System Hardware: PC | MOBO | RAM | CPU | HDD | SSD | PSU etc

I have an emachines desktop (t5254) that has recently begun having problems. It will boot up but when it starts to load Windows, it will completely shut down. I have tried switching the ram around and making sure all connections are secure. I reset the bios to the default settings. I am at a loss as to the cause. Any help would be appriciated.John

Hi guys,I was thinking about upgrading my system. I am planning to purchase a video card (MSI N480GTX-M2D15-B GeForce GTX 480 (Fermi) 1536MB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card), but i don't know if this action alone will improve my system or if a need to do other upgrades. My current system specs are as follows:XPS 720 - Red x XPS 720 Red Intel® Core™2 Extreme QX6700 (8MB L2 Cache,2.93GHz Factory overclx Memory 4GB DDR2 SDRAM at 800MHz x Video Cards 768MB Nvidia GeForce 8800 GTXx Hard Drive 160GB - WD Raptor 10000RPM, SATA 3.0Gb/s, 16MB Cachex Sound Cards Sound Blaster® X-Fi™ XtremeGamer (D) Sound Cardx Office Productivity Software (Pre-In…

I'm sure this one has been done a few times, but with the changes in technology happening quickly, I wanted to do it again. I've been out of simming for 3 years and decided I miss it and want to get back in. My plan is to buy a new system from one of the major system builders like Dell/Alienware or Velocity Micro (not interested in building myself), and want to get some opinions on the best CPU, GPU, amount of RAM, OS, etc., to get with a state of the art system. Assume that cost is not a concern (within reason), and that I want to get something that will run FSX and FS9 completely loaded with every eye candy add-on made. I'm assuming Windows 7 x64, but if there is…

Hi guys,I need all your help ;) I am looking into both regs : X6 and X4I know that there are way better systems etc, but I def want one of them both. Please let me know which one you would take and why. I want to use this system as mentioned before mainly for fs9 and maybe fsx.Addons like ifly,rex,ge pro,Ai etc will be used,thanks alot in advance guys

It looks like my sound card may have given out. I was playing a game (F1 2010...at least the cars kind of have wings) and my computer froze up. I had to make a hard reset and was unable to boot in to Windows 7 despite several repair/recover/etc attempts. I finally did a clean resinstall (after backing up what I needed in safe mode, which worked).Now, I find that whenever I try to install my sound card drivers the computer freezes. I've given it 25 minutes of just sitting frozen to make sure it wasn't just a hiccup in the install process. I'm starting to think it may have been my sound card that did the whole thing in. Perhaps Windows loading the sound drivers is wha…

Could you please recommend a software that would test overclocked system stability? I'm getting way too many CTDs mid-flight which I suspect could be related to an overclocked system. Thanks.

I use an old Seagate Barracuda. So far I've never needed anything else, but FSX is a special case to me. It's 500GB 7200 RPM Sata that came in a 2006 Gateway desktop. I've read that now people are using SSD, and for mechanical HDD that I even need a separate one for FSX. Is this true or will my old HDD do the job? Thanks AVSIM.

Hi,I'm currently running an i7 920 overclocked at 4.2ghz with the Corsair H50 cooler.I've managed to get my hands on a i7 950 free of charge.The question is, will the 950 give me better FSX performance than my 920?Is the chip as easy to overclock as the 920?If both were O/C to 4.2ghz is there any difference?Many thanksPhil Mosley

I have recently purchased a new desktop sprcifically for running FSX.This was basically a heavily discounted PC.I have already replaced the power supply wit a 700w unit.There seem to be some problems with the BIOS,i.e., on boot up,it says there are no disk drives,which is not true,since it boots up OK.My main concern is that if I wish to overclock,I believe I need to upgrade the CPU heatsink/fan combo.I would like some advice on this and general advice on overclocking this unit.I am on a limited budget,but would like to know what I would require at a minimum to run overclocked safely.My specs are in my signature. Ron

Got my new system up and running, in device manager it shows both SSD drives, but it only assigned one to the C: drive, the other isn't visible as a drive to use. Any ideas??

Just curious what a good 1000W PSU is (going to use a Coolermaster HAF 932 full tower case so needs long cables). Someone recommended this one - thoughts?http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341028

Someone said that the 860 runs so hot because it has the PCMIAA Interface on chip. Anyway - In the O'clocking guide (thanks Stephen) it show the layout.Is that why my core 4 runs so hot? Like 20c hotter under load. I have a Corsair H50 cooler (push / pull) and I was thinking that the thermal grease that came with it maybe wasn't so good and got some Artic Silver #5 from Milwaukee PC (in Madison) and will see if it adds a few degrees cooling. It is rated to add 3-13c cooling over standard.jja

Looks like a major cpu performance increase is upon us:http://wccftech.com/2010/09/16/intel-sandy-bridge/&http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKGnaTrxS_kAnd not at a $1000,- price tag.

I've just recently upgraded to a Q9650 Quad Core CPU, just went to start overclocking it, and have noticed that the core voltage reading in CPU-Z is ridiculously high at 1.44V (see attachment)??? As I stated, I haven't even done any overclocking yet.I'm just wondering why on Earth it's so high, and what I could possibly do to bring it down, as it's quite unnerving to say the least!Any responses would be much appreciated.

