My New Rig

[capceo]

Hey Everyone,

Just got all the components for the ground-up build of my new FSX Machine. I really think she's gonna be a flightsim monster, but I thought I throw the specs up here and get some feedback.

Here's what we've got:


Case:
Corsair Carbide Series 400R Graphite grey and black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Gaming Case

Motherboard:
ASUS P8Z68-V LE LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS
Processor:
Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 3000 BX80623I72600K
Memory:
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2133 (PC3 17000) Desktop Memory Model F3-17000CL9D-8GBXM
Cooling:
CORSAIR H100 (CWCH100) Extreme Performance Liquid CPU Cooler

Graphics:
EVGA 03G-P3-1588-AR GeForce GTX 580 (Fermi) Classified 3GB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
Dedicated Windows and FSX Drive:
OCZ Agility 3 AGT3-25SAT3-240G 2.5" 240GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
Hard Disk Drive:
Seagate SV35 Series ST3500411SV 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive

Power Supply:
CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX750 V2 750W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC High Performance Power Supply
DVD/RW Drive:
LG 22X Super-Multi DVD Burner 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 22X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model GH22NS90B - Retail - OEM

Let me know what you think.

Joe

[Phantom88]

:jump:Awesome and Congrats!! That Machine should tear up FSX and spit it out!!!
[I mean that in a good way!:icon_lol:]

[FlameOut]

How much $$$ ? She should kick ol' FSX in the teabags ! :pop4:

[capceo]

How much $$$ ? She should kick ol' FSX in the teabags ! :pop4:


All the components came out to $1748.62USD.


I was originally going to buy a machine from JetLine Systems, since I didn't feel like doing another build. But when I priced everything out and realized that I could build a machine that was more powerful than their top of the line system for less money than their entry level system, that idea was out the window. :sleep:


Here are the top 3 most expensive components.

The GTX580 was hands down the most expensive component, coming in at just over $510.00.
But you get what you pay for. According to benchmark, it's currently the most powerful GPU in existence. Im still blown away at the whopping 3GB of internal GPU memory.

The processor was also pricey, around $310.00.

Finally comes the dedicated Windows and FSX drive. This is a 240GB Solid State Drive, which was around $220. However, the read/write rate of the drive is 520GB per second. This means that it will cold boot Windows 7 in about 8 seconds. It will boot FSX from the desktop in under 4. The amount of time it will take to load a flight will be under 3. This also drastically increases frame rates, as the sim can pull any resource it needs, such as mesh, scenery, clouds, at 520GB/s.


This was designed entirely to run FSX. As far as performance, there were no other factors in determining hardware components other than FSX. The goal from the start of this build was to create a machine that would run FSX completely maxed out, with absolutely ANY scenery or aircraft addon currently produced, at a 60FPS cap. I think it will do this without even breaking a sweat. :cool:


You guys can't even imagine how excited I am to get her built!!! :salute::bump::wiggle::wavey::173go1::ernae::jump: :monkies:


Ill upload some FSX shots once I get her going.

[Jafo]

"The goal from the start of this build was to create a machine that would run FSX completely maxed out, with absolutely ANY scenery or aircraft addon currently produced, at a 60FPS cap."

Good luck with that....am running an ASUS GTX590 and can't guarantee 60fps unless I'm in the middle of 'no-where'....;p

[fsxar177]

I'll echo the above, not to discourage. I'm running the 2600k at 4.2 steady, on a dedicated drive, and tweaked to the hilt. (fine tuned) I'm running smooth, and stable. Very happy, but by no means 60fps, not everywhere. You only need 24 anyway. And good luck with that at places like KLAX. Let alone turning up traffic.

Joseph

[capceo]

I'll echo the above, not to discourage. I'm running the 2600k at 4.2 steady, on a dedicated drive, and tweaked to the hilt. (fine tuned) I'm running smooth, and stable. Very happy, but by no means 60fps, not everywhere. You only need 24 anyway. And good luck with that at places like KLAX. Let alone turning up traffic.

Joseph


Is a 30fps cap in any situation a realistic expectation?

[fsxar177]

No

However, that shouldn't discourage you. That's a heck of a system, and I would expect you'll be very happy. Especially after some fine tuning. Be sure to follow the proper setup procedures found here (http://www.simforums.com/forums/topic29041.html).

You'll probably be very comfortable in most situations.

Joseph

[fxsttcb]

Nice Rig!
In case you haven't yet, an overclock will garner some excellent added FSX performance:
The i7-2600K with your CH-100 should be an awesome overclocker. 4.8-4.9Ghz is common and a few have gotten 5.0GHz+(Luck of the bin).
It should be as simple as increasing the multiplier one step until it become unstable during a stress test, then increase the Vcore one step.
Rinse, Repeat. My personal limit for the Vcore is 1.38v and/or 70C for 24/7 ops. Some have recieved a higher OC with HT off(BIOS)

You want a real time temperature monitor like Core Temp (http://www.alcpu.com/CoreTemp/) for use during testing.
This one has a small resource footprint and can be put in the system tray for 24/7 ops.
Keep the CPU below 85C for Stress Tests, and 70C 24/7 for CPU longevity. It will throttle itself at 100C so those numbers give you headroom.

