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OzWhitey

Prepar3d v5 to the Max - These Sliders go Up to 11!

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Inspired by Spencer's question in this thread, I thought I see how Prepar3d reacts to some pretty crazy slider action.

I thought I'd begin the flight test program at an airport I know well and have used many times before - Western Carolina Regional Airport (KRHP) in NC. It's a nice part of the world with the Smoky Mountains just on the doorstep.

Let's start with the default F-35. I'm using a  2560x1440 display, I've got some pretty standard slider settings, the weather is clear and I'm on the active runway. Using my i9900K CPU at a fairly conservative overclock (4.9) and a MSI 2080Ti Gaming X Trio  at factory settings. So far, so good. 

FPS is at 170, and my VRAM is sitting at 2.3. The GPU and CPU fans are kind of quiet - so it's time to change some settings.

Step 1: Beginning with the Display page, let's crank everything up to the max: FXAA on, Aniso 16x, 8xSSAA, texture 4096, vsync on.

1Fam4IK.jpg

Results:

FPS: 60
VRAM 2.7
CPU 7%
GPU 57%

Comment: A bit of work for the GPU now, but we're still getting a stable 60 FPS.

Step 2: The "World" settings page. The sliders in other sims only go up to 10, but these ones go up to 11! They wouldn't have an "11" setting of you weren't meant to use it, so I did. Only thing not active - the beta Enhanced Atmospherics.

t1Ck336.jpg

Whoa! The trees are moving now, and I can use my submarine.

Results:

FPS 60
VRAM 2.7
CPU 10
GPU 78%

Comment: Speedtrees at 60 FPS and enough VRAM left over to play some COD whilst I'm flying (if I wanted to, which I don't).

Step 3: Let's turn all the traffic sliders up to full noise, and then it's time to max out the "Lighting" page:

NrG9Crx.jpg

p7vdSN3.jpg

Results:

FPS 20
VRAM 2.9
CPU 6
GPU 76%

Comment: FPS are still at 20 FPS and VRAM is looking good. Wait, we did want every slider to right, yes? Including brightness, bloom and saturation?

MBeoAv5.jpg?1

OK, now that we've put everything to the right, I hope you can live with me backing the brightness, bloom and saturation off a little, OK?

Step 4: Let's really test LM's new sim now, though. 

Enhanced atmospherics: ON

Cloud resolution: Ultra

Godrays: On

7PLejHI.jpg

Status: Prepr3d is now running with absolutely every slider at 11, and with every performance-eating tickbox selected. It's time to step up the crazy, turn on ActiveSky P3D and take her for a fly:

qC5Gf0q.jpg

Results: As you can see, the CPU and GPU are working, but it's very flyable and no hint of instability.

Step 5: Final level boss: All sim sliders and options set to MAX+, ASP3D on with some cloudy weather, Flight test with complex addon airliner.

8ZqnZTW.jpg

Results: We...we did it! We've thrown EVERYTHING at this sim, and it just keeps flying. Frames per second is holding at around 20, even when flying through this thick overcast.

Conclusion: 

This has been a moment that I've waited for for years. A sim where you can literally turn up every setting to the max in the default program, and it still runs pretty well. Even challenging Active Sky weather and a complex airliner fail to defeat it. 

I really do think that LM have done a genuinely impressive job here with their DX12 engine, particularly for anyone who remembers the slideshow that FSX was on release, even when using high-end hardware.

Lockheed Martin devs - if you are reading this, I would like you to take a look at the sliders. In HF2, they still only go up to 11. Any chance you could modify them for HF3/5.1 so that they can be turned up to 12?

Cheers!

Edited by OzWhitey
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Oz

 xdQCeNi.jpg   puHyX98.jpg

Sim Rig: MSI RTX3090 Suprim, an old, partly-melted Intel 9900K @ 5GHz+, Honeycomb Alpha, Thrustmaster TPR Rudder, Warthog HOTAS, Reverb G2, Prosim 737 cockpit. 

Currently flying: MSFS: PMDG 737-700, Fenix A320, Leonardo MD-82, MIlviz C310, Flysimware C414AW, DC Concorde, Carenado C337. Prepar3d v5: PMDG 737/747/777.

"There are three simple rules for making a smooth landing. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are."

