Newbie...New Build... Some advice please?

[Stuart Holmes]

Hi,

I'm Stuart, a new simmer, based in the Falkland Islands.

I'm returning to flight sim after a long layoff. I have copies of both FS9 and FSX, but believe, from reading the forum, that I'm unlikely to be able to run at high framerates on FSX with modest computer specifications.

I've listed (below) the specs for my new build - please can you tell me what type of performance to expect on either FS9 or FSX.

Any advice would be appreciated - My last FS PC had 512Mb RAM and a 32Mb Video Card!

New Specs:

XFX nForce 780i - Motherboard - ATX - nForce 780i SLI - LGA775 Socket

Intel Q6600 Core 2 Quad Processor - 2.40 GHz, 8MB L2 Cache, 1066MHz FSB

8Gb (4x2Gb) Crucial Ballistix DDR2-800 CL4 240-pin DIMM

BFG GeForce 9800GTX+ OC 512MB PCI-E

[Anxyous]

Two questions: What do you do? And how do you do it?

That's gonna be quite expensive!

Anyways, do you intend of overclocking the CPU?

That'a a very powerful rig if anything!

I run FSX at very good frames, and pretty good quality, on equipment much worse than that

[Brett_Henderson]

Those spec are nearly identical to the computer I just blew up  :D  Same m-board even..

Overclock it just a tad and it will give you good FSX service  :)

[Stuart Holmes]

Two questions: What do you do? And how do you do it?

That's gonna be quite expensive!

Anyways, do you intend of overclocking the CPU?

That'a a very powerful rig if anything!

I run FSX at very good frames, and pretty good quality, on equipment much worse than that

Thanks for the fast reply!

To answer the questions - I'm a broadcast engineer. My wife got me the Saitek gear for Christmas, so that was nice and inexpensive for me. As for the computer - less than

[Anxyous]

Two questions: What do you do? And how do you do it?

That's gonna be quite expensive!

Anyways, do you intend of overclocking the CPU?

That'a a very powerful rig if anything!

I run FSX at very good frames, and pretty good quality, on equipment much worse than that

Thanks for the fast reply!

To answer the questions - I'm a broadcast engineer. My wife got me the Saitek gear for Christmas, so that was nice and inexpensive for me. As for the computer - less than

[Stuart Holmes]

[/quote]

Trust me, when everything is tweaked and set up properly, you'll get great fun out of FSX [/quote]


I hope so...

I'm not planning on overclocking the computer. Quad 2.4Ghz and 8Gb RAM should be enough (Even though FS won't access all the RAM)

I might change to a SATA 3 HD, but don't know that it would make much of a difference. I'm assuming my new video card is DX10 ready... :-?

Cheers,

Stuart

[markag]

Your system is also similar to mine. Here are my specs:

• Q6600 @ 3.0GHz
• 4GB 800MHz RAM
• 2xNvidia 8800GTS 512MB GPUs (I know SLI is useless for FSX, but I play other games too).
• 250GB 7200RPM HDD
• 500GB 7200RPM HDD
• 20" LCD @ 1680x1050
• Vista Business X64

My framerates rarely drop below 20fps even in the most dense cities and landscapes. Ofte, over non populated areas, I can get 60fps or more.

I expect that you could get nearly those same results. The only thing that concerns me is the resolution that you will be running. I'm only running 1680x1050. You may run into issues because of using multiple monitors.

[SubZer0]

for FS9.... you're set.

for FSX.... tweak and you're set

Falklands? awesome!

[Formula_1]

Hi

I would have to recommend the GTX 280, or the new GTX 285 for your graphics solution. I suggest this simply because of the way you want to run 3 monitors. Not saying the 9800 won't do it, but for something like that, more power is always useful. The extra cost will well be worth it, especially due to way you want to use it.

Don't be afraid to overclock your cpu either. You can get a good bit more out of it and 'it' will never know the difference. However, 'you' will certainly see the difference. A reasonable oc will not hurt it at all, but will give a nice increase in performance.

Good luck and Happy Flying

[Stuart Holmes]

Hi

I would have to recommend the GTX 280, or the new GTX 285 for your graphics solution. I suggest this simply because of the way you want to run 3 monitors. Not saying the 9800 won't do it, but for something like that, more power is always useful. The extra cost will well be worth it, especially due to way you want to use it.

