Anyone Else w/Overclocked SB Having Sporadic Stutter?

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Good FPS…but Plagued with Momentary Freeze First off, kudos to PMDG's team for putting out such a complete and realistic simulation. This is not a complaint post…rather, I really want to try to get to the bottom of an issue that's tarnishing my experience with this spectacular addon. I would think the overhead of all of this wizardry would take a toll on frame rates. Surprisingly, the performance is very good. My FPS are in the mid-30's most of the time (locked at 40). But I get a hard stutter sporadically - not microstutters plural, but just a momentary freeze of the video. It's very jarring. It can happen at rotation, or when looking around with TIR. It's the only addon with this behavior, and I only fly complex addons. I've seen the stutter come and go, sometimes 7 seconds apart, or maybe 30+ seconds, or no particular timing. In some cases, I've seen the mouse cursor or was it the Win7 'busy' icon, flicker on the screen. It's as if somehow the system becomes saturated and has to catch up. I see this just flying VFR with no FMS activity and weather set to 'Clear', flying in non-Orbx, generic FSX scenery. This doesn't sound like the 'freezing' issue others are reporting, the sim doesn't stop responding, it's just a momentary heavy stutter. I'm somewhat surprise, because my system employs an OC SB (4.8) with dual SATA III SSD's and two GTX580's. Is anyone else seeing this as well? So many have reported such sterling performance, I'm thinking my issue is peculiar to my setup. I'd like to know if others are seeing this, and if anyone has an idea that might solve this. System specs are in my signature below. The system was set up using NickN's guide in addition to tweaks I've become familiar with over the years. Addons include REX2, UT2, EZdok, TIR, FSUIPC, and Orbx scenery. I don't use an external wx engine. I've used Bojote's FSX.cfg tweaker. First off, I switch between using multiple monitors, and a 30" Dell with TIR. I whittled things down by disconnecting all monitors except the Dell, and removed the second video card. I do note that in either configuration, it's a fairly high resolution - 2560x1600 for the Dell, 3840x1024 for multi monitors (with additional screens as well). Here's what I've done to try to solve this (all with no help): -- I followed the items in the NGX Introduction. -- I've tried 2D panels versus VC. -- With only one video card and monitor, I've tried the FrameRate Limiter app (which I've never been able to get to work with multiple monitors/video cards). -- Without the Frame Rate Limiter, I've tried locked at 30 FPS, my usual locked at 40, and Unlimited. -- I delved into every tweak I can think of: Bufferpools, TBM, AffinityMask etc. -- I've turned off Autogen. -- Disabled UT2. -- Turned of the F.O.'s DU's. -- Made sure FSUIPC Autosave is not checked. -- Tried GameBooster. -- Windowed Mode versus Full Screen Mode. -- Updated my Nvidia drivers to 275.33. Reset Nvidia Inspector (per Ryan's instructions). -- I've had problems with sound before, and I started to think it sometimes froze when a *.wav file played. So disabled the Gigabyte/Realtek onboard sound, and installed an Asus mid-range sound card. -- Disabled TIR. -- Disabled EZdok. In summary, for the life of me, I can't seem to pinpoint what is causing this stutter. As I said, it doesn't sound like it's related to the freezing issue others are having. (??) I will say I have seen some occasions where the keyboard inputs have no effect when trying to assign keyboard definitions in the CDU. This is the only addon that does this, but it may be that it's just surfacing a shortcoming in my software/hardware setup. I just can't figure out what it might be. If anyone has a suggestion, I'd sure appreciate hearing it. I'll put this in as a ticket to PMDG, but I would like to know if anyone else with a similar system is seeing this. I know some folks would just pass it off as something momentary, and perhaps pay it no mind. For me, it's jarring and greatly disrupts the simulation. Again, this is not a microstutter, this is a full stop of the video for part of a second. Thanks.

[trisager 2]

I'd suggest lowering your frame lock to something below what you see on average. Try locking at 30 FPS and do a flight, see if the stutters go away.

[MarkW 1,493]

I have the occasional stutter as well. Not sure this can be completely eliminated. Mark.

[ilias 0]

Having the same problem here. Tried everything like you did, I still get the stutter -I like calling them hiccups :)- every few minutes or seconds (if I use time-speed). The game will freeze for a single second and continue on. Very strange behaviour, never had it again in FSX. Have opened a ticket. My system specs are pretty high end: Core i7, Nvidia 570, SSD Vertex 3 240GB etc. Not sure what this is related to. I also have an occasional crash (very remote indeed) but that I believe is related to the CDU/FMS, but that of course may be my interpretation. Ilias Pyette

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Trisager - Thanks for that suggestion. I have tried locking at 30 FPS with the same result. It just doesn't appear to be FPS related, since I'll see FPS around 40, and then *hiccup* (good term by the way ilias). Mark - OK, so maybe I'm not the only one.ilias - Looks like you too have a higher end system and are seeing the same thing. I submitted a ticket to PMDG though I'd expect it to be prioritized lower than those that can't get activated etc. One thing I have not done is to try and monitor the GPU and CPU while flying to try to get an idea where the saturation might be occuring.Thank you all for taking the time to comment.

