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

I have a PCI Creative X-fi sound card - it's one of the first XFi cards - extreme gamer or something. You can't even buy one anymore unless off ebay I suppose...Anyway, I was about to clean out my case today and I heard a small "clank," and there I saw the heatsink off my Creative card lying hehe...It's really small - no fan, just the metal heatsink, maybe 1.2 in square at the most. Will I be alright without this thing? Or do I need to figure out how to get it back on? Or buy a new card? Or just go with the onboard...

Interesting article at AnandTech titled "Memory Scaling on Core i7 - Is DDR3-1066 Really the Best Choice?"Is 1333 C6 faster than 1600 C9? Find out here: http://www.anandtech.com/show/2792

HiI'm will be receiving from work soon a 64bit workstation set up for CAD with a Windows 7 operating system. I want to install FS9 with all my addons on this computer with the possibility of later trying FSX. I am wondering whether this high end system will run well and what tweaks can I achieve with this video card?SpecsDell Precision T5400 - Intel One Intel

hi allis anyone using a 30 inch monitor for FS? I see the specs as 2560 x 1600 which is what i like in comparison to my current setup TH2Go 3840 x 1024, while i like the horizontal viewing with the TH2GO i do not like the vertical viewing, especially when i am flying the PMDG 747, so the "1600" part is what i am after giving me more 'viewing area',anyone else have a 30 inch?

One of my friends is about to buy a new alienware laptop with a Core i7 processor, he wanted to know if the Core i7 was a good processor to run FSX. I did not told him my opinion because I don't know anything about the Core i7 (or i5) processor running on FSX. I have the impression that the Intel Core 2 duo processors run FSX better at least from the perspective of my MacBook Pro that runs FSX very good. Anyways do you get good framerates on your i7 pc's?

I am about to order a mini tabletop PC destined specially for FS9 use - either the ACER AX3300-U1322 (AMD Athlon II X4 Quad-Core Processor 620, Windows 7 Home Premium, NVIDIA GeForce 9200 Chipset, 4096MB DDR3 Memory, Integrated NVIDIA GE FORCE 9200 Graphics, 1TB SATA Hard Drive, Digital Media Card Reader, High Definition Audio) orACER AX1301-U1312, 2.7 GHz AMD Athlon II X3 Triple-Core 425 Processor, 4GB DDR2 Memory, 750GB HD 7200RPM SATA, Integrated NVIDIA GeForce 9200 Graphics, High Definition Audio with 5.1 channel audio support, Windows 7 Home Edition.As a layman, the Quad-Core feature (more modern?), DDR3 memory, larger HD and such features for a nominal prince increa…

I have been away from Flight Simulator for about 4 years. I am considering having a local computer shop build a fairly high end computer, primarily for using FSX. I am leaning towards using the XP 32 bit OS, coupled with an Intel i7 950 processer, Nvidia GTX 285 video card and 6 GB Corsair Triple Channel RAM.I exclusively fly GA aircraft (RealAir SF260 and Scout, etc.) and want to get UTX, GEX, terrain mesh, REX2 and possibly Orbx PNW.I am not a hardware guy and don

I have been concerned about heat affecting performance and components, until recently all I had for cooling was the Cooler Master Hyper 212 for my CPU which has a 4 3/4" (120mm) fan. Today I installed 2 x 3 1/4" (80mm) fans; 1 in the lower front of the case and 1 at the upper rear of the case just under the PSU, and there seems to be good airflow. I taped over 2 inlet holes, approx 2" on the side of the case and the perforated aluminum shroud in the rear 1"x3" in hopes of creating a path and forcing the air out the rear. There seems to be a draw of air through the PC but I wonder if it is enough. I have been toying with the idea of adding another intake fan on the side of…

I am ready to upgrade my PC but would like some advice regarding which of the above is more suited to FSX??I am considering (within my Budget) either an AMD Phenom II X965 or an Intel i3 530Any advice would be welcome although I suspect it will be fairly conflictingMany thanksGeorge

In FS9 I get good framerates with maxed sliders and max weather when flying planes that are somewhat simple, even those with RXP gauges + GNS530It's when I fly something like the ESDG CitationX that I have to back off the sliders, and I have to back them off a lot and the rates STILL arent very good. Things are better flying the 737NG, but still...So I'm here to ask what I should change on my recently rebuilt PC (running XP) that I should change/swap out that will get maxed visuals while running planes with glass cockpits and FMS's.My first guess would be a CPU swap, but I'm not sure about that, and I dont know what I would replace it with?(I should be able to upgrade the…

I have just purchased a new computer and installed FSX and Acceleration on local disk (C:) which leaves me with very little space for addons. My question is, is it possible to increase the size of (C:) by shrinking the size of the next one (F:)? Any help will be most appreciated.Windows 7 UltimateTotal size of hard disk(s) 1457 GB Disk partition (C:) 9 GB Free (60 GB Total) Media drive (D:) CD/DVD Media drive (E:) CD/DVD Disk partition (F:) 1397 GB Free (1397 GB Total) Processor Intel® Core i7 CPU 920 @ 2.67GHz Memory (RAM) 12.0 GB Graphics ATI Radeon HD 5800 Series x2Gaming graphics 3827 MB Total available graphics memory Primary hard disk 9GB Free (60GB To…

Hi fellow Sim Pilots.I am going to invest about $3,500- $4,000 for a new computer that I would like to build around my FSX addiction.I currently have several add-ons including PMDG 747 as well as several airports & Mega airports.I will also be wanting three monitor display set-up.Could one of you much more knowledgeable tech guy's please assist me with suggestions for a build by Dell which would be more than adequate for the flight sim world. I want too eliminate the "frame by frame" display which I am currently experiencing.Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated.I don't absolutely have too go with a Dell but... it would be my first choice from what I have h…

IS it safe to use the suction extension tool off a vacuum cleaner to clean my case? In the past I've used canned air but I think the suction would be faster and get the dust out of those hard to reach areas....

Can somebody look at my specs in my sig below and let me know if you think it would be worth my while to upgrade my MoBo at all? I fly FS9 exclusively. The E8600 listed is only 3 months old, having replaced my E8500 OC, for basically minimal results -- probably wouldn't do it again -- and I feel my current MoBo may be choking my system, but I'm not clear if there are any more good, rocket type socket 775 dual core boards on the market any more. All the other recent posts here are for people looking to go with Quad CPUs? I can't find an ASUS Maximus Extreme II any more either at Tigerdirect.com or Egghead.com and just can't seem to figure out which board would be good for …

I would be grateful for advice as I spec an i7 980x build for FSX. I am buying a SATA III MB (Asus P6X58D). Now that Windows 7 and Intel apparently support TRIM for RAID 0 SSD's would a pair of SATA II 160Gb Intel V2 SSD's in RAID 0 be better than a single 256 MB SATA III Crucial RealSSD? If I buy a small SSD for the OS (Win 7 64-bit) does that get TRIM support too? There is not too much difference in price but of course extra storage would come with RAID 0. I am however unsure about the performance difference.Thanks for your opinionsStewart

Hi Guys,A few days from now I'm buying a new pc. Thusfar I have put together the following:CPU - i7 Quad Core 860MB - ASUS P7P55-M P55 S1156 ATX DDR3HD - WD 500GB 7200 32mbRAM - DDRAM3 3072MB PC1600 G.Skill 3GBNQ CL9.0Graphic - ASUS ENGTX260/HTDP/896M/A PCI-E 896MB DDR3Power - Netzteil ANKERMANN 750W ATX 140mm SATA/PCI-E CordCPU Cooler - K

I just ordered an Gigabyte X58 UD7 motherboard and a i7980X processor its on its way, and I was just informed by gigabyte that in order for me to update the bios to support the i7980X I have to have install an older processor first, then do the update, What the hell am I going to do now. I don't have an older icore7.

