FSX Play Optimizations

These tips & tricks could help optimize the performance of FSX Play on your current system

Table of Contents:

Graphics Tuning with Lossless Scaling:

Lossless Scaling "allows you to scale windowed games to full screen using the state-of-the-art scaling algorithms, as well as use ML based proprietary scaling and frame generation."

Requirements:

  • Scaling makes sense when you are limited by GPU power
  • For the best experience, limit the game to a stable frame rate so that Lossless Scaling has resources to work with
    • The game must be running in windowed mode
    • Windows 10 1903 or newer

There are a few options to leverage this standalone software to either boost FPS or enable V-Sync like smoothness of frame rate on your screen (default settings unless specified).

Test System:

  • Win 10 Pro
      Hardware-accelerated GPU Scheduling: High Performance enabled for FSXPlay.exe
  • RTX 2070 Super 8GB
  • i7-2600k
  • 16gb DDR3
  • FSX Play Scenario:
    • Course:
      • Course: Teton Pines #3
      • Wind: 10mph
      • Time of the Day: Afternoon
      • Sky: Partly Cloudy
    • Display:
      • Dual Display: Disabled
      • DLSS: Off
    • Testing:
      • Result FPS is AVG of sitting on the tee box for 60 sec w/ trees blowing in the wind
      • Comments added for changes in framerate once ball is moving, trees/wind out of frame, etc.

Tests & Results:

  • Test 1 - GOAL: 4k @ 60FPS

    • Test System
    • Lossless Version: 2.12.1
    • Display: 4K TV @ 60Hz
      • Control - Native 4K - Ultra:
        • Play - Screen: Fullscreen
        • Play - Framerate Cap: Unlimited
        • Play - Graphic Quality: Ultra
        • Play - Resolution: 3840x2160
        • Lossless - OFF
        • Result: ~5 FPS
          • Very choppy from tee to green & unplayable...
      • Scale to 4k - Ultra:
        • Play - Screen: Windowed
        • Play - Framerate Cap: 60
        • Play - Graphic Quality: Ultra
        • Play - Resolution: 1920x1080
        • Lossless - Scaling Type: LS1
          • Sharpness: 1
        • Result: ~15 FPS
          • Not as choppy, but FPS much higher once ball is in the air (trees out of the way)...
      • Native 4k - Frame generation - High:
        • Play - Screen: Fullscreen
        • Play - Framerate Cap: 30
        • Play - Graphic Quality: High
        • Play - Resolution: 3840x2160
        • Lossless - Frame Generation: LSFG 2.3
          • Mode: X2
          • Rendering - Sync Mode: Default
        • Result: 15-20 FPS
          • V-Sync like smoothness with no screen tearing!
          • Had to run on High settings to maintain FPS
      • Scale to 4k + Frame generation - Ultra:
        • Play - Screen: Windowed
        • Play - Framerate Cap: 30
        • Play - Graphic Quality: Ultra
        • Play - Resolution: 1920x1080
        • Lossless - Scaling Type: LS1
          • Sharpness: 1
        • Lossless - Frame Generation: LSFG 2.3
          • Mode: X2
          • Rendering - Sync Mode: Default
        • Result: 57-60 FPS [WINNER!]
          • Combining both settings allowed for smooth vsync like smoothness and a solid FPS to run Ultra settings with no studdering!

  • Test 2 - GOAL: 1080p @ 120FPS

    • Test System
    • Lossless Version: 2.12.1
    • Display: 1080p TV @ 120Hz
      • Control - Native 1080p - Ultra:
        • Play - Screen: Fullscreen
        • Play - Framerate Cap: Unlimited
        • Play - Graphic Quality: Ultra
        • Play - Resolution: 1920x1080
        • Lossless - OFF
        • Result: 34 FPS
          • FPS closer to 52 once ball is in the air (trees out of the way)...
      • Native 1080p - High:
        • Play - Screen: Fullscreen
        • Play - Framerate Cap: Unlimited
        • Play - Graphic Quality: High
        • Play - Resolution: 1920x1080
        • Lossless - OFF
        • Result: 47 FPS
          • FPS closer to 65 once ball is in the air (trees out of the way)...
      • Scale to 1080p - Ultra:
        • Play - Screen: Windowed
        • Play - Framerate Cap: Unlimited
        • Play - Graphic Quality: Ultra
        • Play - Resolution: 1366x768
        • Lossless - Scaling Type: LS1
          • Sharpness: 1
        • Result: 47 FPS
          • FPS closer to 81 once ball is in the air (trees out of the way)...
      • Scale to 1080p + Frame generation - Ultra:
        • Play - Screen: Windowed
        • Play - Framerate Cap: 60
        • Play - Graphic Quality: Ultra
        • Play - Resolution: 1366x768
        • Lossless - Scaling Type: LS1
          • Sharpness: 1
        • Lossless - Frame Generation: LSFG 2.3
          • Mode: X2
          • Rendering - Sync Mode: Default
        • Result: 87 FPS
          • FPS to 118 once ball is in the air (trees out of the way)...
      • Scale to 1080p + Frame generation - High:
        • Play - Screen: Windowed
        • Play - Framerate Cap: 60
        • Play - Graphic Quality: High
        • Play - Resolution: 1366x768
        • Lossless - Scaling Type: LS1
          • Sharpness: 1
        • Lossless - Frame Generation: LSFG 2.3
          • Mode: X2
          • Rendering - Sync Mode: Default
        • Result: 115 FPS [WINNER!]
          • FPS solid 120 once ball is moving and looks amazing on the 120Hz TV (since I don't like Ultra's shadows)

Final Thoughts:

  • The DLSS options in Play don't provide enough performance and with my card created a very choppy/blurry movement of any text/lines...
  • High powered RTX cards are very expensive and for a $7 (at the time of this update) software to provide an 1100% FPS upgrade @ 4K is amazing!
  • Lossless works even better when not running 4K
  • There are other Lossless Scaling options to use to fine tune performance
  • There are other Lossless Frame Generation options to use to fine tune performance
  • Lossless can be used with scaling and/or frame generation based on GPU to reduce heat, power, noise, etc...
  • Due to how Play handles dual screen by forcing "Full Screen" (ignores set resolutions on primary screen), Lossless won't be able to handle scaling or frame generation with this enabled...

Foresight Provided Help:

Notes:

  • GPU Requirements:
    • I've run Play just fine with a GTX 1070 on Medium settings...
    • I've seen Play work just fine on a RTX Nvidia Quadro...
  • NVIDIA App :
    • Graphics Settings - Smooth Motion:
      • Issues have been seen with "Smooth Motion" being enabled in the NVIDIA App that causes unusable flickering screens when Dual Display is Enabled...
        • This can be avoided by making sure that "Smooth Motion" is OFF in the Global settings.
          • NVIDIA App does not recognize FSX Play as an app that can be optimized, therefore you cannot create a custom profile and have to depend on Global settings
  • High vs Ultra quality settings:
    • So far, the only difference I can see is Ultra applies Ambient occlusion shadowing to everything! So the grass looks dark, cavernous and newer course versions (1.5) the fairway looks like shag carpet...
Last Updated: 3/31/25 @ 8:00PM MST