OK, I'm not giving up on my OOM problems. I've spent the evening doing test flights with similar (but not identical - it's impossible) settings in P3D1.4 and P3D2. Here are my findings:

Settings:

• No bloom in P3D1.4, but HDR lighting enabled in P3D2;
• Maxxed out scenery and autogen (mesh reduced to 5m);
• Identical high traffic settings (aircraft 59%, airport vehicles medium, road 25%, ships 100%, boats 5%); No water reflections (unrealistic, so I have no desire to use them at all);
• No shadows in P3D1.4, but cockpit shadows cast and recieve in P3D2;
• The usual tweaks in P3D1.4 (BufferPools=0, TEXTURE_BANDWITH_MULT=80, TextureMaxLoad=18, FFTF=0.12, ForcedWindowedVSynch=1, LOD_RADIUS=6.5);
• FTX Global installed in P3D1.4 (which means denser autogen annotation);
• Volumetric fog enabled, tessellation disabled in P3D2;
• Mooney Acclaim aircraft.

1st scenario: JFK - La Guardia -  Newark - CGAS - JFK, thunderstorm.

P3D1.4: Max VRAM usage 788 MB when taxiing to parking at KJFK, Max VAS usage 3.700.054 when on final to RW 4L.

P3D2: Max VRAM usage 1.181 MB when taxiing to parking at KJFK, Max VAS usage 3.250.364 when braking after landing on RW 4L.

No OOMs in either scenario. Overall slightly better fps in P3D2, but no significant difference in smoothness, although my joystick works better in P3D1.4 because of FSUIPC.
 

2nd scenario: ENBO and mountain flying over freeware 10m mesh, default weahter.

P3D1.4: After ca 5 minute flight over mountinas, max VRAM usage 561 MB, max VAS usage 2.914.816. Stable for 10 minutes more, then I quit.

P3D2: After 5 minute flight over mountinas, max VRAM usage 1.075 MB , max VAS usage 3.681.716 -> OOM!

This is the same scenario where I've been having P3D2 OOMs flying low with the F-22 Raptor all of yeasterday.

 

So what to make of this?

The New York scenario clearly shows that P3D2 uses less VAS, but more VRAM - just as one would expect.

In the second scenario the tables have turned slightly. While P3D2 still uses more VRAM, VAS goes off the charts. The only thing I can conclude from this is that the 10m mesh I am using is causing trouble in P3D2. It also makes the sim look worse as you can see the mesh loading in front of you more than in P3D1.4. I have turned off tessellation in P3D2 since it makes my VRAM usage 100%, even at lowest setting.

 

Any thoughs? Would have liked to hear from anyone with a two year old system like mine using extremely complex mesh and ultra autogen settings.

 

And worth adding, After OOMs in P3D2, Windows likes to turn off Aero blaming lack of resources to run it.

I have 3.5g of VAS flying around NYC in the Bonanza with UTX + Global....

Since i turned down some sliders I have not experienced an oom