Graphics ?

[Timm]

Just a small question on graphics. I am noticing that BS 2 is not a smooth as I was expecting compared to BS1. Now these are my PC specs, I also fly FSX with no problems all very smooth but BS OMG not smooth at all. I would have thought with these specs It would run nice and smooth. I am also using a screen res of 1920 x 1080 would that make a difference? Timm

 

OPS: Windows 7 64-bit

Processor: Intel Core i7-2600 CPU @ 3.40GHz

Installed Memory: 8GB DDR3

Hard disk space: PLENTY

NVIDIA GeForce GT520 1G

DirectX 9.0c

[Jona33]

Because it uses the A-10 engine which is better looking it's more intense on resources.

[Timm]

Hi Jona,

It sure is intense on resources, I'm not getting a smooth flight at all, everything is so jumpy I'm not enjoying this at all. Got no control from my stick (X52 PRO) and panning the VC with my TrackIR is a big NO NO. A real disappointment oh well back to BS 1. Timm

[Phantom88]

Have you tried different HDR settings? Also ALT+Tabbing has helped some people.

[kylania]

Wow, that seems really odd. You've got a better PC than I do and mine is liquid smooth at all settings on High. Sure you've got all your drivers updated?

[Timm]

Have you tried different HDR settings?

No I have not tried the different settings but will give that a try. What will ALT+Tabbing do?

Hi Kylania all drivers are up to date, as I said I fly FSX also and that runs really well, well I will have another look and get back on this. Timm

[71st_Mastiff]

Did you try reinstall or repair c++ also try repair of the dotfx4.0 repair also

Google .40netframework. This sound like a hard drive cache failure.

I had this and it makes a strange noise not on the hard drives companies detection list.

Also do not install in win7x 64 C:/programs/ make sure it's in another folder, I.e

C:/games/

Edited November 13, 2011 by Mastiff

[Timm]

Hi There,

OK Answers to questions

 

1. Did you try reinstall or repair c++ ? - Repaired.

 

2. Try repair of the dotfx4.0 repair also - Installing - Repaired.

 

3. Also do not install in win7x 64 C:/programs - Installed in C:/Eagle Dynamics.

 

Whilst on the subject I have noticed that the undercarriage side covers do not open when you lower or raise the gear, could you see if you get that? Oh I am unable to take screen shots using the Print Scrn/Sys key either.

[71st_Mastiff]

Hi There,

OK Answers to questions

 

1. Did you try reinstall or repair c++ ? - Repaired.

 

2. Try repair of the dotfx4.0 repair also - Installing - Repaired.

 

3. Also do not install in win7x 64 C:/programs - Installed in C:/Eagle Dynamics.

 

Whilst on the subject I have noticed that the undercarriage side covers do not open when you lower or raise the gear, could you see if you get that? Oh I am unable to take screen shots using the Print Scrn/Sys key either.

 

Yep must be a bug. They disappear when they go up.

[71st_Mastiff]

Do you have hyperthread on or off? Also d-mode for the 2600k with the GTX?

[Timm]

Do you have hyperthread on or off? Also d-mode for the 2600k with the GTX?

Hi,

Sorry but your last one went straight over my head :-(

 

1. VSYNC - Vertical synchronization - ON or OFF

2. TSSAA - Not what this means ?

3. MSAA - Multisample anti-aliasing - ON or OFF

4. HDR - High Dynamic Range - ON or OFF ?

Edited November 13, 2011 by Timm

[71st_Mastiff]

Hi,

Sorry but your last one went straight over my head :( But whilst on settings what do these stand for

 

1. VSYNC -

2. TSSAA -

3. MSAA

4. HDR -

 

1. VSYNC - sync vertical refresh rate with your monitor don't need it unless you have alot of tearing or warping lines on your screen.

2. TSSAA - tessellation I have off

3. MSAA- application controlled in nvidia settings

4. HDR - makes the environment hazzie or blurry

D-mode is in your bios settings for settings with the motherboard

check in the CPU sets or pcie depends on your motherboard also your video card to monitor plugged into the first dvi closest to the base.

 

the

[71st_Mastiff]

Also try this

High

Medium for scene trees will disappear but if you must have them, high

Light for civ traffic

High for vis

Low for water

512k for cockpit not constant update

[EtherealN]

Guys, the explanation to the problem is very very easy:

 

OPS: Windows 7 64-bit

Processor: Intel Core i7-2600 CPU @ 3.40GHz

Installed Memory: 8GB DDR3

Hard disk space: PLENTY

NVIDIA GeForce GT520 1G

DirectX 9.0c

 

That is not a gaming card, it's about as weak as nVidia sells. To compare it with a GTX560Ti, which is a mid-range card and really as low as you should accept if your intended use is computer games:

 

(520 number first, then 560Ti)

CUDA cores: 48 /384

Core Clock: 810Mhz / 822MHz

Shader Clock: 1620 / 1645

Texture Fillrate in B/S: 6.5 / 52.5

Memory Clock: 900 MHz / 4008 MHz

Memory bus width: 64-bit / 256-bit

Memory bandwidth (GB/s): 14.4 / 128

 

Essentially, the only solution is extensive LUA hacking to manually turn a LOT of things off, or to get a "proper" gaming card. The 520 card is meant to let you surf the web and maybe watch some youtube, it is not intended as a gaming resource. (Though they do sometimes advertise it's Dx11 capabilities as making it able to show games prettily, which it can - at like 2 frames per second.)

