Running Flight Simulator X

[delsutton]

Hello all.

I'm really struggling with trying to pin down the best rig to run Microsoft Flight Simulator X and trying to save money at the same time!

I've read many posts on FSX forums that say that CPU is the most important thing, so I thought that the latest i7 would be perfect. However, I've been told by someone at MESH that i7 is only suitable for multithreaded software and that doesn't apply to FSX. They've recommended an Intel Core™ 2 Quad Q8200 Quad Core Processor(2.33GHz,4MB Cache,1333MHz with a 1GB NVIDIA GeForce with CUDA 9600GT Graphics Plus - PhysX enabled, Dual DVI, HDTV, TV Out, which works out a lot cheaper!!

Having re-posted this advice back on an FSX forum the general conclusion was that this advice was bad and that the 8200 wouldn't really be that great. So, now I'm really confused!!

Does anyone run FSX on a MESH? If so, what specs do you have and how well does it perform?

Many thanks
Delsutton

[zippy]

Originally Posted by delsutton

Hello all.

I'm really struggling with trying to pin down the best rig to run Microsoft Flight Simulator X and trying to save money at the same time!

I've read many posts on FSX forums that say that CPU is the most important thing, so I thought that the latest i7 would be perfect. However, I've been told by someone at MESH that i7 is only suitable for multithreaded software and that doesn't apply to FSX. They've recommended an Intel Core™ 2 Quad Q8200 Quad Core Processor(2.33GHz,4MB Cache,1333MHz with a 1GB NVIDIA GeForce with CUDA 9600GT Graphics Plus - PhysX enabled, Dual DVI, HDTV, TV Out, which works out a lot cheaper!!

Having re-posted this advice back on an FSX forum the general conclusion was that this advice was bad and that the 8200 wouldn't really be that great. So, now I'm really confused!!

Does anyone run FSX on a MESH? If so, what specs do you have and how well does it perform?

Many thanks
Delsutton

I'm a bit of a sim nut myself with a similarish kinda spec ( quad 2.4, 500mb Nvdia 9600gt), and with that spec you'd have no problems running the default FSX at very high - maximum settings . The only problems i've had is when adding certain 3rd party aircraft / scenery and then i've noticed fps reduce drastically and sometimes crash the programme if they all are used at the same time.


So depending on how you use your FSX , if your happy with mostly the stock airports and aircraft with a few non demanding fps add on's then you should be fine on maximum( ish) settings with that spec , but if your going to be using intensive fps add on's on very high to maximum settings , then i'd at least consider an improved graphics card .. perhaps an Nvidea 750mb- 1gb 9800 GTX variety or better and a slightly bigger quad core processor if your budget can stretch . Bad news is though , even that may not be enough depending on your set up. FSX with add on's can take alot out of even an up to date above average spec computer.

P.S. agree with the sentiments regarding the I7 over quad core in this case.

[Kurby]

I recently got this:

AMD Phenom™ II X4 945 Quad Core Processor AM3 (3.00GHz, 8MB Cache)
Genuine Windows Vista™ Home Premium with Service Pack 1, 64-bit - English
Midi-Tower ATX Chassis + 550W PSU + CardReader - Silver
ASUS M4A78 Pro Hybrid CrossFireX Mainboard, AM2+/AM3 Phenom II- ATX
4GB 800MHz Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM - (2x 2GB)
1TB Serial ATA 2 Hard Drive with 32MB Buffer
Samsung 22x Dual Layer DVD Writer Super Format +R/-R/RW/RAM
512MB Onboard ATI Radeon HD 3200 GPU - Hybrid CrossFireX Technology
512MB ATI Radeon HD4550 (Direct X10.1, PCI Express 2.0)
52-in-1 Multi-format Memory Card Reader (ATX)
7.1 High Definition onboard sound card - for 8 Channel Cinema sound
Logitech Cordless Keyboard & Cordless Optical Mouse [upg £ 20.00]
Free Microsoft® Works® 8.5 + Limited Microsoft Office Trial
Free Cyberlink Video Editing Suite - 7 titles (oem)
BullGuard Internet Security 8.5 - 90 Day Trial - AntiVirus/Firewall/Backup/Spamfilter
12 USB 2.0 ports (8 ports at mid-board, 4 ports at back panel) - ASUS M4A78 Pro
PCIe Gigabit LAN controller featuring AI NET 2 - ASUS M4A78 Pro
1 Year Hardware Warranty - Return to Base Parts and Labour

I can run flight simulator X on it without any problems