Please review fsx build

ravenous09

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I'm not a gamer or a computer guy, but I need to build a system that runs fsx fairly well. I'm a recent private pilot that wants to get some use out of my flight simulator. I may add some flight games like IL2 or black shark, but really the simulator will almost exclusively be the only thing that I use this computer for.

I don't have a set budget in mind, but I'm looking to spend as little as possible while still having enough performance that I won't have a stuttering/frozen screen on moderate settings (like I did when I tried to run fsx on my laptop).

I don't think that I need to try to max out the settings or worry about the difference between a few fps to be satisfied.

Here is what I have chosen based on my research from the other threads.

CPU - AMD Phenom II X4 965 BE 3.4GHz - $160
MOBO - Asus M4A79XTD EVO - $99
RAM - Corsair Dominator 4GB (2 x 2GB) SDRAM DDR3 1600 - $90
GPU - EVGA Nvidia GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) Superclocked EE 1GB 256-bit - $190
HDD - Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB - $70
PSU - Corsair 500w - $50
Case - NZXT M59 - $50

Again, I am NOT a computer guy and am really out of my element here so please let me know if all of these components will work together and if I'm making any obviously poor choices (or if I'm forgetting something important). Thanks so much for any and all input!

Oh, I picked the AMD over the i5 or i7 because I want to run 2 monitors and read that AMD was best for that even though fsx generally prefers intel....please let me know if that is true.
 

ravenous09

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Thanks for the pointers.

Is there no validity to what this poster wrote about the CPU in relation to the number of monitors? (posted below)......and if not, should I look at getting the i5 instead or is the AMD (4 or 6 core) good enough for my purposes?



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jleboff 09-22-2010 at 08:43:23 PM | BBCode | Report


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I agree the AMD 6 core is very good for FSX. It is all dependent on the number of screens you are planning to run. At HotSeat we have can achieve 40+ FPS running Quad Cores at 2.6 Gig per core and 4 Gig of ram. Once a second screen is added this now starts to drop near the critical 25 FPS. We build the Pilot Pro with 4 screens, Left, Ahead, Right and Cockpit. This is where the powerful AMD CPU's are needed. FS X main demand is on the CPU, not RAM or Video. the more and faster the CPU the better the multi screen performance. The unit you have specified is perfect for 3 or 4 screens but will run circles around 1 or 2 screens. Jay hotseatsim.com
 
^ If I understand right, he is talking about the 6-Core CPUs here and not in general the AMD CPUs...
Like I said more the core the better for FSX as it is CPU dependent, so the 6-Core from AMD would be a very good option...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.553689
If you are fine with overclocking, then this CPU would save some money
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.564831
Mobo without USB3.0/ SATA 6GB/s
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130290
 

ravenous09

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Oh, ok! that makes more sense now that I reread his post....... Does the rest of the build look okay then? I probably shouldn't admit this on this site, but I have no idea what overclocking is, so I'm going to go study up on that before making any purchases. Like I said, I'm definitely NOT a computer guy, but I guess everyone has to start somewhere, right? :p
Thanks again for the help
 

stangboy555

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FSX is VERY CPU dependent.

I've done a lot of homework on FSX builds myself.

From what I understand the more processing GHz you have the better, not so much in the number of cores. Also, 2 sticks of RAM max.

The 965 should do well if you over clock it a bit, but Intel will kill it with hyper threading.

Also, as important as Hardware is, tuning will be your best bet.. here's a great article.

http://www.simforums.com/forums/topic29041.html