Hi, im seriously thinking of upgrading my current computer (intel Core 2 Duo e8500, MSI P45 NEO-F (low/midend), HD4870 1gb) with a new GPU, Mobo, CPU, PSU and case. So pretty much everything is being changed.These are the items im looking at: Intel Quad i7 930/950, Corsair Corsair HX 850W PSU, Antec Nine Hundred Midi Tower, ASUS P6X58D Premium LGA 1366 Intel X58, ZOTAC AMP! ZT-40102-10P GeForce GTX 480So, is this a good rig or should i change something? I'd like to keep it at the cost it is right now (about 1500 euros, which is actually more than my current comp costed 2 years ago) Is the motherboard stable/good for OC? Is the case cool etc, would love to hear your opin…

I have been a flight simmer for some time, but new to this forum.It is finally time for a new build. I want the best rig for maximizing FSX performance. I had pretty much decided on the i7-980X paired with a high end NVIDIA GPU. However, I am considering the unlocked i7-875K which has shown some some really decent benches when compared to some of the the higher end i7 900 series CPU s.Does anyone have any experience with this CPU? If so, would also be interested in performance marks, and which GPU you are running.

So I believe I made a mistake last month in purchasing new RAM as I didn't check out what I was buying very thoroughly and bought some Corsair budget RAM. It was cheap and I don't really have the money for anything better.But because of it I'm stuck in a Catch-22. The RAM's default speed is 667mhz and if it runs below 800mhz the system irregularly crashes because the motherboard is not adapted to run below 800mhz. If it's overclocked past 800mhz the RAM can't handle it and I begin to lose processes randomly and the system irregularly crashes. This is beginning to frustrate me.So first of all: Is there any high quality 2x2GB RAM that I can get for a good price?Second: Is t…

Ive a fairly old system running a Pentium 4, 3 ghz. Ive 2 gig of memory and a ATI X1950pro card.Ive a limited budget but would like to upgrade the CPU to a dual core or similar but I would also need to change the motherboard. (Mine had the wrong socket).If I were to do this would I be able to keep my hard drive with all my FS9 stuff on it, or do i need a reinstall which id prefer not to do.At this time I have the frame rate fixed at 20, and the systems runs quite well, but with the newer meaga sceneries available ie Barcelona, I'm down to between 9-15.Im on windows XP home, and at present Ive no intension's to change to FSX.Any suggestions or recommendations. thanks Stev…

Looking to upgrade my system. With medium-high settings, I'm getting around 15-20 fps and am looking to be able to get a boost.AMD Phenom 9950 Quad-Core 2.61 GHzATI RADEON 4870 PCI-E 512 MB DDR5WD RAPTOR 150GB 10,000 RPM SATAII500 GB SATA II 3.0 GB 16MB 7200RPM4GB DDR2 PC6400 MEMORYTHERMALTAKE MaxOrb GAMING CPU FANASUS M3A78-T AM2 790GX HDMI ATX AMDTHERMALTAKE TOUGH POWER 750 WATTWhat are the most cost-effective ways to get a significant boost in FPS for my system? I'm running W7 64-bit.Thanks a lot for any advice!

I have done a clean install of Windows 7 64 bit with a new WD Black Caviar 1TB HDD split in to two partitions, one for the OS system and programs and the other for data. I also added a WD VRap 150 GB SATA 3.0Gb/s for FSX and FSX Simulator Expansion Pack. I intend to run all FSX data files and add-ons in my data partition. Questions: What kind of separation provision for FSX files and addons should I make in my data partition, and please give me any advice as to what should go into the VRap HDD? I figured only FSX and FSX Simulator Expansion Pack. Thanks in advance. Intel e6600 Core 2 Duo @3.4 GHz Noctua NH-U12P Cooler ASUS P5Q Pro EVGA GeForce 88…

Hey guys,my mates on a budget and is gettin the dell studio XPS 7100. It's got a AMD X4 Phenom II 870 @ 2.8GHz. 8GB DDR3 1333MHz, ATi HD 5450. He was wanting to know whether they are OCable with an aftermarket CPU cooler. Cheers

Fellow Simmers,I am about to change/upgrade an AMD CPU for a colleague, but I am hesitant due to the fact that I am unsure whether the hard drive will boot due to changing/upgrading the CPU. I had a problem in the in the past from on a WinXp system. I went from a PIII to a PIV processor and the OS failed to boot.Just trying to avoid swapping back to the old CPU if this fails.Simeon (Kroswynd)

AllThis may not be the correct forum, if so I apologise.Yesterday my PC was infected with a virus called Antivirus IS. It's a anti-spyware application which has effectively disabled my internet, and will not allow me to run or open any application. It says all files are infected and takes me to a site where I have to pay for the obviously false antivirus software. I tried installing new AVG antivirus software from a disk, but it won't allow any .exe to be run off the disk either. I did some research and found a method to remove the registry entries for this particular malware manually, but it won't allow me to run the regedit facility. It has obviously become more s…

Hi Guys,This weekend if pretty major for me, its a two week break for school so Im installing a CPU Cooler onto my LGA 1156 socket, and overclocking. I know the risks etc, but ill be fine :)I went in to see if a Coolermaster V8 was available, but they don't have it so they re-directed me to a cheaper cooler at a cheap price which is appartnley as good as the CM V8, its a XigmaTek Achilles S1284 Heat Pipe Cooler. Has anybody got any feedback with it? If it isn't have that good, I can buy a CM V8 off ebay for the same price, but don't really want to do that.My overall goal is to get my i5 750 as close to 4ghz as possible.

I'm going to upgrade my PC n.1 for my B737NG Home-Cockpit.This is the machine that runs FS9, FSX , MCP software and some other stuff...so I need good performances.Outside view will be addressed to a Matrox THTG who split screen on three video projectors (3072x768), so I need good video card as well.My choice is : I7 980X - Asus Rampage II extreme - Msi Nvidia GeForce GTX480 (don't know if x2 SLI , not sure about better performance).What's your advice about RAM ? I think 6Gb is enough, but what brand and type is best on such system ?Curious to see your opinion.ciaomaurizio