Building a new PC

[dazz 69]

I'm not sure why you keep asking for advise when you won't listen anyway.you insist in a 2600K when you say you are not OCing, and why a NH-D14? for stock clocks the stock cooler is fine You don't need 750W for that, a good 500 - 550W PSU would do

the CPU power should compensate that graphics card bottleneck

you obviously don't understand what a bottleneck is. If the GPU is the bottleneck, nothing but a faster GPU will increase performance. If you got a 2500K (then overclock it), a P67 board, a 550W PSU, a CM Hyper 212 plus and a gtx460, you would get much better performance for about the same money

[awais1407 0]

Hi Guys,Apple has just released new iMacs.I am interested in the following model:27 inch display (2560x1440 resolution)3.4ghz i7 2600k8gb RamATI HD 6970M 2GB (equivalent to Desktop HD 6850)I think these are pretty goods specs, but my concern is the resolution. 2560 x 1440 is a very high resolution, and I think (not sure) that such a high resolution can have quite an impact on the framerate. (I don't want to use anything less than the default resolution as the image quality looks poor).I will not be using this computer for mainstream gaming. The only game it will run will be FSX, with the PMDG 737NGX (no scenery addons).I would be very interested in hearing what Ryan (tabs) has to say as he seems to know alot about computer hardware and is also a beta tester of the 737NGX.

[phreddy 4]

Z68 is a mix of H67 and P67. Both the IGP and discrete(s) GPU can be used, an allows overclocking. It also has a new feature called SSD cachingThe motherboard of choice depends on what features you need. Are you OCing? Plan on going SLI/XFire? Getting a UD7 (or a Maximus Extreme) that is a board with a NF200 chip that allows 3-SLI and using it with a single card or a dual SLI is a waste of money.There're other options apart of Asus and Gigabyte. If you don't want Asus and find Gigabyte boards expensive, MSI makes great boards too. A P67-C45, P67-G55, P67-G65 for example

G'day Dazz,Thanks for the input. Much appreciated and definitely food for thought. I have to admit that while I have never yet even used SLI or Xfire, I don't want to eliminate the possibility that I may afford it in the future, so for me getting a motherboard that supports the max level of features is important - I'd love to put 3 cards in.Z68 boards has thrown me a bit... need to catch up on that lot to see what gives you the best bang for buck.Cheers,David

[Tabs 2,790]

Prakhar - if you haven't purchased yet, I would strongly recommend that you do not get the H67 chipset - that is designed for business computers and stuff like that, not for a gaming/simming machine. The P67 or Z68 are what you want. There's absolutely no point in buying that Noctua cooler if you aren't going to overclock either...Trust me, there's a lot of very knowledgeable people here giving you advice on what's going to work best for FSX, take it!

[Tabs 2,790]

Hi Guys,Apple has just released new iMacs.I am interested in the following model:27 inch display (2560x1440 resolution)3.4ghz i7 2600k8gb RamATI HD 6970M 2GB (equivalent to Desktop HD 6850)I think these are pretty goods specs, but my concern is the resolution. 2560 x 1440 is a very high resolution, and I think (not sure) that such a high resolution can have quite an impact on the framerate. (I don't want to use anything less than the default resolution as the image quality looks poor).I will not be using this computer for mainstream gaming. The only game it will run will be FSX, with the PMDG 737NGX (no scenery addons).I would be very interested in hearing what Ryan (tabs) has to say as he seems to know alot about computer hardware and is also a beta tester of the 737NGX.

They're very nice machines, but there's a huge issue as it relates to FSX. You cannot overclock the CPU on an iMac - that is going to stop you from reaching the true potential of the Sandy Bridge CPUs as far as FSX goes. On a custom built PC, you can get the i5 2500K to 4.7+GHz very easily - that's a very significant improvement over the 3.4GHz in the iMac and will do more than anything to improve the framerate. You're also going to spend far less money building a custom PC - Apple is very expensive and you're paying for their name, their design aesthetic and the IPS LCD display (which is admittedly awesome). I think there's far better ways to spend as much money as these iMacs cost if your goal is just to have a killer FSX machine.(btw, I actually work for PMDG, I'm not a beta tester haha - I flew the NGX before the first alpha version even existed )

