Hi all. I've just built a PC explicitly for simming on FS 2004 & FS X. The specs on it are:- Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 2.83GHz CPU, Socket LGA775, 1333MHz FSB, 12MB L2 Cache- Intel DP45SG Extreme Series LGA775 ATX Intel Desktop Motherboard- Sapphire Radeon HD 4870 1GB GDDR5 256-bit PCI-E 2.0 Video Card- 4GB Kingston ValueRAM DDR3 1333MHz PC3 10600 CL9 RAM- Western Digital VelociRaptor 2.5" 300GB 16MB Cache 10,000RPM SATA2 HDD- Western Digital VelociRaptor 2.5" 150GB 16MB Cache 10,000RPM SATA2 HDD- Microsoft Windows Vista Business SP1 64-Bit- ThermalTake W0131 Toughpower Cable Management 850W PSU w/Active PFC(the idea behind the 2 raptor drives is this: big one is "main drive", smaller one is for virtual memory and the 2 flight sim applications)So, as you can see, it's no slouch in terms of specs. The thing that is driving me nuts is this: the frame rate is excellent (above 25 with settings very high), yet I get random sound stutters. I've switched off all the Vista eye candy and the many unneeded background Services, am running Avast AV (so nice and small yet effective), uninstalled Defender, switched off UAC, updated all drivers, defragged HDDs, and tried a different set of speakers. The one thing I haven't tried is a separate sound card, but since I'm using a NZD$300 Intel motherboard, I am wanting to use on-board if possible. The only suspect I've managed to "corner" is this: when I'm flying level, the sound is perfect. Within a couple of seconds of pointing the nose of the aircraft down (so that there is approx 40% sky, 60% ground), the stutters begin. What this seems to tell me is that the video card is effectively interrupting the sound due to graphical complexity. However, there is no appreciable change in the frame rate and no visual stutters per se, so why would the sound be so temperamental? Admittedly, a friend and I had to #### about quite a bit in the ATi control panel to get the on-screen imagery to look good, as I'm using a 40" widescreen LCD TV from 1 metre viewing distance. When I first fired the PC up on the new screen, the sharpness of the imagery was horrific, and every little glitch and colour gradation stood out like the proverbial. So, with 20 mins or so of tweaking in the ATi control panel, we managed to "soften" the severe harshness of the large-sized LCD imagery. I am wondering now, though, if turning on all those enhancements in the control panel is having a detrimental effect, but am scratching my head as to how it is so on such good gear.Note: The problem occurs in FS 2004 AND FS X.Any and all useful thoughts / suggestions gratefully accepted!CheersPeter

This is what happens when you use onboard audio. However, I may be jumping the gun. Could you disable sound altogether and tell us if the issue still exists? If not, then we can continue on the path knowing that your onboard audio is indeed the culprit. Please remember that integrated audio is *NOT* accelerated, at least not on the vast majority of motherboards. With integrated audio your CPU is responsible for handling the workload, it simply passes the results onto the coded chip for output to your speakers/headphone.

I could disable the sound: just wondering how that would help, since there are no visual stutters, only sound. With the sound disabled, I won't be able to hear if there are stutters since the will be no sound to stutter... ;)As for the embedded chips, I've not actually had any probs with them in the last 6 years on various boards I've used. I've been mostly playing FPS like Star Wars Battlefront (previously used an Asus board with AMD dual-core skt 939) up until now. Even with things cranked up, the only "stutters" I got on SWBF were directly proportionally to the screen stuttering when the on-screen graphics / action was intense. With FS 2004 / X on this new beast, the sound just seems to stutter because it is a woos! ;)The main reason I chose the expensive gear, esp the Intel board, was to get as much seemlessness as poss between all the components, and I figure having an Intel board running with an Intel CPU should be optimal - no? I actually build computers for a living, so having this problem really has me stumped. I am prepared to try a PCI sound-blaster card I have here, but it feels "wrong" to have spent so much on the mobo only to have to chuck in a crappy old $20 sound card to get decent sound! :)Here are the mobo's specs:Socket LGA775 for Intel Core2 Extreme / Quad / Duo / Pentium Dual-Core / Celeron Dual-Core, Intel P45 Express Chipset (82P45 Memory Controller Hub (MCH), 82801JR I/O Controller Hub (ICH10R)), 1333MHz FSB, 4 x DDR3 1333 (Max 8GB), 2 x PCI-E 2.0 x16 (with ATI Crossfire technology support), 2 x PCI-E x1, 3 x PCI, 5 x SATA2 (RAID 0, 1, 5, 10 support), Intel 8-channel (7.1) High Definition IDT 92HD73E Audio, Intel 82567LF Gigabit Ethernet, 12 x USB 2.0, 1 x Optical S/PDIF, 1 x eSATA, 2 x 1394a, 1 x IR, 1 x Serial, ATX Form FactorNote the P45 chipset: isn't this supposed to be one of the best?Anyway, fire ahead and let's see where we get to! :)CheersPeter

