active About to re-install FSX-SE & Orbx, any up to date tips?

[NickThain]

Morning all,

I know MSFS 2020 is coming soon (actually, I'm one of the lucky buggers Alpha testing it ), but I'm still stubbornly trying to get some decent frame rates out of FSX Steam Edition. Why? Because I own just about all of the gorgeous Orbx scenery and airports for FSX. And I'm nostalgic. And stubborn.

 

Thing is I'm having a helluva time just getting FSX-SE running reliably, let alone getting it smooth.. Before I give up on my dream of flying in FSX-SE again, thought I'd try my luck here, for if there are still FSX sim pilots around anywhere, they're likely to be lurking here . I'm usually pretty good at online research but the sheer volume of collected tips and tricks scattered online is staggering, not to mention trying to figure out what is current and what is old/redundant.

 

For performance reference, I'll admit I have a pretty unorthodox rig:

• 2017 iMac Pro running Windows 10 Pro via Bootcamp (look, I bought it refurb'd on impulse, then got back into flight simming... hindsight huh?)
  • 8-Core (16 thread) 3.2GHz intel Xeon W
  • Radeon pro Vega 56 GPU w/8GB VRAM
  • 32GB 2666MHz DDR4 RAM
  • 1TB SSD (and a few external Samsung T5 2TB SSDs connected via Thunderbolt 3 for all the Orbx love)
• Nividia RTX 2080ti w/11GB VRAM (external GPU connected via Thunderbolt 3 to iMac Pro/Display Port to external 4k monitor)
• And the usual slew of flight sim peripherals:
  • Track IR w/Track Clip Pro, 'Classic' Thrustmaster Cougar HOTAS, Oculus Rift S, Stream Deck, G13, MFDs... 

 

In summary, I'm starting to think an FSX-SE re-install might be a good start in getting it working again. Some questions:

• Is there a way I can preserve my FSX-SE Orbx library, given that it's installed 'within' the FSX-SE install location? (I'm assuming not..) 
• Any current wisdom on FSX config file tweaks?
• Any debunked former tricks or tweaks?

 

I know this is a vague request, any advice or wisdom is welcome, (even if it's a link to another post here that I maybe should have read before posting this ). I also know how old FSX is, and that it's not designed to run on a modern machine, but I'm optimistic that I should be able to get it running on the above Frankenstein rig.. 

 

Cheers all!

Nick