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Very nice,

thou throw in the pmdg at egll with TE and lots  of Ai.

come back and tell us your results 😀

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Would love to see your results at 4k, with Orbx add-ons FTX So Cal, FSDT KLAX, Chaseplane, AIG AI, Global Ship Traffic v2, GSX, FS2Crew, etc.

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20FPS with all sliders on max over a more or less absolutely not-demanding scenery in a default plane is far from what I would call "I was waiting for this for years". Especially not when running this on one on the most powerful processors currently available with the most powerful GPU currently available at the rather "small" resolution of 1440p.

BUT: it is a big leap forward compared to earlier versions of P3D and certainly a huge, monstrous step forward since those FSX days. I am utterly happy with the performance of v5 (except those annyoing stutters every 3 seconds above certain regions).

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Greetings, Chris

Intel i5-13600K, 2x16GB 3200MHz CL14 RAM, MSI RTX 4080 Gaming X, Windows 11 Home, MSFS

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Well done Rob, v5 is also a big step forward in my experience with Prepar3d.

Of course you don't need to prove anything nor will you stop the knockers who will want to prove they can do a better job of breaking P3D.

Enjoy your flying, I certainly am.

Edited by Uteman
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A.Chryss - near YSCB

1. ASUS ROG STRIX X299 i9-7900X (delid - 4.9Ghz All Cores), EK 420x45 RAD, D5 Pump, EK monoblok, 32GBs GSkill 3600MHz ram 1T, Gig Aorus GTX1080Ti (2075Mhz), SSung 970 Evo 2TB & 1Tb & 960Evo 500GB NVMe, 2xSSDs. XBox controller for camera views. - Flight sims

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52 minutes ago, AnkH said:

20FPS with all sliders on max over a more or less absolutely not-demanding scenery in a default plane is far from what I would call "I was waiting for this for years". Especially not when running this on one on the most powerful processors currently available with the most powerful GPU currently available at the rather "small" resolution of 1440p.

BUT: it is a big leap forward compared to earlier versions of P3D and certainly a huge, monstrous step forward since those FSX days. I am utterly happy with the performance of v5 (except those annyoing stutters every 3 seconds above certain regions).

There's about 10,000 (?100,000 - I don't know, I did not count) Terraflora trees in that scenery, with each one casting and receiving the highest grade of shadows over the highest distance possible. Also, many of them are dynamic 3D autogen, which you see when slewing to the ground (I have never flown with this in normal use). Also, I did it in a study-level airliner. Plus the highest-def mesh you can get (Pilot's). And someone else wanted Henrik's ships, well they were on and set to 100%, not that that makes much difference in NC!

No one is suggesting that you should actually use these settings for routine flying. The point is that - despite what you read on the internet - LM has built a sim that works really well with modern hardware, one which you can't break even with every single slider and checkbox maxxed out. Change to a poorly-optimised system, add non-compatible addons or use older hardware, and you can absolutely make it crash. But the sim as delivered by LM is a really good piece of programming.

Before I did this test, I would have guessed that speedtrees, dynamic reflections and every shadow known to man turned on would break it. It didn't.

"But you didn't use my favorite complex airport..."

OK, that's coming... 🙂

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Oz

 xdQCeNi.jpg   puHyX98.jpg

Sim Rig: MSI RTX3090 Suprim, an old, partly-melted Intel 9900K @ 5GHz+, Honeycomb Alpha, Thrustmaster TPR Rudder, Warthog HOTAS, Reverb G2, Prosim 737 cockpit. 

Currently flying: MSFS: PMDG 737-700, Fenix A320, Leonardo MD-82, MIlviz C310, Flysimware C414AW, DC Concorde, Carenado C337. Prepar3d v5: PMDG 737/747/777.

"There are three simple rules for making a smooth landing. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are."

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Here you go.

  • Flightbeam KSFO.
  • Orbx TrueEarth Northern California.
  • FS2Crew.
  • GSX Level 2, passenger boarding.
  • Leonardo Maddog.
  • Heinrik's ships, 100%.
  • AIG AI traffic, every airline installed, set at 100%.
  • ActiveSky P3D.

As per previous test, every single slider and checkbox turned up to 11 - I tried to move them further, but they would not budge. 

RuO1WTi.jpg

Result: GPU being well-utilised, but this is without any GPU overclock. 15 FPS. Sim did not break, CPU did not melt. 

Comment: Next level boss - eliminated. 

