New PC on the horizon....Opinions needed on configuration please..

[Odie]

Well, it's that time again....about every 3 years I upgrade my gaming rig and this one is going on 4 years....it's starting to get a bit long in the tooth and HD space is getting sparse.

My intent and purpose for the new system is to be able to run the following:

FSX / Acceleration w/REX at full sliders for max eye candy (not currently running these)
FS9 w/REX (to be released) at full sliders for max eye candy (for now I'm holding on to FS9 due to the huge amount in add-ons that I still enjoy flying)

Here is what I've been able to pre-build on paper:

ICON - Brushed Aluminum
ICON Standard Solid
Silverstone 1000Watt Strider - Modular
Asus P6T Deluxe
Intel Core i7 940 - 2.93GHz
Intel Core i7 Cooler
Crucial 12GB DDR3 1066MHz
No Floppy Drive
nVidia GeForce 280GTX 1GB DDR3
CL X-Fi Titanium Fatality Pro PCIE
U.S Robotics 56K V.92 USB Modem
Raid 0 - Requires 2 Identical Drives
1TB 7200RPM 32MB Cache
1TB 7200RPM 32MB Cache
Lite-On 22X DVD+-RW W/Lightscribe
LG BlueRay/HD Reader and DVD/RW With Pow
Windows Vista Home Premium - 64 Bit
Microsoft Natural Ergonomic 4000
Logitech Optical

Can anyone see anything that's lacking?

Any potential problems with the components?

Is one vid card enough or is SLI the way to go?

Any issues with Vista HP - 64 bit and FS9/FSX? (they offer WinXP-Pro as an alternative)


The goal is to have a system that will not require any upgrades for 3 years so I may have overbuilt it, but I want it to soldier on for awhile.

Looking for some experience to lay eyes-upon the config and set me straight or give a thumbs-up please !

Thanks way-in-advance !

[kilo delta]

You should have no problems running FS9/X with all the sliders maxxed with that system. No need for SLi as fs9/X doesn't support it .......though it would be recommended if you play other modern pc games at very high resolutions (1920x1200 +).
I'd recommend an aftermaket cpu cooler as it'll allow you more headroom to overclock should you feel inclined.

PS. 12GB of memory is waaaaay overkill........6GB is plenty. :)

[Cazzie]

You sure you got enough there Odie! :icon_lol:

I think that should probably rocket FSX. It will propel FS9 off the map! :costumes:

Caz

[MCDesigns]

You should have no problems running FS9/X with all the sliders maxxed with that system. No need for SLi as fs9/X doesn't support it .......though it would be recommended if you play other modern pc games at very high resolutions (1920x1200 +).
I'd recommend an aftermaket cpu cooler as it'll allow you more headroom to overclock should you feel inclined.

PS. 12GB of memory is waaaaay overkill........6GB is plenty. :)

yep, I have to agree. While Vista 64 bit would be great with 12 gig on DDR, FSX is not a 64 bit program, so it won't take advantage of that.

One thing that I seem to notice with the tech getter better is the programming in FSX doesn't seem to be taking advantage of the better tech

[Odie]

Kilo, Caz, and MC Designs,

Your advice and comments are very much appreciated !

I tend to measure twice, cut once, when I'm spec'ing out a new PC, but this config looks to be the one I'll go with. I'm not that technical when it comes to components, so your expertise is valued greatly!

Can't wait to get FS9 and FSX loaded out and tweaked out....some of the screenshots that I've seen of FSX are really eye-watering to say the least, coupled with REX, you could get lost in it. I'm an eye-candy guy when it comes to flightsimming, sliders all the way to the max !

Looks like I'll be placing the order next week after the start of the New Year.

Thanks much !
Odie

[harleyman]

Gonna be a good one you are getting......

[hey_moe]

If you are putting them 2TB in Raid0.....I hope ya pack breakfast,lunch and dinner for 2 days when ya do a format and a defrag...grins ...also can you spare some of that DDR3 memory...lol....set up looks sweet...Mike

[txnetcop]

Sorry Odie I have been very busy with personal things the last two weeks and away for a few days. What you have looks really good and should be just fine. I have tested your setup and was very pleased with the results that we got at TechCorp. Though we only got about a 7-9 fps gain in FSX with the 940 OC'd to 3.8 over the Gigabyte and ASUS DDR2 systems we were testing it against.
Ted

[Odie]

Hey Mike & Ted,

Thanks for taking a look at the config, much appreciated ! I plan to give Falcon a call on Monday and get the box ordered. Probably take a couple of weeks for build and burn-in.

2 TB of storage.....man, have we come a long way in a few years!

I got my first PC back in the early, early, '90's after two buddies of mine showed me F-15 Strike Eagle on theirs....I was hooked!

My first PC was:

386 processor
130 meg harddrive <---to which I was told, "You'll never fill it up"
8 meg of RAM <--------- "What do you need that much RAM for?"
Soundblaster soundcard
No CD drive (that would come 3 years later to play REBEL ASSAULT)
VGA Video Card
1st Game to be loaded out: Wolfenstein 3D - They had it running at the PC shop and me and a buddy were waiting around...

