Upgrading the Gateway FX6800-01e?

[TomG628]

I have had my Gateway FX6800-01e system for about a year now. My main interest is flight simulation and FSX. I was told at Best Buy this was the best they had at the time. For the most part I get decent performance after adjusting and tweaking, but far from the best. Most sliders are halfway or less, and she starts to stutter and get choppy if I stretch the settings. I am thinking of getting more memory since several have said three gig is far too low when using Vista.

Is there anything else I can do with this particular system to get it running better? I am far from experienced with the workings on the inside, and probably would have to be talked through step by step if necessary, although I have installed memory modules and a hard drive before. I also have 2 more years on my warranty and don't want to lose it for obvious reasons. Thanks. Regards, Tom

 

[ulysses35]

Memory modules are one of the easiest upgrades to make.

Do you know the rest of the specification for your machine ? CPU / Mobo / Graphics ?

FSX is notorious for being hard on CPU's - Dual or Quad is almost a necessity to be honest.

Do you have Vista 32 or 64 ? because 32 bit os's are limited to just over 3gb or RAM so adding memory might not be the best option.

I would look at a faster CPU - preferably Quad Core..

 

[TomG628]

Thanks for the help, Ulysses.
Here are my system specs as best I know:

Gateway FX 6800-01e with Vista HP 64 bit; Intel core i7 cpu 920@ 2.67 ghz.; 3.00 GB DDR3 ram; ATI Radeon HD 4850 1,000 mb; ATI HDMI Audio, Realtek High Def Audio. I also am running a Matrox TripleHead2Go Digital Edition with 3 Gateway 19" 1440x900 (native) monitors. Regards,
Tom

 

[lilotimz]

The gateway FX eh? I was looking at the FX6801-03 before i bought my Asus CG5290...

My specs original specs are somewhat similar... Even though im running sli 260s, CF 4850s are comparable so heres my take.

FSX is really demanding, and a 4850 is more like higher middle end or lower high end stuff so you shouldn't really expect it to max it out. If you can grab another 4850 for cheap, you can crossfire it and get a bit more FPS. The i7 is extremely easy to overclock and the stock cooler is adaquete, hell Im running mine at 3.43ghz (low OC) . Thats all i can say

 

[TomG628]

The gateway FX eh? I was looking at the FX6801-03 before i bought my Asus CG5290...

My specs original specs are somewhat similar... Even though im running sli 260s, CF 4850s are comparable so heres my take.

FSX is really demanding, and a 4850 is more like higher middle end or lower high end stuff so you shouldn't really expect it to max it out. If you can grab another 4850 for cheap, you can crossfire it and get a bit more FPS. The i7 is extremely easy to overclock and the stock cooler is adaquete, hell Im running mine at 3.43ghz (low OC) . Thats all i can say

Is overclocking easy for me to do with no experience? Also, is it safe for the processor? Thanks. Tom