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FSX Graphical and Other Settings Tutorial.


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#41 Metalex

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Posted 16 August 2007 - 12:10 PM

Here you go PiP.  I took 6 shots with various combinations of no filtering, trilinear, anisotropic and ATI CCC 16x anisotropic.  Descriptions are above each screenshot.  I've also posted URLs of the full-size, unedited BMP screenshots.  Hope they do the job.  :lol:

FSX - None / ATI CCC - Use application settings
Posted Image

FSX - Trilinear / ATI CCC - Use application settings
Posted Image

FSX - Anisotropic / ATI CCC - Use application settings
Posted Image

FSX - None / ATI CCC - 16x Anisotropic
Posted Image

FSX - Trilinear / ATI CCC - 16x Anisotropic
Posted Image

FSX - Anisotropic / ATI CCC - 16x Anisotropic
Posted Image

Full size BMP files:

FSX None / ATI app settings
FSX Tri / ATI app settings
FSX Aniso / ATI app settings
FSX None / ATI 16x Aniso
FSX Tri / ATI 16x Aniso
FSX Aniso / ATI 16x Aniso

#42 viDTek

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Posted 17 August 2007 - 06:22 PM

thanks great guide

#43 Kensei

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Posted 16 November 2007 - 07:57 AM

In light of this topic (Graphical)...what is the vidcard FSX likes the best in term of vendor? I mean...NVidia and ATi have both launched their new reasonably priced vidcards. Overall the NV 8800GT wins 90% of all benches while ATi follows a tad lower.

NV has the advantage of power to produce more FPS. ATi is cheaper and uses the shader model but loses in AA mode.

So, my question is...if one was to buy a new vidcard between now and December 31st...what would benefit FSX most? A vidcard with DX10.1 (which isn't really gonna be used, even by words of MS) but with shader support, or a vidcard that produces more power and therefore more FPS and wins in the AA+AF terrain??

I thought I read somewhere that MS officially doesn't have a preference, but NV seems to be " liked more"  by MS. So NV seems to be the most logical choice, right?

#44 PiP

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Posted 16 November 2007 - 06:51 PM

nVidia card, but both companies have very poor drivers right now, it's a gamble as to who will sort their drivers out 1st/best.

#45 SriLankanAirLine

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Posted 25 March 2008 - 04:59 PM

:lol:  :lol:  :hrmm:  :hrmm:   THIS IS THE BEST SETTINGS FOR MY HD3870 RADEON. THANK YOU SO MUCH  :hrmm:  :)  :lol:

#46 Alan-31

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Posted 03 August 2008 - 11:01 AM

Good article but now a year old. PEople have better graphics cards now.

#47 learjet45dream

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Posted 07 August 2008 - 01:45 AM

Was that last comment really necessay?

#48 Metalex

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Posted 13 August 2008 - 10:41 AM

View PostAlan-31, on Aug 3 2008, 05:01 PM, said:

Good article but now a year old. PEople have better graphics cards now.
So?  Do the fundamentals of the tutorial no longer apply to new cards?

#49 -Toshiba-

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Posted 17 August 2008 - 06:24 PM

Aww MAN, THIS GUIDE IS AWSOME!!! THANKS PiP!!!! SERIOUSLY!!! I LOVE IT!!!

#50 Nabeel.

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Posted 19 August 2008 - 02:41 PM

Hopefully it'll be OK for me to include something else:

Drivers make a *huge* difference:
The nVidia 169.44 was an excellent driver, and gave me 7/8 fps more over previous drivers, but was never released by nVidia. Now I'm using betas from 174.74 (there are more), but this driver has performed the best for me, with average of 5/6 fps more, with AA working, and a good IQ.

Get new drivers from:
nVidia: http://forums.guru3d...isplay.php?f=21
ATI: http://forums.guru3d...isplay.php?f=46

Takes some time and patience, but it's worth it :hrmm: Even though they are beta, they are generally stable, and offer some tweaks. There's something new almost every week, so plenty of choice and experimenting.

Edited by nabeel46, 19 August 2008 - 02:42 PM.


#51 RogerB34

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Posted 30 October 2008 - 09:10 PM

Interesting article.
THG has a current article on Drivers and performance.  Negligible effect.
Without intent to incite controversy, frame rate settings can be lower than 25.  I've used 20 for years and that's what is shown in FSX. If the display is high res, 1600X1200 mine, it would take a high end card and powerful CPU to drive at 25 fps or more.  If it doesn't stutter and tracks smoothly, whatever satisfies the system will work.  If a lower performance card is set, for example at 25, FSX will drop objects starting with least essential to the Display panel.  Traffic, weather and so on.
My settings are pretty much stock in FSX not including the main Display page.  I use 38 meter Add On terrain mesh one difference.  No point in setting stock 76 terrain mesh to 38.
There is a lack of FSX disclosure on the meaning of the Graphics Filtering choices.
NVIDIA recommends Application-controlled and that's what I use after extensive testing.
If FSX AF and AA are chosen what system component will perform the function?
My opinion is the CPU will be tasked first and the GPU will perform a part of or in addition to the CPU.
My current NVIDIA driver offers a mode choice as Enhance the Application Setting where user selected setting, 4X ex., can enhance the application setting.  If the app is not 4X then card will provide otherwise resources to other tasks.
If a weak GPU such as mainboard, then FSX would provide a basic level of filtering.  
My new card is an ASUS EN9800 Ulitmate which means OC'd factory, 513 DDR3, 128 stream processors.  Likely the last of the series. I prefer the end of original high end cards for cost.
It runs FSX rock solid at 20 any of the prop aircraft.  The Mooney and Barron 58 Garmin 1000 make it grunt.  With native at 1600X1200 the Garmins are much greater.  Frame rates will drop momentarily to around 15 but runs smoothly and will return to 20 target steady state.

#52 Raligard

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Posted 31 October 2008 - 11:45 PM

Just as my 2 cents. I prefer to crank Mesh resolution to 1m and mesh complexity to 100 and sacrifice a couple other things like weather. The world mesh in FS X is actually pretty nice, with details down to 1m in many places it REALLY makes those little dips and hills pop to life on what once looked like featureless almost flat terrain. I know some folks don't have the most potent computer systems out there, but if you can afford this setting it is so worth it, especially if you enjoy low altitude flying or canyon flying like I do.

Other things I like to crank up for added terrain realism are level of detail radius and texture resolution. I guarantee you will lose some FPS by maxing these sliders, but taking off from Grand Canyon International and diving into the canyon or heading out of Scar Creek and flying up the length of the Tiedemann Glacier to the peak of Mount Waddington are so much more visually amazing if you push these settings to the max.

#53 RogerB34

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Posted 04 November 2008 - 03:18 PM

Here's a good explanation and pics of terrain mesh FSX:

http://www.simnewz.c...obal_review.pdf

Add in high AF and AA settings and easy to overwhelm most systems.