worldclassleader

Hi everyone, Just wanted to share my findings on the 4790K. In short, I've purchased 6 different Haswell CPUs that I've used over the past year or so in client builds and best OC has been 4.7GHz. My first purchase of the 4790K has gone well so far: 5.0GHz (stress tested Aida64 9 hours; 25 passes with IBT). I'm certain it can clock higher Batch Number: L336D105 (Micro Center, Chicago, IL) 1.40Vcore Disabled Hyper-threading (I always disable HT) Delid Liquid Metal between die and Intel heat spreader Cool Jag TIM between CPU and XSPC Raystorm waterblock Swifttech MCP35X Pump Dual 240MM rad 2 ASUS Poseidon GTX 780s SLI

You can pickup an EVGA 1300G2 that's rated at the very top; right next to Corair's AX lineup for only $195. You can read up on the reviews on the Web; but if you're going to pick up a 1K PSU, you won't find a better power supply for the money with a 10 year warranty too. EVGA sells custom braided and colored PSU cables as well. I own the PSU. It's been very reliable: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817438011&cm_re=EVGA_1300-_-17-438-011-_-Product Specs: Custom Waterloop 2 ASUS GTX 780 Poseidon's in SLI ASUS Z97 Deluxe Intel Core I7 4790K 5GHz (1.40Vcore) 4 2,350 RPM High performance fans 3 1600RPM fans Lamptron Fan Contoller 4 Sticks of RAM (DDr3 2400MHz) 4 SSDs 7 USB Devices Power supply is rock solid,

Thanks!! I'll give it a go this week!

Hi all, I lost my copy of FSX and decided to purchase Prepar3d Academic version instead. Is there anyway to install third part aircraft, such as PMDGs 747 and 737 without porting them FROM FSX? I'll buy FSX again if needed,but just wanted to check-in with the AVSIM community to see if there was a work-around. Thanks!

You got it Dazz! No problem!

Wow! That's great to know Bill, thanks for pointing that out. I hope Prepar3D becomes a multi-core sim. But to be honest, as it stands, Sandy Bridge seems to be doing a pretty decent job in FSX, and with Ivy Bridge almost here, I wonder how big an impact multi-core will have in FSX/Prepar3d? Thanks for welcoming me in Word Not Allowed! I've been reading up on many of the posts on AVSIM and have learned a great deal from all of you. It's great to be a part of this online community.

Stephen,Thank you for your candor sir, and I look forward to contributing and learning from you all! These are some exciting times with Prepar3D today, and Flight just around thre corner...

Hi everyone,Just wanted to update you all on some further testing. I discovered that the PMDG 747-8i was providing a 10-15FPS increase compared to other addon's and since all of my initial testing was conducted with the PMDG 747-8i, I did experience a more fluid flying experience when I initially installed FSX. However, after further testing with various addon's and FSX default aircraft, the performance is nearly identical to a 2600K processor at 4.8/5GHz. Therefore, I conclude that the assertions made by many of you, in that FSX does not utilize all of the processor cores are indeed valid. Lastly, regardless of whether 3 cores or 6 cores are active, the FPS remains the same. Jacob

Nope, not a placebo; definitely not that. I can't argue with you as well, as you and many others at AVSIM have tested different CPUs with FSX and know your stuff. It will be great to see additional comparisons by those in the AVSIM community that implement SB-E and share their results.Thanks for your feedback!Jacob

I see...so then, those extra cores/threads will be utilized by FSX to load textures during game-play? Therefore, is it fair to reason that a SB-E [6-core] CPU will provide the best overall experience, as those extra threads take some of the burden off the primary CPU core(s), and is the reason that in my observation the 3930K "feels" more fluid compared to the 2600K at the same speed?

Ok, got'em. Question, were you referring to my FSX config file? If so, here it is: http://dl.dropbox.co...1327404/fsx.CFG

Sounds good Dazz....nope, I don't own any of the addon's you mentioned above.

