New FSX Rig

[markjj 47]

Hi guys, I just customized a new rig specifically for FSX and wanted to know what you guys think of it and the performance that I will get out of the machine.


Case:  Pharaoh EVO Super Tower Gaming Case
CPU:  Intel i7 4930k (I will most likely overclock)
CPU Fan:  Corsair Hydro Series H60 High Performance Liquid Cooling System
CD:  2 CD drives, 1 regular and 1 blu-ray
HDD:  2 TB 7200RPM (I would've gotten an SSD, but I really needed a 2 TB HDD or larger, and couldn't afford an SSD of the same capacity for 6x the price)
Memory:  16GB DDR3/1600 MHz Quad Channel Memory (Corsair)
Motherboard:  Asus Sabertooth X79
OS:  Windows 7 Home Premium (I opted out on Windows 8 considering the fact that I heard many problems and conflicts with it and FSX)
Video Card:  NVIDIA GTX 780 3GB EVGA Superclocked (I will upgrade to an SLI setup in the future since X-Plane and many other games take advantage of an SLI setup)
PSU:  Corsair 1000 watt
Thanks

[martin-w 3,234]

CPU Fan: Corsair Hydro Series H60 High Performance Liquid Cooling System

 

 

 

 

There are better. H110 etc. Or for air, NH-D14 or Thermalright Archon SB-EX2.

 

I take it you are okay in regard to the risk of leaks?

 

 

 

 

Memory: 16GB DDR3/1600 MHz Quad Channel Memory (Corsair)

 

 

Why not higher frequency?

 

 

 

 

[markjj 47]

Thanks for the reply.  Would an upgrade to 1866MHz RAM config be a good choice?  Also, I am aware of the risks with a water cooling system (leaks), although the H60 is a self-contained/pre-assembled system, so I assume the risks are less?  Are you saying that the H110 has better reliability, because I am willing to make the upgrade if it means that my system is safer from a possible leak.  Thanks

[martin-w 3,234]

1866MHz would better yes. 2133 and low timings better still. The memory controller is integrated into the CPU with Ivy Bridge-E, so it does depend on the individual CPU in regard to how fast memory can run in regard to a particular chip. The infamous silicone lottery at work.

My Ivy Bridge 3770K for example runs great at 2133, but I have to knock the timings back a bit compared to the XMP spec.
 

I am aware of the risks with a water cooling system (leaks), although the H60 is a self-contained/pre-assembled system, so I assume the risks are less?

All in one, self-contained water coolers do leak. How common such leaks are, is unclear, as the manufacturers don't release that information. So we have no idea how many leak compared to units sold. My own personal opinion is that leaks are quite rare, I base that on reports of leaks on support sites. However, it's obviously something that should be considered.
 
For me though, I prefer the zero chance of leaks that an air cooler provides. And to be honest, the two air coolers I mentioned above, beat all but the best, most expensive all in one coolers.


 

Are you saying that the H110 has better reliability, because I am willing to make the upgrade if it means that my system is safer from a possible leak. Thanks

 

 

No, I am saying the H110 is more efficient in terms of cooling. It's also quieter. A consideration as you said you will overclock.

 

Manufactures claim their AIO coolers achieve a given temperature, but what they frequently fail to mention is the noisy fans they include. In essence they cheat to achieve lower temps. We should always consider the efficiency of the heat sink itself, with the fan variable constant. When we do that, the H110 comes out pretty much on top.

[markjj 47]

Thanks for the tips.  I have upgraded to the Corsair H110 self-contained liquid cooling system.  I have also upgraded to ADATA XPG V2 1833MHz ram (16GB).  I will have the CPU overcooked by approximately 20% as well (~4.32GHz)

[Jake Bettencourt 0]

Recently I have been looking at upgrading my system for FSX as well, after reading this whole article about FSX and it's unique characteristics. Specifically with RAM the higher the speede the better. I would encourage you to read through this before building your system.

http://www.simforums.com/forums/the-fsx-computer-system-the-bible-by-nickn_topic46211.html

 

RAM that I found that looks very good, and since you are getting a very high end processor / MB it would a disadvantage to you to get lower speed memory.

G. SKill Trident X Series DDR3 2400 (F3-2400C9D-8GTXD).

Just my two cents, best of luck on your build!!

 

Edit: well I didn't even bother to look at your mother board... just did and that RAM won't really be useful for that... oh well, sorry haha, the link is still good to read though!

[markjj 47]

Thanks for the reply and I briefly skimmed the article, but will need to look at it in more detail over the weekend (A LOT of information haha).  I also want to note that I will be getting a 500GB or a 1TB SSD for my computer shortly after I receive it (because of logistics I sadly won't be able to have the SSD when my computer arrives with the rest of the components).  Because of this, I will most likely have to reformat my drive and uninstall everything so I can make the new SSD my primary drive.  Any tips on this?  Once again, once my SSD comes, I will most likely have FSX and other things installed, so how exactly do I transition to the SSD so I can have my OS, FSX and FSX related stuff on it?  It is my understanding that I will have to delete everything off my main HDD, then reformat, go into the BIOS and make the SSD the primary boot device, then install windows on it AND THEN begin putting all my programs back on.  Thanks