Graphics corruption in FSX - (UPDATE: possible solution found!)

[bojote 20]

Help please,I keep getting a API.DLL crash, three times today, specs below.

Disable ENBMod, it doesn't like HIGHMEMFIX

[duo_kip 0]

Hi,Last week I've got my new pc. Short summary: WIN7 64bit, i7 930, gtx 275 896mb and FSX.I've been optimizing the system with NickNs guide and finally I put this at the end of my FSX.cfg and found it totally unbelievable but it made fsx so much smoother:[bufferPools]Poolsize=70000000UsePools=0I just wanted to be sure that this is safe for my system and that it won't ruin my computer, as I've read that the line BP=0 is only safe for graphic cards with more than 1GB ram.Thank you very much Bojote for this grand discovery!A happy simmer!John Badal

[dazz 69]

John, I'm 99% sure those 2 settings are conflicting. I mean, Poolsize=70000000 means "use a 70Mb buffer" while usepools=0 means "don't use buffers".The last is probably overriding the first, that's just my guess though, but that would explain the smoothness since usepools=0 is a great performance tweak. it can cause crashes though as you mentioned. Just try removing one at at time and test them both yourself. You got nothing to lose

[duo_kip 0]

Thank you for your reply.I tried with a 700mb buffer, and usepools on which wasn't stutter-free and smooth. Next thing I removed the buffer and turned usepools off which resulted in the same smooth and stutter-free flying as before. There was one crash after flying for like an hour, it looked like snow, a lot of pixels not showing correctly which only went away after a reboot of the pc.John Badal

[aceridgey 330]

@jesusDisable ENBMod what is this?

[Tabs 2,790]

UsePools=0 overrides anything else in the [bUFFERPOOLS] section. You're seeing the effects of that, not setting the Poolsize.ENB Series is an external HDR (high dynamic range) lighting app, it basically adds an effect akin to the "Light Bloom" option in FSX, but without the performance hit. It sits between FS and the video card, intercepting the D3D calls and putting the HDR effect into the sim.For what it's worth, I'm running ENB + HIGHMEMFIX fine without issue. (I don't use BP=0 though, just RejectThreshold at 256k)

[dazz 69]

Ok then usepools=0 was something your VGA couldn't cope with aparently. Experiment with different PoolSize values and see what works best for you

Thank you for your reply.I tried with a 700mb buffer, and usepools on which wasn't stutter-free and smooth. Next thing I removed the buffer and turned usepools off which resulted in the same smooth and stutter-free flying as before. There was one crash after flying for like an hour, it looked like snow, a lot of pixels not showing correctly which only went away after a reboot of the pc.John Badal

That's ENBSeries Alex

@jesusDisable ENBMod what is this?

[duo_kip 0]

Ryan, I put RejectThreshold at 256k in my fsx.cfg and it looks very good! For some reason I can fly in very demanding circumstances and it is still very flyable! (like more then 23 fps) I do have the FPS Limiter at 26 though, that also helps a lot. Does the rejectthreshold do the same thing as bp=0, in other words, can I expect crashes when flying more then 45 minutes?Thank you for your input!John Badal

[B748 0]

Standby on a summary guys. I'm writing one with *******'s permission and help.

Hello Ryan , any news? :(

[Tabs 2,790]

The guide is written but I can't release it just yet. I can't say why, but you'll know what the reason was when you read it!John,RejectThreshold allows you to send vertex batches below a certain size to the dynamic bufferpools and the rest above the setting directly to the GPU. It's the tweak we're actually going to recommend most people use because it's far more stable than UsePools=0. You still get some of the benefit of UsePools=0, but hardly any of the crashes, spiking artifacts, "snow", etc. Feel free to lower the setting until it becomes unstable, as you lower it you're essentially getting closer and closer to the equivalent of UsePools=0. I had it at 128K and got a couple crashes, so I raised it up to 256K and it's been great. Most should probably start at 512K and go down from there until they find the optimal spot - it's a lot like the overclocking process actually, find the point at which it becomes unstable and then move it back up a notch.

[windshearDK 52]

The guide is written but I can't release it just yet. I can't say why, but you'll know what the reason was when you read it!John,RejectThreshold allows you to send vertex batches below a certain size to the dynamic bufferpools and the rest above the setting directly to the GPU. It's the tweak we're actually going to recommend most people use because it's far more stable than UsePools=0. You still get some of the benefit of UsePools=0, but hardly any of the crashes, spiking artifacts, "snow", etc. Feel free to lower the setting until it becomes unstable, as you lower it you're essentially getting closer and closer to the equivalent of UsePools=0. I had it at 128K and got a couple crashes, so I raised it up to 256K and it's been great. Most should probably start at 512K and go down from there until they find the optimal spot - it's a lot like the overclocking process actually, find the point at which it becomes unstable and then move it back up a notch.

I never saw that input line into FSX.cfg, what is the line to enter in the FSX.CFG?Sounds like a good idea.

[MMartinov 48]

Qick report >>>I was not getting any corrupt textures/black screens after I updated (and completely reinstalled everything) my system.This continued a couple of weeks while I was observing somehow fragile state of the FSX running with add-on airports and complicated aircrafts. The FPS were between 10 and 25/30 FSP in the most areas with sliders 85%-100% to the right right. Switching screens and Alt-menu did not provoke the black screens. However after some time FSX being in use suddenly the situation went to very bad - so bad the corruption in graphics was appearing straight after load. So far I have used only bufferpools=0 tweak and some graphics tweaks (AA, AP) vie the nvidia driver. I haven't changed anything (that I would be aware of) to know what iduced the graphic corruptions. Anyway.....I was following the graphics corruption threads since almost a year now and I found out PMDG were generous to make a pinned thread here. It is a very long thread and there are many comments. I was almost lost... Few nights ago I pinned the following suggestion (made by *******) - Usepools=0HIGHMEMFIX=1. Since I put HIGHMEMFIX=1 in my fsx.cfg I experience 100% improve in FPS (now 25-40) in the same areas. No graphic/texture/black screen corruptions after Alt-menus and jumping screens between FSX and Windows. I have not changed ANYTHING else. I don't have the technical expertise to explain why this happened however I am experienced enough with the FSX to say that this particular entry made the simulator ROCK solid.Getnleman this HIGHMEM thing is huge. I would like to THANK YOU for all your efforts and especially to ******* for this awesome contribution. Now I am not afraid that my flight will end in vain right before touch down, or to check something in the Windows while in flight... I fact the only thing I do with the computer since I put the HIGHMEMFIX is to enjoy my add-ons and really go and fly (not tweak, tweak, tweak)...

[Tabs 2,790]

I never saw that input line into FSX.cfg, what is the line to enter in the FSX.CFG?Sounds like a good idea.

[bUFFERPOOLS]RejectThreshold=524288Try that to start with and then go as low as you can before you start seeing problems with artifacting and crashes.

[windshearDK 52]

[bUFFERPOOLS]RejectThreshold=524288Try that to start with and then go as low as you can before you start seeing problems with artifacting and crashes.

Ok thanks I will try that!But why does crashes occur when I go lower? And then, why go lower?

[B748 0]

[bUFFERPOOLS]RejectThreshold=524288Try that to start with and then go as low as you can before you start seeing problems with artifacting and crashes.

Can we use this with UsePools=0 or not? I mean "UsePools=0" should replace with RejectThreshold or ....?ThanksBob