FSX 7 years on, how's it going?

[Tristan 1]

Hey there,

 

I was a flightsim enthusiast some years ago, FS9 and PMDG being my main setup. With the arrival of FSX in 2006, I had started my real flight training and every last cent went into that, thus not simming as much and not upgrading my software. Now that I'm flying commercially career wise, I'm now starting to develop an interest in flight simming again, go figure:-). I remember reading the forums just after FSX was released, and remember reading some very negative posts from users, mainly with the performance issues. So my main question is, how is FSX now? Has it progressed a lot since its release in 2006? Are simmers finding their hardware can cope with the FSX engine, and the add-ons. Can users max out their settings along with advanced add-ons and get good performance out of it?

 

Tristan

[Rations 102]

Welcome back!

 

Current PMDG aircraft continue dominating the high end of the realism spectrum. The PMDG B737 NGX of late 2011 was received very well, and seems to have achieved a remarkable balance between performance, systems complexity, and visuals that very few, if any, other aircraft add-ons can equal.

 

The same should be true for the upcoming PMDG B777 and B747 V2. There are currently other highly anticipated projects such as the Flight Sim Labs (FSL) A320 and the Majestic Software Dash 8. Aerosoft recently released the first largely complete FSX rendition of a modern Airbus aircraft, to mixed opinions. FlyTampa, FSDT, and FTX consistently produce high-quality scenery add-ons. The camera and weather add-on OPUS has also caused great debate and excitement.

 

AirDailyX is a useful blog about upcoming flight simulation products.

 

So my main question is, how is FSX now? Has it progressed a lot since its release in 2006? Are simmers finding their hardware can cope with the FSX engine, and the add-ons. Can users max out their settings along with advanced add-ons and get good performance out of it?

It is unlikely that any modern, reasonably priced (i.e., less than $5000) desktop computer can run FSX smoothly with maximum settings. Even with the latest processors and overclocking techniques, FSX performance continues to cause issues and unhappiness.

 

One can run default add-ons extremely smoothly on most current systems, but if he or she desires aircraft, scenery, and weather of the highest quality and realism, expecting a fluid 30 frames/s is not practical or even possible due to personal computing limitations. However, with adjusting settings, experimenting, and tweaking, satisfactory performance can be achieved.

Edited January 21, 2013 by zowen11

[HighTowers 1,436]

I think with a decent computer you can achieve satisfactory results. I dont personally get hung up on always trying to achieve 30 frames per second as 20 is smooth enough for me that doesnt cause issues.

 

Go to youtube. Watch videos in the past year or two. See what comes out of there. It often amazes me what FSX can still do.

 

Im partial to the MD11 but I fly the NGX as well and look forward to the 777. This is one of my favorite videos because its well put together and its an MD11.

 

Oh and Welcome Back!!!

[Rations 102]

The following is a brilliant video:

 

This YouTube user utilizes the realism of the PMDG B737 well.

[XPX64man 130]

FSX, being a 32 bit program, it still has the 4 GB RAM barrier, but as long as you monitor your settings like AI, keeping the usage under its limit, FSX if really great.

Now days, with RAM memory so inexpensive and most computers loaded with at least 16 Gigs of RAM, it is a little frustrating not being able to take advantage of it, but if you can get your settings right,

Super addons like the PMDG 737NGX, Aerosoft AirbusX Extended, REX, Opus, MegaScenery Earth, Orbx, and so many more, make it very much fun and addictive.

Get a good computer with a 64bit operating system and good video card.

[timest 473]

Great vid!

[BimmerCop 332]

Welcome back, Tristan!!! I suggest you also give X-Plane a look otherwise you will feel like you never left the scene. ;-) You most likely missed the memo but MS ditched FSX and flightsimming all together, so FSX is dead as far as a platform in development is concerned, other than what 3PDs continue to squeeze out of it.

 

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

 

 

[VeryBumpy 272]

I think with a decent computer you can achieve satisfactory results. I dont personally get hung up on always trying to achieve 30 frames per second as 20 is smooth enough for me that doesnt cause issues.

