I7 3960X & GTX Titan Performance Report

[DAL213 34]

I wanted to share my rig with you and the results I'm seeing after manytt test flights... I seem to have found the "right" settihngs for my system:

 

First, the RIG:

I7 3960X running as "per core" in the following config:

Core 0 & 1: 5.0G

Core 2&3: 4.8G

Core 5&6: 4.7G

Intel HT set to off. So only 6 cores.

Vcore Voltage @ 4.2

BLCK: 100 (Default)

 

GTX Titan Configured in the following way:

Power target: 102%

Temp Target: 80C (set this to prioritize the temp... you'll see why in a sec)

Clock Offset: +100 Ghz

Memory Offset: 0

Fan Curve (very important): Adjust fan curve to the fan runs @ 85% (max) when the card is above 40C. Why do this? Many tests have shown that the Titan is a very efficient overclocker when kept cool. So if you indicate that you want to priorize a temp target of 80C and keep the card cool... it will automatically push the envelope since FSX is not able to push this monter to extreme temps.

 

Relevant GPU tweaks: PoolSize=0.... that's it!!

 

Harddrives: 3 SSD 256G each. One for the OS, one for FSX and addons and one for cockpit related software and REX 

 

Cooling & Other Hardware:

120MM Cooling System

3 Addittional fans to suck out the heat from Video card and CPU

Corsair AX1200i Digital 80 PLUS Platinum Modular Power supply

ASUS Rampage IV EXTREMEM mother board

And a whole buch of other stuff..... alkl addig up to a total of USD 6,000

 

FSX Results:

Software used as test flight:

KBOS to KJFK, departing @ 7:30PM in order to cruise during sunset (very demanding as sunset reflects off the HD clouds) and land in KJFK right before night time.

I chose a STAR with a vector over the Hudson river and into LGA, then turning to CRI (canarize) radial for a visual approach into JFK 13L (my alltime favorite).

The reason for this approach is: To fly over Aerosoft Manhattan X scenery as dusk, to fly over Imagine Sim KLGA add on (very bad FPS despite its poor quality add on) and then to fly over Queens with UTX lighting and a sharp turn @ CRI VOR over the High water textures with high wave animation...... and then land in FSDT JFK 2.0.

I flew this same route about 10 times over the course of days to get exactly the right settings..... I believe this is the most demanding situation my machine will deal with while flying FSX.

 

Other Software:

I use a full cockpit (737NGCockpit.com) with all of Prosim modules running and Pro ATC x along with OPUS weather engine (set to maximum size).

 

 

Settings used:

REX Overdrive set to 4096 3D clouds and 2048 HD Cirrus, 1024 wave animation

ALL Sliders maxed out except for light bloom and traffic (I dont like to introduce traffic yet, so I dont have any perf hit from traffic (yet)). I do however, have highway traffic through UTX along woth full night lighting (intersections and rural streets).

I also have running the following: GEX NA, UTX NA, Mega Scenery Earth New York

 

My FSX.CFG tweaks:

Poolsize=o

Highmemfix=1

Maxtexture=4096

Texture Banwith Multiple=200 (this is ok for photo scenery despite what you read in forums)

LOD_Radius=7.5 (also ok as lonf as you have photoscenery)

Max FPS = 30

ForceVSync=1

Wide aspect view=True

 

Inspector Settings:

8XSQ

4X Sparse Grid Supersampling

AF=application controlled

AF= 8X (16X just makes the scenery too blurry)

Vsync to 1/2 refresh rate

 

I have FSX in a 80 inch Pioneer Elite HDTV set to 1080P.

 

The results:

I get FPS between 29.50 and 29.9 during the entire first phase of the flight.

FPS drop (as expected) to 27.5-28.5 while getting close to the hudson river (where you see the sun reflected on the beautiful water and Manhattan lights and sunset reflected on buildings.... truly amazing).

FPS come back to 30 as soon as I circle around diffferent aircraft views.

Another FPS drop happens during the hard left turn over CRI radial.... FPS drop to 26ish.

As soon as I pass the Brooklyn yard into the final phase of approiach, FPS back to 29-29.5 range.

All is good until I park at the gate facing Manhattan and combined with the HD textures of FSDT and Manhattan X (since my LOD radious is just high enough to see the full scenery loaded ffrom the gate). When parking brakes are on, FPS is steady @ 25-27.

 

THE END

This is what I achieved after getting terrible results in the same situation many times. I'll say PoolSize=0 was the beginning of tthe great hunt for performance.

 

Temperatures:

Max CPU temp is 65C but high 50s durring the majority of the flight

Max GPU (GTX Titan) temp: 60C.... even though I have it set to a target og 80C... the GPU is pushing hard but the full fan speed keeps it nice and cool. So the Titan keeps sucking up all the HD scenery I throw at it (with very high leevels of AQ I may add).

 

Im very pleased with these results.... and I officially closed the tweaking chapter and I WILL not open the FSX.CFG file anymore and I wikll not change anything else.

 

On a side note: I have FSDT PHNL along with MegaScenry Earth Honolulu and all other Hawaii islands in HD photoreal scenery. I also have Aerosoft Hawaii airports vol 1 and 2 and I love doing the island hopping with 737-800 (Jetstream AFM from Prosim).... PHLI-PHNL-PHKO-PHOG-PHTO.... these flights are probably FSX Nirvana!

