Best Value GPU for FSX (AMD Phenom II x4 965 BE)

[lukecalderon]

Hey guys,

I'm looking to get a bit more performance out of my FSX rig.

At the moment, with complex scenery and addons, I struggle to maintain a 10fps constant rate. I upgraded my CPU a while back (old one hit the sack), to an AMD Phenom II x4 965 Black Edition (Not overclocked).

I thought that this was the main bottleneck, however I do not think it is any more. I have a feeling that it is the current GPU (XFX Radeon HD4650 1GB). Can you guys recommend me a GPU that would help to remove the bottleneck, and allow me to play at around 30FPS?

System Specs:
AMD Phenom II x4 965 BE (3.4GHz)
3GB Kingston DDR3 PC3-10600
WDC50 00AAVS 500GB (Holding the OS)
Hitachi HTS541612J9S 120GB (Holding FSX)
XFX Radeon HD4650 1GB

I'm looking to spend around £100. Many thanks in advance!

 

[obsama1]

3GB is a bit small. Get another 2GB or 4GB stick. Get a 7770. Awesome budget GPU for $100. Equal to the 6850.

 

[egilbe]

Hey guys,

I'm looking to get a bit more performance out of my FSX rig.

At the moment, with complex scenery and addons, I struggle to maintain a 10fps constant rate. I upgraded my CPU a while back (old one hit the sack), to an AMD Phenom II x4 965 Black Edition (Not overclocked).

I thought that this was the main bottleneck, however I do not think it is any more. I have a feeling that it is the current GPU (XFX Radeon HD4650 1GB). Can you guys recommend me a GPU that would help to remove the bottleneck, and allow me to play at around 30FPS?

System Specs:
AMD Phenom II x4 965 BE (3.4GHz)
3GB Kingston DDR3 PC3-10600
WDC50 00AAVS 500GB (Holding the OS)
Hitachi HTS541612J9S 120GB (Holding FSX)
XFX Radeon HD4650 1GB

I'm looking to spend around £100. Many thanks in advance!

an HD 7850 should work well, and you should think about adding more ram with a matched pair. What is your mobo?

 

[lukecalderon]

Thank you both! I've read that you get better performance with nVidia cards, so was looking into them, but I don't really have a preference. My motherboard is a Gigabyte M68MT-S2. I'm also going to need to upgrade the PSU (only got a 350W one in there hehe)

 

[coozie7]

What operating system is installed? You'll need a 64 bit OS to take advantage of more than 4Gb of RAM.
Try to stick to matched pairs of memory-the stuff's so cheap these days they're practically giving it away with packets of Frosties so a pair of 2Gb sticks would be a good choice.

 

[lukecalderon]

What operating system is installed? You'll need a 64 bit OS to take advantage of more than 4Gb of RAM.
Also what powersupply is installed? The 4650 needs no extra power but more potent cards like the 7850/7770 will require 1 or 2 6-pin PCI-E power leads from the PSU.

I'm running the 32-bit version of Windows 8 Consumer Preview (Yes, Windows 8, not 7).
There's a 350W PSU in there, but I know that I will need to upgrade that regardless

 

[lukecalderon]

Also, I'd recommend getting 64bit Windows. It's a lot better.

Thanks for the info. It's mainly for FSX, and I've read (and experienced) that nVidia cards handle the shaders a lot better, hence looking at the 560 Ti. I can get this one (http://www.dabs.com/products/asus-geforce-gtx-560-810mhz-1gb-pci-express-hdmi-directcu-7HRD.html?refs=4294963788&q=GTX%20560&src=16) for £75 which leaves another £40 for the PSU.

 

[obsama1]

That is false. The 7850 out performs the 560Ti and both are in the same price bracket. In the $50-$250 range, AMD is what I'd chose, but after that, you have to consider what games you will be playing, your resolution, purpose of the card, etc. The 7850 is £140 at minimum. Your best bet is the 7770 which is £100.

 

[obsama1]

Also, I'd recommend getting 64bit Windows. It's a lot better.

 

[rEcR8Z]

The XFX HD6850 is considerably faster than the 7770 and cheaper if you look in the right places. Here's the version of the 6850 which I have : http://www.scan.co.uk/products/1gb-xfx-hd-6850-4000mhz-gddr5-gpu-775mhz-960-cores-eyefinity-hdmi-2x-mini-displayport-2x-dvi?utm_source=google+shopping&utm_medium=google+shopping

But if you're going to spend £100 on a Graphics card the take it up a notch and get the GTX 560 : http://www.jamdup.com/palit-geforce-gtx-560-smart-edition-1gb-gddr5-pci-express-2-0-736mhz-3828mhz.html

 

[coozie7]

@ lukecalderon: You Dabs link is n't working.
If you can get a Direct CU card for that money, I'd jump on it right sharpish, mate.
Here's a little article from Toms, you'll find the chart at the end particularly useful:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107-7.html

Be VERY careful with the powersupply upgrade, there's an aweful lot of poor quality, cheap stuff out there, stick to the better makers: OCZ, Corsair, Silverstone and Antec.

EDIT : vvvvvv Amongst others

 

[obsama1]

The 6850 is on par with the 7770. The 560Ti is the same price ast the 7850 which demolishes the 560Ti.

 

[obsama1]

Don't forget SeaSonic, XFX, and PC Power and Cooling.