Need some more advice

[Jimbo]

[quote]Some fans connect to the motherboard.

[NicksFXHouse]

Which is exactly why I kindly PM'd you for comment in case I had something screwed up and didn't know about it. I respect your knowledgeable input. If I offended you that was not the intention.

There is no offense taken!!

[NicksFXHouse]

[quote]

Well the PSU i mentioned comes with the case im buying:

http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products ... _uid=90602

From what i can see from the description it says that the case comes with 1 rear 120mm standard fan with TriCool 3-speed switch but it also says : 2 front (optional) 92mm case fan mounts, so these are not included. I For the 2 92mm Case mounts i was thinking of the Tricool Fan/92mm (http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products ... _uid=82238), but are these fans thermally controlled?

I'm now officially confused, A tell ya, it doesn't take much to confuse me, now who's turn is it to slap me?

[Brett_Henderson]

[quote]No, FSX and other apps will not be able to access the full potential of the 64 bit system without the 64 but OS installed. 64 bit hardware must have the following to be fully utilized:

1. 64bit Motherboard

[NicksFXHouse]

This is what kept me from going full bore right now.. It'll be a year or more before Vista is out and until I can get the whole package in place.. I thought the 3700 (running faster than a 4000) / 7800GT was a good fit, today..

I could have gotten a 7900 or 1900, but it would be a year-old card by the time the REAL upgrade time comes (Vista, X2 processor.. etc.).. Same goes for the CPU.. The 4400 or 4800 would be "old and slow" by then.. or MORE important.. allot less expensive..

Your choices were good! It really comes down to what you can afford. Planning for next year can mean adding, replacing or a combination of both. My suggestion of the better video card now was to take into consideration a low budget next year for upgrade.

If I was limited in my budgets.... for next year and FSX I would rather have 2 - 7900 GTX 512mb cards in sli mode than buy a single new card next year which was purchased on a very low budget. Dx10 or not, 2 heads are better than 1.

When dx10 hardware comes down in price and is proven, then I would consider that upgrade (probably 1.5 years or more away)

[Jimbo]

I just found the specs for the PSU...

It will run what you are planning on purchasing but do not run a dual processor and 2 video cards on that PSU. It 3.3 rail is limited to 30 amps and the split 12 rails are limited to 38amps.

To give you an example, If you were using a single ATI X1900XTX, you would be running borderline on the 3.3v rail with that PSU. ATI specifies a MINIMUM of 30amps on the 3.3 volt rail for the X1900 cards.

That is a good tower, but stock Antec PSU's are not what I would call HIGH PERFORMANCE units, at all. The power supply will work fine for what we discussed but you will be limited in the future if you plan to add andother card or a dual processor.

What about a Hiper 580W Type-R Modular PSU:
(http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products ... _uid=98564)

Would this be a better PSU to choose?

[Brett_Henderson]

The permeations are near infinite:  Pay now pay later; get better later cheaper; buy now and enjoy; go all out here and compromise there.. filling in the blanks down the road !

makes the head spin  ..  lol

I do know one thing.. there are ways to smooth in the performance valleys (yeah.. I'm a humble-pie convert), if you take the time (and are fortunate to get good advice)... ummm  .. O/C..

[NicksFXHouse]

[quote]The permeations are near infinite:

[NicksFXHouse]

What about a Hiper 580W Type-R Modular PSU:
(http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products ... _uid=98564)

Would this be a better PSU to choose?

No, that PSU is only rated 2amps higher on the 3.3 rail and exactly the same as the other on the 12v rail.


James, if you do not have the money now, I would just work with the Antec supply since it comes with the tower you want and just know you will need to replace it in order to use 2 video cards and a dual processor.

[Delta_]

The tricool fan is what i use.  It is not temperature sensitive.  It uses a switch to control the speed.  I use it on the lowest setting, it is both quiet and shifts a lot of air.

[NicksFXHouse]

This is what kept me from going full bore right now.. It'll be a year or more before Vista is out and until I can get the whole package in place.. I thought the 3700 (running faster than a 4000) / 7800GT was a good fit, today..

I could have gotten a 7900 or 1900, but it would be a year-old card by the time the REAL upgrade time comes (Vista, X2 processor.. etc.).. Same goes for the CPU.. The 4400 or 4800 would be "old and slow" by then.. or MORE important.. allot less expensive..

Quote:No, FSX and other apps will not be able to access the full potential of the 64 bit system without the 64 but OS installed. 64 bit hardware must have the following to be fully utilized:

[congo]

[quote]I have to run... I have a boat to clean out after 2 weeks on the high seas

[NicksFXHouse]

I think I owe congo an apology. My response earlier in the thread was not about being put off because he disagreed with the things I posted. On the contrary, everyone here has both experience and technical knowledge to share. No matter how much or how little one knows, what one person may lack another can fill in. In between all that most have formed opinions based on their knowledge and experience.

I am not an expert on every card, board or processor. In example, I did not know the newer 7900 series cards had been found to work without issues and that is why I suggested a short wait before purchasing that series of card. In reading the thread and based on the experience from those in this thread who do know the card works well it was my recommendation to suggest a bit more money be spent on the GTX version because James wanted products that would be better suited for FSX use. Being the GTX version has 512mb video memory and a higher clock, and because FSX is geared for hardware which will probably have 1024 video memory standard, my recommendation would place him in the realm of having the ability to run FSX with little loss in performance or visual appearance. Doubling that card in SLI later this year or next year would mean his system would be well above standard for using FSX.

The processor recommendation was based on costs. When the FX-57 drops in price another 200 dollars, its performance to cost ratio makes more sense however by then newer chips will be on the market and it is quite possible a better cost effective solution would be available. If I have the money to spend the FX-57 would be my choice simply because I do not have to overclock it to hit 2.8g.

The 3700+ and 4000+ SD cores will provide a good base for his system however in order to maximize the system potential they must be overclocked at least 15% or more. That does not mean FS9 requires the overclock to run well, but items such as AI and weather set up high will run much better with the processor overclocked.

Overclocking is not always a solution for people who do not know how to do it correctly. That goes for both processor and video system. A good and safe overclock sometimes requires the addition of special HSF for both processor and video adapter. That added cost along with the risk in replacing a video card HSF with an aftermarket unit when one is inexperienced can result in disaster, therefore spending a few hundred dollars more on hardware which is already keyed to the higher clocks without overclocking becomes a wise investment.

I can also say without reservation the dual core processor (if you pick the right one) is better than a single core in gaming. The problem with dual core processors is they are NOT plug-n-go for the typical inexperienced user. You must learn how to use a dual core environment in the OS settings and understand the affinity timing issues which must be tweaked. It is an entirely different ballgame however once a system is correctly tuned the dual processor setup is completely superior to a single core. Consider this

[NicksFXHouse]

Doh! I just missed out on a reef trip because I had to finish a job I was procrastinating about for too long. And get this, they filled the boat to the gunwhales with fish and were still catching them as they entered the channel back home!

I hope your trip was a good one Nick N.

It was clear sailing up the coast of BC but on the way back we were hit by a southwest gail that did not let up. I had to keep it under full power all the way back

Still.. it was a heck of a trip

[congo]

Nice! My friend came over last night and told me he was busy all day sowing his jib after blowing it out on their return trip during the cyclone event here last week.