Budget computer for FS9

[Guest Galant VR4]

My Gen 2 XPS died on me about a year ago so I have been away from flight simming for a while. I'm starting to get the itch to get back into it, but I am on a pretty small budget. This computer will only be used for FS9 and nothing else. My addons include the PMDG 737, Feel There 737, and RJs, as well as custom traffic, Fly Tampa airports, and weather upgrades. I'm looking at a low level gaming desktop from Newegg with the following specs. Will this be enough to run FS9 at high settings? General SpecBrandCyberpowerPCModelGamer Ultra 2054TypeGamingProcessorAMD Athlon II X2 255(3.1GHz)Processor Main Features64 bit Dual Core ProcessorCache Per Processor2 x 1MB L2 CacheMemory4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 1333Hard Drive500GB SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 7200RPM HDDOptical Drive 124X DVD±R/±RW Dual Layer DriveGraphicsATI Radeon HD 5450 1GB PCI Express GraphicsAudioSound card - IntegratedEthernetGigabit LANPower Supply500WKeyboardXtreme Gear USB KeyboardMouseXtreme Gear USB MouseOperating SystemWindows 7 Home Premium 64-BitSpecial FeaturesCyberpowerPC CX-8B59 Gaming CaseMotherboardChipsetAMD 780LCPUCPU TypeAthlon II X2Installed Qty1CPU Speed255(3.1GHz)L2 Cache Per CPU2 x 1MBCPU Socket TypeAM3CPU Main Features64 bit Dual Core ProcessorGraphicsGPU/VPU TypeATI Radeon HD 5450Graphics InterfacePCI Express 2.0 x16MemoryMemory Capacity4GB DDR3Memory SpeedDDR3 1333Form FactorDIMM 240-pinMemory Spec2GB x 2Memory Slot (Total)2Memory Slot (Available)0Hard DriveHDD Capacity500GBHDD InterfaceSATA IIHDD RPM7200rpmOptical DriveOptical Drive TypeDVD±RWOptical Drive Spec24X DVD±R/±RW Dual Layer DriveAudioAudio ChipsetIntegratedCommunicationsLAN ChipsetIntegratedLAN Speed10/100/1000MbpsFront Panel PortsFront USB2Back Panel PortsPS/22Rear USB4RJ451 portExpansionPCI Slots (Available/Total)1 x PCI-Express x161 x PCI-Express x12 x PCI

[kjjj11223344 48]

More than enough. I used to run fs9 on a laptop with 800mhz ram, 2.93 core 2 duo and ati 3650 with everything maxed out. (except for advanced clouds which gave me low fps but only when flying in them).

[TechguyMaxC 516]

If you plan on using high graphical settings (resolution, AA) you'll want a faster graphics card, otherwise that should be adequate.

[Guest Galant VR4]

Thanks guys for the reply. I thought about upgrading the graphics card, but that is the one that comes with the bundle. I run it with the HD5450 first and see how it goes.

[Guest Galant VR4]

If you plan on using high graphical settings (resolution, AA) you'll want a faster graphics card, otherwise that should be adequate.

What card would you recommend for this setup?

[TechguyMaxC 516]

What card would you recommend for this setup?

You can pretty much max out FS9 on a GTS 250 class card or better. Should be able to find something in this range for right around $100. Gotta make sure it will fit in your case though, also need to know that your power supply will have a 6-pin PCI-e power connector, which often is not the case with OEM systems.

[Guest Galant VR4]

Thanks for the advice TechguyMaxC. I'll have to check on the power supply specs.

[AdrianJo 0]

To be honest, for FS9, I'm running it on a laptop with the following specs:Dell Latitude E6410Win7 64bitIntel I5, 2.4GHZ Arrandale7200 RPM 250Gb Hd4GB 1333mhz SDRAMIntel Integrated GraphicsI run FS9, UK VFR Scenery, UK photorealistic textures, many different paywar aircraft (PSS 757, capt sim 727, PMDG 737's, B1900, Capt Sim 707) Aerosoft airports, etc80%+ AI traffic (WOAI packages)I lock it at 20 FPS, have absolutely no stutters, occasionally at the newest Heathrow scenery or the VFR London scenery I might get a hiccup or two.I'd be interested to try FSX with this rig, just to see how it would run.

[Guest Galant VR4]

AdrianJo your laptop sounds like a nice setup. I just went on the Dell site and priced it, and it is way out of my price range unfortunately. I'm still on the fence about my purchase. If I do purchase this computer I may just install FSX and see how it runs. At this point I have so many add ons for FS9, that I just cant see purchasing all of these for FSX as well.

[Alex Sarfati 0]

Hi Galant,My (fairly) lacking system can run FS9 maxed out, and FSX with nearly full sliders and 75% WOAI traffic. It set me back a cheap $800, and I'm fairly surprised at the performance I get out of it. I would consider this for a budget PC. I only have a few issues with it. In FSX, if I fly the PMDG 747x with MAP FrankfurtX and 75% traffic, I do get some very small stutters on the odd occasion, nothing drastic.