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

I currently run 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) of 2400 MHz DDR-3 G Skill Trident X RAM in the B slots. I just purchased an additional 8 GB of the exact same RAM with same timings. Do I need to change anything in the BIOS before inserting this RAM? Should I add it to the A slots or move my old RAM to the A slots and put this new RAM in the B slots? Anything else I need to do before adding this RAM? What is the best process to add new RAM? Maybe I am overthinking this, but just wanted to make sure I am not missing anything. I just purchased a Noctua CPU cooler so I know I can fill all 4 slots now, just FYI. Thanks!

Hi guys, I want to upgrade my pc's processor and was thinking if I can do it without loosing my Fsx and all in it? I got a Ssd and was told it would not be a problem to change processor. The Ssd should keep the sim. What about Windows? How does that work? I'm a very much doubtful on this. The other question was what is the lowest processor I should not go below? I5 ...so and so? Advice here would be very much appreciated. I have a I3, 8gb ram. My system is very stable but limited. I can run Pmdg for example, without problems but more than say, 2 weather or scenery addons frame rates drop close to 10. Please advise. A…

Hi all, I'm on a budget and trying to decide if I should go for an overclockable Intel processor. Is it worth it? I'm new to Intel processors.

Merry Christmas Hardware Fans! And what nice hardware are we having for Xmas? None for me I'm afraid, spent elsewhere, but I do have 100 quid spare to spend on something, any ideas?

Hi all, For the past year, I've been struggling with AMD and P3D. I just couldn't get them to like each other. I got a GTX 1060 this Christmas, only to see P3D was bottlenecking the FX8350 and 1060. Now, I'm looking at switching to Intel. I have NEVER touched an Intel and heard it's much more difficult than AMD. I'm looking for a good i5/Motherboard combo, one that P3D really likes. Does anyone have a good idea at a $200 combo? What tips are there to having an Intel? Regards, Grant

I use X-Plane mostly, now XP11 (still in public beta). I have been using a Mac (iMac 2014, i7-2700K with 32GB DDR3) and an AMD 4GB imbedded GPU with a 5k Retina display. Before I was a Mac convert (some 3 years ago), I built my own PC's- but got sick of the hardware stuff. Fast forward to the XP11 beta (and I know they have done no performance and CPU-GPU tuning yet of the software). XP11 is slower than XP10 on the Mac, so I thought I would drag out the old PC and try that. It also has an i7-2700K CPU on a P8/P67 motherboard, 16GB of DDR3 RAM. I had overclocked the CPU to 4GHz, and I have water cooling. The GPU is a GTX780 with 3GB VRAM. I have Windows 10 insta…

I have very limited knowledge on CPUs so I am looking for some advice. I've been bootstrapping my PC because I'm not at a point where I want to spend a ton of money if I don't need to for upgrades, But I have realized my motherboard (Asus M3N78-VM) has me limited on what I can do for a CPU upgrade. My motherboard manual reads, "Supports AMD socket AM2+ / AM2 for AMD Phenom FX/Phenom/Athlon/Sempron processors." I've been looking for an AMD processor that is AM2+ compatible and came across the AMD FX-6350/3.9 GHz however it is AM3+ socket. My current CPU is the AMD Phenom 8600B triple-core/2.3 GHz. So first of all, is this a decent CPU where I will see noticeabl…

So today I lost my D drive (P3D), or so I think. I cannot locate it, and unplugged and re plugged it in to no avail. W7, and it is an "older" Patriot Wildfire 480GB ssd. I was wondering the following: 1- Is it dead, or are there "ways" to revive it somehow? 2- If dead, can I retrieve files, and how? 3- If dead, is it ok for me to say s>#@% you electrical circuitry and all the scientific mumbo jumbo describing the innards of an ssd. I am mainly interested in one file, and that is my AI file for UT2. I finally got to finishing all the repaints I could find (after a long 6+ months, or 2 years depending on how you count lol) and was going to (sob sob) sa…

