RSS Feeds of messages from the FS Hardware Forum http://forums1.avsim.net/index.php Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:07:30 -0500 10 http://forums1.avsim.net/index.php?showtopic=275724
I am thinking about getting better RAM, something like OCZ 3x2GB DDR3 PC10666 CL7.0 Platinum (7-7-7-20) or Corsair 3x2GB DDR3 PC12800 CL7 XMS3 Core i7 (7-8-7-20). Would I benefit from this...?

Right now I am running the RAM at 1333: I suppose that when I leave my CPU as it is (at 3.3) the 1666 RAM will not really help, because it won't run any faster .. AFAIK I would have to let the CPU run faster in order to get the RAM run faster too, right...? But that would mean I'd need a good cooler for the CPU (and then I'd have to keep my fingers crossed if OC'ing it more would work...)

In short: would better RAM make FSX run a bit better or not really? If not, would 1666 RAM make it possible to OC more...?]]> Tue, 09 Feb 2010 10:25:22 -0500 http://forums1.avsim.net/index.php?showtopic=275724 http://forums1.avsim.net/index.php?showtopic=275715
I read here on avsim where someguy mentioned he was using a single large screen and preffered that to multiple screens, i liked the idea and went for single large screen myself, and it works just great.

I used to use 26inch plasma before moving to 42inch LCD....improvements are


1 - Never get plasma for PC , you will get a lot of image ghosting, LCD only ofr PC.

2 - You get a much much much better view perspective and this helps for taxi and landing a whole lot. Taxing and landing is much easier cause you can see better.

3 - With single large screen you dont need tripleHead2Go device to merge your displays

4 - I still have a smaller 19inch LCD that i to display guages, so large screen is empty of gauges and full of VC.


!!!Warning!!! the larger your screen, the higher the resolution you have to use, my old resolution was 1280by1024. On 42inch that resolution was not very nice, so increased it to 1600by 1200, which is much much better. However you do need more cpu power/OC for larger screen.

In short dont go for larger screen, unless you ready to push those extra pixels with more OC or faster cpu.


Verdict One large screen wins over multiple smaller screens for me atleast.

!!!CAUTION!!! avoid viewsonic at all cost -- my 26inch viewsonic plasma starting going purple display on me after a year.]]> Tue, 09 Feb 2010 07:28:01 -0500 http://forums1.avsim.net/index.php?showtopic=275715 http://forums1.avsim.net/index.php?showtopic=275713 I am still getting OOMs at the end of long fllights so it looks like I really do need the 3Gb switch.
But - I see in the Wikipedia entry that the switch only works with XP Pro or higher. Is this right? Has anyone done it with Home (SP3) ?]]> Tue, 09 Feb 2010 07:25:38 -0500 http://forums1.avsim.net/index.php?showtopic=275713 http://forums1.avsim.net/index.php?showtopic=275688 http://www.alpinesystems.co.uk/ that SSD flash drive really makes a big differance in the sim. Has anybody around here tired this out?]]> Tue, 09 Feb 2010 02:39:10 -0500 http://forums1.avsim.net/index.php?showtopic=275688 http://forums1.avsim.net/index.php?showtopic=275686
1) 1600X900 or 1920X1200
2) An H or I IPS panel
3) Colour gamut covering all of sRGB FOR when I'm doing basic photo editing (is this standard now?) - but *not* a wide gamut display.
3) HDMI input (how important is this really?)

Suggestions for particular models are most welcome.]]> Tue, 09 Feb 2010 01:24:49 -0500 http://forums1.avsim.net/index.php?showtopic=275686 http://forums1.avsim.net/index.php?showtopic=275632 Well the chief financial officer in the family is giving me the go-ahead to upgrade my desktop and I need some advice. This is basically the first, full blown upgrade in five years, to a seven year old computer. Here's my current specs:

Dell Dimension 4600
P4 @ 2.4 ghz
2MB PC3200 RAM
Nvidia 6600GT 128MB

I'm currently running FS9 at a woeful 10fps with payware aircraft, scenery, weather, and VATSIM at mid-range settings. I've never been able to run FS9 maxed out. I currently own a copy of FSX and I will be making the jump finally. This new computer will have both FSX and FS9 installed. I'll be running payware for both installs.

This is what I've configured through ibuypower. I do not plan on building my own and will let somebody else do the gruntwork for me this time around. Here's the configured system:

Case Thermaltake V9 Gaming Tower Case-Blue
Processor Intel® Core™ i7 920 Processor (4x 2.66GHz/8MB L3 Cache)
iBUYPOWER PowerDrive PowerDrive Level 2 - Up to 20% Overclocking
Processor Cooling [Free Upgrade] Liquid CPU Cooling System w/ 120mm Radiator [SOCKET-1366]
Memory 6 GB [2 GB X3] DDR3-1600 Triple Memory Module-Corsair or Major Brand
Video Card NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260 – 896MB-Single Card
Motherboard ASUS P6T SE -- Intel X58 Chipset CrossFire Supported w/8-ch HD Audio, Triple-Channel DDR3, Gb LAN, S-ATA Raid, USB 2.0, 3 PCI-E MB
Power Supply 650 Watt -- Casegears ECO-Element 80 Plus Certificated High Efficiency Power Supply-SLI Ready
Primary Hard Drive 1 TB HARD DRIVE -- 16M Cache, 7200 RPM, 3.0Gb/s-Single Drive
Optical Drive 22X Sony Dual Format/Double Layer DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW Drive-Black
Flash Media Reader/Writer 12-In-1 Internal Flash Media Card Reader/Writer-Black
Operating System Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium + [Free 60-Day !!!] Microsoft Office 2007(Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, Access ....)-64-Bit
Monitor 22" Widescreen LCD 1920x1080 ASUS VH222H-Built-in Speakers, DVI & HDMI Input
Speaker System iBUYPOWER 2.1 Channel Stereo Super Bass Subwoofer Speaker System
Total = $1517

My budget is a firm $1500 USD and not negotiable. At what settings will I be able to run FSX with payware airliners and scenery? Will it be smooth, or will I be disappointed? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

v/r
Blake]]> Mon, 08 Feb 2010 12:40:29 -0500 http://forums1.avsim.net/index.php?showtopic=275632 http://forums1.avsim.net/index.php?showtopic=275574
I wanted to start a thread that would be helpful to all simmers wanting to know what kind of hardware it takes to run fs9 or fsx to its max potiental.
There are so many sites on the net focusing on all kinds of games just not FS9 or FSX.
We are the only hope to get this kind of data. I hope many of you will take the time out of your busy day to do so. From what I have seen with the new addons out there for FS9 and FSX are some hardware hungry beasts!

Please do this....
Please use only payware aircraft and scenery durning your tests.
Please state the payware addons being used during your tests results.
Please state your system specs and describe the frame rates you are seening in fs9 or fsx with ALL SIM SETTINGS SET TO MAX ,including 100% traffic.
(exception mapping quality set @4 in the harware tab in the sim settings)
Please state FPS from inside and out side views.
Please state your screen resolution. example =1024x800



Please don't post this kind of stuff....
Please do not post a default fs9 or default fsx flying conditions, Example =I get 100 fps using default fs9 scenery with default aircraft.
Since, most of us do not just use a default sim that kind of information would be useless.

Ok, well here is my sytem hardware and test results .

CPU= Core i7 2800 MHz Socket 1156 4 x 256KB Desktop Processor overclocked to 3.15MHZ
Motherboard= GIGABYTE GA-P55M-UD2 Intel P55 Core i5/i7 Socket
Video Card = HIS H487X2F2GP Radeon HD 4870 X2 2GB GDDR5 PCI Express x16
Hard Drive = WESTERN DIGITAL WD3000GLFS VelociRaptor 300GB SATA II 10,000 RPM 16MB Buffer
Memory = OCZ 4GB PC3-1600 (DDR3-2000) DDR3
Power Supply = OCZ OCZ700MXSP 700W
Sound Card= Creative 70SB073A00000 7.1 Channels 24-bit 96KHz PCI Interface Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer

Test 1
(All sim settings set to max except for mapping quality set @4 )
Sim=FS9.1
Screen resolution set @ 1950x1080
Aircraft =Air simmer basic a320
Scenery= KJFK by FSDT with mega scenery new york
Traffic by= WOA

FPS inside aircraft in vc view
Low= 14.3 fps (This occurs while looking at the scenery outside the windscreen in vc view.)
High= 22.3 FPS (This occured while looking around the panel area.)
Average = around 17.4 FPS

Outside view FPS

Low= 17.9 FPS (this occured while scrolling or viewing around the aircraft in a fast movement or action)
High= 31.4 FPS (this was during slow steady viewing around the aircraft)

Test 2
(All sim settings set to max except for mapping quality set @4 )
Sim=FS9.1
Screen resolution set @ 1950x1080
Aircraft =CLS 767-200
Scenery= KLAS by FSDT
Traffic by= WOA

FPS inside aircraft in vc view
Low = 18.3 FPS (This occurs while looking at the scenery outside the windscreen in vc view.)
High= 27.5 FPS (This occured while looking around the panel area in vc view.)

Outside view FPS

Low= 18.3 FPS (this occured while scrolling or viewing around the aircraft in a fast movement or action)
High= 25.8 FPS (this was during slow steady viewing around the aircraft)


Test 3
(All sim settings set to max except for mapping quality set @4 )
Sim=FS9.1
Screen resolution set @ 1950x1080
Aircraft =ERJv2 by wilco pub
Scenery= KLAS by FSDT
Traffic by= WOA
Addional program=fshotseat

FPS inside aircraft in vc view
Low = 18.2 FPS (This occurs while looking at the scenery outside the windscreen in vc view.)
High= 27.8 FPS (This occured while looking around the panel area in vc view.)

