An ssd or a soundcard?

[Hageneezz 3]

Hi all, 

 

I`ve got some spare cash at the moment, still using FS9 as the main flight simulator..I`ve got an i5 system and will post the specs below..

 

Intel core i5-3570 @ 3.4 ghz

Windows 7 home premium 64 bit

8192mb ram

Nvidia GeForce GT 640

Sweex 16 bit external soundcard

 

I am thinking of buying either a Soundblaster X-fi soundcard or a Samsung SSD drive..I had a lot of stutters going on when ATC was active (microstutters when ATC began talking) but when i added the USB soundcard the stutters were reduced a bit..

 

I just would like you guys opinions on this, what would you recommend me to buy?

 

 

 

[Capt Richardo 12]

A SSD is a good investment no matter what ... especially for flight simulation, the #1 single item to make a massive difference IMO, get the largest you can afford 512gb is a nice size, you'll soon fill it up.

 

Think you might have to do a bit of detective work as a new SSD or sound card might not solve your stuttering issues.

 

Rich

[Hageneezz 3]

Thank you.

[Rocky_53 1,579]

As Rich said, an SSD won't help with texture loading or stutters. Although it will help enormously with the speed that FSX loads. Also, you'll always know that everything is working as efficiently as it possbly can, and there is no need for defragging either.

[Noel 4,503]

am thinking of buying either a Soundblaster X-fi soundcard or a Samsung SSD drive

 

 

Very likely the sound card isn't contributing much one way or the other to 'micro stutters when ATC began talking'.  If you listen carefully you should notice it is only the FIRST TIME the .wav file loads that their might be a stutter.  This comes, I believe, from loading the .wav file from HDD > RAM.  Once in RAM, there should no longer be a stutter when the .wav file executes (i.e., sometimes the same file is played more than once).  An SSD will likely help this greatly, and this should hopefully demonstrate how this might be the case:

 

 

My sense is the vastly faster average read access time along w/ the much fast read time combine to make a big difference in .wav file relate slight hitches.   I'm basing this on the fact I no longer have these hitches w/ ATC files since changing to an SSD.  I did however upgrade the whole machine at the same time, and don't have a separate sound device.   In fact it has been many moons since add-on sound cards have been needed for FS.

[megs8888 20]

Don't need a soun card when you got graphics card do you?<br /><br /><br />Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD