drivers that will work with FSX acceleration?

[war.ace]

1http://www.bestbuy.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&sku_id=0926INGFS10101192&catid=20397
2 http://www.bestbuy.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&sku_id=0926INGFS10101204&catid=20397
3 http://www.bestbuy.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&sku_id=0926INGFS10111360&catid=20397

which card will work with fsx acceleration? and which wont?

[MCDesigns]

I'd go with the 3650 of the three, but you need to make sure you have a PCI slot in your Mobo first.. BTW they are cards, not drivers, drivers are the programming that tells them how to work and interface with the rest of your system in a nutshell.

[N2056]

Time for a quick lesson in hardware...

Your root issue is that your computer uses an integrated video chip on the motherboard. These are notoriously lacking when it comes to running FSX.

What you are calling a 'driver' is actually a video card. These come in 2 types...AGP (older technology) and PCI-E (newer technology). Your motherboard MUST have one or the other style slot available to use them. They are not interchangeable, so you need to know which type of card will physically fit into the board. The "driver" is the software that tells the OS how to use the card. :d

I learned a long time ago that trying to go budget on a video card tends to be more frustration than it's worth. Stay away from the real cheap ones. Also go look thru the manufacturer's forums to see if there are some common issues to look out for. A year ago I got an ATI HD 2600 pro AGP card that does the job, but I had a lot of driver issues early on. Others here will be able to advise you better in terms of what is a good deal.

The other thing you must pay attention to is the power supply. Most recent video cards use a lot of power, and often require that a bigger power supply be installed.

I really wish it were easier...and I know this has to be very frustrating... Good luck with getting it going!

[war.ace]

ok I'll change the drivers into cards and I will also post some in the hundreds

[war.ace]

http://www.bestbuy.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?sku_id=0926INGFS10101194&catid=20397&logon=&langid=EN on sale save $50

http://www.bestbuy.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&sku_id=0926INGFS10111362&catid=20397

http://www.bestbuy.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&sku_id=0926INGFS10100525&catid=20397

[heywooood]

yes - its part of the problem is getting a card powerful enough to render fast in FSX...but more important is the cards' compatability with the rest of your system.

you cant just grab any vid card and plug it in (as much as that would be cool to be able to do) - oh no...you have make sure the card will work with your mobo - and that your processor is strong enough to feed it - and that your power supply has enough juice to power it - and that your case is roomy and well ventilated enough to keep it all cool

[war.ace]

well I have 1.86 ghz intel core 2 duo processor. power supply? I just normally plug it in or turn on the switch thingy(the thing with many plugs) ventillation and cooling, my pc is in the basement and it's really cold here and it's winter time so it is really cold here

offtopic: heywood are you in the airforce? canadian one?

[N2056]

Please don't take this the wrong way, but perhaps you would be best off going to a computer shop and having them do the work for you. There are a lot of different ways to goof up an upgrade like this, and one way to get it right. Making a mistake could ruin the whole machine...:isadizzy:

[heywooood]

well I have 1.86 ghz intel core 2 duo processor. power supply? I just normally plug it in or turn on the switch thingy(the thing with many plugs) ventillation and cooling, my pc is in the basement and it's really cold here and it's winter time so it is really cold here

offtopic: heywood are you in the airforce? canadian one?

no - just a canadian with an F-14 jones..:ernae:

alright - basic computer stuff

whats in the big box that you turn on and off and plug your monitor and keyboard into:

the big box is called a 'case'

in the case you have a PSU or 'power supply unit' and some cooling fans - the PSU takes the juice from the wall socket and distributes it to the components inside the case and the fans keep everything cool.

components? you ask?

the mother board - it has your CPU or core processor unit - thats the big chip - the brains of the outfit...if it is multi-core and has good speed (3.4 or better) it is a proffessor emeritus and can do almost anything you ask it to do...if it is slow like a canadian - it can only do one thing at a time and you gotta wait for it to finish its Molsen first. The motherboard also has very specific slots and connectors on it that you need to use to attach the other components to - like the RAM sticks - the video card - the Hard Drive(s) - the sound card - etc...

the Hard Drive or HD - usually 80gigs and 7200 rpm - this is where all the files are..when you install a game on your computer, you are taking the stuff off the CD or DVD and writing them or copying them to the Hard Drive so that when you need them..your computer can find them right away and run them locally (without you having to put the disc in the DVD or CD drive bay alla time).

the RAM - or Random Access Memory sticks - these plug right into the motherboard and these guys also keep files on them from the hard drives..lets say you load a big game like FSX - all the FSX files are on the hard drive but you need to fly - well - if your CPU needs to grab all those terrain files and all those airplane files and all those sound files and all the AI files and send them to your monitor - well - the Hard Drive cant keep up - cant send all those files fast enough....thats where the RAM comes in - the RAM pre-fetches like a good bird dog, all the biggest associated files from your game and gets 'em in order and then feeds them to your CPU and your video card or Graphics Processing Unit or 'GPU'

the GPU - this is the graphics card or video card and it is essential to have a fast and efficient one - if the CPU is fast and efficient...these two fellers need to be compatible or equally capable or else you can have a 'bottleneck' or 'chokepoint' so that if you have a really fast CPU but a bum vid card - you wont see the full beauty of your game - on the other hand - if you have a monster vid card but your CPU is a hockey player - well you wont see the beauty of the game that way either.

All of this stuff needs to be selected carefull for compatability before you build and thats why box brand rigs like Compaq or Dell or Alienware etc.. sell so well - its intimidating to a lay person to try to figer out what works best with what and keep the budget in mind at the same time.

I used a local computer shop in my town to build mine - and it has worked out well
If you are unfamiliar with these basic terms and components in your computers' case you should not even open it

Disclaimer - some of the descriptions I used are not 100 percent accurate but likely work well enough in this example...you must excuse my shortcuts and generalisations - because I am a canadian hockey player

[war.ace]

Please don't take this the wrong way, but perhaps you would be best off going to a computer shop and having them do the work for you. There are a lot of different ways to goof up an upgrade like this, and one way to get it right. Making a mistake could ruin the whole machine...:isadizzy:
I'f I do buy a new card I might have best buy's "geek squad" to come over and install it for me.

[harleyman]

You can take your computer into say BestBuy or Circuit and tell them you need a Video card for it..they will see what you need and show you their choices,and prices..They will also tell you if your Power supply is powerful enough to run it.....

Where do you live War.ace?

[N2056]

My bigger concern is that you get the right items needed to begin with...are you certain that you are looking for a PCI-E card? The power supply I spoke about earlier is the one inside of the computer, and could make or break your upgrade! The actual install of the card is easy as long as you do your homework...

I'm thinking you need to meet Ted...aka Txnetcop :d

[JSkorna]

Hi,

Your 1.86 ghz intel core 2 duo processor is still not going to run FSX very well, even with a new video card.

[heywooood]

bottom line from JSkorna -

kid - you're gonna need a bigger boat

[djscoo]

Hi,

Your 1.86 ghz intel core 2 duo processor is still not going to run FSX very well, even with a new video card.
...thats what i've got with a GeForce 7300 LE and I'm happy!

[heywooood]

yes - FSX is scalable enough to run at lower settings with that chipset and a better vidcard..but based on the screenshots war.ace has posted - he is reaching pretty far, and for where and what it appears he wants to fly, he might not be as happy taking the shortcut and buying a video card now vs. waiting and paying a little more for a good solid base rig that is upgradeable.

Just make sure that if you buy a card - it is compatable with your existing hardware and at the same time offers a noticeable improvement over what you have now - which shouldnt be too hard since anything is better than onboard video processing.

I started Il2 with a 1.2ghz chip and a crappy card in a Dell rig so I have been to the slideshows and I know what war.ace is going through -
the rig I have now isn't even middle of the road anymore but I can use FSX to my liking - and you can probably build this one for a lot less than 800 bucks today :kilroy:

[beatle]

Hey war.ace,

Any of the cards you listed will run FSX/Acceleration - of those you've listed, I would say the HD3650 with 1GB Ram is the best value. If you can go to about twice the money, the HD4850 with 512MB Ram seems to be the best performance vs cost card I could find right now (I just picked one up a couple of weeks ago myself, granted I'm running it on a Q9300 Quad Core at 2.5GHz with 6 GB Ram (this is my main dev machine after all :-> )).

As someone else said, pretty much anything you can buy retail right now is going to be better than the Intel Integrated Graphics (which are fine for their intended purpose, running the Vista Aero interface, but come up a bit short when trying to run games :-> ).

Unless you have a handy techy person (Dad/Mom, neighbor, friend, etc), taking the machine into BestBuy so the Geek Squad folks can determine the expandability of your machine is probably your best bet, just know in advance what you want so they don't try to upsale you beyond your budget :-> ).

Tim

[icarus]

drivers that will work with FSX acceleration?

Massa, Raikkonen, for sure they accelerate:jump: seriously...for ati card i really like catalyst 8.9 when i have installed Acceleration it was a disaster with catalyst 8.3, only 10 frames...after 8.9 version 25+fps with all slider at right or near the right. and i have an old ati 2600 pro i can imagine with an 4870

[icarus]

they are cards, not drivers, drivers are the programming that tells them how to work and interface with the rest of your system in a nutshell.

war.ace don't use the mouse as rudder pedal doesnt works...

[war.ace]

Hey war.ace,

Any of the cards you listed will run FSX/Acceleration - of those you've listed, I would say the HD3650 with 1GB Ram is the best value. If you can go to about twice the money, the HD4850 with 512MB Ram seems to be the best performance vs cost card I could find right now (I just picked one up a couple of weeks ago myself, granted I'm running it on a Q9300 Quad Core at 2.5GHz with 6 GB Ram (this is my main dev machine after all :-> )).

As someone else said, pretty much anything you can buy retail right now is going to be better than the Intel Integrated Graphics (which are fine for their intended purpose, running the Vista Aero interface, but come up a bit short when trying to run games :-> ).

Unless you have a handy techy person (Dad/Mom, neighbor, friend, etc), taking the machine into BestBuy so the Geek Squad folks can determine the expandability of your machine is probably your best bet, just know in advance what you want so they don't try to upsale you beyond your budget :-> ).

thank you beatle that is the answer I was looking for

[Bjoern]

Please don't take this the wrong way, but perhaps you would be best off going to a computer shop and having them do the work for you. There are a lot of different ways to goof up an upgrade like this, and one way to get it right. Making a mistake could ruin the whole machine...:isadizzy:

I disagree.

I think it's okay if war.ace does a bit of reading on the subject before and then installs his new card himself.
You can't do that much wrong when you're installing a graphics card. The power connectors are pretty foolproof and as long as you don't use excessive force to try to push the card into the slot, you're fine.

So save your money for those computer shop guys, war.ace, do a bit of googling and reading and install the new card yourself.
The more you know about your PC, the more you can fix in case something goes wrong.