Hi all,

 

Question 1: I have windows xp 32 bit. Is it beneficial to upgrade to windows 7?

 

Question 2: I have a nvidia 7800gt 256mb PCI-E GPU and was thinking of upgrading to the nvidia GT630. Will it make a difference or am I wasting my $. CPU is 2x250 AMD 3.0Mhz.

 

Thanks

 

Rick CYXE

Rick ... Hello and Happy Holidays!

 

I am no expert on PC's but I can tell you that even with my old HP Dual core I had a HUGE difference running FSX Gold/Acceleration.on WIN 7.

 

With Windows XP; FSX would barely run... 4 FPS at best. Sad I know. :Shocked:

 

I do know that FS9 or FSX are both wholly dependent on CPU speed first.. RAM second and GPU third. Please consider doing a full PC upgrade. My sons talked me into it and I have never looked back. FS is a JOY now.

 

Just food for thought. Hope you and the grandkids enjoy FS with Grandpa!

 

Jeff

Hi all,

 

Question 1: I have windows xp 32 bit. Is it beneficial to upgrade to windows 7?

 

Question 2: I have a nvidia 7800gt 256mb PCI-E GPU and was thinking of upgrading to the nvidia GT630. Will it make a difference or am I wasting my $. CPU is 2x250 AMD 3.0Mhz.

 

Thanks

 

Rick CYXE

 

Hello Rick, it is great that you and the grandchildren will have FS9(?) to share. My grandson is just starting to show interest also. In regards to the AMD CPU I hope you meant 3.0 Giga Hz! If that is the case then the CPU is quite sufficient. As Jeff pointed out, RAM is important, . . . 2Gb at the very least. The GPU is a different matter and depends on your intentions and any future plans. If you are going to run just the MS default simulator the 7800Gt might just be enough. My advice would give that a try first and see if the performance is to your liking. You can always upgrade later if you don't get the performance you like. Something to be aware of is that the newer graphics cards that have 1024Mb also require a amount of system RAM to equal the GPU RAM. So if you only have 1Mb of system RAM you will run into trouble quick. On the other hand if you have 2 or more Gb of system RAM the GT630 should be fine. If your RAM is limited physically or financially, then you might consider one of the older 8800 series cards with 512Mb of on board RAM, those had a reputation for running FS9 really well.

Flight Simulator 2004 was designed to run on Windows XP 32 bit by MS so unless you have other reasons to change the OS to W7 I wouldn't bother. I am using WinXP Pro 32bit and am in no hurry to upgrade. My wife has W7 and I maintain it for her. W7 is okay, but I just can't find a good enough excuse to install it. I'm a Luddite!

 

I hope this helps.

 

Best regards and I wish you and all the best of holidays.

Mel

those had a reputation for running FS9 really well

 

Me and Rick,

Rick didn't state which flight sim he intends to use. That could make all the difference here. In regard to system, he might me able to find a new CPU with Windows 7 and a faster graphics card for a little more than upgrading the OS + adding memory + upgrading GPU card. And in doing that he would have a fresh and likely much larger HD, and a new power supply, Just to mention.......

Thank you for your repies.

 

Sorry. Just to clarify, I will be running FS9. I have all my add on and don't really want to reinstall but, I am now considering a solid state drive dedicated to FS9. My current Hard drive is 250Gb Sata, about a little less than !/2 full. The CPU is 3Ghz. and the power supply is 550??. I checked it as the computer shop needed to know for the GPU. I have 2gb DDR2 ram and was planning on putting 1 more 2Gb stick in as well. As i understand that is the maximum physical memory XP will use. My thinking is, with the upgrade in GPU to the 630(2 GB) additional 2 Gb ram and possible SS drive It would be a fairly inexpensive upgrade as my equipment I have now is fairly decent and will accept the above without having to buy a whole new system??? Another question: Any comments or concerns on the SS drive? I was looking at the Samsung 120GB : SATA3 : 840 Series : MZ-7TD120BW.. For these upgrades I would be looking at about $230 hoping some of the items will be on sale boxing day as well..

I was told by the computer shop I should just upgrade the whole thing. New motherboard CPU 8Gb ram and Windows 7 so I get a 64 bit OS and DDR3 ram . I just wonder if the total upgrade for FS9 would be beneficial or overkill. I am not a gamer just FS9.

