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Hi Guys, I have a Geforce GTX 660 installed, Intel core i7-3770 CPU @3.40gh

6 GB Ram...3x 23" monitors

win os 10

Awaiting (31st Oct ) Kingston Technology 480GB Solid State Drive V300 SATA 3... replacing old ssd drive I think it's round 125gb or so.

The machine is about 3+ years (unsure)old and time for a bit of an up-grade, however can I simply buy another geforce 660, and add to the one already there ?

the reason I'm asking, is I am buying X Plane 10,

As you will no doubt suspect I'm not a tecky person, but I want to speed up my machine a little, old ssd drive is virtually full with simulation software, thus the need for a bigger ssd drive

I might even be on the wrong track :) for upgrading, and advice would be appreciated, but plz keep it a bit simple :o

 

 

Many Thanx

Gary

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As you probably know, Windows likes some free harddisk space on C: to run smoothly. Used for Caching. If the harddrive gets (much) too full the systems slows to a crawl sometimes.

 

I don't remember the specifics, but when buying my own ssd I read that on an SSD you need to reserve more space for this then on a HDD. I think they like to be at least 30% free, but don't quote me on that number.

 

Some SSD's have something called 'overprovisioning'. Space is reserved for it automatically, and not accessible to the user. But not all SSD's have this, and on those that do it is not allways equally effective. It's quite a modern thing I think, and older SSD's often don't have this.

 

Anyway, my point is, if you have a really full C: drive at the moment, getting a new SSD may improve your system quite a bit already. I would wait with actually purchasing a video card until you see what the result of the SSD is.

 

Also, unless running 3 screens, or very large resolutions, a new videocard is not going to improve something like fps in fsx. I don't know anything about X-Plane, that may see more improvement from a new videocard.

 

And with fsx the standard recommendation:

"2 card in parallel don't do anything for fsx, you are better off with a single very fast card"

still applies I think.

 

(I must admit, most of this is not from personal experience, but read by me in the standard fsx guides, forum threads, and hardware forums over the years. Still, the advice given there seems pretty concistent.)

(Plus I don't know anything about X-plane)

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Also, unless running 3 screens, or very large resolutions, a new videocard is not going to improve something like fps in fsx. I don't know anything about X-Plane, that may see more improvement from a new videocard.

 

I should have mentioned this, I do run 3 screens, however I didn't know that the larger ssd drive will help the pc run better, my old drive is kinda full, I will install "I hope" new ssd drive Sunday, then install OS win 8.1,

I have been looking at RAM at the mo I have 6gb, if I tossed these and bought 2 x 8gb, would this help, there selling on Amazon £90 for both, I cant even get close to understanding RAM to match them up, more simpler to renew I think.

 

Many Thanx for fast reply

Regards

Gary

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I can't say much about ram. some say faster ram is an improvement, others say it makes very little difference. I just don't know.

I use "slightly faster then basic" ram with a speed of 1600 mhz. (basic is 1333)

There are also faster speeds. (1866, 2133, 2400, etc) (that is all DDR3 ram)

 

But, not all mainboard support the faster ones. That depends on the mainboard. And just so you know, my mainboard's manufacturer Gigabyte considers using the ram at the faster speed overclocking. (You can (I can) run ram at the standard speed, 1333, or set the XMP profile in BIOS, which makes it run at the faster speed.

 

FSX can't make use of more then 4Gb, as FSX is a 32 bit program.

Having a bit more then that is a good idea. At least 8gb is usually recommended. So Windows has some ram to play with too. There is always more then one program running at a time.

 

I don't know if going over 8gb has much benefit. But for other programs then fsx it may be usefull.

 

I don't know if running large resolutions and many screens requires more ram. I run only one small 20 inch display, so I can't comment.

 

FSX is an old game that leans very heavily on the CPU. In fsx the CPU s everything. Yours is pretty good.

 

When selecting Ram, be carefull what voltage the ram requires. This depends on the mainboard. My mainboard uses 1.5 volt Ram. 1.65 volt ram would not work in it at all. The computer would not boot with that.

 

Worse even would be the other way around. Don't put 1.5 volt ram if your mainboard is sending 1.65 volt to it. It could fry the Ram, and even the mainboard.

 

Also check if your mainboar is a dual channel board (two slots, or 4 slots in groups of two).

Or if it is a triple channel ram board. (3 slots, or 6 in groups of three)

Running your ram dual channel is better then single channel.

