Performance of free-space optical communication (FSO) system fluctuates greatly due to influence by atmospheric turbulence. Research about evaluating system error performance according to parameters of system and atmosphere is a subject of current interest. Based on both optical turbulence channel and photoelectric detection model, a mathematic simulation model of error performance for FSO system is established, and an expression of bit error rate for FSO system through turbulent atmosphere is proposed. Results of simulation are compared with experimental data obtained under weak turbulence condition and the model is used to characterize factors in turbulence, such as intensity fluctuation and background noise, etc. Simulation results are shown to be consistent with experimental data, intensity fluctuation is a chief factor of system performance fluctuation, and optimized threshold should be adjusted according to pratical atmosphere. The presented model can lead to an efficient performance evaluation and provide reference to correlative theoretical researches.