Rebuilding my PC

[Guest 747dash8]

A 128GB SSD is the bare minimum for Win7 & FSX. You'll need to install all other applications on a separate hard drive if you run or plan on running any addons.I used a 128GB SSD in my last PC. With Win7x64, FSX, FSC, UTX, GEX, REX2, FSInn, FSGenesis, 5 airports from FSDT & PMDG's 744 I had around 40GB free on the drive.My current PC uses a 300GB velociraptor, which seems to be nearly as fast as the SSD did & costs a good deal less.

I just think that if I put Windows 7 on the standard Hard Drive it will run better and I will be able to put a lot more stuff into FSXJust out of interest, how many GBs does Win 7 take up.

[Guest 747dash8]

Hi,Could someone who know quite a bit give me an opinion on this system:Motherboard: Asus P8P67-Pro-VCPU: Intel i7 2600kCase: Corsair 600TRAM: Corsair C8 Vegenance 8gb (4gb x 2)Power Supply: Corsair Professional AX850CPU Cooler: Corsair Hydro H70Hard Drive 1: Western Digital 300 GB VelociRaptorHard Drive 2: Western Digital 1TB Black SATA 3DVD Drive: Asus SATA LightscribeVideo Card: EVGA 1280mb GTX570/ Asus 1280mb GTX570 Just want to know what FPS I could expect with this and would there be any necessary upgrades

[Efussander 0]

Hi,Could someone who know quite a bit give me an opinion on this system:Motherboard: Asus P8P67-Pro-VCPU: Intel i7 2600kCase: Corsair 600TRAM: Corsair C8 Vegenance 8gb (4gb x 2)Power Supply: Corsair Professional AX850CPU Cooler: Corsair Hydro H70Hard Drive 1: Western Digital 300 GB VelociRaptorHard Drive 2: Western Digital 1TB Black SATA 3DVD Drive: Asus SATA LightscribeVideo Card: EVGA 1280mb GTX570/ Asus 1280mb GTX570 Just want to know what FPS I could expect with this and would there be any necessary upgrades

Opinion:600T: The 600T is a nice case, but it is a mid tower case. This means that things will be quite tight on the inside. There will also be less ventilation. There are less ventilation options because you can't fit very many fans into a mid tower case. But also, even with good fans, the airflow is still restricted be all of the 'stuff' in the way. So, will it work? Yes. But there are better options available. Good airflow is crucial to your system. You are building a nice system, so why hold back with the case? You can get a full tower for the same price or less. You might be interested in the Antec 1200 > Very Nice! Or possibly the AZZA Hurican (Not a typo. It's not hurricane.) Anyway, that's my suggestion. That will keep your overall temps way down. 2600k: If you plan on mostly using FSX, then you could get the 2500k from $100 (US) less. Then you could use this $100 dollar savings to buy a 128GB Corsair Performance 3 SSD instead of the velociraptor. The only difference between the 2500k and the 2600k is that the 2600k has 0.1GHz higher base clock (this is tiny and won't matter because you'll OC), 2MB more L3 cache, and of course ...... Hyper-Threading. Hyper-Threading is not used by FSX, and you can actually get a higher OC without HT. So anyway, unless you are utilizing graphical editing software, or some other software that can use HT, you could save money with no ill effects. Velociraptor: (See above) SSDs run much cooler, are silent, are faster, and are far more reliable than VRs. With an SSD you shouldn't get texture loading stutters or blurs. It should be smooth sailing....RAM: RAM can be a bit touchy with the new Sandy Bridge architecture. I believe there are 6 different Vengence 8GB kits. I can't tell which one you've chosen. Can you please post the voltage as well as the frequency (speed) so that we can see if it is compatible? I believe that intel suggests 1.35 as the voltage, and 1.5 is the MAX that you should use. Some people have gotten away with using higher memory voltages, but others have had their CPUs fry because of using too high voltages, or running their ram at 1600MHz and having the voltage automatically increased to support the new speed. So better follow the guidelines and not take the chance of running 1.6 or 1.65, etc. Also, the speed should be 1333MHz. GPU: Get the EVGA. They have better support and a lifetime warranty. ASUS only has a 3 year warranty. It is my opinion that EVGA products are superior in quality as well. Hope this helps. FPS: FPS will vary greatly depending on how well you overclock and how well FSX is tweaked in the config file etc. Of course it will also depend on where you are in the sim and if you're running traffic addons, airport/scenery addons, aircraft addons, etc. I have seen ~30FPS on a similar system running addon AC, airport, scenery, and traffic at the same time. It was stutter free as well. I believe the OC was 4.8GHz and FSX was well tweaked.

