As Christmas Nears...

As Christmas nears I'm looking at potentially indulging myself and investing in a new rig. Below are the specifications for my current computer, which while adequate to run FS2004 with REX, ASE, and other various sceneries and addons, obviously isn't ideal for more intensive simulators, i.e., FSX, XPlane, P3D. And while it is sufficient, it is being pushed rather hard.

Processor: 2.3 GHz Intel Core i7

Memory: 8 GB 1600 MHz DDR3

Graphics: Nvidia GT 650M

The question(s) is/are somewhat twofold.

First of all, if I was to invest in a new machine I'd (ideally) like to build it myself, as opposed to buying a pre-made rig. A bit more effort and labor involved, surely, but likely an overall better final product due to the increased customization, as well as the somewhat reduced cost. How much would a system like this (one that could run FSX/XPlane/P3D and multiple other addons/sceneries with consistently smooth FPS) cost, and furthermore, what specifications would I be looking for? This is a largely foreign area to me, so I really don't have a clue as to what I'd be getting myself into. To elaborate a bit more on specifically what addons, I'd be looking for the whole shebang. PMDG airplanes, airports, textures, meshes, GEX, UT, etc, etc. Obviously this will require a powerful machine.

The second part of the question pertains to if it's worthwhile to upgrade, or at least to the aforementioned extent. Obviously a slightly improved machine from the one I currently have would cost less and would be able to run FS2004 without any issue whatsoever. I also like that FS2004 tends to be more stable and experiences fewer crashes, however I don't care for the not-so-great ground scenery, lack of addons, and some other various blips/struggles I've had as far as model-matching online. With that said, if I did a minor upgrade, as opposed to an overhaul, I could save myself some money and run a stabler (yet limited) simulation.

I guess what I'm getting at is: should I go big, invest in a high-performance machine and make the leap to FSX, XPlane, and/or P3D, or should I make a smaller and less expensive upgrade, yet stay with FS2004? Obviously I could invest in an incredibly powerful rig and continue to use FS2004, but that would be overkill, no doubt. I don't want to get a more powerful machine than I need.

Again, this is a largely foreign subject to me, so as far as specifications, price, and the like, I'm going in blind. Thought I could turn to this fantastic community for some advice and assistance.

Thank you all so much in advance.

My apologies for the double-post, but I went ahead and threw together a rig based on some advice and research from another forum. Before making any moves, I did want to consult as to how this rig would fit together and if it would be sufficient.

Below is the link:

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/rNZq7P

Seems fine except I would go for this cooler. http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Hyper-212-RR-212E-20PK-R2/dp/B005O65JXI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417503971&sr=8-1&keywords=Cooler+Master+Hyper+212+EVO

Newegg is on back order and Amazon may not be the cheapist so use PCpartpicker and find this model. The COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO.

I'm wondering if you could buy 2x 8GB sticks of RAM. That stuff seems mighty pricy. Look for the lowest CAS, lowest voltage and highest speed within your budget.

Why two different SSDs? One SSD for the OS and a second Western Digital Black drive for storage should suffice.

The temperature difference suppressed by Arctic Silver and the generic stuff is about 2 degrees.

A few things.

DO NOT combine two sets of memory.

Find one set that has the capacity, and, speed, that you desire.

DDR3-2400 cas 10 is highly desirable with a Z97 chipset / i7-4790K combo.

If you do not intend to overclock, the stock CPU Heatsink and fan will be OK.

As previously mentioned, the Hyper 212 EVO is a good step up.

It includes the brackets to add a 2nd fan(not included). Very desirable.

If you want a closed loop h2o system, the H-80i is very slightly better than the EVO.

Anything less than an 80, you'd be better off with a dual fan EVO.

Be prepared to update your motherboard's BIOS.

The i7-4790K was released long after the MSI Z87-GD65 Gaming.

Z87 Ivy bridge chipset? The Z97 chipset is Haswell. Better match for your CPU.

MSI's Z97-GD65 Gaming is actually cheaper at Newegg.

IMO, there are three other standouts that offer excellent performance and won't break the bank; ASUS Z97-PRO, GIGABYTE GA-Z97X-UD5H, and, ASRock Z97 Extreme6.

The Extreme6 offers some later tech that is only avilable from ASRock. Better Future??

Multiple sources incur multiple shipping charges.

Balance price + shipping from as few souces as is practical...Don

Thanks so much everyone.

Below is the link to my current build:

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/QJCt4D

I swapped out the Corsair liquid cooler for the Hyper 212 EVO.

