Optimal fsx computer

[JohnsonPBX 8]

Thanks for your replies.

 

Dennis: Yes, my next GPU will be nVIDIA no doubt. NickN's guide is very good and complete, reading it at the moment. As to what to upgrade first... In my case it'd be more benefical to do as I proposed first, because my parents are going to help me with half the cost of the new computer. As such, I told them I'd give my current PC to them, so it's easier if I buy everything but the videocard first, because we could use both PCs separately. Of course, performance won't be at its peak, but having the rest of the PC assembled already, I could easily wait a month or two to get the videocard. 

 

Now I have two final questions, so any of your experienced opinions would be highly appreciated:

 

1. What I plan to do is buying a PC that will last at least 3 or 4 years. As such, I want to overclock the i7 4770k to around 4.2 - 4.5 GHz, cooled with a Corsair H100i. Single videocard configuration (could be an EVGA GTX 780 or 780Ti), SSD for FSX, etcetera. Nothing beyond this world. Today, while looking at different motherboards, I stumbled upon two models: ASUS Maximus VI Extreme, and ASUS Z87 Pro. Both look really good, but the Maximus VI Extreme, apart from being more than twice the price of the Z87 Pro, has some features or "gimmicks" they call that I might not even use or notice at all. My question is: would I be fine with the Z87 Pro? I ask this because such a big price difference must have a reason, performance-wise, perhaps. Will I have limitations when it comes to overclocking the 4770k compared to the Maximus VI Extreme? Can I pass from the good-looking Maximus VI Extreme and buy the cheaper, yet good (apparently) Z87 Pro? Or would I regret it in the future? I could buy both motherboard and processor today, but as you can imagine, I'm highly excited about it, so I don't want to make a quick, impulsive decision just to end up regretting it later.

 

2. Will 8GB of RAM memory be enough? As Dennis said above, 16GB could be slower than 8GB. I currently have 4GB, and constantly see my PC struggling when I have FSX and other programs open, to the point of seeing the task manager showing zero free memory. However, I assume that's because FSX has a 4GB memory limit (I used NTCore's 4GB Patch), and that combined with the other programs end up eating all the memory (logical). Question is: will 8GB be enough for handling FSX plus its addons? Or should I better go for 16GB? By addons I mean PFPX, FS Real Time, Active Sky Next, TeamSpeak, Skype Chrome and Winamp (hey, I can't go without my music!), all of which are open at the same time when flying. I'm not interested in professional video editing of such, so I definitely don't need 32+GB  :lol:

 

Big thanks in advance. According to what you guys reply, I might have (part of) a new PC today!

[Fabo 213]

8GB is enough for now, but make sure to make provisions to eventually bringing it up to 16GB

[mrbutt 0]

I just read the arcticle about the "Haswell reloaded". Should come midyear. One major benefit will be an improved heat efficiency and overclocking capability.

 

I think i will wait

 

Greetz

 

Chris

[JohnsonPBX 8]

Ladies and gentlemen... I just wanted to share with you, I couldn't wait anyomre, and I bought some new parts today. Purchased an i7 4770k, ASUS Z87 Pro and one Corsair Vengeance Pro DDR 8GB 2133MHz.

 

Having moved from a nearly 6 years old Intel Core2Quad 6600 @ 2.4GHz, a not-so-brilliant Intel DG31PR motherboard and some cheap 2x2GB DDR2 RAM modules, I can tell you I can't believe what I see now. While I used to struggle to get 12-17 FPS in my local airport addon scenery with a fully tweaked fsx.cfg, now I get constant and fluid 22-27 FPS in the same airport, and this is with a totally clean (non-tweaked) fsx.cfg, no overclock at all and still using my, again, nearly 6 years old MSI Radeon HD 4870 (512MB). I'm very very happy with the new performance, can't imagine when all the tweaking is done, and when I buy a new videocard! So far I'll enjoy it as much as I can. Thank you guys for your advice on the subject!