I know this has probably been beaten to death, but I was wondering now that prices have dropped considerably on the Quads, if it would be better for me to upgrade to the Q9650 from my trust old E8400? I have been running the E8400 for almost 2 years at 4GHz and it is rock solid. But seeing how FSX benefits from the additional cores, I wonder if it would be better, especially since it has gone down in price.My current setup is:DFI LP UT P35 T2R moboE8400 @ 4GHzEVGA nVidia GTX280OCZ Flex 4GB (2x2GB) DDR2WD VelociRaptor 150GB 10K RPM HDDWindows 7 UltimateFSXAny help would be greatly appreciated.

Hi all,my mate has challenged me into building him a gaming rig for FSX, COD, BC2 etc. I have priced some components and for his budget I came up with this:i7 930 to be OC'd6GB DDR3 1600MHz Corsair Dominator GT C7 With Airflow fanAsus P6T moboCoolermaster HAF 932 CaseSapphire HD5870 1GBLG 23" HD widescreen monitorSony 24x DVD disk driveWestern Digital Caviar Black 7200 RPM 640GB HDWin 7 Pro 64bitcoolermaster V10 200W CPU coolerCorsair TX-850 PSUHe wants to run all his games at max settings and at 1920x1080 res.What are your views on this system?Are there any issues?What speed could the i7 930 be OC'd to with this cooler?What is the performance in his games likely to be?Th…

Hey guys just doing a little window shopping right now for a possible new pc, just wanted to get some input whether or not this computer is worth the investment. Currently I am running FS9 but looking to switch to FSX sometime in the future. My current computer is an Intel E6750, 2GB RAM, Nvidia 8600 GTS. Thanks for the input.Dan

I currently have WinXP (32) with 4GB (2X2) of 1600M DDR3 (7-7-6-18). I have the 2GB switch in boot.ini and currently a NV 8800 GT GPU. (CPU is a Q6600). So, rather an old rig that I will update one day. I would like to firstly venture into a new GPU that gives me more than the 768M that I currently have, and wondered if Win 7 (64) could put my 4 GB to better use than XP is doing and would support a 1GB GPU? Given that I could use the Win 7 and the new GPU into a new rig at some later time this year, would it provide any benefit to install Win 7 at the moment? I had read that there is a relationship between the GPU memory size and the amount of system RAM that the OS …

Hey guys, I'm new here this is my first post however I have been browsing the forum for a few days now. Basically I am going to upgrade my pc to run FSX. My system is currently as follows:Intel Pentium Dual E2140 1.6GhzAsrock conroe 1333-d6672GB DDR2 Kingston Ram250GB HDD.Windows XP HomeFrom what I've been reading on various forums this is the spec that I've come up with that is affordable to me and will be able to handle FSX.Pentium dual core E8400 3.0Ghzkeep existing motherboard for now.4GB RamKeep existing HDDNvidia 9800 GTX 512mb (I was going to go for the 9800GT 1GB but according to benchmarks the 9800gtx achieves better frame rates?)Windows XP HomeI may overcl…

Hi, I have been looking for a pc that will run fsx smoothly with reasonable grahics because my laptop can't take fsx.Would this run fsx smoothly?: :( Genuine windows 7 home premium, 64 bit englishintel core i7 920 2.66ghz (8mb cache) quad core processorsingle 1gb nvidia geforce gts 2403gb triple channel 1067 mhz ddr3500gb-sata-II, 3gb/s, 72,000RPM 16mb cache hddsingle drive: 24X CD/DVD burner (dvd+/-RW) w/ double layer write capability.ThanksKyle Lamb

Hi,I am trying to update my thinking to match my new system (specs in Signature). Is it worthwhile adding another 3 sticks of 2g Kingston HyperX 1600mgz to my system for a total of 12g? I realize that at least one time 12g of ram would have been useless for FSX. Has opinion changed?Stephen

Hi all,I have a Striker II Formula MB and it has issues with overclocking. It is very tempermental and runs extremely hot. I had talked to Nick N quite awhile ago about this and he did make some recommendations, but I know longer have the thread.He had give me a couple of MB names that he said would overclock very easily with the processor I have. Any help would be much appreciated.RegardsBob