Like a few others at the moment, I'm also going for the magic FSX tweak........new hardware!

 

The only resource hungry stuff on this PC will be FSX, with a single screen and I'm kind of happy with what I'm about to order. These are the interesting bits and they've been checked for compatibilty using PCSpecialist, who will also be building this;

 

Fractal Define R4 black pearl quiet mid-tower.

Overclocked Intel® Core™i5-3570k Quad Core (3.40GHz @ max 4.60GHz)

Asus® P8Z77-V: PCI-E 3.0 Ready, WIFI etc

8GB Kingston Hyperx Beast Dual-DDR3 2400MHz X.M.P (2 x 4GB KIT)

2GB Nvidia GEForce GTX 670

2 x 500GB WD Caviar Black WD5003AZEX (1 for FSX)

Corsair 650W Enthusiast Series™ TX650 V2-80 Plus® Bronze

Corsair H80i Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler

Arctic MX-4 Extreme thermal compound

 

But...

 

Do I need to spend so much on the GPU? Is there going to be a noticeable benefit using the 670 over a 650, 660 or 660TI?

 

Is there any reason not to get this memory as the difference in cost between 1600 and 2400 is minimal?

 

And I suppose the last nagging thoughts will be over the HDD vs SSD. I know there's a token load time benefit using a SSD, but assuming I went for a couple of 120GB SSD's (1 for system and stuff and 1 for FSX) plus a 500GB HDD for photos, files etc, I'd be looking at an extra £150 and probably end up regretting not getting bigger drives too!

 

So, is there that much of a benefit using SSD's over what are supposedly fast HDD's?

 

All comments gratefully received before I go splurge.

That looks like one strong setup. A 670 is not fully necessary unless you play other games.

I was looking at something similar. Does 8GB RAM offer significant upgrade over 4GB RAM for FSX with addons?

I was looking at something similar. Does 8GB RAM offer significant upgrade over 4GB RAM for FSX with addons?

 

No, FSX being a 32bit application cannot address more than 4GB of memory

 

Actually, to amend my comment yes you should get more RAM, because then FSX has 4GB to itself and your system has access to the remaining 4

Still pondering over the GPU.  The 670 does seem over the top for what this PC is being used for and I'm too lazy to figure out the difference between 650 (TI or not) and 660 (TI or not)......guess I need to have a little reading time.

 

I have decided to ditch the HDD for 2 120GB SSD's and swap out of the old PC a 500GB HDD for extra storage.

http://www.hwcompare.com/13458/geforce-gtx-650-vs-geforce-gtx-660/

 

 

This site suggests there is a significant difference.

Thanks James, I just saw something similar another site, so it seems that's a decision made.  Now to have a read up on memory.

I have a 660 ti, and an i7 3770k. I still have yet to max the card out. The CPU on the other hand is a different story.

Even an i7 struggles with this game?

Even an i7 struggles with this game?

Unless you can bring up to 6ghz, every processor struggles. Compromises will have to be made, to use REX clouds, 737 NGX, payware airports, and GEX it is impossible to get 30fps. FSX likes raw processor speed, so having more cache memory or something like that, does very little.

I'd ditch the 670 and go with a 660 card. I don't think FSX will utilize any performance gains a 670 might get you over the 660 with today's current CPU's. Using two hard drives is the best approach and I see in a follow up reply you were switching to SSD which is also great.  

 

However, with a 128GB SSD for FSX you might find yourself wanting more space quickly. I have a 128GB SSD for Windows which is plenty fine and a 250GB SSD for FSX and my FSX SSD is about 60% full.  Your space requirements will depend on the amount of add-ons you plan on installing, especially scenery.

GTX 650 ti installed on fx6300 it does the job. Figure all get 660 gtx install on my other pc i5 3570k dedicated to fsx pc and call it a day GTX 670 and up is overkill and diminishing returns factor in.. CPU is what fsx likes put money towards add ons instead hardware arms race.

Would you say an i5 3570, 8GB RAM, GTX 650 Ti is good enough to smoothly run FSX with addons? 

Make sure you get the 3570K - the K means unlocked multiplier... important for easy OCing. One can still OC without the unlocked multiplier of course... but they generally OC easier and further with the K series.

Oh my, it's Paul Golding!

 

660Ti is fine for FSX...

I prefer 2400MHz ram for Ivy bridge (it seems to actually take advantage of the faster RAM)

I see you've updated your drive preferences .. but imho FSX with addons won't fit on a 120GB... mine is nearly out, and that's without photoscenery addons.  I'm sure 120GB would be good for a vanilla installation (maybe for development hehe)

I do like SSD though... love the quick loads.

 

Have fun!

I would go for the 660ti, instead of the 650ti