P3D2 and the Frame Rate Slider

[Q_flyer 766]

This has been mentioned here and there in other threads but I just wanted to underline the point.

 

I can't speak for every user, but for me (and I suspect other ATI users at least), the Frame Rate Slider (lock) in P3D has a dramatic effect on FPS.

 

Setting any value at all (but especially lower values like 30) really dramatically reduces frame rates for me.       Setting UNLIMITED adds about 50% to FPS.

 

Eg..... Majestic Q400, in heavy weather with medium settings, in a payware airport:-

 

• With FPS locked in P3D at 30:    Average FPS = 24.9
• With FPS locked in P3D at 24:    Average FPS = 21.5
• With FPS locked in P3D at 60:    Average FPS = 26
• With FPS set to UNLIMITED:       Average FPS = 41.9

 

As well as the FPS results themselves that you see here, P3D is also very stuttery when the FPS are locked, and buttery smooth when unlocked. 

 

If when you first try P3D you get poor FPS and performance, I'd recommend the first thing you do is try the sim with the Frame Rates set to Unlimited.

 

Happy flying!

[Brian Doney 127]

That darn thing sucks.

 

Seriously.

 

In the AXE earlier I was bouncing around 90 or so with it unlimited/no vsync/no TB. I set it to 60 and FPS dropped to 40.

 

Yet 45 gave me...45.

 

It's nice to see that it's as reliable as ever.

[jose88 50]

I never had the FPS limited in FSX... I always had it unlimited! It's always better for me... Limited are problems...

 

 

Enviado desde mi iPhone 5S con Tapatalk

[TurboTomato 90]

Same here, which was the same as it was for me with FSX.

[Q_flyer 766]

I bet we'd get better results with a way of externally limiting FPS.....  I'm not sure if you nVidia folk can do that in NI, but as far as I know, us ATI people can't externally lock at present.      I used to use AntiLag which was brilliant, but obviously it was only DX9 compatible.

 

I'm not sure if RadeonPro limiter will work with DX11 but I'm not a fac of that program anyway as I find it a bit bloaty.

[ricka47 611]

I was always under the impression that with a higher frame rate, the system will reduce the image quality in order to achieve the higher rate.  Is this not the case?

[SolRayz 392]

If it's anything like FSX, image quality is not reduced, just the susceptibility to blurries and popping autogen. For the past year I have reverted my FSX config back to unlimited with great results with little to no blurries and solid fps. I never really understood why the internal limiter affects fps so much and would love a proper explanation.  

[Guest]

I never had the FPS limited in FSX... I always had it unlimited! It's always better for me... Limited are problems...

 

 

Enviado desde mi iPhone 5S con Tapatalk

 

Could well be but this is P3D 2.0 and not FSX… ^_^ Don't think too quick that what worked for FSX will work for P3D 2.0! I sure am going to give it a try (although I am also used to limiting it).

[Peter Z KCLE_EDDN 336]

Dave,

 

first and foremost, why did you change the fantastic Dexter pic, I love Dexter ;-)

 

Just an FYI, although I can't notice any difference using NI, however, apparently the external FPS limiter works just fine. Will have to do more testing on textures, blurries etc. with the external limiter.

 

Thanks for the suggestion Dave!

 

Cheers,

Pete

[RWFeldman 159]

Changing FPS slider and resetarting the sim is causing revert to unlimited. is this normal? I have have to set it every time.

 

Edit: Strike that. Brain fart

[bonchie 2,305]

In FSX you could balance limiting the Frame rate with performance by dropping fiber frame time fraction to .10 vs. default .33.

 

I don't know if that even applies anymore.

 

But if unlimited works with no side effects the I don't see a reason to even bother limiting. In FSX it could cause stuttering and blurries.

[Jimmy RFR 406]

I find the FPS limiter to be situational.

 

In heavy load situations, there's no question that using the slider at unlimited yields higher frame rates, and it seems to do so while balancing the load properly - i.e. if you're only getting 28 fps with the slider set to unlimited, it's still a very smooth 28 fps, with no evidence of the fact that its under a heavy workload other than the visual presence of the reduced frame rate counter.

 

However, I have found examples of when you're not under heavy load, in the middle of nowhere with light weather and nothing around, where the fps starts to get very high (90+fps for me) and then it starts to 'bounce' a bit, shooting up and down by 25% or so, and this causes (for me) stuttering behavior.  Setting the slider to limit the frame rates in these situations makes that issue go away completely (for me).

[RWFeldman 159]

One must balance higher frame rates with smooth operation by limiting CPU cycles with a locked setting..

[jcomm 5,939]

What someone from LM told us to do was to set, in P3Dv2

 

1) VSync 1/2

2) tripple buffering

3) FPS limiter set 10% above previous fixed value. If you were using 30, set it at 33...

[RWFeldman 159]

 Whats Vsync 1/2?