21 What kind of performance should I expect from FS5?
Description
This article is from the Flight Simulators FAQ, by with numerous contributions by Bob Wittick rwittick@msu.edu others.
21 What kind of performance should I expect from FS5?
The faster your machine, the better off you will be. Although a
386 is the minimum recommended processor on the box, you will find
that you'll want a 486DX *at least* if you want to use most of FS5's
features and still get reasonable frame rates. To give you an idea of
the "low end" computers, John's former 386DX/25 gave a frame rate of
between 2 and 5 fps at Chicago with the following configuration:
ET4000 video card, 320x400 VGA (256 colors)
Textured sky, gradient horizon
Textured ground
Normal scenery density
No dynamic scenery
No shadows
No building textures
No aircraft texture
Airport lighting on
"Enhanced readability" instrument panel
No image smoothing
Low instrument update rate
He could increase this frame rate to about 3 to 8 fps by removing the
textured ground. Removing the textured sky further increased frame
rate, and switching to the 16-color mode essentially turns the graphics
display to FS4 levels, but with a slightly lower frame rate than FS4
(this last one is difficult to measure accurately). These frame rates
were playable and acceptable to him.
When he upgraded to a 486/25, (same video configuration), the frame
rate was roughly twice that of the 386/25.
A 486DX2/50 or higher will (in most circumstances) allow you to run
with all the special effects turned on with more acceptable frame
rates.
You'll find that your video card will make a big difference, especially
if you are running VLB. Configuring for large disk caches (1 MB to
2 MB) will further increase performance, and FS5 prefers EMS to XMS.
The main thing to remember is that you can't expect to turn on all the
display options and dense scenery and still get high frame rates,
especially if you have a slower processor. FS5 is essentially a 486 or
Pentium program, and unless you turn down the details to match your
processor, you will not be happy with the results.
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