Jump to content
Sign in to follow this  
CaptKornDog

Trying to hunt down FS9 stutters

Recommended Posts

Hello all,Over the past week, I have finally gotten fed up with FS9 microstutters I've been experiencing for quite some time on my relatively new machine. Setting almost all of my FS settings to minimal and still seeing the same stuttering every 5-10 seconds pushed me over the edge for a full reinstall. After installing the bare bones FS9 and 9.1 patch, no stutters existed; I thought I was off to a good start. With defrags and reboots, I was ready for reinstalling my addons. The next item I installed was FSUIPC (the freeware version). Loading FS9, I was surprised the stutters had already come back. These are most notable when I'm taxiing and staring at a taxiway sign, it jumps as it moves by my plane, it's not fluid. Panning around the aircraft in spot view also reveals these stutters, I'll see the sim stutter at least once per revolution around my plane. Looking at the ground below during flight also reveals these stutters, as objects seem to "pop" by under my moving aircraft. Trying to troubleshoot, I removed FSUIPC and rebooted my computer. Reloading FS, the same stutters were gone.Is there a chance someone might have some insight on any kind of settings within FSUIPC that may be causing this? I literally have no other addons installed at this point, just FS9.1 and FSUIPC. My internal FS9 settings are generally mid-to-high end with FPS locked at 60 FPS (refresh rate of my monitor).I have renamed the FSUIPC.ini file for FS to build a new one to no avail. I also have the most-up-to-date Saitek X52 and video drivers.Thanks very much!


Kyle Weber (Private Pilot, ASEL; Flight Test Engineer)
Check out my repaints and downloads, all right here on AVSIM

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

First you should be using the versions from the links posted at the RC forum top here on AVSIM. The freeware and payware version is the same. RC and other applications will enable the features they require. The most recent versions take care of some functions that may have caused stuttering with the various functions of VISTA and Win 7. FSUIPC itself has minimal overhead. It is usually the apps it feeds that use most resources. As an example with RC running RC asks for TCAS tables (lists of AI aircraft, where they are located, and what they are doing) quite frequently which increases slightly the load of FSUIPC.Perhaps your performance is marginal for the CPU speed and amount of ram you have. Locking frames at 60 fps is quite a high resource load even for FS9 with anything else running. Remember that FS9 is only capable of running on a single core. It has been stated that FSX and probably FS9 will run better on Win 7 as shown by published benchmarks. The author thought and his sources intimated that using Win 7 transferred from complex calculations to the graphics processor if available unloaded the complex math from the CPU. Remember in FS that graphics are normally rendered for the most part on the CPU and only the final display of rendered objects is passed to the graphics card. For FS purposes that is why the CPU clock speed is more important than the 3D performance level of the graphics card (over a certain threshold). The FSX benchmark showed that with Win 7 a fps rate increased by about 25% over XP and VISTA with the same clock speed and ram and graphics card.Airport loads on the fps performance are more demanding because of airport objects and AI present in the airport and around the area.Some add-on aircraft and gauge sets are known to use quite a bit of resources. AI rendering contributes to it. Add the slightest load such as FSUIPC even idling it could become more pronounced.Try setting your fps to unlimited letting FS dynamically adjust it so resources are not wasted. Maybe FSUIPC with its low resources is just tipping the iceberg with your current setup. Also, make sure FS, RC, and other add-ons are listed in any security software as trusted applications to reduce security monitoring of the processes they use.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Thank you for the reply. I'm using a fresh install of FSUIPC straight from Pete's website. I wasn't aware there was an alternate one in the forums here.I currently run Windows 7. I was previously able to run REX, ASE, FSInn, with a heavy payware aircraft (PMDG MD-11, QW 757, etc.), with frames locked at 60 and the same stutter (hence, what prompted me to reinstall FS). Setting my frames to unlimited pushes me up to 80-150 FPS, but creates even more stutters while panning around the world. Same thing with anything locked under 60. I can hold 30 FPS rock solid, but panning/taxiing/flying just looks VERY sluggish. It is perplexing to see this on default aircraft with only FSUIPC installed on a clean FS9.1 install. I have AI turned off, and my anti-virus excludes all of my FS folders nor is it set to do any idle background checking. This stutter still exists even with the absolute minimum sliders; it appears that sliders really have no impact on it.


