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Sportsfan23

Building a new desktop?

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It has come to my attention from reading the forums that FSX was built to run on a desktop. While it appears it can function on a laptop if I truly want to experience FSX for what it is I need to use it on a desktop so my question is where should I begin when looking to build a new desktop?

 

Right now the current specs of the PC I am looking at are.

 

i7-4960 (6 cores, 15 MB cache, overclocked up to 4.3 GHZ with something called turbo boost)

Win 7 ultimate

Memory: 32 GB (4X8 GB) Quad Channel DDR3 at 1600 MHZ

Nvidia Geforce GTX 780 with 3 GB GDDR5.

 

It was said to me that I only need 1 video card and having 2 video cards could cause issues is this true?

 

Also which is better the Nvidia GTX 780 or the AMD Radeon HD 8990 6 GB GDDR 5 Dual GPU Card?

 

Thank you in advance!

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It is commonly agreed that the Nvidia platform is more much adapted to our sim than the AMD Radeon line of products.

 

One 780 should be enough catering to one to three monitors. Again common wisdom says that two would of no use and two bridged (SLI or Xfire) a potential nuisance.

 

I'm selecting parts for my new rig and I went to 4770K which can be boosted to higher frequencies and has hyperthreading which is of some use for other programs. 16 Gb should be enough except if you handle enormous files.


Dominique

Simming since 1981 -  4770k@3.7 GHz with 16 GB of RAM and a 1080 with 8 GB VRAM running a 27" @ 2560*1440 - Windows 10 - Warthog HOTAS - MFG pedals - MSFS Standard version with Steam

 

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Ok I will go with a Nvidia 780 then. Is 4.3 GHZ as fast as this processor can go or can you change some settings and actually make it go faster like manually overclocking your system even though it says 4.3 is already overclocked?

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Turbo Boost is an Intel processor feature which allows the OS to call for a mild overclocking  when needed. To my knowledge neither Haswel nor lvy Bridge  can overclock themselves beyond 3.9/4.0. After that you've to do it yourself and install a permament  overclocking the limit of which varies from processor to processor. 


Dominique

Simming since 1981 -  4770k@3.7 GHz with 16 GB of RAM and a 1080 with 8 GB VRAM running a 27" @ 2560*1440 - Windows 10 - Warthog HOTAS - MFG pedals - MSFS Standard version with Steam

 

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>> i7-4960 (6 cores, 15 MB cache, overclocked up to 4.3 GHZ with something called turbo boost)

 

Here is a discussion that Nick participated in concerning cores and FSX.

 

>> Win 7 ultimate

 

Read NickN's guide regarding Ultimate ... this OS pulls some stunts that are not amenable to FSX ... also, unless you are using the few features that Ultimate enables over and above Pro then you are wasting your money.

 

 

IMPORTANT NOTE: Windows 7 Ultimate will automatically enable a feature called 'BitLocker" and VhD (Virtual Hard Disk) support. These features are useless to a typical user and it forces Windows to create a hidden system partition on your computer.
 
 
As long as you have no intention of using the BitLocker encryption feature and will not be using any advanced tools to attempt access/recovery of encrypted files, and, you do not need the support for VhD or others of that nature,..
 
 
In order to AVOID this partition nonsense, install Windows Ultimate using this outline:
 
 
At the first Windows setup screen (Language, Keyboard, etc.) press SHIFT+F10. This will open a command prompt window. Enter the following diskpart commands to create a partition.
 
- Diskpart

- List disk     
*NOTE: This command is important. It will show you what disk drives you have. Most likely your hard drive will be will be Disk 0, but you need to check to be sure the right drive is selected for Windows first!

- select disk 0   (or the Windows install disk you verified in the last step)

- clean

- create partition primary size=100000  align=1024  
*NOTE: this creates a partition 100GB in size and aligns the drive at the same time. If you want to use the whole hard drive instead of a partition, just leave off the size=number)
 
 
- select partition 1
- active
- format fs=ntfs quick

 
 
Type Exit to leave Diskpart. 
 
Type Exit to close the command prompt. 
 
Now continue with the install. When you get to the partition screen, highlight the partition you just created and click Next. 
 
 
Windows will install to the partition you created and not create the 100MB boot partition. Instead, you will see a C:\Boot folder when the install is finished
 

 

 

 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

>> Memory: 32 GB (4X8 GB) Quad Channel DDR3 at 1600 MHZ

 

FSX only recognizes 8GB ... plus you want a speed more around the lines of 9-11-11-31 DDR3 2400MHZ.  These are very good and I'm running 4.6GHz stable with the memory at 2400 (PC3 19200) and a NB frequency of 4200MHz

 

>> Nvidia Geforce GTX 780 with 3 GB GDDR5.

 

This is a good choice, but make sure you purchase the OC version ... factory overclocking is better than trying to do it yourself for various reasons ... warranty being a good example.

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I appreciate the information thank you. I though am not installing any of this. It is going to come pre-loaded with windows installed already. I picked the best options off the site I got the computer from. There was a thought of building it myself and just hand picking parts and putting it together but I don't know nearly enough about all of that to make educated decisions. So I just tried to pick a computer that to me on paper seemed like it would be good enough to run FSX at a good level.

 

As far as the windows thing goes can that be overcome once it is already installed?

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These are very good and I'm running 4.6GHz stable with the memory at 2400 (PC3 19200) and a NB frequency of 4200MHz

 

Is it possible to just buy this memory once I have the computer and put it in myself? Even if it was possible I have zero idea how to do that. I don't know really anything about the inner workings of a computer.

 

EDIT: Since I am getting 32 GB already that should mean I can install 32 GB of that memory correct if it's possible? I dunno really anything about memory except more is better I have been told. Also is this RAM compatible with a Dell computer?

