PDA

View Full Version : System Resources



Baywing
March 3rd, 2009, 16:18
Does FSX use more CPU or GPU? I'm looking to upgrade and trying to figure out where to best put my efforts.

MCDesigns
March 3rd, 2009, 16:20
CPU by far. To get the most out of FSX, you need the best CPU you can buy.

Boomer
March 3rd, 2009, 17:45
CPU by far. To get the most out of FSX, you need the best CPU you can buy.

Ditto that!

Lionheart
March 3rd, 2009, 18:11
Edited....

harleyman
March 3rd, 2009, 18:26
HorsePower=CPU

I am seeing where a nice duo over an i7 has many benefits....

Lately I have seen a pile of rigs with X58 struggeling with FSX for some reason..... Just seems so hard to get it smooth.....:rapture:

Baywing
March 4th, 2009, 03:10
Thanks. I have an AMD dual 5600+ (2.8Ghz) now and have a shot at a $90 6400+ (3.2Ghz) while they last. I've got an older Windsor but the price seems good for the extra. I only have enough power in the PS for the new CPU or a new GPU, so trying to figure where I'll get the biggest benefit.

JoeW
March 4th, 2009, 03:17
Back in the 60's we used to say "There is no substitute for cubic inches."
Cubic inches=cpu

harleyman
March 4th, 2009, 03:43
Thanks. I have an AMD dual 5600+ (2.8Ghz) now and have a shot at a $90 6400+ (3.2Ghz) while they last. I've got an older Windsor but the price seems good for the extra. I only have enough power in the PS for the new CPU or a new GPU, so trying to figure where I'll get the biggest benefit.



That CPU @ 3.2 will by far give you the best bang for your buck for sure....

Order it quick...LOL

Look in the Swap meet room here..i have two Cards for sale ...http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=&f=43

kilo delta
March 4th, 2009, 04:22
Don't do it! Don't waste your money for a 400mhz increase in cpu speed. You could overclock your original chip and get the same results for free. :)

SpaceWeevil
March 4th, 2009, 04:35
Don't do it! Don't waste your money for a 400mhz increase in cpu speed. You could overclock your original chip and get the same results for free. :)

Genuine thirst for knowledge here - how reliable is a 15% - 20% overclock? Also, given the average beige box's crap cooling, how long could you expect it to last?

Baywing
March 4th, 2009, 04:43
Genuine thirst for knowledge here - how reliable is a 15% - 20% overclock? Also, given the average beige box's crap cooling, how long could you expect it to last?

Actually, the cooling in the Dell E521 is quite overdone. As I understand it, the cooling fan, shroud and heatsink were designed for a Pentium dual core which ran much hotter than the dual AMD, but due to supply issues on the CPU, Dell kept the shroud, fan and heat sink but switched the MB and chipset. I read that somewhere last year. More likely, knowing Dell, they designed just one cooling assembly (around the dual Pentium) and used it in both the E521 and E520, and maybe more than that. When I upgraded the AMD from the stock 3800+ last year, the dell heat sink was better than twice the size of the AMD sink that came with the 5600+. The downside to OC is I don't know a thing about it and wouldn't have the first clue as to how to do it.

Baywing
March 4th, 2009, 04:45
Can I assume that the CPU has the same importance (over the GPU) for all of M$ flight sims? (I also fly CFS2, 3 and CFS3 based OFF)

Baywing
March 4th, 2009, 04:46
That CPU @ 3.2 will by far give you the best bang for your buck for sure....

Order it quick...LOL

Look in the Swap meet room here..i have two Cards for sale ...http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=&f=43

Thanks, I have to see what kind of room I have. It looks like the 8800 GT is too long and will conflict with the large heatsink/shroud.

kilo delta
March 4th, 2009, 04:46
Very reliable...15-20% is regarded as a relatively small overclock. As an example.....I had my old Intel E8400 rated as standard @ 3GHZ, overclocked to 4.4GHZ easily enough. Bear in mind that you'll need adequate cooling if you intend to achieve a moderate to high OC. The trick is to get a good stable OC with the minimum increase in cpu voltage.

harleyman
March 4th, 2009, 04:49
Kilo... Not everyone knows how or can OC their CPU's...Plus it looke like an off the shelf rig, and depending on its components may not be able to OC at all...Plus then he needs a bigger cooler too...

