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pellebus

What computer do i need for FSX?

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I run crossfire with 4 4870X2's. But I agree NO FSX can NOT do SLI or Crossfire.However I have to disagree with this post -- the 4870X2 is not even the latest or greatest and I have great performance regardless of where my sliders are. FSX only needs 1 card and I keep my graphic drivers updated constantly (I check the ATI site once a week to get the latest possible driver at all times).If you have issues with performance just because of a cloud setting, you seriously need to check your driver(s) and overall hardware balance - regardless of the brand stamped on your card. Also bear in mind that FSX is NOT a graphics based simulation. A good graphics card helps a bit, but 99% of your performance is going to be in your processors. I am looking forward to getting my second CPU into my dual CPU board.I also saw mentioned in this thread a comment that FSX does not use hyperthreading. I may be wrong here but isn't "hyperthreading" just a fancy word for using all the cores? If so, then as of SP2/Acceleration, FSX does use all cores. Tested on dual core and quad core configs - both AMD and Intel - here at my house and also attested to by the Aces team shortly after SP2/Acceleration released.EDIT -- I also wanted to point out that manufacturer is as important as the type. Just because it's nVidia or ATI is not the whoel story. Example: ATI Sapphire cards are NOT good for FSX and a few other games I have, so i steer clear. For some reason Sapphire does not play well with certain configurations and it hates certain DX setups. However HIS ( www.hisdigital.com )has a WONDERFUL reputation and seems very stable. That's the brand I swear by now. I am running 4 HIS 4870X2's so that I can play Freecell with ease :-)
Dual Sapphire 4890 overclocked to 970Mhz Core and 1000Mhz memory running FSX at full sliders right. Had dual Sapphire 3870x2 before that. FSX, FS9, Crysis, WoW, and every other game runs just fine, benchmarks, etc, no problem. Don't fall into the same trap as the original poster and make broad statements that are easily proven totally false.I'm gonna go with the fact that I've got all sliders right at 1900x1200 and optimal QUALITY settings in Cat 9.4 as proof that Sapphire's run just fine, just like anyother similar card would and anything to the contrary is either 1. the person not knowing how to fix the bigger problem on their system, or 2. the person not knowing now to fix the bigger problem on their system.

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Uhhh, the 4870x2 is very much STILL for sale and comes with a 2 year manufacturers warranty. Since the card is not two years old, it is certainly covered by warranty, why not just send it back? One of my 3870x2 died and after a little over a year and I'm sending it back for replacement, its only that I didn't want to wait 2-3 weeks for a replacement so I bought two 4890's instead (my son will get the 3870x2 when it get's back to replace his aging 1900XTX that he's been whining about (if he did better in school he'd have a better video card)
I did send it back. After two months of having it, they tried to sell me out with two 4870s before offering me a refund because it was discontinued.
With that said, 2 4890 in CF screams and is faster than the GTX 285. 1 4890 is PLENTY for running FSX (depending on the rest of your system specs, of course). THe 4870x2 is FASTER than 1 single 4890 (but not by much). 2x 4890s give you about a 20-40% performance boost on top of that which makes FSX scream (depending on the rest of your system specs of course + the proper FSX tweaks) and is faster than the 4870x2 OR the NVidia 285.I've stuck with ATI because of its ability to render AA at high resolutions and maintain spectacular graphics whereas NVidia has some speed advantages but don't have the same visual quality (IMHO).
What FPS do you get at JFK with those settings?

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Guest Christopher_D
Dual Sapphire 4890 overclocked to 970Mhz Core and 1000Mhz memory running FSX at full sliders right. Had dual Sapphire 3870x2 before that. FSX, FS9, Crysis, WoW, and every other game runs just fine, benchmarks, etc, no problem. Don't fall into the same trap as the original poster and make broad statements that are easily proven totally false.I'm gonna go with the fact that I've got all sliders right at 1900x1200 and optimal QUALITY settings in Cat 9.4 as proof that Sapphire's run just fine, just like anyother similar card would and anything to the contrary is either 1. the person not knowing how to fix the bigger problem on their system, or 2. the person not knowing now to fix the bigger problem on their system.
Sounds cool to me. I just went by Sapphire's reputation on gamer forums becasue I am a heavy gamer on the side as well. I'm glad Sapphire does work well with FSX then. I was just drooling over the 4890 a while ago too on the HIS site. :-)

