March 30, 201313 yr Hello, I am in a desperate attempt to build a new PC before the PMDG 777 comes out and before certain VATSIM events. The main question is if for my graphics card I should use the NVIDIA GTX 660 or the Gigabyte Radeon HD 7870. The 7870 appears to be a better card overall however I have heard posts about the AMD's/Gigabytes not working well with FSX. I have also heard that NVIDIA might be more compatible with certain crucial modules of FSX. The processor I plan to pair this with an I7 3770K. Thank You Jacob Paule
March 31, 201313 yr Author The ti version of the 660 is outside of my budget, if nothing else comes to avail i will use it but will the super clocked version of the 660 that goes for $200 perform well or will the 7870 out perform it, also is NVIDIA better for FSX? Jacob Paule
March 31, 201313 yr The consensus is go for Nvidia for FSX. Not too sure about the latest video card offerings from AMD. Soarbywire - Avionics Engineering
March 31, 201313 yr The 660 is awesome for fsx.....smooth and fast fps. Stay away from ATI/AMD for fsx.
March 31, 201313 yr Author Ok, the AMD looks like it has better specifications so how does the nvidia work better for FSX. I just want to make sure what I buy is the best before I commit. Jacob Paule
March 31, 201313 yr I have a 7870 running both FS9 and FSX. My processor is limited at 3.4 so for FSX that causes some less than desirable frame rates running all the addons. However, I can't run DX10 with my ATI. No matter what I do, things look blurry. With DX9, everything is perfect with the card on max settings. In fs9, it is overkill, but I have not been able to rid myself of "shimmering" trees in the distance. From my experience, this seems motion induced, not a result of the graphics card but rather FS9 code itself. I had the choice between a 1.5 gb gtx 650 (non-ti) and 2gb 7870. If I had to choose again, I would would go with the 650.
March 31, 201313 yr AMD handles FSX just fine, DX9 and DX10. I am on a 5770... The only problems I have are caused by my CPU and slow RAM. What are you using now?
March 31, 201313 yr This is what I have built recently and it runs quite well with DX10. My system consists of an Antec 300-2 Case, Intel Z77GAL-70K Mobo, Intel i7-3770K Proc @ 4.2, Water cooled with Thermaltake "Performer", matched 8GB pair PNY memory @ 1600, EVGA NV660 GTX 2G run at performance level "0" which is max clock and memory speeds with fan set to run @ 62%, Seagate Barracuda 2TB HD with 64MB cache, 7200 RPM. Win7-64 OS. I had a 6770 card previously in another build, and it was capable, but just could not tweak it enough with ATI's drivers to finally rid FSX of the dreaded shimmering. The GTX 660 2-Gig card is an excellent performer and the latest nVidea Inspector will allow you to tweak it just right. - Don
March 31, 201313 yr Author AMD handles FSX just fine, DX9 and DX10. I am on a 5770... The only problems I have are caused by my CPU and slow RAM. What are you using now? A Dell Inspiron 660 with an intel I5 (dont know the rest of the processor except that it is a second gen I5), 4 GB of RAM, Integrated Intel HD graphics 2000. Jacob Paule
March 31, 201313 yr A Dell Inspiron 660 with an intel I5 (dont know the rest of the processor except that it is a second gen I5), 4 GB of RAM, Integrated Intel HD graphics 2000. Well if you are on a stock Inspiron 660 power supply (most likely around 300-350 watts) you will run into trouble with either card, the GTX 660 requires a 450 W psu while the Radeon 7870 requires 500 W. If I were you I would hold on to my money and save it for a entire new system.
March 31, 201313 yr Author No this is for a custom build, sorry I thought i already mentioned that, I am using a corsair 750 for that new build with an I7 3770K and corsair 16GB RAM EDIT: I can only afford the baseline superclocked 660, not the TI which is an extra $109, the 7870 is only an extra $50 so that is in my price range, is the 7870 more compatible with FSX than earlier AMD's/Gigabytes? Jacob Paule
March 31, 201313 yr No this is for a custom build, sorry I thought i already mentioned that, I am using a corsair 750 for that new build with an I7 3770K and corsair 16GB RAM EDIT: I can only afford the baseline superclocked 660, not the TI which is an extra $109, the 7870 is only an extra $50 so that is in my price range, is the 7870 more compatible with FSX than earlier AMD's/Gigabytes? I was an ATI user for over 10 years but when I saw the difference in graphics and performance with fsx/xplane using my NVIDIA cards.....I will never look at, touch or buy another ATI/AMD card.
March 31, 201313 yr Author OK, well what about the ASUS 660TI, I think I might up my budget for the TI version, but is the ASUS or EVGA version the better card? Jacob Paule
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