And running triple channel is even better.

 

6 gb now is a weird number. It makes me theink you may have a triple channel board. Theree slots, with 2gb in each.

In that case it would be preferred to upgrade to for example 3x4gb (tripple channel)

instead of 2x8gb (single channel, because only two slots occupied.)

 

To run dual or triple channel all ram sticks must be the same (and should be verified for the dual channel or triple channel process).

 

 

Probably way to much info. But do at least check that voltage.

Oh, and welcome to the forums.:)

il

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I can't say much about ram. some say faster ram is an improvement, others say it makes very little difference. I just don't know.

I use "slightly faster then basic" ram with a speed of 1600 mhz. (basic is 1333)

There are also faster speeds. (1866, 2133, 2400, etc) (that is all DDR3 ram)

 

But, not all mainboard support the faster ones. That depends on the mainboard. And just so you know, my mainboard's manufacturer Gigabyte considers using the ram at the faster speed overclocking. (You can (I can) run ram at the standard speed, 1333, or set the XMP profile in BIOS, which makes it run at the faster speed.

 

FSX can't make use of more then 4Gb, as FSX is a 32 bit program.

Having a bit more then that is a good idea. At least 8gb is usually recommended. So Windows has some ram to play with too. There is always more then one program running at a time.

 

I don't know if going over 8gb has much benefit. But for other programs then fsx it may be usefull.

 

I don't know if running large resolutions and many screens requires more ram. I run only one small 20 inch display, so I can't comment.

 

FSX is an old game that leans very heavily on the CPU. In fsx the CPU s everything. Yours is pretty good.

 

When selecting Ram, be carefull what voltage the ram requires. This depends on the mainboard. My mainboard uses 1.5 volt Ram. 1.65 volt ram would not work in it at all. The computer would not boot with that.

 

Worse even would be the other way around. Don't put 1.5 volt ram if your mainboard is sending 1.65 volt to it. It could fry the Ram, and even the mainboard.

 

Also check if your mainboar is a dual channel board (two slots, or 4 slots in groups of two).

Or if it is a triple channel ram board. (3 slots, or 6 in groups of three)

Running your ram dual channel is better then single channel.

And running triple channel is even better.

 

6 gb now is a weird number. It makes me theink you may have a triple channel board. Theree slots, with 2gb in each.

In that case it would be preferred to upgrade to for example 3x4gb (tripple channel)

instead of 2x8gb (single channel, because only two slots occupied.)

 

To run dual or triple channel all ram sticks must be the same (and should be verified for the dual channel or triple channel process).

 

 

Probably way to much info. But do at least check that voltage.

Oh, and welcome to the forums.:)

il

 

 

Ram ... it seems like a nightmare, I read that you must match them up, but I thought toss the 6gb and buy 2 sticks of 8gb each, however I didn't know all the voltage + speed etc, I had a look in my PC, there is 2 blue slots, and 2 black slots, I have a 2gb ram & a 4 gb ram, both are in the blue slots, nothing in the black slots,there is a bit of writing on them I hope I may get the numbers what I need from them, if not I might just give the ram a by

FSX runs pretty good in my PC, it's a bit buggy, but nothing really to talk about, at the mo it loves Shannon airport :) always opens up there, I run airhauler with fsx, I can land at my destination,(Edinburgh) unload cargo get paid, load new cargo, but when I set off, I am leaving from Ireland Shannon Airport :)

 

Will hold of buying Ram at the mo, as well as graphic card, many thanx for the info, you might have saved me a bit of cash.

Kind Regards

Gary

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Ok, your ram bars are different size. Then they are not running dual channel now. For that they would need to be matching.

Usually the two same coloured slots are the same channel.

(2 blue next to two black. blue blue black black.)

So your sticks are in the same channel now.

 

Getting two matched sticks, and placing them in different slots (the first black and first blue one) would set them up for dual channel.

If you look closely on the board you will usually see writiting next to the ram slots.

On my board it says:

DDR3_1

DDR3_2

DDR3_3

DDR3_4

 

That is the numbering of the ram slots, and if you get two matched sticks you would place them in DDR3_1 and DDR3_3 to run dual channel.

It depends a bit on the mainboard though. Different mainboard manufacturers will do this differently.

