Nvidia configuration guide (Inspector + 2xx.xx drivers) version 2.0 + explanations of all settings

[pcubine 143]

Scott

 

When the new driver was downloaded and installed by Microsoft Windows Update your Inspector settings were reset to default, I had the same thing happen to me several months ago when I was not paying attention to to what was in Update. I think the new drivers were called adapters by MS. Anyway it took about a week of on and off messing around with the setting to where i was satisfied.

 

Michael Cubine

[gpbarth 12]

Ryan, I have been having a heck of a time making DX10 work on my set-up. Matter of fact, I haven't get it to work yet! I have the latest nVidia Inspector 1.9.6.8. and have followed all of the suggestions: changing my fsx.cfg file, tweaking nVidia, changing the texture files...

 

Got with Paul and he looked at my config, tried several things, and still end up with a black screen whenever DX10 Preview is turned on. ANd then I came back to this thread and saw this:

 

DX10 WARNING - AA does NOT work in FSX's DX10 preview mode, it never has. You should not run in DX10 mode basically ever - it is slower and buggy.

 

Now, I have always had Anisotropic w/AA turned on while trying the DX10 Preview mode. I will change that immediately and see what happens. BUT - if there is a DX10 Preview mode, where is the actual DX10 mode? And how do I run it? I am NOT running Acceleration with my FSX, although I am running both of the updates. Is the Acceleration the actual DX10 mode? And secondly, I am running Win 7 64-bit (up-to-date) and according to my system stats, I am running DX11. How does DX11 fit into this mess? And why, if DX11 is working, should I try to run DX10 on FSX?

 

Dazed and confused!

[gpbarth 12]

Update to my last post: Turned off AA, left Anisotropic alone, turned on DX10 Preview, and everything SEEMS to work - no more black screen. Off to talk with Paul, but still waiting for an answer to my last post.

[Tabs 2,790]

Ryan, I have been having a heck of a time making DX10 work on my set-up. Matter of fact, I haven't get it to work yet! I have the latest nVidia Inspector 1.9.6.8. and have followed all of the suggestions: changing my fsx.cfg file, tweaking nVidia, changing the texture files...

 

Got with Paul and he looked at my config, tried several things, and still end up with a black screen whenever DX10 Preview is turned on. ANd then I came back to this thread and saw this:

 

DX10 WARNING - AA does NOT work in FSX's DX10 preview mode, it never has. You should not run in DX10 mode basically ever - it is slower and buggy.

 

Now, I have always had Anisotropic w/AA turned on while trying the DX10 Preview mode. I will change that immediately and see what happens. BUT - if there is a DX10 Preview mode, where is the actual DX10 mode? And how do I run it? I am NOT running Acceleration with my FSX, although I am running both of the updates. Is the Acceleration the actual DX10 mode? And secondly, I am running Win 7 64-bit (up-to-date) and according to my system stats, I am running DX11. How does DX11 fit into this mess? And why, if DX11 is working, should I try to run DX10 on FSX?

 

Dazed and confused!

 

Gary,

 

You're misunderstanding some things here:

 

1. FSX has two "render paths" or modes it can run in - DX9 and DX10 Preview. There is no "full DX10" or anything like that. They called it a preview because it wasn't a full implementation of everything they initially wanted to do with DX10 (ie the famous artist's conception screenshot they passed off as real)

 

2. The different DirectX versions are essentially groups of 3D drawing functions and algorithms pre-made by Microsoft that developers of games, simulations or whatever else can use to make their graphics engines with. FSX was originally programmed for DX9 - that means that the game engine is only calling functions that are in the DX9 specifications - the engine can't go call a DX10 or a DX11 function. With SP2 and Acceleration, MS added certain DX10 functions and that's what the preview mode is. Just because you have DX11 as the base version on Windows 7 doesn't mean you are running games in DX11 - the game has to be programmed specifically for it and your GPU has to support it. The GTX 400 series were the first Nvidia cards to support DX11, so if you had something older like a GTX280 for instance, you would not be able to run anything newer than DX10 games. Even though Windows 7 has DX11, it can still run all the previous versions - DX is backwards compatible and you're always running a particular game or application with the DX rendering path that it was designed for - FSX will always be DX9 (or 10 if you run the preview mode) regardless of whatever DX version you actually have installed.

