Advice on upgrade from techy types please

[timholyoake]

OK. I am going to start spreading loads of numbers all over this page, Now some people are going to be fooled into thinking that I know what I am talking about. But they would be SOOOOO wrong!

My present system is a little belter when it comes to FS9. BUT FSX is another story. I want to be able to visit heathrow or anyother large airport. Therefore it is upgrade time (YES AGAIN).


My 450w Power pack is happily running this:-
Operating System: Windows Vista™ Ultimate (6.0, Build 6001) Service Pack 1 (6001.vistasp1_gdr.080917-1612)
Language: English (Regional Setting: English)
System Manufacturer: MSI (K9N Neo V3)
System Model: MS-7369
BIOS: Default System BIOS
Processor: AMD Athlon(tm) 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 6000+ (2 CPUs), ~3.0GHz
Memory: 8190MB RAM (Kingston HyperX 4X2GB DDR2 PC2-6400 (800 MHz)
Page File: 1393MB used, 15041MB available
Windows Dir: C:\Windows
DirectX Version: DirectX 10
DX Setup Parameters: Not found
DxDiag Version: 6.00.6001.18000 64bit Unicode

Graphics Card: Ge Force 9800GTX+



I have just ordered an AMD Phenom II 940 quad core, an MSI K9N2 SLI Platinum Nvidia 750a Board upon which to place it, and another Nvidia 9800 GTX+ graphics card to run alongside the first one. (Effectively I am putting another machine like the one I already have inside the case with it....)

Will I need to upgrade my 450W power pack to run all this, or will the one I have be powerful enough to do the job?

Yet again your opinions would be invaluable, Many thanks Tim H.

[Rick Piper]

Hi Tim

Only about 3 gb of memory will be used in Vista 32 bit. (buy Vista 64 bit)

Also you will need at least a 700 or 800 W power supply for that system.

otherwise looks fine mate.

Regards
Rick

[Quixoticish]

To expand on what Rick is saying, it also depends greatly on the brand of the PSU than on the wattage; don't be suckered in to thinking that one 700W is the same as another. You generally get what you pay for and a cheap 800W will provide nowhere near as much stable, clean power as a brand name 550W for example, so be sure you shop around a read a lot of reviews. Buying cheap PSU's is a false economy and usually only ends in disaster when it goes bang and takes half of your system with it.

From both personal experience, some very quick sums and also checking a few calculators on the internet a decent brand name PSU will get you running along just fine at 500, so just to be safe I'd go up to 600W. That's assuming a pair of SATA hard drives, 4 sticks of RAM, 4 USB devices, a single optical drive and floppy, a few PCI slots in use and a few big case fans.

Also remember when looking at a PSU that the amperage available on the 12V rails can be just as important for system stability as the total wattage so before you really do check the specifications before you buy.

[Chris Sykes]

Ill second what Chris is saying, try using http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp to see what you will need then add a little bit more ontop and go for a good brand name.

Myself im on a coolermaster 1000w, but ive got 3x Veloci Raptors, 2x 8800 GTS 640mb...

[Nigel H-J]

OMG!! :o Don't want to hijack this topic and appologise for posting this question.....but out of interest....what are the minimum requirements you can get away with for the dark side of simming (FSX) that gives a reasonable performance and sufficient amount of Scenery Complexity and Autogen Density?

Briefly:
Pentium 4 3Gz prossessor
2 Gb Ram
Geeforce 7800 GS


Many thanks
Nigel.

[DaveB]

I've moved the thread down here as it's more appropriate ;-)

ATB

DaveB :tab:

[Rick Piper]

Hi Nigel

Windows Vista 64 bit
800w + Quality PSU
4 gb ram
Intel Quad Core cpu (Q6600 or higher)
Geforce 8800GTX or GTS (fastest FPS for FSX with this card)
others are faster but not for FSX FPS! (ie: optimal video card for FSX)

then you can run with all sliders maxed and frames locked at 20 fps

mine is as smooth as silk at this spec. (I have Vista 32 bit and 4 GB of ram but it only uses about 3gb of the memory)

Regards
Rick

[Chris Sykes]

Just like to add my specs on here... My system will run FSX smoothly and at a steady 25-35, not at high settings but high enough to look good.

Windows Vista Ultimate 64bit
8GB 1066hrz PC2-8500 RAM
E8500 3.16hrz
2x Veloci Raptor and 1x Raptor 10,000RPM
2x 8800GTS 640mb

[Nigel H-J]

Oh dear!! Any remote thought of the dark side is no more!! :roll:

That would mean a complete upgrade and OS....unfortunately there has to come a time when spending hundreds of pounds to run a new flight sim cannot be deemed appropriate or cost effective.....I have put a complete stop to upgrades on my computer as there are more important issues to consider especially in this present financial climate.

Have to say I am very happy with FS9 but not going to open a can of worms....Many thanks for the information.

Regards
Nigel.

[timholyoake]

thanks for the advice guys. Especially the psu calculator