Trying to get as real as possible.

[polarbear17]

Just up graded my computer system for my B Day , to a Hp intel Dual core 2.2 ghz , 2 Mb ram with 126mb on board video chip.Big improvement from old amd celron 1.8 ghz with 1 mb ram. Now i can run FS9 at all levels full and get over 30fps, before i had to have every thing set at low and could only muster 8fps.
Am looking to upgrade my software and video card next to try and mak it as real as possible. Would upgradeing my video card to a 512mb Geforce 8500 help, Plus what software upgrades are best for realisim, currently using Real enviroment profeesional. thinking about Fs sence or Ulitmate terrian , plus Rex and shockwave lights 3d.Can my system handle this.
and Which is better.
Here are a few Screen shots of what it look like now. terrian looks like crap.

[chrisdash]

If you are currently using your onboad VGA chip then certainly a Geforce 8500 will be an improvement. But it is a really old card that doesn't support DirectX 10 if I remember correctly. I can't even find it on sale anymore. Unless you can get it for very little money, I would probably look for a more modern budget card.
There are various threads on what addons to use for improved terrain etc., but beware, you will lose some fps. I'd probably max out FS9 first, then add addons.

[ricardo_NY1]

I'd get something like a GeForce 9400 for your system. Do you have an AGP on that board or PCI/PCI-E? You definitely should get a videocard for your system, it'll speed things up. I don't think any of the software you mentioned would have a real impact on your system, but of the ones you mention, I think REX and Ultimate terrain are the better choice.

[stankar]

D'you want to get as real as possible? I found a whole new world of flightsimming when I started communicating with ATC via speech recognition instead of just pushing buttons. This is truly a most realistic experience. I would strongly recommend the ItsYourPlane product, on WWW.ITSYOURPLANE.COM This site is one of the most comprehensive FS sites I've seen and will make your flying experience unbelievable. The support you get is totally outstanding as well. The full application costs about $50, but the ATC component is free. I guarantee you that if you start with the ATC componet (called SuperATC), you will want to buy the full product, which puts a friendly co-pilot into the seat next to you and allows you to assume command as in a real plane. Try it, and watch the videos and see for yourself.
Stan

[vindee]

I don't think FS9 will take full advantage of DX10 so I would concentrate on a good video card and stick with DX9. I am running a GeForce 8800GTX with 768MB ram. Works great for me. Also UTUSA is a great addition which gives you scenery for the whole US and looks great. Then select a few airport addons from developers like FlyTampa. Don't go crazy with addon scenery or more than likely you will be fighting conflicts within FS. The single most improvement I made was downloading nHancer for my Nvidia driver. Everything really came alive and it got rid of all the stutters and shimmering.
As far as ATC goes, I fly Vatsim. You need a headset and mic for this real as it gets air traffic control. It's a network of controllers and pilots all working together to get you where you want to go. And it's free. You have to file a flight plan and get clearance for that flight plan and know how to navigate. The first time I ever worked up a sweat on the computer was the first time I flew on Vatsim getting vectored to ILS25R at LAX. I never thought that could be possible just sitting at a computer.
Hope this helps
Steve