>I could disable the sound: just wondering how that would>help, since there are no visual stutters, only sound. With>the sound disabled, I won't be able to hear if there are>stutters since the will be no sound to stutter... ;)Pardon, I mistook your use of the word stuttering to mean visual stuttering rather than audio. In that case your onboard audio is most-assuredly the culprit.>As for the embedded chips, I've not actually had any probs>with them in the last 6 years on various boards I've used. >I've been mostly playing FPS like Star Wars Battlefront>(previously used an Asus board with AMD dual-core skt 939) up>until now. Even with things cranked up, the only "stutters" I>got on SWBF were directly proportionally to the screen>stuttering when the on-screen graphics / action was intense. >With FS 2004 / X on this new beast, the sound just seems to>stutter because it is a woos! ;)I experience some visual hiccups with onboard sound in FPS games on my P35 board in F.E.A.R. and Bioshock. Pop in an old Sound Blaster Live and those problems disappear. Sadly, Vista x64 doesn't support such an old piece of hardware so I've reverted to onboard sound just for compatibility's sake. >Here are the mobo's specs:>Socket LGA775 for Intel Core2 Extreme / Quad / Duo / Pentium>Dual-Core / Celeron Dual-Core, Intel P45 Express Chipset>(82P45 Memory Controller Hub (MCH), 82801JR I/O Controller Hub>(ICH10R)), 1333MHz FSB, 4 x DDR3 1333 (Max 8GB), 2 x PCI-E 2.0>x16 (with ATI Crossfire technology support), 2 x PCI-E x1, 3 x>PCI, 5 x SATA2 (RAID 0, 1, 5, 10 support), Intel 8-channel>(7.1) High Definition IDT 92HD73E Audio, Intel 82567LF Gigabit>Ethernet, 12 x USB 2.0, 1 x Optical S/PDIF, 1 x eSATA, 2 x>1394a, 1 x IR, 1 x Serial, ATX Form Factor>>Note the P45 chipset: isn't this supposed to be one of the>best?>>Anyway, fire ahead and let's see where we get to! :)>>Cheers>PeterYes, the P45 chipset is excellent and you've got a great board but this has no bearing on the quality of the onboard audio, sadly.

I have that feeling like I've missed something really important. Are you saying that when it comes to flight simming, that somehow FS 2004 and FS X are more demanding of on-board sound than an FPS like SWBF? I have heard whispers that configuring hardware for flight simming is quite different than FPS gaming (I know this is so when it comes to the graphics cards and things like SLI), but I was under the impression that on-board sound had come a very long way in recent years and wouldn't pose a problem. Not true?I would understand the "need" for a separate card if I were running an old P4-class system with 1GB of ram and a 128MB AGP card, but I don't understand why a relatively high-spec'd system should have the same need. Are you able to explain what the story is with this? Anything else other than putting in the clunker PCI sound card that I could try first? What "checklist" of things would you go down to isolate the problem?Thanks again.CheersPeterP.S. I have 2 friends running FS 2004 / FS X systems with no sound problems. Both have AMD-based systems using on-board sound. Their specs are:1)- AMD Phenom X4 9950 2.6GHz CPU, Socket AM2+, 4MB L2+L3 Cache- Asus M3A78-EM Socket AM2+ mATX AMD Motherboard: Socket AM2 / AM2+ for AMD Phenom FX / Phenom / Athlon Sempron CPU, AMD 780G / SB700 Chipset, 5200 FSB, 4 x DDR2 1066 (Max 8GB), 1 x PCI-E x16, 1 x PCI-E x1, 2 x PCI, 1 x IDE ATA 133, 5 x SATA2, 1 x FDD, Realtek ALC1200 High Definition 8-Channel Audio, Gigabit LAN, 12 x USB 2.0, 1 x PS/2 Keyboard, 1 x PS/2 Mouse, 1 x Optical S/PDIF, 1 x HDMI, 1 x eSATA, 1 x 1394, uATX Form Factor- 4GB PQI Turbo Ultra Series DDR2 1066MHz CL5 RAM- Palit Radeon HD4780 Sonic Dual Edition 512MB GDDR5 256-bit PCI-E Video Card- Western Digital Caviar RE WD1601ABYS 160GB 16MB Cache SATA 2 HDD x 3 in RAID- AcBel R8 800 750W Energy Efficient Switching Power Supply w/ Active PFC & 4x +12v- Microsoft Windows Vista Business SP1 64-Bit2) - AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core 6400+ Black Edition CPU, AM2, 3.2GHz, 2000MHz FSB, 2MB L2 Cache- Asus M2N-E SLI Socket AM2 mATX AMD Motherboard: Socket AM2 for AMD Athlon 64FX / 64 X2 / 64/ Sempron CPU, B1955 2000/1600 FSB, 4 x DDR2 800 (Max 8GB), 2 x PCI-E x16, 2 x PCI-E x1, 2 x PCI, 2 x IDE ATA 133, 4 x SATA2, 1 x FDD, C-Media Superior Quality 7.1 -Channel Audio, PHY Gigabit LAN, 8 x USB 2.0, 1 x PS/2 Keyboard, 1 x PS/2 Mouse, 1 x Serial, 1 x Parallel, 1 x IEEE 1394a, 1 x S/PDIF, ATX Form Factor- 4GB Transcend 1GB JM800QLJ-1G DDR2 800MHz CL5 RAM- Seagate Barracuda 120GB 7200rpm 8MB Cache SATA HDD- Palit ATi Radeon HD 4850 Sonic 512MB DDR3 256-bit PCI-E Video Card- ThermalTake Silent Purepower 480W PSU- Microsoft Windows Vista Business SP1 64-Bit

