B77W 0 Posted February 22, 2009 Report Share Posted February 22, 2009 Hi Guys, I was wondering how these two systems would run FSX; medium settings - no AA, high settings - no AA, medium settings - AA, high settings - AA. 750 GB SATA-II HDD UDMA 300 7200 32MB Restore DVD & Original Operating System DVD NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GTX - 512 MB - 2X DVI/VGA (XFX) ASUS P5N-D S/L 1333FSB (NVIDIA 750i) Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 (2 x 3.0 GHZ) 1333FSB - 6 MB ASUS (DRW-2014L1T) DVD +/- RW 20x - Black - Lightscribe (SATA) NZXT Hush Black Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-BIT (Genuine DVD & COA Included) Speeze QuadroFlow VIII - Low Noise 4GB PC-6400 800 MHZ (2 x 2 GB) (DDR2) 4 Port Firewire IEEE 1394 & Free Cable (PCI) Motherboard Integrated 5.1 Sound 10 X USB 2.0 Ports OCZ 700W Game XStream - Low Noise CPU/Proc Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 3.16GHz Gfx Card XFX GeForce 9800GTX+ Black Edition 512MB Motherboard Gigabyte GA-73PVM-S2H GeForce 7100 Micro-ATX (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard RAM OcUK 4GB (2x2GB) PC2-6400C5 800MHz DDR2 Dual Channel Kit Hard Drive Hitachi Deskstar P7K500 500GB SATA-II 16MB Cache - OEM (0A35415) DVD Writer ? Case Asus TA-D31 Midi-ATX Case - Black (No PSU) PSU Akasa Ultra Quiet 500W Paxpower Active PFC ATX2.2 Power Supply - Black Nickel OS Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64 OEM Thanks Guys! Sam :dance2: Link to post Share on other sites
mutley 4,487 Posted February 22, 2009 Report Share Posted February 22, 2009 Hi Sam I will leave this to the experts but recent experience has taught me to buy the fastest processor you can afford. FSX is very processor cycle hungry, more than GPU hungry. So long as the card is at least 512mb then there's no point wasting money on more. Vista 64bit (I understand) would be a good choice for FSX too. Hope this helps. /Joe Link to post Share on other sites
B77W 0 Posted February 22, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 22, 2009 Thanks, Joe. I want enough to run X smoothly (and post the odd pic on here) without going OTT. Sam :dance2: Link to post Share on other sites
mutley 4,487 Posted February 22, 2009 Report Share Posted February 22, 2009 I figure you are going to be flying heavy metal Sam? The PMDG 747X will really push it, FSX runs a lot smoother than FS9 at lower FPS, with those specs definitely High with AA is out, you would probably need a high end quad core or i7. Both specs are very close, I would guess you could fly with medium settings and AA with no problem but there are no absolute guide-lines as you know. /Joe Link to post Share on other sites
B77W 0 Posted February 22, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 22, 2009 I figure you are going to be flying heavy metal Sam?The PMDG 747X will really push it, FSX runs a lot smoother than FS9 at lower FPS, with those specs definitely High with AA is out, you would probably need a high end quad core or i7. Both specs are very close, I would guess you could fly with medium settings and AA with no problem but there are no absolute guide-lines as you know. /Joe A bit of everything, but mainly 'heavy metal', yeah. So the 'Intel Core i7 920 2.66GHz Socket 1366 8MB Cache' would make a big difference to the 'Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 3.16GHz'? - I guess when the i7 has been overclocked, not much could be better! Sam Link to post Share on other sites
ddavid 149 Posted February 22, 2009 Report Share Posted February 22, 2009 I'm not sure that FSX will use more than 2 cores (don't quote me) so 4 or 7 cores may not help you. Then it depends on the processor's clock, in which case you'd be better off with the highest spec (over-clocked) Core-2-Duo. But then the i7 is a really formidable beast and it would be great to build one, eh? (See last week's Micro Mart). Mind you, I'm prob'ly wrong...... :dance2: Cheers - Dai. Link to post Share on other sites
B77W 0 Posted February 23, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 23, 2009 I'm not sure that FSX will use more than 2 cores (don't quote me) so 4 or 7 cores may not help you. Then it depends on the processor's clock, in which case you'd be better off with the highest spec (over-clocked) Core-2-Duo. But then the i7 is a really formidable beast and it would be great to build one, eh? (See last week's Micro Mart). Mind you, I'm prob'ly wrong...... :blush: Cheers - Dai. Apparently FSX, with the SP's uses more than two! After talking to a friend, I think I'm going to go with this, Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 CPU Overclocked To 3.0Ghz Per Core Quiet Scythe Katana 2 Heatsink & CPU Fan Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3 Motherboard 1GB ATI HD 4870 PCI Express Graphics Card 4GB (4 x 1GB) Kingston HyperX PC8500 1066Mhz DDR2 Ram 750GB 7200rpm SATA II Hard Drive Sam Link to post Share on other sites
mutley 4,487 Posted February 24, 2009 Report Share Posted February 24, 2009 Well done Sam, I have that processor and it over clocks quite well apparently. I assume you are going the Vista 64 route? Should make a good set up Sam Cheers Link to post Share on other sites