Hi all- I have about $620 to spend to upgrade my PC for BOTH FSX and P3D. As of now I have and i5 4690k overclocked to 4.0ghz with a cooler master hyper 212 Evo. I have 8gb of DDR3-1600mhz RAM, and no GPU. My first priority is to get a GPU (looking at the GTX 1060 6gb) which will cost around $250. I was thinking of upgrading to a i5 6600k, get a new mobo, and DDR4 RAM but I am not sure the CPU upgrade is worth it and if i should just invest more into a graphics card and better cooler. Thanks! -Kyle

Good day everyone, so last night I decide to make a flight from Toronto to Newark using the ifly 737. so I start up fs9 and active sky like I have a thousand times before, siting on the ramp enjoying the views my computer just shuts down, I think nothing of it other than a simple crash, I reboot the computer and this is where things go down hill... upon restarting the computer, the green power light goes on, however nothing comes up on the screen and the red "thinking light" on the tower doesn't flash or anything, keeping in mind the green power light on the tower is on, but nothing is happening. Now with this new problem, sometimes it takes three pushes of the p…

Hello everyone, I wonder if I could get somebody's opinion on something. I was looking at getting the intel i7 6700k cpu to upgrade my desktop which is now extremely old and really struggles running fsx even on low settings. The problem is the i7 6700k is quite expensive and I can't find it bundled with a motherboard and don't really feel like having to attach it myself and having to find the right motherboard. However I managed to find a upgrade kit which includes the intel i7 6700 already on a motherboard which also comes with 8gb of ddr4 ram. I was wondering how well the i7 6700 can run fsx with addon aircraft such as Pmdg and Aerosoft and addon scenery such a…

I would appreciate any help resolving issues with a new custom build dedicated FSX system and problems associated with USB ports. I put in this discussion forum as I think it's cpu and not hardware related. Interesting that I did not have any problems with old system, also a Windows 7 custom buildand using the same GoFlight, etc modules. Here's what's happening: The computer freezes at start up most, but not all (90%?) of the time, when I have the USB hubs plugged in. Unplug them and Windows 7 boots fine every time. If I plug the hubs in after Windows 7 has completed start up, some will install and some will not install correctly. The hubs need to be plugged i…

Tom's Hardware got their hands on a 7700K a couple of days ago and say the power consumption and thermals were disappointing. 82 degrees at 4.78 GHz, and that wasn't a torture test, just games! They may have had a sub standard chip of course, the silicone lottery and all that, but not encouraging for the optimistic among you who were hoping for 5GHz or greater, at reasonable temp. http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/intel-kaby-lake-core-i7-7700k-overclocking-performance-review,4836-2.html

I'm a bit concerned. I have purchased (at relatively great expense) a new PC which I hoped would be the last upgrade I'd need for a while. It has a Z170 motherboard with a 6700K processor overclocked by 12.5% to 4.4GHz, matched with 2 x 8Gb Corsair 3200MHz DDR4 memory sticks. It was supposedly setup and optimised for me by the PC builders who supplied it, but I am being led to believe it might be considerably under-performing. The measures used to judge with were 1. The memory bandwidth, as measured by SiSoft Sandra's benchmark. I got 28 GB/s but have been told I should get about 45 Gb/s. 2. The memory latency, again according to Sandra benchmarking. I got 64…

This year I am upgrading my computer but I am hoping to get another good year or two before I upgrade my CPU/Mobo. Currently I am running an i7 3770k at 4.5 GHz, 8BG DDR3 2400 GHz RAM, GTX 770, Hyper 212 EVO Upgrades I am considering: 1) GTX 1070-already purchased 2) Noctua DH-15S CPU cooler 3) 16 GB DDR3 RAM I am wondering if the RAM upgrade makes sense. I know 32-bit limits me right now but if P3D goes to 64-bit in the next year, I want to be ready. Is the RAM upgrade a worthwhile "investment"? Any other thoughts on this system getting me through another 2 years? Thanks

Ever since I build my current computer, six months ago, I have not been able to properly activate the XMP profile for the RAM, becuase it would give me crackling sound through my speakers when playing games or listening to music etc. Today I found out exactly what setting in the XMP profile that causes the problem, and it turned out to be the DRAM frequency. When loading the auto profile in BIOS, the RAM is set to 2133 MHz, but the XMP profile sets the RAM to 2666 MHz, which is right according to the RAM specifications, but setting the frequency to 2666 MHz results in crackling sound. Any ideas?

