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Hello... Long time lurker, 1st time poster. I am pondering my next FSX build and have many questions/issues which I wanted to put to the community.Preamble: I currently have two PCs, one for HTPC in a micro-ATX case and my main FSX build from 2007. I would like to build a 3rd PC so we can have an HTPC in another room. I initially looked into building a PC for this purpose ($300-400) but then I thought why not farm out the 2007 machine for HTPC duties (mid tower ATX, can hide behind a TV stand) and get a new FSX build... for the right money of course.Location: Canada, preferred retailer, Canada Computers because they are nearby and helpful guys. Don't mind mail order though as long as the delivery charges don't outweigh the savings.Current FSX machine: Core 2 Duo E6750, 2GB Corsair XMS2 DDR2 RAM ,eVGA 8800GTS 320mb graphics card, Asus P5K-E mobo and Samsung Spinpoint 500GB HDD (I forget which one). Gigabyte case. Antec Neo 550W modular PSU. Runs FSX ok. I've never done any serious benchmarking but it's good enough.Objective for new build: I'm a real world private pilot using FSX as a tool to keep up VFR and IFR skills. To be honest I wouldn't change my machine if I didn't want a 3rd PC. But since I'm spending the money, I might as well go a bit further and get a decent FSX build. Decent FPS (20-30fps) and med-high VFR detail would be good but not a dealbreaker. Overclocking on air please. No significant add ons other than general aviation type stuff like flying club, traffic, voxatc, vatsim plugins.Let the battle begin....CPU: i3-530 vs i5-760 vs X6 1055TI see there are many threads about the best CPU for FSX, essentially the cores vs clock speeds debate. From my reading, it seems the i5-750/760 is a good choice clocked at 4ghz. But for around the same price you can get a 6-core 1055T and get close to 4ghz on air. However, it seems that clock for clock the Intel Core series outrun their AMD counterparts. The general gaming opinion is that the i5 is the better choice but very few discussions consider the odd nature of FSX Will FSX prefer the 6 cores of AMD or the "faster" 4 cores of the Intel Core i5? Or just forget it and overclock the a$ off the i3 and its two cores.gGPU: Am I right in thinking that nVidia plays more nicely with FSX than Radeon? Which is a shame because the ATI stuff seems cheaper!http://www.tomshardw...proposed-systemBuild proposals - all tweaks and opinions invited!What I don't needI've got a spare OCZ Solid 2 series 60GB SSD intended for FSX and I'm looking to reuse my Samsung Spinpoint HDD for OS. Ok the SSD isn't crazy fast but it was only $90 and as I understand it the faster random access times of any SSD will help FSX. I also have a spare optical drive to use. So I'm not looking for any SATA pieces. I have a 19" 1280*1080 monitor. Retro. A bigger monitor is in my future and I like the idea of running a couple of 24" widescreen LCDs down the road. I don't need wifi as I'm all about the Cat5 cable and the gigabit ethernet.Build 1 - Core i5CPU Core i5-760 ($200 at NCIX)Mobo Gigabyte P55-UD2 ($105 at NCIX) - I googled a review of this and one website has some big fans of this mobo as an overclocking tool: http://www.bit-tech....rboard-review/1RAM G.SKILL F3-12800CL7D-4GBRH Ripjaws PC3-12800 4GB 2X2GB DDR3-1600 CL7-7-7-24 ($130 at NCIX) - open to suggestions. Just wanted something with aggressive timings. Is this even necessary anymore?PSU OCZ ModXStream Pro 600W ($56 at NCIX, $20 MIR)Case Antec 300 ($50 at CC)Cooler Scythe Mugen-2 Rev.B (SCMG-2100) ($48 at CC)GPU EVGA GeForce GTS 250 1GB ($142 at CC, $20 MIR)Call it $30 for delivery from NCIXTotal ~C$760 + tax (13%) = about C$860 (or C$785 after rebates)To be honest this is a bit pricey for me, but then I can use time (bank account up, price down) Plus this poster has a nice short thread, prob because the build is near ideal!http://forum.avsim.n...uration-review/Build 2 - GPU recyclingSame as above but forget the GTS 250 and recycle my 8800GTS 320mb into the system. How badly would the 8800GTS choke the CPU for FSX? I understand that FSX is CPU bound but at this low end the GPU must play its part otherwise everyone would be using integrated graphics! (I have a spare 5450 for HTPC duty so another GPU is not needed in this scenario)Total ~C$620 + tax = about C$700This is a bit more in my price range...Build 3 - core i3 build based on build 1 except for....CPU core i3-530 ($120 CC)Corsair XMS3 Classic 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 1600MHz CL9 DIMM ($100 at CC) - I've had some OC fun with the XMS2 DDR2 version!Equating to C$110 savingsTotal ~C$650 + tax = about C$730Essentially I'm sacrificing the i5 to get a more modern GFX card.Build 4 - X6 1055T based on build 1 except forCPU X6 1055T ($220 CC)Asus M4A79XTD EVO ($120 CC, $20 MIR)Total about C$790 + tax = about C$890Again a bit pricey, but would those six cores make a good difference in FSX against the core i5Interestingly one poster has a 1055t with an 8800GTS: http://forum.avsim.n...fsx-cpu-advice/Sorry for the long post but at least people can give me an idea as to whether I'm on the right track. Or please tweak my builds - e.g. am I spending too much money on RAM or the PSU?Let's call my upper limit including delivery about (all in Canadian) $790 before taxes / $900 including taxes and my preferred budget to be about $100 less. Remember I don't need any wifi, HDD or optical drive unless my current specimens will choke any proposed system. It'd be nice to use the 8800GTS!Thanks in advance for your opinions and experiences with the above gear.