[Efussander 0]

Also, in regards to OS on the same drive as FS:Win 7 takes 18-20 Gig of space. This will leave you with 108 Gig left for FSX. (If you get the 128GB SSD) Because the SSD works differently than an HDD, your performance doesn't decrease as you fill it up unless you are like 100% full. With an HDD (Velociraptor) your performance starts to decrease after about 50% full. Check the size of your FSX directory. Mine is 56 GB and I have tons of addons installed! TONS! I will mention that I removed all but one default aircraft to save space. Now I just have the ultralight that I load my flight with, then I switch over to an addon plane. (Some FSX glitch or something means that you should do this. Ryan knows exactly why, I don't.)

[Efussander 0]

Oh, I don't remember if someone said already, but you need to get the 64 bit windows. If you get the 32 bit FSX will only utilize 2GB of ram.

[dazz 69]

With an SSD you shouldn't get texture loading stutters or blurs. It should be smooth sailing....

This is not true at all for what I know. It's more of a myth and placebo effect

I believe that intel suggests 1.35 as the voltage, and 1.5 is the MAX that you should use. Some people have gotten away with using higher memory voltages, but others have had their CPUs fry because of using too high voltages, or running their ram at 1600MHz and having the voltage automatically increased to support the new speed. So better follow the guidelines and not take the chance of running 1.6 or 1.65, etc. Also, the speed should be 1333MHz.

Completely false. There's tons of sets specifically for SB that run at different voltages, even at 1.65V, and probably higher in some cases. Why should the speed be 1333MHz and can you post a single link to someone who fried their CPU from running a +1.5 Vdimm?

[Efussander 0]

This is not true at all for what I know. It's more of a myth and placebo effectCompletely false. There's tons of sets specifically for SB that run at different voltages, even at 1.65V, and probably higher in some cases. Why should the speed be 1333MHz and can you post a single link to someone who fried their CPU from running a +1.5 Vdimm?

Hey, hey, hey. Friendly please. We are all just trying to help. I could be misinterpreting through type, but it seems your tone is unfriendly. SSD: I can personally tell you that textures load faster and that it reduces loading stutters and blurs. This is absolutely factual, period. RAM: I am the type of person to humbly admit a mistake. In this case, for just a minute, I confused the ram voltage with the Vcore. It is true that you shouldn't use more than 1.65, and intel recommends 1.5 volts. Although that prob wouldn't fry a system. The Vcore however is what you have to be cautious with. That WILL fry your CPU. Now the less ram voltage the more overclocking headroom. So in a sence, less is still better. Now I stand fully corrected on the ram thing, I obviously know the difference between the ram voltages and the Vcore, I just got them mixed up in my head. Take Care!=)

[Efussander 0]

A bit more on the ram thing:"Memory Voltage: As with LGA1366 and LGA1156 CPUs, keep this value to within 0.5V of the VCCIO voltage to prevent long term damage to the CPU. By default, this is 1.1V, which means the 1.65V used by previous Intel DDR3 memory is still acceptable. However, more recent memory will be rated at 1.5V (or even 1.35V if you choose a low-voltage kit). Increasing the VCCIO voltage obviously gives you more overhead on your memory voltage (remember, add +0.5V at most or risk damaging your CPU)."From:http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/cpus/2011/01/07/how-to-overclock-the-intel-core-i5-2500k/2Same applies to 1155.Basically you could risk frying the mem controller on the CPU.

[Efussander 0]

So again, Intel says 1.5 +/- 5% meaning 1.60 is the ideal safe maximum, but in testing 1.65 has been fine.

[dazz 69]

SSD: I can personally tell you that textures load faster and that it reduces loading stutters and blurs. This is absolutely factual, period.

