So, this is my PC specs

 

AMD FX-8120 3.1GHz

64 bit Eight-Core Processor

Cache Per Processor 8MB L2 Cache

8GB DDR3 1333

1TB SATAII 7200RPM

AMD Radeon HD 6670 1GB

Sound card - Integrated

Power Supply 700W

Windows 8    

 

 

I am considering an upgrade on my graphics card and I was wondering which would be the best choice? I have alot of scenery and addon aircrafts so I need something high-end but not overly expensive.

fsx nividia 650ti, or 660 would be my choice. would avoid ATI or amd ones.

At least GTX 580 if you are going to use HD textures and REX clouds. I have 560ti which will be replaced soon with 580 or 680. 660 is not so good, 560ti performs better and it's not enough for some fsx situations. You can compare all cards here: http://www.hwcompare.com/13161/geforce-gtx-580-vs-geforce-gtx-660-ti/

What is your budget? What monitor(s) do you use (size & resolution)? You mention add-ons, note that a new graphics card is not neccesarily going to give FSX a performance boost in terms of FPS but will primarily allow you to enhance the graphics giving you a better overall experience. If you're after better FSX performance then consider overclocking your CPU if you haven't already, it seems from a brief Google that the 8120 can be good for at least 4.5GHz which really would give you a boost.

I have the EVGA 660 superclocked 3gig card and it's just fine for me even with REX and other things. Not over the top price and much better than my old GTX295 is what made me buy it.

Price has since dropped so I might get another and sli them.

I have the EVGA 660 superclocked 3gig card and it's just fine for me even with REX and other things. Not over the top price and much better than my old GTX295 is what made me buy it.

Price has since dropped so I might get another and sli them.

Exactly, thinking of getting 660 myself as it does fine with one monitor and i5 3570k desktop machine I  have only dedicated to fsx. 

 

AMD-ATI they are fine with other games but fsx are garbage 

Thanks for the recommendations

AMD-ATI they are fine with other games but fsx are garbage 

 

I keep hearing this from everybody, but why?

 

I have only ever used AMD cards and haven't had a single problem, performance is excellent and i run 3x27" monitors at 5760x1080.

 

Is it the external Frame limiter?  Never used it, there doesn't seem to be a consensus as to if it makes a significant difference.  Ryan (Tabs) i think mentioned that implementation of AA within AMD cards, but why?  What's the difference?

I keep hearing this from everybody, but why?

 

I have only ever used AMD cards and haven't had a single problem, performance is excellent and i run 3x27" monitors at 5760x1080.

 

Is it the external Frame limiter?  Never used it, there doesn't seem to be a consensus as to if it makes a significant difference.  Ryan (Tabs) i think mentioned that implementation of AA within AMD cards, but why?  What's the difference?

Had one AMD hd 7750 card performance is terrible compared to gtx 650. The clouds is what hits the AMD card hard on the fps particularly that where the big achilles heel is.

Had one AMD hd 7750 card performance is terrible compared to gtx 650. The clouds is what hits the AMD card hard on the fps particularly that where the big achilles heel is.

 

Well i can't speak for everybody but my 6900 series card hasn't missed a beat, i use AS2012 clouds not a problem i have noticed.

I have 1 machine with a 660 and it never drops below 25fps, always 25-60 fps with most settings maxed out.  And yes the clouds do look better with NVIDIA compared to my old AMD/ATI cards.  Xplane10 on the 660 is awesome also since xp10 uses the whole card's power and memory.  Love GTX NVIDIA :Love:

Horses for courses.  I know that the flight sim community is very anti-AMD cards but having owned both, i am very happy with my 6980 and will not change.  "Look Better" is very subjective, i would very much like to see a side by side comparison.  I might dig out my old nVidia and run a test.

Exactly, thinking of getting 660 myself as it does fine with one monitor and i5 3570k desktop machine I  have only dedicated to fsx. 

 

AMD-ATI they are fine with other games but fsx are garbage 

False.

 

Equivalent ATI cards work just as well. The issue have been resolved since the release of the 6000 series and beyond. Like nVidia, you have to set them up right is all. 

 

http://forum.avsim.net/topic/404430-optimal-settings-for-ati-users-with-fsx-great-results/

 

4 most important rules. Turn off AA in FSX menu. Set target framerate to 30. Turn off Surface Format Optimization in the driver and set AA to 4X and Super Sample. Looks fantastic and smooth stutter free framerates. Yes even in cloud.

 

C.

 

Horses for courses.  I know that the flight sim community is very anti-AMD cards but having owned both, i am very happy with my 6980 and will not change.  "Look Better" is very subjective, i would very much like to see a side by side comparison.  I might dig out my old nVidia and run a test.

 

+1

 

Seen it side by side myself. No difference. It is 100% due to mis-configuration on the users part all day long. Don't use typical nVidia tweaks for FSX with ATI. It only makes sense. They need different settings. I will screen shot for screen shot with anyone that wants to. But I have done this many times. FSX looks stunning on my 6950 and I have had nVidia before too.

 

There are people that use ATI for FSX that wont bother speaking up because they just get slammed by people in the FSX community for it.  :ph34r:

 

C.

Clouds and weather amd cards are terrible it's well known have to tweak to get around this limitation. On clear day neither card makes a big difference, but weather factored in see big fps drops that render flying unacceptable.

Clouds and weather amd cards are terrible it's well known have to tweak to get around this limitation. On clear day neither card makes a big difference, but weather factored in see big fps drops that render flying unacceptable.

All I can say is this...

 

Firstly, understand that my 6950 2GB is not quite as powerful as a GTX570 and is currently a sub $200 card. So I am not in a benchmark war here. But this is smooth without stutters for me. I have ORBX lights ENABLED. These are various weather settings in FSX I took them just now. Carenado Bonanza and Duke Turbine with RXP GNS530. Most of this is Portland. I use OPUSFSX and REX. Loading Static weather themes through OPUS menu.

 

System - Intel i7 2600K @ 4.2Ghz. 8GB RAM

 

Screen and driver settings - 1920x1080 4xAA(Super Sample) and 16xAF (HQ mode)

 

I have Cloud Coverage to HIGH and Distance to 80 in weather TAB.

First shot is set to unlimited the rest I locked. 

I lock at 30 to eliminate texture load lag per *******'s recommendation and have never looked back.

External limiters cause stutter as does unlimited for me when there is heavy overcast.

Scenery Complexity = Very High

Autogen = Dense.

Water Low x.2

The rest all the way to the right.