I use LinX (http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/663563/LinX/LinX-setup.exe) for stress testing my OCs. About 10 passes is good for interim testing, and 100 passes should verify final OC 24/7 capability.
CPUz(CPUID) (http://www.cpuid.com/softwares/cpu-z.html) will monitor the OC and provide actual, real time, Vcore(important). Compare Vcore BIOS setting to actual and adjust according.

While the GTX 580 is an awesome VC, for FSX, unless you are running multiple monitors, at extreme resolutions, a GTX 560 Ti would be fine.
That sucker will really shine with more graphically intense games though.

Have fun!...Don

[capceo]

Nice Rig!
In case you haven't yet, an overclock will garner some excellent added FSX performance:
The i7-2600K with your CH-100 should be an awesome overclocker. 4.8-4.9Ghz is common and a few have gotten 5.0GHz+(Luck of the bin).
It should be as simple as increasing the multiplier one step until it become unstable during a stress test, then increase the Vcore one step.
Rinse, Repeat. My personal limit for the Vcore is 1.38v and/or 70C for 24/7 ops. Some have recieved a higher OC with HT off(BIOS)

You want a real time temperature monitor like Core Temp (http://www.alcpu.com/CoreTemp/) for use during testing.
This one has a small resource footprint and can be put in the system tray for 24/7 ops.
Keep the CPU below 85C for Stress Tests, and 70C 24/7 for CPU longevity. It will throttle itself at 100C so those numbers give you headroom.

I use LinX (http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/663563/LinX/LinX-setup.exe) for stress testing my OCs. About 10 passes is good for interim testing, and 100 passes should verify final OC 24/7 capability.
CPUz(CPUID) (http://www.cpuid.com/softwares/cpu-z.html) will monitor the OC and provide actual, real time, Vcore(important). Compare Vcore BIOS setting to actual and adjust according.

While the GTX 580 is an awesome VC, for FSX, unless you are running multiple monitors, at extreme resolutions, a GTX 560 Ti would be fine.
That sucker will really shine with more graphically intense games though.

Have fun!...Don


Thanks Don,

Was definitely planning on doing some overclocking. I was only going to try to get 4.2Ghz out of the i7, but now that you're telling me people have gotten it as far up as 5.0Ghz, Ill go for more!

Thanks also for the software advice, Ill have to really sit down and take my time with this one. And yes, the GTX580 is a monster! I dont think there are too many games out there it can't handle.

Joe

[res non verba]

will be nice to ear a feedback from what you achieve, my rig is very similar to yours:

i7 2600k; p8z68 dlx; gtx580 832mhz 3gb; 1xSSD120gb OS; 1xSSD120gb fsx; 1xHDD500gb backup; hydro H100; 8gb 1600mhz; ocz 1250w; w7 pro 64bits

I have not made a oc yet, i'm on 3.8GHz, but I'm enthusiastic in making one, now i have a good quality and smooth balance

the only problem I'm trying to overcome is the blurries at speeds in excess of 350knots with a fast jet at low altitude, perhaps the greatest challenge for the rig, and maybe the solution is overclocking.

happy flying

cheers!

[hey_moe]

Hey Joe....where are the pictures of this dream machine?

[capceo]

Hey Joe....where are the pictures of this dream machine?


This machine is a BLAST. Im running FSX, with a fine tuned .cfg file, at 50FPS capped. I just loaded a flight with the new Carenado C90, and flew all over Manhattan with settings pretty close to maxed at suffered no frame loss. the i7 is overclocked to 4.4Ghz per core.


Heres the completed build :)


http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n176/vairguard/IMG_4881.jpg

[hey_moe]

Yeah buddy. Outstanding job on keeping the wires clean for all hook up's.From all the goodies you put in for your build, what size chain are ya using to hold her down.
This machine is a BLAST. Im running FSX, with a fine tuned .cfg file, at 50FPS capped. I just loaded a flight with the new Carenado C90, and flew all over Manhattan with settings pretty close to maxed at suffered no frame loss. the i7 is overclocked to 4.4Ghz per core.


Heres the completed build :)


http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n176/vairguard/IMG_4881.jpg

[fxsttcb]

Ditto, the clean job!

Here's something that might make you wish you'd have waited just a little longer: http://www.maximum-tech.net/asrock-fatal1ty-z77-professional-review-12062/?page=12
Sick, Sick, Sick, Speed! Simply blew me away! With a $65 air cooler no less. The i7 should do as well, if not better, I'd think...Don