Outside view FPS

Low= 18.4 FPS (this occured while scrolling or viewing around the aircraft in a fast movement or action)
High= 28.8 FPS (this was during slow steady viewing around the aircraft)

Test 4
(All sim settings set to max except for mapping quality set @4 )
Sim=FS9.1
Screen resolution set @ 1950x1080
Aircraft =saratoga sp by carenado
Scenery= KORD by FSDT
Traffic by= WOA
Addional program=fshotseat

FPS inside aircraft in vc view
Low = 13.2 FPS (This occurs while looking at the scenery outside the windscreen in vc view.)
High= 24.5 FPS (This occured while looking around the panel area in vc view.)

Outside view FPS

Low= 17.2 FPS (this occured while scrolling or viewing around the aircraft in a fast movement or action)
High= 29.4 FPS (this was during slow steady viewing around the aircraft)

As you can see with addons fs9 is still not getting great FPS on what I thought was a fast system set up.]]> Sun, 07 Feb 2010 21:30:16 -0500 http://forums1.avsim.net/index.php?showtopic=275574 http://forums1.avsim.net/index.php?showtopic=275507
currently my i7979@4.4ghz is cooled by 3x140mm noctua quiet fans, 2 other 140mm fans bringing air in from the lower front, and 2 120 mm noctua fans bringing air in from the top rear next to window where cool air comes in.

The lower back of the pc where cpu and gpu are is exhaust of the system, and this area is covered with a cadboard box to force heat to the ground away from cool air coming in from window.

finally work on the way to add 3 more 140mm fans on top of case to bring air in, in future my portbale a/c will blow cool air in right into the top of the case where my top case fans are bringing air in.


in summary good air cooling only needs lower ambient temps to work great, so why not use a cheap portable a/c rather than an expensive water / phase cooling that could damage your pc , and cuases hassle to maintain.


3 x140mm noctua high air flow fans in series taking air out of cpu heatsink only needs low ambient temps to compete with the best of the expensive water cooled systems.

so my verdict is , just get a good air cooling and and an a/c to help reduce ambient temps in summer.


Did some google research on pc airflow while doing this build , and it was quite interesting to see that, your pc will probably be hotter with the case open than closed, as my was. Cause case open creates low ambient temp inside pc case but reduces the speed of air flow. so my temps are higher with case open than closed.


Fan controller with temp sensors is a must to get the feel of what goes on inside the case when pc is running and case is all covered up.


For example did you know that positive pressure air cooling helps to blow dust out of the pc better than negative pressure air cooling.

POsitive pressure means you got more fan air power flowing in the case than out, hence negative means more air going out than in, effectively a vacume. I went for postive air pressure to help keep the dust out.

Also covered all unused pc slots and case air holes with tape, so that the only way for air to get out the pc is via cpu and gpu area. This ensures all air coming in cooles cpu , gpu and other high heat components.

Using noctua fans and lian li b71 case with noise dampers, this 8 fan pc is quiter than my old antec 300 case with one 140mm and one 120mm fan.


Verdict is get good air cooling and portable a/c, instead of complicated liquid/phase cooling options.]]> Sun, 07 Feb 2010 07:22:33 -0500 http://forums1.avsim.net/index.php?showtopic=275507 http://forums1.avsim.net/index.php?showtopic=275431

http://www.technologyreview.com/computing/24482/page1/

]]> Sat, 06 Feb 2010 14:32:46 -0500 http://forums1.avsim.net/index.php?showtopic=275431 http://forums1.avsim.net/index.php?showtopic=275403
I am trying to set up a computer for a co-worker. Their last computer suffered a total hard drive failure with a complete loss of data so they would like the new computer to have a hardware Raid 1 configuration for a little more security of data. The stats are as follows...

Motherboard M4A785TD-V EVO
CPU Phenom II X4 955 AMD
Memory 4 GB Mushkin 1600 MhZ
Hard Drives 2- WD 500 GB Sata
Video Asus 5750 ATi
OS Windows 7 64 Bit Pro OEM
Bios Version 0410

At first when I installed everything, I thought all was well. I gave them the computer and a few days later, they complained that it started to freeze on them. I got it back, updated the Bios and reformatted and reinstalled. I started to see problems with it locking up. I became concerned about hardware issues and took it to a shop where it was determined that the motherboard was faulty.

I went out and purchased a replacement board, same board and tried to reinstall. Need to get this box up and running and can't wait weeks for an RMA right now. Still having issues.

Took out one hard drive and one stick of memory, installed as single drive and tested for a day with no problems or lockups. Switched memory sticks, tested for a day with no issues. Installed second memory stick and tested for a day with no problems either.

Switched hard drives and repeated above procedure with memory, again, no problems evident.

Tried to set it up with Raid one by first selecting Sata Configuration, Raid in the Bios.
Control-F to set up the disks as a Raid 1 array.

Disks recognized as one drive in Windows setup, put the Asus cd in and browsed to the Drivers/Raid/x64 folder and loaded the inf file.

Setup hangs during install. Phoned Asus Support and got a different number to call, made the international long distance call once and got routed to notebook support. Called back and went through the first level support, was transferred to the next level and told that all staff were busy and they would call me back within the hour....never got a call back.

Has anyone had this problem? Or better yet, can someone point me in the right direction?

Chuck
CYXU]]> Sat, 06 Feb 2010 11:29:47 -0500 http://forums1.avsim.net/index.php?showtopic=275403