St Andrews has some of the best looking fairways in the whole of England.  Sure VFR has it's own set of prerequisites, to which I do fly sometimes and even then, low and slow, by scenery and clouds look amazing, practically real life.

 

Here's a tip to anyone who'd like to get a little better performance out of their sim, if you use REX, tone down the cloud texture size, but NOT in REX.  In your P3D.cfg file, there is an entry for cloud texture size...bump it down from 512 to 256.  You really won't see much of a difference in the sim, but your performance level will go back up.

 

I run my shadows on high, not ultra.  My shadow distances run between 20-30,000, but I also use ASN, which fades out the horizon so I get a nice mesh between the two and never do I feel like I am hitting the edge of the world, with nothing showing up beyond that.  My sim setup isn't perfect, but it works for my needs.

 

-Jim