F.........P.........S.......!!!!!!!!!! Seriously!!!!!??????

[treeb52]

Ok, I recently upgraded my system, but I was unimpressed on the FPS gain. Follow me on this, PLEASE.

So, I had an i7-6700K processor, with an Nvidia RTX 4800 GPU, and 64 GB of 3200 Ram,and a 2TB WD Black SSD. I flew an approach to minimums with live weather into DFW with a PMDG 737-800, and my settings were somewhere in the mid-range. My FPS dropped to 5-10 FPS, and it was impossible to fly the approach to landing.

I convinced my wife that, being as I don't fly real-world anymore, I find solace in flying my sim, and that I need new hardware to keep up with MSFS 2020. Unbelievably, she agreed. So....... here's what I built:

Processor: i9-13900K
Motherboard: ASUS Strix Z790-E
Ram: G.SKILL Trident Z5 RGB Series 32GB (2 x 16GB) 288-Pin PC RAM DDR5 7800 (PCS-62400) desktop memory Model F5-7800J3646H16GX2-TZ5RK
HD: WD Black 2TB M2 Nvm
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 1600 P+, 80+ Platinum 1600W, Fully Modular, 10 Year Warranty, Includes FREE Power On Self Tester, Power Supply 220-PP-1600-X1 (I know this doesn't affect performance, but I'm just proud of it)
Case: BeQuiet! Silent Base 802 (again, no performance, but WOW!!!!!! I can't hear the case at all when I run the sim
Cooler: ASUS ROG Ryujin ii 360 (holy crap this thing is amazing)

I don't think I could have gotten more umph to my system

Anyway...

This is the first system I've built that is top of the line, vice the 4800 instead of a 4900. Regardless, it's right up there.

So, how is the FPS you ask? Well, all settings being "far right" and ultra, I get about 30 fps. 22-35 actually with a PMDG 737-800 and a MSFS default scenery (KDFW), but nothing spectacular. I even have DLSS 3 engage.

My one question is this:

SERIOUSLY!!!!!!!!???????????

Aside from the 4080 not being a 4090, I can't get a better system!!!!!!!!! besides, the frame rate display in MSFS developer mode says the hang up is the main thread, so the GPU is NOT the issue. So, what the HECK else am I supposed to do to get killer frame rates at ultra settings!!!!??? I've done the youtube Nvidia tweaks. I don't know what else to to do.

However, one thing I've learned in my years is that I can always be missing something.

If any of you can help, I would greatly appreciate it

[trisho]

Do you launch MSFS with Administrator rights? If yes, I would exclude MSFS from AV that maybe were blocking some files and BIOS settings just to start and isolate. If not resolved, you need IT assistance.
Patricio Valdes

[rquick]

Does it run smooth? If it does, it may be time to enjoy the sim and stop looking at frame rates. It drives sane people mad. The next step is overclocking and memory tweaks and the nearly inevitable CTD's that follow. Next, you are plumbing water cooling to your CPU and still infuriated that can't quite get to 60 fps on approach to LAX. Don't go there! Stop the madness.

[kiwikat]

What resolution are you running at? Traffic addons? DFW is not a friendly airport for performance if every stall is populated with AI traffic.

Are you using DX12 and Frame Generation?

[HDR10]

A guy who refers to the 4080 and 4090 as a 4800 and 4900 doesn't instill any confidence in me that he knows how to properly configure a PC.

Given that other people with those specs get much better performance than OP, I'm going to go ahead and chalk it up to user error.

[treeb52]

Sory..... thet wus definiteley a typergraphical errerr on my part

[CAPT Shark]

Try deleting the Rolling Cache.

[dcby13]

agreed. rolling cache has an issue. periodically you need to delete/recreate it to get rid of massive stutters.

[Ephedrin]

Fast hardware doesn‘t mean a fast flight sim, it has never done so. It‘s the setup that needs to match.

first of all check your BIOS that you run the right RAM profile, usually it‘s set to a very low speed by default.

check your win 11 energy management so it doesn‘t throttle you down, it WILL.

with all the PC hardware you didn‘t mention the monitor. With a 4080 anything but 4k (3840*2160p) is pointless. In consequence turn off SSAA. (You said everything was right in the settings which is one of many mistakes, SSAA in 4K is one of them).

Throw NVIDIA GeForce Experience off your system.

oh.. and I‘d make sure that the shop you got it from didn‘t save money on cheap thermal paste on your CPU. They always do.


