Looking to build PC dedicated to running FSX on max graphics. Advice please?

[Boeing747-88]

Hello all,

In response to a reply I received about my current PC (Dell XPS 420) - I am investigating the possibility of having a PC built for me that will enable me to run FSX on maximum graphics with a high FPS.

To that end, does anyone have any experience of this themselves? If so - please is there anyone who would be willing to provide a complete spec list and the cost to build such a machine please?

I appreciate that my only two posts to the forums are that of requesting advice - but I am really a novice when it comes to this stuff but want to really sink my teeth into playing FSX further.

Best Regards and thank you for all your help.

Ben.

[Art_P]

You could actually do it yourself. If you are in the US, NewEgg is a good place to shop. There are also plenty of options for having it custom built by others. My computer quit earlier this week and I started looking at parts to replace. As it turns out, I'm just getting a new PSU.

For a socket LGA1155 performance (overclocking to 4 GHz) motherboard and Intel i5-2500K CPU, I was looking at around $300. This is the lowest price for these components to achieve what you are asking. My find was that a good 750W modular PSU can be had for $90. Get at least a GTX560 video card (I haven't looked at cost). Get 4 GB of appropriate RAM for motherboard and CPU (small impact on performance - I haven't looked at cost). Case, HD, DVD drive can be had cheaply or more expensive depending on your taste (little impact on performance).

The above are minimum requirements upon which you can improve by spending more money, but FPS per dollar spent will not be very dramatic beyond this point.

[Paxx]

Hello all,

In response to a reply I received about my current PC (Dell XPS 420) - I am investigating the possibility of having a PC built for me that will enable me to run FSX on maximum graphics with a high FPS.To that end, does anyone have any experience of this themselves? If so - please is there anyone who would be willing to provide a complete spec list and the cost to build such a machine please? ...

1. Don't worry about your posts or where they are posted, this is the right place.

2. The system that can run FSX max eyecandy at a pleasant frame rate under all conditions isn't available yet. You can however build/have built a system that can run FSX quite well with about the best graphics available (once typical add-ons are installed) for a home civil aviation simulation.

3. These are the components I would get, and are the components that would deliver the best FSX performance available on todays hardware generally speaking for a budget of under $1500 USD. You can spend more of course but any FSX performance gains will be minimal, although other applications/games may benefit.

CPU - Intel Core i7-2700K BX80619i72700K Unlocked Processor - Quad Core, 8MB L3 Cache, 1MB L2 Cache, 3.50 GHz (3.90 GHz Max Turbo), Socket H2 (LGA1155)

CPU Cooler - Corsair CWCH80 Hydro H80 CPU Liquid Cooler - 120mm Fan, LGA775, LGA1155, LGA1156, LGA1366, LGA 2011, AM2, AM3

Motherboard - ASUS P8Z77-V Intel 7 Series Motherboard - ATX, Socket H2 (LGA1155), Intel Z77 Express, 2400MHz DDR3 (O.C.), SATA III (6Gb/s), RAID, 8-CH Audio, Gigabit LAN, USB 3.0, PCIe 3.0, WiFi-N, SLI/CrossFireX

RAM - Corsair Vengeance CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9B Desktop Memory Kit - 8GB (2x 4GB), PC3-12800, DDR3-1600MHz, 9-9-9-24 CAS Latency, Intel XMP Ready, Unbuffered

Video Card (GPU) - EVGA 01G-P3-1563-AR GeForce GTX 560 Ti SuperClocked Video Card - 1GB, GDDR5, PCI-Express 2.0 (x16), Dual DVI, HDMI, DirectX 11, SLI Ready

Hard Drive for O/S and FSX - OCZ SLD3-25SAT3-120G Solid 3 Series Solid State Drive - 120GB, 2.5", SATA III, 6Gbps

Hard Drive for other Applications and Data - Western Digital WD1002FAEX 1TB Caviar Black Hard Drive -3.5" Form Factor, 7200RPM, 64MB, SATA 6Gbs

Optical Drive (DVD/CD/Burner) - LG GH24NS90B Internal 24X DVD Writer - SATA, M-Disc Compatible, Windows 7 Compatible, OEM, Black

Power Supply (PSU) - Ultra LSP750 750-Watt Power Supply - ATX, SATA-Ready, SLI-Ready, 135mm Fan, Lifetime Warranty w/ Registration

System Case - Cooler Master RC-600-KKN1-GP Gladiator 600 Mid Tower Case - ATX, mATX

Operating System (O/S) - Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64BIT Operating System Software - OEM DVD

Now the above list is just a suggestion. It is not the be-all end-all for high-end system performance. Once properly overclocked into the 4.3 to 4.8 Ghz range (mileage varies on CPU overclock) it is about as good as you can do with FSX performance specifically in mind.

Note - the video card is selected with the CPU overclock in mind and represents in my opinion a budget conscious decision. I am also a nVidia fan. There are better cards. The better cards won't help FSX performance at this level.

P.s - I don't work for Tiger Direct although I do use them frequently. The links are just representitive and, for me, an easy way to tell you about system components. You'll need to find your own deals of course. If paying someone to build and overclock your system, expect $300 - $500 extra for a proper build and overclock. I highly recommend you build it yourself, it ain't that hard for most.

[ganuv]

the solid hard disk does not make it work better .
it is an old issue

[fxsttcb]

the solid hard disk does not make it work better .
it is an old issue

Let's clarify that. FPS gain? Not really. But...
What having my Win 7 and FSX both on an SSD does for me is, reduce stuttering when my sliders are set to a point when the stuttering made itself very noticeable on a spinning HD. In turn, I can set my autogen, weather, or traffic slider higher before stuttering becomes a nuisance.
My loading time improved dramatically for Windows and FSX. Work better? My experience says yes. Yours may say no.
The trade-off is cost. To me it's well worth it.

When IB-E hits the shelves, my new rig will have a 512GB SSD. If I could afford it, the other 3TB in drives would be SSD also...Don

[Paxx]

The SSD is suggested for more robust overall system performance. I never said it would help FSX frame rates directly. A system designed with maximum FSX performance in mind must take into consideration overall system performance, especially when overclocking. It's called balance and it has many benefits that may help with the enjoyment of FSX as clarified by fxsttcb.