 

I am running Ultimate Terrain, BEV, and REX with overdrive. I now get 36fps locked and 70 unlocked except over high res cities I have installed it drops down to 36fps. Slow loading textures, studdering and poor quality graphics are my main issues. I have it tweaked as much as I know how.

 

Thanks again all for your comments.. Appreciated!

 

Rick

What 'they' are discussing is basically a new computer put inside your old case. If I remember correctly, ram should be added in matched pairs. In regards to the SSD, no experience here so no comment on that. A 64 bit OS and the 8Gb of DDR3 ram would certainly be a plus as far as FS9 or a future install of FSX. Either way you decide, should work well I guess it is up to you and your budget. If you go with the later option (W7 64bit and 8Gb of ram don't forget to make FS9 large address aware to get the full benefit of the additional ram.

 

Good luck!

 

Happy Holidays

 

Mel

Thanks Mel..

 

I guess I am heading down the slippery slope..again..

 

I think my Mainboard (Asus M2N68-AM Plus) can handle this processor ; CPU : AM3 : Phenom II : X4 965 : (additional $120) now I am at only $340. New system would be about $900. Hmmm What to do?? I will wait for a few more comments and then I will have to decide.. As far as going to FSX ? that is a whole other issue..I dont think so..why I am not sure.....

Your current system will run FS9 fine. A new graphics card wouldn't hurt though. I build and repair computers for a living. Mel is right about adding RAM in pairs. People sometimes run into problems when they start to mix and match RAM that wasn't made it the same "batch". Not always but it does happen a lot. I have a seperate dedicated hard drive just for FS9 on the Win XP operating system. Then a second drive for Win 7 64bit for everything else including other games. My FS 9 runs great. Also if you do plan to upgrade the graphics card keep AMD/ATI in your thoughts. AMD/ATI cards run FS9 just as well as the Nvidia cards despite what some in these forums claim. I used an Nvidia card way back in FS98 and then switched to AMD/ATI. No problems here at all. Unless you want to upgrade your computer for other things other than FS9 I wouldn't listen to the shop. Sounds like they just want your money.

keep AMD/ATI in your thoughts

 

Any suggestions for the ATI card comparable to the 630?

 

RB

It seems Crazy to gut a working computer, and just keep the old case, to put new components into. The cost of new case is minimal, and if you get the new case, you will still have your old computer Intact, for whatever purposes you want.

 

Avoid thinking "I spent so much on this old computer when I bought it new, I should save as much as I can, when making my new computer".

 

Compared with just 5 years ago, you can now get a new computer at 1/3 the price, and 3 times faster.

 

No point in going out and buying a fast, expensive Porche, and then keeping your old Model T Ford wheels, and putting them on that new Porche !

Hi Rick

 

Maybe I can add my little bit here as I am an "old timer" too - in terms of age as well as the number of years I have been flying FS9 (since Version 1, actually) - and I maintain my PCs myself.

 

Your processor is OK.

 

Your XP is just fine. Wish I had it on my flight sim PC instead of Windows 7 but, for some obscure technical reason, XP would not install.

 

Put a bit more RAM in as FS9 takes advantage of this, but don't exceed 4 gig in total as XP only recognises a tad over 3 gig.

 

I have an nVidia GTX560 Ti card which is just fine (you could save a bit of money here over the GT630).

 

As for an SSD drive - why? OK, they load files a bit faster but to be perfectly honest my SATA hard drive works perfectly well and I don't notice any lags in the simulator. So save your cash!

 

Hope this helps you and doesn't confuse!

 

David

It seems Crazy to gut a working computer, and just keep the old case, to put new components into.

 

Yes that is a good point unless of course like me your cases are custom Lian Li's with hand machined aluminum LAN handles, lighting, fan dampening, and cooling ports. I've used my cases for about 5 builds now, and will continue on down the road till the ATX form factor is obsolete. These are my recording studio boxes.