If you are unsure, don't worry, the pc will boot either way. And you can use the program 'Speccy' to check if the Ram is set up Dual or Single channel. (Speccy is freeware, from Piriform)

 

I had a great time in Shannon. Flew there a few times as passenger and cycled around the area. Up to Galway and back, visiting many towns inbetween, visiting the pubs at night and listening to the music and accompanying blarney.;)

Felt right at home there in Clare, and still tune in to Clare FM online regularly...

Keep it Green! (and Yellow and Blue...)

il88pp

 

My Browser Bar, notice the top left link-button:

My Browser Bar.JPG

 

 

-----

 

my favourite cap:

Cap.JPG

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Ok, your ram bars are different size. Then they are not running dual channel now. For that they would need to be matching.

Usually the two same coloured slots are the same channel.

(2 blue next to two black. blue blue black black.)

So your sticks are in the same channel now.

 

Getting two matched sticks, and placing them in different slots (the first black and first blue one) would set them up for dual channel.

If you look closely on the board you will usually see writiting next to the ram slots.

On my board it says:

DDR3_1

DDR3_2

DDR3_3

DDR3_4

 

That is the numbering of the ram slots, and if you get two matched sticks you would place them in DDR3_1 and DDR3_3 to run dual channel.

It depends a bit on the mainboard though. Different mainboard manufacturers will do this differently.

If you are unsure, don't worry, the pc will boot either way. And you can use the program 'Speccy' to check if the Ram is set up Dual or Single channel. (Speccy is freeware, from Piriform)

 

I had a great time in Shannon. Flew there a few times as passenger and cycled around the area. Up to Galway and back, visiting many towns inbetween, visiting the pubs at night and listening to the music and accompanying blarney.;)

Felt right at home there in Clare, and still tune in to Clare FM online regularly...

Keep it Green! (and Yellow and Blue...)

il88pp

 

My Browser Bar, notice the top left link-button:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]183688[/ATTACH]

 

 

-----

 

my favourite cap:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]183689[/ATTACH]

 

This is the ram I thought would be ok. but I must chk this 1st, I also spent allot of time in Ireland (northern) great people.

see attched

ram_edited-1.png

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Yes a weird and wonderful folk indeed, super kind and always welcoming.

 

Take your time choosing the ram.

If you bought the mainboard seperatly you should have gotten a booklet with all the info. If you didn't or lost it you can probably download it from the manufaturers site.

 

If you bought the mainboard as part of a prebuilt pc the info may be harder to find.

With some prebuilts you have to use 'their' ram. Or at least you used to. I had an old HP that would only work with HP ram, and it did not take standard ram from the shop.

But that was a while ago, several years. May well be that these days upgrades are easier on prebuilts.

That's difficult, because ram once used (packaging opened) can usually not be returned to the store.

 

Regarding the voltage and booklet. If you can't find the info, have a look on the ram bars that are in the pc now. Usually the info of the voltage is on there somewhere.

Sometimes hidden within some long number. Typing the long number (numbers and letters) into google often gets results.

 

I tried searching that ram, but I don't get much clarity.

On the kingston site I can see that this is one of their top product lines, "Kingston Hyper Beast X", but it comes in all different speeds, and also is available in both voltages, 1.65 or 1.5 volt. So just judging by the picture I have no idea what this set is that you are looking at. It simply comes in all variations possible.

And,

As I have no idea about your mainboard either I really can't say if the set you are looking at is right for it.

(I found this page: http://www.hyperxgaming.com/us/memory/beast )

 

 

----

Here's the spec's of my Ram, so you know what type of info on the ram you nee to be looking for.

(I'm not saying this ram is right for you! Not at all! -- It's only to give an impression of what the pertinent info is.)

Corsair LP low profile -- 8gb (2x4gb) -- DDR3 ram

1600 mhz -- timing 9-9-9-24

Non-ECC

part number: CML8GX3M2A1600C9 -- 1.5V

 

(typing in the part number would give you all the specs right away. Do that with the part numbers on your current ram bars to find out the voltages if needed.)

 

Take your time choosing. And find out as much as you can about the mainboard. Always good to have that knowledge handy.

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Yes a weird and wonderful folk indeed, super kind and always welcoming.

 

Take your time choosing the ram.

If you bought the mainboard seperatly you should have gotten a booklet with all the info. If you didn't or lost it you can probably download it from the manufaturers site.

 

If you bought the mainboard as part of a prebuilt pc the info may be harder to find.

