X-Plane 9 or 10?

Greetings,

 

I'm looking for a good flight simulator for my father. He was a pilot, but no longer has an aircraft, and his only flying these days is with the increasingly disappointing Microsoft FSX. I'd like to get him one of the X-Plane simulators. Obviously X-Plane 10 has the better graphics, but I'm not sure whether it would run on his computer, even with an upgraded video card.

 

He has a Dell XPS 8700 with a Core i5-4440 CPU (3.10 GHz), 8 GB of RAM, and an nVidia GT 635 video card with 4 MB of shared VRAM (1 MB actually on the card).

 

Can this computer run X-Plane 10 at any level a pilot would enjoy? It meets the minimum specs on the X-Plane website, but I know from experience that many games and simulators when run at their lowest settings are generally unpleasant, graphically speaking. Also, if I were to upgrade his video card, would that make it suitable for X-Plane 10, or is it too processor-dependent for that to make a difference?

 

Would it make more sense just to get X-Plane 9? And is that a significant improvement over the aging Microsoft simulator he's using now?

 

Thanks!

X-Plane has a demo version on their site. I would download it and try it. It will give you an idea of how well it runs and whether or not it has the features you want.

 

You have a very good processor but the video card is on the weak side. I don't know how well the 635 would work, but you would be able to run X-Plane 10 with an upgraded card for sure.

 

I think the consensus is FSX and X-Plane are different but one isn't necessarily better than the other because they each have strong and weak points.

 

These two videos by flightsim481 on youtube explain the difference between FSX and X-Plane really well.

 

 

I'm an FSX player, I tried X-Plane 9 and 10 last year but didn't like them.

I don't want to start an FSX vs X-Plane war, but I didn't like the way XP9/10 light aircraft had no natural stability and were impossible to trim to make the wings stay level.

Perhaps they've fixed it by now, I don't know.

 

PS- and to be fair, FS9 and FSX are not perfect either, for example rudder effects are a bit bizarre in some aircraft; tyres won't grip runways very well when trying to stay on the centre line during takeoffs and landings as if they're made of slippery ice; and the visibility layer effects are weird.

The main reason I stick with FSX is because the default scenery is nicer than XP9/10, and I'm also too lazy to learn a whole new set of clicks and buttons etc in XP9/10..:)

fsimmer98, good advice, thanks. :) And I'll check out those videos (and have my father watch as well).

 

ScatterbrainKid, I must be missing something. The scenery in FSX looks pretty basic. It looks like what it is, a ten-year-old program. X-Plane 10 is half its age, and from what I've seen so far, at least looks nicer in the screenshots. Am I looking at the wrong versions?

Hi there,

 

Welcome to the X-Plane forums:D

 

Looking at the specifications the new simulator will run on, I'd say go with X-Plane 9. The reason being, the limitations of the available hardware.

 

Yes, X-Plane 10 is going to be the more impressive of the two, especially in terms of visuals, but this also comes at a price, i.e processor and video card requirements.

 

In saying that, X-Plane 9 is more than capable of producing stunning results. Why...even X-Plane 9 can produce cloud shadows on the terrain;)

 

Note: In much the same way as MSFS, X-Plane requires 3rd party add-ons to look its best!

 

Both X-Plane 9 and 10 have a plethora of add-ons available to them, but I'd say that X-Plane 9 still has the edge over 10 in terms of quantity. This will no doubt change over time however.

 

With X-Plane 9 you'll be able to download and use a wide variety of aircraft from both X-Plane 8 and 9. You'll also be able to use a fantastic selection of sceneries.

 

If you explore the file library, you'll notice that there are over 2,500 files for you to cast your eyes over!

 

If you would like some recommendations, let me know:D

 

Interesting fact: Many of the developers who create aircraft for X-Plane come from an aeronautics/scientific background, so that should tell you something.

 

The community is fantastic, both here and elsewhere, with a very mature attitude to the hobby. As with MSFS, it's community driven, shared by people with the same passion...that being, the fascination of flight:D.

 

As mentioned, there are demos of both X-Plane 9 and 10, so you can always try before you buy.

 

Have fun!!

 

Cheers

 

Dom

 

X-Plane 10 demo:

 

http://www.x-plane.com/downloads/x-plane_10_demo/

 

X-Plane 9 demo:

 

http://www.x-plane.com/downloads/older/

Greetings,

 

I'm looking for a good flight simulator for my father. He was a pilot...

 

Hello Djehuty,

 

This is so cool :)

 

..I would go with Dominic's advice and run a "real-time" test with X-Plane's demos.

 

By the way, with X-Plane he will be able to build his own airplanes as well...hours of hours of excitement, from the age of ~6 to ~120.

 

JetManHuss.

ScatterbrainKid, I must be missing something. The scenery in FSX looks pretty basic..

 

I answered that for you but my post and screenshot seem to have disappeared.

If the forum software can't display my posts I might as well join another flight sim site (sniffle)..

I answered that for you but my post and screenshot seem to have disappeared.

If the forum software can't display my posts I might as well join another flight sim site (sniffle)..

 

Nothing wrong with the software, I'm just keeping this thread on track;).

 

We are not going to have five pages of 'my sim is better than yours.' Too many threads, in numerous forums, have been closed for this reason.

 

Cheers

 

Dom

That system is actually pretty nice, it just needs a better GPU as stated earlier. I suggest an Nvidia GTX 960 or an AMD Radeon R9 380. One of those should do the trick. That 4th-gen i5 is still good to go, and 8gb of ram is adequate. He can fly it now on reduced settings, but one of those cards will open the sim up more and allow for higher graphics settings.

Nothing wrong with the software, I'm just keeping this thread on track;).

We are not going to have five pages of 'my sim is better than yours.' Too many threads, in numerous forums, have been closed for this reason..

 

Ah, but if a newcomer says he's thinking about buying a particular sim or addon or wargame or whatever and asks us how it compares to others, it's our duty to tell him, that's what friends are for..:)

As long as we have experience of the items in question and give him a fair and impartial answer I don't think anybody would mind because "..no lie comes from the truth" (Bible:1 John 2:21)

 

PS- I bought a big Naval/Air PC wargame last year that was advertised as "The Wargame of the Year" on the strength of glowing reviews I'd seen that praised it highly, yet when it arrived I quickly found out it was a load of junk. I searched the net for more reviews and found that Naval/Air experts all agreed with me that it was rubbish.

If I'd seen their reviews I'd never have bought it, it's my own fault for not googling enough reviews. The game sells at 59 GB pounds (100 US dollars) and I hope nobody else gets suckered in like me!