I just can not perform a smooth approach with a heavy add-on package at a large airport! The best performers for me are the LevelD 763 and CS's MD80 but even with those I stumble into single digits. Its strange I can taxi out at 20-30fps from say KJFK, 14-22 if I use FSD's. once in the air I top out at 60fps (Vsync locked) but when it comes time for landing forget about it!!! I drop to 6-9 and its NOT smooth! Even at large defualt airports I struggle with 9-12...why is approach killing me?I'm running a [email protected] on a ASUS P5Q-pro, 4GB Corsair XMS, 1x320 WD Caviar, 1x300 WD Velociraptor with just FSX on it! My OS is Windows Vista X64. I've followed Nick N's guide despite lowering my settings to a high - medium mix, in hopes to get it. I really enjoy heavies and own most of the big name packages (PMDG, LvD, CS etc...) along with a few add on airports from Aerosoft, FSDreamteam and Imaginesim. Currently I have just stuck with FTX, REX and GA's because of this infuriating problem and use Fs9 for my heavy fix but its starting to show its age...I think!

Video Card?

I hear you. I was until last weekend in the exact same FS9/FSX limbo. Then I overclocked my 920 and got to 20fps on approaches in the LevelD/TrackIR. PMDG 747 into FT's VHHX gets me around 20 also. Put your Scenery and Autogen sliders to middle (this was very hard for me to do, I love autogen)Put your cars to zero (you didn't need them in FS9, why have these little fps eating buggers now?)Put your AI to 50% (again tough love for me but necessary)Put your water to Low (that high 2x shiny water is completely wrong)

Oops forgot! GTX285 SSC Latest drivers. I'll continue to go lower with the settings, I have my traffic on 55% and cars at 11%. I tried TafficX and now have UT2 the models are just so much better! With FS9 I use WOAI and some custom stuff @ 85% and of course sliders maxed, i'm just afraid if I go any lower I won't be able to see the benefits of FSX over Fs9. Really disappointing IMO, we are approaching 3 years since release and I'm still having to mess with settings despite having what I think is a decent system.

Oops forgot! GTX285 SSC Latest drivers. I'll continue to go lower with the settings, I have my traffic on 55% and cars at 11%. I tried TafficX and now have UT2 the models are just so much better! With FS9 I use WOAI and some custom stuff @ 85% and of course sliders maxed, i'm just afraid if I go any lower I won't be able to see the benefits of FSX over Fs9. Really disappointing IMO, we are approaching 3 years since release and I'm still having to mess with settings despite having what I think is a decent system.

I agree with earlier poster, try freeway traffic at zero.

The thing with road traffic is, if you're a heavy jet simmer, you'll only see traffic for about 5 seconds out your left window on climbout and the last 10 seconds of your approach. You don't want these little buggers wrecking your fps at these two vital moments - turn them to 0% IMHO.

The thing with road traffic is, if you're a heavy jet simmer, you'll only see traffic for about 5 seconds out your left window on climbout and the last 10 seconds of your approach. You don't want these little buggers wrecking your fps at these two vital moments - turn them to 0% IMHO.

car traffic is only useful when:1) you like to see "life" when landing at an airport that goes directly over a highway. Then maybe turn them on for landing and takeoff, but turn it off once you are up in the air.2) you are bush flying.In all other cases, why bother?

Really!! road traffic has that much effect on performance? If I kill it will I still see custom road traffic that comes with airport add ons?

Really!! road traffic has that much effect on performance? If I kill it will I still see custom road traffic that comes with airport add ons?

The airport vehicle traffic is adjusted by a different setting entirely from the FSX road traffic, so yes, you should still see airport vehicles, both default and add on.

If you're using UTX be sure to disable road traffic in the UTX Config program, not just in FSX

Also make sure that your AI aircraft DO NOT USE JETWAYS (namely, that they don't have coordinates for jetways in the aircraft.cfg). Most add-ons have this ability now to enable or disable this feature. It kills the frame rate the moment your aircraft's "bubble" gets in range of those things, and each AI plane gets an animated jetway connection.That will drop your FPS into the single digits on the best machine and the more gates, the worse it gets. The good news is that it stops after a while when the jetways are all moved, however, if this happens during your approach, bad things happen.Hope this helps,