Flight Sim Tech

[Xodus]

Ok, I'm getting pretty close to building this computer. It's mainly to play FSX and run your standard home office / web type of stuff. I've been reading tons (tonnes ) of info on FSX builds and the general consensus is that FSX requires CPU power.

My original specs were looking like this:

Q6600 (to be overclocked)
mobo: evga 680i chipset
memory: mushkin 4gb (2x2)
vid: 8800gtx or 9800gtx.

now since FSX might not take advantage of such a high end video card, I was thinking of dropping that to a 8800GT-OC, and using the money saved to go with a penryn Q9450 + aftermarket hsf. of course I would need a 7series mobo, or intel equivalent .

so what I'm asking is thoughts on a overclocked Q6600 vs overclocked Q9450 in terms of performance.

FSX WILL take advantage of a high end video card, just not SLI. I run FSX on my computer. And I just flew a jet (F-14 or something) through the grand canyon on this machine, and it was silky smoothe sliders to the right, except autogen

[signa]

Signa dont go Nvidia mobos unless you are planning to OC. If not go Intel its a lot better.

Even if you plan on overclocking i would advise against nVidia mobo's and go intel, unless you want to go SLI which is a false economy.

Yes..Only get nvidia mobo if you want SLI and you crap money..Obviously you dont so get a P45 or X38 or X48 intel chipset...

thanks for the replies. yes I do plan on a moderate overclock (probably 3.0 or 3.2). I'm not planning on SLI. I'm just not up on intel chipsets to make a decision on which brand / model is good. can you recommend one, than can overclock also?

[=98=]

Even if you plan on overclocking i would advise against nVidia mobo's and go intel, unless you want to go SLI which is a false economy.

Seconded :thumbsup:

Look for a P5K Deluxe/Premium. They are good boards.

[Hellsent 2.0]

Asus boards are good....Again look for either P35, P45, x38 or x48 chipsets...Each are very good...

[Eagle101]

Yeah the chipsets Hellsent layed out are pretty good, there are many cheap boards out there from reputable brands i.e. Asus, Abit, and Gigabyte for example.

[TheHeartSmasher]

Don't forget to Install at least Vista Home Premium so you can take advantage of the 4GBs of RAM as you will need it.

Are you getting the Deluxe Edition?

[Flt. Sgt. Powderhound]

Don't forget to Install at least Vista Home Premium so you can take advantage of the 4GBs of RAM as you will need it.

Are you getting the Deluxe Edition?

You mean Vista 64-bit.

[signa]

Seconded :thumbsup:

Look for a P5K Deluxe/Premium. They are good boards.

Asus boards are good....Again look for either P35, P45, x38 or x48 chipsets...Each are very good...

Don't forget to Install at least Vista Home Premium so you can take advantage of the 4GBs of RAM as you will need it.

Are you getting the Deluxe Edition?

You mean Vista 64-bit.

Ya, we are planning on vista home prem. x64.
I'm not sure what version of FSX, this build is for my uncle.

Lots of asus p5k's to choose from. I probably wont use integrated wifi though.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...nd&Order=PRICE

[signa]

That TV card would be fine, though the board is kind of old. I've heard that FSX is CPU intensive, so I guess that it's not bad idea to spend less on motherboard and get a REALLY fast quad core.

TV tuner also generates some heat, so it's better to put it some distance away from graphics card.

I decided on a Q6600 + thermalright ultra120 so I can overclock it. I looked at the Q9450 but its only around 6% faster overall, and with the budget I'm working with, its not worth the extra $120 difference. this is the current build list I have. (which changes day to day, as I consider different ideas and options).

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/Pu...Number=8763166

Although now my interest has peaked in looking at the Radeon HD 4870. I need to look into some benchmarks for that though, as FSX is mostly CPU.

[megawhompertoo]

fsx directly renders every frame. the only way m.s. could have optimized any more poorly would have been to scan each scene and converted them to a series of bitmaps that flip out in front of you, cartoon style.

as far as your mobo, i wouldn't hesitate to reccommend an asus p5e. it runs cool with all the rollercoaster heatpipes going everywhere, and it's very well laid out. i was able to install a thermalright sp-128, but i had to do it with the mobo uninstalled, and even then there were some tense "how much more pressure can i apply before i warp my $130 board" moments. excellent overclocking options, and it even came with a discrete audio card, though one on par with a creative extremeaudio, meaning it still uses cpu cycles (though that's less of a problem these days with multi-core fast processors).

one more thing i like about asus--the fit and finish. i think only gigabyte with their "ultra durable ii" series uses thicker silicon. you also get case connector stand-offs so you can plug in all your case lights/pwr/rst etc into a clearly labeled standoff that then plugs directly onto the mobo, saving you the trouble of having to emply any guesswork as to how the Taiwanese have arranged their case inputs (something about living backwards from folks in the western hemisphere :P ), along with all sorts of extra cables and stuff for the crap drawer.