PMDG 747 RAM vs CPU

[Guest ypaul123]

I'm currently in a process of upgrading my machine.I would like to get an answer from the developers about whats more hardware intense when loading the 747-400 - the CPU or RAM ?I have the Intel E8500 in mind (3.13ghz) and around 8 gb of ram on a windows XP x64 machine. will i be able to get > 30 fps at all time even in the most complex sceneries (Flytampa VHHX and Flightscenery KPDX to name a few) ?Thanks in advance,Paul.

[Guest ypaul123]

Some minor edits : "whats more hardware intense when loading the 747-400 - the CPU or RAM ?"By loading i meant , flying the 747-400"I have the Intel E8500 in mind (3.13ghz) and around 8 gb of ram on a windows XP x64 machine"I listed the parts i aim to buy.Thanks for your answers.

[michal 44]

CPU first and then RAM but for best results the hardware has to be properly balanced. 8GB of RAM sounds like a total overkill, completely unnecessary. Anything over 4 GB is probably waste of money at this point. Also no one can give you specific assurances as to FPS that you can expect, buy the best system you can afford and tune the system to get most out of it. You don't even list which FS you will be using. The best recommendations to tune your hardware and FSX installations can be found here: http://www.simforums.com/forums/forum_posts.asp?TID=29041 , also there is a separate hardware forum to discuss such topics.

[Tabs 2,790]

8GB of RAM in FS is useless, I've never seen it use much above 2.1 or so. Get the best CPU you can afford - multicore helps for FSX too.

[BlueStar 323]

I am running E8600 with 4 GB ram. In the 2D cockpit I get about 28-30 fps in almost any situtation. In the VC cockpit I get 25-27 fps in most situtations, but in complex scenery it will go down as low as 18 fps. I am running Vista 32, SLI and ASX.Bill

[C09G 0]

You can O/C E8500 to push at 4ghz simply with an aftermarket cooler. True 120(lapped) should cool it very goodIf you have a good graphic card, download "EVGA Precision"What it does is a great O/C utility for your graphic card. Now it comes with a unique feature that set your fan speed. I went and throttle up to 100% and it sure is noisy,but I don't care since I game very loud. That 100% fan speed increased my fps by 2-5. Effort less and good way to get some fps. I would go for the i7 if you want a rebuild. -Vincent

[flyingfanatic333 0]

I have 8Gbs of Ram, and I would never go back to 4Gbs. In fact, I'm having a hard time trying to convince myself to buy only 6Gbs when I upgrade to Westmere (32nm die shrink of Core i7) late 2009/early 2010. With 4Gbs of Ram, I experienced OOM errors with FSX, espically with the MD-11. Since I upgraded to 8Gbs, I have had no OOM errors.Besides, you can get 8Gbs of High-performance DDR2 800 memory for $60.

[Guest ypaul123]

I have 8Gbs of Ram, and I would never go back to 4Gbs. In fact, I'm having a hard time trying to convince myself to buy only 6Gbs when I upgrade to Westmere (32nm die shrink of Core i7) late 2009/early 2010. With 4Gbs of Ram, I experienced OOM errors with FSX, espically with the MD-11. Since I upgraded to 8Gbs, I have had no OOM errors.Besides, you can get 8Gbs of High-performance DDR2 800 memory for $60.

Maybe one or more sticks were faulty.in any case how much FPS are you getting in Fsx

[Tom_s 0]

Some minor edits : "whats more hardware intense when loading the 747-400 - the CPU or RAM ?"By loading i meant , flying the 747-400"I have the Intel E8500 in mind (3.13ghz) and around 8 gb of ram on a windows XP x64 machine"I listed the parts i aim to buy.Thanks for your answers.

correct.

[jordanal 70]

See my sig; 'E8500 OC @ 4GHz' and it's already a bit outdated. I can maintian any FSX aircraft at 30fps (using FPS limiter) except in large addon airports with 100% AI. I am already contemplating the i7-920 with 6GB (tripple channel) later this year. Currently running WinXP_x64 with only 24 boot processes at startup (dedicated rig). Running all the addons such as ASA, REX, RC4, ST, GEX, UTX, FSG, etc, etc...It really is a balancing act between the CPU, GPU, RAM, OC, System teaks, and FS tweaks. See some of the links at the bottom of my sig for integration advise by NickN.