This is my Hobbie, is it yours?????

**wvcooper** · 09-06-2003, 04:52 PM

Well since my employers decided i was too old to go flying for real, i have decided to turn my sights to sim flying. This without a doubt is my hobbie. Over the last 5 years i have spent a fortune on PC's, Flight sims, extra hardware and various addons to enhance this experiance.

I honestly think that Microsoft have the best flight sim on the market to us home computer runners. I have owned all of the microsoft flight sims since 98, and most of you out there have probably had even more than that.

What i am trying to get at is the fact that Microsoft bring out a new version of Flight sim every two years on average and i am getting hacked off (so is my wife) WITH HAVING TO BUY A NEW pc for me to run these versions of flight sim as they get so graphicly demanding.

Don't get me wrong i love FS2004 and i think it is great, but i am always striving to get better frame rates and performance for the sim to run smoother. I only brought my new system at xmas and i would think it was able to run most games out at the moment, except flight sim!

I have tried almost all the tweaks that have been posted here on the forum and i praise all that have posted to help others like myself, these tweaks have made but a little difference and ultimatly the best tweak is a new PC (Alien Ware). I think Microsoft, with todays technology should be able to make a graphiclly demanding game without everyone going out to buy a new PC.

My respect for this forum with everyone helping each other is so big. If someone helps me i would like to think that maybe one day my limited knowledge in this subject will be able to help you. And eventually in the perfect world, PC's will get so powerfull and they will not be able to go any faster, and our flight sims will all run the same, that we will all be happy flight simmers.

Just my thoughts i wanted to share

Any veiws welcome (I have a big set of Shoulders and i am a Rugby Player)

Coops

**keaja** · 09-06-2003, 05:17 PM

An easy way to avoid the new computer every 2 years, is this. Build your own system, and when when a certain component needs upgrading, do it one at a time, instead of the whole system.
Ie. you can keep your case, power supply, fans, cd drives, dvd drives, sound cards ect, and only upgrade what you need. Instead of having to buy a new system.

For instance, when it is time for me to upgrade my processor, all I need is a new mobo, and new processor, only a couple hundred bucks, plus I can sell the 2 old parts, and come up with an even smaller $ spent.
This is a very cost effective way to have a system that stays up to date with the latest games.
I am getting ready to upgrade my video card by problably x-mas, instead of upgrading my whole computer, I can sell my 9700 for probably a little less then $200, then use that money to help pay for a new video card.
If you want to think about building your own system, let me know, I can recommend some of the best websites for ordering parts, and everyone in the forum is always willing to share their knowledge on building them.

Jason Winn

**wvcooper** · 09-06-2003, 05:31 PM

Hi Jason,

The trouble is i have no idea how the insides of a PC work. I know what the bits are and where to to find them, but build a system from scratch that is asking for trouble. Then on top of that you have the operating system to tweak, my knowledge extends to disk clean up and defrag. So this subject is a bit daunting to me.

Coops

**vianna** · 09-06-2003, 05:39 PM

I have notice that most of the new nvidia after ge4 will not change much ,personaly graphic cards are a myth, FS wants more is CPU speed .
Mine 2 GHz , and more than enough.

Good luck

**TurboDog** · 09-06-2003, 08:05 PM

I know I started out with a gateway 600MHZ P3 and ended up adding ram and a new video card, a year later a new p4 1.6 was added and a new case, new TI4200 128 etc. Now a year later, I have a p4 2.6 512 DDR and 4 HDs with one being a SATA and a new case and a total of 5 fans, 2 being internal( ie pwr supply and cpu..so i guess only 3 lol) But I will be adding a new vid card and some more ram this winter possibly. I went to my local dealer that i have went to since i first got my gateway and they actually have a lil program that will enable you to help build yer own computer. The rate of labor was almost half of what it would be if they did it all. plus i live in indiana now and parents are back in WI, so i just used my IN address and didnt have to pay any sales tax in WI, saved about 40$! ;-) but anyhow, check with a local dealer and see if something like that is possible for you. Im sure that the big corporate places dont, but the lil local dealer may....good luck and building yer own is the only way to go!