Don't be afraid to overclock your cpu either. You can get a good bit more out of it and 'it' will never know the difference. However, 'you' will certainly see the difference. A reasonable oc will not hurt it at all, but will give a nice increase in performance.

Good luck and Happy Flying

Is there a possibility that I'll reduce the lifespan and reliability of the process/RAM if I overclock?

It's a 2.4Ghz Quad - what can I expect to increase that to?

Mind you, we're forgetting the fact that I'd have no idea where to start...

Cheers

Stuart

[Formula_1]

Hi again

No, you will not harm it at all as long as your temperatures are good and you don't give it too much of a voltage increase.
PC Perspective forums is a good place to learn about overclocking. You can read in their OC section stickies all about it. And of course ask in the forum, if you are unsure of anything.

I really don't know what a good speed increase for a quad is, but I would guess 3.2GHz is possible. There are guys oc'ing the same chip that can help more than I can. Your limit will be due to the stock heatsink, but there are some using it and still getting an nice increase.

You can get tools for monitoring your temperature, such as CoreTemp. And a program to stess test it to make sure it is stable, like IntelBurnTest. Both work fine in Vista x64.

I have a default 3.0GHz chip running perfectly stable and cool at 4.0GHz. Before this system I had a AMD 2100+, a 1.73GHz chip that has ran at 2.2GHz since I built the system in early 2003. It is still running at 2.2 to this day.

The bios of you motherboard will have many options that will allow you to get a good oc, with stability and safty. Just read up on how it's done and enjoy the extra performance once you get it setup

[westside]

I have a very similar system and have been trying to overclock it for about two months with no luck. It seems every computer set up is different and there are no clear way to explain how to OC every individual system. Mine is running fine at 30FPS and I also have the same yoke and pedals. That adds alot to the experience.

Enjoy

[Stuart Holmes]

Thanks for the info guys.

I'm getting impatient now... processor/RAM/video card and hard drives are in my desk drawer. All I need now is the PSU and motherboard and it's build time.

Hopefully they'll arrive in Mondays mail...

Should be fun.

Cheers,

Stuart

[markag]

There isn't any better feeling then when you build your first PC and fire it up for the first time. I built my first desktop a year ago and was on cloud 9 for at least a week.

I hope your build goes smooth. I'm sure  you will enjoy it.

Mark

[Formula_1]

I have a very similar system and have been trying to overclock it for about two months with no luck. It seems every computer set up is different and there are no clear way to explain how to OC every individual system. Mine is running fine at 30FPS and I also have the same yoke and pedals. That adds alot to the experience.

Enjoy

Hi

This is not so much the case, as there are clear guidelines to use when oc'ing. If you understand what the settings in the bios are for, then you use them the same as anyone else would. The values may vary, but the technique is the same. You have to know what to turn up and what to turn down. these rules apply across the board.
It may be you up the CPU Host frequency to say 450 (as mine is), but don't properly set the MCH Latch and SPD for the ram. In my case my ram could be at 1800MHz. No way it would run at that. those are the same rules anyone overclocking must adhere to, or your oc will fail. Again, the values may be different, but the procedure is the same.

Of course some do get ahold of a poor quality chip that just will not yeild a good, stable oc. Sounds like you may have happened upon one of them. However, the odds are in favor that it will be a good one. Poor quality chips are kinda rare these days, but they do show up from time to time.

Most people don't want to overclock and to many it is kind of a 'black art'. It takes understanding of how everything works together and patience. But if the parts are good, within a very short time (most of the time is spent testing), you will have a bedrock solid overclock that will be a huge boost in performance and last for years.

Most of us that do overclock are not looking for the absolute highest our hardware will go. More, we want a substantial increase that has plenty of headroom. It is quite probable I could get my cpu to 4.5GHz on air with my current Xigmatek cooler, but 4.0 was my goal, so I'm done.

Anyway Stuart. Don't be intimidated. Read and ask questions. Someone will probably even give you base values for the bios setting to get you started. And, you will really learn alot in the process