Thanks for the tips Word Not Allowed! I just ran the FSXMark2011 benchmark having applied the 1364 Affinity Mask you suggested and the test results for all four tests were identical to my initial tests using an affinity mask of 1344. So...go figure....lol...=) I'd be glad to give it a shot! I own the following FSX PMDG add-ons:MD-11NGX-737 800/900747x and the 8i expansion model That's really interesting; I wonder if the Triple-Channel memory on the X58 platform has a positive effect on FSX, compared to SBs dual channel? Ofcourse, then we got SB-E with Quad-Memory. I'm assuming this has been addressed some where on AVSIM as well..

Same here...I can't explain it either, but having used [several] 2600K's at 5GHz and 980x/990x with the exact same [density] settings on many builds for customers in the Chicagoland area this past year, the 3930K is definitely my choice for FSX today. I don't discount the validity in your statement either Dazz; I just cant explain the performance increase...I just can't. Plus, I don't know how FSX works "under the hood," other than setting the Affinity Mask.=)

Thanks...posted the results in that link. Checkout the benchmark results; I ran several different 'affinity mask" tests, but a decimal value of 1344 was best, and HT was enabled.

Compared to the 2600K at 5GHz, the 3930K "feels" much more fluid to me; there's no question. However, I'm using DDR3 1600MHz ram and based on some of the other 2600K FSXMark2011 results, it appears that faster ram with tighter timings has a significant [positive] effect on FPS. Therefore, I think it's possible to net even more performance out of this CPU.Also, I can't explain why the FSX config file reflects a different "ProcSpeed" number. I'm going to try disabling SpeedStep tomorrow and see what that brings.I just posted my FSXMark2011 results in this post as well.

Hi Stephen,Thanks for your feedback and sharing the FSXMark11 benchmark software. Well, I've got some interesting results. First, here are my results using default settings with no add-ons: Min Max Avg Test 1: 23 60 37.78Test 2: 22 62 47.323Test 3: 30 60 46.833Test 4: 29 62 46.613What's really intersting is that my average was about 5FPS higher using REX 2.0 and Ground Environment Extreme Enhanced (North America). Also, I experimented with various Affinity Mask's, such as 62, 63, 3549, 4095, and 2730, but 1344 gave me the best results as noted in the benchmarks above.Lastly, I've used many processors to test FSX, including most recently, Intel's i7 920/930, 950, 970, 990X; and from Sandy Bridge (SB) the 2500K, 2600K, and 2700K. Compared to SB, the 3930K "feels" more fluid at the highest [density] settings and eye-candy (e.g., flare, shadows, etc) at 1920x1080. Therefore, I don't believe the FSXMark2011 benchmark is valid because the 3930K is superior to the 2600K at 5Ghz in demanding settings; at least in my experience. Perhaps there are tweaks I'm not aware of (?) that facilitate higher FPS, as some of the 2600K benchmarks on this website exceed my results; most notably due to higher Ram speeds and tighter timings.Here are the modifications I've made to my config file:[bufferPools]UsePools=1RejectThreshold=98304PoolSize=8388608HIGHMEMFIX=1AffinityMask=1344I hope this helps..and please feel free to contact me regarding any tips you'd like to share or if you need me to explore different test scenerios.Best,Jacob

Here you go: "ProcSpeed=10425" If ithelps to know, I have Intel SpeedStep enabled as well, so perhaps that's why the number is low, as the processor runs at about 1600MHz when idle.

Here you go: "ProcSpeed=9267" Currently, I have AI Traffic set to Default. I didn't try altering those [density] settings yet, but thanks for pointing that out; will give it a shot and see how the system copes with it. I don't have ORBX installed yet, but planned on installing more add-on's tomorrow and will follow up. ;)

That makes sense. In fact, one can argue that even an Core i3 will do "just for gaming."However, FSX is a different game, and as you know, a CPU hog..lol...The 3930K out-performs every CPU I've tested to-date in FSX and does so remarkablly well. We can debate cost vs performance all day, but the purpose of the OP was just to [briefly] share my performance results for those who may be considering purchasing this processor. I searched the web many times over but couldnt find any sort of review that included the 3930k/3960x with FSX.

