OS on one drive, performance application on the other.. no partitionsNone the less... FSX or FS9 goes on the other drive in simple directory named FSX or FS9 and with Vista make sure you set the permissions to full on the folder.. shut down UAC.. its that simple and then after everything is installed, ie; programs into OS, OS updates, MSFS, addons, etc.. correctly defrag both drives with a 3rd party defrag solution.. I suggest O&O Defrag and use the COMPLETE NAME methodIf you intend to install both FS9 and FSX I would suggest you make sure the 2nd drive will have at least and at minimum with EVERYTHING installed 35% free space left.. I would even push that back to 50% for best results.. more freespace is better than less. Choose the MSFS version you wish to use more than the other and name the install folder so it appears FIRST in the directory tree on the driveIf you wish FS9 to be the primary, naming the 2 install folders FSX and FS9 will place FS9 above in a name defrag. If you wish the opposite then simply select a name for the 2 folders that will reverse that order. That way when you name defrag the MSFS version of choice will be placed closer to the edge of the platter for faster access.

Hi NickCould I ask you to consider adding the above bit into your Setting up FSX guide?ThanksKonrad

Hi NickCould I ask you to consider adding the above bit into your Setting up FSX guide?ThanksKonrad

Actually I could use some more clarification on this.I run my 64 bit OS on a WD VelociRaptor 150GB drive and FSX/FS9 on a WD VelociRaptor 300GB drive.The way I

Actually I could use some more clarification on this.I run my 64 bit OS on a WD VelociRaptor 150GB drive and FSX/FS9 on a WD VelociRaptor 300GB drive.The way I

I actually have my FSX in it's own folder on the root directory of my drive: F:\Flight Simulator X\...I would say you want FSX to be as alphabetically the first as possible, followed by FS9. So you could have:F:\Flight SimulatorX and install FSX into that folder. Then for FS9 make another folder on the root named alphabetically after F:\Flight SimulatorX, like F:\G...something. That way FSX stays on the outermost region of the disk where it belongs. Anything that puts FSX first on the disk is best.-jk

Thanks for the example; I

Thanks for the example; I

Hi,Whats nice about the I7, they are real easy to overclock, even with air cooling. The 920 is capable of running at 3.8ghz, it can go higher but the voltage/performance benefit doesn't warrant an increase above 3.8.I figure the I7 975 should put me at about 4.5ghz, I think FS9 should have more than enough processor power to run extremely smooth, I also believe going to a 64 bit O/S is going to help as well. If I get the performance I'm getting now with FS9 with the new setup at about 4.5ghz with FSX, I'd be more than satisfied with the upgrade. If the performance boost is not there for FSX, I still have FS9 that should be smoking fast with everything maxed.

You are going to love the core i7 but it won't give you what even a fast core2 will give you with FS9. There's just too much that FSX does that weighs everything down. Of course you'll rip FS9 to pieces but you still have to struggle a little with FSX, unless you don't have any addons (exclude GEX from that because it only helps the default performance because of better autogen handling). Even at 4.5GHz. Expect a microstutter now and then.Here's what you do get and I can say this going from a 3.6G Q6600 DDR2 to a 4.2G Q9650 DDR2 to a 4.0G i7 965: Absolutely clear graphics. No more blurry scenery. Besides the cpu being so much better at memory handling the fast RAM really helps that and I'm only on DDR3 1600 CAS7. If you're getting DDR3 2000 CAS7 you're in for a treat! If you have addons like GEX, UTX, any photoscenery, mesh, all that wonderful eye candy we have these days it's just what the doctor ordered. Of course you'll get better FPS but you only want to keep it around 30, right? So it'll stay around that number better. Things smooth out. Definitely you want that 64bit OS. Again with the addons you really start to eat up RAM and you want full access to 4Gb without any OS hacks. My max memory usuage in task manager with all my addons AND LOD radius set to 8.0 (yes, I like the far away details) is up past 3.5Gb! You don't need any more than 4Gb for FSX but you do want that 64bit. -jk

You're welcome, and you are already on the Vraptor so I don't think there will be much difference, but every little bit helps.-jk

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I

Hi Guys,I'm also going to upgrade my tower, what do you think of the Antec 1200. It looks like an incredible full tower with a ton of great reviews.I think my air flow problems should be a think of the past with this thing.I also believe the folder labeled

Hi Guys,I'm also going to upgrade my tower, what do you think of the Antec 1200. It looks like an incredible full tower with a ton of great reviews.I think my air flow problems should be a think of the past with this thing.I also believe the folder labeled