simi_av8r 0 Posted February 24, 2009 Report Share Posted February 24, 2009 Apparently FSX, with the SP's uses more than two! After talking to a friend, I think I'm going to go with this, Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 CPU Overclocked To 3.0Ghz Per Core Quiet Scythe Katana 2 Heatsink & CPU Fan Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3 Motherboard 1GB ATI HD 4870 PCI Express Graphics Card 4GB (4 x 1GB) Kingston HyperX PC8500 1066Mhz DDR2 Ram 750GB 7200rpm SATA II Hard Drive Sam Sam, That look slike a good set-up reallly, although if you could stretch your purse just a very little bit more, you'd do much better (and have a longer lasting system) if you swap out the mobo, CPU and GPU's with a Core i7 CPU and mobo combo, and a bin the Radeon for a GeForce 2xx series GPU - just go to Tom's Hardware Guide to see what i mean, the ATI's just dont do well in FSX! As for the CPU, countless sites (again, Google is your friend!) are saying that a reasonable i7 mobo and the i7 CPUs are crushing their C2D/C2Q counterparts when used with FSX. Especially since FSX is so CPU intensive. Couple this with the fact that the i7 CPUs are uber-overclockable with no ridiculous cooling requirements, and you have a CPU that's just destined for good things! Also, you'll be best using 3x 2GB DIMMs due to the i7's triple channel DDR memory requirements, so that means 6GB (or more!) of 1333mhz+ (why not go for 1600MHz, or even 1866MHz whilst we're at it) memory too..... Just my two-penneth mate, but i speak from countless hours of hard research and forum trawling! Simi Link to post Share on other sites
B77W 0 Posted February 24, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 24, 2009 Good Afternoon, Well done Sam, I have that processor and it over clocks quite well apparently.I assume you are going the Vista 64 route? Should make a good set up Sam Cheers I think so, then off to Windows 7 when it's released (or maybe just use the beta over Vista!) What are your specs, Joe? Apparently FSX, with the SP's uses more than two! After talking to a friend, I think I'm going to go with this, Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 CPU Overclocked To 3.0Ghz Per Core Quiet Scythe Katana 2 Heatsink & CPU Fan Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3 Motherboard 1GB ATI HD 4870 PCI Express Graphics Card 4GB (4 x 1GB) Kingston HyperX PC8500 1066Mhz DDR2 Ram 750GB 7200rpm SATA II Hard Drive Sam Sam, That look slike a good set-up reallly, although if you could stretch your purse just a very little bit more, you'd do much better (and have a longer lasting system) if you swap out the mobo, CPU and GPU's with a Core i7 CPU and mobo combo, and a bin the Radeon for a GeForce 2xx series GPU - just go to Tom's Hardware Guide to see what i mean, the ATI's just dont do well in FSX! As for the CPU, countless sites (again, Google is your friend!) are saying that a reasonable i7 mobo and the i7 CPUs are crushing their C2D/C2Q counterparts when used with FSX. Especially since FSX is so CPU intensive. Couple this with the fact that the i7 CPUs are uber-overclockable with no ridiculous cooling requirements, and you have a CPU that's just destined for good things! Also, you'll be best using 3x 2GB DIMMs due to the i7's triple channel DDR memory requirements, so that means 6GB (or more!) of 1333mhz+ (why not go for 1600MHz, or even 1866MHz whilst we're at it) memory too..... Just my two-penneth mate, but i speak from countless hours of hard research and forum trawling! Simi Thanks Simi, I'll bare that in mind, all though a bit over my budget... Sam Link to post Share on other sites
simi_av8r 0 Posted February 24, 2009 Report Share Posted February 24, 2009 no probs sam, any help shared is shared for the better. also, remember that a wise man once said "Spend more than you can afford initially, and save more than expected later." - i think that means always overspend on a newer system up-front then you'll save money upgrading when your system becomes outdated... Link to post Share on other sites
mutley 4,487 Posted February 24, 2009 Report Share Posted February 24, 2009 What are your specs, Joe? Sam, Presently Q6600, 4 (2.9)Gb ram and a 9800GX2 1Gb self build. XP Pro 32bit. Presently I have my old 7900GTX 512mb graphics card installed as it is out performing the 9800gx2 in FSX I keep using the XP Pro from previous builds, as I now only use FSX when I next upgrade it will be a 64bit OS. Cheers Link to post Share on other sites
ddavid 149 Posted February 24, 2009 Report Share Posted February 24, 2009 Isn't there a problem of losing a gig of your 4G ram when you have the 9800x2, Joe? Cheers - Dai. Link to post Share on other sites
mutley 4,487 Posted February 24, 2009 Report Share Posted February 24, 2009 Nah! it's the 32 bit that is the problem? However, I had awful problems trying to run some software for review and was advised by the software publisher (Not JF!) that the best combination was a run of the mill 512mb card with the fastest processor you could afford. I tried it and bingo! Cheers Link to post Share on other sites
