'Jumping' frame rates

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heavenlywild

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#15656 2-Sep-2007 00:00

Hi everyone,

When I play Flight Simulator X on my PC running quad core processor with 8800 video card, the frame rate averages only 20 even after installing SP1. I am running it on Vista for the first time.

Anyway, it can jump up to 150fps and then drop down to 5. Any ideas why this is? I have the latest drivers from Nvidia. Thanks!

zion

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#84846 2-Sep-2007 01:23

It could be worthwhile checking if you have the following patches applied, particularly the first one:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/940105

The following two should have come through on Windows Update;

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/938979
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/938194

heavenlywild

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#84848 2-Sep-2007 02:06

zion: It could be worthwhile checking if you have the following patches applied, particularly the first one:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/940105

The following two should have come through on Windows Update;

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/938979
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/938194

Cool man, I will give the above a go, especially the 940105 and tell you how it goes:)

Update: Ahhh, no luck unfortunately. Darn...

zion

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#84849 2-Sep-2007 02:30

I'd noticed a few reports on a number of forums that it had improved performance on systems with nVidia cards. I was also aware of some driver issues with Vista and 8800 series cards.

I had an interesting situation recently with the stock Vista drivers providing better performance than vendor-specific ones. After uninstalling and reverting to the stock drivers, I ended up trying the latest Catalyst drivers after the recent updates, and was pleasantly surprised to find they were finally up to grade.

Any mention of issues with nVidia systems on some of the FlightSim boards?

heavenlywild

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#84880 2-Sep-2007 12:02

I cannot find any information or feedback on playing Flight Simulator X with 8800 video cards.

I uninstalled Flight Sim X SP1 and it actually ran a bit better, however, not good enough to play.

I am running quad core processor. Could it be the game doesn't yet support quad core processors?

By the way, DVDs run perfectly.

zion

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#84885 2-Sep-2007 12:46

What settings are you running the game in? I'd come across an interesting report that looks at performance in FSX on the 8800 cards on Dual Core systems. As a note;

"This game is very hard on current hardware, even with our Core 2 Extreme Duo processor and GeForce 8800 GTX it felt like we were running on a Pentium III with a GeForce 2. There was just simply no way that “ultra high” scenery was going to work. When we set the scenery up that high the framerates went to the lower single digits, it was bad."

heavenlywild

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#84886 2-Sep-2007 13:04

I even put the graphic settings down to low and it did not improve the framerates whatsoever. It runs better on my XP Geforce mobile 7900GS - averaging 40fps.

This must be due to a driver issue. How do I update my DirextX 10?

zion

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#84894 2-Sep-2007 13:43

At this point, it would appear that the update for DX10 isn't due until Q1 2008 with SP1. I am aware that nVidia have been working on improving the drivers for the G80 cards in Vista, but it does seem unusual that you are getting such a large variation in framerates.

Works fine in other graphics intensive games? Are you running the 64 bit version of Vista? What MB, RAM, and bus speed are you on, and what is the power supply rated for?

Also: Have you tried running it after completely uninstalling the nVidia drivers and using the native Vista one?

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heavenlywild

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#84895 2-Sep-2007 13:56

Yes, I think I am running the native nVidia driver version 7.15.11.6222. Could older drivers be better than the newest ones?

I am running the 32-bit Vista Premium version on a Core 2 Quad processor, 2GB RAM, Gigabyte G33 motherboard, 8800GTS video card, 320GB hard drive, 350W (?) power supply.

layman

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#85661 6-Sep-2007 20:06

Bugger!

You've got a sweet system Heavenly wind. Something is slowing it down.

I have no issues running FSX on Vista. 32 bit OS. Core 2 Duo 6320. X1950 pro with 2 Gig of ram. I have a 535W PSU for my system. Frame rate stays locked at 20fps even with most settings on high.

To my mind it doesn't sound like a driver issue. It seems like it's doing ok (150 fps is pretty extreme) and then something is slowing it down. Power supplies problems can be notoriously difficult to diagnose. But to me it sounds like you "need more power" I seriously doubt whether a 350W PSU (if that's what it is) is capable of supplying enough juice for your system. I'd dig further into that area, try to find out what your components draw in terms of power (watts). Other thoughts would be; Is the fan on the GPU working? Anything else that might be causing overheating.

Hope you find some answers

heavenlywild

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#85670 6-Sep-2007 20:53

layman: Bugger!

You've got a sweet system Heavenly wind. Something is slowing it down.

I have no issues running FSX on Vista. 32 bit OS. Core 2 Duo 6320. X1950 pro with 2 Gig of ram. I have a 535W PSU for my system. Frame rate stays locked at 20fps even with most settings on high.

To my mind it doesn't sound like a driver issue. It seems like it's doing ok (150 fps is pretty extreme) and then something is slowing it down. Power supplies problems can be notoriously difficult to diagnose. But to me it sounds like you "need more power" I seriously doubt whether a 350W PSU (if that's what it is) is capable of supplying enough juice for your system. I'd dig further into that area, try to find out what your components draw in terms of power (watts). Other thoughts would be; Is the fan on the GPU working? Anything else that might be causing overheating.

Hope you find some answers

Hi Layman,

Yeah, thanks, it is a sweet system! It runs everything very smoothly - movies, applications, etc.

I have a few questions for you, Hope you can help me out here.

1) If my video card is underpowered, is there an application that will tell me this?
2) Wouldn't an underpowered graphics card affect my DVD playback? So far the DVDs are very smooth and I have no issues.
3) PSU - how many watts would you recommend?

Thanks mate!

layman

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#85789 7-Sep-2007 17:06

I'm not sure about a program that would help you. But some research will. Do you have the packaging for your GPU? On the side of it it should have the components current draw. Otherwise try the manufacturers website.

Maybe also try asking a general question regarding power requirements in the "desktop computing" section. See what others think. But I think that you'd want at least a 500W PSU, maybe more.

DVD playback is far less demanding on your system than playing a game would ever be. Below is a quote from another forum

"Warning: Nvidia recommends a 400W or greater power supply with 12V current rating of 26A for GeForce 8800GTS and a 450W or greater power supply with 12V current rating of 30A for GeForce 8800GTX. If you are thinking about SLI two 8800GTX, then you will need a power supply that supports four 6-pin connectors. Here is the list of compatible power supplies that Nvidia complied:"

Here's the link http://www.overclockers.co.nz/ocnz/review.php?id=06vga00shootoutn8800gtsn8800gtx0107

heavenlywild

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#85791 7-Sep-2007 17:25

layman: I'm not sure about a program that would help you. But some research will. Do you have the packaging for your GPU? On the side of it it should have the components current draw. Otherwise try the manufacturers website.

Maybe also try asking a general question regarding power requirements in the "desktop computing" section. See what others think. But I think that you'd want at least a 500W PSU, maybe more.

DVD playback is far less demanding on your system than playing a game would ever be. Below is a quote from another forum

"Warning: Nvidia recommends a 400W or greater power supply with 12V current rating of 26A for GeForce 8800GTS and a 450W or greater power supply with 12V current rating of 30A for GeForce 8800GTX. If you are thinking about SLI two 8800GTX, then you will need a power supply that supports four 6-pin connectors. Here is the list of compatible power supplies that Nvidia complied:"

Here's the link http://www.overclockers.co.nz/ocnz/review.php?id=06vga00shootoutn8800gtsn8800gtx0107

I think you are right, my system is underpowered. I read on the packaging for my video card and it suggests minimum 600W. Right now, my cheapo 350W PSU just won't do. Once I change my PSU to 600W+, then the video card should perform as it should. Thanks mate... keep you updated.

layman

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#85815 8-Sep-2007 06:51

Yeah. Good luck.

I'd be interested to hear how you get on.