Matt Jensen 1275023 Posted April 21, 2014 at 03:28 AM Posted April 21, 2014 at 03:28 AM Hello all, Firstly this has been my first topic post on the vatsim forums so i apologise if anything is done wrong. I have been thinking about building a new PC for FSX, i would like for this PC to be able to handle running addon scenery like Orbx YMML (Melbourne) , good weather, and detailed payware aircraft such as the PMDG 777, whilst maintaing good performance. I was looking at either an Intel i5 3750k 3.5ghz CPU or a Intel i7 CPU, 8GB of ram, nvidia Geforce GTX670 1GB. I am not really sure whether this is all you need to run a computer with these hardware components or if there is additional things to add to complete it. I would really appreciate it if someone could give me some advice to achieve building this computer. Thanks - Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darrol Larrok 1140797 Posted April 21, 2014 at 04:45 AM Posted April 21, 2014 at 04:45 AM I'd for an overclockable i7, something rated for at least 3.5, and you can probably OC to 4.5 with no issues. The 670 is good, but 2GB would better on it. 8GB ram is good. You do also need a case, a power supply, a motherboard, a hard drive, optical drive. What's your budget? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Jensen 1275023 Posted April 21, 2014 at 06:51 AM Author Posted April 21, 2014 at 06:51 AM I'd for an overclockable i7, something rated for at least 3.5, and you can probably OC to 4.5 with no issues. The 670 is good, but 2GB would better on it. 8GB ram is good. You do also need a case, a power supply, a motherboard, a hard drive, optical drive. What's your budget? Hello Darrol, Thank-you for the fast reply, i was originally thinking of an Intel i5 3750k 3.5ghz CPU as i mentioned in the last message,would it be better to use an Intel i7 CPU and would i have to change some of the other things that i was thinking of also including in the computer? Also i am looking to be spending about 1,000 to 1,200 dollars on this computer. By the way i dont really have the best knowledge on computers, but i have some knowledge Thank-you Regards Matt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darrol Larrok 1140797 Posted April 21, 2014 at 02:49 PM Posted April 21, 2014 at 02:49 PM An i7-4770K would be a good idea, as would a 2gb GTX 770. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad Littlejohn Posted April 21, 2014 at 05:41 PM Posted April 21, 2014 at 05:41 PM Darrol gave you some really good ideas here. So now comes the big question: How far out do you want to future proof this new rig? I ask that because up until my last (and I really mean last!) build, I was doing an upgrade in one part or another, at least every 2 years. Great for the computer geek, hectic for the wallet, especially when you have a wife and family to feed! It was doubly so for me, since I had both a Windows and Linux box that I kept primarily the same, so I could swap parts around if memory, CPU (AMD at that), or disk failed. But since I migrated all my personal data to a Mac and a personal cloud/NAS, all I have left is my Macbook Air, and my FS PC. So my last (and I mean last) build is primarily this: Bitfenix Prodigy White Mini ITX case Gigabyte GA-Z77N-WIFI Mini-ITX motherboard OCZ Vertex 4 256GB 2.5" SSD Western Digital 3.5" 5400RPM 3TB drive (from my previous FS build) AMD RadeonHD 6950 2GB PCIe Video card (also from previous FS build) Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3/1600 Memory Antec TruPower Blue 750W PSU (from previous FS Build) Intel Core i5 3570K CPU Similar to this here: http://gizmodo.com/5955172/how-to-build-a-small-gaming-pc But I went with a Gigabyte board, in case I really got a stick up my craw and wanted to try a more powerful Hackintosh. Doesn't help that the case looks like the previous generation Mac Pro, either. With all of this, that would leave me room to upgrade the disk, CPU, GPU, and memory if I wanted to, but those are still running strong and fast, despite that I slightly underclocked the CPU and unlocked the 2nd core on the 6950, which is also underclocked. All of this, ran me roughly $600, and that was with the parts from my previous build (CPU was $210, case was $90, motherboard was $110, SSD was $120, memory was $80; all USD). The case can hold up to 9 drives (yes, 9 in a Mini-ITX case), the motherboard can take 16GB memory, and a Core-i7 CPU, so there is plenty of room for growth. So the question easily becomes: how big do you want to go (in terms of size of the internals as well as the case), and how long do you want it to last? because with as open as your budget is, there is a lot of room for you to work with. BL. Brad Littlejohn ZLA Senior Controller Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darrol Larrok 1140797 Posted April 21, 2014 at 06:09 PM Posted April 21, 2014 at 06:09 PM Brad, how does FSX work with an i5 and a Radeon? Does it run add-ons alright? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke Kolin Posted April 21, 2014 at 06:44 PM Posted April 21, 2014 at 06:44 PM Brad, how does FSX work with an i5 and a Radeon? Does it run add-ons alright? FSX runs great with an i5 2500K - which although overclocked to 4.5Ghz is probably slower than a Haswell or Ivy Bridge at 4Ghz. I'm also not sure what the virtual cores of the i7 give you, especially since they limit the overclock. Cheers! Luke ... I spawn hundreds of children a day. They are daemons because they are easier to kill. The first four remain stubbornly alive despite my (and their) best efforts. ... Normal in my household makes you a member of a visible minority. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darrol Larrok 1140797 Posted April 21, 2014 at 07:30 PM Posted April 21, 2014 at 07:30 PM I've got the virtual cores disabled on mine, actually. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad Littlejohn Posted April 21, 2014 at 10:26 PM Posted April 21, 2014 at 10:26 PM Brad, how does FSX work with an i5 and a Radeon? Does it run add-ons alright? It works great for me, and that is with all of the cores active. I have a fair amount of add-ons loaded; primarily from FSDT (LAS, LAX, CYVR), along with aircraft from Tenkuu, SkySpirit, Project Airbus, and Wilco/Feelthere's E-Jets series. I'm getting a good 70 - 90FPS on most of the scenery, heavy traffic included; that surprised me since the oldest hardware I have in this is the 3TB drive and the video card; both are at least 2 years old, while this entire build was made last year. I think the key for me was the untapped cores in the CPU (FS9 doesn't support it), and being able to unlock the 2nd core on the Radeon (it can only be done on that model, which made that card so hard to find). That actually allowed for faster performance despite underclocking. As this is working fine, though I may put FS9 back on there (for grits and shiggles), I don't see myself touching this machine let alone updating any parts in it any time soon. BL. Brad Littlejohn ZLA Senior Controller Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Jensen 1275023 Posted April 22, 2014 at 07:05 AM Author Posted April 22, 2014 at 07:05 AM An i7-4770K would be a good idea, as would a 2gb GTX 770. Ok thanks for the help Darrol, ill definantly consider the i7-4770k and a 2GB GTX 770. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Jensen 1275023 Posted April 22, 2014 at 08:00 AM Author Posted April 22, 2014 at 08:00 AM Darrol gave you some really good ideas here. So now comes the big question: How far out do you want to future proof this new rig? I ask that because up until my last (and I really mean last!) build, I was doing an upgrade in one part or another, at least every 2 years. Great for the computer geek, hectic for the wallet, especially when you have a wife and family to feed! It was doubly so for me, since I had both a Windows and Linux box that I kept primarily the same, so I could swap parts around if memory, CPU (AMD at that), or disk failed. But since I migrated all my personal data to a Mac and a personal cloud/NAS, all I have left is my Macbook Air, and my FS PC. So my last (and I mean last) build is primarily this: Bitfenix Prodigy White Mini ITX case Gigabyte GA-Z77N-WIFI Mini-ITX motherboard OCZ Vertex 4 256GB 2.5" SSD Western Digital 3.5" 5400RPM 3TB drive (from my previous FS build) AMD RadeonHD 6950 2GB PCIe Video card (also from previous FS build) Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3/1600 Memory Antec TruPower Blue 750W PSU (from previous FS Build) Intel Core i5 3570K CPU Similar to this here: http://gizmodo.com/5955172/how-to-build-a-small-gaming-pc But I went with a Gigabyte board, in case I really got a stick up my craw and wanted to try a more powerful Hackintosh. Doesn't help that the case looks like the previous generation Mac Pro, either. With all of this, that would leave me room to upgrade the disk, CPU, GPU, and memory if I wanted to, but those are still running strong and fast, despite that I slightly underclocked the CPU and unlocked the 2nd core on the 6950, which is also underclocked. All of this, ran me roughly $600, and that was with the parts from my previous build (CPU was $210, case was $90, motherboard was $110, SSD was $120, memory was $80; all USD). The case can hold up to 9 drives (yes, 9 in a Mini-ITX case), the motherboard can take 16GB memory, and a Core-i7 CPU, so there is plenty of room for growth. So the question easily becomes: how big do you want to go (in terms of size of the internals as well as the case), and how long do you want it to last? because with as open as your budget is, there is a lot of room for you to work with. BL. Hello Brad, Thank you for the information and the website you linked me it looks very helpful So yeah i have not really had much thought on how much i want to future rig the computer, but to be honest, if your talking about how long do i want it to last, i would say about 4 years minimum but i would just like for it to be able to run addons like REX, addon airport scenery as well as payware aircraft with still being able to run at about 30FPS or more. On this computer i am looking to spend about 1,000 to 1,200 dollars maximum (Australian dollars) . As far as internals go, i was thinking of either: 1. Intel i5 3750k 3.4ghz CPU 8GB Ram nividia Geforce GTX670 2GB Seagate Baracuda 500GB (ST500DM002 Hard Drive An Optical Drive This says it apparently comes with the case, a 650W Power Supply with a 120mm fan, includes screws and a USB2.0 port(s). It says something about a motherboard down the bottom. Does this case come with everything else i really need? http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/650W-POWER-SUPPLY-ATX-PC-DESKTOP-COMPUTER-GAMING-CASE-INTEL-LED-MONITOR-SCREEN-/170986253475?pt=AU_Components&hash=item27cf932ca3&_uhb=1 2. Intel i7 4770k CPU nvidia Geforce GTX770 2GB 8GB ram Seagate Baracuda 500GB (ST500DM002 Hard Drive An optical drive And the case with that other stuff in it that the link above shows you. I am thinking of the first option that has the Intel i5 3750k since i have seen how a computer performs with those internal components and as well as addons on FSX, and it can still have pretty good performance. I would also imagine that it would probably cost less than the second option. But the thing i am wondering is: Will it cost much more to go for the second option that has the Intel i7 4770k CPU and a bit better Graphics card, will the performance be much better than the first option, and will it last longer? Also i was going to be using a Windows 7 64bit operating system. Thank you for all the help so far! -Matt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Jensen 1275023 Posted April 27, 2014 at 06:33 AM Author Posted April 27, 2014 at 06:33 AM Hey guys I have done some research and i have found a computer that adds up to just over $1000 AUD. It has a: Intel Core i5-4670K CPU Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO CPU Cooler MSI Z87-G43 Motherboard EVGA GTX 770 Graphics Card 8GB Corsair Vengeance DDR3 RAM 120GB Samsung 840 EVO SSD 1TB Western Digital Caviar Black Hard Drive 600W Corsair CX600 PSU Corsair 200R Case Would this run FSX with addon aircraft, scenery and things like REX weather systems while maintaining decent performance? (30FPS or above). If anyone could help me with this that would be great Thanks, Regards - Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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