SW...A sound OC can last forever if done correctly in the FSB and keeping voltages(heat) set right.....

Plus then you need a bigger cooler.I would never suggest an OC with a stock cooler on any off the shelf computer...

I would buy that horsepower for 70 bucks above doing an OC to reach it...Thats just me though....

Thats why I use a E8600 at 3.33 over a quad , say, Q9650 at 400 bucks that still needs to be overclocked to reach what FSX needs.....


But each to his own.....

kilo delta
March 4th, 2009, 04:49
Chances are, if you've a Dell system, overclocking will not be possible. Only the newer Dell XPS systems will allow OC.

GT182
March 4th, 2009, 05:00
Thanks, I have to see what kind of room I have. It looks like the 8800 GT is too long and will conflict with the large heatsink/shroud.

You could always switch everything over to a Full size tower. Then you'll have lotsa room. ;)

harleyman
March 4th, 2009, 05:14
Can I assume that the CPU has the same importance (over the GPU) for all of M$ flight sims? (I also fly CFS2, 3 and CFS3 based OFF)


Yes....

I don't see why an oversize CPU cooler would interfere with a vid card at all...The card should sit well below that..If anything the length usually is a factor as to closness to your front bays..

but being a Dell it might have a funny mobo..Not aware of the interior of that box...

But as GT182 said, a bigger box is an easy switch..You can find them at Newegg for 50-150 bucks.....


Example...........http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811166004 With rebate this is 54 bucks

kilo delta
March 4th, 2009, 05:23
Kilo... Not everyone knows how or can OC their CPU's...Plus it looke like an off the shelf rig, and depending on its components may not be able to OC at all...Plus then he needs a bigger cooler too...

True, Harley....however there will be minimal gain in fps with a 400mhz increase in clockspeed....certainly not enough to warrant the outlay on a new processor. I'd recommend keeping the $90 in his pocket until he can upgrade to a more powerful system.
A bigger,more efficient cooler would be desirable...though not really necessary for a small OC. It's a moot point,anyhow, as his Dell system most likely will not allow him to OC at all.
:)

harleyman
March 4th, 2009, 05:39
Well..

A 2.8 will NOT get the job done......

A 3.2 is in that neighborhood that FSX wants..

Yes. More is better.......

Yes its moot point...

I thought it was 60 bucks too.... My dylexia at its best......:argue:

LOL.......

kilo delta
March 4th, 2009, 05:50
Well..

A 2.8 will NOT get the job done......

A 3.2 is in that neighborhood that FSX wants..



True...FSX requires a clockspeed ~3.5GHZ.....although bear in mind that the OP is running an AMD 2.8ghz dual core chip which is nowhere near as powerful as an equivilant Intel processor. AMD have upped the ante with their latest Phenom II processors, but their previous have lagged behind the intel dual and quad core chips by a huge margin.

As a (poor) example...I had an AMD dual core FX-60 (2.8ghz) chip in a previous system and it was easily outperformed by an Intel Q6600 (2.4ghz) rig.

harleyman
March 4th, 2009, 06:00
Great points there kilo...

I follow.....:applause:

I'm with ya on this.........:monkies:

Baywing
March 4th, 2009, 06:08
Ok, totally confused now.....
Thanks for all the advice. The alternative at some point down the road would be to build my own. When I bought the E521, I knew it wasn't the best, but I wasn't really looking for a gamer at the time. I was considering ~$100 to upgrade what I have and that maybe it would get me a little better performance that I'd be happy with until next year.
At the present time, my employment situation is in limbo. It will be a few months until I am sure that I'll have a job until July of 2010, so I'm holding off on any large, unnecessary expenses (I figure a decent rig is going to run $1500+/-).
Again, thanks to all, you've given me lots of food for thought.