 

Don't think Rick mentioned what case He has, so it may or may not be prudent to stuff new components into the old case. I put together a new rig solely for FSX this past summer and ended up buying a Bit Phoenix Shinobi case. Excellent case for the money, might look into that Rick. Also my previous FSX rig was the Phenom II X4 965 with a Radeon 5870, and fully tuned FSX performance was pretty good with sliders all in the medium range on Win XP.

 

On my new FSX rig I have 4 Crucial M4 SSD drives and 1 wheel drive. When I'm flying over scenery that is on the wheel drive there is the ocasional stutter and loading lag that never ever happens when flying over scenery that's on my SSD's.

 

Chris

Ok here is what I am thinking.. My case is an Antec Sonatta 2 with ports for venting and air filters in the case which really keeps the junk out.. so I think I will keep that too..It is very quiet.

 

I will upgrade the ram to a matched set 4Gb (2x2Gb set) or is one 4Gb better or worse??? the shop has both. I will try to sell off the 2Gb stick on Kijiji or somewhere.. $55

 

I will upggrade the GPU to the GT630 $77

 

Possibly?? the Phoenix x4-695 CPU $107

 

I will leave the SS drive for the next rig too when I start from scratch..

 

So a total upgrade for now would be $132 or $239 with the stronger CPU.

 

I will stay with xp on this rig and when I need a new one I will get a whole new system and give this one to my Daughter..it would be way better than what she has now.. (She probably wants a Mac though.. :unsure: )

 

I THANK all of you for your input and comments.. Some might think I am a bit nuts but i feel with minimal $ I can keep this rig together and pass it down in a year or so.. I do hope I get a bit more ooomph from the upgrades..in any event it cannot be worse.

 

Cheers! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all..

 

Rick...

I also use Win XP 32 bit. When I added a second 2 GB stick I had trouble probably due to the old BIOS. I did modify fs9.exe to enable the address extension bit in the app so it can use more than 2 GB. You also have to modify Win XPs boot.ini to enable using more than 2 GB.

 

A better way is to go to Win 7 with at least 4GB or 8GB divided among two sticks. Now, while tests were done in FSX in a published magazine, going from Win XP to Win 7 did speed up rendering performance. Now, both versions of FS do not take advantage of the graphics processor (GPU) very much in the rendering process but use the main CPU. The author used his contact resources and found that Win 7 appears to have the ability to trap complex math calls as used in objects rendering and pass that processing to the idle time of the much more efficient graphics GPU. In addition if you do get a new system remember that clock speed is paramount to FS. FS9 by itself will not use more than one core as it is not multithreaded code nor I believe is FSX out of the box.

 

You are generous in sharing your time with the grand kids and must be a patient and somewhat brave person

A better way is to go to Win 7

 

Ron, please, any thoughts on W7 32 bit opposed to W7 64 bit?

 

You are generous in sharing your time with the grand kids and must be a patient and somewhat brave person

 

So true!

 

As I mentioned earlier, on a previous visit my grandson expressed some interest also. Before he arrived last weekend I went to my junk box a dug out a old 4x4 circuit box the has a really big red button switch mounted on it. (Why? Who knows! It is probably 40 years old.) I put it on my desk in front of the keyboard and threw the wiring under the monitor. When he came by last weekend to spend the night he wandered over to my desk and spotted the new hardware. He asked what it was of course (he took the bait) and I told him to pull up a chair, so he did. I started loading FS9 and told him he needed to go to his bedroom a find his football helmet and come back.. When he sat back down I began explaining the big red button. The big red button is the student pilot rejection button and that is a very special chair you are setting on and that is also why you are sitting under the skylight and wearing a helmet, that way I don't have to fix the ceiling, just some glass. His eyes got big, he looked up, he looked at me and started laughing. He knew he had been had. At that point I explained to him that FS wasn't exactly a game but it wasn't that serious either and the point was to learn about flying and have fun and not to worry about mistakes. My only rule for him is / was no crashing for the fun of it. He spent three hours being an angel (out of character for him!) and watching and learning. So far, so good.

 

I hope this helps steel Rick for the task at hand and the potential reward for him and his grandchildren. **** a special note **** At my age it sure beats going outside and entertaining the grandson with a football, baseball or soccer ball, not that I don't enjoy it, I don't really mind being sore for a week afterwards!

 

Best regards to all, and Happy Holidays!!!!!

 

Mel