I upgraded to the Z97 motherboard, as opposed to the Z87.

I upgraded my memory device to DDR3-2400 and 10 CAS, as opposed to the DDR3-1600 I had previously.

I added a 512GB SSD. There is only one listed there, as I will only be buying one. I managed to find a 240GB SSD that I recently bought. It has received little usage, which I will use for my OS.

I swapped out the EVGA card for the MSI, as it seems *slightly* more reliable based on some reviews I read.

I also ditched Windows, as I currently have a remote copy that I'm using for Bootcamp on my Mac. I'll deactivate that and reactivate on this new machine.

The only two lingering questions are:

1.) how to setup a dual-fan cooling device with the Hyper 212 EVO (or if this would even be necessary), and

2.) if I would need a wireless adapter of some kind in order to connect via WIFI, or if there would be built-in capability.

3.) it would appear as if my memory voltage exceeds the recommended voltage of my selected CPU. How much of an issue is this, and what should I do (if anything) to remedy the issue?

Thanks again everyone. The help you've provided is immensely appreciated!

1) The Hyper 212 EVO comes with the clips to mount the second fan.

An identical fan is only available as oem thru CoolerMaster.

http://www.cmstore-usa.com/hyper-212-evo-120mm-fan-oem-package/

Your mobo has 2 CPU fan connections 1x4 Pin and 1x3 Pin.

See "Notes" for proper connection to the 3 Pin:

http://www.allpinouts.org/index.php/Motherboard_%28CPU%29_4_Pin_Fan

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2) You will need an adapter to connect via WIFI.

Same mfg. and protocol as your hub for best performance.

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3) Not really an issue. At least I haven't heard of anyone having a problem.

Just be careful that you don't overvolt the RAM.

I noticed that you originally had 16GB planned. With 16GB you can turn the page file off.

The correct 16GB(4x4GB) set is G.Skill F3-2400C10Q-16GTX ...Don

Why would you pay $50 dollars for a noisy fan when you can get liquid for the same price. Boggles the mind with all the useless personal preferences that are given as advice here. So here's mine ;)

Would seem the fan would actually be significantly cheaper than the liquid cooling option. Appears that the fan (and a second attachment, for a dual-fan setup) would cost roughly $42 USD, whereas a liquid-cooling system would run in the $80-90 USD range.

1) The Hyper 212 EVO comes with the clips to mount the second fan.

An identical fan is only available as oem thru CoolerMaster.

http://www.cmstore-usa.com/hyper-212-evo-120mm-fan-oem-package/

 

Your mobo has 2 CPU fan connections 1x4 Pin and 1x3 Pin.

See "Notes" for proper connection to the 3 Pin:

http://www.allpinouts.org/index.php/Motherboard_%28CPU%29_4_Pin_Fan

**************************************************************

 

2) You will need an adapter to connect via WIFI.

Same mfg. and protocol as your hub for best performance.

***************************************************************

 

3) Not really an issue. At least I haven't heard of anyone having a problem.

Just be careful that you don't overvolt the RAM.

I noticed that you originally had 16GB planned. With 16GB you can turn the page file off.

The correct 16GB(4x4GB) set is G.Skill F3-2400C10Q-16GTX ...Don

Thanks for the help, Don.

I added the additional EVO fan to my "list" as a custom part that I will order separately. Just nice to have the price included.

I think I'll stick with the 8GB of RAM for now. I don't have any plans on running X-Plane, and I'm leaning towards FSX over P3D at this point. With that in mind, 8GB should be enough. Obviously I can upgrade down the road if I'm so inclined.

I'll hold off on the wireless adapter for now, as I'm not the one managing our main hub. Will consult with the one who does and get his recommendation(s) as to what would be ideal.

Otherwise I think I'm pretty much ready. Thanks for all the help. If there are any lingering issues that you see, totally feel free to mention them.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/KZXZrH

Just one thing to keep in mind when building your rig - I also got an ASRock motherboard. From what I can recall, their AS Media SATA ports are garbage (at least in my experience). I believe on my board there were something like 4 AS Meda SATA ports and 6 Intel Sata ports. The Intel SATA ports were the only ones that I could get to work without issue. Not a big deal at all, but I just wanted to save you the headache if you ran into the same issues I did when CD drives weren't being detected. However, this may also be user error too :o

One last thing - make sure to plug your OS SSD into the SATA_0 for the fastest boot times...something I forgot on my initial build and had to go back and fix!

