NZFF

I'm either going to buy this system, or this system in order to get some better framerates with flight simulator, and hardware capable for running FSX.

Guys with tech knowledge, do you think these systems can do the job nicely? I don't know much about processors- all I can remember is that a Pentium 4 is faster than a Pentium 3, but I'm unfamiliar with how AMDs and Duel Cores work. I currently have a 2.4Ghz Celaron processor which is pretty pathetic, but that first system only has a 2.1Ghz processor, and the second only a 1.8...? I'm not even sure if FS is processor dependant or not, could you guys shed some light on the purchase I might be about to make?

Also, are graphics cards and operating systems (I still want to use XP) included or will I have to make an additional purchase, I can't tell.

Cheers.

Good shop first of all .
gigibyte mother board i woundnt be to keen on ?? but if there are parts that you dont like just ask them to change them "to Asus"also make sure it has pci express slot for graphic card
remember power packs --430 at lest
if it was me id go intel duo not amd "opinion"

Get a Core 2 duo, over the Athlon equivilent (I did comparison test browsing online before buying my system, and the Core 2 at the time was way ahead of the Athlon range). I have a C2 duo 6400 2.13 (love it) but I'd prefer more horsepower for FSX. But you'll need more than that to run FSX well. I also have 2gb of ram, you'll need that at least to run fsx well. GFX, I wouldn't go anything less than what I have now for reasonable performance (7950GT 512mb). I'd hate to see you spend money not to achieve what you want out of FSX, but looking at this, you are going to need more.
With my current set up I still run FSX to the point I am happy, but you could buy a system slightly better than mine now days for a much cheaper price.

CPU:

At present, I believe the Intel 'Core' range is still better than the equivalent offering from AMD. Do not be concerned about GHz these days... it is no longer the indicator of processor grunt that it used to be. This is especially so in the case of multiple core CPU's... It will still tell you which CPU's in a particular model are better (ie. for Core 2 Duo: E6700 @ 2.66 GHz > E6600 @ 2.4 GHz > E6400 @ 2.13 GHz > E6300 @ 1.86 GHz etc.), but you cannot say that a 2.66 GHz C2D is worse than a 3.0 GHz Pentium 4 etc...

Also, AMD chips have been running at lower speeds for a while, but still performing... my old Athlon XP 2000+ was the equivalent of a Pentium 4 @ 2 GHz... but it was only running at aroun 1.3 or 1.4 GHz from memory... (this is why AMD invented the whole XXXX+ numbering thing)


RAM:

Realistically, 1 Gig is not enough... you will find that XP runs adequately with this (Vista will not)... but FS would definitely benefit from 2+ Gigs...


Motherboards:

Probably not the best boards in the world... but unless you are an extreme overclocker and like to twiddle and tweak every last little MHz out of stuff, they will probably do the job...

Although I do note that the Intel one only supports 667MHz RAM, and only up to 2 Gigs... so it does not have a lot of room for expansion.


Graphics:

It would appear both of those boxes, by default use the onboard VGA of the mobos... however they both have PCIe x16 slots... so you should be able to go and get a nice 8xxx series nVidia card... just remember to factor in the extra $$$...


PSU:

Both of these boxes are woefully underpowered... especially if you are going to stick a nice graphics card in them... (eg nVidia 8xxx series). I would be looking at 450-ish W... minimum. But if you're going to use onboard video , then it should be fine.


OS:

As far as I can tell, they will not come with any OS... the idea of upgrade boxes like this is that you use as much of your old gear (keyboards, monitors, mice etc) and software licenses as possible...

Might pay to ask the PBTech guys...

I would concur with HCP, these boxes are sold as is (no OS unless it's avertised with the system), which means you can't add or remove from the system (these are boxed and ready to go) I would also recommend losing the HD Sound and installing a proper soundcard.

Core 2 duo is the way to go as is pci express16.Minimum power supply to go for is 450 watt,more is preferably.Abit or Asus motherboard is my choice.XP pro is my operating system,gonna be a long time before I go for Vista.At the end of the day it is your choice,personally I'm glad I went for the core 2 duo

I have to agree with every one else about the core 2 duo thing. you just can't beat them for the price

gokanru wrote:

QUOTE (gokanru @ Jan 1 2008, 09:29 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Core 2 duo is the way to go as is pci express16.Minimum power supply to go for is 450 watt,more is preferably.Abit or Asus motherboard is my choice.XP pro is my operating system,gonna be a long time before I go for Vista.At the end of the day it is your choice,personally I'm glad I went for the core 2 duo

+1

I have an Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 (2.66GHZ) and it runs sweet with my FSX