[dazz 69]

G'day Dazz,Thanks for the input. Much appreciated and definitely food for thought. I have to admit that while I have never yet even used SLI or Xfire, I don't want to eliminate the possibility that I may afford it in the future, so for me getting a motherboard that supports the max level of features is important - I'd love to put 3 cards in.Z68 boards has thrown me a bit... need to catch up on that lot to see what gives you the best bang for buck.Cheers,David

Z68 is only interesting if you are going to use the IGP's Quick Sync thing for transcoding IMO, because the IGP is not powerful enough for gaming and can't be used to run a secondary monitor since it shares the PCIe lanes with discrete GPU's, which means that you can't have them both working at a time.Also if you are going to take advantage of the SSD cache. It goes like this: you install an SSD and a HDD and both work as a single volume, with the SSD working as a fast cache storing the most recently accessed files.For FSX P67 or Z68 makes no difference really.If you want a 3 way-SLI capable board now (P67), MSI has this Big Bang Marshall. Other than that, there's the GB's UD7, the Asus Maximum IV Extreme and WS Revolution, and EVGA is going to release the P67 Classified.Overall, best bang for the buck would be the MSI P67-GD55 and the Asus P8P67 Pro, IMO. No Tri-SLI of course, but great boards for the price

[777flyer101 1]

as per your opinions the p67 is better. well, yes, I agree but they are much expensive than H67 and also then I need to purchase a discrete GPU. My need is a motherboard which has on board GPU and cheaper. The P8H67-V is far most the best I have seen. It is a good start for casual gamer and who really needs to overclock the fastest CPU on the planet?I think that 2600k will give an immersive performance over the P II X4 and the 2600k is cheaper than 2600 in my locality so why not get that and if someday I plan to get a P67 then I need not have to spend on a K series processor. And the temperature in my locality is high, somewhat around 35-39 degree celsius hence noctua nh d14. Initially I will get antec 900 which has good airflow but obviously it will suck hot air from the surrounding and the stock cooler won't be able to do the job.I live in India and computers here are far more expensive than those in USA. getting a P67 board and a discrete graphics card will make my spend around 2000 USD which I am not willing to. I may later switch to P67 when overclocking will become seriously necessary. For a newbie to overclocker like me, I don't want to risk the life of my CPU and I am pretty much sure that THE FASTEST CPU ON THE PLANET (2600K) will handle FSX pretty descent.If I were an american citizen, I would have built the fastest PC but my country limits me to do so. I don't rely on international shipping from ebay and even that will include high shipping charges and custom duty fees etc. etc.The price of current components of my PC is around 1200 USD (my max budget, price in india)so, initially my aim is to get a motherboard with an on board video card and I am stuck with my budget, so buying a P67 is not at all possible. the reason I want on board video is if someday discrete GPU will die, I would be able to use the motherboard IGP.by far I can say that, get a H67 now and after an year upgrade it to a P67 or a Z68.

[777flyer101 1]

is ati 5770 good for FSX and can force anti aliasing?

[dazz 69]

Again, the 2500K is not slower than the 2600K "the fastest CPU on earth". It's the same thing without Hyperthreading, and Hyperthreading is useless for FSX. If you get a 2500K you can put what you save towards a P8P67 board, and when you overclock it, then and only then the NH-D14 will pay off. I live in Majorca and summers here are also hot and humit. The stock cooler can handle that without a problem on stock clocks, it's what it's designed for you know. Keep in mind that a stock 2600K will be MUCH slower than an OCed 2500K. Overclocking provides a performance leap comparable to 2 CPU generationsIf you don't want to get a video card now you can always try with the 9800gt and see how it goes, you can always upgrade that down the road. The 5770 is a good card for the price, but ATI/AMD doesn't play well with FSX, I wouldn't go that route.Do you have a link to the store where you plan on getting your parts? If you pick them properly I'm pretty sure you can get everything you need to max out performance in FSX for that money.