 

Go to youtube. Watch videos in the past year or two. See what comes out of there. It often amazes me what FSX can still do.

 

Im partial to the MD11 but I fly the NGX as well and look forward to the 777. This is one of my favorite videos because its well put together and its an MD11.

 

Oh and Welcome Back!!!

Holy cross wind landing at 4:05, Batman!!!

[Tristan 1]

Thanks for the replies. They're some pretty impressive videos, the scenery has come along way! Bimmercop, yeah I was aware about MS scrapping plans to develop beyond FSX, but I guess it still looks like a lot of fun. Xplane looks interesting, but I think I find the detail in aircraft add-on like PMDG most appealing. Eyecandy is just a bonus.

 

Thanks heaps

[SierraHotel 982]

FSX is better than it ever was! With some great aircraft (aforementioned NGX) and amazing scenery. And if that wasn't enough a guy called Steve has made some amazing discoveries vis a vi DX10 (I would never go back to dx9) yep FSX is here to stay.

[Guest]

Hey there,

 

I was a flightsim enthusiast some years ago, FS9 and PMDG being my main setup. With the arrival of FSX in 2006, I had started my real flight training and every last cent went into that, thus not simming as much and not upgrading my software. Now that I'm flying commercially career wise, I'm now starting to develop an interest in flight simming again, go figure:-). I remember reading the forums just after FSX was released, and remember reading some very negative posts from users, mainly with the performance issues. So my main question is, how is FSX now? Has it progressed a lot since its release in 2006? Are simmers finding their hardware can cope with the FSX engine, and the add-ons. Can users max out their settings along with advanced add-ons and get good performance out of it?

 

Tristan

 

Hi Tristan,

 

3rd party and community support have kept FSX going ... it's still way behind the times in terms of technology utilization (CPU/GPU) and is still stuck in a 32bit address space, but I'm amazed at how much can be squeezed into such a code limiting factor.

 

X-Plane 10 64bit is getting a lot of attention recently and I know I'm planning to work on some products for XP10 64bit.

 

There is also P3D that has extended FSX some but sadly not to a 64bit path.

 

Ironically, I've done some real world Flying ... lessons, license, etc. etc. ... but since I wasn't aiming to make a career out of it, the cost to maintain my license was hard to justify ... I stepped away from flight simulation also, but now I'm taking up some interest especially with the latest XP10 64bit SDK.

 

But be it XP10, FSX, P3D (MS Flight didn't do so well) they all appear to be here to stay and improving.

 

It's been slow progress, but it has been progress and the 3rd party support is just amazing!! I guess there is money to be made there

 

It'll be 2014 before we see CPUs that can improve FSX by 20-25% (i.e. move from 30 fps to 36 fps), but CPU/GPU's of today can work well with XP10 and DX11.

 

And if that wasn't enough a guy called Steve has made some amazing discoveries vis a vi DX10

 

Mike, can you please share this info ... I'm must have missed the memo and I'm not aware of any DX10 tweaks for FSX. All my attempts to run DX10 have usually required I compromise "bugs" vs. running under DX9c ... disappearing runway path markers, texture pops, shimmers, etc. Can you point me in a direction where I can find any new info on DX10 tweaks?

 

Thanks, Rob.

[Sam 68]

The dx10 forum rob

[LHookins 3,104]

Can users max out their settings along with advanced add-ons and get good performance out of it?

 

While you won't be able to max out all the settings, you'll be able to max enough of them to get a really good experience. At the highest end, there will be some trade-offs.

 

Spend a few minutes with Word Not Allowed's tweak guide to set up the configuration file and go with his recommendations on what slider settings to use.

 

Two things I find indispensable to the experience are TrackIR 5 or Face Track noir to have the cockpit camera follow your head movements so you can look around naturally, and one of the good real world weather programs. Compare features and screen shots to see which one will work best for you.

 

Hook

[simmerhead 885]

Welcome back! With a high end computer you'll get a good looking setup, not perfect, but there is no better alternative presently.

[kannwar 47]

See my post on OOMs I just made. My advice to you mate is don't even bother. I'd say save your money, come back in a year and see where XPlane is at. FSX is a lost cause.