Hi guys,

 

Just after some advice.

As crazy as it might sound, I am thinking about maybe buying a new PC just for FSX, (and other games too).

 

Firstly, my current PC spec is:

i7-930 @ 2.80GHz

Asus P6T SE motherboard

8GB RAM

ATI Radeon 5870

128 SSD

 

I bought the above around 2 and half years ago.

 

Anyway, I know that FSX is CPU intense, and I am just getting back into FSX after some being away for some time. I love the look of some of the add-ons that have come out and would love to use them, (PMDG 738NGX, Rex, etc..).

I have Ultimate Terrarin and a few of the Mega Airport addon's already, and it just runs poorly on my existing system.

 

So I have been looking at some new PC's and using the configurator, and am intrested in people's opinion on the following CPU:

 

i5-3570k @ 3.40GHz

or a i7-3770k @ 3.50Ghz

(They will be overclocked).

 

Graphics card will be a GeForce GTX 670.

8GB RAM

128GB SSD

Not too sure on the motherboard yet.

 

 

If people think that I am mad for thinking of buying a new PC, then please say so! I am not much of a hardware person but looking at what most people are running for FSX and viewing youtube video's, the i5k's seem to be a popular choice.

 

Look forward to replies.

 

Thanks

You're not crazy at all, many people build systems just for FSX, in fact, I did just that 2 days ago with the system you see in my sig!

A word of advice, if you're planning on overclocking either of the proccessors, you're going to want an aftermarket cooler, and ideally a strong one. The Ivy Bridge chips tend to run rather hot.

 

I'd say go for the 3770K if your budget allows for it, otherwise the 3570K should run FSX perfectly okay.

 

The GTX 670 is a good choice, no doubt, and should serve you well.

 

For your motherboard, I'd recommend an Asus, one of the P8Z77-V models, they run beautifully, and are very helpful with overclocking in the sense that the BIOS is a UEFI type. Also, AI SUITE II is a very helpful automated overclocking software, so that people new to overclocking have some guidance.

A helpful video demonstrating what I mean:

 

And you may want another secondary hard drive, like a 1TB Velociraptor or a Barracuda, something fast and with tons of storage, because 128GB is not going to be enough for FSX + Addons, but it would be just right as a boot drive. Install FSX on the secondary, and you should have enough space to last ages.

 

That's pretty much all I have to say about your hardware choice. It looks like a very promising system.

 

P.S, just out of curiousity, are you an Indian simmer? It would be nice to meet one for a change

P.P.S, don't forget to pick a case, something nice with optimal airflow, etc. The Corsair Obsidian 650D is a beut, consider it.

If you haven't already, you may want to try DX10 first, not sure how much gain you get with ATI however.

nVidia is actually the staple GPU for FSX, not to mention the GTX680 runs absolutely everything beautifully.

Thanks guys for all your replies.

I shall definitely be looking at your suggestions given above and take it from there.

 

Thanks