Hi to every flightsimer. I am also thinking of an upgrade. Here is my current system:ASUS P5E mobo with X38chipset(1202bios.ver)QX9770 CPU running at turbo mode (3371MHz)4GB DDR2 1066MHz RAMGTX285 ASUS GPU3x300GB SATA2 WD Raptors 16MB Buffer@10000rpm1x1000GB SATA2 Samsung 32MB Buffer@7200rpmDVDRW, etc..EIZO19" display @1280x1024And here is the next step:ASUS P6T Deluxe V2 (X58Chipset) http://www.asus.com/product.aspx?P_ID=iRlP...&templete=2or P6T7 WS SuperComputer (Nvidia nForce 200x2 Chipset) http://www.asus.com/product.aspx?P_ID=9ca8...&templete=2Core i7 975Memory:CORSAIRTR3X6G1600C8D(XMP)Ver2.1 DDR3 1600 6144MB(Kit of 3) 8-8-8-24(1601-8-8-8-24) 1.65VEverything else as above.Which MOBO shall I go for? the P6T Deluxe V2 or P6T7 WS supercomputer?My current Software setup is:FSX with acceleration (SP2inc)GEX USA&Canada, UTX Europe, USA, Canada, REX,FEX, FSGlobal2008, FTX (All australia DVD), ActiveSkyX, Active GraphicsX, ActiveSkyAdvanced, MyTrafficX5.2patched, NextMapProMesh, Additional LOD10 and LOD11 Meshes for Alps,Himalaya, Hawaii, N&S America, etc..OS: WinXPSP3 at the 1st 300GB Raptor, WINXPx64bitSP2 on the 2nd Raptor and WinVistax64_SP1 on the 3rd.The whole FSX setup is installed on all 3 OS's (all three disks) and is the same on all.All disks running in AHCI Mode and the swap file is placed on the 1TB samsung and auto-managed by each OS.O&O Defrag is running on the background on all OSs and regular defrags (AccessMode) are performed on all disksalso O&O CleverCache is running on the background on all OS's.I am not planning to reinstall OSs, FSX and software if I decide to upgrade however I understand that a new motherboard, CPU and mem might necessitate a fresh reinstall :( .At the moment I am getting 10-60 FPS with display settings as follows:Target Frame Rate:60Resolution:1280x1024@32bitAnisotropic Filtering OnNo AntialiasingDX10 (Vista only): OffLightBloom: OffLensFlare:OffAdvanced Animations: OnGlobalTextResol:VeryHighAircraft:Exterior Settings all ONHighResolution 3d virtual cockpitScenery:LoDRad: LargeMeshComplexity: 100Mesh Resolution: 1mWaterEffects: Max 2.xLand Detail textures YESScenery Complexity: Very DenseAutogen Density: DenseGround Scenery Shadows: YESSpecial effects detail: HighWeather:CloudDrDist:110mi/176kmNo thermalCloud Coverage density: MaximumMedium rate of wather change70% Airline traffic density30% GA traf.DensityAirport Vehicle Density: LowRoad Vehicles: 0%Ships&Ferries:50%Leisure Boats:50%When I am at busy airports (JFK, Heathrow etc.) and the weather is bad, I see a 10FPS. When at high altitude -> 20-60FPS but with stutters.Any comments are welcome. :(

I'd go with the Asus P6T Deluxe V2 personally...That's gonna be a screamin system. But your current one should be plenty fast, have you checked the tweak guide?I would recommend running nHancer to power the AA and AF, instead of FSX doing it - that may actually reduce stuttershttp://www.simforums.com/forums/forum_posts.asp?TID=29041

Neutronium: if you do upgrade let me know if you'd be interested in selling that QX9770.

I'd go with the Asus P6T Deluxe V2 personally...That's gonna be a screamin system. But your current one should be plenty fast, have you checked the tweak guide?I would recommend running nHancer to power the AA and AF, instead of FSX doing it - that may actually reduce stuttershttp://www.simforums.com/forums/forum_posts.asp?TID=29041

Thanks Ryanbatcund. My current system is satisfactory however I like AI traffic and all eye-candy terrain add-ons in general. And as such add-ons tend to become more and more complex and advanced the days of me Core2Quad are numbered. I am not planning to upgrade soon though. I want to see if intel releases 2 steppings or more of the 975 with better heat-tolerance levels cause I am planning to push it to 4GHz. Also I have to see if the P6T Deluxe V2 and other Mobos will be able to accept the new chip.What about the P6T7 WS SuperComputer? http://www.asus.com/product.aspx?P_ID=9ca8...&templete=2It looks hot. Well I am also thinking of the P6T Deluxe V2. It looks a wiser choice but I am interested to hear opinions on different mobos.Where can I find nHancer? Also does anybody know if AHCI mode is as efficient as RAID? I have heard it is better than IDE mode but I am not sure. I have 3 300GB Raptors, each with its own OS. Can I switch to RAID mode without reformatting? I have installed FSX and most of the add-ons on their default locations (i.e. C:\Program Files(x86)\Microsoft Games\Microsoft Flight Simulator X) because it is less troublesome when you install/uninstall add-ons.I understand that this is not the best practice in terms of performance. For Example FSX acceleration won't install if FSX is installed on a drive other than C. Some add-ons don't recognize that you have FSX installed if it's not on the default location.

Neutronium: if you do upgrade let me know if you'd be interested in selling that QX9770.

Well yes I am interested in selling it. But I live in Greece so I have to consider shipping costs to your country.I am also selling a Q6600(QuadCore@2400MHz) and an ATI Radeon 4870x2 (Monster Card ;-)) if you or someone else is intrested.