System spec

[Mackyboy]

Hi all,
I'm thinking of put FSX on my decktop computer, and I just want to know if my system can handle it.
I know my graphic card will need changing, but hopefully thats all.
The system is:-
Dell Demenion 8300
Intel Pentium 4, 3.00Ghz
4gb ram (which I updated)
Creative Lab sound card with suround sound 5.1
Nvid geforce 256mb graphic card.

Any thoughts on this system, or am i wasting my time on it
or is it just the graphic card the let down.

Thanks
MB

[Strategic Retreat]

How to put it nicely... :-/ ...your system as a whole is good for general use, but altogether weak for FSX.

Though you don't say what model of Gefo you use, your videocard may be the weakest link, but keep in mind that the rest is not up to the job either.

Even if you mount a top of the line Gefo or Radeon, this new card may give you a little boost, but you better not expect miracles. If you can put together about half a grand you'd be able to buy a new motherboard/CPU/memory AND videocard, none of them brand nor top of the line, but better still than what you currently have, reusing part of the hardware you already have, like HD, DVD/BluRay, Case/power supply (though on this last I would not joke about, most of those unexplainable problems some PC have are all fault of a shifty power supply. If you KNOW your power supply is not good enough for a more powerful rig, find some dough to replace it with a better one) and so on.

In short... I suggest you a overhaul more than a pimping of what you have. Even a minor overhaul will make your FSX experience much better.

[Mackyboy]

Hi,
Thanks for your advice.Can you advise what system (cpu, graphic card, memory etc) would be good enough. I'm running fsx on my laptop at the moment, and it's ok but could be better.
That system is
2.3Ghz Cpu, 4gb memory, and i don't know want graphic card is.
Thanks
MB

[Jetranger]

Jetranger ,, has a AMD Radeon 6800 HD / 1 Gig / Graphics card on a 16 GIG memory system with a Quadcore AMD Athlon II Processor - and it runs FSX GOLD Acceleration just fine , whoops left out a "650 watt" power supply to power the New Video Graphics card.  just to give you and idea ,, only cost me about 450.00 in upgrades and I installed everything myself,,,,, not that hard really !  get a new graphics card - make sure your POWER SUPPLY can handle the demands of the new Graphics card !!!!!!!!!   :)

[Blaunarwal]

Hi

This system will certainly handle fsx with SP2, with no demanding addons. Maybe after install you could improve performance of fsx with Bojote's tweaks and some performance textures.

If you intend to use HD textures and addons like London VFR you better get a newer graphics adapter. 256 MB seems to be an old card. Todays cards have standard 1GB.

My system (see signature) is pretty fast, allthough I could need a newer mainboard with SATA III and 2600K CPU. It runs pretty smooth on most places with lot enabled (but not all). I just have a lag sometimes I think because of simconnect.

[Strategic Retreat]

In March 2009 I bought my actual Athlon X2 6000 + MoBo Asus M2N + 4Gb DDR II Ram + Gefo 9600Gt 512MB DDR III.

It would have been no winner of speed races even when I put it together, but it allows me to give FSX to my kids with not much performance problems (mind, it's mostly default and likely to remain such) and it's perfectly superfluous to explain how smooth FS9 (mine) works on it.

Fact is, I paid 320

[G.K.]

Hi Groundhog,
My PC is similar spec to yours, FSX runs fine (for me) at about 25-30 frames even with a few addons like GEX europe and Tongass Fjords. Frames do drop in high density areas but still playable in a slow plane. Things like OZ grand canyon scenery