Hi all,
I'm brand new to avsim, and this is my first post.
I've been enjoying MS Flight Simulator since version '98 while using the MS Force Feedback joystick. What fun it was then, and what fun it still is now (of course now I'm using FSX with a yoke!).
I'm planning on building a new desktop system within the next month or so, and I'm trying to research what kind of hardware would be best in terms of CPU and GPU. One would think that anything that you could buy new today would be more than adequate for a game that was developed three or so years ago, but I know that's not the case with FSX!
I've also heard that with FSX, having a really strong processor is more important than a top of the line graphics card. And as far as processors go, I'm trying to decide between an i5 or i7. My budget for the CPU is anywhere up to about $220. If I can stay under that then that would be great, but from what I've learned, it seems like for smooth FSX gameplay (with addons like ORBX, REX, etc), getting a great CPU is where the focus of a new system should be.
Any tips or advice about CPU & GPU selection would be much appreciated. (My budget for GPU is about $200.) Also, any information about how or why a certain type of processor might work better for FSX than another type would also be appreciated. (For example, I've heard something about how FSX doesn't utilize multi-core processors very well, so dumping money into a fast quad-core is just not necessary and won't improve FSX one bit.)
Thanks, all. I look forward to participating in the forum!