5600x, 6800xt, Samsung Odyssey HMD+

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Of course build 5.. quad core AMD Phenom X4 955 BE for $160 at CC and overclock = about C$730. Only $30 within the core i5 build.(I also appreciate that the two motherboards are from different price points and target markets.)


5600x, 6800xt, Samsung Odyssey HMD+

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whatever u do stay away from amd. nothing wrong with it, but it doesnt like fsx

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whatever u do stay away from amd. nothing wrong with it, but it doesnt like fsx
WHAT? You know not what of you speak. I'm using a NON-overclocked 2.5ghz quad--core AMD in my flight sim, and it works just great. All settings to at least high or above, I'm getting good frame rates and smooth flight. Please don't mislead people. I'm thinking about upgrading to a Phenom II 3.0 or above.

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Thanks for the replies.@dazzI saw your other thread about i3 vs i5 - how are you feeling about things now? Glad you got the i5 or do you think I can get away with the i3? Your FRAPS results are interesting to say the least:http://forum.avsim.net/topic/292181-i3-530-fsx/@flaminghotsauceWhich quad AMD have you got and what's your setup? Do you have plans to overclock.I appreciate the weight of opinion is towards Intel CPUs and I just seems to prefer Intel. I like my C2D but have Athlon 1800+ as server and X2 245 as HTPC). I'll keep an open mind for now... Would be great to hear from any happy AMD users.


5600x, 6800xt, Samsung Odyssey HMD+

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@dezJust saw your reply. A fellow Brit! What mobo and RAM are you using with your 995 to get to 3.6ghz? And what GPU have you got running? I take it you're happy with your setup?


5600x, 6800xt, Samsung Odyssey HMD+

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Thanks that is very helpful. anything you would change in your setup?


5600x, 6800xt, Samsung Odyssey HMD+

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Build 1I would bet a higher clocked 4 core system would run FSX better than a lower clocked hexacore system.I don't think you want core i3 because they only have two physical cores and two virtual coresInstead of the GTS250 (which isn't much better than your 8800GTS), would you be able to spring for a GTX 460?http://ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=54582&vpn=01G-P3-1373-AR&manufacture=eVGASimilar RAM, maybe a bit cheaper:http://ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=50209&vpn=CMX4GX3M2A1600C7&manufacture=Corsair&promoid=1088Everything else looks solid.I presume you're going with a x64 OS?


