New computer question ?

[Snaker]

I have $500.00 to spend on a new rig for fsx/fs9 and cfs3. I found this ibuypower rig for $499.00 on newegg. I don't know if I could build one for cheaper or not.

I assume anything would be better them my p4 with 1 gig ram and a 128mb ati9800 agp card.

Any opinions would be helpful. Thanks - here are the specs on the ibuypower one:

<TABLE class=specification cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=name>Processor</TD><TD class=desc><SCRIPT type=text/javascript>document.write(neg_specification_newline('Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200(2.33GHz)'));</SCRIPT>Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200(2.33GHz)</TD></TR><TR><TD class=name>Processor Main Features</TD><TD class=desc><SCRIPT type=text/javascript>document.write(neg_specification_newline('64 bit Quad-Core Processor'));</SCRIPT>64 bit Quad-Core Processor</TD></TR><TR><TD class=name>Cache Per Processor</TD><TD class=desc><SCRIPT type=text/javascript>document.write(neg_specification_newline('4MB L2 Cache'));</SCRIPT>4MB L2 Cache</TD></TR><TR><TD class=name>Memory</TD><TD class=desc><SCRIPT type=text/javascript>document.write(neg_specification_newline('4GB DDR2 800'));</SCRIPT>4GB DDR2 800</TD></TR><TR><TD class=name>Hard Drive</TD><TD class=desc><SCRIPT type=text/javascript>document.write(neg_specification_newline('320GB SATAII'));</SCRIPT>320GB SATAII</TD></TR><TR><TD class=name>Optical Drive 1</TD><TD class=desc><SCRIPT type=text/javascript>document.write(neg_specification_newline('20X DL DVD+/-RW Drive'));</SCRIPT>20X DL DVD+/-RW Drive</TD></TR><TR><TD class=name>Graphics</TD><TD class=desc><SCRIPT type=text/javascript>document.write(neg_specification_newline('NVIDIA GeForce 8400GS 512MB'));</SCRIPT>NVIDIA GeForce 8400GS 512MB</TD></TR><TR><TD class=name>Audio</TD><TD class=desc><SCRIPT type=text/javascript>document.write(neg_specification_newline('Realtek ALC662 codec, High definition Audio'));</SCRIPT>Realtek ALC662 codec, High definition Audio</TD></TR><TR><TD class=name>Ethernet</TD><TD class=desc><SCRIPT type=text/javascript>document.write(neg_specification_newline('Gigabit LAN by Realtek'));</SCRIPT>Gigabit LAN by Realtek</TD></TR><TR><TD class=name>Power Supply</TD><TD class=desc><SCRIPT type=text/javascript>document.write(neg_specification_newline('450W'));</SCRIPT>450W</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

[idancesafetydance]

the quad is good. but a little low on the Ghz range. the 8400GS is the fastest onboard everand you can't go wrong with 4 gigs... however... I have had bad experiences with Ibuypower, as well as many other people, about 50% of them even work. I would try and find another brand, I know gateway and dell make GREAT gaming systems. Just not sure on the price. :P

[ryanbatc]

It will be good solid system for FS9....FSX will struggle a little in big cities, and I'd suggest changing the video card to a 9800GT or better

[harleyman]

Processor[/SIZE]</TD><TD class=desc><SCRIPT type=text/javascript>document.write(neg_specification_newline('Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200(2.33GHz)'));</SCRIPT>Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200(2.33GHz)</TD></TR><TR><TD class=name>Processor Main Features</TD><TD class=desc><SCRIPT type=text/javascript>document.write(neg_specification_newline('64 bit Quad-Core Processor'));</SCRIPT>64 bit Quad-Core Processor</TD></TR><TR><TD class=name>Cache Per Processor</TD><TD class=desc><SCRIPT type=text/javascript>document.write(neg_specification_newline('4MB L2 Cache'));</SCRIPT>4MB L2 Cache</TD></TR><TR><TD class=name>Memory</TD><TD class=desc><SCRIPT type=text/javascript>document.write(neg_specification_newline('4GB DDR2 800'));</SCRIPT>4GB DDR2 800</TD></TR><TR><TD class=name>Hard Drive</TD><TD class=desc><SCRIPT type=text/javascript>document.write(neg_specification_newline('320GB SATAII'));</SCRIPT>320GB SATAII</TD></TR><TR><TD class=name>Optical Drive 1</TD><TD class=desc><SCRIPT type=text/javascript>document.write(neg_specification_newline('20X DL DVD+/-RW Drive'));</SCRIPT>20X DL DVD+/-RW Drive</TD></TR><TR><TD class=name>Graphics</TD><TD class=desc><SCRIPT type=text/javascript>document.write(neg_specification_newline('NVIDIA GeForce 8400GS 512MB'));</SCRIPT>NVIDIA GeForce 8400GS 512MB</TD></TR><TR><TD class=name>Audio</TD><TD class=desc><SCRIPT type=text/javascript>document.write(neg_specification_newline('Realtek ALC662 codec, High definition Audio'));</SCRIPT>Realtek ALC662 codec, High definition Audio</TD></TR><TR><TD class=name>Ethernet</TD><TD class=desc><SCRIPT type=text/javascript>document.write(neg_specification_newline('Gigabit LAN by Realtek'));</SCRIPT>Gigabit LAN by Realtek</TD></TR><TR><TD class=name>Power Supply</TD><TD class=desc><SCRIPT type=text/javascript>document.write(neg_specification_newline('450W'));</SCRIPT>450W</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

