SurClaro Flight Simulator Resources

Posted: Mon Jun 14, 2004 3:04 am Post subject: The power of memory

On my stock game system:

Dual chip P4 3.2ghz
512meg shared 400mhz DDR SDRAM
128mb DDR ATI Radeon 9800 Pro with tv-out and DVI
Sound Blaster Audigy 2 THX with DVD Audio 5.1

The game ran great when I first installed it clean. All settings on highest level, 1024x768 32bit graphics mode, all features turned ON. I could easily and regularly get 30-50fps.

Then, I installed all the AI traffic from PAI. Many scenery upgrades including MegaScenery Southern California. My FPS got very bad. It would stutter all the time, usually on landings when you did NOT need it to stutter. Got to where I had to lower almost every setting to 1/2 or a tad more to make it playable again. Then came my new memory. First, I installed the doubling of it.. 1gig of memory. WOW, now I could run everything again at full boar. ALL settings at full on at highest levels.

Then I put in the rest of my new memory taking it to 2 gigs. I can now run at 40fps with NO problems. However, I have learned that there is NO visable difference to the human eye above 20fps. Thus, LOCK your frame rate to 20fps as it never looks any better and by doing so, if you get higher normally, you will free up much needed processor cycles. YAY.

As for that little tidbid, turn on frame rate viewing while flying. NOTE your NORMAL fps average. If it is 12, then LOCK your frame rate at 10. You will actually get much better performance this way. But again, you never need it above 20. You can't see the difference anyways.

So, what this has taught me, and I actually knew it before to some extent but seeing is REALLY believing.....

UPGRADE YOUR MEMORY BEFORE YOU DO ANYTHING ELSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

eBay currently has most memory costing almost NOTHING!!!!!!! I got mine (1.5gigs bought) for $147.00 USD.

- Greg

Posted: Mon Jun 14, 2004 3:18 am Post subject:

well since i can't vote for some odd reason, i guess i'll tell you now. i have 2.52 gigs on mua's computer. haven't had any framerate problems yet except when i have other programs like virus scan running.
thanks for the info!

Posted: Mon Jun 14, 2004 3:49 am Post subject:

lies lies...all lies.... !!!! Twisted Evil

heh.. Yeah, I guess I should have mentioned that I have 56 processes running at MOST times including my SETI processor in the background. I used to have to always turn IT off when flying or playing a heavy duty game, but now it runs with no problems at all times...

- Greg

PS: odd on the not voting... you MUST be logged in to vote, I know that.. Other people had the same problem on other votes, logging in fixed it on every case.

Posted: Mon Jun 14, 2004 3:38 pm Post subject:

*Tries to rember what memory is*
4 things to say

1) Well I thought I would add that I have 256MB of memory and thats not enough!

2) I also rember now my Dad's story "Well back in the day (early 80's) I thought a 10 MB hard drive would never be filled" Now I have a 200GB hard drive.

3) Have you noticed that memory is sold olny in # x 2: 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256, 512, 1024, 2048, 4096, ect.

4) While FR does not make a difference above 20 IF you go less then 12 it will become jumpy because 12 frames per seconds is were the human eye begins to see fluid motion. That comes from the mouth of the Springsted High School TV production teacher (no not me I'm the student, I am quoteing my notes)

paulvil

Posted: Mon Jun 14, 2004 10:43 pm Post subject:

i was logged in. i even logged out, then back in and i still can't vote. must be your poll. it doesn't like me. jk. maybe the site can't remember my name?

Posted: Mon Jun 14, 2004 11:03 pm Post subject:

Lorti: It is a conspiracy...we set it up that way. Twisted Evil

Paulvil: Yeah, under 12 is not good, my point there was just that you actually improve your overall performance if you set the locked frame rate at 1-4 fps LOWER than your average. It saves a ton of processor cycles as the computer can just not even worry about ever trying to go any higher.

I read that info on a site dedicated to graphic design which is what I do now. Was talking about graphics in all sorts of games, and especially FS as you can LOCK the framerate and the benefits of doing just that.

- Greg

Posted: Mon Jun 14, 2004 11:08 pm Post subject:

Pauvil:

Please ask your teacher to define "Fluid Motion". I read about a year ago in one of the other posts that the human eye will see "flutter" when the frame rate goes below 16 frames per second.

PS: my son supervises the control room at America's Store which is in the other half of the building run by Home Shopping Network (HSN). I will have to drop him a note to see what he knows about this subject. Cool

Posted: Mon Jun 14, 2004 11:12 pm Post subject:

isn;t fluid motion like air resistence, or at least thats my teacher said. why soul you see air resistence on a computer anyway?

Posted: Tue Jun 15, 2004 1:31 pm Post subject:

Hay feeding this back to him got me an a the whole year! I just got my report card and wont see school till 8-09-04! So I can't ask sorry.

paulvil