With some prebuilts you have to use 'their' ram. Or at least you used to. I had an old HP that would only work with HP ram, and it did not take standard ram from the shop.

But that was a while ago, several years. May well be that these days upgrades are easier on prebuilts.

That's difficult, because ram once used (packaging opened) can usually not be returned to the store.

 

Regarding the voltage and booklet. If you can't find the info, have a look on the ram bars that are in the pc now. Usually the info of the voltage is on there somewhere.

Sometimes hidden within some long number. Typing the long number (numbers and letters) into google often gets results.

 

I tried searching that ram, but I don't get much clarity.

On the kingston site I can see that this is one of their top product lines, "Kingston Hyper Beast X", but it comes in all different speeds, and also is available in both voltages, 1.65 or 1.5 volt. So just judging by the picture I have no idea what this set is that you are looking at. It simply comes in all variations possible.

And,

As I have no idea about your mainboard either I really can't say if the set you are looking at is right for it.

(I found this page: http://www.hyperxgaming.com/us/memory/beast )

 

 

----

Here's the spec's of my Ram, so you know what type of info on the ram you nee to be looking for.

(I'm not saying this ram is right for you! Not at all! -- It's only to give an impression of what the pertinent info is.)

Corsair LP low profile -- 8gb (2x4gb) -- DDR3 ram

1600 mhz -- timing 9-9-9-24

Non-ECC

part number: CML8GX3M2A1600C9 -- 1.5V

 

(typing in the part number would give you all the specs right away. Do that with the part numbers on your current ram bars to find out the voltages if needed.)

 

Take your time choosing. And find out as much as you can about the mainboard. Always good to have that knowledge handy.

 

Many thanx man, nothing is ever simple, but at least I know what to look for, again you have me worried a little this is an HP envy PC, as you say at least I can chk with HP if ram can can be changed or not..

 

Appreciated

Gary

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Hi Magician,

I understand you're not a techy but is there any way you could provide more info about your PC (unless I missed that)?

If it's a pre-built (or even if it isn't), what manufacturer, model name/number? Any way you could take a close look at the motherboard and see if there are any brand/model names and numbers on it? Some manufacturers, such as Dell, will use proprietary components (as in, only made and used by them - this limits compatibility with non-proprietary parts).

Having this info will better help you find out what is and, maybe more importantly, what isn't, compatible with your machine.

Otherwise, I feel like we're trying to answer something along the lines of:

 

"My car is running slow. If I add this carburetor/fuel injection unit, will it go faster?"

 

Trying to answer this without more info such as what year, make and model, which engine and transmission, would just be a guessing game. Just trying to establish a corollary - nothing against you ;)

Post this info and hopefully others will comment to help.

 

And I see that you're going from Win 10 to Win 8 - are you going to do a dual-boot system?

Just to share my experience with Win 8 and FSX - it's workable, but I find little annoying problems with certain addons for FSX that I have to accept and find work-arounds for that I didn't have to do at all under Win 7. I don't have Win 10, but since it's a new OS, I would expect early adopters to encounter problems and that has been fairly evident, based on what is being posted in the forums. If you already have Win 8 and can't return it... Win 7 seems to be the preferred OS for FSX. For now.

 

In my sometimes delusional opinion, adding more ram is not a bad idea, especially since you stated that you're considering X-Plane. Like il88pp, I don't have nor use X-Plane, but I read that it is a 64-bit program, so I'm assuming that it can address more VAS (Virtual Address Space) than a 32-bit program like FSX (which is the bane of FSX - the dreaded and hated OOM [Out Of Memory] message!). If that is true, then adding more ram to your system may be beneficial when using X-Plane (or other games/programs). I suggest checking out the X-Plane forum here and other sites to get more info.

 

Hope this helps!

 

E-Buzz :pilot:

i5 4690k @ 4.7gHz (Water-cooled), 8GB ram, GTX 960 2GB, 850 EVO 1 TB SSD, 50" LED TV + 2x27" monitors, Thrustmaster HOTAS, Win 8.1 Pro, P3DV4, TrackIR, EZDOK, a bunch of Orbx stuff, a chair, a hacked-up desk, and a cold drink.
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Hi Magician,

I understand you're not a techy but is there any way you could provide more info about your PC (unless I missed that)?

