fsx/fsx-se? Hello Everyone! Need some input please

[Saucey12 38]

I want to introduce myself:  My name is Jason and I have been out of the sim world for about ten years.  My last experience was FS9, with my old PC that I had built from the ground up.  I loved FS9.  I fell out of the sim world over the past decade because I have been busy trying to get my career on track, yada yada.  Well I am now ready to reenter the world that I loved.  I know that there has been a lot of changes in technology since my day of flight sim and I'm attempting to catch back up. I am hoping that I can connect with people on here to get their input and help.  I would appreciate the conversation and help.  I am not a big techie type person,  I do not know how to write computer code or anything like that, I've never painted my own livere or anything like that.  I know a lot about aviation and flying, just not about the in depth computer technical world.  I will explain what I would like to do point by point and I welcome any suggestions or input that you guys could offer!

 

I am going to build a new computer from the ground up with a good processor, the best video card I can get, and buy myself a good monitor or two.  Here is where I need suggestions:

 

I am into both private and commercial aviation aircraft.  Not really the type that is into the combat sim thing.  Mostly old and new GA and airline aircraft.  Would FS10 be my best option as far as being able to download and incorporate new aircraft into the program?  I know that you must pay for the well designed ones that work well and efficiently and I'd be willing to invest in that down the road. 

 

Also.. The OS of the computer.. I will have a Windows OS.  Do you guys think that Windows 10 will run the sim programs as well as Win 7 or 8 does?  Because if there's any doubts I want to be sure and get a copy of the older Windows OS before much time passes.  

 

And as far as the video card is concerned.. Is the most expensive and latest Geoforce with 4gb of vram the best I can expect for a new PC I am building?  

 

Keep in mind that when you talk to me I do have a good understanding of computer terms, but I am by far a pro LOL, now if you are talking real aviation lingo, chances are I will understand just fine.  

 

I look forward to hearing from some of you!

 

Thanks,

Jason

[Jim Young 2,356]

I am into both private and commercial aviation aircraft. Not really the type that is into the combat sim thing. Mostly old and new GA and airline aircraft. Would FS10 be my best option as far as being able to download and incorporate new aircraft into the program? I know that you must pay for the well designed ones that work well and efficiently and I'd be willing to invest in that down the road.

Also.. The OS of the computer.. I will have a Windows OS. Do you guys think that Windows 10 will run the sim programs as well as Win 7 or 8 does? Because if there's any doubts I want to be sure and get a copy of the older Windows OS before much time passes.

 

The OS used makes no difference.  Windows 7, 8.1, and 10 all work well with FSX.  You just have to know these OS's have a lot of security built-in to protect you from evil people around the world who try to hack into computers, and download malware and viruses into your computer.  So, we recommend you disable UserAccessControls (UAC) and any anti-virus or malware program when you install FSX and any FSX addon as these programs may put files into quarantine and not allow required registry entries.  When you install FSX into Windows 10, we recommend the guidance at the following link - http://support.precisionmanuals.com/kb/a87/how-to-uninstall-and-reinstall-fsx.aspx.  Of course, we also recommend the AVSIM CTD Guide (see link in my signature) as it provides information on the hidden files, how to find the hidden files, and how to disable UAC.  It also has guidance on how to set up your system so that you can avoid crashes and freezes when using FSX.

 

The AVSIM Forums also has forums for Windows 7, 8, and 10.  The users there have already discussed whether the OS works well with FSX, FSX-SE, and P3D.  So you might want to peruse that forum in our Hardware section.

 

 

 

And as far as the video card is concerned.. Is the most expensive and latest Geoforce with 4gb of vram the best I can expect for a new PC I am building?

 

AVSIM has a great section on video cards.  I recommend the NVidia cards vs AMD as ATI/AMD was a bit slow in developing new drivers for their video cards when FSX was first developed and released.  So, the techs who built FSX had to use NVidia cards to develop the product.  ATI/AMD was upset with Microsoft for developing a new OS as they thought XP was the best platform ever developed and they didn't like Vista (now Windows 7).  I have a GTX 780 and it works great with FSX and P3D.  I think you need to know that FSX is more dependent on the CPU than the GPU whereas FS9 and earlier simulators were more dependent on the GPU than the CPU.  So, it is more important to have a good CPU.  Any i7 CPU works great with FSX and it is best to get one with the 'K' (i.e., i7 4770K) as that denotes you can overclock the CPU if you ever decide to do that.

 

Hope you enjoy your visits at AVSIM!

 

Best regards,

Edited May 23, 2016 by Jim Young
Added Link

[Saucey12 38]

T

 

The OS used makes no difference.  Windows 7, 8.1, and 10 all work well with FSX.  You just have to know these OS's have a lot of security built-in to protect you from evil people around the world who try to hack into computers, and download malware and viruses into your computer.  So, we recommend you disable UserAccessControls (UAC) and any anti-virus or malware program when you install FSX and any FSX addon as these programs may put files into quarantine and not allow required registry entries.  When you install FSX into Windows 10, we recommend the guidance at the following link - http://support.precisionmanuals.com/kb/a87/how-to-uninstall-and-reinstall-fsx.aspx.  Of course, we also recommend the AVSIM CTD Guide (see link in my signature) as it provides information on the hidden files, how to find the hidden files, and how to disable UAC.  It also has guidance on how to set up your system so that you can avoid crashes and freezes when using FSX.

 

The AVSIM Forums also has forums for Windows 7, 8, and 10.  The users there have already discussed whether the OS works well with FSX, FSX-SE, and P3D.  So you might want to peruse that forum in our Hardware section.

 

 

 

 

AVSIM has a great section on video cards.  I recommend the NVidia cards vs AMD as ATI/AMD was a bit slow in developing new drivers for their video cards when FSX was first developed and released.  So, the techs who built FSX had to use NVidia cards to develop the product.  ATI/AMD was upset with Microsoft for developing a new OS as they thought XP was the best platform ever developed and they didn't like Vista (now Windows 7).  I have a GTX 780 and it works great with FSX and P3D.  I think you need to know that FSX is more dependent on the CPU than the GPU whereas FS9 and earlier simulators were more dependent on the GPU than the CPU.  So, it is more important to have a good CPU.  Any i7 CPU works great with FSX and it is best to get one with the 'K' (i.e., i7 4770K) as that denotes you can overclock the CPU if you ever decide to do that.

 

Hope you enjoy your visits at AVSIM!

 

Best regards,

Thank you so much Jim!  I am going to be buying components to build this PC slowly throughout the summer so as to shop around and save some cash.  I have read up on the computer parts forums lately and it really helped me to get caught up on the technology available today.  With the "library" on the avsim site here.. Is that where trusted users on here upload add-ons to be made available to other users on here?  I surely do not mind paying for a good add-on.  I am particularly interested in the DC-3, DC-9, MD-80, you know the great classics

Have a good day and thanks!

[Jim Young 2,356]

Anything uploaded to the AVSIM Library is checked for malware and viruses before it is placed in the Library.  When you download an addon for FSX, say an FS Dreamteam product, a PMDG product, a product from one of the many flightsim stores, you can be assured the product was screened for viruses and malware before it was put on the site for sale and you are downloading the product from a secure location.  So yes, these products are all considered trusted and you can download and install them with UAC disabled and any malware or anti-virus program should also be temporarily disabled or set not to scan the FSX folder as malware and anti-virus programs find a lot of "false-positives" and they simply will not install a required module.  This will leave you wondering why your product does not work or will not load.  After some investigation you'll find that the file was placed in quarantine.  You can take it out of quarantine but your malware or anti-virus program will continue to return it to quarantine when you start up FSX (or P3D/FSX-SE).  

 

I'm sure some members will be happy to tell you about their favorite DC-3, DC-8, or the MadDog aircraft.

 

Best regards,