kilo delta
March 4th, 2009, 06:11
Computers can be enough to make your head spin sometimes, Harley :faint::) :ernae:

Also...regards the 8800GT card... is the layout of the OP's system similar to this...

http://www.acltd.demon.co.uk/images/dimension_e521_inside.jpg

If so...it's almost identical in layout to my Dell XPS420 media htpc rig, and i'm running an Nvidia 8800GTX in mine without any problems.

kilo delta
March 4th, 2009, 06:15
Baywing....it is possible to OC your current system (using CBID and ClockGen as an example) but I personally do not like software overclocks.It's soooo much better to tweak the BIOS....bull most OEM systems disable this feature. :ernae:

Baywing
March 4th, 2009, 06:26
Computers can be enough to make your head spin sometimes, Harley :faint::) :ernae:

Also...regards the 8800GT card... is the layout of the OP's system similar to this...

http://www.acltd.demon.co.uk/images/dimension_e521_inside.jpg

If so...it's almost identical in layout to my Dell XPS420 media htpc rig, and i'm running an Nvidia 8800GTX in mine without any problems.

I've seen articles on the web that describe in detail how to get an 8800/9800 series card into a 521. It requires a Dremel tool to remove parts of the case, shroud and cpu heatsink, and then removal of the debris so generated. Based on what has been said in this thread so far, I'm not sure it's worth the effort.

Hanimichal
March 4th, 2009, 07:00
My hardware: 512 mb GTX 9800+ / AM2 2x6000+ = 3.0 Ghz / 3GB 800 RAM Corsair / M3N-HT DELLUXE / WIN XP SP3

And I fly in New York with 8~12 frams !?! (when I used 8800 GT AphaDog I have mor frams!!!!)
So I overlock CPU to 3.2 GHz, and continue with the same frams
now I need buy 4xPhenom Black edition to see if improved more frams (Phenom has less than 2.8 GHz!)

Baywing
March 4th, 2009, 08:34
Guess it's all moot, the CPU is listed as sold out. Thanks all!

harleyman
March 4th, 2009, 09:23
Aw man...That bites...Sorry to hear that.....

Buddha13
March 4th, 2009, 10:33
Hi all,
Saw a massive jump from my E6600 Core 2 Duo to my QX9650 Core 2 Quad.Mind you I also upgraded everything else so that might have had a major effect as well.

Buddha13

kilo delta
March 4th, 2009, 11:52
Hi all,
Saw a massive jump from my E6600 Core 2 Duo to my QX9650 Core 2 Quad.Mind you I also upgraded everything else so that might have had a major effect as well.

Buddha13


Overclock that QX too....it'd be a shame not to. I've mine running at 4GHZ :friday:

Buddha13
March 5th, 2009, 05:07
Hi Kilo,
How have you overclocked your CPU.Did you have to overclock each core seperatelyAlso what cooler are you using.I have a Zalman.Cannot remember it's number at the moment.Think it might be a 7200.

Buddha13

harleyman
March 5th, 2009, 05:11
When you OC all cores are done at the same time.....

Its done in the FSB voltages and then adjusted ram timings.....

The new X58 i7 does not have a FSB , so its different..

I do not OC but do know that info for you...I am learning though...

kilo delta
March 5th, 2009, 05:23
When you OC all cores are done at the same time.....

Its done in the FSB voltages and then adjusted ram timings.....



As Harleyman has stated...you adjust those setting to overclock. The beauty of the QX series processors are that they are unlocked. This means that you can safely overclock them by increasing the multiplier by +1 maybe +2 and you generally won't need to alter the voltages. Have a look in your pc bios for the multi setting and try to increase it, buddha13 :)

EDIT: I forgot to mention that i'm using a Tuniq Tower cpu cooler.... I'm using this type on all of my home builds. It out-performs my Coolit Freezone liquid cooling units too. :)

harleyman
March 5th, 2009, 06:10
Great Kilo...I forgot the multiplier was unlocked on the extremes.....:woot: