Hullo,

 

I bought X-Plane 10 not long ago and I am really enjoying it. I also have FSX but I have not used it since I acquired X-Plane; I have not quit on it though.

 

However, FSX is a 32-bit application and I am using the 64-bit version of X-plane 10. Now, I am not a hardware expert but I could imagine that the two applications make use of my hardware in different ways. This is my iMac:

 

27" iMac (medio 2011):

• Intel Core i5-2400 CPU (3,1GHz)
• 8GB DDR3 RAM
• AMD ATi Radeon HD 6970M (1GB DDR5 RAM)

Can anyone here tell me if I would see a better performance if I up my RAM from 8GB to 16GB? Or is X-Plane more focused on GPU and VRAM. In addition, would it be worth the cost of the RAM modules; approx. $142/€134/£97 for 2 x 4GB modules.

Thanks for your help in advance

On Win7 I went from 8 to 16 GB of RAM and didn't notice any difference in XP.  As it turns out my PC didn;t like the RAM combo so in the end I went back to 8GB.

 

If using UHD mesh v3 that 16GB may be what you need.  I know in the v3 mesh thread people using macs needed the 16GB.  But in my experience on Win OS, the additional 8 didn't do anything.  For some reason even in the v3 mesh areas my system memory is still way below 8GB.

With UHD mesh 16 gb wasn't enough . I actually had an out of memory on xpx.This was a PC but still should be close on a mac as the amount of data doesn't change.

I wouldn't worry about RAM for the moment, you should be able to run X-Plane okay with what you have, but as the guys say, avoid the UHD Mesh. I would think that the HD Mesh 3 would be fine though.

 

If I were you my biggest concern would be replacing that graphics card as 1GB VRAM will be extremely limiting for you. Go for at least a 4Gb if you can stretch to it. My 3Gb GTX780 works fine as I never use photoscenery.

Not with your configuration. As already written in your system the GPU is the even more ovious roadblock and since you can't change this in an iMac i wouldn't put anymore money in this machine.

I agree that the video card and amount of VRAM is essential to being able to really see what XP can do.  While FSX is terribly CPU speed bound, XP runs well on less CPU horsepower but you must keep the Rendering settings pulled back if you don't have room for your video card to work.

Thank you for your help. I have no intention of installing UHD Mesh. I do use HD Mesh v3. I shall save the money. When I do upgrade my desktop I shall build a PC for flight simming and use my laptop Mac (my "lapmac") for everything else that does not require rendering power.

 

Cheers,