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I am running my AMD Phenom 9850 (A) 125W quad-core on stock settings, stock air cooling. I HAD been running a Nvidia 9800GT, but it just fried (I didn't know the cover would come off and I never got it blown out well on my dust-kill missions) from overheating. My settings are :Global texture resolution full up, frames locked at 40 screen resolution 1680x1050x32, no lense flare or light bloom (don't like them), and no DX10Aircraft set to ultra-high, all boxes checked except cockpit tooltipsScenery high with complexity and autogen full up, special effects full up. Weather on high, cloud draw distance 60, cloud density high. I typically see frame rates in the 30s and 40s but I mostly fly single prop GA types. I can turn up the scenery to full high and drag the complexity and autogen full up, but I see frames in the low 20s to mid teens, so I don't. This doesn't sound like any monster rig like most around here like to put together, but it works well. I was going to upgrade my GPU while replacing the dead one, but I'd then have to upgrade the PSU, and by that time I'm halfway to a bigger faster machine money-wise. I saw an AMD Phenom II quad running 3.2ghz, 8g ram, 1TB HD and a stinkin' ATI Radeon machine yesterday for about $619 plus shipping. Slap a couple hundred more dollars more into a better NVidia GPU....

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WHAT? You know not what of you speak. I'm using a NON-overclocked 2.5ghz quad--core AMD in my flight sim, and it works just great. All settings to at least high or above, I'm getting good frame rates and smooth flight. Please don't mislead people. I'm thinking about upgrading to a Phenom II 3.0 or above.
With all due respect I know what I'm talking about since I just moved from a 1090T to an I5 750. I'm not saying an AMD CPU won't run FSX acceptably, it's just that Intel is better.Right now, with the I5 750 at 2,66GHz I can see pretty much the same performance than with the 1090T overclocked @ 4GHz
Thanks for the replies.@dazzI saw your other thread about i3 vs i5 - how are you feeling about things now? Glad you got the i5 or do you think I can get away with the i3? Your FRAPS results are interesting to say the least:http://forum.avsim.n...181-i3-530-fsx/@flaminghotsauceWhich quad AMD have you got and what's your setup? Do you have plans to overclock.I appreciate the weight of opinion is towards Intel CPUs and I just seems to prefer Intel. I like my C2D but have Athlon 1800+ as server and X2 245 as HTPC). I'll keep an open mind for now... Would be great to hear from any happy AMD users.
I'm testing the system at stock settings before I start overclocking. will report back.I will test it on 2 cores with different settings (traffic, autogen...) and at different locations

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Thanks everyone for the banter!@dazzInteresting to know that the Core i5 is giving you similar results to the X6 1090 you had. Whilst we can benchmark things to death, that kind of qualitative real world opinion is important to know.However @dezInteresting thread on AMD vs Intel. It's the 1st one that suggests AMD > Intel. It's only from April 2010. It's also a good thread about tweaking nhancer. Bookmarked! Thanks for the CPU-Z screenshots, very helpful, loving that BA screenshot. Unfortunately that money I save in the CPU gets lost in a more expensive motherboard. i.e. Core i5 + the Gigabyte UD2 and X4 + 790FX motherboard are the same cost. Or can I overclock the AMD on a cheap motherboard? I'm pretty much basing my opinion on other people's tests and using their combos.@ryanbatcundI'd love to get the 460! But it's a little pricey. But maybe I can build a Core i5 now, use it with my 8800 and get a 460 later. As for Core i3 vs i5, I await dazz's tests. He's suggesting that disabling 2 cores on his i5 has little/no detriment on performance.@flaminghotsauceI saw the 9850 in a bundle at Tigerdirect.ca for about $270+tax. The PSU/case were a bit crap though. I can't find it now but it was on redflagdeals.As I unravel the web it seems that clock speed is the major determinant of in-flight FPS and more cores helps with faster load up times and pre-flight rendering. Or am I just talking madness?!Anyway keep it coming chaps all good ideas here. I was leaning towards the Core i5 but I'm enjoying the fightback from the AMD users!


5600x, 6800xt, Samsung Odyssey HMD+

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I hope this thread doesn't turn into an Intel vs AMD argument. Keep in mind I went with AMD in the beginning, but in my experience this I5 performs significantly better than the x6 1090T.It's true that top of the line Intel chips are expensive, but if you take a close look at what those have to offer over the "crappy" ones (hyperthreading, tripple channel, 6 cores vs 4 (or 2)...) you can clearly get an I5 (I3 maybe?) for even less money than highest level AMDs and still get the better performer as those extra features are not really needed for FSX. My OC is ready, will be testing soon, but I can clearly see a significant improvement already (about 20-25%)

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