[Zunbapp 0]

Does it look like this?

Quite annoying, I have not overclocked my i7 990x cpu and I have a dual 590GTX with 12GB 2000mh of ram. I have those hiccups also in Counterstrike Source. I've tried almost everything but I just can't solve the problem. :( Regards, Wesley den Hartogh

[Chaos81 110]

Overclocked SB here and no such problem. Are you running anti-virus software by chance? If so, have you excluded the FSX folder from scanning?

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================================Does it look like this?

================================ Wesley, indeed it does. My FPS are smoother (maybe FRAPS is causing a hit in the video), and the hiccup is a bit shorter, but yes, that's what it's doing. Mike - Thanks for replying, and I see we have similar specs and you are not having the issue. That means there has to be a solution...a software or hardware change - but it's not normal. Again, thanks for confirming this. BTW, no anti-virus software involved though I appreciate the suggestion. This machine is only used for FSX. OK, and Crysis on occasion. For anyone following this thread, last night I tried the following: I ran my machine at stock i7-2600K speeds. No help. Sometimes several minutes will go by before I see a hiccup. Sometimes 30 seconds, sometimes 7. It's all over the place. I messed around with running in Windowed Mode, and that seemed to help. It could be wishful thinking, I'll test more later tonight. I also noticed a different behavior in Windowed Mode vs. Full Screen having to do with the sound and multi monitors. I like to run a 17" touch screen on the side for the CDU when using VC/TIR on my 30" monitor. In Full Screen Mode, unlike any other FSX addon I've used, the sound changes when the emphasis is put on the touch screen, like when I input data in the CDU. I have to click the mouse on the main screen to reinstate the sound...it's like it's slightly muted, very noticeable...and odd. In Windowed Mode, this change in sound does not occur. I prefer Full Screen, but am finding with the NGX I may have to stay with Windowed Mode. I spent a bunch of time dorking with the Title Bar and Border colors, trying to tone them down so they were not so distracting. Also, I notice a drop in FPS from 38 to 22 when going to Windowed Mode and stretching the Window to fit my 30" monitor. However, when I used the Maximize button, the FPS seemed to be the same as Full Screen Mode, though I understand the Alt + Enter Full Screen Mode to be a different animal. I did watch the CPU, GPU, and Memory loading while running in Windowed Mode. Not surprisingly, all four cores were often maxed out. (I tried Affinity Mask 12, 14, 15 and None during the course of events.) The GPU didn't seem to make it over 60%; the main system memory (8Gb) usage was quite low. Still trying to find the root cause...and the cure. Cheers

[hamish7777 1]

I have installed this wonderful plane and am seeing the same issue. I am running an overclocked Sandy Bridge at 4.7GHZ Nvidia GTX 570 3 17" Screens with a Matrox Triple Head 2 Go. The stutter is one hard stutter that seems to appear every 15 or so seconds and it lasts for a full second. I have not had time to investigate it yet. It would be worth running the process monitor program to see if there is a particular file is being called upon when the stutter happens... http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb896645. I can have a look myself but am away over the next 2 days. It might also be worth trying the texture max load at its original setting... I once had this issue of a hard stutter and it turned out to be FSUIPC Autosave function but that has apparently been ruled out... Hope we can get to the bottom of this as this plane is nothing short of extraordinary...... Hamish

[MrSpeaker 122]

I have the same issue, no SB though

[ZachLW 37]

I had the same sort of stutter, but found it to be Antilag's setting "RenderAheadLimit=2". (If you've never heard of Antilag, this doesn't apply to you) I changed the "2" to a "1" and then a "0". "0" got the best result. Not a stutter. Now that that aside is out of the way, are you using an external limiter, Noel? Because if you're using the internal FSX FPS limiter, that's not good. Use the above mentioned program and see what you get. If you're using ENB Series Mod like me, give me a PM for the setup routine.

[Richard Sennett 2,499]

Its your driver 275.33, I had the same problem and went back to 270.61 problem gone make sure you use a driver cleaner, I use payware driver cleaner.net luv it, hope this helps.

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ZachI did try the antilag FPS limiter, but I didn't notice any difference. The RenderAheadLimit was set at "0". But, I was using it in Full Screen Mode (and also experiencing the Black Screen thing). Lately, I've been experimenting with Windowed Mode, so I'll try the antilag tool again.Richard, I was having the issue prior to going to 275.33, but if you're saying this version caused you grief, perhaps I'll revert back down.Oddly enough, sometimes it's smooth sailing for quite some time. This is aggravating.hammish777 - Thanks for the link to the process monitor. I downloade it and I'll install it later...I was looking for something like this. Much appreciated; I'll share what I find out. Hopefully it's not too hard to use and I can recover something meaningful.Cheers

[djlbacon 0]

Same situation here. While I don't have some of the robust hardware and tweaks some are running, plus add-ons, my system seems to be showing the exact problem. Across multiple system specs I'm hoping it will at least be looked upon. Keeping an eye on this one.

[Noel 4,507]

Good FPS…but Plagued with Momentary Freeze First off, kudos to PMDG's team for putting out such a complete and realistic simulation. This is not a complaint post…rather, I really want to try to get to the bottom of an issue that's tarnishing my experience with this spectacular addon. I would think the overhead of all of this wizardry would take a toll on frame rates. Surprisingly, the performance is very good. My FPS are in the mid-30's most of the time (locked at 40). But I get a hard stutter sporadically - not microstutters plural, but just a momentary freeze of the video. It's very jarring. It can happen at rotation, or when looking around with TIR. It's the only addon with this behavior, and I only fly complex addons. I've seen the stutter come and go, sometimes 7 seconds apart, or maybe 30+ seconds, or no particular timing. In some cases, I've seen the mouse cursor or was it the Win7 'busy' icon, flicker on the screen. It's as if somehow the system becomes saturated and has to catch up. I see this just flying VFR with no FMS activity and weather set to 'Clear', flying in non-Orbx, generic FSX scenery. This doesn't sound like the 'freezing' issue others are reporting, the sim doesn't stop responding, it's just a momentary heavy stutter. I'm somewhat surprise, because my system employs an OC SB (4.8) with dual SATA III SSD's and two GTX580's. Is anyone else seeing this as well? So many have reported such sterling performance, I'm thinking my issue is peculiar to my setup. I'd like to know if others are seeing this, and if anyone has an idea that might solve this. System specs are in my signature below. The system was set up using NickN's guide in addition to tweaks I've become familiar with over the years. Addons include REX2, UT2, EZdok, TIR, FSUIPC, and Orbx scenery. I don't use an external wx engine. I've used Bojote's FSX.cfg tweaker. First off, I switch between using multiple monitors, and a 30" Dell with TIR. I whittled things down by disconnecting all monitors except the Dell, and removed the second video card. I do note that in either configuration, it's a fairly high resolution - 2560x1600 for the Dell, 3840x1024 for multi monitors (with additional screens as well). Here's what I've done to try to solve this (all with no help): -- I followed the items in the NGX Introduction. -- I've tried 2D panels versus VC. -- With only one video card and monitor, I've tried the FrameRate Limiter app (which I've never been able to get to work with multiple monitors/video cards). -- Without the Frame Rate Limiter, I've tried locked at 30 FPS, my usual locked at 40, and Unlimited. -- I delved into every tweak I can think of: Bufferpools, TBM, AffinityMask etc. -- I've turned off Autogen. -- Disabled UT2. -- Turned of the F.O.'s DU's. -- Made sure FSUIPC Autosave is not checked. -- Tried GameBooster. -- Windowed Mode versus Full Screen Mode. -- Updated my Nvidia drivers to 275.33. Reset Nvidia Inspector (per Ryan's instructions). -- I've had problems with sound before, and I started to think it sometimes froze when a *.wav file played. So disabled the Gigabyte/Realtek onboard sound, and installed an Asus mid-range sound card. -- Disabled TIR. -- Disabled EZdok. In summary, for the life of me, I can't seem to pinpoint what is causing this stutter. As I said, it doesn't sound like it's related to the freezing issue others are having. (??) I will say I have seen some occasions where the keyboard inputs have no effect when trying to assign keyboard definitions in the CDU. This is the only addon that does this, but it may be that it's just surfacing a shortcoming in my software/hardware setup. I just can't figure out what it might be. If anyone has a suggestion, I'd sure appreciate hearing it. I'll put this in as a ticket to PMDG, but I would like to know if anyone else with a similar system is seeing this. I know some folks would just pass it off as something momentary, and perhaps pay it no mind. For me, it's jarring and greatly disrupts the simulation. Again, this is not a microstutter, this is a full stop of the video for part of a second. Thanks.

Ditto Noel! I made a formal support ticket request to PMDG yesterday and am awaiting a reply. This is the exact description of my issue. One thing I thought could be quite useful is running Filemon.exe. Unfortunately when I try to run it, even w/ Administrator Priv, it says there's an error and filemon.exe is unable to run. You could try and see what files are loading right before the stutter/pause hits. Noel (!)