744X: hardware chaos (Quad or Duo, or even ATI?)

[Guest Foizman]

Hi Captains,tried to get all information for my upcomming PC: which components are the best today. Searched PMDG Ops, this forum and so on.Then I found this one:http://www.theinquirer.net/en/inquirer/new...rdware-reviewedRealy interesting. No repeating of the usual FSX-phrases. It's very interesting! I recommend to read it.Anyway, at the end it says:'It's quite funny to watch my CPU load on G15 keyboard. During the most intensive scenes, the frame rate slows to a crawl and the CPU is loaded only 25%, so one core is dying because of the burden, while the three others have got their feet up. This game means a 3GHz Athlon is better than a 2.8GHz FX-62. Having Conroe or Kentsfield is a minus, since the game admits only a single core clock'Do you agree? That's quiet shocking...What do you recommend for a High-End sytem?Should I wait a few months (is there ultimate hardware in pipeline)?Regards,Volker

[Kosta 122]

Just read the article, very interesting indeed. The simple problem with the hardware and FSX is the non-optimization, as stated in the article.When FS9 came out, I remember myself trying to use higher settings with that nice water effect, more mesh etc... Brought my 1,5GHZ and 9700 Radeon to crawling, not to mention the RAM, or rather, the lack of it.Back then, it was a mid-high system.And further problem in the whole story, onto SUCH system, you then load PMDG. It was terrible.Now, the same is with the FSX, just a bit more advanced: just bit more crawling :)On your place, I would just buy what I can afford, see how FSX responds, and if it's not, use FS9. In other words, do you want to tweak tweak tweak, or do you want to fly?Oh and btw: there is no "ultimate hardware". The ultimate hardware is always the fastest card and the fastest CPU, until the new one comes out, which is oh just about every 2-3 months.

[pilotpm 0]

Hello ,now this seems as a "never ending discussion"about that but let me tell you a story..........The last 4-5 years i used a Athlon 2,8 gigfor my FS9 ( Was pretty fine for that IMO )Than FSX came out and.... no chance to use FSX with that kind off CPU.So i`d made my new rig my own , means ordered my wanted hardware parts ( in short: Asus P5D ,Intel 6600 Quad Core , Nvidia 8800GTX 620 Watt PS ,4x1 gig off Ram ,2x400 gig Harddrives ect.)And i am realy lucky with that: I am not on FS9 anymore over a year now because FSX is future ( it looks mutch better IMO and love all the newly gimmicks over FS9 )All works great for me using FSX in Winxp 32 and Vista 32.I know the 4x1 gig Ram are not adressed in 32 bit systemsbut i am using now the dual channel mode and 3 gig ramreather than 2 gig ram.I can feel the little performnce boost in Vista /FSX because i had 2 gig ram before used in non dual channel mode .So to say it in short words: IMO the best choice at the momentis a Intel Quad or Dual Plattform with a 8800 Nvidia Grapic Card( i can not speak for a AMD Core anymore because i never testedthe newer AMD Generation off CPU`s with Vista /FSX )You can see this trend allmost in all forums for hardwareDisscusions and that mutch people can`t be wrong.........or !???And IMO i think you can use this hardware config for the next coming years and therfore you lucky with FSX.OK thats my story for that....regardsMario G

[Guest Foizman]

Hi Mario,did you read this article? Can you affirm his review?http://www.theinquirer.net/en/inquirer/new...rdware-reviewedI think you are the right one to ask cause I didn't find anything about it:"How loud is your Quad-8800 System?"3 years ago, I bougt a P4. Used it for just 1-2 weeks. It was terribly loud. I was lucky to change it by an AMD64-System. Same speed, no noise. Absolutely NO NOISE!That's why I'm asking. How do the Intels behave today?Regards,Volker

[pilotpm 0]

Hi ,you better not go to mutch for such articles/reviews.Test your own is the best way.......( i know this is mostly the problem )This is difficult to answer because every individualhas is own point off view.Loud.....this is part off your choice on how many PC Fansyou want to use.No noise....i wouldnt say no; but is the noisest system i ever hadand i had a lot off them over the last 20 years !!For sure you can bring this Rig to his knees with setting all to maxwithin FSX ( but that isn`t needed ) but just to say i love my Rig best ever had ,stable and no problems at all.I went over to Intel with this Rig last year.My other ones , allmost all off them`s are AMD stoff.Still have an old Intel 800 er with SCSI stoff in it.And after that i think i never switch back to a AMD.Hope this helps....regardsGr

[Guest clear to land]

hi,Spent the last 10 months or so upgrading my machine for the ultimate flight sim. Trial and error as this was uncharted ground !!.Using VISTA ULTIMATE 64 BIT (Supports the extra memory ) 3 motherboards later (long story !! ) 1 Intel e6600 processor. 3 nvidia graphic cards !! 6700gt to 7900gtx to 8800gts and 4 gig of 5300 memory eventually !!. 800watt power supply and various bits and pieces for cooling ! and the machine runs sweet .It aint the most powerful machine one can build and upgrades will be inevitable in months ahead, BUT IT DOES DO WHAT IT SAYS ON THE TIN !!.. and lets face it we were warned by PMDG that demand for good hardware would be inevatable to run 747-400 smoothly. WELL MINE DOES ALONG WITH SCENERY ADDONS ECT ECT .It aint the bottom line to run 747 but say a little higher than normal and good entry level guide.NEVILLE (EGNT NEWCASTLE INT )ps... hope this was of guidence and help. VISTA 64 BIT, INTEL E6600,NVIDIA 8800GTS, 4 GIG 5300 RAM,GIGABYTE MBOARD,ZALMAN CPU COOLING FAN.COOLMASTER CASE.800WATT POWER SUPPLY.

[Tabs 2,790]

Guys,You need to look at the date on this review - Dec 2006. That is before ACES added the multicore code to FSX in SP1. It does not apply anymore.An Intel Core 2 Quad system with a P35 or X38 motherboard, 4GB of RAM and an Nvidia 8800GT or above is the best system you can get for FSX within reason. Any more and you're spending a ton of additional money for very little extra performance. I just upgraded to such a system myself and I'm quite pleased with the performace coming from my 2 year old AMD system. It's still not to the level that other non-FS games are at, but it's very flyable now and I will consider using FSX as my everyday sim once some more terrain/texture stuff comes out for it.

[Guest Foizman]

Thanks Folks,so a Quad/8800 rig makes sense. GOOD NEWS!None of you besides Mario said something about extra extra liquid supercooling equipment in his machine. So I suppose that there are "normal" air-cooled devices in it which cause no unusual sound-designs in the "Sim-room". regards,Volker