my fsx rig is as follows: q6600 oc'd to 3.2, 8gb ram, gts (250 512mb), on a 32 inch display (vizio lcd hdtv)i get pretty good frame rates (or atleast i can live with them), i have UTX, REX 2 and the PMDG 747. I know fsx is primarily CPU bound, but i sort of feel like my video card is hindering the crispness and/ or detail of the textures. its hard to explain. i see other's screen shots, and i dont feel like i'm seeing the same amazing scenery detail as them even though i have the same add-ons. i have followed nickn's install guide. is there a difference between a gts 250 video card and a gtx 260 or 285 as far as the level of scener detail/ richness? or is fsx so cpu-bound that it doesnt really make a difference? i need to know if the scenery detail (or lackthereof) is all in my head, or if there really os a difference.i guess my question is, if i left everything else the same (CPU, memory, etc), and upgraded just my video card to maybe a GTX 260 or 285, would i see better visuals? i know i wouldnt see better frame rates, thats not my concern, i just want to see the same stunning scenery as i see with others. on the other hand, i know that most of those people have i7 920 set-ups, but i thought that would just increase frame rates, not do anything visually. so whats the consensus? is it worth it to spend the money on upgrading the video card? will i see any difference in the scenery quality/ textures? or not. thanks in advance!- paul

or maybe a GTX 275 from a GTS 250 (512mb)

A 260 is faster than a 250, but I don't think you will see hardly any difference. Depending on the speed of your ram, I think you will see more difference if you upgrade your CPU to a faster quad.Bob

I would think a 250 would be plenty fast enough. My 4870 runs FSX just fine.Maybe you have some of the options in FSX to high, or to many selected.

looks like i probably should keep the GPU, and save for an i7 920 build huh? hah

my ram is corsair ddr2-800 (8GB)

You are not GPU-bound with a GTS 250 @ the resolution your TV is likely running (1366x768 or lower). If, however, your TV is a 1080P screen and you are running as such, with high levels of AA, or forcing certain modes of AA through utilities like Nhancer, then you could be GPU-bound indeed. If that doesn't apply to you and my initial hypothesis is correct, then try turning down autogen and see what the impact is on your FPS.

my resolution is 1366x768 (720p 32 inch LCD)would i see any difference going from a GTS 250 to GTX 275? as in picture quality? I do use nhancer...

The only way you'll see a performance or quality increase is if you don't already have the AA maxed out via Nhancer, or having it maxed out bogs down your performance.