Computer Upgrade Questions....

[tommieboy]

My current computer is has an Intel Core i7-860 Lynnfield Quad-Core 2.8 GHz LGA 1156; that being said, my motherboard is a dead end.

What would be the next step up in CPU power for FSX? I'm not looking for a bleeding edge technology setup. I'm assuming that my memory, graphic card, etc. will also have to be upgraded, but I want to get some feed back on the CPU / Motherboard first.

Thanks,

Tommy

[karlh]

My current computer is has an Intel Core i7-860 Lynnfield Quad-Core 2.8 GHz LGA 1156; that being said, my motherboard is a dead end.

What would be the next step up in CPU power for FSX? I'm not looking for a bleeding edge technology setup. I'm assuming that my memory, graphic card, etc. will also have to be upgraded, but I want to get some feed back on the CPU / Motherboard first.

Thanks,

Tommy

I'm going to guess you are looking to improve frame rates and clarity of textures. The biggest bottleneck that jumps out to me is the 2.8 GHz speed of the CPU. 1st, have you modified the FSX.CFG to make use the the extra cores in the CPU? Out of curiousity I looked and the LGA 1156 CPU's all run at that speed. I don't understand what you mean exactly when you say your motherboard is a dead end. Does that mean replacing it along with the CPU is not an option?

The graphics card is fairly old, though I think it was a higher end card when it the current model. www.hwcompare.com is a good site to compare video cards. I think I would focus on the CPU first. Replacing the motherboard with one that will allow a faster CPU and has overclocking potential would be ideal. Adding another 4-12 GB of RAM would have some advantages to for $25-$70.

Looking on eBay the fastest CPU's were I5's not I7's. But there are really cheap. ( http://www.ebay.com/sch/LGA-1156-Soc..._652120/i.html )

[tommieboy]

The 1156 chip pin socket was abondoned by Intel shortly after I bought the chip and motherboard.

Tommy

[Hdguy]

If you change Motherboards, I suggest that you dump XP too .At least go to Win7 so you can use your (new) memory . Personally I left Intel years ago just because of its high price for AMD. I run a 990 Motherboard and an FX chip stock at 4.0 but overclocked to 4.5. The cost is maybe 1/2 of what Intel is and it runs perfect for me.

[stansdds]

For performance with FSX, Intel's CPU's and Nvidia's graphics cards still hold an advantage over their AMD and Radeon counterparts. The situation is a little different with P3D, which moves some of the load from the CPU to the graphics card, but FSX is still very reliant upon the CPU and prefers Intel. I have read numerous reports of people building computers based on the Skylake Core I5 6600K and Core I7 6700K and the performance has been excellent, especially when you overclock the "K" CPU. With the Skylake CPU you really should upgrade to DDR4 RAM and couple it with a very high end Nvidia graphics card. This is bleeding edge stuff, but the reports have been really good.

For less than bleeding edge, a system based on Intel's Haswell Core I7 4790K is a good choice.

Oh, and yes, you will need to upgrade to at least 64 bit Windows 7.

[tommieboy]

Yes, I plan to upgrade to at least 64 bit Windows 7.

Tommy

[Desert Rat]

I've just upgraded to:

Intel I7 6700K Skylake o/c'd to 4.5Ghz
Arctic Freezer 13 fan
Gigabyte Z-170 Gaming K3
Corsair LPX Vengeance 16GB DDR4 RAM o/c'd to 2400Mhz
Nice big Case with lotsa fans and LED's
Pioneer BDR
Windows 10 pro
Added a 2TB HDD.

Now, it all sounds great, and it kinda is bar Windows 10 is a ******. 75% of my games and proggies (so far) either don't work or I have to jump through flaming hoops to get any results.

That is not my biggest concern. And this is something you should consider also. I have from my old rig a 1TB HDD that has become my C: drive, a 1TB HDD that is going to be for Games, my new 2TB HDD is going to be for Flight sims and a 500GB disc for my Docs and such. Currently I only have my C: and my Games drive connected, due to my power supply not having enough juice, I kinda thought my 500W would be enough as my GPU is fairly lean in that respect, Radeon HD5450 Silent with 2GB DDR3. I was wrong.

I have now to spend the money I had earmarked for a new GPU on a new power supply, so it might be prudent for you to budget that in too.

ATB,
Jamie

[hairyspin]

I don't know which games and proggies Jamie is having no joy with since my very recent u/g to Win10 has been surprisingly successful and I have a shedload of really old stuff. The PSU has to be carefully checked out for what your rig really needs so take care selecting that and don't buy a cheapie. One Awful Smell and Much Smoke later and you'll need another one, if it hasn't also borked the other hardware – and the wallpaper – in the process.

[tommieboy]

This is my current power supply......

CORSAIR HX Series HX750 750W ATX12V 2.3 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply New 4th Gen CPU Certified Haswell Ready

Tommy

[Desert Rat]

I would imagine that would be sufficient, my 500W is fine for my set up with two HDDs fitted and the lowly HD5450, Thats with my oc'd stuff. You have spare juice for a few more bits I would imagine. Got an EVGA 850W under my microscope.

[greenie]

I'm the last person to advise anybody on computers but just a thought about future proofing . I have just started doing some investigating about Virtual Reality gear. It is going to be a must have. The current models are not quite right yet ( low res) but the next model ?
This will need a powerful graphic card.
Just a thought .