B77W 0 Posted February 24, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 24, 2009 Windows 7 is also DX11 which can only be a good thing! Link to post Share on other sites
mutley 4,487 Posted February 24, 2009 Report Share Posted February 24, 2009 Agreed Sam I hope to be publishing a hardware review on the latest i7 machine in the not too distant future. It all depends on how good a deal the manufacturers will offer on a review machine. I am not holding my breath on a deal but it will also be useful for movie production now I am stepping up a gear! Cheers Link to post Share on other sites
B77W 0 Posted February 25, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 25, 2009 Agreed Sam I hope to be publishing a hardware review on the latest i7 machine in the not too distant future. It all depends on how good a deal the manufacturers will offer on a review machine. I am not holding my breath on a deal but it will also be useful for movie production now I am stepping up a gear! Cheers Let us know how you get on, Joe. I'll always make your current machine a new home if need be... Link to post Share on other sites
MartinW 0 Posted February 26, 2009 Report Share Posted February 26, 2009 Presently I have my old 7900GTX 512mb graphics card installed as it is out performing the 9800gx2 in FSX Not surprised, dual GPU cards tend to be deliberately down rated to avoid overheating issues, and the two GPU's on one card are effectively SLI, which does nothing for the sim. Need to know budget for better advice. An upgrade path to i7 may be cheaper than you think. A complete i7 system from OCUK is only a tad over Link to post Share on other sites
B77W 0 Posted February 26, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 26, 2009 Presently I have my old 7900GTX 512mb graphics card installed as it is out performing the 9800gx2 in FSX Not surprised, dual GPU cards tend to be deliberately down rated to avoid overheating issues, and the two GPU's on one card are effectively SLI, which does nothing for the sim. Need to know budget for better advice. An upgrade path to i7 may be cheaper than you think. A complete i7 system from OCUK is only a tad over Link to post Share on other sites
simi_av8r 0 Posted February 26, 2009 Report Share Posted February 26, 2009 Presently I have my old 7900GTX 512mb graphics card installed as it is out performing the 9800gx2 in FSX Not surprised, dual GPU cards tend to be deliberately down rated to avoid overheating issues, and the two GPU's on one card are effectively SLI, which does nothing for the sim. Need to know budget for better advice. An upgrade path to i7 may be cheaper than you think. A complete i7 system from OCUK is only a tad over Link to post Share on other sites
B77W 0 Posted February 26, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 26, 2009 :nea: Link to post Share on other sites
B77W 0 Posted February 26, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 26, 2009 Is this the way to go then? (The finance option sure is a pro!) Link to post Share on other sites
MartinW 0 Posted February 27, 2009 Report Share Posted February 27, 2009 A Quad 3GHz (12) would preform better than say a duo i7 2.6GHz (5.2) though, right? I have a great deal of respect for the guys at CustomPC. This is what they have to say abouit i7... http://www.custompc.co.uk/features/6051 ... ed-to-know Don't get obsessed with frequency. Yes the faster the better, but just like the C2D before it, the i7 has a brand new CPU architecture that makes it far more powerful than anything that's gone before. If I were buying/building now, I wouldn't consider anything less than i7... unless I was slightly mad. CONCLUSION The graphs show the new range of Core i7 CPUs in direct comparison to what was previously the fastest processor in the world, the Core 2 Extreme QX9770. Our testing proves conclusively that Core i7 is significantly faster clock for clock than any other CPU series, and great for everything from video encoding to gaming. Although there are three models available at launch, the Core i7-920 overclocks so well that we have no hesitation in recommending that you visit your favourite etailer and buy one right now. Link to post Share on other sites
B77W 0 Posted February 27, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 27, 2009 :bday: Martin. Now onto the next option... which card! :nea: [*] ATI HD 4850 (512MB) [*] ATI 4870 (512MB) [*] NVIDIA Gefore 9800 GTX Link to post Share on other sites
simi_av8r 0 Posted February 27, 2009 Report Share Posted February 27, 2009 :bday: Martin.Now onto the next option... which card! :nea: [*] ATI HD 4850 (512MB) [*] ATI 4870 (512MB) [*] NVIDIA Gefore 9800 GTX None of them, if i had the choice. Did you look at the Toms Hardware Guide link?? As you'll see, the ATI cards are way down the list when it comes to FSX and FPS rates. The 9800GXT 512mb even lags behind the older 8800GTS with the same memory allocation! If i was forced to chose one, it'd definitely be the 9800GXT with 512mb, but its not the preferred option in an ideal world mate. Link to post Share on other sites
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