My son got it as his first PC and it soldiered-on for several years after that with the addition of 4 more meg of RAM and a 200 meg harddrive for upgrades.

Spent a lot of early morning hours playing co-op DOOM and Diablo and F-15 Strike Eagle III....good times!

Happy New Year,
Odie

[JIMJAM]

Just keep your expectations low and hope for the best.
My best freind owns a computer store and while the number of hardcore pc gamers has drastically fallen off, he still build the occassional monster gaming rigs.
From what Ive seen, the latest,greatest hardware biggest improvments are with the lastest games.
With FSX, surprise,surprise, the gains are smaller and in some case less than the original machine.
My "old" AMD FX-62 2.8 2 gig machine runs FSX better than most the uber machines.
Its like putting a v8 into a Geo Metro and leaving the emergency brake on.
Fsx hates when people dare to challenge it.
Then again Ive seen some new machines that work really well on FSX but they appear to be dedicated and seup just for that game.
Best of luck to you.:wavey:

[Odie]

Thanks, JJ !

My current rig is a P4 3.6 with an nVidia 6800 Ultra 256meg and with 2 gig of DDR RAM. I think it could run FSX but I'm flat outta HD space with 160 gig, (two 80 gigs in RAID config). FS9 runs very nicely but with the VRS F/A-18, it's struggling.

Just updated the drivers for the 6800 and didn't pick up any fps but it did pretty up the pictures a bit.

After 4 years of service, it's time for it to move over and become the internet machine.

[SolarEagle]

As mentioned I would save your money on the SLI, as one card is enough to run 8xSQ supersampling via nHancer, which is the ultimate in FSX image quality. In fact the one and only way you get can close to soaking up all the power of a GTX280 is to use supersampling.

If you're not familiar with supersampling take a look at this post for an explaination and comparo pics. In the pics I used only 8xS supersampling, though 8xSQ is the setting to use on a 280, and looks more like the 4x4 setting that is pictured....

http://screenart.proboards101.com/index.cgi?board=chat&action=display&thread=136&page=1#809

And then this one for a a detailed and easy to follow guide on setting up nHancer....

http://orbxsystems.com/forums/index.php?topic=6771.msg57013#msg57013

[Fortiesboy]

Here is what I've been able to pre-build on paper:

ICON - Brushed Aluminum
ICON Standard Solid
Silverstone 1000Watt Strider - Modular
Asus P6T Deluxe
Intel Core i7 940 - 2.93GHz
Intel Core i7 Cooler
Crucial 12GB DDR3 1066MHz
No Floppy Drive
nVidia GeForce 280GTX 1GB DDR3
CL X-Fi Titanium Fatality Pro PCIE
U.S Robotics 56K V.92 USB Modem
Raid 0 - Requires 2 Identical Drives
1TB 7200RPM 32MB Cache
1TB 7200RPM 32MB Cache
Lite-On 22X DVD+-RW W/Lightscribe
LG BlueRay/HD Reader and DVD/RW With Pow
Windows Vista Home Premium - 64 Bit
Microsoft Natural Ergonomic 4000
Logitech Optical

Can anyone see anything that's lacking?

Looks a nice system . You got trackir?





Any issues with Vista HP - 64 bit and FS9/FSX? (they offer WinXP-Pro as an alternative)


Have you checked re the drivers for your peripherals- joystick etc re the 64 bit. That's why I have opted for XP 32 rather than Vista 64.

[Odie]

SolarEagle - I will take a look at nHancer; thanks for the link! I'm an eye-candy flyer and if I can get better imaging, it's worth a look ! I was on the fence about SLI and Kilo's comments caused me to look at my gaming habits over the past few months. I seldom crank up anything except FS9 and maybe Diablo 2 so ya'll are right, SLI would just be sitting there not being used, so I don't think it would gain me anything by adding it. Appreciate the info and comments!

Fortiesboy - Good point, sir, and something I hadn't considered but I was intending on replacing my tried and true MS Precision Pro II with a new stick for the new rig. I will have to do some research on what's out there. I'm not wanting anything fancy, just something like the MS PPII that has stick, rudders, and throttle on the same stick.

Does anyone have any recommendations on joysticks w/Vista 64?

[kilo delta]

The Saitek X52 seems to be the joystick of choice among simmers.

If you're not going to be running any other games then there'll be no need for sli, tri-sli, quad sli, crossfire nor crossfireX :costumes: :)

[Butcherbird17]

Your joystick will work in 64bit vista. My Saitek Evo works with no problems in Vista ultimate 64, and its over 3 years old.

Joe

[Odie]

Kilo, the only other game I might be playing outside of World of Warcraft (and I don't play much of that) would be Diablo 3 when it's released later in 2009. From my thinking adding the expense of SLI wouldn't be worth it for just a couple of games. I'll check out the X-52, too.

Butcherbird, I'll give the MS PP2 a shot with Vista and see how it does. If it works I won't have to shell out anything but if it doesn't I'll have the X-52 in my back pocket. Appreciate the info, sir!