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

On the AMD stock cooling fan (I have an Athlon 64 4800 *2), should the fan blow air down over the heatsink, or extract hot air from the heatsink and blow upwards? I have a Centurion 5 case which has a side duct that is above the CPU fan, and I'm considering placing a fan there to help cooling. The air through the duct appears to be flowing out of the case, which would imply that the CPU fan is blowing hot air upwards and away from the CPU, and so an extraction fan would be the type to fit. But reading about CPU cooling, it appears that the CPU fan air actually flows the other way.Thanks, Bruce.

I have a 4800+ X2 AMD64 cpu, with 2GB Corsair memory, A8N32-SLI delux mainboard, 600W PSU and an nVidia 7950GT video card. The speed of the machine is OK, I'm getting about 30+ fps in FSX.Today I tried tweaking the fsx.cfg, and among other things added the "TEXTURE_BANDWIDTH_MULT" tweak (set to 40). I loaded up a saved level-d saved file, and noted first that I go a BSOD, with words someting like "machine halt". I re-booted, tried again, and while Im didn't get the BSOD again, I noted that the sim would freeze after several seconds, with the mouse and keyboard totally inoperative. Reboot required all of the several times I retried this.I have now restored a fsx.cfg fi…

Hello All,I really don't know where else to turn with this, so I'm hoping that someone can offer some advice. Here's the deal: I just put together a new system last night with the following specs:intel Core 2 Duo 2.66750w PSUASUS Striker Extreme 680i 775 mobo2 gig ram (Corsair TWIN2X)nVidia 8800 GTX 756 mb video (EVGA)500 Gb Western Digital HD75 Gb Western Digital HD "Raptor" (runs at 10,000 rpm)Sony DVD-Rom driveSony DVD burnerWindows Vista Home PremiumAfter I hooked everything up, I had some initial boot problems (mainly, the screen just froze on the initial "boot" screen, and I had to push the reset button to get it to try again). I was able to get into the BIOS set…

Okay, here is the situation. i want to use Vista for graphics design and to take advantage of some of it's features for upcoming GD programs. HOWEVER I cannot run FS in Vista due to half the addons not yet having installer fixes for Vista. Thus I'd like to use both OS's. Is this not possible?Windows XP is installed on partition D:Vista is installed on partition L:After installing Vista I went to reboot my computer and got slammed with:BOOTMGR IS COMPRESSEDPress CTRL+ALT+DEL to restartThis message was in a vicious circle, so I did the following to repair it:Booted with Windows XP PRO CDChose REPAIRIn windows XP directory used the FIXBOOT and FIXMBR commands.Typed EXITT…

Can someone help me out here on how to set this up.When I try to map it it tells me to assign XYZRUV axis from left to right but in the FS there are no axis witrh RUV. I am having a bit if a headache with the pedals,yoke and quadrant all working correctly.If osmeon knows of a tutorial that would be great.Andy

Hi all, in a never ending quest to increase FSX performance I was wondering if anyone has upgraded from a Core 2 Duo to a Quad Duo with similar clock speeds and noticed any difference with FSX performance. I was considering this upgrade however at the moment I am running an E6700 at 3.32 Ghz and was concerned that I may not be able to achieve the same OC with a Quad chip and actually lose performance.Terry

I recently added a pair of new video cards giving me the ability to power four monitors. The monitors are of varying resolution capabilities, from (1280 x 1024) to (1600 to 1200) to (1680 x 1050). When I try to fly full screen mode my video cards crash to 640 x 480, that's having the resolution set at maximum in the hardware setup within Flight Simulator 2004. So I thought I'd drop the setting inside of Flight Simulator to 1280 x 1024, still crashed. I have no problems flying in regular or non-full screen mode. The literature in the help center on using full screen are very vague, other than it provides the best quality for your hardware acceleration. I'd like it if someo…

