Poor frame rates? - Disable Surround!

[klem]

I thought I'd post some findings here because, since 2.5, I have been suffering terrible frame rates in the new Caucasus map and only moderate rates in Normandy. It may be old news to some but I didn't find it in the forums.

 

 

I am running three monitors side by side for panoramic effect and have a central monitor below for cockpit instruments, all generated in game and calling for 5760x2160 resolution. I big ask you might think given my rig (under my sig) and the ever increasing hardware needs of DCS. Well for me the answer turned out to be simple. Disable Surround. Using Instant Action Spitfire Takeoff in DCS on the Caucuses map (the worst case) I got the following off line:

 

Using Surround, running just three side by side monitors as one screen at 5160 x 1080, on the runway the fps was about 17-20, about 25-30 in the air.

 

 

Disabling surround, running just three side by side monitors as one screen at 5760 x 1080, DCS still happily spread the graphics across all three separate monitors and I got 47fps on ground, 50-60 in the air!

 

Disabling Surround and running all four monitors as one screen at 5760 x 2160 I get 35-45 fps on ground and in the air.

 

Online this gives a consistent 30-40 fps in the Spitfire on low ping Caucases servers which, given the visual reward, is very acceptable.