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If you have issues with performance just because of a cloud setting, you seriously need to check your driver(s) and overall hardware balance - regardless of the brand stamped on your card. Also bear in mind that FSX is NOT a graphics based simulation. A good graphics card helps a bit, but 99% of your performance is going to be in your processors. I am looking forward to getting my second CPU into my dual CPU board.
It's a well known fact (and posted by Nick a couple of times) that ATI indeed HAS issues with clouds in FSX, especially when using AA. I learned that the hard way, changing from a 8800GTX to an ATI 4850, because my NVidia went up in smoke. Cloudsor rain INSTANTLY became a no go for me, although overall, the 4850 was an improvement in performance - but just until bad weather dropped it. I didn't know about the ATI issues with clouds until then, and only digging the internet brought it up that there was no way to correct that.I had and have a perectly fit system for FSX, well maintained and optimized. I might have a bit of an unusual screen resolution that amplifies ATI's poblems with cloud textures and AA (3360x1050), but other than that, I know my way around in FSX and the various tweaks. Just to prove that I am not blaming something on the card that isn't related to it.Now, those fps drops became so annoying to me that I decided to switch back to NVidia and got myself a GTX285. The problems with the cloud shaders are gone, and FSX is showing me the next bottleneck in my system *g*. Even with my screen resolution, I can throw 8x combined AA at the card and not stress it. A performance gain was to be expected, the 285 is top of the line, but the difference is really incredble.Don't get me wrong: the ATI's are wonderful cards, and most modern games they have an edge over the NVidias, but FSX is not their prime domain.

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Guest Christopher_D
It's a well known fact (and posted by Nick a couple of times) that ATI indeed HAS issues with clouds in FSX, especially when using AA. I learned that the hard way, changing from a 8800GTX to an ATI 4850, because my NVidia went up in smoke. Cloudsor rain INSTANTLY became a no go for me, although overall, the 4850 was an improvement in performance - but just until bad weather dropped it. I didn't know about the ATI issues with clouds until then, and only digging the internet brought it up that there was no way to correct that.I had and have a perectly fit system for FSX, well maintained and optimized. I might have a bit of an unusual screen resolution that amplifies ATI's poblems with cloud textures and AA (3360x1050), but other than that, I know my way around in FSX and the various tweaks. Just to prove that I am not blaming something on the card that isn't related to it.Now, those fps drops became so annoying to me that I decided to switch back to NVidia and got myself a GTX285. The problems with the cloud shaders are gone, and FSX is showing me the next bottleneck in my system *g*. Even with my screen resolution, I can throw 8x combined AA at the card and not stress it. A performance gain was to be expected, the 285 is top of the line, but the difference is really incredble.Don't get me wrong: the ATI's are wonderful cards, and most modern games they have an edge over the NVidias, but FSX is not their prime domain.
Hmmm. I wonder if I may not have noticed then due to having such high processing power on my PC (FSX is indeed processor based and only slightly assisted by the GPU for basic texture rendering). I never used the 4850 though. Admittedly the 4870X2 is my first ever ATI card. I just wanted to try something different and at the time the 4870X2's jumped out at me on Newegg. I just got my tax refund so I dove in. I am very happy though.I guess the best advice to the original poster is balance. Make sure your GPU, Memory, Motherboard and CPU play well with each other. THAT's the biggest issue I have ever come across -- you get a perfectly awesome hardware A, couple it with perfectly awesome hardware B and some conflict comes up that actually lowers performance. Always check compatibility and read the tech forums for reported issues with certain combinations.I do almost all of my hardware shopping at Newegg, although I was recently disappointed with getting a shipment of parts where 4 out of the 6 items I ordered were DOA. Fortunately they replaced them but I had to pay shipping to do so :-( Even if you don't shop there, go there and if you can find a product, read the reviews. A lot of times someone will be giving a bad review, based on their own experience, and the manufacturer actually visits the site and posts a comment and possible fix -- I LOVE seeing that! Another good source is Tiger Direct. I'd recommend Alienware, but then I'd have to slap myself for doing so. With Alienware (and some other brands) all you pay for is the brand name. If you are confident with piecing hardware together, save the cash and do the jigsaw puzzle yourself :-) My system has a total investment so far of maybe $1,500 - $2,000 in total parts. I took my exact specs and priced an Alienware system with pretty much the same specs -- they wanted $7,000!Hope any of this helps. :-)

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I stand to my statement that ATI is NOT a proper card for FSX.As long as you fly with no or few clouds, there isn't much of a difference between ATI and NVidia. I think that ATI makes FSX look even a little better then, producing the same framerates as a comparable NVidia card.BUT: Try both with an overcast sky and the settings you would have chosen for a clear sky. Framerate drop with NVidia is minor to unnoticeable. ATI will make you weep. On my system, it was going from 25 to 11.
The latest drivers have removed the clouds problem with FSX using a 4870 for me.

Jeff Bea

I am an avid globetrotter with my trusty Lufthansa B777F, Polar Air Cargo B744F, and Atlas Air B748F.

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The latest drivers have removed the clouds problem with FSX using a 4870 for me.
I agree, I have no issues with clouds using REX with my Sapphire 4890OC and Cat 9.4 with AA turned up. I did with the 3870 that was terrible in clouds.

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