If it's a pre-built (or even if it isn't), what manufacturer, model name/number? Any way you could take a close look at the motherboard and see if there are any brand/model names and numbers on it? Some manufacturers, such as Dell, will use proprietary components (as in, only made and used by them - this limits compatibility with non-proprietary parts).

Having this info will better help you find out what is and, maybe more importantly, what isn't, compatible with your machine.

Otherwise, I feel like we're trying to answer something along the lines of:

 

"My car is running slow. If I add this carburetor/fuel injection unit, will it go faster?"

 

Trying to answer this without more info such as what year, make and model, which engine and transmission, would just be a guessing game. Just trying to establish a corollary - nothing against you ;)

Post this info and hopefully others will comment to help.

 

And I see that you're going from Win 10 to Win 8 - are you going to do a dual-boot system?

Just to share my experience with Win 8 and FSX - it's workable, but I find little annoying problems with certain addons for FSX that I have to accept and find work-arounds for that I didn't have to do at all under Win 7. I don't have Win 10, but since it's a new OS, I would expect early adopters to encounter problems and that has been fairly evident, based on what is being posted in the forums. If you already have Win 8 and can't return it... Win 7 seems to be the preferred OS for FSX. For now.

 

In my sometimes delusional opinion, adding more ram is not a bad idea, especially since you stated that you're considering X-Plane. Like il88pp, I don't have nor use X-Plane, but I read that it is a 64-bit program, so I'm assuming that it can address more VAS (Virtual Address Space) than a 32-bit program like FSX (which is the bane of FSX - the dreaded and hated OOM [Out Of Memory] message!). If that is true, then adding more ram to your system may be beneficial when using X-Plane (or other games/programs). I suggest checking out the X-Plane forum here and other sites to get more info.

 

Hope this helps!

 

E-Buzz :pilot:

-----------------------------------------

Hi Buzz, sorry for the delay but was waiting till my new ssd Kingston Technology 480GB Solid State Drive V300 SATA 3 drive was installed, done

I have a Geforce GTX 660 installed, Intel core i7-3770 CPU @3.40gh

6 GB Ram...3x 23" monitors

win os 10

 

The machine is about 3+ years (unsure)old and time for a bit of an up-grade, however can I simply buy another geforce 660, and add to the one already there ?

Spec nvid

I got a number from the RAM stick

Hymix 4gb 2rx8 pc3-12800u-11-12-b1

hmt351u6cfr8c-pb no aa 1247

at the mo both sticks are in the blue slots on the motherboard, there are 4 ram slots blue, black,blue black

I also got a few numbers from the motherboard

1 or it might be an I ..PMMB-FM

11634089-0000411-69miobc80803 the 8 might be a B, and the B might be an 8 :( sorry it's so small

and another

pcghlofoz3d2kw

there was a couple more as~664d4d-dd1 .... d33d6c

The next this is to renew the ram, as I believe matching them up is difficult

many thanx

Gary

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I think this is it. You can find all the mainboard specs here, including what ram you can use with it.

It looks like the may ram speed is 1600mhz.

http://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c03132942

 

your current ram (12800u) is also 1600mhz. (the u means desktop, s would be laptop ram)

 

nice there is so much info on that mainboard!

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I see now I was wrong to point to one mainboard.

It seems this general type was used in all kinds of hp pc's. And there are slight differences.

 

To really be sure I think you will need the computer type. (for example: hp envy phoenix h9-1300ec PC CZECH-SL) (again, only given as example.)

 

That information would really narrow down what you are looking at.

 

To help you searching, one of the numbers you gave was wrong. It is not d but 0 (zero).

 

The number (all digits) is:

664040-001

 

google that number to find more info.

 

If you think you found your mainboard, post a link. And post info on what envy you use.

Also, did you buy it from hp directly, or second hand?

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Ah, good ol' il88pp - a master at looking up all sorts of references! :D Follow the numbers and advice posted.

 

 

 

In the end, it may be debatable that the additional ram will make a huge difference - but I still feel that you should strive the best you can get for your rig and set it up properly in dual-channel.

 

The same may be said for a faster vid card. I personally think it may help, albeit not much in FSX (but every added frame counts!). Others here have stated they saw a difference when upgrading the vid card, but obviously the best bang for the buck when it comes to trying to improve FSX performance is the fastest CPU you can afford.

 

BUT!

 

Again, since you stated that you will also be using X-Plane, have you posed the same question in the X-Plane forums? X-Plane is different than FSX, so these changes (vid card and ram) may actually have a huge benefit - I can't say because I do not have/use X-Plane.