SSD wont make a major difference. I have FSX on a 5400RPM HDD and it works flawless. Check your [JOB SCHEDULER] Affinity Mask in your FSX config file; the modified one from Botje's tweaks. I would set it to 255 or 84. Also, don't under clock the CPU. If it's stable at 4.7GHz when running a stability test like Prime 95, then you should be fine in FSX. Most likely, it's your FSX settings in the game.Uncheck features like: Plane casts shadow on itself Plane casts shadow on the ground Flares That should help.Also, try lowering the sliders until you've acheived FPS that meets your needs.Lastly, depending on your resolution, that GTS450 may not be enough. I play this game at 1920x1080p and wouldn't settle for anything less than a GTX560Ti/GTX460. My standard GPU is a Nvidia GTX570 for the FSX systems that I build.Hope this helps.

Hi Fernando,I'm a systems buidler in the Chicago land area...I've built a number of systems for use with FSX for various customers. I've never experienced this level of performance in FSX. It's amazing. However, you can achieve this level of gameplay by lowering specific sliders and negating other eye candy features with many CPUs out there; but with the 3930K and of course the 3960X, you can enable just about everything, and stil achieve a fluid flying experience at a resolution of 1080p. This CPU rocks!

Hi everyone,Just wanted to share my experience in using Intel's latest hexacore processor, the 3930K.I thought the Core i7 990X was brilliant for FSX, but the 3930K just blows everything else away, including the 2600K/2700K.First, here's an overview on my system specs: Intel Core i7 3930K ASUS P9PX79 PRO ASUS ENGTX570 DCII (2 in SLI) 16GB DDR3 1600MHz RAM, 16GBs in Quad Channel (4GB per stick) 64GB Crucial M4 SSD (OS and productivity software on this only) 1TB 5400RPM Western Digital HDD (running FSX and games on this HDD) Cooler Master 1200w PSU (80 plus gold) Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit Sharp Aquos Quatronn 40inch LED 1920x1080 FSX w/Acceleration, GEXe, REX, PMDG 747x and 8i, MD-11, and 737 NGX. Performance:Typically, with the 2600K at 5GHz, and when starting a free-flight from Chicago's O'Hare airport and with most sliders set to medium, unlimited FPS, and weather set to "fogged in" or "building storms," my average FPS over the city and airport is about 30FPS. Other notable settings: None of the following enabled: "Airplane casts shadow on itself and the ground," "flare." Job Scheduler/Affinity is set to 255.In contrast, with the 3930K, I can enable all of the features that typically tax FPS and lower the performance, plus, I can max out all of the sliders and still achieve "fluid" gameplay and average 30/40 fps under the most demanding conditions; when FSX is "taxing" the CPU. You can just imagine what it's like under fair weather conditions, but with "auto-gen" and other sliders maxed out! Overall, I can't believe how fantastic my flying experience is. I think this is what the developers envisioned with this simulator. It's unfortounate that it took a number of CPU evolutions spanning several years to finally achieve this level of game play. (my affinity mask for the 3930K is set to 1344 in my FSX config file)Lastly, based on all my other benchmarks, the 3930K is essentially the 2600K with 2 additional cores; the performance increase is in direct proportion to the additon of two cores.Hope this helps, if you have any suggestions on modifying the FSX config file or have questions, please don't hesitate to ask.Jacob

I'm not waiting for Flight; I think it's safe to assume that Flight will utilize system resources much more efficiently. Therefore, I think any high-end system built with an Intel Sandy Bridge, Gulftown, or Westmere processor, and current AMD or Nvidia graphics technologies, will provide all the power needed to enjoy Flight to a high degree. Well, at least that's the idea... =) However, I'm a systems builder, so, I always have the latest computer technology at my finger tips. If this wasn't the case for me, I would more than likely hold off until Flight was released before building a system.

HighMike, You said it! "Any sim....has to be prepared to reinvent itself." Absolutely! And I think that is the most challenging aspect; naturally, our society doesn't embrace change; yet without it we wouldn't be able to move forward in many areas of life, whether it's a major enterprise or technological advancements..change is very risky. However, given enough time, people adapt to change. But more importantly, when organizations put their reputation on the line, as Microsoft is doing, it says a lot about the quality of the leadership, organization (i.e., team members, culture, mission, etc), and vision the company has. Therefore, your comments on EA makes a lot of sense to me and is necessary when they are trying, as you stated, "to maintain a competitive edge." Excellent view Mike!