Gentlemen,I am on XP with FSX SP1 and I am being buggered by a really annoying issue. I can not turn vsync on when in windowed mode. It works flawless in fullscreen, but when in windowed mode I get a lot of tearing.I am currently using the newest official non-beta driver from NVidia (94.24) on my 7900 GS, but have also tried a zillion different beta drivers. I've also tried adding the newly introduced lines to the CFG file (ForceFullScreenVSync=True, ForceVSync=True in the DISPLAY section), but alas.... nothing happens. I have also tried to force vsync in the driver using NHancer, but to no effect.So would any of you have an idea of what I can try next?Thanks in advance, …

the new system is running EXCELLENTIt could use a better GFX card, and maybe a petra waterblock, besides that, phew! thing is flying! I'm pushing it pretty hard though lolSpecs are (I don't use that speed, its just what the computer is capable of)[email protected] cooled with TT bigwater 7358500GT 256mb1gb hyperx (2x512) kingston memaerocool zerodba 620W PSUand the cheapest case to hold it together, and I have no sidepanel :DI'm getting 30fps (and sometimes dipping to low 20s in real busy areas) on 1650X1080 with everything full expect cloud/draw distance (on 100km, and cloud complexity is med)pretty good i'd say

I recently began an update process of my system with the installation of a 6 quad m/board and a dual core processor. The next step will be graphic cards. Currently I run two nVidia 7900 gts in non-Sli mode. As a first step I was proposing to replace one of these cards with an 8800 and assess results. I assumed that the 8800 and the 7900 would co-exist with their individual drivers.After reading some of the posts on this forum, I'm not so sure. Could I just ask is my initial premise correct, ie will the 8800 run in conjunction with a 7900 on my XP system with a Kilo of power?Bud

Hello, I am seeking some advice from the good folks on this forum.Current hardware config:Core 2 Duo E66002 Gb Ram7900GT Vid card250 Gb WD SATAII 16Mb HD (XP and the rest s'ware)74 Gb Raptor SATA (dedicated to FS9)I am very happy with this config and FS9As an interim step before going Vista, new vid card, DX10 etc., I would like to bring in FSX and run concurrently on the above system.It is my intention to run another HD dedicated to FSX, possibly another 250 Gb SATAII (because I have one!)OK my questions are:-1. Would I have any conflicts between either FS with this setup?2. Is there a better way? Yep, I could partition the Raptor but would prefer to leave it just …

Hi allI realise this is a hardware-oriented post but am hoping the mods will leave it here (rather than move it to the hardware section) to ensure that as many people as are interested get a chance to read.Intel's new Core 2 Duos are due out in the next month or so and will run with a 1333mhz FSB. X-Bit Labs have a performance preview at the following link:http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/print...2duo-e6850.htmlThey don't benchmark FSX but they do test a bunch of 3d games (along with synthetics and productivity apps) so you can get an idea of the sort of performance differences you might expect. The results are disappointing - about a 3% improvement on the current 1…

I normally use 2x Sata Samsung 300Gb in Raid 0 and have planned to put in also a WD 2000 7200 IDE HD with 2 partitions.I want to give the WD dedicated to FSX with his own XP so I don't risk driver conflict/issues in my normal working system.Question:What is the best option, Install FSX on the second partition of the WD or install FSX on the SATA Raid 0 and driven by the WD IDE.I ask this because I have read some negative performance issues with Raid 0 because of the 128 Kb mode.Any advice will be welcome...Cheers

I've been using the Saitek x52 (I think) with the mouse wheel for trim.It's really improved my FS experience. After using your Realtrim (which I really enjoyed) I was wondering was:Have you thought about a module that by, say, holding down ctrl key you can then use your mouse wheel for trim up/trim down?Thanks for the thought.

Just wanted to report I tried the beta drivers for all NVidia 6/7/8 cards on 32Bit XP, and got a very nice boost in FPS with all settings the same. The drivers are on guru3d and for once supports all cards. I saw today that 160.04 are now available for d/l as well - didn't try these.http://downloads.guru3d.com/download.php?det=1633As always with beta driver, use with caution.Etienne

I notice that NewEgg.com has a bunch of memory on sale. Currently I have 2gb (800MHz) with WinXP Pro SP2. If I add another 2gb, will FSX make good use of it? I remember when FSX first came out there was a series of long threads about tricking WinXP into using more memory, but the consensus seemed to be that it wasn't stable.

I am running an AMD 2ghz (real speed) 2600. My memory is PC3200 400mhz. If I were to go to a dual core 6320 Intel cpu (1.8ghz) would I see $160 worth of improvement (CPU cost only)? This is based on FSX using only one core after it has loaded and is running. It ignores (for now) dual core code changes upcoming for DX10/Vista. Or, given my memory speed would I be better off using an older 2 core Pentium such as the Pentium 4 D 935 at 3.2 ghz. It is 65nm technology so it should be ok on heat. Also it uses the 775 socket which allows a later upgrade to the latest dual core cpu's.The new motherboard would be the ASrock VSTA 775 which has both AGP (current video is ATI 9800SE …

eVGA 680i mobo (NF63-TR)Kingston 2x512mb PC6400 DDRII ram (SLI)Core 2 Duo 4400 (I could have waited for july 22nd, but then I could have waited for october 08 :()The rest, i will try to use whatever I can from my old compgeforce 6700GT 256mb (I will upgrade this to a 8800GTX 630mb as soon as I can afford another 400 bux lol)WD 16mb 250gb SATA HDThermaltake WatercoolingAnteq Basiq 500W PSU (I will upgrade this to a monster PSU when I can afford it as well :()should run pretty well, especially for FS9, and even FSX... Also other games should run nicely too (especially when the new GPU is in there)

Anyone having trouble getting AA or AF to work in either FS9 or FSX with late-version nVidia drivers should see Ryan Maziarz' post here:http://forums.nvidia.com/index.php?showtopic=38921Tested here and works very well with 8800GTX and 158.19 drivers. Thanks to Ryan for a good one.RegardsBob ScottATP IMEL Gulfstream II-III-IV-VSantiago de Chile

Hi,These may be obvious to those in the know... Dr. Google didn't manage to help too much so I thought I'd ask here:(1) I have two hard drives, one for XP, work related software etc and one for FS + addons. They are not in any type of RAID array. I have the pagefile set to 4Gb but on which drive should I keep it for best FS performance? What about overall (non FS) performance? I can find approximately equal numbers of articles in support of each option!(2) I have a Gainward 7900GS AGP 512Mb graphics card and it is running at 530/1500MHz without problems. I have monitored it's temperature and never seen it go above 60-65degrees. However, I have just noticed that the event …

OriginallyWestinghouse 37" computer left input DVI monitor 1 LEFTDell 27" " right VGA " 2 RIGHTI switched Dell cable from VGA to DVINowWestinghouse monitor 2 RIGHTDell monitor 1 LEFTI had to switch inputsWestinghouse 37" computer RIGHT input DVI monitor 1 LEFTDell 27" " LEFT DVI " 2 RIGHTI realize I could have exchanged the monitors under the settings display...........Any explanation ? This is the first time that my inputs are in reverse of the display.Thanks.Abe

Hi EveryoneI have been simming for about 2 years using the ch flighterstick joystick.Over the years I noticed on various forums that the ch yoke and pro padels are a must for creating the wow factor for realism.Recently I gave into my curiosity and bought the pro padel.I must say I do not understand what the fuss was all about!!!!My trusted joystick is more than a challenge for the padels.My turns have not become more realistic,line up to the runway is probably worse etc etc.Am I doing something wrong?Could some one please advise whats the best way of using the padels during turning maneuver's,while lining up for landing etc.Also in real life how do planes turn corners-do…

HiI am planning to change my PC. The question is:SHOULD I UPGRADE to Vista 64bits to use FSX?What are the performance improvements expected?Is Vista 32bits worthwhile?Thank you very muchGhiom Viguie

Hi guys,I want to buy a new cpu,a Core

I'm getting a new system real soon, as indicated in another thread. While I've generally settled on the config (E6600, 2 GB RAM, etc.), I'm still undecided on the GPU, with the two contenders being the X1950XT and 7950GT (both at 512MB); note that I plan on using FS9 for the foreseeable future. If users of these cards could report on their experience (performance, image quality) and speculate on what I can expect in FS with these cards, that would be great!Thanks in advance!Nicolas in CYOW