Hello all,

 

I read Word Not Allowed's guide, very well done. And quite a bit of posts. I'm looking to build a sub $1k rig for some underprivileged kids that have taking a liking to aviation.

 

I'm a pilot, and took some kids i volunteer with to the airport where they have a Redbird simulator, kids loved it.

 

I'm looking to build or buy them a rig for under $1k, that would be easily upgradeable down the road should i choose. I've used fsx stock, on a 2005 HP Pavillion DV 2000 laptop, with a AMD Turion 64x2, nvida graphics . It runs FSX well enough for basic stuff I need. Time to u/g.

 

Reason for cheap off the bat is I'll be springing for saitek gear and a nice sized monitor. Suggest monitor also please.

 

Remember, this will be stock all the way! No need for tons of add ons

 

I'm now going to fake like i know what i'm talking about after reading up on FSX requirements: So....key components and thoughts...

 

Parts needed now to assure easy upgrade in CPU or graphics card later:

Asus Z77 type motherboard, i need easy as possible overclocking setup, flip the switch type deal.

750W Power supply

Good breathable case, liquid cooled upgradeable.

 

Parts to skimp on now, upgrade later:

i5 2500k ( can a i3 do it? )

graphics card

memory, at 1600

 

Then everything else, WIn 64, dvdrw drive, USB slots, etc.

 

So, cheap now....easy upgrade later. I'm looking forward to seeing what you guys come up with. I don't care if its prebuilt newegg, or i have to build myself.

 

Thanks!

Forgot to add, local shop has this for $900, with Hanns-G HZ201 monitor.

 

Asus sabertooth p67 SLI board

Intel i7 2600, 3.4ghz, 3.8 boost, 6 series, c200

8GB, DDR3 mem, i think at 1333, don't know make

500 GB hard drive, don't know make model

Asus 550 Ti 1GB card, could upgrade to 560ti

WIN 7 Prem 64 bit

 

He will most likely let me load FSX on it and see how it does. Pass or consider it?

 

Thanks,

Sorry, just saw i have to sign my name. Bear with me guys, it's my second day on the forum. Looking forward to your input.

 

- Greg Gates

Forgot to add, local shop has this for $900, with Hanns-G HZ201 monitor.

 

Asus sabertooth p67 SLI board

Intel i7 2600, 3.4ghz, 3.8 boost, 6 series, c200

8GB, DDR3 mem, i think at 1333, don't know make

500 GB hard drive, don't know make model

Asus 550 Ti 1GB card, could upgrade to 560ti

WIN 7 Prem 64 bit

 

He will most likely let me load FSX on it and see how it does. Pass or consider it?

 

Thanks,

 

If you're only going to run stock FSX I'd say that will be fine. I'd go with the 560ti instead of the 550 though. It won't really be upgrade able (P67 is dated now... And what sort of case do they give you?). I'm not sure if it's possible to build a sub 1k rig with Z77 and SB components...

 

Here's sort of a budget build (it's not really a budget build, but a cheaper build for FSX)

 

Antec 900 case

http://www.newegg.co...N82E16811129021 - $100

 

Z77 mobo

http://www.newegg.co...N82E16813157293 - $125

 

i5 2500k

http://www.newegg.co...15072&Tpk=2500k - $220

 

gtx560 (note non-ti version)

http://www.newegg.co...N82E16814130660 - $180

 

8GB GSkill ram ddr3 1600

http://www.newegg.co...N82E16820231445 - $55

 

1TB Seagate hdd

http://www.newegg.co...N82E16822148912 - $110

 

Corsair TX750 v2 psu

http://www.newegg.co...N82E16817139021 - $110

 

Of course you need Windows... home premium x64 can be had for about $100 - so I guess there's a list for $1000 including O/S. I skimped on the case, video card, and motherboard. I love my Corsair 650D Obsidian. But it's around $180 nowadays. Finally I didn't add an aftermarket cooler (which would be required for overclocking). But you can get a cheap one like this: http://www.coolermas...product_id=6636 - $25 from Amazon

Thanks Ryan!

 

Duluth... You're in Cirrus' back yard, cool. I played football in college against UMD....darn Bulldogs, good football though.

 

Yes, agree on the 550 to 560 Ti. The case is a ok Asus case. has a big front fan, open on the side, holes for liquid cooled. Stock CPU intel cooler. But does not have the wiring behind motherboard, so airlflow seemed it could be better.

 

Ok, i like you're rig and where you going. I realize there will be some concessions in my budget for the PC.

 

Could i cheapen the case, and any other component, HDD? , and maybe upgrade the MOBO. Correct me if i'm wrong but investing in the mobo now will make upgrading the CPU and GPU later?

 

Also, monitor... the one at the shop with that Asus is this

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824254049

 

Any ideas on a budget friendly 20" to 32" monitor that will go with this?

 

Thanks!

Would this be any good? I'm just getting into FSX but from what I read this should be adequate . Please correct me if I'm wrong. 849.99 before taxes.. free shipping.

