FSX-MS Nick Needham's PC tweaks

[ErichB 3,643]

Hi all

 

I have for many years used NN tweak guide when installing W7 from scratch or when purchasing a new PC.  How many of you still follow this regime ?  Given that I'll probably use FSX in parallel with P3Dv2 for a few months yet, I'm going through my installation of FSX today on a new W7 install and was wondering what everyone else does?

 

Cheers

eric

[martin-w 3,235]

I just use common sense. No hyper intricate, to the letter of the law, in precise detail, "bible" following.

 

Never have.

 

FSX runs superbly.

 

I'm not condemning anyone who follows such advice though.

 

In my opinion there are a handful of do's and don'ts that it's advisable to comply with, that's it. Personally, I don't believe that over the top set up guides are required... or at least, they never have been for me.

 

The individual you mention has made a valuable contribution to our hobby though, and for that we are eternally grateful.

[simmerhead 885]

Nick's bible has been of great value to me. I don't follow all of his advice though, but I share his less tweaks is more approach. His Windows tuning is a bit over the top.

[mas618 17]

I follow it to the letter, because if I have performance issues, I know where NOT to look for the problem...

 

Mas

[martin-w 3,235]

Nick's bible has been of great value to me. I don't follow all of his advice though, but I share his less tweaks is more approach. His Windows tuning is a bit over the top.

Yes I agree, the windows tuning is way over the top. Rest of his advice is usefull.

[Jim Young 2,356]

I only use the AVSIM FSX Configuration Guide B) .  I tried his BIOS settings since he has the exact same system as I have (I got mine first) and I had nothing but crashes (even though the settings did pass the IntelBurnTest) so I went back to the overclock recommended by JJ at ASUS.  I do agree with his less tweaking is best philosophy and I use no tweaks because of it.  IMHO, his "Bible" has way too much information in it and wish he would stay with just the basics.  I do think one has to pay attention to his thoughts though as he has been a techie at NVidia and is a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP).  When you know your stuff and people start saying things that are not considered correct, it's hard not to get upset. 

 

Best regards,

[duckbilled 310]

I followed his guide when I set up my system in November 2009. He also helped me with my overclock. I am still on the same W7 install, FSX install and overclock. I'd say I got my money's worth with this system. I am getting a new system in the future, but for now, this one is still running.

[Alan_A 1,650]

I've followed Nick's advice on my last two builds and got great results.  Part of what I like about his guidance - both in the "bible" and in one-on-one dialogue - is that he's able to explain, coherently and in detail, why he recommends certain settings and why some hardware combinations are better than others.  It's hard to match his deep knowledge of hardware and how it interacts with FSX.

 

That said, I've never followed his recommendations to the letter.  If I had, I would have used Windows XP for my 2009 build and wouldn't have had an easy upgrade path from Vista to Windows 7.  I understood the case for XP but didn't want to build on an old OS.  But thanks to the level of detail in his explanations, I was able to make an informed choice, even if it was one he disagreed with.

 

I do sometimes wonder about the impact of some of his recommended settings, for example the deep Windows tuning.  I've always had trouble getting FSX DX10 to work on my systems, and certain other tweaks that others swear by just don't take on my rigs.  That might be because of some of Nick's tuning, or it might be just one of those your-mileage-may-vary issues.  I'm not knowledgeable enough to say.

 

I'm not sure if I'll follow his guidance on my next build.  Because he's thorough and conservative, he tends not to be as fast to adopt the latest hardware and software (see Windows XP, above) so it may be that by that point, a couple of years from now, some of his recommendations won't apply.  I also have a fantasy that someday I'll just be able to install my sim and run it without lots of under-the-hood work.  Maybe P3D or a future X-Plane will make that possible.  I can dream, right?  But I'll definitely check out Nick's latest before I put a new box together, even if I eventually decide to go my own way.

[DickB 6]

I've  used Nick's guides on every build also, and never regretted it. Thoroughness and conservatism is just fine in my book.

 

That's not to say there isn't lots of valuable and helpful advice from others out there too.

[magnetite 38]

I know a lot of the tweaks off by hand (eg. BP, highmemfix, etc). So I just put the basic stuff in there, and go flying. I don't overtweak.

[Flyer10 31]

If you have decent hardware and you didn't follow Nick's guide and you are happy with what you have got, that's great and good luck to you. If you follow Nick's guides on the same hardware, your FSX performance will be significantly better. End of story!

 

You are not optimizing Windows for FSX you are optimizing windows for any demanding program. Its will also benefit X-plane 10 and P3D V2. You just might have to remember to turn Hyper-threading on and off depending on what you are doing.

 

Oh and go ask the same question on Simforums and see what they say about it over there.

[ErichB 3,643]

Thanks all for your responses.  

 

As I mentioned, I have followed his guide to the letter over the years and will be eternally greatful to him for that.  My FSX installations have always been rock solid over the years and I have never had significant performance issues.  I was just wondering with processors being what they are today compared to 6 years ago, whether the hyper detailed Windows tweaking was still needed to squeeze the extra juice out of it.  That being said, I have applied the tweaks again, so job done.

 

Cheers

eric

[JetPilot13 6]

Greetings to all.  Long time lurker, first time poster and this is as good a place as any to chime in. 

 

I have been flight simming since 2006 and have been reading Nicks posts almost as long.  Built several systems both XP and W7.  Been following his windows setup guide and FSX install guide and overclocking advice since that time and have always had excellent results.  This man has worked for dozens of years as an aerospace/computer programming/electrical engineer and was a major player on the space shuttle computer and navigation design team (and remained so as a technical advisor through all shuttle missions during the flights), has contacts at Intel, Nvidia, ASUS, etc and personally knows all these guys, and especially knew and consulted with the ACES FSX code developers when they were still in business.  With these credentials I feel confident that he is probably the most knowledgeable and effective individual around when it comes to advice on our hobby.

 

I just think that when one comes across a teacher that is so well connected and experienced and spends so much of his time helping others, he is worth listening to (even if he comes off as a cranky old geezer at times :lol: ).

[DickB 6]

Wow. I for one didn't know that, and I suspect others didn't either. That explains a lot.

[martin-w 3,235]

I only use the AVSIM FSX Configuration Guide B) .  I tried his BIOS settings since he has the exact same system as I have (I got mine first) and I had nothing but crashes (even though the settings did pass the IntelBurnTest) so I went back to the overclock recommended by JJ at ASUS.  I do agree with his less tweaking is best philosophy and I use no tweaks because of it.  IMHO, his "Bible" has way too much information in it and wish he would stay with just the basics.  I do think one has to pay attention to his thoughts though as he has been a techie at NVidia and is a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP).  When you know your stuff and people start saying things that are not considered correct, it's hard not to get upset. 

 

Best regards,

 

 

Jim, regarding JJ's advice, did you use an adaptive voltage, and avoid synthetic stress tests, or switch to fixed?

 

JJ recommends adaptive but avoiding stress tests that will increase the voltage, potentially too high.

Wow. I for one didn't know that, and I suspect others didn't either. That explains a lot.

 

 

I had a conversation with him some years ago, where he mentioned his NASA exploits... and his "two" PhD's.