OK, after playing for so long, I only JUST figured out how to get the best mix of graphics and quality.
Simply turn my graphics to the lowest quality for the CPU, but crank up the graphics on the GPU.
All this time, and I never knew, and never found anyway to go about it.
But wait, there is more - I HAD tried everything in the settings menus, but the KICKER that got it all to work, and FINALLY be worthy???
Take it OUT of Full Screen Mode, and fly in Windowed Mode - and suddenly, it all became clear!
I could have been enjoying the daylights out of the game all this time if I had only figured that out!