I'm finished with GSX and uninstalling.

[Delta95Heavy]

I love GSX, I really really do.  But I am tiring of the constant CDT's I am getting with it.  I have uninstalled GSX before numerous times and not a single issue with crashing.  Install it back on my computer, the CDT's return.  I have plenty of RAM and my graphics card has plenty of RAM, etc.  I am not sure what is causing it, all I know is that FSX-SE does not crash when it is not installed.

Don't know what to do at this point.  Oh well.  Thanks for a great program, I just can't use it anymore.

[virtuali]

Your mistake is keep using FSX, which with modern video cards and OS is extremely limited in memory so, it's not that GSX is "making it crash", it's just there isn't enough memory to run FSX and your add-ons. If you removed another memory-hungry add-on, you would likely stop crashes as well.

FSX, as a 32 bit app, can't use more than 4GB, no matter how much memory you have but that limit is only in theory. In fact, it's even worse because, as a DirectX 9 app, the memory allocated by the Video Card is *copied* in regular RAM, taking away from the already limited 4GB limit, so the real limit is closer to 2.3-2.5GB instead and, the interesting thing is, the more memory you have on your card, the more memory is "stolen" from the 4GB pool, because with a better videocard you are tempted to raise your setting, increasing VRAM consumption, which even if your card could handle easily, it will limit your available memory more and more.

Other than switching to DX10, which will save you SOME memory ( because under DX10 the VRAM is not copied to RAM ), which still a temporary solution, the best solution is, instead, switching to a 64 bit simulator, like P3D or MSFS 2020.

[Delta95Heavy]

Your mistake is keep using FSX, which with modern video cards and OS is extremely limited in memory so, it's not that GSX is "making it crash", it's just there isn't enough memory to run FSX and your add-ons. If you removed another memory-hungry add-on, you would likely stop crashes as well.

Other than switching to DX10, which will save you SOME memory ( because under DX10 the VRAM is not copied to RAM ), which still a temporary solution, the best solution is, instead, switching to a 64 bit simulator, like P3D or MSFS 2020.

I currently have DX12, so I would have to downgrade to DX10 to save some memory?   As far as add-ons go, I don't really have any addons other than Imaginesim KATL.  I don't have any payware aircraft and the only other programs I run with FSX-SE are related to VATSIM and OBS since I livestream my flights on YouTube.

Based on my system specs, which version of Prepar3d would you all recommend?

Intel Core i7 12th Gen 12700KF 2.7GHz Processor
Microsoft Windows 11 Pro
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti 8GB GDDR6X
32GB DDR4-3200 RAM
1TB Solid State Drive
10/100/1000 Network
802.11ax Wireless
Bluetooth 5.1
AIO Liquid ML 240L RGB Cooler

Thanks for the info about FSX being RAM restricted.

[virtuali]

I currently have DX12, so I would have to downgrade to DX10 to save some memory?

You don't have DX12 in FSX. Even if your OS and video card and drivers supports DX12, in order to use it, the game/app must support it. And FSX, being a program made in 2006, by default runs in DirectX 9 and, optionally, is possible to set it to work in DirectX 10, which might have a bit of compatibility issues, but mostly with sceneries originally made for FS9.

So yes, you should UPDATE to DX10 ( in the FSX graphic settings ), to save some memory, because normally it uses DX9.

As far as add-ons go, I don't really have any addons other than Imaginesim KATL.  I don't have any payware aircraft and the only other programs I run with FSX-SE are related to VATSIM and OBS since I livestream my flights on YouTube.

You mean you are flying only with default airplanes ? Well, that's weird but, on some sceneries it still possible to go low on memory with a default airplane.

Based on my system specs, which version of Prepar3d would you all recommend?

I think your system could run MSFS 2020 and, considering it the Standard version can be downloaded for FREE if you have a Game Pass subscription, my suggestion would be to start a 1 month Game Pass subscription, which costs about 10$ and TRY MSFS first, see if you like it. Note that, you'll need to purchase GSX Pro.

If your system can't handle MSFS, or you don't want to switch to it for any other reasons, a suggestion about P3D is not the easiest thing to provide right now because:

P3D V6 just came out, but lots of developers have been slow to release updates to support it (we supported it the day it came out), so you might need to go through some hacks to install products that hasn't been updated yet.

P3D V5 has likely the best support and lots of add-ons and supports DX12, so it also has the best performances. However, with an 8GB video card, since DX12 is quite picky with VRAM, you might risk crashes as well, not because of RAM, but because of not enough VRAM, and you can't select DX11 in P3D5, which is usually more reliable.

P3D V4 is the version I liked most, because it's very reliable and it works in DX11, and there we have some of the more advanced features in GSX, like Render To Texture. However, it's slower because of this, and it might not be a good idea to purchase something made in 2017 today.

And, since updates from major versions require a new purchase, if you buy an older version like V4 or V5 and later on want to update to V6 (maybe because more addons would have been updated to support it), you'll have to buy a new license.

That's why, I think the easiest upgrade path for somebody using FSX until today, would be MSFS 2020, which is the most supported by 3rd party developers right now.