[gpbarth 12]

So if I'm understanding this, then DX10 Preview mode is a "preview" of the SP2/Acceleration pack? As I'm not currently running the Accel pack (I am up-to-date with SP2), then to get any real performance out of DX10, I should install it? THere seems to be a large group of FSX people up here who really think DX10 (properly set up) really shines over DX9, and I"m trying to make it work on my machine. I have found that the Preview mode fails when I have the AA box checked off, but works when AA is turned off.

 

There are many "fixes" in on this (nVidia tweaks, new shaders, fsx.cfg tweaks, etc.) and I'm really trying to make it work on my machine. That's what all of this is about. Seems to me that you are saying DX9 is the only way to go, as MS never went all the way on DX10 development. Is that corrent?

[gpbarth 12]

Okay, I did what I should have done a long time ago, and researched DX10 and Acceleration, etc. And I am now convinced that DX10 will make my FSX run a little (much?) better. Somehow I thought that there was a "real" DX10 mode for FSX, instead of knowing that the "Preview" mode was it. I'd like to get my FSX to run in DX10 mode without the black screens and freezes, and I guess that will require playing around with, and tweaking, my nVidia and fsx.cfg, and adding modified shaders, etc.

 

At least I know now what DX10 is and isn't, and what the benefits and draw-backs are. And I really want to make it work on my machine. So on with the show!

[Jarl 0]

Ryan, I'd much appreciate if you would take a look here, and tell me what you think. You suggest 16x in NI, yet the performance drop in the scenario I presented is there and is huge. Not to mention increased airport lines shimmering, which is not visible on static shots.

 

 

Well, that certainly made my day...

My framerate has more then doubled!

 

Thank you Word Not Allowed :-)

[stewart 0]

Hi Guys

Hope this is the right pace to ask this as this seems to be where discussions take place regarding Nvidea Configuration. If not please redirect me.

I have some confusion and will try to do my best to put it across.

1/ If I select ‘Global settings’ in the profile and select apply and I make changes to it and select apply – does this mean these settings will be used in my FSX or will this apply to everything else and not FSX? (It always defaults to this when opening the Inspector)

2/ In order to make any changes to FSX I need to use only the ‘MS Flight Simulator X’ profile and these will appear when loading FSX as the Inspector will only apply settings to FSX via this profile?

3/ If I load say ‘MS Flight Simulator X’ profile and I now want to make a new profile using those base settings I select the little yellow star – and I call it say ‘ FSX1’ make various changes and select apply. Does this automatically always load these settings and as long as I remember this is my new profile ‘FSX1’ and make a note of it somewhere as being my best working profile for example.

So let’s say in a few months’ time I want to make changes and I am not sure as to which profile I was currently using, because of various tweaking – how do I know which one is actually being used at the time as it always defaults to the Global settings in the Profile list?

Hope this makes sense what I am trying to get across

Stewart

[skysurfer 76]

Hi all.

 

I'd like to ask something here too. I have noticed that my settings reset back to default in about a week or so. I select FSX profile, configure Nvidia inspector as suggested, apply settings and close the inspector. In about a week or two I come back to check settings, select FSX in profile and all my settings are gone again How can I keep them all the time?

Thank you.

[Richard Sennett 2,499]

"FSX in profile and all my settings are gone again" this seems impossible you sure you didn't update a driver because this will clear out your NI

[skysurfer 76]

Last time I updated a driver was 2 days ago but I changed my settings back about 2 weeks ago. Before I updated a drived I noticed that settings went back to default. I don't know what the heck is happening. I read instructions several time thinking may be I missed something. Looks to me I did everything as suggested. Can new scenery or aircraft cause it?

 

Thanks again.

[Richard Sennett 2,499]

Your problem Ed is everytime you load a new driver it will trash your settings this is normal - in the future reset your NI to your liking then export that setting out so next time you update your driver you just re import your settings - the problem is if you do not keep a copy of the settings you like it will trash them that's for sure nothing is causing this problem but the fact that you need to export your fav setting otherwise you will have to reset them after every driver change.

[skysurfer 76]

Copy that Rich. Will do that today.

Thanks for help.

[Richard Sennett 2,499]

No problem Ed any problems let me know, the export is in the top right of the menu save it to your hard drive somewhere buddy. :good:

[skysurfer 76]

OK, I saved it. What it's doing now is keeps Global Driver Profile (Base profile) in Profile dropped down menu. I switched it to MS FSX and hit Apply settings. After that I exit configurator. When I come back to check settings it changes back to Global Driver Profile. It doesn't matter whether FSX is running or not. So how can I keep MS FSX (selected) profile all the time? Why does it switch back to Global Driver Profile? This part I cannot understand. Is it supposed to be like that?

Thx