My motherboard supports PCI Express 2.0.

My CPU is an Intel Core2 Duo 3.0 GHz E8400.

My OS is Windows XP 32 bit.

My graphics card is an ASUS EAH4670 with 1 GB of DDR3 memory.

 

Strictly for FSX with the PMDG 747-400X, is there any advantage in changing to an Nvidia GTX650 card with this older system?

 

I already asked in the hardware forum but, so far, no response.

As FSX is more CPU intensive rather than GPU I would think it unlikely you'll see much if any benefit Dugald.

Thank you.

I'd build a whole new system at this point - your core components are really old and as Stephen said, the key to good performance in FSX is in the CPU, not so much the GPU after you get past a certain baseline.

the key to good performance in FSX is in the CPU, not so much the GPU after you get past a certain baseline.

 

Thanks. I had wondered if my GPU was not past the baseline for my CPU but the consensus seems to be that it is.

There are sometimes complete systems for sale at good prices. This past week Dell had a gaming desktop unit on sale (no monitor) with good components for $999. Obviously it was not an overclocked 4.0+ speed water cooled unit but it was a good solid combination. Bound to be other producers having similar packages. I run an older I7-960, nvidia 580, 12 gigs ram, not overclocked etc and I get good solid performance. I did put in a 512 gig ssd this year exclusively for fsx when one came on sale at a very good price.....with scenery etc I have 200+ gigs into fsx and wanted faster load times. 240 gig ssd drives are really reasonable now. If you have time to shop around and go back a generation or two on components you can build a good solid performing system at a pretty good price point.

I do believe in skipping a generation but I prefer the fun of buying components rather than systems. There's an ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 motherboard on clearance which is so cheap it's scary but I'll probably stick with Gigabyte or ASUS.

Go to the Dell Outlet page. I have an Inspiron 580. It did not come with a Video Card but id did come with 6 GB of ram and the processor as you see. It was a scratch & dent. I have bought three of them and I can build on them. It cost $450 came with Keyboard & Mouse.

Thanks,

Ron

The Inspiron 580 doesn't look right for me. I still prefer to buy components and, in any case, all I need to do immediately is upgrade my motherboard and CPU and then, a bit later, look for a better graphics card. Everything else is perfectly good.

The E8400 CPUs are very good overclockers, you should get 3.8 - 4Ghz as long as your motherboard supports basic overclocking and you have a halfway decent cooler (I had an Arctic Cooler Freezer 7 Pro on mine). I recon you'll notice more of a performance difference with your CPU running 1Ghz faster than upgrading your graphics card.

 

Dont forget you'll need to upgrade your RAM (and CPU cooler !?!) as well as your motherboard & CPU if you go the upgrade path.

My motherboard allows overclocking up to 4.05GHz but my core temperatures reach 99° and 92° respectively so I should upgrade my CPU cooling but I start to get a lot of triangular artefacts which I think are caused by my graphics card.

I'm not sure how overclocking your CPU would directly effect your graphics card, at a pinch if you dont have any case cooling the heat buildup from your overheating CPU could be making the graphics card overheat or perhaps the artifacts are being caused by your CPU being too hot causing instabilities.

 

You don't have to run at 4.05 you could try running at 3.8 with less voltage which would lead to less heat but either way a halfway decent cooler with some decent thermal paste isn't going to cost nearly as much as a replacement graphics card and would be your best bet for increasing your FPS without resorting to a complete hardware upgrade. A card like the GTX 650 will potentially allow you to run with more Anti Aliasing (AA) and Anisotropic Filtering (AF) but IMHO it wont have a great deal of impact on framerates within FSX.

I'll work on the cooling then and try at least 3.6 and probably 3.87. Thanks.

I was not suggesting that you get a 580. I was merely suggesting the site for price. I have a ton of Aircraft addons. The only effects addon I am running is AS2012. With the exception of cloud draw, AI, water, and airport traffic all my sliders are maxed and she runs great.

Thanks,

Ron

I misunderstood but now I see what you meant. i have the ability to see ambiguity in the clearest of statements. Anyway, thanks for your suggestion.