I just recently bought FSX, already knowing some of the issues I might have been up against operating the sim before going to Best Buy, I purchased it, and of course the frame rates were at the top of the list. Happened to go back to Best Buy about two weeks later, and asked a rep in the computer department what he would recommend for extra performance and graphics. He recommended to get a new motherboard and graphic card from NVIDIA, and it would boost performance in most complex PC games(never mentioning FSX). Here's what he recommended for me to buy.For a motherboard the EVGA 122-CK-NF67-A1 nForce 680i LT SLI Socket 775 1333MHz DDR2-800 ATX and the EVGA GeForce 8800GTS. Sorry if I'm bringing up an old topic, direct me to the page if one already exist, but it seemed like he was trying to make a sale more than help. Still it leaves the question if it would be a good upgrade? Here is my system setup.VPR Matrix Computer Windows XP512 MB of RAMNVIDIA GeForce4 MX 420Intel Pentium 4 CPU 2.53GHzNot sure what other information you guys would need to see exactly what I'm running, but thats the basic info. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Hi;Welcome to AVSIM. Answer to your question....I'd get more RAM.Not to appear inhospitable, but I think if you'll check back thru thelast 50 or 75 topics in this subforum you'll find most of your questionsextensively discussed.

RAM is going to be necessary for you. You have to have at least 1GB, if not 2.Also, FSX is especially processor intensive. If you buy a new motherboard, spend another $150 on a new Core 2 Duo as well and over clock it.

Ok, I'll be real honest...That's an older PC and you will need an entirely new PC to run FSX well... mainly consisting of:New motherboard - check out the Abit IP-35 Pro - $180New CPU - Intel C2D E6750 - $200New RAM - 2x1 GB Mushkin/Corsair/Gskill etc PC2 6400 (2 gb min if running vista)New video card - EVGA/BFG etc 8800GTS 640mbNew power supply, 500w minimumAdding anything to that PC is really a waste of money unless you are trying to run FS9... in that case I'd get more RAM, like at least 1GB, but 2 is better, and a new video card, something AGP like the 7600 or ATI equivalent

>I just recently bought FSX,...>VPR Matrix Computer Windows XP>512 MB of RAM>NVIDIA GeForce4 MX 420>Intel Pentium 4 CPU 2.53GHz>You need a new system if enjoying FSX is your goal... No point in trying to update yours as the processor is just too slow for FSX.Here's a minimum system for great FSX performance:E6850 Core Duo 3GHzAsus P5K Deluxe MB or similareVGA 8800GTS Video card 320MB or 640MB2GB or 4GB PC6400 Ram 4-4-4-12That will run FSX as good as it gets, and the cost is not too much. If you do a lot of video rendering then a quad might be considered, but unless you overclock it a quad will run slower than the above suggestion, quads also need a 3rd party heat sink like the Thermalright Extreme 120.Good luck.

I currently have a system that's not too dissimilar from yours, and I agree with the posters who say that you should really consider investing in a new PC. (Or at the VERY least a new motherboard, CPU, graphics card, and RAM.) As you can see from the discussions elsewhere in this forum, I'm building a moderately-priced new rig that should give me excellent FSX results. Also.... have you downloaded and installed the SP1 patch, which helps to improve FSX performance? With only 512MB of RAM, I doubt it will help you greatly, but you should do it anyway. (The patch is available directly from Microsoft. Go to fsinsider.com and click where it says "Flight Simulator X Service Pack 1." It's a large file, so I hope you have broadband.)I'm guessing you have an older computer which uses 184-pin RAM. Newer motherboards use 240-pin RAM which is incompatible with the older stuff. So if you simply upgrade the RAM on your current motherboard, and still aren't happy with your performance, you would NOT be able to use the 184-pin RAM on a motherboard similar to the one recommended by the guy at Best Buy. Yet another reason to bite the bullet and replace your motherboard/CPU/RAM combination now. Also, unlike many other "complex PC games," FSX performance is highly dependent on CPU speed. You simply won't get good FSX performance from your current 2.53GHz CPU, no matter what else you do. However, you can purchase a Core 2 Duo CPU for as little as $120, overclock it to around 3.2GHz, and see a dramatic increase in FSX performance. This isn't advice you're likely to hear from a rep at Best Buy. You can also do an upgrade for less money than the guy at Best Buy is recommending, if you're willing to shop around. A lot depends on the compromises you're willing to make, and what you consider to be "satisfactory" FSX performance. I'd recommend studying two threads farther down in this forum: - "Pulled the Trigger" - "Looking for a New Motherboard for O.C" As others have pointed out, many of the answers you need are in other recent threads in this forum. Pay particular attention to the excellent FSX performance graphs that Gary "RESET MCP ALT" has posted in the second thread. I'm sure the "experts" around here will help you out once you've narrowed your choices a bit.

I've been reading more threads lately, and decided it would be better off just to get a new system, after six years with the same system lol, I think its time for an upgrade. Now I was looking through Dell, and built a computer. I was looking at the Gaming XPS brands, and I would love to get one, but I don't want to reach that far into my pocket... So I spent some time, read most of the details on the different features, and came up with this system. Now I'm pretty confident with this system setup to work well for FSX, as far as graphics and frame rates, and its in my budget range, so I could purchase this and have by the end of the month. Intel

Great except the video card...I don't know ATI well but I'd go for a geforce 8800GTS 640mbAlso, that appears to be a store bought type PC right? I try to stay away from those unless I absolutely have to...building your own is much more fun hahaAlso, you'll prolly want Vista Home Premium if you are for sure going Vista