Posted: Sat Nov 27, 2010 3:49 amHi guys and girls,
As mentioned in my intro post, I would like some advice on how to get the best performance from my computer for running FS2004 to a fairly high level. I am prepared to put my hand in my pocket and part with a bit of cash, if need be, to make a few upgrades, so any advice you could offer would be extremely helpful. The basic game itself runs "ok" at 25 FPS with some of the settings stripped down but I want to make it look as real as possible, and understand that I would probably need to purchase premium aircraft, REX, active camera etc, but what hardware upgrades would you recommend, without breaking the bank, to achieve this?
My current setup is as follows...
XP Home (SP3)
ASUS P5KPL-AM/PS with integrated graphics (256mb)
Intel E5300 Pentium Dual-Core @ 2.6GHz
2Gb DDR2-800 RAM
500Gb WD SATA drive
AOC 19" Widescreen (1600x900)
Hope that's enough info to give you guys some ideas. More ram? Independent graphics card? Faster processor (ouch$$$!)?
Any advice would be great, thanks in advance!
Pom.
As mentioned in my intro post, I would like some advice on how to get the best performance from my computer for running FS2004 to a fairly high level. I am prepared to put my hand in my pocket and part with a bit of cash, if need be, to make a few upgrades, so any advice you could offer would be extremely helpful. The basic game itself runs "ok" at 25 FPS with some of the settings stripped down but I want to make it look as real as possible, and understand that I would probably need to purchase premium aircraft, REX, active camera etc, but what hardware upgrades would you recommend, without breaking the bank, to achieve this?
My current setup is as follows...
XP Home (SP3)
ASUS P5KPL-AM/PS with integrated graphics (256mb)
Intel E5300 Pentium Dual-Core @ 2.6GHz
2Gb DDR2-800 RAM
500Gb WD SATA drive
AOC 19" Widescreen (1600x900)
Hope that's enough info to give you guys some ideas. More ram? Independent graphics card? Faster processor (ouch$$$!)?
Any advice would be great, thanks in advance!
Pom.
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...AGP Motherboard.
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) to go to FSX or whatever the next sim coming is called in the next 12-18 months, those 2 cards you mention will be "dead money" as they are too weak for FSX (and probably the next sim as well).
) warranties, and most of their models have dual 12v rails (the more expensive ones have 3 or 4 rails) and Active PFC. If you can get a Silver 80 Plus rating unit, that's even better. It's VERY important to have smooth, clean power for your components. I also strongly recommend a line-interactive UPS, as there are 9 different types of "power events" that get fed into our PCs from the power companies on a regular basis. A line-interactive UPS smooths all the cr@p out and also gives you 5-10 mins of full battery backup. Be aware that all warranties on computer hardware are void if failure is found to be due to a "power event". Most people are unaware of the fact that "power events" are not just excess supply of power, but also lacks. And computer hardware does not take kindly to either. As time goes along and our poor PCs are forced to endure many micro power events (you know the type: it flicks the TV screen or lights but not enough to switch them off), the damage to the internal components - especially on the motherboard - is cumulative. Then one day, you power up, there is a "BANG" and that horrible burnt "brown" smell, and... well, you can guess the rest. UPSes are not cheap - a good one will set you back $200-$220, but they last 3-5 years, and the good ones come with excellent guarantees (including connected-devices payouts up to $50k in some cases). I recommend, sell and use the Eaton PowerWare series. You'd need at least a 700VA model.
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