Kyle Weber (Private Pilot, ASEL; Flight Test Engineer)
Check out my repaints and downloads, all right here on AVSIM

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

there are no alternates, the one from Pete's site is the only one and recent..www.schiratti.com/dowson

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

The pinned topic on the RC forum site gives both the main site link and links to the interim updates for both FSUIPC and makerwys.exe plus some install hints and procedures after updating makerys.exe as used in RC4. It is not an 'alternate' site, just a message with links and procedures to Pete's main page on schiratti and to pages on his support forum for the interim updates.It just saves me typing to refer to this pinned topic.

there are no alternates, the one from Pete's site is the only one and recent..www.schiratti.com/dowson

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Then in that case, I do have the most recent FSUIPC installed.

CPU throttling!
Not positive it is that...that minimum CPU power management state I set in Win7 is 100%.It seems this effect is reduced in full-screen mode, but that prevents me from being able to access SB/ASE or other external programs to flight. I would also be happy to lock my FPS at 30 or 40, and while FS9 maintains those very very well, I have horrible stuttering for any setting other than 60.

Kyle Weber (Private Pilot, ASEL; Flight Test Engineer)
Check out my repaints and downloads, all right here on AVSIM

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

If you alt-tab in full screen (or windowed mode for that matter) mode that will take to other folders or running applications. I have all of my FS related shortcuts in a folder that I leave open. I can therefore alt-tab to it to start other applications. I don't see a need to run FS in Windowed mode.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
If you alt-tab in full screen (or windowed mode for that matter) mode that will take to other folders or running applications. I have all of my FS related shortcuts in a folder that I leave open. I can therefore alt-tab to it to start other applications. I don't see a need to run FS in Windowed mode.
Only downside to full screen mode is that my 2d panels show up as black as well.

Kyle Weber (Private Pilot, ASEL; Flight Test Engineer)
Check out my repaints and downloads, all right here on AVSIM

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Then in that case, I do have the most recent FSUIPC installed.Not positive it is that...that minimum CPU power management state I set in Win7 is 100%.It seems this effect is reduced in full-screen mode, but that prevents me from being able to access SB/ASE or other external programs to flight. I would also be happy to lock my FPS at 30 or 40, and while FS9 maintains those very very well, I have horrible stuttering for any setting other than 60.
Something isn't right - you shouldn't be seeing any stutters in FS with that system; I certainly don't with an i7 920 and 260GTX card, and FSUIPC represents a very small additional load. What add-ons are you running when stuttering occurs? What are your grapic settings? Does this occur with the default planes? Much additional info is needed to give you any help. BTW, the black out panels and so on are not unusual under Win7 with full screen mode - I've not found a way to run other than windowed...DJ

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Something isn't right - you shouldn't be seeing any stutters in FS with that system; I certainly don't with an i7 920 and 260GTX card, and FSUIPC represents a very small additional load. What add-ons are you running when stuttering occurs? What are your grapic settings? Does this occur with the default planes? Much additional info is needed to give you any help. BTW, the black out panels and so on are not unusual under Win7 with full screen mode - I've not found a way to run other than windowed...DJ
Currently on the clean copy of FS, I'm literally only running the FS9.1 patch and FSUIPC installed. This occurs with default planes at any airport (default scenery). If I increase my FPS to 100, the stutters become "less severe" but more frequent, if that makes sense...while panning around in a circle, it's like the buildings jump around to form a multi-sided polygon instead of a smooth circle.I'm using nVidiaInspector with the AA settings recommended in the PMDG forums. Vsync, I've been playing with on and off, with no real visible effect. I also just added the TEXTURE_BANDWIDTH_MULT=400 edit to fs9.cfg.For sliders:Special effects detail - highTerrain mesh complexity - 100Terrain detail - land onlyWater effects - highDawn/dusk texture blending - onExtended terrain textures - onScenery complexity - extremely denseAutogen density - denseAdd on dynamic scenery - on and extremely denseGround scenery casts shadows - offSun glare - onLens flare - offAircraft VC gauge quality - highReflections - onAircraft cast shadows - onLanding lights - onWeather sight distance - 90 miCloud draw distance - 50 mi3d cloud percentage - 100%Detailed clouds with coverage density maximumHardware target FPS - experimenting between 60 and 100...again 60 is smoothest with stutters, 100 has more stutters but less severe, anything below 60 is incredibly sluggish with stutters (it definitely does NOT look like what I would characterize even 30 FPS)Resolution - 1920x1080x32Render to texture - onTransform and lighting - onAA - on with trilinearMIP map quality - 3Hardware-rendered lights - 6Global max texture size - massiveI've disabled my anti-virus as well as added FS9 folders to the exclusion lists. I have also disabled the Windows (annoying) indexing service. I've also tried lowering these sliders dramatically, almost to minimum with no effect (other than ugly visuals).Thanks for the replies again.

Kyle Weber (Private Pilot, ASEL; Flight Test Engineer)
Check out my repaints and downloads, all right here on AVSIM

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

See if tthis long thread about NVidia Inspector on the PMDG General Forum helps with any of this:http://forum.avsim.net/topic/324786-nvidia-configuration-guide-inspector-2xxxx-drivers-version-20-explanations-of-all-settings/Note the description about the GPU under clocking itself with some cards.Now it is thought that complex math calls in Win 7 are passed to the GPU instead of the CPU according to series of published articles on benchmarking FSX in Computer Magazine. If the GPU is under clocked this would slow things up. This would apply to any complex math application.While FSX is mostly discussed, some of these settings in Inspector correct assumptions in newer card drivers that would also affect FS9 as well.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
See if tthis long thread about NVidia Inspector on the PMDG General Forum helps with any of this:http://forum.avsim.net/topic/324786-nvidia-configuration-guide-inspector-2xxxx-drivers-version-20-explanations-of-all-settings/Note the description about the GPU under clocking itself with some cards.Now it is thought that complex math calls in Win 7 are passed to the GPU instead of the CPU according to series of published articles on benchmarking FSX in Computer Magazine. If the GPU is under clocked this would slow things up. This would apply to any complex math application.While FSX is mostly discussed, some of these settings in Inspector correct assumptions in newer card drivers that would also affect FS9 as well.
Yep.
I'm using nVidiaInspector with the AA settings recommended in the PMDG forums.
Those are the settings I'm using verbatim (experimenting with Vsync is the only difference I have so far). While it has indeed fixed AA in FS9, no impact on the stutter. Returning nVidisInspector to the "recommended" settings, and hence removing AA from FS9, has no effect as well.

Kyle Weber (Private Pilot, ASEL; Flight Test Engineer)
Check out my repaints and downloads, all right here on AVSIM

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

You never stated what type of sound output you're using. On board or separate card. My system is way less pwerful as yours. I don't get stutters. I found using on board sound from motherboard increases cpu loads and calculations.


Bill McIntyre

Asus Rampage V Extreme, Intel Core I7 6950X (10 core)@ 4.5, 32GB's Crucial Ballistics DDR4 MEM, 1 Crucial M.2 4TB SSD, 4 Crucial-2TB SSD, Corsair H115i CPU liquid cooler, NVIDIA RTX 2080TI Founders Edition, LG 34" HD Curved Monitor, 2 Dell 27" Monitors, Sound Blaster Audigy X, 1Kw PC Power & Cooling Power Supply, Corsair Obsidian Full tower Case.  FSX-SE, MFFS 2020, PD3 v5.4, WIN10 Pro x64                                                                                                                                             

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I use a SoundBlaster X-Fi. Setting sound quality to medium or low has no impact.


Kyle Weber (Private Pilot, ASEL; Flight Test Engineer)
Check out my repaints and downloads, all right here on AVSIM

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
I use a SoundBlaster X-Fi. Setting sound quality to medium or low has no impact.
You might disable the SB and try using the on-board sound and see if there is a difference. I ran into an interesting circumstance with the same SB board in FSX with the PMDG MD-11; all spoken warnings played at extremely slow speed. The RealTek on board chip played them just fine - made me wonder. That said, I have no stutters using the same SB in FS9.DJ

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
Sign in to follow this  

  • Tom Allensworth,
    Founder of AVSIM Online


  • Flight Simulation's Premier Resource!

    AVSIM is a free service to the flight simulation community. AVSIM is staffed completely by volunteers and all funds donated to AVSIM go directly back to supporting the community. Your donation here helps to pay our bandwidth costs, emergency funding, and other general costs that crop up from time to time. Thank you for your support!

    Click here for more information and to see all donations year to date.
×
×
  • Create New...