Only some suggestions -- of course you will use what works best for you -- these are settings many people find to work well.
ESC key, then PREF tab - All graphics to LOW and OFF, all music OFF
ESC key, then PREF tab - Hud pitch ladder ON, Show cockpit OFF, Large windows OFF
ESC key, then WINDOW - Shift/2 ON, Shift/5 ON, Shift/9 ON.
When all game settings and preferences are as you intend to keep them, use Windows Explorer to right click on your ea.cfg file in the FA folder. Click on ea.cfg PROPERTIES, and set to READ ONLY. This will prevent your settings from being unintentionally changed, as FA often does, to match the settings of the Host during a multiplayer game. Now if the Host machine does change your settings for the duration of the game, your FA will still start its future games with your customized "read only" ea.cfg file.