 

 

 

Software & Services

 

Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64Bit, English

 

Microsoft® Office Starter: reduced-functionality Word & Excel w/ ads. No PowerPoint or Outlook

 

1 Year Premium Protection Package - America's Best Standard Protection

 

8GB Dual Channel DDR3 1600MHz - 2 DIMMs

 

1TB 7200 RPM SATA Hard Drive 6.0 Gb/s

 

NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 640 1GB GDDR5

 

 

McAfee SecurityCenter, 15-Months

 

16X CD/DVD burner (DVD+/-RW), write to CD/DVD

 

My Accessories

 

Dell KB213 Wired Multimedia Keyboard

 

Dell Laser Mouse

 

Trusted ID, ID Safe, 12 Month Subscription, Digitally Delivered

Also Includes

XPS 8500 Fast track config04

XPS 8500, Black Chassis w/19:1 media card reader

3rd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-3770 processor (up to 3.90 GHz)

No Monitor

No speakers (Speakers are required to hear audio from your system)

Dell Wireless 1703 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth v4.0+LE

Integrated 7.1 with WAVE MAXXAudio 4

Integrated 10/100/1000 Ethernet

DataSafe 2.0 Online Backup 2GB for 1 year

Adobe® Acrobat® X Reader Multi-Language

Shipping Material, Direct

Dell SRV Software 1703

English/French Documentation

Additional Software

No PDVD

US Power Cord

$20 to spend at Shutterfly

This is exactly what I built with just under $1000 bucks ($949.93 CAD before taxes).

 

Antec 520W PSU

WD 500GB 7200RPM

Bitfenix Merc Alpha ATX Case Black

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium OEM SP1 64bit

Intel Core i5 3570K 3.40GHZ 6MB Cache

Asus ENGTX560 DC/2DI/1GD5 (the 560Ti would have just broke the $1000 buck limit...so I compromised )

MSI Z77A-GD65 LGA 1155 Motherboard (Decent upgrade able capability here)

GSkill 8GB RipjawsX 2x4 RAM kit.

 

This was all through a local computer retailer and not through a internet reseller...so you could probably even manage this cheaper if you were willing to wait by ordering through tigerdirect/ncix/newegg or something like that.

 

The bonus with this for me was good upgrade capability with that MSI motherboard and it's self-overclocking (OC-Genie) feature that makes squeezing extra performance from FSX a breeze. I did take a fan/cooler assy. from my old computer (it's some CoolerMaster branded unit) though and plop it on there. 3.8-4.2 GHZ overclock hasn't been a problem, although I find myself just sticking with the stock clocks recently as I'm not really disappointed with the FSX performance at 3.4 Ghz.

 

The weakness' here though are definitely the PSU, and the video card. The PSU was a compromise between a bargain-branded higher wattage unit, and something with a little more known reliability. I figured it was something that could be replaced the next good sale some day. As I developed this PC with a FSX focus, I figured the cheaper video-card wasn't that big of an issue, given FSX's 4 gig memory limitations and it's not-so-brilliant video card usage.

Thanks Ryan!

 

Duluth... You're in Cirrus' back yard, cool. I played football in college against UMD....darn Bulldogs, good football though.

 

Yes, agree on the 550 to 560 Ti. The case is a ok Asus case. has a big front fan, open on the side, holes for liquid cooled. Stock CPU intel cooler. But does not have the wiring behind motherboard, so airlflow seemed it could be better.

 

Ok, i like you're rig and where you going. I realize there will be some concessions in my budget for the PC.

 

Could i cheapen the case, and any other component, HDD? , and maybe upgrade the MOBO. Correct me if i'm wrong but investing in the mobo now will make upgrading the CPU and GPU later?

 

Also, monitor... the one at the shop with that Asus is this

http://www.newegg.co...N82E16824254049

 

Any ideas on a budget friendly 20" to 32" monitor that will go with this?

 

Thanks!

 

Ya I used to work for them (the initial plant in Grand Forks)... but now I work ATC in Duluth so I see them everyday. I love their planes, very elegant. Not the best useful load though... but obviously the pinnacle of GA technology and very speedy :)

 

Well you mentioned upgradeability... if you go with the P67 it's a little older now and it won't take an Ivy Bridge CPU (afaik)... I have a P67 in fact and it was bought in Jan 2011 ish... Next came the Z68, then the Z77. I'd try for the Z77 if you can. There's a few good manufacturers out there: Gigabyte, Asus, evga.... others are hit and miss.

 

The HDD I mentioned is already on the cheap side. Well not cheap, but it's simply a HDD. A lot of people go with SSD's these days... but that's overkill if you're not running addons imho. Although it would allow the sim to startup quicker. Case-wise... you can get some el cheapo cases but the cooling will be crappy and I'd not recommend that route unless you've got a decent cooler. If you go stock CPU cooler and crappy case temps will be an issue. To me the most important components in a PC Self Build are:

1) Power Supply

2) Case

 

I like my 23" Asus monitor...nothing special:

http://www.newegg.co...N82E16824236117

P67 it's a little older now and it won't take an Ivy Bridge CPU (afaik)

 

P67, just as Z68, is compatible with Ivy Bridge Ryan. There's even a BIOS already that allows overclocking