 

Another thing to consider - you have stated that FSX runs well for your needs (should load a bit quicker now with that SSD!). If so you may not need to upgrade anything - that is, until you find some addon (that you can't live and fly without!) that brings your system to it's knees.

 

While it's a little more complicated to upgrade computers with proprietary components (motherboard, power supply), it's not impossible. You may have to do things like flashing to an upgraded BIOS or throwing in a hacked BIOS in order to support a new/faster CPU, or obtaining a power supply adapter for a higher-rated power supply for that motherboard, etc.

But that is where I would consider spending my money (if at all) - you could find out if your current motherboard is able to support a faster processor, but how much faster? You currently have an i7 3770 @ 3.4 and should boost to 3.9. Unless you're willing to overclock, your performance may not increase at all with just a newer CPU. The speeds of the newer ones aren't all that much faster.

 

For perspective - your GTX 660 is comparable (and actually slightly faster) to my current vid card - AMD 6950, coupled with my current CPU, it serves my FSX and other gaming/computer needs well. Will I upgrade? Yes, eventually. But it won't be because of FSX performance.

 

So, in the end, if you really want to save money, get the ram, and then play with the FSX sliders (cost = 0 bucks!), moving them one by one to find the best settings that give you acceptable performance. Tweaking the fsx.cfg is also free, and may make a bit of difference in performance.

 

Please remember - these are only my opinions and, just like belly buttons, everyone's got one... :p

 

Sorry for rambling (I know I tend to do that and will start cutting down on lengthy diatribes), but I hope this helps.

 

E-Buzz :pilot:

i5 4690k @ 4.7gHz (Water-cooled), 8GB ram, GTX 960 2GB, 850 EVO 1 TB SSD, 50" LED TV + 2x27" monitors, Thrustmaster HOTAS, Win 8.1 Pro, P3DV4, TrackIR, EZDOK, a bunch of Orbx stuff, a chair, a hacked-up desk, and a cold drink.
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I see now I was wrong to point to one mainboard.

It seems this general type was used in all kinds of hp pc's. And there are slight differences.

 

To really be sure I think you will need the computer type. (for example: hp envy phoenix h9-1300ec PC CZECH-SL) (again, only given as example.)

 

That information would really narrow down what you are looking at.

 

To help you searching, one of the numbers you gave was wrong. It is not d but 0 (zero).

 

The number (all digits) is:

664040-001

 

google that number to find more info.

 

If you think you found your mainboard, post a link. And post info on what envy you use.

Also, did you buy it from hp directly, or second hand?

 

Hi, it's an hp envy phoenix, bought direct brand new, the link you sent me was very much like the motherboard, I just wish I understood all it says :) thanx for de-bugging my numbers, you really needed some sort of magnification or perhaps a torch :)

Have installled the SSD drive, well I didn't,,, re-installed win 10, unsure about win 10 but will give it a go, like all OS it takes awhile to get use to all thats not familiar ...

RAM going to order this tonight when I get home, HyperX Beast 16 GB 2400 MHz DDR3 Non-ECC CL11 DIMM (Kit of 2) XMP

 

will keep you posted on this adventure :)

Many Many thanx

Regards

Gary

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Hi E-Buzz,, to be honest I don't really know what I'm doing :)

My machine is 3+ years old and I thought it's time to upgrade, FSX runs great, the hard thing about the game is buying good payware, I want stunning Scenery that will take your breath away, and every landing to be a greaser (what ever that is) and also everything good in the world :) ok I must compromise,

The reason behind the upgrade, is the machines age, I thought time to upgrade Vid card, Ram, SSD, and what ever else, not getting to complicated, I hope the hardest thing is over, ie new h/drive and install OS.

The reason I mentioned the GTX 660 vid card, was simply due to it's age, I read on-line that you can buy 2 vid cards the same, so I thought why not buy a 2nd gtx 660 :)

I understand that X Plane 10 is a bit more demanding, however after watching U-tube and XPlane10 it does seem less realistic in the scenery department, however again you can buy stuff, but again it's finding out whats good and whats not.

I haven't joined Xplane 10 forum as yet, but that is one thing I can remedy

never Rambling, many thanx for your time

Regards

Gary

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Hi Magician,

 

We've all been there before - no one is born with FSX knowledge and it's requirements :p

And it's probably safe to say that we're still learning more about FSX everyday - at least I know I am still trying to learn as much as I can!

 

I'm in the same boat when it comes to wanting FSX to REALLY be "as real as it gets."

 

But here's the rub - in order to have beautiful scenery, realistic VCs and aircraft, clouds, water, effects, etc., it requires a lot of CPU speed in order to see acceptable performance.

My feeling is that a plain vanilla version of FSX (no addons) will run OK on most modern PCs. And there are some very good looking addons that, well, are just either well written, or for some reason are easier on framerates, which makes the experience much more enjoyable.

For example, Orbx scenery seems to work very well on my rig (no, I don't work for Orbx or have any affiliation with them - I'm just a customer). They used to offer a whole free demo region - Pacific Northwest (PNW) - I don't see that they do anymore, which is a shame because it did give those on the fence a chance to try and see how it works on their computer. In my opinion, they have some of the best scenery, which also happens to be the best performing on my computer. They offer something called Global, which replaces all the ground textures in FSX, and I hear it looks pretty good - I don't have it because of the price.

 

They still offer some freeware: https://www.fullterrain.com/freeware

But you should read about them first because I'm not sure if any requirements for the freeware have changed.

 

I've overclocked my CPU as high as I can with "conventional" cooling (H2O) in order to (sometimes, most of the time) achieve decent framerates and performance with the addons I've chosen. Even then, I sometimes have to compromise on my settings for smoothness - I never use ground shadows unless I'm taking specific screenshots while on the ground, as the performance on my computer does drop a bit, but I do use bloom all the time. I like to see an active world, so I have my vehicle traffic at 20% (which looks pretty stunning at night!), but I have my Water slider at only 2X low.

AI traffic, as cool as it looks, can be a performance killer, especially if you use hi-res paints on those AI planes, and have a high traffic setting.

And occasionally, there will be some scenery/places/times where performance will drop inexplicably...

 

Remember, FSX is a fairly OLD program. It's still a 32 bit program that is hobbled by 32 bit rules. It was also written with the expectation that CPU speed would go up and up instead of going the multicore route that we see today.

The other "problem" is that addons have gotten more and more complex (with the resulting beauty), requiring more and more CPU speed, which isn't really being offered by the current crop of new, off-the-shelf CPUs.

What I think is really needed at this time, with the current FSX code and complex addons, are CPUs capable of 6-8 GHz, maybe more...

The better choice would be a brand new version of FSX that is more up to date, is 64 bit, and utilizes the strength of modern GPUs much better. But, FSX is a simulator, not a "game," and as such, cannot currently use the GPU as typical games do. Yes, there is a difference...

 

The cold, hard facts, again, in my insignificant opinion, is that the single most important part of getting FSX to run reasonably with complex, but stunning, scenery and addons is the choice of CPU (and a good, solid performing motherboard) and how fast you can get it to run. The second most important thing is getting the whole computer balanced and tuned correctly (which includes the software). The third thing is having reasonable expectations, although this could also be the first thing.

The FSX bug is a slippery slope to achieving a desired level of performance.

There are lots of threads here that explain other's experience and methods of setting up a computer for maximum FSX performance - go and read them - lots of gems of info and pearls of wisdom.

 

Oh, one more thing - it seems that it's preferable in FSX to have a single, fast video card, than 2 mediocre ones. I have read that FSX doesn't do the CrossFire or SLI thing very well.

 

Again, all of what I've written is just my opinion, and just like belly buttons, everyone's got one. ;)

 

Aw jeez, you got me rambling again... :o

 

Good luck,

 

E-Buzz :pilot:

i5 4690k @ 4.7gHz (Water-cooled), 8GB ram, GTX 960 2GB, 850 EVO 1 TB SSD, 50" LED TV + 2x27" monitors, Thrustmaster HOTAS, Win 8.1 Pro, P3DV4, TrackIR, EZDOK, a bunch of Orbx stuff, a chair, a hacked-up desk, and a cold drink.
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First, my Specs:

i5-3570k, 8Gb-ram-1600mhz-ddr3, NVidia-GT-340, 256Gb-ssd, 1TbHd (both disks sata3), Mainboard-Gigabyte GA-Z77X-d3h.

 

As you see my card is old, 5years or so, the rest is about two years old. My card is still fine for FSX on one screen.

 

FSX does not use the videocard all that much. Almost everything is done on the CPU, and the card just needs to put it on the screen.