If all that‘s done check the sim again.

[Emi]

My answer would be quite simple: Even with the best computer you can't crank MSFS up to the maximum settings. It's always been like this with any flight sim. MSFS is no exception.
Loosing around 5fps with a high fidelity aircraft like the PMDG - when compared to the default low end aircraft - is not really a surprise.
So all in all: It runs as expected. You can scream at Asobo for building a sim with setting that won't allow 120fps with everything cranked up, but if you ask me you can not at all scream at PMDG for loosing 5fps compared to the default aircraft.

[DeemDeem]

My specs are:
i7 10700K locked @ 4.9
32Gb RAM
RX 6900XT 16 GB
3440x1440 screen resolution.

my flight sim setup:
MSFS steam edition
PMSG 737-7/8/9
ORBX / Aerosoft / Pyreguev sceneries of European airports.
FSLTL traffic: 20% static / 20% flying IFR with minimum injection radius
All in sim ground traffic is locked @ 40.

my graphics settings are
Ultra preset, excluding:
LOD 150
Trees : medium
Depth of field: off
Motion blur: off
Lens correction: off
Lens flare: off

I have stable 35 fps without any DLSS almost at any destination I am flying into.

If you have 22 fps with PMDG at default sceneries with your specs, i assume that there are something wrong with your settings.

Since FS9 flight sim is all about search of optimal settings and acceptable compromise for you. All slider to the right, that doesn’t work with this sim.

[Ephedrin]

My answer would be quite simple: Even with the best computer you can't crank MSFS up to the maximum settings. It's always been like this with any flight sim. MSFS is no exception.

That's not completely true anymore since NVIDIA has released the 40** and DLSS3. They may not be "real" FPS but my friend with a Ryzen 5800X3D and a 4080 (flying in 2160p) has everything cranked to the right except SSAA (no point in 4K) and runs stable 100+ FPS in the DC6 and it is perfectly smooth. A good stable BIOS setup, correct win settings and DLSS3 are absolutely amazing.

On my system (signature) I get around 70 FPS (reduced to 60 with VSync since my TV monitor only has 60Hz) with the ULTRA preset, SSAA off and 90% resolution. Some things like clouds or trees have been set to high instead of ultra and I need to run DX11 as DX12 has visual problems here, so I can't use FSR2.

The new technologies are really great and in the future they will only improve.

"Everything to the right" is a misunderstanding anyway since not all settings are MEANT to be set there.


Edit:

Motion blur: off
Lens correction: off
Lens flare: off

These are examples where "everything right" makes no sense.

[VBHB]

Turn it off and back on.

[DrVenkman]

The single biggest impact to FPS in MSFS is LOD. For whatever dumb architectural reason, MSFS uses a constant LOD regardless of flight altitude or terrain. I’m guessing with a rig that overpowered, you have everything set to Ultra across the board, and probably cranked up TLOD and OLOD to 400. Lower that to 100-200 and watch the framerate soar, especially on the ground. Ideally, the sim would reduce TLOD as the plane descends - do you really need to see 100 miles to the horizon when you’re at 1,000’ AGL on short final? No, you don’t and the sim shouldn’t be wasting cycles on it. But with a fixed TLOD, that’s exactly what it’s doing. Further, as you’re descending, the sim is suddenly populating that arrival airport with with all the cruft that goes with it.

That brings us directly to the next biggest impact on performance: Traffic. Every one of those little animated airport vehicles and workers, every AI-controlled aircraft scattered around the airport, every boat in the bay nearby or car driving along the road is an independent object that is being managed by the same mainthread in the sim that is running your plane. So turn that stuff down as low as you can for testing, then add it back in small increments until performance drops too much, then back it off a notch.

Are you running something like VATSIM? Pretty easy to see that simply disconnecting from the network will jump your framerate by 5 - 10 fps. Same thing for big, beautiful models from FSLTL or to a lesser extent FS Traffic. If you want to run all the eye candy, there will be performance hits, no matter what your system, simply because the sim’s mainthread is the arbiter of everything going on.

[DeemDeem]

What LOD in your opinion is most balanced with respect to quality/performance?
If using only static FSLTL aicrafts, does it have tha similar impact to FPS? For expamle I can use static and flying is "disabled" / static is "disabled" and flying is "enabled" / both are "enabled". Lets say within thier minimal values. Which option in your opinion is the most fps friendly?

thank you.

[Marco Chan]

If you are using non-english as system language, try to enable the " Beta: Use Unicode UTF-8 for worldwide language support" option in your windows setting. It help a lots from my pervious experience.