I has been more than fives since I built the 2500k PC for FSX/P3D and I'm a bit out of touch with today's hardware market. I'm getting prepared to build a completely new system with coming 7700K for flight sim only. Most hardware parts are easy to pick. The problem is the motherboard: there are so many Z170 motherboards to choose from. Every brand like ASUS, Gigabyte, MSI all has zillions of Z170 variants, unbelievable. Right now I'm looking at GIGABYTE G1 Gaming GA-Z170X-Gaming 7 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128835). Any recommendations based on your experiences will be very much appreciated.

I'm a little stuck on what to get as my new cpu for fsx steam, the 6700k bundle I'm looking at comes with 8GB DDR4 RAM and the cpu is clocked at 4.0ghz for £429 whereas the i7 4790k comes already over OC @4.5ghz and comes with the asus Z97 pro gamer mobo all for £479.99. I have absolutely no idea what one to get so any input would be greatly appreciated.

OK folks, I know this is could be highly subjective, but I'd really value your views anyway. I've been a dedicated, and highly impressed Asus user for many years. It's at least 15 years since I've had an MSI motherboard, and it gave me grief. I believe MSI have now become a major player in the top end range of boards. Basically, I have just one question, broken into two parts... A) Does anyone think I'd be disappointed with a new Z170 board from them? B) If so, in what regard. I'm just trying to shave a few £ off a new build. Many thanks for any feedback

I'm looking at making a few upgrades to my build in the future and one of the upgrades I am considering is my CPU cooler. The debate over air vs liquid cooling has my head spinning. Some think liquid is superior, other's think the difference is negligible. Right now I am running an i7 3770k at 4.5 GHz and I am using the Hyper 212 EVO as my CPU cooler. It has performed well for me but I am trhinking of getting something beefier because I'd like to keep this CPU for another couple years and figure the 212 is probably not the best for the long-term health of my CPU. Maybe I am wrong in thinking this, I don't know. So, my thoughts are: 1) Keep the Hyper 212 EVO…

I'm looking into this system at Costco that seems pretty good: http://www.costco.com/CyberpowerPC-GVi2200CST-Desktop---Intel-Core-i7---8GB-NVIDIA-GeForce-GTX-1070-Graphics---Windows-10-Professional.product.100296685.html Thanks in advance for your thoughts. Cheers, Pete

I currently have a sandy-bridge 2600K with Gtx 570 that is on it's last legs. I am looking to run prepar3d, fsx steam and possibly xplane 11 in the future. ( I will run the sim with asn, rex, orbx fsdt dreamteam airports, pmdg planes and a2a planes.) What do you guys think of these specs: *BASE_PRICE: [+1475] BLKFRISALE1: CyberPowerPC RGB 7 Color Premium Gaming Keyboard [+0] BLUETOOTH: None CABLE: None CAS: In-Win G7 w/ USB 3.0, EZ Swap HDD Dock [-19] (Black Color) CASUPGRADE: None CC: None CD: LG 14X Internal Blu-ray Burner, BD-RE, 3D Playback DVD+RW Combo Drive [+77] (Black Color) CD2: None COOLANT: None CPU: Intel® Core™ Processor i7-6700K 4.00GHZ 8MB Int…

Never thought I'd have this problem. My 120GB SSD is nearly full - it's my Win7 drive but it obviously isn't just Win7 data. Can anyone suggest options to declutter it/dejunk it? For staters I found this neat program...WinDirStat... shows you a lot of info with a neat graphical display of file size in percent of the drive Would it be a poor idea to decrease my pagefile.sys? After upgrading to 16GB ram Windows increased my PF to 16GB.

Happy Saturday! I am trying to narrow down my search for the GTX1070. Any recommendations? There seems to be so many choices. Bob

Currently having the GTX 1060 6GB and I'm wondering if it is worth $200 upgrading to 1070? Will it gives me noticeable performance boost? I only upgrade for FSX:SE Using only 1080p at the moment with i7 6700k 16gb ram. Thank you.