FPS drops on approach

[neucoas 82]

I don't have many hopes about fixing this issue, but nothing lost asking.

 

The thing is no matter what add-on or scenery I'm using, sometimes, I feel when I sim for more than 1.5hs or so, on approach (3-5 miles away) my fps drops from steady 30 to 15-18, until I close the sim.

 

If I load the sim again, same airport aircraft time and weather my fps are just fine.. It doesn't happen always, as I said above, I think is when I do my longer flights (I usually sim about 1hr).

 

Maybe has something to do about the airport loading on approach, but happens both ORBX region or freeware LFPG in the middle of stock scenery.

 

Settings. Really conservative, no NI, no P3D.cfg teweaks. Only 2xMSAA, 8xAF, Water medium, no AI, HDR on, Shadows medium (only cockpit), AG medium.

 

About VAS, I had 1.9GB remaining. No stutters or anything, the sim is usable but it lags when I pan the camera with my hat switch, due to low fps. That's how i realise that my fps dropped.

 

About HW.. i5 3470, GTX660Ti 3GB, W10Pro x64, 8GB RAM. Temperatures are fine.

 

Thanks everyone for reading

[RW1 615]

Your GPU GTX660Ti is the weak link in the chain. You would get more performance with a 9 series GPU, LM suggests a minimum of 4gb for GPU`s running P3dv3, i`m assuming your running 3.2...!

[Guest]

That's one of the reasons I hung it up. I worked very hard on balancing my system for performance and using a 30hz display I got to a point where I could push back taxi and take off and follow my route to the destination and maintain a silky smooth and constant 30fps for the entire flight on very nice setting until I was getting close to the destination where the FPS would drop to as low as the teens. Once on the ground they picked up a bit but the constant 30 was gone. I have even flown tight circuits and landing back at the same airport and again the FPS drops well below 30 on approach. Now I am talking about Tubeliners here and big hubs not GA. Although now I cannot recall if it happened then too. This is Prepar3D's Achilles heel. Let me know when its fixed and I'll be back after I move with an Oculus Rift :-)

[neucoas 82]

Your GPU GTX660Ti is the weak link in the chain. You would get more performance with a 9 series GPU, LM suggests a minimum of 4gb for GPU`s running P3dv3, i`m assuming your running 3.2...!

 

Next flight i will check my VRAM load, but i highly doubt its the issue. No way i will change the GPU for the time being, not simming/gamming that much to justify it!

 

That's one of the reasons I hung it up. I worked very hard on balancing my system for performance and using a 30hz display I got to a point where I could push back taxi and take off and follow my route to the destination and maintain a silky smooth and constant 30fps for the entire flight on very nice setting until I was getting close to the destination where the FPS would drop to as low as the teens. Once on the ground they picked up a bit but the constant 30 was gone. I have even flown tight circuits and landing back at the same airport and again the FPS drops well below 30 on approach. Now I am talking about Tubeliners here and big hubs not GA. Although now I cannot recall if it happened then too. This is Prepar3D's Achilles heel. Let me know when its fixed and I'll be back after I move with an Oculus Rift :-)

 

Interesting... Thanks for sharing. If persist, going back to FSX.. I will miss the shadows!

[N1G 88]

I think that regardless of your GPU, on approach, and depending on the complexity of the airport, the fps will drop.

It could be so many things and most here do know that. I am running a weaker CPU than yours, but I am running a better GPU.

The bottleneck may be your GPU.

 

 

Bob

[GSalden 4,655]

Your GPU is the cause....

 

Perhaps you can borrow a faster card ,just to try.

Then you will see that you will be getting better fps on final and landing.

 

The thuth is that your whole system is a low end system which is not powerfull enough to have it running with good fps in heavy detailed scenery for a longer time.

When reloading you are unloading passed scenery and therefore will see better fps...

[neucoas 82]

OK guys thanks. I will check my VRAM load next time if it's really filled.

 

Will report back !

[scottb613 1,187]

Hi Folks,

 

I was having a similar issue at around that point as well with V3.1 - to the point I was seeing crashes at about two hours - typically when I was a few miles from my destination - as that's about the limit of my endurance... Talk about frustrating... I haven't tested this long a flight in V3.2 yet after a complete wipe and reload of P3D from scratch...

 

I'm running i2700K Sandy at 4.7Ghz - 16GB (2100) Ram - and - a top end GTX970...

 

Regards,

Scott

[Guest]

well if its the video card it must be the memory. Because I run 2 x FTX 780 in SLI. Granted that only gives me 3MB of VRAM. 4MB is recommended.

[neucoas 82]

I did a quick test. My VRAM is not a problem at all.

[Guest]

personally I think the problem is universal. Choose any large hub and balance you setting for a constant 30fps for taxi, take off and climb out. Even though you can maintain that 30fps fly back to the same airport and land on the same runway with the same setting and you will not be able to maintain 30fps and will probably drop about 30% of your frames. I think that there is an awful lot more going on in the sim on approach and landing than at any other phase of flight. Anyway, its the Achilles heal P3D and I have hung it up for that reason for now. :-(

[Afterburner 374]

If you are using heavy amounts of AI traffic in combination with complex scenery, your FPS drop on approach will be more severe than if you don't use the mentioned add-ons.

 

Have you checked out this thread?  There is a video, in which I have documented the FPS drop on approach in FSX and P3D:

 

http://www.avsim.com/topic/468636-fps-drop-on-approach/?p=3406766

[neucoas 82]

personally I think the problem is universal. Choose any large hub and balance you setting for a constant 30fps for taxi, take off and climb out. Even though you can maintain that 30fps fly back to the same airport and land on the same runway with the same setting and you will not be able to maintain 30fps and will probably drop about 30% of your frames. I think that there is an awful lot more going on in the sim on approach and landing than at any other phase of flight. Anyway, its the Achilles heal P3D and I have hung it up for that reason for now. :-(

It's annoying that many people don't have this problem even with lower settings than mine. Every machine is different.

I will try to tolerate this issue as long as I can

[GHarrall 494]

I did a quick test. My VRAM is not a problem at all.

VRAM isn't even half the story. It's about how fast the card is in terms of pixel pushing power.

[neucoas 82]

VRAM isn't even half the story. It's about how fast the card is in terms of pixel pushing power.

The card isn't even at 50%. Remember, i run almost a stock simulator.

 

Did another flight from LFPG LSGG. At LFPG 20Fps promedy, on air stedy 30 and on approach the same again... 18-20Fps... On arrival gate up to 23. Oh well...