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As far as the windows thing goes can that be overcome once it is already installed?

 

I would advise not to touch anything ! The partition might be useless to you as it comes but will not do any  harm . On the other hand, Windows is a complicated world. Tweak it without sufficient knowledge and it might bite you ! 


Dominique

Simming since 1981 -  4770k@3.7 GHz with 16 GB of RAM and a 1080 with 8 GB VRAM running a 27" @ 2560*1440 - Windows 10 - Warthog HOTAS - MFG pedals - MSFS Standard version with Steam

 

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I would advise not to touch anything ! The partition might be useless to you as it comes but will not do any  harm . On the other hand, Windows is a complicated world. Tweak it without sufficient knowledge and it might bite you ! 

 

Yea I don't want to have to tweak anything unless I have to. I know I will have to tweak a couple things within FSX but I think I understand how that works so I should be able to do that ok. I just need to find out where in the config folder I am supposed to add the tweaks haha.

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Is it possible to just buy this memory once I have the computer and put it in myself? Even if it was possible I have zero idea how to do that. I don't know really anything about the inner workings of a computer.

If you don't know much about computer, either take the time to learn (a lot of resources in the internet including youtube) or, if you want to play quick, just buy yourself a ready made rig. Inserting memory sticks is not really difficult (one has to be cautious though) but choosing the right sort of memory is an art in itself :smile: . 32 Gb is BIG except if you are going to handle/process enormous files. 16 Gb is IMO good if you intent to do  multitasking (including forgetting to close the numerous windows opened during a session :wink: ) and graphic editing .


Dominique

Simming since 1981 -  4770k@3.7 GHz with 16 GB of RAM and a 1080 with 8 GB VRAM running a 27" @ 2560*1440 - Windows 10 - Warthog HOTAS - MFG pedals - MSFS Standard version with Steam

 

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Honestly, I'm unsure exactly how much the memory difference would make in a blind "taste" test.  I simply built my machine from scratch so I was able to follow NickN's instructions to the letter ... and got a stable 4.6GHz with 4200 NB and the temperatures never leave the 60's ... but that is due from delidding and lapping.  Take a look here for a fairly well documented following of my travails.  So, as for changing the memory from the one you picked ... don't ... no use messing with a perfectly good warranty.

 

As for the operating system ... it is no big deal either ... I simply wanted you to know about NickN's article (if you didn't already) so you know what you  are up against.

 

I would love to know what your temps are with OCCT or Prime95 or Aida64.  Did you get water cooling with your computer?

 

Hope you have a great Flight Sim experience.  Don't forget to follow NickN's guide for tweaking FSX ... it is pretty simple ... you will find a bunch of people purporting their tweaks are the best ... start with Nick's first and then ... tweak by tweak ... make changes ... and then evaluate them using the same parameters each time (location, weather, etc.).

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If you don't know much about computer, either take the time to learn (a lot of resources in the internet including youtube) or, if you want to play quick, just buy yourself a ready made rig. Inserting memory sticks is not really difficult (one has to be cautious though) but choosing the right sort of memory is an art in itself :smile: . 32 Gb is BIG except if you are going to handle/process enormous files. 16 Gb is IMO good if you intent to do  multitasking (including forgetting to close the numerous windows opened during a session :wink: ) and graphic editing .

This computer is going to be ready made already which is why I just picked what seemed like the best option for what my choices were. How much improvement could I expect with getting the new memory versus the one that is coming with the system? If it's marginal then I don't see a reason to get it but if it's going to make a vast improvement I would certainly consider getting it.

 

I actually looked at how to install it a little while ago and it seems like you can just unplug one and plug in the new one.

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Honestly, I'm unsure exactly how much the memory difference would make in a blind "taste" test.  I simply built my machine from scratch so I was able to follow NickN's instructions to the letter ... and got a stable 4.6GHz with 4200 NB and the temperatures never leave the 60's ... but that is due from delidding and lapping.  Take a look here for a fairly well documented following of my travails.  So, as for changing the memory from the one you picked ... don't ... no use messing with a perfectly good warranty.

 

As for the operating system ... it is no big deal either ... I simply wanted you to know about NickN's article (if you didn't already) so you know what you  are up against.

 

I would love to know what your temps are with OCCT or Prime95 or Aida64.  Did you get water cooling with your computer?

 

Hope you have a great Flight Sim experience.  Don't forget to follow NickN's guide for tweaking FSX ... it is pretty simple ... you will find a bunch of people purporting their tweaks are the best ... start with Nick's first and then ... tweak by tweak ... make changes ... and then evaluate them using the same parameters each time (location, weather, etc.).

 

Well the system specs say I am getting one that is OC'd to 4.3 GHZ but I have seen videos where people actually over clock the system I am getting up to 4.5 which I am not sure if that is smart or not.

 

Yea I picked the "premium liquid cooling" when I ordered it. I have no idea how that differs from the standard liquid cooling they offered but hopefully it's worth the extra money.

 

When I get it I would be happy to check the temps and share. Of the 3 programs you listed for checking it which would be best? I just want to make sure I am giving FSX every opportunity to succeed on the system which is why I would certainly entertain getting the new ram if it would make a marked improvement.

 

Thank you very much, I will be sure to read the article and hopefully figure out how to incorporate the suggestions.

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Also after reading the thread you made I mean while it sounds like a really cool thing you did I think that is far to advanced for me. Now if there was a way I could test the CPU above 4.3 GHZ without having to do all that I would certainly consider doing that. 

 

Is getting this CPU OC'd at 4.3 like the low end as far as how fast it can go or is the company maxing it out at 4.3?

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