I'm not being unfriendly, rude or anything like thatIn my experience SSD's do not help with stutters. Actually I couldn't see any benefit regarding blurs either.I did some tests and I posted the results in the hardware section. what do you have to say about that? just asking. I compared an OCZ Vertex II SSD against a Caviar Green and I didn't even bother deffraging the Caviar Green partition before the test. It was 11% fragmented

So again, Intel says 1.5 +/- 5% meaning 1.60 is the ideal safe maximum, but in testing 1.65 has been fine.

those are the same figures Intel has published for the latest generations. That's not an absolute maximum. The absolute maximum used to be 1.8V and lately Intel has stopped publishing absolute maximums, but the rest of the data remains unchanged, so any other assumption is pure speculation. Nothing has change memory wise

[Efussander 0]

I'm not being unfriendly, rude or anything like thatIn my experience SSD's do not help with stutters. Actually I couldn't see any benefit regarding blurs either.I did some tests and I posted the results in the hardware section. what do you have to say about that? just asking. I compared an OCZ Vertex II SSD against a Caviar Green and I didn't even bother deffraging the Caviar Green partition before the test. It was 11% fragmented

Ok. Sorry for misinterpreting you tone. No sweat?On the SSD thing, I don't know what to tell you. I see absolute resúlts. I don't know why some see them and some don't. I know there are others who say it makes a big difference. For me, I had the exact same hardware before and after the SSD, and now I can set the texture resolution to 7cm and to large detail radius, and I get no stutters or blurs. I doesn't do that thing where it's blurry, and then when you get closer it crispens. It just loads smoothly and clearly at 4096 texture resolution. I don't know what else I can say. Thanks for you thoughts, and no hard feelings. =)Dario, out of curiosity, what is the little alien frog looking thing as your member icon.

[dazz 69]

Ok. Sorry for misinterpreting you tone. No sweat?On the SSD thing, I don't know what to tell you. I see absolute resúlts. I don't know why some see them and some don't. I know there are others who say it makes a big difference. For me, I had the exact same hardware before and after the SSD, and now I can set the texture resolution to 7cm and to large detail radius, and I get no stutters or blurs. I doesn't do that thing where it's blurry, and then when you get closer it crispens. It just loads smoothly and clearly at 4096 texture resolution. I don't know what else I can say. Thanks for you thoughts, and no hard feelings. =)Dario, out of curiosity, what is the little alien frog looking thing as your member icon.

It's a Daniel Johnston drawing, from his "Hi, How Are You" tapes

[Efussander 0]

It's a Daniel Johnston drawing, from his "Hi, How Are You" tapes

Ahh. It makes me laugh. Also, for anyone wondering why I mentioned only 1333 memory frequency, here is a quote from Ryan in another thread. "Sandy Bridge systems use ONLY DDR3-1333 memory, you do not overclock using the base clock the way you did with Bloomfield and Lynnfield CPUs - the memory is locked to 1333. The memory you linked looks good Brendon, though I would consider getting the 8GB 2x4 set instead of the 4GB one - RAM is very cheap and 8GB future-proofs you."I believe you can use a higher frequency if you want, but it will automatically be underclocked to 1333MHz.

[dazz 69]

Sorry if it sounds harsh or something Ethan, but you have obviously never put a Sandy Bridge system together. The 1333MHz limitation is restricted to H67 boards. P67 have a RAM multiplier just like always and you can set your RAM anywhere between 1066 and 2400MHz.Also, I tested that SSD at different settings and I'm almost positive that any increased smoothness perception is just placebo effect.

[Efussander 0]

Sorry if it sounds harsh or something Ethan, but you have obviously never put a Sandy Bridge system together. The 1333MHz limitation is restricted to H67 boards. P67 have a RAM multiplier just like always and you can set your RAM anywhere between 1066 and 2400MHz.Also, I tested that SSD at different settings and I'm almost positive that any increased smoothness perception is just placebo effect.

Ok I didnt realize it was restricted to H67 boards. I have however put together several P67 systems including my own. I have just used 1333 memory for all of those. I don't think that it's fair to take one misperception though, and assume that I am telling a lie about the fact that I have, for myself and others, built SB computers.