FS patch for duel core

[Captain Pugwash]

whilst there has been a patch to try and make fsx work with duel core machines. is there any such thing that might make fs9 work fully with duel core machines, seeing that fs9 is for a single core machine. just wondering ?

[DanKH]

No

FS9 wasn't programmed to use multiple cores, it has to be done from the buttom up.

The dual core "patch" for FS9 is FSX.

[jonesey2k]

One thing I've done for FS9 with my dual core is to force FS9 to run on core 1 and then everything else on core 2. I haven't checked if it gives a performance boost but it feels a bit more responsive, although it might be just in my mind

[speedbird591]

Sorry to bump this one so long after the question. I haven't been around the forum much lately but I'm just trying to catch up with what I've missed.

I found this tip for forcing FS9 to use both cores of a dual core.

http://flyawaysimulation.com/postx21628-0-0.html

Apparently it has to be done each time you run the program but shouldn't take long once you get into the routine. I can't vouch for its efficacy as I only have one very meagre core to play with :-( But I kept the link as I expect to upgrade fairly soon and will need to try it then.

Let us know if it improves frame rates.

Ian

[DaveG]

Just gave this a try.
Yes, it works in that the load gets spread between the 2 cores, but the overall CPU load stays the same. No noticeable increase in frame rates.

[Techy111]

Ian i am very confused with this mate......! I just applied the "fix" for FS9 and yes i did get improvements in my FPS , quite significant improvements. So i had a little look see at seeing if this would work with FSX , now remember that FSX is supposed to run nicely with dual core....Yes ? Well i found my CPU's running at different computing powers and applied the fix given for FS9 to FSX and also found significant gains in FPS....Now thats strange isn't it? Anyone know why?


Tony (confused) Just seen your post DaveG so can you explain this ?

[speedbird591]

Reading a bit further on some of the responses and links in that thread, it would appear that game performance in Windows XP is often poor with dual core processors. See this article in Microsoft support : http://support.microsoft.com/kb/909944/ It may be something to do with power management in laptops?

There is another link here with (I think) a downloadable hotfix for the problem: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/896256

So the inconsistent results may be due to the gaming use of Windows XP with dual core processors. Or (and this is a guess) perhaps if the processor speed is fast enough then FS will run comfortably in one core but if it is a slower processor it may be hitting the ceiling and spreading it across both cores releases more performance.

Possibly.

Ian

p.s. anyway, it looks as though Dan has summed it up succinctly by saying that FSX (or maybe Vista) is the hotfix/upgrade!

[Quixoticish]

You have to remember that a lot of XP Sp2 even completely up to date systems don't come properly configured to make use of dual core processors.

This is a fairly good article and although it was written for laptops is relevant for all multi-core processors.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=60416

[Captain Pugwash]

thanks for the info reguarding duel core for fs9. i have followed the instructions from the last reply. ie notebook. downloaded the files and altered the registry, trying not to bugger everything up. well i started fs9 and took a frame rate monster c130 out with active sky. the figures before were in the lower teens and detailed scenery brought the slight stutters. after this mod i was in the mid 20's to 40's on the 2d panel, the vc was a vast improvement that came back with mid 20' -30's no stutters. outside shot up to mid 40's - 50's. detailed scenery had little effect.
looked at the graph for the cpu. that displayed one at 90% and the other at 25%. the big difference was in the section showing memory. it used to show in use 540mgb and now it's in the 900mgb. so i'll have to go out and buy some, as my machine has only 1gb of ram.

[speedbird591]

Thanks for the update Cap'n. Sounds like it might be a good idea for anybody with a dual-core to give it a try and see whether more graphics power can be released. There seem to be several factors involved and some systems are already utilising the full potential and others are not. It seems to be a case of suck it and see.

I'm getting my new laptop on Friday and it will have a 2GHz Core 2 Duo with 2Gb of RAM and a NV 8600M graphics card. It will have Vista and initially I'll be running FS9 so I have no idea if FS9 will run at its full potential on one processor or whether forcing it to run on both will bring improvements. It'll take me a couple of weeks to try it all out and I'll report back.

Thanks for the input, guys. It's good to hear of such impressive FPS benefits for such little input - except in the case of CP who has to buy more memory

Ian