The larger newer graphics cards are sometimes needed to use huge onitor resolutions, combined with 3 screens. TGhree 4K screens at 32 inch or something.

For my Single screen-21 inch (or 20, not sure), my aging card is just fine.

 

Your card is much faster, and newer. If you use one screen it's fine, and even 3 screens it can handle if the resolutions aren't to extreme.

 

-----

A videocard also has a small processor on board. This is below a fan and cooling block.

A high speed of the processor is good, because it can make things look a very slight bit more detailed. Not that the picture changes much, it is still the same fsx generating the same picture. But the image gets a little less blurred because you can use higher antialiassing settings, and higher Anisotropic Filtering settings.

 

And, a videocard that gets very hot doesn't perform as well anymore. Playing fsx for a long timee it can get hot. Newer cards often have better cooling.

 

I tink though, in both these respects, your card is just fine.

 

------------------

SLI/Crossfire.

(Crossfire is what AMD card call tis system)

SLI (Nvidia) is connecting two cards with a cable, then connecting one card to a screen (or several sreens).

A E-Buzz said, it does not help with fsx.

For SLI you need two identical cards.

(Google SLI, you will see how the connecting works. the cable for it is called a SLI-Bridge.)

If you want to get a graphics card update, look for a single faster one, do not add one that is just the same speed you have now.

Yours is pretty fast already, a lot better then mine anyway.

 

----------------------

What would improve things:

A matched set of 2x4Gb Ram. (Usable for Dual Channel).

I would look towards something like this:

http://www.corsair.com/en-us/vengeance-pro-series-8gb-2-x-4gb-ddr3-dram-1600mhz-c9-memory-kit-cmy8gx3m2a1600c9

But make sure that's the right voltage,

And also meke sure they are not too high to fit under your CPU cooler.

(Or something similar from another brand)

The ram you showed at the beginning looks fine too.

 

But, and that's a biggy:

It could be generic Ram like this does not work in your mainbord. It could be it HAS to be HP ram same as is in it now.

Only one way to know, is trying it out.

I think if you ask HP, they will say either:

No (which could well be true, but could also mean they just want you to buy theirs....)

Or say:

"We can't guarantee your choice ram will work".

 

One option, bring the PC to a shop, tell them what ram you want, and ask them to try out if it will work. Then you won't have the issue of returning it.

I had the same thing once, bought ram that didn't work. But before I bought it I asked a guarantee from the store that I ccould try it out, and return it within a few days if it didn't work.

It did't work (also prebuilt pc), and I was able to get my money back.

 

----------------------------

Another thing you could look at is a faster processor. But I'm not sure how much faster, if any, that would become. Because your processor is already the one of the fastest in that product line. And othe product lines just won't fit.

 

There is a good chance your mainboard can not overclock that processor anyway, so getting a -k processor that can overclock is no use.

Your current processor, a 3770 does 3.4 ghz

If overclock is out of the question, the fastes upgrade you may possibly use is the i7-4790 which is 3.6ghz

That's such a minor difference it just isn't worth spending 300+ dollars on it.

 

--------

Forget the idea that a faster graphics card makes your computer faster, it really doesn't.

And the same goes for running cards in SLI.

At least, not for a program like fsx.

 

(maybe for mor graphic 'games' it would help, but not for fsx.)

 

And a processor wouldn't get yo any further either in your situation.

 

Ram is a different matter. Going from 6 Gb to 8 Gb would give programs real breathing room, because, while fsx runs there is always a lot of other programs and services running in the background demanding ram use. Also going to Dual Channel (no setting up required, just plug it in the correct ram-slots and go) would be a real benifit.

Very little expens for a mch snappier system.

 

----

Don't expect miracles with fsx. It is what it is.

I love it, but it doesn't look realistic all by itself.

You will need to add addon scenery to make it look better, and some people in the screnshot forum get fantastic results from that.

Not my thing, but it sounds to me that's what you should be spending your money on. Not on a 230 dollar graphics card and a 300 dollar processor. You can buy a lot of very good scenery for that money, and that will make fsx look much more realistic.

 

Even with the fastest processor and grapics card the basic default fsx game will still look like it was hand drawn with flat colurs, no lights in cities at night, no actual accurate placed cities and roads, always the same boring sun and fake clouds.

The only way to change that is addon scenery.

[sIGPIC][/sIGPIC]
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