Was going to post this in the specific hardware forum for CPU's but thought that since this was a P3D related question I would post here instead.

 

I have a pretty beefy PC in terms of:

 

2 x ATI R970X GPU's

16gb Ram

SSD HDD's

 

However I am pretty sure all that power is hitting a bottleneck with a weedy CPU which I believe is an intel ARK G2030.  

 

Believe it or not I can get a resonable performance from P3D with the majority of sliders dropped down low. For me graphics are one thing but smoothness is more of a concern and I would like to use some photo scenery.

 

I want to change the CPU and the obvious choice is an i7 CPU overclocked. I am happy to do this, but it will take longer for me to save the cash and justify the spend.

 

So I am wondering if anyone is running an i5 (at stock speed or overclocked) and can report good performance? I would stand to save about £100 and will get it alot quicker. But of course I don't want to fork out the cash if it is not worth it (although I suspect anythign is better than what I have)

 

Any thoughts would be appreciated. I realise that the definition of adequate performance is subjective but a reasonable level of smoothness coupled with medium to slightly high slider settings would suit.

 

Thanks

 

Tom

Hello Tom,

 

You may try to install a i7 CPU NOT overclocked first, a good change the fps figure are satisfying.

 

I use an i7 with a NVIDIA GTX650 and only on special cases as there can be : B777 at EHAM/Aerosoft they wil drop below 20fps.

 

Cheers,

 

Ben

if you are not going to overclock, then I5 is fine.  Otherwise, in general, I7 is better CPU and can overclock higher.  Please noted, the key word is "In general". Your mileage may very depending on too many factors.  

 

However, I will try to use NVIDIA graphic card and not SLI, your setup is more on the looking for trouble sides.  Both SLI and ATI are not the best combination for FSX

Here's a suggestion...forget about the FPS. If it runs smooth then your good to go. To many simmers out there think that FPS is the holy grail. Well it's not. I'm running a I5 2500k @4.5 ghz and getting a pretty good experience without worry about FPS. I stop that along time ago. As long as it is flyable just enjoy what you are got. 

+1

I have been using an i5 4670k overclocked to 4.4 Ghz with very dense sliders and get very good performance (FTX Global, vector, etc.).  The GTX 670 SC is definitely the bottleneck in my system (which is why I have a 980 being shipped to my house at this very moment ).  I can report back on Wednesday on whether my CPU becomes the bottleneck which I highly doubt since I like to apply SGSSAA in NI.  

 

Example of performance: I flew the new A2A 182 all weekend in the SoCal region in clear to partly cloudy skies and maintained 40-50 FPS.

 

Ryan

Here's a suggestion...forget about the FPS. If it runs smooth then your good to go. To many simmers out there think that FPS is the holy grail. Well it's not. I'm running a I5 2500k @4.5 ghz and getting a pretty good experience without worry about FPS. I stop that along time ago. As long as it is flyable just enjoy what you are got. 

I couldn't agree more. I am a firm believer in smoothness. However having the CPU that I have does limit how much I can do with regards to scenery. Even the simplest of scenery addons causes some stuttering.

 

I have been using an i5 4670k overclocked to 4.4 Ghz with very dense sliders and get very good performance (FTX Global, vector, etc.).  The GTX 670 SC is definitely the bottleneck in my system (which is why I have a 980 being shipped to my house at this very moment ).  I can report back on Wednesday on whether my CPU becomes the bottleneck which I highly doubt since I like to apply SGSSAA in NI.  

 

Example of performance: I flew the new A2A 182 all weekend in the SoCal region in clear to partly cloudy skies and maintained 40-50 FPS.

 

Ryan

Sounds like the i5 is worth a shot. I am happy to overclock, my previous machine was overclocked with FSX.

 

Thanks for the advice folks.

 

Tom

Overclocking in today's environment. with most enthusiastic motherboards and "K" processor, is a walk in the park.(Nothing like 775 sockets (Q8400) with the good old North bridge.) Now all you have to do is just change the multi and you up to 4.5 in a snap.

Overclocking in today's environment. with most enthusiastic motherboards and "K" processor, is a walk in the park.(Nothing like 775 sockets (Q8400) with the good old North bridge.) Now all you have to do is just change the multi and you up to 4.5 in a snap.

Is there an idiots guide available anywhere?

Google search your MB/cpu combo and chances you'll find a guide or two already written.  Many of the MB will offer an overclocking genie or presets that will get you above 4ghz.  I wouldn't say 4.5ghz is a snap but it's achievable for most without a ton of work so long as you understand that your system is only as good as it's weakest link.

I used a guide on toms hardware age ago on my

old dual core processor I got that up to 4ghz from 3.16ghz. Although I understand that the newer i7 type processors have different settings etc I suspect the idea is similar.

 

Also I notice there are some software utilities that appear to do the same not sure how good they are. I modified bios settings. Asrock does one and I think you can set it to overclock when an applications loads to avoid your CPU being over worked.

 

Most important advice I can give before over clocking is to ensure you read and understand the advice out there and also ensure you have a decent CPU cooler.

 

Tom

I've had a water-cooled i5 2500k o/c'd to 4.8  running safely for the last couple of years . Runs P3D very well.

 

Chris

That's good to hear as I have my eyes on an i5 2500k. Was unsure which i5 to get but my budget is seriously tight. I'm not sure I can justify an i5 3570k if I can get a 2500k at the right price. It won't support pcie 3 but I have read the difference would not be noticeable????

 

Tom

Happy days. Bagged myself an i5 from eBay. Looking forward to getting p3d going with it

 

Thanks

 

Tom

I have a Asrock Z68 Extreme 4 Gen3 with a I5 2500K. I went into the bios, selected 45 on the multiplier, saved, close , reboot and away I went at 4.5 ghz. Haven't touched anything else since. That was 2 years ago and still going strong!  It really can't get any easier then that. Today's mother boards are geared up to do overclocking. Just get the right chip with a K and google a little and your good to go. This combo runs awesome.