[tom_876 0]

This thread has been full of some excellent info, some i knew, some i didnt... but i have to say reading it has been incredibly frustrating. I like how you boys seem to keep your cool :Peace:cheers,Tom

[FS Hub 132]

Dazz, How about the MSI P67A-GD65 as mobo?Wich and how many memory do you recommend? 1333 or 1600? CL9 or CL8? 4,6 or 8GB?

[dazz 69]

This thread has been full of some excellent info, some i knew, some i didnt... but i have to say reading it has been incredibly frustrating. I like how you boys seem to keep your cool :Peace:cheers,Tom

Funny that you mention because not so long ago I started a thread here in the PMDG general forums asking for advise for my new FSX rig. Back then I pulled a Praktar and disregarded the good advice from Ryan and other knowledgeable guys here recomending not going with AMD. I eventually switched to P55 but I'm not going to be harsh or anything like that since I myself screwed up back then.

Dazz, How about the MSI P67A-GD65 as mobo?Wich and how many memory do you recommend? 1333 or 1600? CL9 or CL8? 4,6 or 8GB?

The GD-65 is a GD-55 with two eSATA ports.Memory speed is something that makes little difference, but it does:http://forum.avsim.net/topic/329356-i5-2500k-vs-ram-frequency-and-latency/2133 CL8Frames, Time (ms), Min, Max, Avg 10670, 300000, 23, 50, 35.5672133 CL9Frames, Time (ms), Min, Max, Avg 10669, 300000, 23, 49, 35.5631600 CL7Frames, Time (ms), Min, Max, Avg 10428, 300000, 23, 49, 34.7601600 CL9Frames, Time (ms), Min, Max, Avg 10099, 300000, 22, 47, 33.6631333 CL7Frames, Time (ms), Min, Max, Avg 10047, 300000, 22, 46, 33.490 The impact on performance does not justify breaking the bank for fast RAM IMHO, 2x2GB 1600 CL7 goes for 50ish, I think that's good value, but if you're in a budget, 1333MHz is not going to cripple performance at all

[777flyer101 1]

dazz, what is hyperthreading?Ok, I will get i5 2500k and overclock it with a p67 board. in place of cooler I will use corsair h70.The store which I was talking about just got 2600k i7 out of stock, that is the reason I am getting i5 2500k.just one question, what is the difference in performance between i7 2600k and i5 2500k?and I have this power supply http://www.kunhar.com/vipcabinets/smps04.html. would it be able to handle the i5 2500k when overclocked. I am assuming it can run it in stock but what about overclocking. I will buy 5770 because it is a lot more cheaper and a good choice too.

[777flyer101 1]

which is a good and cheap p67 motherboard?

[Tabs 2,790]

"Good and cheap" is usually not a valid combination in computer hardware, especially relating to the motherboard that's responsible for the entire system's parts all working together... I would do everything you can to get a good board - the Asus P8P67 Pro or Deluxe will work great.Hyperthreading is something Intel developed that creates "virtual cores" on the CPU to help with processing of certain types of data. It is not the same as truly having 8 cores in the CPU and it only works in certain applications, mostly content creation stuff like video/audio file rendering, file compression tasks etc. It is not something that is of much use on a gaming or simming system where multithreaded processing tasks are rare. This is why we're all telling you to get the i5 2500K - it's the same CPU as the 2600K just without the hyperthreading.A 400W power supply is basically not even going to run this system - you need something better. (I would personally get the 750W Seasonic X series or Corsair AX one just to make sure you always have enough)I would get this sort of machine if I was building a new system right now:Motherboard: Asus P8P76 Pro or DeluxeCPU: Core i5 2500KRAM: 8GB DDR3-1600 (two 4GB DIMMs, not four 2GB DIMMs)GPU: Card based on the Nvidia GTX 460, 560 Ti, 570, or 580 (all are based on the most recent Nvidia chip design, the GF110)Storage: SF2000 or Intel 510 based SSD for the OS and FSX if you can afford it, otherwise Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB+ SATA. Optical drive: Asus 24B1ST 24X DVD+/-RW SATAPower supply: Seasonic X series or Corsair AX series 750WCase: Corsair 600TCPU cooler: Corsair H70 (water) or A70 (air).OS: Windows 7 x64