Just one thing to keep in mind when building your rig - I also got an ASRock motherboard. From what I can recall, their AS Media SATA ports are garbage (at least in my experience). I believe on my board there were something like 4 AS Meda SATA ports and 6 Intel Sata ports. The Intel SATA ports were the only ones that I could get to work without issue. Not a big deal at all, but I just wanted to save you the headache if you ran into the same issues I did when CD drives weren't being detected. However, this may also be user error too :o

 

One last thing - make sure to plug your OS SSD into the SATA_0 for the fastest boot times...something I forgot on my initial build and had to go back and fix!

Thanks for the heads-up and info!

I'll be certain to keep this in mind and use the Intel ports if I run into any issues.

LOL! How do you think those liquid solution radiators are cooled? :confused:

 

BTW:

Hyper 212 Evo Fan = 82.9CFM @ 2000rpm, 36dBA

Corsair SP120 Fan = 62.7CFM @ 2350rpm, 35dbA

I'll give up 1 decibel for more than 30% more cooling potential, or, drop the speed to the same cooling level and reap a much quieter reward.

The proof is in the pudding: https://www.flightsim.com/vbfs/showthread.php?255893-New-Rig-Coming&p=1723686#post1723686

On a properly mounted radiator where there already was a fan along with a properly mounted CPU heatsink with backplate. Your EVO unless you put a backplate on it will cause so much vibration it will be intolerable. Even if you do add the backplate you will still get the vibration from an unstable large tower of tin..

just saying.. it's not all about an isolated fan noise measurement...

Like I said previously: The H-55 can't compare. The reason the low end H-50/55/60/75 and other budget CLCs weren't in that review, is simple. They can't compete.

Don't take my word for it. Listen to the gurus at anandtech. They test this stuff for a living...

guru's at anandtech?

Corsair's budget offering actually turns out to be one of its strongest. The H55 is as no-frills as it gets, but boasts a solidly performing fixed-speed fan and a respectably low price tag. You can have it for just $59, which is extremely competitive for a closed-loop liquid cooler. While no one would really argue that $59 is "cheaping out" on a processor cooler, this is nonetheless a good choice if you're on a tighter budget.

10+ DB difference ... that's more than half as quiet as the H100/EVO... and 3 degrees off in performance... and 7 degrees lower than the EVO.

The guru at anandtech left this year, Anand. He works for Apple now. The site is probably owned by CBS or Disney or some nonsense now.

Actually one bone to pick with the dB measurements is that they don't seem to mention at what frequency they did the measurement. Perception of loudness is nonlinear.... but I'm no guru, never even been to India.

The guru at anandtech left this year, Anand. He works for Apple now. The site is probably owned by CBS or Disney or some nonsense now.

 

Actually one bone to pick with the dB measurements is that they don't seem to mention at what frequency they did the measurement. Perception of loudness is nonlinear.... but I'm no guru, never even been to India.

Anand leaving has no effect on reviews that were already written, so what's your point? Not to mention that he was not the only one writing reviews for the site. And he still appears to own the site, so random references to Disney or CBS don't have much relevance either.

Anand leaving has no effect on reviews that were already written, so what's your point? Not to mention that he was not the only one writing reviews for the site. And he still appears to own the site, so random references to Disney or CBS don't have much relevance either.

Trolling much? You seem to have missed the point that the H55 was rated higher in all categories we're discussing here. So no I'm not making excuses for the reviews, I'm giving general commentary that I don't really care for them by pointing out they were completely off in their measurements by just using total RMS. RMS is a statistic it's not an actual observed quantity!

Wiki? I said: Wiki gives the formulae for differing wave forms.

 

I know my Instrumentation and Control. 40+years worth...Don

Apparently you don't even know how to distinguish between AC power signal, and the Power Spectrum of an Audio Signal.

SO please save the BS for someone else. Your resume doesn't make up for your total lack of experience in actual signal processing.

This clown and a few others are not interested in offering help.

They think trashing solid advice is good. I left here last year because of this kind of crap.

Ask this turd for advice, and he'll give you technicalities that are totallly unrelated to the task at hand.

Don't take my word as GOSPEL. Do your own homework.

I'm confident that what I recommend will reflect your findings...Don

Well, the parts have been ordered and the Hyper 212 EVO has been ordered, along with an additional fan.

With that in mind, the horse is out of the barn. Based on various reviews I've read I'd imagine I'll be happy with my choice. If for some reason I am not, I can always purchase and install another cooler.