And my FPS does not drop bellow 29 during the 5 hoiurs it takes me to do all these flights from gate to gate...

 

These are my test and observations. I hope I helped and inform a few.... Thank you for reading and thank you in advance for your comments!

 

Nico

 

 

 

 

 

[bennyboy75 85]

Nice setup Nico. I have a Titan with a 3970X and I've had mixed results. What kind of numbers do you get with the NGX? I'm guessing if you have a full cockpit setup then you're purely running the scenery outside rather than the VC?

[DAL213 34]

Nice setup Nico. I have a Titan with a 3970X and I've had mixed results. What kind of numbers do you get with the NGX? I'm guessing if you have a full cockpit setup then you're purely running the scenery outside rather than the VC?

You are correct to an extend. I dont use a VC, for the most part, but that is a misleading statement.

 

Because, The CPU has no NGX but intead it has to swallow all of this:

Prosim 737

Prosim 737 MCP Module

Prosim 737 Audio Module 1

Prosim 737 Audio Module 2

Prosim 737 CDU Interface

Flight Deck Solutions CDU software

Other 3rd party addons to compensate for the lack of realism in the sounds of the Prosim flight model (which is amazingly simulated in the NGX).

 

So basically The CPU gets a big workout. But I have never had any issues with overheating or the 3960X bailing out on me. I will tell you this: Give it enough Vcore and it will deliver. Also, I do "per core" overclock because of a simple reason: The temperatures are much better and I have FSX running only in the fastes cores while less demanding apps run in the slower cores (which are still 4.80GGG!!!!).

 

I do the same test with the latest Carenado HD series aircrafts and with their VC (which is not NGX but is pretty demanding) I get almost the same results. The only difference I make is I download REX 3D clouds in 2048 format (instead of 4096). Since I see more cockpit and less clouds, is no real difference in realism but makes all of the difference in FPS (locked at 30, never below 28).

 

When I use my cockpit, the entire screen displays texture and clouds, so is better to have the largest files intalled. but when I fly a VC, is not any different.

 

I hope I answered your question. If you need some assistance tweaking your BIOS and/or Titan please reach out to me!

 

Nico

[TechguyMaxC 516]

No traffic means this isn't a very meaningful test...

[DAL213 34]

No traffic means this isn't a very meaningful test...

 

That is true. But only if I were posting to advertise that my PC runs very stable with fsx on ultra settings.

 

Which I'm not. This is not a stress test. This is a mere case study that shows other simmers with similar hardware a way to get 30fps without blurry scenery and without flickering. And the way to do this is by not using any traffic.

 

If you like to fly a 738 replica cockpit like I do, then you should be more interested in flying manually from point a to point b and performing SEL and other failures.

 

Not so much the added eye candy of being 5th in line for takeoff.

 

 

Nico

[TechguyMaxC 516]

I'm glad your setup works well for what you want to do with it, that's what we're all after, right?  

[martin-w 3,234]

 

 

This is not a stress test. This is a mere case study that shows other simmers with similar hardware a way to get 30fps without blurry scenery and without flickering. And the way to do this is by not using any traffic.

 

I get 29-50 frames per second without blurry scenery and without stuttering. I achieve the same thing as you with an i7 3770K at 4.5 GHz, with 10% traffic.

 

No Vsync to 1/2 refresh rate, frame rate locked to 50. Stutter free. No fancy add-on airports thought, just REX, UTX, GEX.

 

What I would have liked to see you do, is a comparison between your old system and your new Titan set up... with frame rate unlocked. And locked as well if you like. What surprises me about my system, is how stutter free it is, even with unlocked frame rate.

 

Maybe I'm just lucky.

[DAL213 34]

I get 29-50 frames per second without blurry scenery and without stuttering. I achieve the same thing as you with an i7 3770K at 4.5 GHz, with 10% traffic.

 

No Vsync to 1/2 refresh rate, frame rate locked to 50. Stutter free. No fancy add-on airports thought, just REX, UTX, GEX.

 

What I would have liked to see you do, is a comparison between your old system and your new Titan set up... with frame rate unlocked. And locked as well if you like. What surprises me about my system, is how stutter free it is, even with unlocked frame rate.

 

Maybe I'm just lucky.

 

This is a very good idea. Except that I removed my GTX 680 (all else remained the same) and I installed the GTX 680 on the PC2 (used for rendering glass cockpit screens).

 

Of course stutters come with the territory... and it depends on the LOD radious you use, the AQ settings you use... and so on.

 

I realized that running stutter free with crisp super high definition big screens requires a high level of AQ.... which in turn demands a lot out of your system. In fact, when I first installed HD textures from REX and newer airtport addons that use HD textures.... I wanted to put an end to the taxi way marking stutters and all the minorr glitches in the image. Thats when I went to 8X sparse grid supersampling and my GTX 680 just couldt do it.... FPS will go from 12 to 20 all flight.... and if it was cloudy... it would beecome too much.

 

This is the reason I went for the GTX Titan and so far, using the same settings... Im locked @ 30 and get 30.... and the picture quality is litteraly breath taking....

[Richard Sennett 2,499]

Lot of good info here - thank you.