Ok, I'm heading out tomorrow to get a 1060 graphics card.

Brian, I would avoid the EVGA 10 series cards at the moment due to possible overheating problems - see http://www.pcworld.com/article/3138048/components-graphics/evga-battles-gtx-10-series-overheating-with-faster-fan-speeds-free-thermal-pads.html for more details.

Thank you for the heads-up re; EVGA cards.  Too bad, they had some attractive options.

 

A stupid question -- is there a downside in going with one of the smaller single fan models (I don't know the "tech description" for these types) when running fsx and Prepar3d?  I'm assuming I would be better off spending a bit more and getting a dual fan alternative.  True?

 

I currently have a HIS Radeon HD6870 dual fan gpu installed, so I'm assuming (??) the dual fan Nvidia model(s) will fit.

 

Brian

The EVGA overheating VRM issue is quite rare apparently, so you probably wouldn't even notice it if you bought a card to be honest. I wouldn't buy one  though, not when other manufacturers are producing such great products without such issues, like the Asus Strix for example.

 

EVGA have released a BIOS update that increases fan RPM to address the issue. Not a very good solution really as it would also make the cards nosier, so regard it as a temporary fix. The optional thermal pads available from EVGA are working well it seems.

 

One does wonder though, how a reputable company like EVGA lets these issues slip through.

 

ACX coolers are generally very good, but this isn't the first time issues have appeared. My old GTX 770 with ACX 2.0 has a rattling heat sink at certain RPM. And then there's the issue I had with  my GTX 980 Ti Classified's cooler. That too has an ACX 2.0 and that too had a rattle. The rattle it suffered from was horrendous, I was forced to RMA it.

 

I do wonder how an issue that affected 7 series cards would still be an issue in 9 series cards.

 

 

A stupid question -- is there a downside in going with one of the smaller single fan models (I don't know the "tech description" for these types) when running fsx and Prepar3d?  I'm assuming I would be better off spending a bit more and getting a dual fan alternative.  True?

 

 

 

Generally speaking, the single fan designs are usually the reference design coolers, now known as the "founders edition". These cards are the Nvidia reference design. No overclocking and the basic cooler. Third party manufacturers like EVGA, Asus, MSI then overclock the cards, upgrade various components like the VRM's for example and install there own design coolers that often have two or even three fans. Third party manufacturer's coolers usually cool better and quieter.

 

 

I currently have a HIS Radeon HD6870 dual fan gpu installed, so I'm assuming (??) the dual fan Nvidia model(s) will fit.

 

 

 

You would need to look at the dimensions of the card you intend to purchase. The length of the card will be stated. It's simple enough to measure your case in order to see if it fits.  

Thanks for all of the help.

 

Win 7 versus Win 10 in my situation? ...

 

I'm afraid I have (hopefully) one last question.  Remember, I'm running an i5 2500k (3,3ghz) -- about to be overclocked, 8gb ram and a new msi GTX 1060 (3gb) cooled, all to run fsx/acceleration (boxed) and a few orbx type add-ons, and 2-3 1080p monitors.  I currently use windows 7 but the fellow doing the cpu overclocking is pressing me to go with win 10.  He really doesn't know anything about fsx/prepar3d, and I'm not tech savvy enough to know the best course.

 

My question:  Is there any performance benefit to be attained in migrating to win 10 from my current win 7 install?  I have just reinstalled win 7 so everything beyond that will be a new install.  Personally, I was fine with win 7 before the new gpu, but I don't know what I don't know so maybe an OS update is a smart idea?

 

Any practicable advice here?

 

Regards,

 

Brian

No benefit in going to Win10, if you are happy with Win 7 (64 bit version..)

 

Many of us, myself included, are staying on Win 7-64.

Hello Bert,

 

Thank you for the advice.  Between posting my question and receiving your (very quick!) response, I googled the question and ended up right back here on another thread at Avsim with a lot of matching advice and experience.  Yours is the way I'm going to go -- especially since the pc isn't used for anything other than a flight simulator, i.e., no banking, shopping, email and the like.

 

Again, thanks for your hands-on advice,

 

Brian

Thank you again Bert.  I'm afraid I'm going to complicate the situation in that I'm now contemplating trying out Prepar3d v 3,4, which Lockheed recommend operate on a Win 10 platform (unlike earlier generations which they say are fine in Win 7).  This leads me to more seriously contemplate a clean Win 10 install, but I am reading about all sorts of drama getting FSX (boxed) and Saitek devices stable on 10.

 

Any advice out there that will clarify whether the FSX (boxed)/Saitek Win 10 set-up issues are still an issue or not would be appreciated.  If yes, I'll have to make a decision on which sim and OS to settle on,

 

Best regards,

 

Brian

I would be surprised if you require Win10 for P3D to run properly.. but check the P3D forum.

Thanks Bert.  I will do that,

 

Regards,

 

Brian

Hi Brian,

 

If you will get a good cooler put on your 2500K I will call you (or skype) at home in Vancouver and work you through overclocking it. I have a lot of experience working on the sort of bits and pieces, and the bios you have listed there.

 

Along with a 1000 series Nvidia card you can have excellent FSX or P3D performance with a substantial, but safe overclock.

 

I'll help you. Not a problem.

 

Kind regards,

Thank you Stephen, that's very kind of you.  I'm hoping to get the cooler done this week so will let you know the status at that point,

 

Best regards,

 

Brian

Brian,

 

I am 4 hours ahead of you in Atlantic Canada, so let me know when the cooler is on and the computer is home and working and we will pick a time for me to call.

 

If you install the latest version of MSI Afterburner we can monitor both GPU and CPU temperatures in real time. That will tell us more than anything else the speed ceiling you may have.

 

I suggest you email me your phone number at mailswilcox at g mail dot com.

 

kind regards,

Thank you Stephen.  I will email my contact info,

 

Regards,

 

Brian

Thank you Stephen.  I will email my contact info,

 

Regards,

 

Brian

You wont go far wrong with Stephen looking over your shoulder.  He has a lot of OC and BIOS experience, besides being an all round good chap:-)

 

Your biggest improvement by far, will be the overclock.  I have similar equipment, albeit the i7.  Those Intel 'k' chips overclock amazingly well.  No wonder they left AMD behind.

 

Good luck

Looking forward to hearing your results....

Thank you for your note -- also, the one on the other string (re; Win 7 vs Win 10 in my situation).

 

I'm hoping it works out.  I'll certainly post what comes of it.

 

And yes, Stephen is very kind to have offered to spend his time and expertise helping me out,

 

Regards,

 

Brian