If you have performance degradation over time, the performance is not good.
For you. Not for others. So there has to be something in your setup causing this. I suspect the exceeded limits for RAM and VRAM, but other reasons are also possible.
I don’t know if there is a generic issue, since you can configure the simulator in a way that there are no VRAM issues at all. Crucial is that you don’t exceed the limits, if the system has to use shared VRAM, then you are lost. But reducing settings seems to be a red flag for some users here. Just accept it if your hardware is overwhelmed by your settings. Complaining in a forum won’t change this.
If you have degrading performance over time, the solution is not good. And take into account: You have to adjust the settings with every update and every new addon. Yes, you MUST do it, since things are changing. Don’t expect the system behaves the same after the next SU. Don’t come here and tell us “but it worked before”, this won’t help you at all. I’ll adjust the settings all the time, already during beta phases. Sometimes I can increase settings, sometime I have to decrease them. But the resulting performance is good afterward.
Just test it. Reduce your settings in a way you are not exceeding the limits and see, what happens. I wouldn’t be surprised if it solves your problems. If not, the addons come into play.
I’m an Xbox user but I’m going to jump in here and say that there is a very obvious memory leak going on since SU5.1 on Xbox which has carried over into SU6 beta. Short flights are fine and performance is good (well … latest beta build is a bit stuttery) but if you do a flight more than just a couple of hours, LOD falls through the floor. Here’s Hong Kong after an 11.5 hour flight
Of course, this is your decision, but it is your problem, not mine. My system is running well.
In general, though:
High memory usage (RAM and/or VRAM) does not necessarily indicate a leak. You can cause high memory usage in many ways, and most of these are not bugs (in particular not in the core sim).
Ignoring obvious error messages will not help you to identify the root cause. If you see an error message, address it and test again. Low memory can cause strange symptoms in different situations. There is a certain probability that the problem will have gone afterwards.
Don’t expect the system to behave exactly the same after an update. Updates introduce new functionality and fix bugs and security issues. As with all other software, new releases cause higher resource usage. If your settings are optimised to the maximum for SU4, SU5 could push them over the edge. The same applies to SU5 and SU5.1, and SU6.
Microsoft’s warning that incompatible add-ons can cause problems is true. Therefore, testing without add-ons is essential in every case.
Of course, nobody expects you to test your system with low settings or without add-ons. But be aware: The testers in the MS and Asobo development offices do. Many people wonder why specific issues never get logged as bugs. But if they never rule out settings and add-ons, this is no surprise. Having read the feedback threads for SU5, SU5.1 and SU6, I would really recommend testing this, given how often people report that deactivating a certain setting or add-on solved their problems. This could save you a lot of trouble and make using the simulator more enjoyable without having to wait for a bug fix.