>I have that feeling like I've missed something really>important. Are you saying that when it comes to flight>simming, that somehow FS 2004 and FS X are more demanding of>on-board sound than an FPS like SWBF? I have heard whispers>that configuring hardware for flight simming is quite>different than FPS gaming (I know this is so when it comes to>the graphics cards and things like SLI), but I was under the>impression that on-board sound had come a very long way in>recent years and wouldn't pose a problem. Not true?>>I would understand the "need" for a separate card if I were>running an old P4-class system with 1GB of ram and a 128MB AGP>card, but I don't understand why a relatively high-spec'd>system should have the same need. Are you able to explain>what the story is with this? Anything else other than putting>in the clunker PCI sound card that I could try first? What>"checklist" of things would you go down to isolate the>problem?>>Thanks again.>>Cheers>Peter>>P.S. I have 2 friends running FS 2004 / FS X systems with no>sound problems. Both have AMD-based systems using on-board>sound. Peter, I know it seems a bit counter-intuitive given how fast modern multi-core processors are, but it's a rather complex issue that would need a profiling tool in order to illustrate a proper technical explanation. Also remember what works on one PC may not work on another, especially given different hardware configurations. I noticed this is an IDT audio chip and while it has an impressive feature list (http://www.idt.com/products/getDoc.cfm?docID=18448844) it's not designed at all for gaming - more for home theater purposes. First thing: update your audio drivers. You can download them here: http://downloadcenter.intel.com/confirm.as...lName=〈=engIf that doesn't resolve the issue, then we're back to putting in that old sound card for testing purposes. I'm a PC tech by trade and this is the methodology I use when diagnosing problems. Swapping to a sound card will narrow down the list of possible causes immensely. If the problem persists, then we know its just a configuration issue. If it disappears, then you have a solution for the problem but may not know the root cause (i.e. it could still be a configuration issue). Often times in trouble-shooting it's best to find a solution first and foremost, and worry about the underlying cause later. I imagine I'd be bald by now if I tried to understand every problem that came before me, rather than just fixing them :(Regards,Max

>So, as you can see, it's no slouch in terms of specs. The>thing that is driving me nuts is this: the frame rate is>excellent (above 25 with settings very high), yet I get random>sound stutters. >Note: The problem occurs in FS 2004 AND FS X.>>Any and all useful thoughts / suggestions gratefully>accepted!>>Cheers>PeterSure sounds like the audio driver, even a specific audio driver conflicting with a video driver. I have no audio stutters in either FSX or FS9 and use onboard audio, though I have had an occasional screech using the onboard SoundMax. I have an old audigy II, but haven't bothered to install it.QX9650 w/ Retail HSF|ASUS P5E3 Premium WiFi|4GB Muskin Ascent 7-6-6-18 1T DDR3-1600|EVGA 8800GT|Seagate SATA 2 x 2|Seagate Cheetah 15K.x|XP Pro SP2|Vista 64--maybe never to be installed

Have you set your sound quality to 16 bit (CD quality)? 24 bit sound can cause a performance hit.ArtBiostar TF560-A2+ | Athlon 64X2-6000+ | 4GB PC2-6400 RAM | Geforce 8800GTS-320MB | 500W PSU | 250GB HD | FSX(SP1-Acceleration) | UTX | Audigy SE sound | Vista Home Premium 32 bit | CH Yoke (modified) & Pedals | Logitech Extreme 3D Pro Joystick | 22" WS LCD monitor

Good point - I'd forgotten about that: I'll check.

I had a similar problem a while back ,eventually discovered it was totally down to overheating cured by removing the side casing,it now also has an external fan as an added precaution.regards Jim