Hello forum-

 

Over the past years, I have spent hundreds of hours on the phone with Microsoft, and I have spent hundreds of dollars on new computers the were supposed to "be fast enough." And it all has been a big waste. It wasn't until a few weeks ago, I really understood what it takes to run FSX with the performance many of the big simmers have today.

I currently have a AMD FX 8320 Eight Core processor, and my performance in FSX (w/ pay ware planes at pay ware airports) is atrocious. So I looked through Youtube at all of the big names, IFlySimX, iFlyMax737, and I saw that they have-

 

Intel i7 (around) 4770K, processors.

 

And I have found exactly that. An Intel i7 4770K 3.5GHz.

 

Should I get this?

Would my standard fan be enough cooling?

Is it only the processor that gives FSX good performance?

Is FSX better with AMD or Intel, why?

 

Thank you so much! I am planning to get this soon, I just wanted to check with the forums before I make another possible (expensive) mistake.

 

-ValleyDeer.

That's a great choice but you want a aftermarket cooler... Such as the Corsair Hxx products or Noctua DH14

 

You then want to overclock it to as high as it goes.... Typically 4.2 - 4.5

 

What video card do you have?

An nVidia GTX 650 isn't bad, most of them probably run 770s though (?)

I have an nVidia. GTX 650.

760 or 660 would definitely be better.

 

I guess on a budget the 650 is ok.

I read that the processor is where FSX gets its performance. Should I still get the lilted processor?

 

I'm not that worried about graphics, just performance. My 650 + ENB looks beautiful, the FPS aren't though.

Should I get this?

4770K is a good choice. [but not the only choice] Overclocked it's even better.

 

 

 

Would my standard fan be enough cooling?

Not if you intend to overclock. [Advisable] For air cooling Ryan mentioned the NH-D14, but be aware that the NH-D15 is now available, with somewhat better cooling and better RAM clearance. Alternatively, and cheaper, the Thermalright Archon SB-EX2 is very effective without any RAM clearance issues.

 

If you aren't concerned about the risk of leaks, the top of the range all-in-one water coolers are a good choice, like the Corsair H110 for example.

 

 

 

 

Is it only the processor that gives FSX good performance?

No, it's not. FSX loves a powerful CPU, this is the priority, with high frequency and a fast architecture. However, a top-notch graphics card does increase performance too.

 

 

Is FSX better with AMD or Intel, why?

Intel, because Intel CPU's have a faster CPU architecture.

Great processor but you'll need a new motherboard if you currently have an AMD FX 8320.

The sweet spot i have found with fsx and cpu power is around 4.4ghz depending on your settings in the sim and what you fly. With my cpu overclocked to 4.4ghz i can get in and out of a lot of addon airports with the NGX with around 30ish frames per second.

 

Decent cooling is a must if you plan to overclock as you dont want to risk cooking the cpu.

Intel only option with fsx learned that hard way as fx6300 could never run smooth as i5 3570k, but the I5 3570k does the job for me since I just fly vfr photo scenery and crank the weather and use 3d lights. Got i7 4770k recently and probably last CPU for fsx all need.

Thanks guys.

My current motherboard is a Gigabyte (forgot model).

And I don't know how to overclock, if I can find an easy tutorial on YouTube with an Intel processor, then I will buy the fan.

 

Freaknout, what do you mean by "new motherboard"?

make sure you have a descent PSU. and an overclock ready MOBO.

Freaknout, what do you mean by "new motherboard"?

 

Different types of CPU's use different sockets. The motherboard you likely have is one for AMD CPU's and perhaps a certain range of CPU's. If you buy a new CPU you need to make sure you have a matching motherboard in which to insert.

 

Eg. I have an ivy bridge i5 and I could upgrade to an ivy bridge i7, but if I chose a Haswell chip it won't be compatible.

There's more to it than just "buying the fan". You need to do some proper research, determine if your case will be big enough for your intended cooler, determine if there will be any ram clearance issues etc, etc.

Most Asus motherboards have a TPU switch will give you a very easy and stable 4.2 GHz with the flick of a switch. Higher overcook's will require research.
 

Freaknout, what do you mean by "new motherboard"?

 

 

Sorry but if you don't understand what is meant by the above statement, then you need to stop what you are doing, buy nothing, and do extensive research. You have virtually no knowledge, if you just buy stuff you WILL make an expensive mistake.

From my very limited knowledge but very extensive experience in making mistakes, I have learned one thing. You have to have the right balance for FSX or you will not get the performance you are looking for.

 

You can go buy a 4770k and overclock the crap out of it. If you don't have the right GPU you will bottleneck your CPU and waste your time and money. Same goes for the other way around. You can buy yourself a 6GB GTX 780 Ti and put it with weak under clocked CPU and bottleneck your GPU.

 

Search the forums, look at specs of people's rigs that you are pretty sure know what they are talking about, read articles of people that are as impartial as possible and find out the best bits and pieces within your budget for the application(s) you are going to run.

 

I don't have the hottest rig in town, but just by upgrading my GPU gave me the performance I was looking for on my average 3570k.

 

Regards,