**sclincoln** · 09-06-2003, 10:03 PM

I think you will find this is a never ending cycle. MS always designs FS to be one step ahead of the best machines at the time. Then the machines catch up and a new version of FS comes out. The only option aside from constant upgrading is to just sit out a new version and be happy with the last version that runs well on the system you have. FS2002 is still a great sim. But if, like most people in this forum, you responded to this suggestion with a "Yeah, right. That's going to happen.:-roll" then you are stuck, like the rest of us, with upgrading. keaja has the right idea there. A new Alienware every two years is really going to set you back. And while I've heard nothing but good things about them, I'm not ready to spend that kind of cash quite that often. However, there is a lot of help out there if you want to build or upgrade your own PC. I just built my first one from scratch and it's running nicely now. (Asus p4c800 deluxe, P4 3.0 800Mhz FSB, Radeon 9700 Pro, 1Gb Crucial PC3200 RAM :-jumpy ) The whole thing cost me around $1200 and I sold my last computer for about $300 so I came in a bit under $1000. My advice would be to start with some simple upgrades (memory, graphics board). Then move to something a bit more advanced like installing a new hard drive and operating system. You might want to have a knowledgeable friend on hand for reassurance. Then, after you feel comfortable doing that, go for the whole smash and make your own computer. Just be sure to buy quality parts (cheap knockoffs are the surest way to major headaches) and follow the instructions that come with them. You might be surprised how simple it really is. If you don't have a friend willing or able to help, you should go to a small computer shop for your next computer and ask to stick around while it's being built. Ask the guy to explain things to you. And you always have your friends here at this site to help with questions. :-wave

**draky** · 09-06-2003, 10:43 PM

I couldn't agree more with that original post, simming is just about my only hobby. Now after a month of FS9 I'm thinking of upgrading the whole PC and/or video card. Yes great for those in the know who can build their own machines and I lift my hat to you all but others like myself just don't want to dive into those areas. Plug n play applies to me here, I guess I'm the impatient type and just want to open the box, flash it up and away I go. Having said all that I do look at the overall cost and if you take a while to sit back and think of how many hours you spend enjoying the sim even with the odd upgrade or two it work out over time to be a pretty cheap hobby. A ticket to the local footie game here in Perth was costing $50 to $60 for a couple of hours of entertainment, I reckon to spend only a few cents per hour when it all comes down to it, not worth complaining about. The computer is alos used for other stuff too!.

Dave Perth WA

**FalconAF** · 09-07-2003, 02:54 PM

Coops,

The "nature of the beast" in computing nowadays is that computers will double in speed approximately every 12 months. That's the rate the technology is advancing and can get passed on to the consumer. In the past, it used to be every 3 years, then 2 years, then 18 months, etc.

Naturally, the software manufacturers will take advantage of this by producing newer versions of their products to run on the faster machines. In the past, this meant that whatever you had hardware-wise was normally OK for 2 to 3 years before it needed upgrading to handle the "most current" software applications, like Flight Simulator. But now it is very easy to find yourself with a 1-year old computer that is "behind the power curve" for a brand new software application ("game" or "sim") developed for a computer that is twice as fast as the computer you bought 12 months ago.

Don't be "afraid" to learn how to upgrade or even build your own computer! It really isn't "rocket science" anymore. ;-) Find someone knowledgable in your local area to show you how. Most "techie" types love to show a newbie how to do it. It's an ego thing ;-) and the good ones remember the day they were "computer illiterate" and how someone else helped them learn. I think you will be pleasantly surprised to see how easy it can be once someone takes the time to show you and pass on the knowledge you need to do it yourself.

And the best part? It will save you TONS of money and allow you to keep "up to date" much more easily!

Rick
"FalconAF"