[JWarner32]

Delete rolling cache, disable rolling cache, and turn sliders down on CPU-heavy items that don't need to be on ultra just for the hell of it. Remember, just because you build a PC that costs as much as a Honda Civic, doesn't mean you're going to get the performance out of it that you desire. Try "leaning left" a little bit on some CPU stuff, as it's best to be "conservative" with CPU power in this simulator.

[HighFlier]

My answer would be quite simple: Even with the best computer you can't crank MSFS up to the maximum settings. It's always been like this with any flight sim. MSFS is no exception.
Loosing around 5fps with a high fidelity aircraft like the PMDG - when compared to the default low end aircraft - is not really a surprise.
So all in all: It runs as expected. You can scream at Asobo for building a sim with setting that won't allow 120fps with everything cranked up, but if you ask me you can not at all scream at PMDG for loosing 5fps compared to the default aircraft.

I disagree… it is possible now but you do need a high end computer. I have a i9-12900K and an RTX 3080ti and get an average of 50FPS with PMDG, custom airport scenery, and VATSIM traffic injected. Never drops below 30FPS and the sim is always smooth, no stutters.

You mention 120FPS, if that is your benchmark then yes I agree with your assessment. But it is possible to run MSFS at max settings and have a smooth, silky experience somewhere between 30-60FPS.

OP seems to have an issue with how his software is configured that is causing lower than expected FPS.

[Paulyg123]

As a point of reference with a 13900 cpu and a nvidia 4090 card with most sliders
maxed out and running MSFS and a PMDG 737 I see 100 fps steady in cockpit view

[Keirtt]

As a point of reference with a 13900 cpu and a nvidia 4090 card with most sliders
maxed out and running MSFS and a PMDG 737 I see 100 fps steady in cockpit view

I would second this. I'd be willing to bet frame regen isn't on under the settings. I also have a 4090 and 13900 and getting 80+fps into EWR with ultra settings and 140+ at cruise while using PMDG.

[kiwikat]

Frame Generation is perhaps the biggest advancement in sim performance we've ever seen. I don't think the community has made a big enough deal about it. I went from 40-55 FPS with a 3080 @ 4K to 90-140 FPS with the 4090 at 4K. The fluidity is uncanny- I am not sure how I could ever go back. It's almost too good to be true.

[daver4470]

One thing that actually had a pretty noticeable benefit for me (much to my surprise) was turning off hardware virtualization in my BIOS. Of course if you actually need to have virtual machines on your system, that might not be an option. But if you never use virtualization, it's worth a test.

[MythicSimPilot]

Yep, as mentionned previously delete the rolling cache (and turn off) if you got a stable internet connection over 400MB/S. However, cache mode will most of the time cause stuttering, not lower fps. (well it sure make your fps lower when your sutter, yes)

The both LoDs are FPS killer, these are what will have the most impact on your FPS. I saw you asked what's a good balance - well you will have to find it yourself according to what your cpu can take, vs give you in term of FPS. If I fly the Fenix I have to drops the lods a bit since im' going to be low on the fps, therefore with the better performance of the PMDG 737 I can raise the LoDs.

Since it's possible to do in flight I suggest you turn dev mode, and turn on FPS monitor. Start with 100 LoD Terrain and 50 LoD object. Check your FPS. Raise Terrain by 25 and object by 5 or 10 at the time until you hit comfortable fps.

I'm running a Ryzen 9 5900X and I still can't raison them too much, I found a good zone at about 60 Lod Object and between 150 - 200 and I think it's pretty fine graphic wise.

All the other settings can be Ultra, wont affect FPS Much, at least with your system.

Cheers

[[email protected]]

My answer would be quite simple: Even with the best computer you can't crank MSFS up to the maximum settings. It's always been like this with any flight sim. MSFS is no exception.
Loosing around 5fps with a high fidelity aircraft like the PMDG - when compared to the default low end aircraft - is not really a surprise.
So all in all: It runs as expected. You can scream at Asobo for building a sim with setting that won't allow 120fps with everything cranked up, but if you ask me you can not at all scream at PMDG for loosing 5fps compared to the default aircraft.

Could i disagree with that? with i9-13900 and 3080, there is possible to have with PMDG stable 40+ (for most time reaching 48 as topped by vsync , and on some complex airports falling to 30 but not less) with all sliders on Ultra, TAA aliasing and 1440p resolution.