Major DX10 problem

[Javiz 104]

Goodday gents,

 

Since a couple of weeks my poor FSX suffers from really bad stuttering that i have never seen before. That is, with DX10 only !

 

I have been using DX10 with great satisfaction ever since Steve's DX10 fix came about (the freeware version). Didn't give me not only much nicer views but also a huge difference in fps and smoothness compared to DX9. Never been happier with my FSX performance.

 

I'm not 100% sure but it looks like this mysterious stutter doesn't have anything to do with my FSX settings but possibly rather with my system although i see it only with FSX, not with other, graphically demanding, sims that i play, like Railworks (TS2014) or Eurotruck Sim2. These perform as smooth as always.

 

I am well aware of 'normal' stutters in FSX of course. I suppose, like everbody, i have always had them, they sort of 'come with the trade', don't they, and are hardly noticeable, very easy to live with. But these stutters i am facing now are quite something else !

 

The sim comes to a complete stop, which sometimes can take more than a full second or even 2 seconds. Even worse in Spot View where you couldn't even call this a stutter anymore but a 'kick in butt'! This can happen 3 to 5 times per minute. This odd behaviour is completely gone when i go back to using DX9.

 

Why i think this has probabely not to do with my FSX settings but rather with my system is because i have tried just about everything i could find here and in the net about remedy FSX stutters and nothing works. That goes for settings in the FSX Display Menu and in the FSX.cfg as well. And since my FSX was running beautifully in DX10 all the time i never changed anything in the Display Menu nore in the FSX.cfg.

 

Along with Steve's freeware DX10 fixer i am using Bojote's automatic FSX tweaks with great satisfaction. When, all of sudden, i met with this awesome stuttering i bought Steve's new commercial version of his DX10SceneryFixer to see if that would help. It didn't...

 

For a while i have been having a big problem with the dreaded 'Display

Driver Stopped Responding And Has Been Recovered' message whereupon the screen went black for a split second and everything returned to normal. This got worse over time until Windows7 wouldn't even start-up anymore.

 

Anyway, as this story is already long winding enough (sorry about that), atlast i called the Dell Helpdesk, the Magician at the other end took over my computer and the problem was fixed in no time. Very happy about that, never seen this warning message again. All's well!

 

I really can't remember if this Mega FSX stutter started right after the Dell Helpdesker fixed my 'Display Driver Stopped Working' problem ( i know for one thing that he installed a new display driver, which i myself had already done too of course, and installed an up to date BIOS) but i am really sure that i have never seen this mega stutter BEFORE he fixed that problem.

 

My system is Alienware Area51 ALX, i7X980 @ 3.33GHz(12 CPUs), Geforce GTX480, 12Gb RAM, 30" monitor, Windows7 Pro 64 bits. I am running FSX with REX. UTX. UT2. FTXGlobal and all FTX European add-ons.

 

Again sorry for the winding story but i didn't know how else i could describe this particular mysterious problem which only happens with DX10 which has always ran so beautifully before.

 

I just hope somebody here may recognise this problem and help me out.

 

Fingers crossed, thank you so much for any tip/hint on forehand !

 

Cheers,

Jan   

[Paul J 349]

Please put your system specs and cpu speed in your profile, Jan, so that it appears under your Avatar. Then - copy and rename your fsx.cfg to "Jan_fsx.txt", and attach it to a reply, using the "More Reply Options" (bottom-right). Follow that by posting a screenshot of your Inspector settings, please!

 

Thanks,

 

Paul J

[Ron Attwood 3,464]

Please put your system specs and cpu speed in your profile, Jan, so that it appears under your Avatar. Then - copy and rename your fsx.cfg to "Jan_fsx.txt", and attach it to a reply, using the "More Reply Options" (bottom-right). Follow that by posting a screenshot of your Inspector settings, please!

 

Thanks,

 

Paul J

 

You've got that reply on a macro haven't you Paul? :lol:

[Paul J 349]

:lol:  :lol:  :lol:

 

Son of a gun! 

 

YES - an' I'll give you three guesses why!  :lol:

 

(sorry for the tardy reply, Ron - we had to go into town to get snow tires on the van.)

[Javiz 104]

Please put your system specs and cpu speed in your profile, Jan, so that it appears under your Avatar. 

 

Done! 

 

Please find my fsx.cfg attached. Can't tell you anything about Inspector because i don't use it... Before this trouble started i have been very satisfied with my FSX performance. Certainly after installing Steve's DX10 shaders fix. 

 

I would've probabely not bothered with P3D v2 at the moment if it wasn't for the fact that i thought it would be interesting to see if my FSX DX10 problem would not occur in P3D v2. So i bought a license only to find that these huge pauses i get in FSX DX10 are even much worse in P3D ! 

 

Good thing here is that it probabely proves that my problem doesn't have anything to do with my FSX settings. Personally i believe it might well be a Windows 7 problem because i see other quirks too. F.i. it takes about a minute for an email that i want to answer to turn up (WIndows Life Mail). Never seen this happening before neither. 

 

Anyway, thank you for wanting to have a look into this, Paul. Hopefully you might have an idea what could be causing this extraordinairy stuttering in FSX/DX10 and now also in P3D v2.

 

Thanks!

 

Cheers,

Jan

jan_fsx.txt

[Paul J 349]

So i bought a license only to find that these huge pauses i get in FSX DX10 are even much worse in P3D !

 

 

Yup! DX10 graphics are managed differently from DX9 graphics. DX11 graphics are managed differently from DX10 graphics.     This means that we have three different applications - all three being different to each other, therefore we cannot expect or predict that either will have better or poorer performance, or better or poorer graphics, without modification and optimization to each application's configuration settings, graphics driver settings, and also to the operating system.  

 

 

 it probably proves that my problem doesn't have anything to do with my FSX settings. Personally i believe it might well be a Windows 7 problem because i see other quirks too. 

 

 

Sorry, Jan - it proves nothing. Before looking at your fsx.cfg - you are running the cpu at 3.3 GHz, using a GTX480, and are not using Inspector - which is an absolute must if you are going to use FSX in the DX10 mode. (I expect this is probably true af P3D, too, as AA is managed similarly in both applications.) If you have any normal or high settings, or do nothing to optimize the system - you will always have some anomaly which you may be unable to accept. Almost every facet of the FSX/P3D application is going to require compromize in one area or another - or even worse - all areas, depending upon the power of the system.

 

I will make the changes to the cfg that are necessary, given the above, but without Inspector, you are not going to get the better image quality which it will bring. 

Here is an Inspector page which is usable.

Here is a link to the "How-To" doc/pdf. which will perhaps make the process a little clearer.

Here is a link to settings which cause problems:

Here is a link to help you set BufferPools.

 

... and here is your changed fsx.cfg:

 

jan_fsx_chgd.txt

 

1). Inspector is needed.

2). I would recommend upgrading the system to achieve 4.6GHz, and using a mid-high-end GPU.

3). Do not use the Bojote "configurator", as a). it is applicable to DX9 - not DX10, and b). it is way out of date.

 

All the Best,

 

pj

[Javiz 104]

Thanks very much for your input, Paul, much appreciated ! 

 

I have to stress again that the problem i am facing is NOT a regular fps/performance problem, i.e. average low fps together with continuous light stuttering which indeed might well be fixed by fsx.cfg tweaks, system upgrade, running Nvidia Inspector, etc. In fact, on my system, FSX has been running very nicely indeed in DX9 mode (with Bojote's tweaks) and butter sweet in DX10 ( with Steve's shader's fix).Let me give you an example: 

 

Taxiing around my default airport Aldergrove, summer 17.00 hours, Rex weather, all traffic (UT2) at 30% ( no road traffic ), most sliders full right. Frame rate unlimited. FTXGlobal plus FTX Northern Ireland. 

 

Default Maule DX9  : average 30 fps.

Default Maule DX10 : average 50 fps. (tops 80/90)

 

Flying around beautiful FTX Northern Ireland in one of my favs, A2A B-17, at 2000 feet AGL: DX9 average 30 fps but can get down to 12/15 over extremely dense Belfast. With DX10 i get an average of 50 fps.

 

Who wouldn't be happy with that ?... ( i tried both these scenarios with my own fsx.cfg and yours, makes no difference.. )

 

It's just these totally uncommon HUGE PAUSES in DX10 mode, which i have NEVER encountered before, that spoil all the fun. I have been flying FS for about 25 years so i know all about low fps/performance and stuttering but this is quite something else which will not be fixed with cfg tweaks or running Nvidia Inspector. ( i so wish it would !! )

 

The only thing i can think of that will bring my beloved FSX in DX10 mode back to its sweet self is to reinstall Windows7. But i just did that 2 months ago !  :Whew: 

 

Anyway, thanks much again for your suggestions, Paul, i will install Nvidia Inspector, thanks for all the links, but i don't have much hope it will solve this 'out of the DX10 FSX world' problem i am facing.

 

Any more suggestions extremely welcome !  :Praying:  :smile: 

 

Thanks again!!

 

Cheers,

Jan  

[Paul J 349]

Check for applications which "call home" - like Windows Update, Google Update, Flash, and a dozen others. Running services and processes should all be stopped so that FSX has the machine to itself.

[paula 0]

sometimes these odd situation could be solved with deleting your cfg file /reboot and fireup fsx and let the system made a new cfg file.

after this you can add the special items from paul again.

see if it works for you

[Javiz 104]

Check for applications which "call home" - like Windows Update, Google Update, Flash, and a dozen others. Running services and processes should all be stopped so that FSX has the machine to itself.

I forgat to mention another item i noticed after the Dell Helpdesk tech changed things: Windows Update doesn't work anymore. Been looking for answers for this too. Tried a few things that didn't work, yesterday i found something that particularly interest me. It could have something to do with the HD drivers, particularly Intel Rapid Storage Technologie. Someone had the same problem and after installing the latest drivers for Intel RST he finally got rid of the problem. 

 

The Dell tech *did* install new BIOS drivers... For this to work i need to configure my SATA drives to RAID  mode but i can't find anything about this in the BIOS config menu.

 

I called Dell again and Monday next a Dell tech will visit me and hopefully get to the bottom of this.

 

I'll let you now the result, Paul, thanks very much for your help !

 

cheers,

Jan 

[Javiz 104]

sometimes these odd situation could be solved with deleting your cfg file /reboot and fireup fsx and let the system made a new cfg file.

after this you can add the special items from paul again.

see if it works for you

 

If only it was this easy, Paula... It's something way more serious than making changes in the FSX.cfg. It does not only affect FSX but also P3D for one thing...

 

A Dell tech is going to look into the problem now. Going to be very interesting to know what caused the problem. 

 

Thanks for your help anyway!  B)

 

Btw, two persons trying to help me out here... Paul and Paula....  You don't happen to sing together, do you ?....  :smile: 

 

cheers,

jan

[Paul J 349]

To reinterate:-

 

2). I would recommend upgrading the system to achieve 4.6GHz, and using a mid-high-end GPU.

 

Check for applications which "call home" - like Windows Update, Google Update, Flash, and a dozen others. Running services and processes should all be stopped so that FSX has the machine to itself.

 

Regrds,

 

pj

[Javiz 104]

'Dell boy' came round this morning and started installing a new video card..... I said don't you wanna see what the problem is first ?..... Of course this new vid card didn't change anything. He gave me new Alienware installation and drivers CD's and asked me to reinstall Windows..... Yeah, right....   :bad: 

 

Oh, well, my car is in the garage and my phone doesn't work anymore either. I guess it's the time of the year...

 

Cheers,

Jan