Hi all,I am currently using a Geforce 1GB GTX 260 for my FS9 with Windows XP 32bit edition, 4GB ram and dual core 3.33GHZ PC.I am getting some stuttering when having weather on and a fair amount of AI aircraft at big airports. I am trying to work out if a graphics card upgrade would help my sim or if I am suffering withmy CPUs instead? As I only use FS9 I cannot get a faster CPU and it only runs on one core with the weather etc running on the other core.I cannot afford a 5xx series card so was potentially looking at a 480. Would this help the stuttering and speed up my sim in general or how do I work out if I am at the limit of my CPU?

It could be your CPU. Before I upgraded to the GTX 570 I had a GTX 260 and never had a performance issue with FS9 anywhere with payware airport, AI, etc. You can upgrade to a GTX 480 but to be honest your CPU will bottleneck it and you won't get the kind of performance gain you should be getting for such an investment.

What kind of processor is it? Dual core and speed are a little vague. I'm guessing it's an i5-661 according to Google and your given specs?If that's the case, that processor is fine for FS9. Though a mild over clock would really, really help in heavy traffic situations.Once we figure out what you're running and if you can overclock a little bit, it will be easier to advise on a GPU upgrade.

Its a core2Duo with both cores (e8600) running at 3.33Ghz each, this is the fatest core2duo that intel made.

Its a core2Duo with both cores (e8600) running at 3.33Ghz each, this is the fatest core2duo that intel made.

Yeah, I'm familiar with it. :Big Grin: What about my other question? Is it an option to overclock? To simplify your answer, did you buy the computer custom built or did you order it from Dell/HP/Etc. A factory built computer in almost all cases can not be overclocked.My old E8400 (the same processor you have) was overclocked to 4.12 GHz. It screamed through FS9 in almost every situation. That being said, your's will not-- with or without a new GPU. Avoid a GPU upgrade until A- You overclock or B-You get a new system. It will not make a difference with FS9 or FSX because as the other poster said, that is you primary bottleneck.

I don´t think that it´s the grafic card. I´m also running a GTX 260 with an slight OC from 576 MHz to 600 MHz and it works quite good. Most of my shutters (if I get them in FSX) are related to the CPU but this will be a thing of the past in some weeks when I upgrade on e new i5-2500k.

Yeah, I'm familiar with it. :Big Grin: What about my other question? Is it an option to overclock? To simplify your answer, did you buy the computer custom built or did you order it from Dell/HP/Etc. A factory built computer in almost all cases can not be overclocked.My old E8400 (the same processor you have) was overclocked to 4.12 GHz. It screamed through FS9 in almost every situation. That being said, your's will not-- with or without a new GPU. Avoid a GPU upgrade until A- You overclock or B-You get a new system. It will not make a difference with FS9 or FSX because as the other poster said, that is you primary bottleneck.

Sorry not to reply sooner, the joys of having to go to work!The PC was custom build by an online company called Arbico and I believe overlock as Gigabyte provide a utility to go with the motherboard. I was a bit reluctant to OC the PC incase in shortens the life of my CPU, as I certainly cannot afford to replace the PC :-/

Well, if you can't afford to replace it, I wouldn't suggest an overclock until you've done plenty of research. I'd hate for you to be out a PC. That being said if done correctly and carefully, the risks are extremely low. With a simple raise of your FSB and no voltage changing on that CPU, you could possibly reach 3.7 Ghz.Maybe in the near future you can work up the knowledge to overclock via the bios. I would not, however, suggest you overclock until you install a better CPU cooler (which can be tougher than the actual overclocking the first few times) or verify that the builders installed one themselves. In the mean time, I personally would avoid that GPU upgrade for FS9. Good luck!