 

Timm, do you have any other cards in older computers? Even if it's an 8800 or something similarly ancient, it will give you better performance than that 520 (though we'd have to make sure your machine is kitted with the right type of power supply for it - if your machine was built as a standard box I suspect you cannot upgrade graphics card without also replacing to a stronger power supply).

Edited November 13, 2011 by EtherealN
typo

[Timm]

Hey Thanks for this. I have an old 8600 with 512 DD2 in front of me,

[EtherealN]

Might work, though it's also on the slightly weaker side. Do you have an exact model name? (GS/GT etcetera) I can check out it's raw data and judge whether it's worth trying it.

[Timm]

All I can remember its from Nvidia ? oh its a 8600GT

[EtherealN]

Actually, nevermind - I checked them all out and the DDR2 versions (either GT or GS) would be even worse. (Though not bu very much.) GTS is slightly better than the 520, but not a big margin. There is a DDR3 variant of the GT as well, but it would still not be enough.

 

If on a tight budget, I'd probably suggest something like this:

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/graphics-cards/716_7054_70058_xx_BA00003186-BV00261600/xx-criteria.html

 

Those will blow the 8600 and 520 out of the water.

Slightly stronger alternative: http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/asus-nvidia-engtx560-pci-e-2-0-graphics-card-1gb-11284274-pdt.html

 

And slightly stronger still (roughly equivalent to what I use):

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/evga-geforce-gtx-560-ti-fpb-pci-e-2-0-graphics-card-1gb-11336647-pdt.html

 

In these cases I would however want to have an ID on the power supply to know whether that would also need replacing to allow such an upgrade. I would recommend upgrading though - you have a kickass processor so it's a shame to have it held back by a weak GPU.

[Timm]

Great I am off to PC world later. I think my main problem is going to be the power supply as the 520 is using the PC own power.

[EtherealN]

Yeah, if the system was a pre-built you might have some issues - it might completely lack PCIe power connectors, and then it would definitely need replacing.

 

Fortunately, since you are on standard 2600 (I believe?) and you won't therefore be overclocking it, it should be pretty easy to predict total power draw of the system and get something that fits just right. My general recommendation is to purchase a unit that is rated as 80+ Bronze or 80+ Silver, and has a rated wattage that is twice what your system would use under load. (This is purely a money-saver - that's where they are at their most efficient, so while it may be a slightly expensive purchase on day-1, you'll be doing savings on electricity afterward. I use a Corsair AX850 with 80+ Gold rating myself, but this might be overkill for you - I suspect you're not in the habit of letting the computer run 24/7 like I do. :P )

[Timm]

Hi,

I'm interested in these the EVGA GeForce GTX 550 Ti PCI-E 2.0 Graphics Card and the OCZ ZX Series ATX PSU - 750W to give it a bit more power. Timm

[EtherealN]

Yup, that looks very good. The PSU has options for 6 pins and 6+2, meaning that it should be fine for any card you like (in case you upgrade sometime in the future), and it has a 4+4 CPU pin.

 

You could think about possibly getting a 560 or 560Ti, but with the 550 you essentially manage to get both card and PSU at the price of just the 560Ti. Good economy there. If it was for me personally, I'd have gone for the 560Ti, but that's an economics question really.

 

You can see raw data for them to compare through this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_Nvidia_graphics_processing_units#GeForce_500_Series

 

Not understanding what the numbers actually mean is fine, they're nostly a case of "bigger is better" (except for "fab"), but the finer nuances of their actual impact on your game would take a bit of explaining. (I do have time though, if you want a quick run-through of what it means to help inform your purchase.)

 

Essentially, in some aspects the 560Ti will double the 550Ti, and this will be noticeable, but this is at the cost of almost doubling the price of the card itself. Either option will, of course, give you a totally new experience with BS2 though. 550Ti might not be quite able to completely max out everything (I never used that card myself in any tests, so I'm not sure and raw figures don't quite tell the whole story since a lot depends on the software as well), but should definitely be enough to make you happy. EVGA generally do quality PCB's as well.

[71st_Mastiff]

If funds are a problem wait untill next week electronic prices are dropping

You might get a better card like a 570 cheaper.

Edited November 13, 2011 by Mastiff

[Timm]

Hi Guys,

I have always found that as soon as you buy something you can almost guarantee that the price will go down within a week after you brought it.

[EtherealN]

Yeah, the 600 series is still a bit of a mystery. Waiting for it may or may not be worth it - we just don't know. Right now though, Timm is being seriously held back by the card he has and solving it is nice right now - waiting for an unknown amount of months to save a couple euro... Not worth it in my opinion.

 

The "future" is the main reason why I would recommend the 560Ti though - it will ensure that it'll be a while until there a feeling that upgrades are absolutely necessary. (It should keep you well with any games or simulators for minimum of a year, and more than that if you can live with not maxing everything out.) Personally I don't plan to upgrade from it until more than a year from now when I will be building a completely new machine anyways.