New FSX build, suggestions and critique

[westman 257]

We have this test made by Saab 340 , good reading

http://forum.avsim.net/topic/412163-the-impact-of-different-ram-speeds-and-timings-in-fsx/#entry2700638

[Guest]

 

 

We have this test made by Saab 340 , good reading

 

That was an interesting read ... so that thread suggests that if you stick with JEDEC standards 1600 - 8 then you are running at 0.9 fps slower than JEDEC 2133 - 11 ... if you go outside of JEDEC standards you can gain 2.1 fps.

[Flight simmer 2]

All food for thought guys, thanks for the responses. The more I think about it, the more I am leaning towards having the OS and FSX on a seperate drive and keeping FSX on a large seperate drive at that. I want to keep the machine for a good few years, not only for performance but because of the fact that FSX seems to be the last MSFS and that the huge number of excellent scenery packages coming out for it are turning it into a near real-life experience (and this costs major gigabytes!)

 

I know that FSX doesn't gain framerates from an SSD, and SSD's being very expensive in anything 500gb and over, I may just go for a 1TB Velociraptor as a dedicated FSX drive. I'm not too fussed about waiting an extra few seconds for loading. If there are no frames to be gained, then the 3x price premium for the same size drive is not justified. With that, I might get a 256gb SSD for the OS and a 2TB HDD for other games, files, media etc. 

 

 

One thing is that I've never built a PC myself and I am nervous at the thought of cutting my teeth on a very expensive gaming powerhouse so I will likely get a local PC shop to put it together. 

[wanabflyer 53]

 

 

One thing is that I've never built a PC myself and I am nervous at the thought of cutting my teeth on a very expensive gaming powerhouse so I will likely get a local PC shop to put it together.

 

The build is the fun part, you can't miss that. Just do your research and take your time.

 

Try it you'll like it!

 

Regards,

[Flight simmer 2]

I may just bite the bullet and build it myself. I listed the parts and prices from the most well known IT shops here and did a comparison.Turns out I would save anywhere from $150-250 if I sourced the parts from the stores where they are the cheapest and put it together myself. 

[wanabflyer 53]

[Flight simmer 2]

It's like getting paid to have fun.

 

Regards,

 

Those cost savings are significant, and I do enjoy working out things for myself and it can be a great learning experience. I intend to use NickN's guides to help me through the process. Reading through his guides has helped me select my components so far. 

 

My latest proposed setup:

 

CPU: i7-4770k

 

MOBO: Asus Z87 Pro

 

GPU: Asus GTX780 Direct CUII

 

RAM: 8GB G.Skill Ripjaws 2400mhz 10-12-12-31, 1.65v OR Ripjaws 2133mhz 9-11-10-28, 1.5v

 

HDD: 2TB Western Digital black for storage, media, games and files

 

HDD 2: 1TB Western Digital Velociraptor for FSX and addons only

 

SSD: Samsung 840 Pro 256GB for Windows 7 and its apps

 

Power Supply: Corsair HX850 watt V2 gold

 

Cooler: Corsair H110 

 

Case: Coolermaster HAF X

 

OS: Windows 7 home 

 

 

Unfortunately I can't find 2400 CAS9 RAM here. I will likely go for Ripjaws as the Trident Heatspreader is very high and may not fit with my cooling system. 

 

 

Purchasing this setup assembled from a well known PC supplier would cost  $3200, but if I purchase the parts myself from the cheapest suppliers, I'd be saving over $270. That is no chicken feed..... that will buy me a big array of addons.....

[wanabflyer 53]

Look's like a nice rig to me.

 

Enjoy,

[Flight simmer 2]

I may infact go with a Thermalright Archon SB-E x2 air cooler rather than the H110. I understand this cooler is very good and won't intrude into the RAM slots so don't have to worry about heatspreader height. It is also half the cost of the H110. Not being experienced in overclocking myself, I won't be pushing the limits so I think going for an air-cooled solution may be a good choice. 

[Arismac 10]

I don't think even you guys are going to escape the coming summer, which will be HOT. Perhaps consider raising your PSU to 1,000w or even 1,200w I am now very glad I did and I have power to spare for the two GPU's in SLI.

 

Cheers, Mac

[martin-w 3,244]

I may infact go with a Thermalright Archon SB-E x2 air cooler rather than the H110. I understand this cooler is very good and won't intrude into the RAM slots so don't have to worry about heatspreader height. It is also half the cost of the H110. Not being experienced in overclocking myself, I won't be pushing the limits so I think going for an air-cooled solution may be a good choice.

It also doesn't cool as good as the H110.

 

I would look at the reviews comparing the two if I were you.

 

You may not intend to overclock much NOW, but when you are comfortable with your system you may change your mind.

 

My philosophy after years of building my own systems, is to go for the best I can afford.

 

In my case that was the D14 because I don't like the notion of water leaks.

 

It's also worth considering that tall RAM heat sinks are a gimick and aren't really required.

 

For my D14 I purchased the older Corsair Dominator GT RAM and removed the detachable fins from the top of the heat sinks, they unscrew.

[Flight simmer 2]

 

I don't think even you guys are going to escape the coming summer, which will be HOT. Perhaps consider raising your PSU to 1,000w or even 1,200w I am now very glad I did and I have power to spare for the two GPU's in SLI.

 

Cheers, Mac

 

 

It seems that spring is yet to begin, let alone summer! With the weather in Melbourne this November, I could easily get away with the stock Intel cooler  :lol:

 

There is no reason for me to get a 1000w PSU as I am going to use only 1 card. FSX doesn't take advantage of SLI so no reason to spend another several hundred there (unless if you're using it for other gaming applications). 

 

 

 

 

 

It also doesn't cool as good as the H110.

I would look at the reviews comparing the two if I were you.

You may not intend to overclock much NOW, but when you are comfortable with your system you may change your mind.

My philosophy after years of building my own systems, is to go for the best I can afford.

In my case that was the D14 because I don't like the notion of water leaks.

It's also worth considering that tall RAM heat sinks are a gimick and aren't really required.

For my D14 I purchased the older Corsair Dominator GT RAM and removed the detachable fins from the top of the heat sinks, they unscrew.

 

That's a good point that I didn't consider re getting comfortable with overclocking. I'm a total n00b to overclocking but I want all the hardware there when I get versed with it. I may choose the H110 after all, but yeah I am reading reviews and comparisons, not only for that but for graphics cards, RAM, etc. 

 

BTW, if anyone knows where I can get 2400mhz CL9 memory in Australia, give me a shout! It seems to be impossible to find here. Best I can do is 2400 CL10 or 2133 CL9.