New FSX/FS9 computer help

[Guest chris493]

Hi all,I am looking to build a computer to run FSX and FS9 at highest possible settings. At the moment I have these three choices. Please provide feedback as to which will give the best performance at the highest possible settings. Note: All systems are approx. $2200 AUD. (Max budget)Option 1:INTEL CORE 2 DUO E8600 3.33GHz 2X3MB (to be OC'd)GEIL 16GB 4x4GB KIT EVO ONE C6 800MhzSAPPHIRE HD5850 850M PCIe/1GB/DVI/HDMIANTEC NINE HUNDRED 900 GAMING CASEMASTER 650W WT MODULAR POWER SUPPLYWD CAVIAR BLACK 640GB 7200/32MB/SATA2SAMSUNG 23" HD LCD WS 5MS (2333SW+)ASUS P5P43TD-PRO DESKTOP MAINBOARDWINDOWS VISTA HOME PREMIUM 64BIT---------------------------------------------------------------Option 2:ASUS P6T SE DESKTOP MAINBOARDINTEL CORE i7 920 2.66GHz 8MB2x GEIL 4GB (2x2GB) KIT DDR3 VALUE SERIES C9 1333M2x SAPPHIRE HD5770 850M PCIe/1GB/DVI/HDMIANTEC TRUEPOWER NEW 750W MODULAR PSUSAMSUNG 23" HD LCD WS 5MS (2333SW+) ANTEC NINE HUNDRED 900 GAMING CASEWD CAVIAR BLACK 640GB 7200/32MB/SATA2WINDOWS VISTA HOME PREMIUM 64BIT--------------------------------------------------------------Option 3:INTEL CORE 2 QUAD Q9550 2.83GHz 12MBASUS P5P43TD-PRO DESKTOP MAINBOARDGEIL 16GB 4x4GB KIT EVO ONE C6 800MhzSAPPHIRE HD5850 850M PCIe/1GB/DVI/HDMIANTEC NINE HUNDRED 900 GAMING CASEMASTER 650W WT MODULAR POWER SUPPLYWD CAVIAR BLACK 640GB 7200/32MB/SATA2SAMSUNG 23" HD LCD WS 5MS (2333SW+)WINDOWS VISTA HOME PREMIUM 64BITPlease also note that OCing the graphics cards and processors is OK. It will mainly be used for gaming. Running FSX and FS9 at highest possible settings with good (20FPS+) performance. I will be using addons such as PMDG 747X and MD11X. Also many types of scenery (FSDT, Flytampa Cloud 9 etc).All feedback appreciated.Thanks

[Sharrow 0]

Go for option 2 - no doubt about it! Forget Core2 of any kind - they are old news.But, you will need 3x2GB DDR3 RAM (not 2x2GB) as this mobo uses a triple channel memory controller, and do yourself a big favour and get it with Windows 7 64bit (as opposed to Vista). For the graphics card the HD5870 is a pretty decent choice BUT DO NOT GET 2 OF THEM - JUST 1 IS NEEDED FOR FSX. Otherwise an Nvidia GTX260 or GTX275 are also excellent choices.

[RobbieHe 0]

Option 2, no doubt!RH

[CFIJose 5,485]

Go with Option 2However as stated:Win 7 64 (A MUST)You need 6 gigs of ram (3 by 2 gig)Nvidia GTX 285 OR ATI 5870If you can afford it get 2 SSD drives (one for OS) one for fsx

[Guest chris493]

What if I went for a GTX 275 instead of the 285, would there be much of a difference??Sorry for the double post but I saw a i7 920 computer with 8 GB of Ram and a GTX 275 for $2000 AUD. Can an i7 processor have 8GB of ram, doesnt it have to be 3, 6, 9, 12 etc??see here:http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Core-i7-920-8GB-DDR...=item2c521d3e53What about the i7 860 instead of the 920?http://cgi.ebay.com.au/New-Intel-i7-860-8G...=item3efaf1009f

[TechguyMaxC 516]

No appreciable difference between those cards. The 285 is perhaps 10% faster than the 275. The i7 860 at stock is faster than the 920, but just like the 285 vs. 275, not by much.

[Guest chris493]

So would I be better to get the cheaper i7 860 and OC it, with the more expensive GTX285 or HD5870?

[TechguyMaxC 516]

FSX is all about the CPU once you get to about 8800 GT level of graphics performance.

[Guest chris493]

So what do you recommend? The i7 860 or 920?? I know that if you get a good CPU cooler, you can OC the 920 to 4GHz, will the 860, having a higher stock speed, go higher than 4GHz? What if I saved money and got a 5850 or gtx275 instead? Would this be noticed in FSX?

[TechguyMaxC 516]

You want the fastest CPU you can afford, and to overclock it as much as possible. The i7 9 series seems to be on average slightly easier to hit that 4GHz level than the 8 series. If you aren't comfortable o/cing then get the 860, if you are, get the 920. The GPU is practically irrelevant once you have a card at least as fast as an 8800 GT, which all of the cards listed are.

[Guest chris493]

So I will go for the 920, and the HD 5850 (I prefer ATI cards) and OC the i7 to 3.8-4GHz. What sort of cooler do you recommend for OC ing the i7?Would this cooler suffice for OCing the 920 to 4GHz?http://www.ple.com.au/?p=snapshot&inventory_id=46611

[Guest Vincent]

Here is my spec:i5 @ 3.6GhzH50 cooling4G OCZ Gold DDR3-1600Vista 32 w/ 3G switchFSX w/ Acce.(Autogen is now dense instead of very dense)I am also running with ASA, FS Realtime, TIR 4, and GEX USA & Canada. I tried using the PMDG MD-11 over JFK default and I still have a pretty smooth flight.I'm pretty happy with my perf. Now having said that, all I'm after is smooth flying with reasonable scenary and with this setting I've to say I'm very pleased. I know some people just chasing after the very last FPS. Also I don't run any 3rd party AI TFC, that's probably why I still have smooth flyging LOL

[Guest chris493]

Yeah, thats my problem, I love AI traffic, adds to the realism. Im aiming for the most realistic FSX possible, ie: every setting and slider as maximum as possible, with a life like smoothness while flying, taxing, take-off etc with all my addons. I suppose with an i7 920 @ 4GHz, and 6GB DDR3 1600MHz Tri-channel ram and an ATI HD 5850 graphics card, I should be able to achieve this if I install everything correctly and follow the optimisation guide posted on another thread on this forum a couple of days ago. I guess its all just fingers crossed from here on...@Vincent: BTW I noticed you have BIA Hells Highway on your computer, I also have this. What are your settings and what sort of performance do you achieve??\Thanks

[TechguyMaxC 516]

So I will go for the 920, and the HD 5850 (I prefer ATI cards) and OC the i7 to 3.8-4GHz. What sort of cooler do you recommend for OC ing the i7?Would this cooler suffice for OCing the 920 to 4GHz?http://www.ple.com.au/?p=snapshot&inventory_id=46611

Good choice on the CPU & graphics card but that cooler isn't even close to adequate. You want one of the two coolers featured in this test if you are serious about overclocking:Noctua NHD14 vs. Thermalright IFX14Both great coolers but the Noctua is a bit cheaper and actually comes with 2x 140mm fans whereas the Thermalright includes no fans, IIRC, extending its cost even further.

[Guest chris493]

Unfortunately I cannot find a store in australia that sells these coolers. However I did find this one:http://www.ple.com.au/?p=snapshot&inventory_id=34231would it suffice?Could you also please look through the list of coolers on that website and provide feedback for which ones would suffice.Thanks