So, I kinda want to pick up FSX. i've been flying X-plane lately, but I want more eyecandy, more nice planes to choose from etc. So I have some of the parts from a home server that I built. This is my proposed setup. Would it run FSX nicely with addons like FTX, REX, autogen, some AI and so on. Case: Lian-Li PC-A17PSU: Corsair HX620CPU: Intel Core i7 930GPU: Sapphire Radeon HD5870 1GBMainboard: Asus P6X58D-ERAM: Corsair Dominator TWIN3X DDR3-1600 6 GB (3x2GB)System drive: Intel X-25 160GB SSDStorage and FSX: 2x Western Digital 1TB BlackCPU fan: Corsair H50So, what do you guys think? Should be good? I want it to perfrom well with addons such as the upcoming NGX and the Airbus X on Airports like Heathrow, Amerstdam, Frankfurt and so on(hopefully with some AI).Should I go for it?

Is it custom made or are you buying it if it's custom made you should get the i7-950 which cost about the same as the -930 but has a higher clock speed. Secondly you if you swap out the 5870 for a GTX 460, 470, 480 you'll get better performance and avoid problems. If you absolutely need to get the 5870 don't foget *******'s 3.0 Shader Mod which will make the card work better in FSX.The corsair H50 looks good but for 30$ more the H70 provides much better cooling. And yes this will give you a boost and be able to run FSX well/ your addons

Thanks for your reply! Will look into getting the 950 instead! I was thinking about overclocking and I've heard that people are getting better results with the 930, but I don't know.I don't need the HD5870, but I was told I would get more performance for a lower price with that card. I'll look in to the GTX's. Oh, it's a custom build, I already have the case and the SSD.I see you have somewhat a similar rig. Is it running FSX well? With addons such as Carenado planes and FTX, REX and so on. I mean, if I'm going to spend some money on this, I want some results! I want it too look good and perform well!

Also when you do get it. Put FSX on the SSD only, and everything else on the 1TB

Thanks for your reply! Will look into getting the 950 instead! I was thinking about overclocking and I've heard that people are getting better results with the 930, but I don't know.I don't need the HD5870, but I was told I would get more performance for a lower price with that card. I'll look in to the GTX's. Oh, it's a custom build, I already have the case and the SSD.I see you have somewhat a similar rig. Is it running FSX well? With addons such as Carenado planes and FTX, REX and so on. I mean, if I'm going to spend some money on this, I want some results! I want it too look good and perform well!

Ya but the i7-950 is the way to go for sure. The 5870 won't perform better in FSX and plus it costs more than the GTX 460 which plays FSX better. Sould play FSX great mine does and I haven't even overclocked, and yes I have Captain Sim 757, REX 2 etc. And I get 30FP/S locked around airports but maybe 20 around huge cities. So all around yes the upgrade will please you! What do you think about the H70?

Hi,The i7-950 is a good choice if you plan to overclock it. Regarding the memory, 6GB is more than enough... Now the GPU part... To tell you the truth, I'm running FSX with two HD 5870 in crossfire (SLI/Crossfire is useless in FSX) and I couldn't be happier... Using driver 10.8 everything is crystal clear and sharp and so far I haven't experience any CTD or display freeze or any other stuff like that... You must remember that FSX is OLD stuff, so it relies more on CPU's brute power than in a video card... My last PC had a QX9650 CPU and a GTX280 SSC from EVGA and sometimes I had an nvida related dll fault that ended in a CTD after updating the driver to some versions that I can't remember right now... With the HD 5870 I'm getting an excellent performance (using *******'s Shader) but with the Nvidia card you'll need to make tweaks with Nhancer to get good FPS in FSX. I'm not saying AMD is better that Nvidia or the other way around... I'm just sharing my experience...Your primary goal here is to learn on how to overclock your i7 CPU at least to 3.8GHz.... Dexter

Everyone has made good points so far; I would just like to add that if you're going to be pushing the limits of the 950, you might want to consider a stronger power supply, since i7s like to draw a lot more power when you run them hard. For that setup, I would think 700W or 750W should suffice.

Hi,The i7-950 is a good choice if you plan to overclock it. Regarding the memory, 6GB is more than enough... Now the GPU part... To tell you the truth, I'm running FSX with two HD 5870 in crossfire (SLI/Crossfire is useless in FSX) and I couldn't be happier... Using driver 10.8 everything is crystal clear and sharp and so far I haven't experience any CTD or display freeze or any other stuff like that... You must remember that FSX is OLD stuff, so it relies more on CPU's brute power than in a video card... My last PC had a QX9650 CPU and a GTX280 SSC from EVGA and sometimes I had an nvida related dll fault that ended in a CTD after updating the driver to some versions that I can't remember right now... With the HD 5870 I'm getting an excellent performance (using *******'s Shader) but with the Nvidia card you'll need to make tweaks with Nhancer to get good FPS in FSX. I'm not saying AMD is better that Nvidia or the other way around... I'm just sharing my experience...Your primary goal here is to learn on how to overclock your i7 CPU at least to 3.8GHz.... Dexter

That's intesting to know that your 5870 are working well. But the thing is two 5870 can run close to 600-800$ and you can get good performace with one GTX 460 for 260$ so it's not really worth it!

That's intesting to know that your 5870 are working well. But the thing is two 5870 can run close to 600-800$ and you can get good performace with one GTX 460 for 260$ so it's not really worth it!

It's true but as I said, SLI/Crossfire is useless in FSX... FSX is not the only game on my pc... I also have installed Borderlands, Dirt2, NFS Shift, GTA 4, Wings of Prey and many others that take full advantage of a Crossfire or SLI config.Even with a single HD 5850 you'll get decent FPS from FSX and the price is similar to a GTX 460...

I think I'll go with the H70, yes. Just need to find out if my case can fit it:)Also, what you're saying is that the performance difference between a GTX 460 and a HD5870 just isn't worth the price difference? What about the GTX 470? I've decided to upgrade the PSU to a Corsair HX750, and continue to use my HX620 in my home server. Thanks for your help!

Great! The h70 provides very good cooling and the GTX 470 is a great deal I got mine for 300$ Cad on newegg and it runs like a beast, it's definetly better than the GTX 460 and 5850 in FSX!

LOL, posting that a million times won't make it come true

it's definetly better than the GTX 460 and 5850 in FSX!

Are you joking, the GTX 470 is worse than the GTX 460.. would anyone care to correct me

Are you joking dazz? Since when was the GTX470 worse than the GTX460? It absolutely nails the GYX460 in everything

You guys are just twisting Dazz's words. He's just emphasising that the 470 would only be marginally better, at best, in FSX and I agree with him. Having just upgraded from a lowly 8800 to a 460 and measuring neglible performance difference myself, I seriously doubt the jump to a 470 would rock my FSX graphics world. Don't get me wrong, the 470/480 cards are the fastest out there, it's just that those aren't the droids you're looking for if you want to greatly boost FSX performance.