See if you can get a Q6600 @ 2.4 (great Overclocker
Ram is not bad... Could be boosted up if possible
The 8400 Card is at the bottom of the 8 series.. Try to get into at least a 8800 GT Or Overclocked one
With a bigger Vid card you might want more power...(550W)

[harleyman]

Look at what another 150 bucks gets you....

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883229078




I'm still looking..... This is nice ..Better price too...Not sure if that CPU can ever be upgraded..Look into that...http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883227104R < For the money that is nice..And a great Vid vard too.....

[SolarEagle]

As for the HDD, I'm not sure what you've picked but for $60 you can get the fastest 7200rpm drive on the market, the 12th generation Seagate Barracuda 500GB. That's 500GB on ONE platter, so the drive is only half as thick as a normal drive, and with that kind of platter density there is no wonder it's as fast as it is. On top of the speed its also the quietest drive I've ever seen.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148395


EDIT: I see it a pre-built system, so in that case:


4GB of OCZ Gold DDR2800 is only $42.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227199

Q8200 w/ motherboard and audio $260

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.154802

8400GS $30 <-- not very powerful

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814133264

480w PSU $17

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817709010

That's a total of $410. You would need another $20 for CD/RW and $25 for a case, so $454 if you were to build the same system your self. Above are not recommended parts, just the cheapest parts, and you can be sure they are using the cheapest parts in that ibuypower rig, so your looking at about $50 in labor for them to build it. If it comes with an OS for $500 then it would cost you more to build it, as an OEM copy of Vista 64 is $99.

[harleyman]

As for the HDD, I'm not sure what you've picked but for $60 you can get the fastest 7200rpm drive on the market, the 12th generation Seagate Barracuda 500GB. That's 500GB on ONE platter, so the drive is only half as thick as a normal drive, and with that kind of platter density there is no wonder it's as fast as it is. On top of the speed its also the quietest drive I've ever seen.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148395




I don't know about that...My Seagate 650 Gig has a 32 Mb Cache and is rated nearly as fast as a 10,000 Raptor...

[SolarEagle]

I don't know about that...My Seagate 650 Gig has a 32 Mb Cache and is rated nearly as fast as a 10,000 Raptor...

Yeah, well the Seagate 7200.12 is actually faster than both the 10k RaptorX and the new VelociRaptor. Take a look as these data reads. The 7200 Seagate has both a faster average read and faster maximum read than either of the 10k drives. Of course the 10k drives have a superior seek time.

Seagate 7200.12 = 108MB/s average read.
http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj252/epimetheus13/HDTune_Read_Benchmark_ST3500410AS.png


RaptorX 10,000 = 72MB/s average read
http://www.overclock3d.net/gfx/articles/2008/07/16085804529l.jpg


VelociRaptor 10,000 = 103MBs/s average read
http://www.overclock3d.net/gfx/articles/2008/07/16085804361l.jpg

[txnetcop]

It is true that this is the fastest read drives you can buy for under $100, but a warning it is a single platter and 70% of the drive is made from recycled materials. The idea behind the drive was to create an eco friendly drive that uses less power without sacrificing speed from recycled parts.

There has already been a number of these drives going bad for various reasons. While not enough to justify a recall I would use caution. TechCorp tested several of those drives and 4 of 12 broke down quickly. One thing I admire about the drive is its throughput. For those that held together they were extremely fast. With all the problems Seagate has had of late I still choose Western Digital 32 mb cache drives for reliability and overall speed in most cases. Still for $60 they are a find.

By the way, when measuring drive speed you must also consider seek time. In other words, ya takes your chances and it might pay off.
Ted

Snaker save your money for a while longer that thing you are considering is a piece of trash...I promise you won't be happy with it in FSX. You can build a faster system on your own for around $700

[Snaker]

Wow! Thanks for all the information and links everybody. I appreciate the replies. After looking things over I may wait and save a while longer so I can buy/build something with a higher ghz processor and the 9800gt or better card.

:ernae:

[harleyman]

Snaker...As hard to do,with money in the pocket,its the best choice really..

Save some, get way better for 3-4 more hundred that you will be happy with..

Where do you live..There are many builders here that would help you with that if you wanted help...Just ask....