🙂

Edited by OzWhitey
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Oz

 xdQCeNi.jpg   puHyX98.jpg

Sim Rig: MSI RTX3090 Suprim, an old, partly-melted Intel 9900K @ 5GHz+, Honeycomb Alpha, Thrustmaster TPR Rudder, Warthog HOTAS, Reverb G2, Prosim 737 cockpit. 

Currently flying: MSFS: PMDG 737-700, Fenix A320, Leonardo MD-82, MIlviz C310, Flysimware C414AW, DC Concorde, Carenado C337. Prepar3d v5: PMDG 737/747/777.

"There are three simple rules for making a smooth landing. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are."

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1 hour ago, bill62 said:

Would love to see these results in VR.

I always fly in VR, just in flatscreen mode for this test. Despite my happiness at finding the Holy Grail - a flightsim that the sliders will not reduce to a stuttering mess - I think the VR experience would be less than optimal with these settings! This flight test is just an experiment to see how hard the sim is to break with good hardware (spoiler: it's hard).


Oz

 xdQCeNi.jpg   puHyX98.jpg

Sim Rig: MSI RTX3090 Suprim, an old, partly-melted Intel 9900K @ 5GHz+, Honeycomb Alpha, Thrustmaster TPR Rudder, Warthog HOTAS, Reverb G2, Prosim 737 cockpit. 

Currently flying: MSFS: PMDG 737-700, Fenix A320, Leonardo MD-82, MIlviz C310, Flysimware C414AW, DC Concorde, Carenado C337. Prepar3d v5: PMDG 737/747/777.

"There are three simple rules for making a smooth landing. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are."

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This doesn't tell the story of frame pacing, which is at least as important as FPS. So far I haven't been able to get v5 to get anywhere near smooth frame pacing in complex scenery + aircraft + AI. v4 wasn't great at this either to be fair, but it was still better than what I'm seeing in v5.

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23 minutes ago, OzWhitey said:

Here you go.

  • Flightbeam KSFO.
  • Orbx TrueEarth Northern California.
  • FS2Crew.
  • GSX Level 2, passenger boarding.
  • Leonardo Maddog.
  • Heinrik's ships, 100%.
  • AIG AI traffic, every airline installed, set at 100%.
  • ActiveSky P3D.

As per previous test, every single slider and checkbox turned up to 11 - I tried to move them further, but they would not budge. 

RuO1WTi.jpg

Result: GPU being well-utilised, but this is without any GPU overclock. 15 FPS. Sim did not break, CPU did not melt. 

Comment: Next level boss - eliminated. 

🙂

Very impressive! Thanks! That certainly gives me some hope for my next build on what performance should be like! For AIG do you have all flight plans installed and loaded?


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25 minutes ago, captain420 said:

Very impressive! Thanks! That certainly gives me some hope for my next build on what performance should be like! For AIG do you have all flight plans installed and loaded?

Yes, as per the second last dot point in the study protocol you have quoted, every single AIG airline and flight plan is active. Super Trafficboard lists 181 AI airliners.

Seeing as I was at KSFO for this flight test, I thought I'd try out the Queen, as all my other tests were with the MD-82. In flight, 13 FPS in the VC and 20 FPS in this external view:

3kBemS2.jpg

Edited by OzWhitey
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Oz

 xdQCeNi.jpg   puHyX98.jpg

Sim Rig: MSI RTX3090 Suprim, an old, partly-melted Intel 9900K @ 5GHz+, Honeycomb Alpha, Thrustmaster TPR Rudder, Warthog HOTAS, Reverb G2, Prosim 737 cockpit. 

Currently flying: MSFS: PMDG 737-700, Fenix A320, Leonardo MD-82, MIlviz C310, Flysimware C414AW, DC Concorde, Carenado C337. Prepar3d v5: PMDG 737/747/777.

"There are three simple rules for making a smooth landing. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are."

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Rob, you'll blow up your expensive computer. 

Edited by Dirk98
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With the v5 HF2 sim absolutely stock maxed in every degree, 9980Xe at 4.1GHz HT enabled 10 core 10 LPs AM=349525‬, 2x2080Ti NVLink, 4k Monitor fullscreen full AA, Mooney at a Gate in EGFF Cardiff, in or out of cockpit, not seen less than 25fps. 28fps above 1000ft. Smooth as an androids bum.

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Steve Waite: Engineer at codelegend.com

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